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What Will Microsoft Learn From The Wii U And PS4?

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The Wii U is on sale, the PlayStation 4 has been officially announced. Now all eyes turn to Microsoft, the last of the big three to premiere a new console.

What will they do with the information they've gleaned from those who have "gone first"? Originally, Sony said they wanted to wait for Microsoft to announce, lest the company simply copy their ideas from the PS4. I think that's a bit silly, as the actual, physical console has been in development for years, and you could hardly change everything in a few mere months after your competitor announced their product.

But that doesn't mean Microsoft can't learn a few things from how the launch of the Wii U and the reveal of the PS4 were handled. Here are a few lessons I think they'll have to carefully consider for the debut of their next console.

From the Wii U - Solid Launch Window Titles Are a Must

If there's one thing we've learned from the sluggish sales of the Wii U the past few months, it's that the primary reason people buy a console is for the games you can play on it. Nintendo even had it easier than most, as they have a solid dozen original IPs they could have chosen from when fashioning launch window games. Instead, they picked ALL of them, cramming them into mere minigames for Nintendo Land, and then they released Super Mario Bros. U, which most would deem not a "true" next gen Mario title. Other than that, the selection is mostly a sea of lackluster 3rd party ports.

For Microsoft, that's a bit harder, and their only real in-demand exclusive IPs these days are Gears of War, Halo and Dance Central. I was frankly surprised that Halo 4 was released on current gen, as that would have been a blockbuster launch title on the new system. However, Microsoft has an advantage over the Wii U because next-gen third party titles are on the table for them. If the system can run games like Watch Dogs and Destiny near launch (and it will) then it will be leagues ahead of the Wii U, as those games aren't being developed for the system as far as we know. (Update: It has been revealed in the past few days that Watch Dogs is indeed being made for the Wii U)

From the PS4 - If You're Revealing Your Console, Reveal Your Console

Even Jack Tretton admitted that not showing the physical box in this week's PS4 presentation was a mistake, even if it was more psychological than anything else for fans and press. Past that, the reason Sony's stock opened down yesterday was likely because there wasn't a price given for the console during the presentation. Both of these are due to the fact that this event was so far ahead of launch, but many are deeming the lack of a "full" reveal a mistake.

When Microsoft debuts their next console, the "Xbox Social" I'm sure it will be called at this rate, they need to make sure to debut everything people want to know about it. That includes a picture and price, and important pieces of information like say, whether or not the thing will still play physical media. By having all the necessary information in one news conference, they could end up "winning" E3 by default if that is indeed when they're choosing to debut their system.

From the Wii U - If You're Integrating a Gimmick, Make Sure It's Optional

Nintendo has many challenges ahead with third party support, the biggest perhaps the fact that the console simply won't have the power to play truly next-gen titles, but another is more immediate. Many current gen developers simply don't want to port their games to the Wii U because they can't be bothered to craft additional aspects of the game that use the Wii U's gamepad. While the gamepad is a novel idea, it's not so innovative that it should be a required part of every game. And it's not relatable enough to be a system seller like the original Wii's motion controls.

I'm a little worried about this in regard to Microsoft. One of the main rumors surrounding the next console is that it will have integrated, upgraded Kinect support. While the Kinect is a novel idea, and certainly deserves room to grow, it was hardly the revolution it promised to be. Past dancing and fitness games, it really didn't do anything to change how we play most actual games, and "better with Kinect" became something of a running joke in the industry. I have no problem with Kinect being a part of the new console, particularly if its integrated and not a pricey add-on, but Microsoft needs to make sure they're not going to shoehorn it into games that don't need it, or spend half their reveal presentation talking about it.

From the PS4 - If Sony Doesn't Want Living Room Dominance, Microsoft Can Have It

While the PS4 did many things to challenge the Wii U directly last night, from a touchscreen on a controller to remote play on the PS Vita, the most direct reference to Microsoft was in the quote "We don't want the living room to be the central focus of the Playstation 4 ecosystem, we want to focus on the gamer."  That's good for us, as gamers, and we then went on to see that the PS4 does look to be a pretty cool gaming-centric machine (social media BS aside). But that does leave Microsoft with a huge opportunity.

To most outside observers, it's becoming clear that a video game console is quickly becoming a "computer in the living room." Yes, it plays games, but the expectation is that it can do a hell of a lot more than that. The Wii U certainly isn't going to fill that role, and now Sony has declared they're not aggressively going after that title either. That leaves Microsoft to do battle with things like the Steam Box and Apple's inevitable iTV. Yes, they'll be wise to focus on games as well, but if played correctly, the next generation Xbox could very well be the console that non-gamers buy this cycle if it proves to be an effective foundation for household entertainment in general, not just gaming. What exactly that  means we'll have to see, but if somehow the Xbox manages to replicate most non-gaming functions of a desktop PC, certain aspects of a cable box, and make all of it seamlessly controlled with gestures, that might be a device that gamers and non-gamers alike will seek out.

What other lessons do you think Microsoft can learn from its competitors?

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