I think the Xbox Series and Wii U have the same problem

[BumbleChump]

The name and marketing.

Wii U ads had people using wii-remotes, the console looked visually similar to the Wii, and some thought that Wii U was just a gamepad addon for the original Wii. A lot of my friends didn't know what a Wii U was.

Xbox Series X/S controllers look very similar to the Xbox One controllers, the game packaging is a nightmare to understand, and "Series X & Series S" aren't clear as to what they mean. Especially after Xbox One X.

I know a lot of people that still don't know what the new Xbox is called. This was the same with the Wii U when it was current. It's definitely not a lack of software, as both consoles have bangers.

Thoughts?

 

[NinjaScooter]

Doesn't seem like that level of confusion is really the issue for Xbox. It's more that the brand simply isn't as appealing as many people thought going into this generation and they are going to have to do a lot of work to build it back up. It seems like its less confusion, and more apathy.

 

[Deleted member 158819]

Xbox's issue is that it has been a worst PlayStation for nearly a decade. Like Phil said, they can't be the "blue guys but green", need to find their own identity somehow and it seems like that'll end up being off console.

 

[Misterhbk]

This would assume the actual hardware itself is the issue. They put together a very solid box.

Hard disagree. A lot more going on with Xbox than with Wii U.

 

[Geeko]

I've never found it complicated or confusing. There's two models at two price points. Seems pretty simple to me.

 

[cw_sasuke]

Problems are the complete opposite, WiiU had great exclusives at some point but the hardware was trash and people didn't want to pay premium for the GamePad, she you could buy PS360 for sub 200 by thag point.

Meanwhile the Series hardware is great, but their exclusive heavy hitters aren't moving things and their seems to be a lack of identity.

Xbox has the cheapest current gen system, while so the more powerful system and pretty much all mayor AAA support. WiiU didn't have anything of it and in terms of Nintendo games and audience it was competing with the 3DS, which was getting more and more console like experiences.

 

[Radec]

Maybe most people just don't want/need those consoles?

 

[Derbel McDillet]

I think you're over and underthinking this and forcing a comparison that isn't really there. How many Series consoles do you think would've been sold by the end of this gen?

 

[404LinkNotFound]

While marketing was an issue for the Wii U definitely, i think some Wii u fans really do understate how conceptually, the system wasnt very appealing plus becuase it wasnt appealing, it affected marketing

The 2 screen concept is cool but barely any games showed why it was needed for a home console and its harder to pay attention to 2 screens that arent next to each other like the DS
The system was woefully underpowered. Now plenty of "weak" systems have sold well but there has to be some tradeoff in the eyes of consumers to make the power gap worth it. The Switch gets away with it becuase its a portable and people are often fine with portability. The Wii U's dual screen never seemed like an equvalent exchange for the power gap with the PS4 and XB1. Especially since there was only a 50 to 100 gap between the systems
And the games had too large of gap between them. the constant droughts REALLY killed the system's little momentum. Almost as bad as the n64's drought but without enough genre defining software the N64 had.

The Xbox series definitely seems to have a branding issue. Too american and too anglo based and its name is kinda old sounding. The Wii U tho' its issues run DEEP. Much deeper than Xbox series' is. The Series is a good console but branding plus day one PC exclusives kills its appeal

Maybe most people just don't want/need those consoles?

Click to shrink...

And this too
I feel as much MS tried to diffrentiate itself, the Series is still too similar to the PS5 to ever take off
"Why get an Xbox if i can get a PS5 where all my friends are"

 

[RivalGT]

I think its more the software and not having something that sets it apart from the competition, I think gamepass, and the Series S was supposed to be that. But it doesn't seem to be working.

Xbox 360 was known for having good online compared to PS3 and had good exclusives at one time, before kinect. Also the price of the console was cheaper than the PS3 for a few years. And xbox had a reputation of having the better versions of 3rd party games, often exclusive DLC or early DLC.

 

[Lotus]

The name prolly doesn't help, but it's nowhere near being Wii U level bad, Xbox has bigger issues than a weird naming scheme

 

[Strandr]

I think Phil also put it excellently in an interview from last year that they lost the worst generation to lose as people began to build up your digital library. We've grown accustomed to it now but back in the day when you purchased your SNES games you had 0 investment into the ecosystem. Even PS2 to PS3 was a bit weird because not all systems had backwards compatibility.

