In the days leading up to their Gamescom Event, which happened yesterday afternoon, Microsoft spent a LOT of time hyping up the event, teasing new announcements about everything from games to their new console and even some service related updates.
Why then, did it all feel like a massive retread of E3? Well…Because it mostly was.
Microsoft has a hype problem and its not hard to see why. They have little going for them to get people to buy their shiny new console. They scream from the rooftops “IT’S THE MOST POWERFUL CONSOLE IN THE WORLD!” with flashy buzzwords like “TRUE 4K” and “DYNAMIC HDR” which to the average consumer are meaningless. What the average consumer wants out of their console is GAMES and Microsoft doesn’t have much to show there.
We got exactly TWO new announcements during the Xbox Event at Gamescom. A new Jurassic World Creation Sim type game will hit the Xbox One (and PC, and PS4) next year, and a new Minecraft limited edition Xbox One S is coming this fall. That’s it. Nothing about any upcoming titles we didn’t already see at E3. Nothing about the new service(s) they might be offering. It was grim.
You can have the most powerful console in the world, but if you have nothing to play on it, what’s the point? Most of your “exclusive” titles are either timed exclusives or are also coming out on Windows 10 machines, if they're not out there already.
There is a new "Project Scorpio" edition of the Xbox One X, which is supposedly limited in number like the Xbox One Day One Launch editions were a few years ago. They kept prattling on about how beautiful it was, how special it was, and they even waxed nostalgic about the green color and the big X on the box for Christ's sake! Nostalgia only gets you so far and hardly anyone will care about how pretty your special edition console looks when its sat in their entertainment system at home.
Microsoft needs to pump out games to get people excited again. At least tease the next entry in a popular series or promote a new IP with fervor. You’re losing to Sony and in some respects Nintendo. ACT LIKE IT. Do something! Be flashy! Make the HYPE worth it! Give me a reason to toss my original Xbox One aside and buy this new one. So far, you haven't.
Its just sad…As an Xbox fan, it hurts me to see this happening.
Maybe this fall will change things. Who knows. But right now, the Xbox One X and all that goes with it has all of the appeal of a wet blanket.