Desicritics Author: Anand Ramachandran

Microsoft Launches Xbox LIVE in India.

Anand Ramachandran — Wed, 7 Nov 2007 05:30:30 EST

Xbox LIVE, Microsoft's popular online gaming service, finally comes to India. Beginning the 5th of November, gamers in India can go online using their Xbox 360 consoles to play multiplayer games and arcade games, download games, demos and media content, and engage with the online Xbox community.

According to Microsoft's official press releaseu “Xbox LIVE®, the premier service for online console gaming arrives in India today, 5th November 2007. Whether you want casual, fast-paced arcade action, new game content or multiplayer frag-fests, Xbox LIVE will have something for everyone. Users will be able to log on not only to enjoy casual, fast-paced arcade action, new game content or multiplayer frag-fests but also never seen before, exclusive local Bollywood movie trailers of “Hanuman returns” to begin with. A tie-up with UTV ensures that users will have access to other already released but popular Bollywood content of UTV films. Xbox LIVE® will also make available content related to Love Story 2050 – Harman Baweja’s debut film opposite Priyanka Chopra - a perfect fit for Xbox LIVE® and its users.”

For those unfamiliar with the service, here is a quick summary :

Online Multiplayer Matches – through Xbox LIVE, gamers can go online and play with or against each other on their favourite Xbox titles, like HALO 3, Gears of War, or Forza Motorsport.
Xbox Live Arcade – where gamers can play retro arcade games, smaller games and casual games on their consoles.
Xbox Live Marketplace – where gamers can download free and paid content that includes games, game demos, videos and the like.
Chat and community – chat and instant messaging features, a buddy list, video chat and voice chat.

There are two kinds of memberships to the service. The Silver membership is free for anyone who owns an Xbox 360 console, and entitles members to play game demos, and to download free and paid content on the marketplace.

But the Gold membership is where the action is, giving users access to online multiplayer games, the TrueSkill matchmaking system which helps players find matches that would be suitable for their skill levels, voice and video chat features, and a host of multiplayer-only achievements. At Rs.2,200/- for a whole year, the Gold membership is a must-have for anyone who can afford an Xbox 360 in the first place – greatly enhancing the Xbox experience for just about any kind of gamer, from casual to hardcore. For those that are still unsure, a one-month subscription for Rs.350, and a three-month subscription for Rs.880/- are also available.

The classics and casual games available through Xbox LIVE Arcade should also appeal to a broad spectrum of newbie and casual gamers in India. Sources in Microsoft have also revealed plans for introducing educational content for the Xbox in India, a first anywhere in the world. This content may also be available over LIVE for download.

Luckily for those of us without a credit card, memberships to Xbox live, as well as the Xbox LIVE points needed to purchase items on the marketplace, can be bought as pre-paid cards at retail outlets that stock the console.

Microsoft doesn't reveal country-specific sales figures as a matter of policy, but Mohit Anand,Country Manager, Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division, mentioned recently at the NASSCOM Animation and Gaming event in Mumbai that HALO 3 had sales of well over 10,000 on day one. This augurs well for Indian gamers hoping to compete with some of their own online – the numbers should ensure that there's always some competition to be found on LIVE.

Microsoft is also launching a range of accessories to facilitate the LIVE experience. Off the bat, the most appealing should be the wired / wireless headsets (Rs.1020 and Rs.2620) , the camera (Rs.2040), and the neat text input device(Rs.1600) that fits snugly into the controller. Anyone who fancies spending reasonable amounts of time in multiplayer matches must at the very least get a headset to facilitate the strategic planning / trash talking that is such an essential part of the multiplayer experience.

Xbox LIVE should go a long way towards delivering a world class gaming experience to gamers in India. Now that it has been launched, I'll be keenly watching what Microsoft does next, by way of promotions and events. With the right kind of promotion, it could prove to be a strong factor in driving Xbox 360 sales in the country, as well as creating a connected community of Indian gamers, which could only prove beneficial to Microsoft in particular, and the gaming industry in general.

Understanding the XBox 360 in India - The Ground Realities

Anand Ramachandran — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 08:06:58 EST

There's been quite a bit of interest regarding the sales of Microsoft's XBox 360 in India - much interesting talk of sales figures, price points and strategies. But to put these things in perspective, I believe there's a need to understand some ground realities about India as a potential market for next-gen consoles.

