Susan Arendt
Culture

Analysts: Elite 360 Won't Improve Microsoft's Market Share

IDC analyst Billy Pidgeon thinks that the arrival of Elite Xbox 360, with its sleek black exterior and whopping 120 GB hard drive, will do little to increase Microsoft’s market share. Pidgeon think that’s it’s software, not hardware, that will help Microsoft do battle against Nintendo and Sony in the year to come: The higher […]

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IDC analyst Billy Pidgeon thinks that the arrival of Elite Xbox 360, with its sleek black exterior and whopping 120 GB hard drive, will do little to increase Microsoft's market share. Pidgeon think that's it's software, not hardware, that will help Microsoft do battle against Nintendo and Sony in the year to come:

The higher price and the 120GB hard-drive upgrade should increase revenue for Microsoft and for retailers, but system-selling games such as Halo 3 will increase the 360's position more significantly.

Pidgeon also figures that moves like extending Live to Vista users, allowing for things like cross platform play (Shadowrun, mmmm), will be an important factor moving forward. He figures the smart thing for Microsoft to do would be to lower the price of both the Premium 360 and the 120 GB hard drive.

Elite won't improve Microsoft's market share, warns analyst [GamesIndustry]