For the generation of PS4 and Xbox One where people started really investing in a library that they'd expect to be able to play forward they fell behind and so when the PS5 came around and Series X|S came around and on top of everything else it was a better place to play your PS4/Xbox One games then it's going to be so much harder to get people to swap and invest heavily into the different ecosystem

 

[Qwark]

I don't really agree. I think Xbox's problem is lack of really solid exclusives. Don't get me wrong, Hi-Fi, Pentiment, Ori, are great, but I can play them on other systems. I guess they can improve some of the marketing, but I don't think it's that dire.

Wii U had, imo, a lot of good exclusives (thankfully now on Switch), but you are correct there that it was marketed and named horribly. XSX name isn't great, but it's no Wii U. Plus, I'd argue Xbox One is a worse name than XSX.

Edit: Come to think of it, MS marketing in "second-tier" territories is pathetic.

Edit2: Missed some words.

 

[pappacone]

no, that would be the case if the problem was the tranisition form XBO to XBS, but the numbers are not so distant, so the userbase understood this is a new gen.
What they need is people coming from other platforms

 

[Keziaka6591]

As someone who's pretty plugged into gaming stuff, I still regularly confuse what is the current Xbox - mostly bc I think the naming convention is stupid (no I don't have a better one but I know a bad one when I see it). Also there's really no need for me to know. They don't have anything on the console that isn't available on PC so why would I know?

 

[bremon]

PlayStation controllers looked incredibly similar for many years. It's not a controller issue. It's a branding and product differentiation issue. MS names their consoles in stupid ways and they have difficulty explaining how they provide customers a better value / experience than Sony does.

 

[Zaimokuza]

I'm sorry, but Xbox's problem, apart from people outside the US/UK and gaming circles not knowing it exists, is its proposition.

It's just trying to be a green Playstation, that's what it was born to be and what still is. Does anyone expect the Samsung Galaxy S to outsell the iPhone?

Gamepass hasn't changed that, at least not yet, and the series s is not as cheap as it should have been in emerging markets.

Edit: before anyone attacks me, the only Playstation consoles I own are the ps2 and psvita (which soured me forever on Sony)

 

[JimD]

Nah, even among casuals people are very aware there's a "new" Xbox. There just isn't a big consumer demand for the product. Sony has a dominant grip on the purely console market and hasn't done anything significantly wrong this generation to drive people away like the Xbox One did. They have an excellent console that's equal to, or close enough that it doesn't matter, their competitor. They have more hugely popular exclusive games. They are manufacturing more than enough to meet demand. Xbox has had a first party problem for years. It's not surprising they're losing ground.

The Wii U literally had casuals wondering if Nintendo had actually launched a new console. It's one of the all time gaffs in marketing and promotion. Xbox having confusing naming conventions doesn't even come close.

 

[Cocolina]

If it was the name then Xbox One was surely the real victim there

 

[CloseTalker]

I don't think the name is doing it any favors, but it also isn't hurting it. It's just marketing, lack of strategic partnerships, and poor first party output. Hardcore gamers on Era can argue til their blue in the face, games like Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment aren't doing anything to help Xbox gain users. Xbox needs a Starfield-level game to happen 2-3 times a year, like Playstation does. Games like Spider-Man, God of War, and Horizon, that can be advertised on the back of the console box, in movie theaters, and during basketball games. That's kind of the long and short of it.

 

[Lant_War]

The idea that people didn't buy the Wii U because they didn't know it was a new console is nonsensical. The ads at the start were certainly terrible and I'm not saying it helped, but the Wii U didn't sell because people weren't interested in it.

 

[Copilot]

The name and marketing.

Wii U ads had people using wii-remotes, the console looked visually similar to the Wii, and some thought that Wii U was just a gamepad addon for the original Wii. A lot of my friends didn't know what a Wii U was.

Xbox Series X/S controllers look very similar to the Xbox One controllers, the game packaging is a nightmare to understand, and "Series X & Series S" aren't clear as to what they mean. Especially after Xbox One X.

I know a lot of people that still don't know what the new Xbox is called. This was the same with the Wii U when it was current. It's definitely not a lack of software, as both consoles have bangers.

