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Microsoft aims for 40% market share in Germany
- Thread starter chadskin
- Start date
Well, he RRoD disaster was likely 100% more devastating in Germany than everywhere else, because we don't like horribly build stuff and demand quality. Therefore the 360 was pretty much dead from the start.
They are not only not getting 40% of the market, they are also not keeping the 30% market share.
They only achieved that because their biggest competitor fucked up in major ways, by being a year + more late and having a much more expensive console and a far worse online infrastructure.
They have a more expensive console now, and none of the advantages, they are toast in Germany.
They only achieved that because their biggest competitor fucked up in major ways, by being a year + more late and having a much more expensive console and a far worse online infrastructure.
They have a more expensive console now, and none of the advantages, they are toast in Germany.
Yeah, Netflix isn't even available anywhere in Europe except in the UK.
And two months ago in the netherlands. Took them long enough but there is all ready competition from one called Videoland Unlimited and it's library is even bigger then Netflix is offering in the netherlands only way to see more movies or series on my PC is using Hola Unblocker so i can get all US content.
Canis lupus
Member
Dat, I mean die deutsche gründlichkeit...
Haha, maybe. But what I remember most is how fucking fast and easy MS repaired my console. We are not used to good service, either.
edit:
Except for the ISP specific stuff, most of our popular services work now. They have Watchever, Lovefilm, Zattoo, sky, arte, zdf Mediathek, eurosport.
They may gain market share due to the current Wii U weakness, but I highly doubt the new Xbox will sell as well as the 360 did in Germany. No head start this time around, a higher price and some disappointed former multi console owners should make this an uphill battle for MS this time around.
BrokenIcarus
Member
Dunno about all of Germany but here in NRW most people are pc gamers, nobody really had a PS3 untill the Slim and before that most people didn't bother with consoles except for Wii. It also didn't help that Gears of War 1 and 2 were banned here in Germany.
Also I think the prices were kind of different when i bought my PS3 it was 400 for the PS3 with a game. The 360 was 250 for the arcade and 350 for the HDD one, which at the time didn't include wi-fi so that was already 40 extra so prices were kind of even for us.
Killroyskbg
Member
We have had Netflix in Sweden for about a year.
The Playstation brand was very strong during the PS2 era in Germany, its popularity reached far beyond the core gamer audience. Singstar and to some extent Buzz made the console super attractive for women and families as well. It had some symptoms of the Wii phenomenon before the actual Wii. The Sigstar love was strong across most of Europe but it didn't really translate into next gen.
German Gaming page with video trying PS4 Xbox One (and World of Planes)
http://www.gameswelt.tv/insert-coin/sendung-193,37283
He runs around the office and asks the staff what they are getting.
http://www.gameswelt.tv/insert-coin/sendung-193,37283
He runs around the office and asks the staff what they are getting.
Wii U:1 PS4:3 Xbox One:6
Sorry, didn't know about Netflix in Sweden and the Netherlands. But still, it's not comparable to Netflix and its addition to 360 in North America, which opened up the console to an entirely new audience over there. That just didn't happen in Europe.
brotkasten
Member
That is not going to happen. Not with that price, not with the lack of features. Not with that name behind the Xbox brand.
Right, and people in other countries don't. Germans are the only people who look after quality and they never buy cheap and rubbish stuff over the quality products that are also offered. Discounters of all kinds are a dying breed in Germany, because people demand quality everywhere. Only in Germany.
What a load of bullshit that statement is.
Right, and people in other countries don't. Germans are the only people who look after quality and they never buy cheap and rubbish stuff over the quality products that are also offered. Discounters of all kinds are a dying breed in Germany, because people demand quality everywhere. Only in Germany.
What a load of bullshit that statement is.
I'm sorry but with this price XBO will be complete bomba in continental Europe, the only reason 360 was able to "somehow" compete is beacuse it's bit cheaper than PS3, so you had people who just wanted to play latest big multiplatform games for cheap (COD, AC, FIFA, BF, whatever...) picking it up. But now that the price is 100 euros more... *shake head*
koji kabuto
Member
Well if they are targeting Nintendo market share doesn't that make their goal more realistic?
Bedameister
Member
No way, ever. Nobody is getting an Xbox One here.
The reason why the 360 is doing rather good here is because it was alot cheaper and came out earlier (only reason I bought it as well)
Now that none of this advantages exist and alot of people in Germany are concerned about Kinect (you know the NSA and stuff) I don't see very good chances for MS to make that 40%. The support for Apps is also not that good over here.
The reason why the 360 is doing rather good here is because it was alot cheaper and came out earlier (only reason I bought it as well)
Now that none of this advantages exist and alot of people in Germany are concerned about Kinect (you know the NSA and stuff) I don't see very good chances for MS to make that 40%. The support for Apps is also not that good over here.
DerZuhälter
Member
Es ist schön Sachen zu wollen.
Not gonna happen.
The Xbox Market Share here is for the most part a remnant of the first 3 years of the 360. From the moment the prices between 360 and PS3 where close it was pretty much only PS3.
