NEWS - Tuesday, November 12, 2002
Critical holiday season for Xbox
On Nov. 15, Microsoft Corp. will launch Xbox Live, the online gaming subscription service it hopes will give it a leg up in its video-game battle with rivals Sony Corp. and Nintendo Co. Experts agree the Redmond software concern’s new $50 service — which allows hard-core gamers to play one another using a broadband connection — is a step above its competitors’ online gaming efforts. However, if the Xbox doesn’t have a blowout Christmas season, the entire video-game initiative could be in trouble and it’s doubtful Xbox Live can save it, Microsoft watchers say. Matt Rosoff, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft Inc. of Kirkland, a market research firm that tracks Microsoft, said the 2002 holiday season is make or break for the Xbox, which the company launched a year ago amid a great deal of fanfare. "This is it," Rosoff said of the upcoming holiday season. "This is the big one. If they don’t sell a lot of Xboxes this Christmas, the initiative is probably in a bit of trouble." Catch the rest here.Source: http://seattle.bizjournals.com/
