Start Your Engines: An Introduction to the Xbox 360
On November 22nd, 2005, after 3 1/2; years of production, Microsoft finally unveiled the successor to its popular Xbox gaming system, the Xbox 360. The Microsoft Xbox 360 represents a new and exciting landmark for the $20 billion dollar (USD) global video game industry (Fahrenheit 360, 2005). For the first time ever, gamers can play their video games with other gamers online, in high definition detail with digital surround sound as well as a host of other amazing game features simultaneously.
The Xbox 360 has been cleverly positioned by Microsoft to takeover as the centerpiece of a family's entertainment hub. The Xbox 360 is definitely more than just a gaming machine. Consumers can listen to their favorite music, view photos and videos from their home computer, chat with people via voice or text (and video soon) and play DVDs and CDs while shopping online - directly through the Xbox 360 console.
English: The Microsoft Kinect peripheral for the X...
English: XBOX 360 Super Elite Controllers.
English: Microsoft XBOX 360 Kinect Sensor. Video K...The goal is to create what Microsoft calls, the Digital Entertainment Lifestyle (DEL) for its consumers.
Microsoft may be the first company to attempt this technological living-room takeover, but they won't be the last. In what could be the most exciting era to ever visit the gaming industry to date, Microsoft has boldly thrown down the gauntlet and challenged all rivals to a corporate death match. The competition will respond to this challenge later in 2006 when both Sony and Nintendo launch their own 3rd generation proprietary video game consoles.
The focus of this report will be to provide a holistic consumer analysis of the Xbox 360 by discussing the manufacturing and technical aspects such as the hardware and software as well as the advertising and marketing campaigns from a consumer psychology viewpoint. This report concludes with a comparison of...