Microsoft Introduces New Xbox, in a crisis of the classic game - The País.com (Spain)

Microsoft presents its new console, the heir to the Xbox 360, in a climate of falling sales in the sector, both in games and in machines. The smartphone and tablet are making the traditional video game industry more damage than previously thought, and not just small consoles (3DS, PS Vita). Yet the sector moves in the world 50,000 million euros per year, 42% thanks to consoles.

seems that the golden days of the consoles have passed. In principle, attributed the drop in sales that were already old consoles, all of seven years old. At this time, the Xbox 360 has sold 74 million units, the PlayStation 3 from Sony, 77 million (half the PlayStation 2, 157 million) and the Nintendo Wii, 100 million. But in November he released the Wii U and its sales are much lower than those provided. Since then it has sold 3.4 million units, when there was a forecast of 5.5 million.

In the past year, Xbox has given Microsoft 10,000 million dollars, half of the proceeds from Windows, but many less profit. The console industry almost works under margins, unlike the software . If the console, the benefit is 15% in the case of Windows and Office programs is 60%.

is expected to include the new Xbox Kinect, the gesture recognizer with which Microsoft was placed in the forefront of the game a few years ago. You will also have voice recognition, direct connection to Netflix, Hulu and other video download sites. Your connection Live has 40 million users and remains one of its strengths.

console and apparatus faces a challenge that exceeds the game. Lost the battle casual game in the hands of mobile, is now home win. But also try to get around Apple, Google and Amazon with its entertainment platforms connected to the TV and any household appliance.

April in the United States, the old Xbox 360 sold around 130,000 consoles, Playstation 3 and Wii U about 100,500, 38,000. For over two years, the local console Xbox has been the top seller in the country, which moves the 60% of global revenues in this industry. But the Xbox is still weak outside their homeland. Microsoft’s challenge is to continue to expand its market certainly unimaginable when he ventured into quite an industry dominated by Japan.