The Xbox: Using Diversity to Beat the Competition

Welcome!

xbox360.jpg

This site contains a collection of findings focused on the development of Microsoft's gaming console, the Xbox 360. The Xbox is a focal point in Microsoft's vision - the evolutionary process of shifting to a digital lifestyle. Several capabilities are explored on the pages of this website. The focus of the site involves showcasing the accessories, internet options, competition, and business strategy for the Xbox. This exciting information will help unleash the Xbox to readers and prove its stable life as a gaming system.

Xbox is not the cheapest or most powerful gaming system, but it has the most capabilities and diversity.

Innovation across all components of the Xbox 360 seems limitless. Overlapping capabilities function seamlessly across the hardware, accessories, and internet options. The purpose of accessories like controllers, remotes, and other gadgets is to support a user-friendly home entertainment unit - not just a gaming platform.

The Live feature of the Xbox diversifies abilities while gaming. No longer does a gamer need to choose between playing and shopping-both are done on one convenient console. Networking and staying competitive are also viable options without ever leaving a favorite couch or bean bag.

The Xbox has had to deal with competition mainly from the Wii and Playstion 3. Each of its competitors has a different competitive strategy. The Xbox must compete against the Wii’s low cost and the new gaming experience. Xbox must make itself preferable against the Playstation 3’s high differentiation especially in graphics and hardware.

Since 2005, Microsoft has focused not just on improving the Xbox's gaming capabilities, but expanding it to other areas of the users' lives. Membership to Xbox Live provides use of Xbox Live Party and an easy way to stream movies from Netflix. The Xbox is also compatible with Windows 7 and Microsoft's Zune, making it the hub of the integrated digital lifestyle.

Conclusively, research showed that when it comes to the Xbox, Microsoft is definitely not "playing around"! Rapid innovation is what drives Microsoft's success. To capture a large market share and provide value and entertainment to customers, the Xbox 360 and its component pieces had to advance. To survive and thrive in the entertainment industry, Microsoft pioneered social networking mashups and extensive downloadable content and capitalized on the untapped potential of devices like the "wii-mote". By using the internet to intertwine social and gaming lives, users become more locked into the product, services, and brand. Loyalty and adoration for the capabilities develops in a gaming career. The Xbox 360 needs to stay price competitive as well as continuing to differentiate itself to compete against is rivals, the Wii and Playstation 3. The expansion of the Xbox into more areas of peoples’ lives may be the edge Microsoft needs to dominate the competition. Microsoft strategy has been to link the Xbox to movies, other Microsoft products, and even peoples’ social lives. This strategy locks in customers, but it also raises barriers to market entry. In short, the Xbox 360 is a solid, yet evolving package. Microsoft seems to have found a balance point between innovation and stability, thriving on the edge of chaos.

Note: Readers are able to add commentary on the forum but to protect the research accomplished, edits to the main pages may only be made by members associated with this site.

Xbox Main Page

Authors:
Carly Alter
Clayton Dorsett
Nick Shives
Mac Grossling

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License