Thoughts?

Click to shrink...

Don't know about the rest of the world but, in Brazil, Xbox Series X|S were very close to PS5, even closer than US. That was before Microsoft gave up here. Sony wins because they invest and fight until the end for every market.

 

[Deleted member 16876]

Xbox issue goes deeper than the name.

I wish it wasn't this way but I honestly don't know what they can even do anymore. I don't play my Xbox much other than BC but I hope next year finally delivers.

 

[Lotus]

I don't really agree. I think Xbox's problem is lack of really solid exclusives. Don't get me wrong, Hi-Fi, Pentiment, Ori, are great, but I can play them on other systems. I guess they improve some of the marketing, but I think it's that dire.

Click to shrink...

?

Pentiment and Hi-Fi aren't playable on any other consoles, just PC. But if that's what you meant, then you're basically saying Xbox can never solve the problem, as I don't see then ever backtracking on releasing their exclusives on PC Day 1

 

[Sabin]

Nah Xbox is missing 2-4 blockbuster games per year on the level of God of War, Spiderman etc that are exclusive to the xbox ecosystem.

Starfield turning out just okay also didn't help.

 

[CorpseLight]

"Confused Grandma 2023 Edition"

 

[Kyrios]

There's really no confusion for Xbox Series, and I know people who legitimately thought the Wii U was just an HD version console of the Wii up until a few years ago.

I think it's simply most people prefer PS and Nintendo right now as far as consoles go. I agree with NinjaScooter it's definitely more of an apathy thing with the brand right now.

 

[alphacat]

It's the lack of exclusives and Game Pass not being as popular as people thought it was going to be.

 

[Disco Infernal]

It's the brand. It's not the hardware.

 

[cartoon_soldier]

I think Xbox has already sold 2x Wii U did, so not even sure why they would be comparable.

 

[Qwark]

?

Pentiment and Hi-Fi aren't playable on any other consoles, just PC. But if that's what you meant, then you're basically saying Xbox can never solve the problem, as I don't see then ever backtracking on releasing their exclusives on PC Day 1

Click to shrink...

Yes, I mean PC. And yes, I don't think they will solve this problem. I think they're probably ok with that in the long run though.

 

[bananas]

Quoting myself

I think it's pretty clear that with similar specs, and the same price, PlayStation will beat out Xbox every time.

Not everyone can be Coke. There's still a market for Pepsi.

Which is why I think the 2026 strategy is the better one. Stop trying to complete directly on specs and price. Come out earlier and at a lower price.

Click to shrink...

Microsoft needs to stop pretending it's Coke, and start positioning themselves as Pepsi.

 

[BloodHound]

The Xbox brand isn't desirable globally. People just don't give AF about it like they did during the 360 era.

Its like trying to sell android phones to teenagers.

"Lack of solid exclusives" is such a era bubble take.

 

[Devil]

People didn't buy the Wii U even though it had basically the same Mario Kart and a very similar Smash Bros. game. People now still buy Mario Kart 8 on Switch like crazy and some buy a Switch mainly just for that. It was totally the platform and MAYBE 1st year software that didn't get the ball rolling. But it's a pretty different situation from Xbox.

 

[the-pi-guy]

I think Xbox has a different issue.

Quite a few of their studios have yet to put out a game, some of their most successful stuff isn't most popular on Xbox (Minecraft, Age of Empires), and two of their biggest exclusives didn't quite hit their historical reception. Starfield isn't as well loved as Skyrim was, and Halo Infinite wasn't as well received as Halo 1-3.

Pretty much all the third parties are on PlayStation.

Pretty much the biggest reason to get an Xbox is for console gamepass, which not everyone wants another subscription.

 

[Deleted member 91227]

Nah. I think people are pretty clear that the Series is next gen. Xbox One sold poorly so it's not like there was a huge pool of owners, especially families and casual gamers, to confuse with a dumb name like the Wii to Wii U.

PlayStation has just been dominant in the console space. They mis-stepped with the PS3 launch price and marketing and let MS have a good generation with the 360. But they rebounded and finished in a near tie in worldwide sales and MS botched the Xbox one with the TV focus and Kinect making it more expensive than PS4 etc and lost that edge and probably won't get it back unless Sony fucks up in a big way with some future console.

