When I watched the Playstation 4 reveal back in February, I couldn’t help but feel excited. Sony implemented a number of improvements over its Playstation 3 into the new console, and was very frank about wanting to show them off. But at the same time, they never forgot about the audience, who were very likely a majority of its viewers: gamers.

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With titles like inFamous: Second Son, Knack, and Killzone Shadow Fall, Sony excited its audience with the games that were to come. And by cleverly demonstrating the features of its new console through some impressive tech demos, notably a Playstation Move demo from LittleBigPlanet studio Media Molecule, Sony thrilled its audience with games that are possible with this new technology.

I didn’t have the same reactions as I watched the new Xbox reveal earlier today, despite the relatively equal amount of anticipation I had for it. Instead, one question stayed in mind throughout the event:

Who is Microsoft aiming at?

The Xbox One, as the new console has been named, has some very interesting features. A heavy emphasis on Cloud computing and the ability to outsource part of a game’s processing to the Cloud leads to some very cool possibilities, especially since this means that the console’s technical capabilities has the potential to grow over time, and an improved, more accurate Kinect would be great for upcoming games. But unlike Sony, Microsoft’s main selling point wasn’t how these all these new features come together to improve your gaming experience. Instead, they tried pulling in a new audience by showing how everything would come together to improve your TV experience.

That’s right. TV Experience. Through Kinect, you can turn on your TV with the sound of your voice as well as instantly switch between your game session and live TV. The console will be able to replace your cable or satellite TV box entirely and allow you to view television through the Xbox One user interface. Microsoft clearly touted the next generation Xbox as “a central media hub for all of your entertainment.”

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Not that any of these features are necessarily hurtful or irrelevant to the console itself, but Microsoft’s presentation suffered through its heavy emphasis on these new additions. Microsoft clearly forgot two key factors in today’s reveal.

The first is its audience. I get that Microsoft tried to appeal to a casual audience many have claimed it had ignored during the current generation of consoles with its Xbox 360, and I commend the company for doing so. But what “casual gamer” would have waited for hours in live to be able to attend the event in person, or would have sat through the entirety of the online stream? While it may be a good advertising strategy to immediately get the ball rolling on the casual appeal, it felt as if Microsoft did not want to provide anything new for its existing core audience. Even when it came to the few games that were shown, Microsoft invited developers to create “deep, cinematic experiences,” rather than deep gameplay experiences. The games and how we can control them were completely overshadowed by TV integration.

Something else to keep in mind is the Xbox One name itself. While I do think the name fits the company’s vision for an all-in-one entertainment system very well, I can’t help but feel that this name will hurt its sales with the very same audience they are trying to appeal to. Just as with Nintendo’s Wii U, a console whose name does not distinguish itself much from that of its predecessor, the Xbox One’s name does not portray itself as a step forward from the Xbox 360. In fact, to a casual audience, it sounds like it took 359 steps back.

The second factor Microsoft completely overlooked is “our relationship with TV” as they so put it. With iTunes, Amazon Instant Streaming, and, well, the internet in general, many people use their TVs less and less. Despite growing interest in shows like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and Mad Men, among others, many resort to watching these shows through an online stream on their laptops or downloads from an online video service over live Television. The TV I use to play my console games on isn’t even connected to any television service. Even Microsoft’s event today was streamed online rather than on any television channel. I’m not saying that our relationship with TV is entirely dead, but Microsoft is banking on the part of the living room that is slowly become less and less used everyday.

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It’s very interesting to note that during their initial reveals, the Playstation 3 was marketed as the all-in-one entertainment system while the Xbox 360 was the gaming-centric console. Microsoft should learn from the mistakes of Sony’s initial campaign going forward with the Xbox One.

I’m not saying the Xbox One is on an assured path to failure. With E3 coming up, I’m sure we will see a number of games and exciting possibilities that will bring back any of those who were disappointed with today’s reveal. That being said, Microsoft needs to work on its presentation. After all, it was its existing core audience who were watching today.

On a side and somewhat unrelated note, Steven Spielberg is producing a live-action TV series based on the Halo universe. While this only adds to my point above, is anyone not excited about this?

 

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