Microsoft’s Don Mattrick has kicked off Microsoft E3 event today by announcing its flagship Xbox 360 console has gone from being the biggest selling console in North America to the most popular console worldwide.
Ever since the release of the Kinect peripheral – the fastest selling gadget of all time, the popularity of the Xbox 360 has skyrocketed, leaving the once-dominant PlayStation 3 – along with Nintendo’s Wii console – to play a supporting role.
Given the functionality of the Kinect, which allows gamers to immerse themselves into titles with movement, is based around an ideal first brought to the market by the Wii, it must be doubly irritating for the guys over at Nintendo.
From the summit of the console industry, the Xbox shows no sign of resting on its laurels, and there are plenty of new features and titles also coming this fall. Mattrick’s supposition that there’s not been a better time to own an Xbox look pretty close to the mark, as the show reel began by introducing a heap of new games and features for the console.
As well as the main attraction of Halo 4, there was also a full-on preview of Splinter Cell Blacklist, which will be infinitely enhanced utilizing the power of Kinect Voice. As well as the big action franchises, though, there’s also plenty of Kinect integration coming with the likes of FIFA 13 and Madden 13.
Adding a great deal more realism to these already popular franchises, gamers will be able to make substitutions, direct players and really immerse themselves in the gaming experience using the power of Kinect Voice.
Although the Xbox 360 is expected to be superseded some time in the next year or so, the console still clearly has plenty to offer in not just gaming, but entertainment. With Microsoft looking to push as many consoles in living rooms as feasibly possible having introduced its subscription model Xbox + Kinect + LIVE package last month, the old dog will still be trudging around the gaming park for the foreseeable future.
With such a huge amount of gaming releases still on the horizon for release on the Xbox 360, too, it’s easy to see why, despite running old hardware, consumers are still purchasing in their drones.
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