I also wonder if there are just fewer multi console owners as games have gotten long, younger generations mostly playing a service game or a few of them etc.

Also just hose of us getting older and less invested. I've owned all consoles for many generations now, but I can't see doing that just again after this gen. Money isn't a barrier, but just can't keep up with everything and have gotten over any FOMO of not having access to every game etc. Nintendo is the first I'll drop as I've used my Switch the least. MS would be next up. I love Gamepass, but Sony's first party lineup is the best for my interests and they have the most exclusives I wouldn't want to miss.

 

[TaySan]

The names aren't the problem. It's the lack of reasons to buy one over a gaming PC. PS5 got it's exclusives going for it for console only players

 

[Jaded Alyx]

This would assume the actual hardware itself is the issue. They put together a very solid box.

Hard disagree. A lot more going on with Xbox than with Wii U.

Click to shrink...

I don't know why, but this one comment is giving me extreme deja vu 🤔

 

[Guaraná]

Xbox's issue is that it has been a worst PlayStation for nearly a decade. .

Click to shrink...

this is a perfect definition.
Xbox is just like Playstation, but worse. they fail in comparison and they fail to differentiate themselves.

Unless Microsoft changes this image, I don't think their fate will be much different than what has been in the last decade.

 

[Deleted member 14089]

If the overlap is bad sales, there's no need to search for further correlations imo :p

 

[00Quan[T]]

I think this isn't a problem at all and they have really big ones to conquer right now.
The One isn't even being made anymore...

 

[Lotus]

Yes, I mean PC. And yes, I don't think they will solve this problem. I think they're probably ok with that in the long run though.

Click to shrink...

Ah, gotcha. Well, I suppose they don't have a choice but to be okay with it, as things ain't gonna change anytime soon

Pretty much the biggest reason to get an Xbox is for console gamepass, which not everyone wants another subscription.

Click to shrink...

Yea, I straight would've never bought one without it being a thing. The only exclusive I've so far would've been jealous to go without is Hi-Fi Rush, but even that is something I wouldn't be able to say without having the opportunity to play it. If I didn't own an Xbox, from an outsider perspective I certainly wouldn't have bought an Xbox just for that.

 

[RaySpencer]

As someone who's pretty plugged into gaming stuff, I still regularly confuse what is the current Xbox - mostly bc I think the naming convention is stupid (no I don't have a better one but I know a bad one when I see it). Also there's really no need for me to know. They don't have anything on the console that isn't available on PC so why would I know?

Click to shrink...

You're not "pretty plugged into gaming stuff" if you don't know what Xbox consoles is the newest one. Plugged into PlayStation, PC, or Switch maybe, but not gaming as a whole.

 

[Anth0ny]

lack of desirable exclusives + playstation is seen as THE 3rd party machine

it's really as simple as that

 

[reksveks]

The Series S ????

/JK

 

[BloodHound]

Xbox's issue is that it has been a worst PlayStation for nearly a decade. Like Phil said, they can't be the "blue guys but green", need to find their own identity somehow and it seems like that'll end up being off console.

Click to shrink...

Yup, Nintendo figured this out right after the gamecube and carved out a sizable market for themselves the past 15 years.

It would be great if all 3 console players offered a distinctly different experience because I think the interactive entertainment market can support that.

 

[Silverhand]

I had a Switch but sold it because the games just weren't for me. Which I'll go and play anything on the NES and SNES all day.

I have an X and I mostly play retro games on. 360 on down.

I think the last 2 new games I played on it was Gears 5 and Cyberpunk when they first came out. I've rebought CP2077 for my PS5 and use that for most of my modern gaming.

To be fair, If i didnt own the PS5 I'd play a lot more Xbox.

 

[Windu]

People just stick to the ecosystem they are invested in. Not much more complicated than that imo.

 

[tapedeck]

The branding is bad and I really hope they change it next gen and don't just call the next console 'Series Z' or whatever..that would be so fucking bad. And it was nowhere near Wii U levels of awful.

But I don't think that's the main issue here at all, it's the games, they better make 1000% sure that whenever they launch next gen there's at least some 1st party software that forces people to want to buy their box.

 

[Bradbatross]

Not even close to being comparable lol.