8 Biggest Xbox Risks (That Totally Backfired)
2. The Xbox One's Launch
It's not unheard of that the biggest consoles of all-time are followed by less-than-stellar younger siblings. After the Xbox 360 ruled the roost for years, Microsoft delivered one of the most unmitigated gaming disasters from top-to-bottom.
The Xbox One's unveiling didn't feature a single game until 27-minutes in, instead focusing on TV, TV, TV, TV and TV.
The despair of watching this show was palpable as Mattrick danced around on stage waffling about using your phone to buy cinema tickets whilst watching a trailer on screen and the ability to tune into live sports.
The first thing that we ever saw running on an Xbox One was The Price is Right. Something about that set up the rest of the One's lifespan, and worst of all the TV services that ate up most of the conference didn't even launch alongside the console outside of the US.
Microsoft's desire was to be more than just a games system and in a sense it was moving in the right direction with voice command and streaming television. However, many felt like the brand's focus was too aimless and especially untrustworthy at launch. DRM, Kinect, no backwards compatibility and a lacking roster of exclusive titles kept people away. What was there for your core audience, the gamers?
Eventually some of these things would get fixed, but even Phil Spencer admits that the Xbox One was part of the generation that Microsoft truly failed.