November 7, 2005
Bringing the Arcade Home on a Video Game Machine By MICHEL MARRIOTT
Buyers of the Xbox 360, Microsoft's second-generation video game console, will, of course, expect to play big, expensive marquee games like Call of Duty 2 from Activision and Madden N.F.L. 06 by Electronic Arts.
But the Microsoft Corporation is also banking on them to play small arcade-style video games, purchased and downloaded from the Internet.
Unlike its competitors, the Sony PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube, the new Xbox, which goes on sale Nov. 22, can play games on two separate tracks. One is the familiar terrain of big budget, deeply immersive games that feel more like interactive movies than games. The other is a return to the video game's arcade roots.
But don't call the arcade games simple, said Greg Canessa, group manager of Xbox Live Arcade, part of Microsoft's Xbox division.
"Arcade games are really miniature Xbox 360 games," he said. The price is somewhat miniaturized as well; the arcade games cost $100,000 to $200,000, compared with $15 million to $20 million for the larger games.
The arcade games will be sold only online, downloadable through the Xbox's broadband-only Internet connection. While Microsoft has not officially announced prices for the games, it is widely expected that they will cost between $5 and $10. By contrast, new Xbox games sold at retailers like Best Buy are likely to cost $60, or about $10 more than previous Xbox games, according to some game publishers.
The new cream-colored machines, slimmer and more powerful than the original Xbox released in 2001, will cost $300 for a basic model and $400 for a model with a 20-gigabyte hard drive. They will also be able to play DVD's, CD's and standard music files, including MP3 and Windows Media Audio files, as well as display digital snapshots on a TV screen.
Those functions and the arcade-type gaming feature are central to Microsoft's strategy to reach a broader family market, beyond the young male players who have been the Xbox's primary audience.
To do that, Peter Moore, vice president for marketing at Xbox International, said Microsoft would eliminate the need for credit cards in making online purchases of games, accessories and upgrades. Instead of credit cards, the Xbox Live online service will accept Microsoft value cards that can be purchased in various denominations online or at retail and convenience stores, Mr. Moore said. The value cards would function, in effect, like tokens in an arcade.
"We have to get credit cards out of the way," said Mr. Moore. "We've got to broaden this to younger demographics."
Another big selling point for the 360 is its enhanced Internet connectivity through the Xbox Live service.
Microsoft will give Xbox 360 owners a free subscription to Xbox Live Silver, which gives players access to the online system's features, including the ability to buy and download games. A Gold membership, at $50 a year, permits users to play games with others over the Internet.
Mr. Canessa said that each arcade game could play at 1080i high definition, and most could take advantage of the 360's ability to communicate with other players over a broadband Internet connection.
"We will have from 12 to 15 games by launch," Mr. Canessa said, adding that at least 75 percent would be capable of being played live online by more than one player.
Each Xbox 360, he said, will include a free copy of the full version of Hexic HD, an arcade-style puzzle game developed by Alexey Pajitnov, the creator of Tetris.
"We created a whole market, a whole new world, for downloadable games," Mr. Canessa said. While online arcade games have proved popular on personal computers, he said he believed the 360's embrace of arcade games would further invigorate independent game design.
"The indie game developers is one of the opportunities I'm most excited about," he said. "You have small, independent, three guys in a garage making games, totally innovating. It's the Sundance Film Festival, if you will, of games."
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/07/technology/07xbox.html?ei=5088&en=5086aca45c98332a&ex=1289019600&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print
