Former Microsoft exec. says it launched Xbox "to stop Sony"

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The original Xbox console was released in 2001, but it is hasn't been known why Microsoft wanted to join in on the games industry in the first place, until now. A former Microsoft executive who recently wrote a book that slammed Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer, says in a recent interview that the main reason they went into the game console industry was to "take down" their rival, Sony.

Sources report that during an interview with former Microsoft VP Joachim Kempin, he stated: "The main reason was to stop Sony. You see, Sony and Microsoft... they never had a very friendly relationship, okay?"

Although Microsoft apparently wanted to partner up with Sony, Sony always seemed to keep Microsoft at arm's length. When Sony launched the first Playstation, Joachim said that "Microsoft just looked at that and said 'well, we have to beat them, so let’s do our own.'"

He also claims that while he worked at Microsoft, he went to its PC OEM partners and asked them to make the first Xbox. He said "The guys were smart enough not to bite, because they studied the Sony model and saw that Sony could not make money on that hardware model, ever." Microsoft didn't want to to copy Sony's business model for the Xbox; make the hardware themselves, sell it at a loss and make it up with game royalties.


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neboPosted:

I like both, but xbox has been a better experience

StonerzardPosted:

Reduction
Phyziculz Sony is like Soviet Russia, and Microsoft is just like USA. Microsoft is winning the cold war of technology, and they have all their fan boys fighting trash talk battles when they know nothing about the other console. They both have pros and cons, and personally I think Xbox is more user-friendly, and it's more social with the party feature. This is why Microsoft is beating Sony. Oh and mainly due to the fact that they have higher based security despite the membership fees.


That's true but in my eyes it was kind of greedy of Microsoft to do that when they already had so much.



To do what? Value their assets? Let's be fair, you have 10 bucks in your pocket, what if you had this idea that if you invest 2 bucks into something that would be annoying somebody you dislike you could make it into 150 bucks? It's just like that, but on a multi-billion scale.

SOGPosted:

Phyziculz Sony is like Soviet Russia, and Microsoft is just like USA. Microsoft is winning the cold war of technology, and they have all their fan boys fighting trash talk battles when they know nothing about the other console. They both have pros and cons, and personally I think Xbox is more user-friendly, and it's more social with the party feature. This is why Microsoft is beating Sony. Oh and mainly due to the fact that they have higher based security despite the membership fees.


That's true but in my eyes it was kind of greedy of Microsoft to do that when they already had so much.

StonerzardPosted:

Sony is like Soviet Russia, and Microsoft is just like USA. Microsoft is winning the cold war of technology, and they have all their fan boys fighting trash talk battles when they know nothing about the other console. They both have pros and cons, and personally I think Xbox is more user-friendly, and it's more social with the party feature. This is why Microsoft is beating Sony. Oh and mainly due to the fact that they have higher based security despite the membership fees.

SmurfsPosted:

Feet Microsoft hasn't 'stopped' Sony but they sure have held them back.


Yeah, I agree with you. They did a good job by delaying Sony.

IglesiasPosted:

Wow, I hate news topics like this. There is always those people who light the fuel here while others add more fuel.

Anyway, imagine Sony and Microsoft made a console...

SRG_PuNiSheRPosted:

Treyarched
Treyarched
SRG_PuNiSheR
-Phoenix- And, Xbox as of a week ago has 75.9 Million Units sold. PS3 has 74.1 million


Xbox released a year earlier so I guess if you were to put that into account, Sony did better on this generation.


The wii was released about the same time as the PS3 and it wiped the floor with both of them when it comes to sales so your point is totally invalid.


EDIT: Oops made a mistake, Wii was out same time as PS3.


How is my point invalid when he only mentioned the xbox and ps3 systems. Try bothering to read carefully next time.

ZyphrPosted:

Microsoft hasn't 'stopped' Sony but they sure have held them back.

POLYSICSPosted:

Unlike most people in the Xbox vs. PS3 fanwar (or at least what it seems like), I have no problem with either consoles. I take the side of the Xbox 360 though, but there are some blind PS3 users who try to deny evident facts. The Xbox 360 is statistically better in most fields and definitely more popular than the PS3, therefore making it a better console. The usual argument I see from PS3 fans is that 1: You have pay for Xbox LIVE, 2: Better graphics, 3: No patches.

We pay for Xbox LIVE because we get better service; it contains much more online features than the PS3 does and has better security (we don't get our whole online service DDOSed). It's not like we're paying for JUST multiplayer. Agreed, PS3 has better graphics, but that doesn't really mean anything. Sure, graphics make the game more aesthetically pleasing, but that doesn't make the game or console any better. If you still have a mindset of a game being good because of graphics, then you're obviously not from an older generation and just ignorantly buy games. PS3 not patching mods and glitches goes to show how little they care about the security and status of their online network. Having the mods and glitches sucks, but that coincides with having morally better service.

I'm not saying PS3 is a bad console. I don't have anything against it, but the Xbox 360 is clearly a BETTER console.

TTGoXenonPosted:

TTG_GTL As soon as someone talks about PS3 i just think chavy piece of plastic, yes its free because not everybody can afford Xbox live. Xbox has way better security, better community and we get DLC's first.


You pay for what you get, quality.


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