E3, the biggest video game conference in the world, is kicking off in only a couple of days, and we now know what to expect, what we are going to see, what booths we are going to visit and what press conferences we are going to check out. But one question remains. Who will win E3? Which of the big three will dazzle us with their upcoming lineup? We don’t know for sure, but we can definitely say what each company should do to take home the prize.
What does Microsoft have to do to give confidence to the gaming community?
- Distance Themselves from Last Year’s E3
Last year’s E3 was a bit of a train wreck for Microsoft. Whether it was the DRM issues, the always on Kinect, the tons of backpeddaling on new policies, or whatever, last year caused gamers to be more paranoid than trusting of Microsoft. This is a good year to start fresh and act as if the Xbox One is something completely new. Don’t talk about how your policies have changed. Don’t even make a nod to what happened last year. Just start talking about why the Xbox One is awesome now.
- Focus on Games Over Everything Else
The one thing that the Xbox One has over the PS4 (and to a certain extent the Wii U) is games. Killer Instinct was a smash hit. Sunset Overdrive is going to be awesome. The Xbox One’s launch lineup was very strong and there is a lot of promise for the future. Microsoft likes to try and focus on things other than gaming, like TV control and streaming media, but the core reason why they are still afloat right now is games. Stress that the gamer comes first before anything else.
- Forget the Kinect
The Kinect is a sinking ship Microsoft, and you’d be best to abandon it. Don’t try to force users to see how awesome motion control is. The era of motion control is passing. Even the Wii U doesn’t use it all that often anymore. The Kinect currently stands as an icon of the old Xbox One, the one with bad DRM policies that cost too much. You want your image to be all about the new Xbox One, the affordable unit that doesn’t have an always on camera that is spying on you. So, at least for this year, leave the Kinect in the drawer.
- Give Us More Benefits With Xbox Live
The primary service you are competing with right now is PlayStation Plus. Not only does it give users access to online services, they also get tons of free Vita, PS3 and PS4 games every month. You give users access to 2 games every month, and only on the Xbox 360. It’s time to step up your game and really show people why Xbox Live is the best online service.
- Cross Play With PC
You are Microsoft. You own Windows. You basically have access to the most commonly used PC platform out there. Gamers have been waiting for a chance to play their PC gaming friends for ever, and no one is in a better position to make that happen than you. So pull that trigger and change the game! Sony and Nintendo couldn’t even compete, cause they don’t have their own computer operating systems.