Hey, moms, Microsoft says Xbox is for you
Note to hard-core video game players: Microsoft
says it is aiming for your mothers and wives.
In the coming weeks, Microsoft plans to introduce a marketing campaign to expand the appeal of the new game console Xbox 360 beyond the young men who are its biggest fans.
Microsoft hopes to win a bigger share of the market from PlayStation 2, the top-selling console, made by Sony, by promoting a more family-friendly image for the new Xbox, which is scheduled to arrive in stores on Nov. 22.
In 2001, when Microsoft introduced the first Xbox, it focused heavily on hard-core gamers, typically males aged 17 to 24, who wanted a high-end machine with more sophisticated graphics and more complex game functions than other consoles. The PlayStation and the Nintendo GameCube, meanwhile, put more emphasis on reaching the mainstream market, analysts said.
This time, Microsoft is planning a wider attack. Brochures being sent to major retailers like Best Buy prominently describe the 360's ability to double as a DVD player, play music from an MP3 player through a television's speakers and even display digital photos on a TV.
When was the last time mom bought something for the home -- based on a brochure she picked up at BEST BUY.
Analysts, however, are skeptical that the repositioning will work. They say it will be difficult to alter the Xbox's high-end image. And they point out that nongame features have not sold consoles in the past. The Xbox, like the PlayStation2, can work as a DVD player, but most users do not use game consoles as substitutes for a stand-alone DVD player, analysts say.
"It's a tough sell" to market the 360 to a mainstream audience, said Jeff Gerstmann, senior editor with GameSpot, an online gaming review site. "It's icing on the cake - being able to view photos on an Xbox. But first and foremost, this thing will always be viewed as a game machine."
Posted: Thu - October 13, 2005 at 07:57 AM