People outside of Germany also underestimate how big of an impact the whole mandatory Kinect in combination with the NSA Affair is.
Germans are really concerned about their privacy (and rightfully so in my opinion).
The Xbox Market Share here is for the most part a remnant of the first 3 years of the 360. From the moment the prices between 360 and PS3 where close it was pretty much only PS3.
People outside of Germany also underestimate how big of an impact the whole mandatory Kinect in combination with the NSA Affair is.
Germans are really concerned about their privacy (and rightfully so in my opinion).
It's not about availability. If I ask any FIFA fan which console they would use, they would most likely choose the Playstation. It's just that much ingrained into most people that have grown up during the 90s.
FIFA:WM 98 is a Sony game and all future games were too. And I even had one or two FIFA games for 360 in the 2000s.
Inspectah_Deck
Member
The decisions of USK (who are rating the games) and BPJM (who decide if a medium gets banned) not always make sense, but often times they do.
Most of the stuff doesn´t really get "banned", but it doesn´t get a rating by the USK or it gets "indiziert" (indexed), which means it´s not allowed to be advertised or to have it on storeshelves, but the product is still allowed to sell "under the counter" or in online shops (like DR3 on amazon.de).
There are only a few games that are actually banned (beschlagnahmt) in germany (i.e. Manhunt, Dead Rising 2).
Beschlagnahme means: not allowed to sell, to advertise, to exhibit etc., but allowed to own.
Most of the time when media gets beschlagnahmt, it gets in conflict with §131 StGB (german criminal code) Dissemination of depictions of violence:
Most of the time it´s the glorification and/or downplaying of violence part which gets stuff like Manhunt or Dead Rising banned and stuff like GTA V not.
How the judges exactly decide on a case-to-case basis is another question.
Sorry for this huge OT.
It's impossible for an event to have a chance below 0. Except for this one.
The mainstream German market does seem to be very open to casual gaming. Nintendo cleaning up like they did indicates this. The best option for MS would be to put thier focus on causal software and build from there. Of course, they won't be able to do any of this until they drop the price.
Logically, the closest equivalent to that would be people so pissed by the news (or whatever else) that their market share actively and rapidly decreases. Probably from no one getting an XB1 and dumping 360s.
hydrophilic attack
Member
Hey, guys, it's not at all unreasonable.
For next week only.
On Amazon.de's games bestseller list, 9 items in the Top-10 are either PS4 consoles or PS4 games (the other item being Zelda:ALbW). The Xbox with FIFA comes in on place 13. The first Xbox game is Ryse on place 42. And that has been pretty much the picture during the last months.
So if Amazon is any indication, Microsoft has a steep uphill battle in front of them. Given that console most probably will never be cheaper than the PS4, I don't see that changing anytime soon.
IISANDERII
Member
Wow, can't believe I never heard of Benelux before, had to look it up!
hydrophilic attack
Member
It's part of Africa, right?
So MS is trying to eat Nintendo's lunch before Sony does automatically? Good luck to MS on that.
DR3 is banned in Germany?
Bedameister
Member
Not yet but the game won't be released here and it probably won't take long till it gets banned
Ah, I know DR1 had some problems but I figured they were resolved by now.
I recall it being a criminal offense to sell the original game a few years back.
Yes, selling such games is illegal. However, owning them isn't. So if people import DR3 from other EU countries, it's not that big of a deal.
But yes, the DR games are among the few games that are actually banned in Germany (along with Manhunt, Soldier of Fortune, Condemned(!) and a couple of old Mortal Kombats). It's ridiculous.
Sky Germany already secured the Bundesliga rights until 2017.
Germany is PC territory according to this survey, and how the BF4 PC SKU was the highest selling at retail there. I think that's where MS is going to run into trouble, as the XBO will be the most similar to the PC in terms of games.
Haunted
Member
Usually I'd go for bender_laughing.gif here, but if we're talking no PC, consoles only, and with the downfall of Nintendo.... maybe? But most likely not.
Kinect was a total non-starter here, and Microsoft didn't make themselves any friends here with all the privacy and DRM issues.
PC will continue to rule and Sony will clean up in the console space. That's my prediction for Germany in the next couple years.
Kinect was a total non-starter here, and Microsoft didn't make themselves any friends here with all the privacy and DRM issues.
PC will continue to rule and Sony will clean up in the console space. That's my prediction for Germany in the next couple years.
Bedameister
Member
But there are alot of Xbox One TV commercials out right now so MS is definetly trying to sell the Xbox One
Good point but those are people working at a gaming site. 360 is strong in the hardcore gaming segment in germany but hat segment is only a small part of the whole market. For people who get their new FIFA and COD + maybe 1 or 2 other games every year it's mostly Playstation.
Yup, looks pretty bad for them. It really seems the negative impact of the original announcement was much bigger here in Germany than in the US. And the inclusion of Kinect coupled with the NSA scandal still is a huge issue.
This is just anecdotal but me and my circle of gaming friends in Germany mainly played on 360 during the past generation, two of us got a PS3 just this year to catch up with some exlusives. This time around, every single one of us is going full PS4, the Xbone is still completely ignored and even despised.
