Xbox Positioned to 'Lead the Way Forward' in Consoles, says AnalystXbox 360 in the last couple years has moved more and more into entertainment beyond games, and it would appear that trend will continue with next-gen. According to analyst and marketing expert Scott Steinberg, Microsoft has an advantage over both Sony and Nintendo because of this broader entertainment focus.
"If I had to place my bets, I would say that Microsoft has been the most forward-looking of all three manufacturers; through a combination of skill and luck, Microsoft has very effectively positioned itself to lead the way forward through a combination of services, content and new hardware accessories - Kinect being the notable example," he commented in a recent interview with IndustryGamers.
While Sony at least has some experience with PSN and can leverage entertainment synergies with Sony Music and Sony Pictures, Nintendo has the most work cut out for itself if it hopes to counter Microsoft and Sony.
"I think Nintendo desperately needs to play catch-up on the online, connected, and streaming multimedia fronts," Steinberg added. "Nintendo's not unaware of the challenges it faces, but traditionally it's been a company that in the past has been very profitable and has very cleverly straddled the line between game and technology toy. They've almost been operating in a different market entirely... I would never count them out of the race, as we've seen countless times before in history, but certainly at this point they're going to have to give themselves a shot of adrenaline and really show why they're going to rocket to the front of the pack."