India - a market like no other

India was untouched by the home-console revolutions of ages past (the Atari 2600, the SNES, the PlayStation), and hence there isn't a generation of affluent thirty-somethings in India who are console gamers by habit. Hence a large segment of what would be a natural market for the 360 simply doesn't have anything more than a casual interest in it.

What's more, the largest number of console gamers in India are children aged 8 to 15, who play their games on a range of consoles, predominantly the PSone and PS2, but also on assorted 8-bit NES clones (available for less than 10USD). Thanks to this market reality, videogames in India are largely perceived as an activity for children, and consoles are perceived as nothing more than toys (unlike in most developed markets, where console games are largely perceived as being for young adults and not-so-young adults like myself).

Hardcore console gamers in India (those who are knowledgeable and up-to-date on gaming), are usually tech-savvy youngsters aged 15 - 35, who depend on the grey markets for their gaming fix. Small shops selling pre-modded consoles and pirated games do a thriving business - but they usually cater to a small, regular bunch of customers.

Why the XBox 360 won't sell too many units in India (at least for the foreseeable future)

The XBox 360 is priced at Rs.19,990/- for the core version, and Rs.27,750/- for the premium bundle. This is well above what even reasonably affluent Indian families will pay for they believe is essentially a child's toy. They'd rather spend that money on a PC - which is looked at as an education aid that can also play pretty good (and cheaper) games.

Microsoft's advertising campaign does little to remove this perception - it barely makes a passing mention of the console's DVD and music playback features. To the typically value-for-money focused Indian consumer, the fact that he's getting a DVD player with great features in addition to a game console will certainly help justify the cost a little more. (Having said that, to someone who isn't interested in the gaming angle, a DVD player with 5.1 surround output can be had for as little as Rs. 4,500/-)

Additionally, the games cost around Rs.3000/- each. This is, quite simply, more than even wage-earning hardcore gamers are generally willing to pay. For parents buying games for their kids, it's a no-go.

Apart from the advertising, Microsoft's other marketing efforts have been dismal, to put it kindly. I've visited at least ten retail outlets where the persons manning the demo kiosks are so pathetically uninformed, it's hilarious. They have no clue about titles, technology, features - nothing. So even the interest that is generated by the displays and advertising campaign stands almost no chance of being converted to actual sales. This is a virgin market, and a large percentage of potential buyers are clueless, and need good information before they can decide to purchase such an expensive product.

In a market like India, the 360 is in DIRECT competition with PC, the PS2 and even Microsoft's own XBox as a home gaming console. All its mighty next-gen features are meaningless to a multitude of Indian gamers who have not been saturated by the past-gen consoles like the PS2 and the original XBOX - which still offer very acceptable gaming experiences at much lower prices. It's only hardcore gamers fed up of these games that will hunger for next-gen graphics and gobble up whatever comes their way. Many gamers (the miniscule hardcore community excluded) in India don't care, and sometimes don't even know the difference.

Why it doesn't matter squat how many they sell

But hey, I'd like to believe that the folks at MS aren't stupid. Perhaps unit sales aren't their priority right now. Consider this - they're already in the market. The brand is now visible and recognized. They've got a head start over Sony (which plans to launch the PS3 here eventually). They're learning their lessons at a relaxed pace. Not a bad situation to be in. Just perfect for upping the ante when the PS3 arrives - offering a cheaper and competitive option to value-conscious customers if and when the market does explode.

Also, Microsoft claims that they'll soon be launching their XBox Live and Live Arcade services in India, with some localized content to boot. This will certainly make the console more relevant to newbie gamers and first-time console owners, who constitute a huge part of the 360's potential market. Less intimidating, more kid and newbie friendly games are needed in India to gently break people into gaming in general, before they can cut loose with Halo 3 or Gears of War.

In the context of India, it's meaningless to compare sales figures with more developed, and culturally different markets. No next-gen console can sell millions of units in present day India . If the presence of the XBOX 360 and it's attendant media coverage help draw attention to videogames as an entertainment form in general, there's reason for the industry to be glad. If it manages to fuel sales of gaming PCs, the PS2 and the original XBOX, then that's even better. And if it manages to help drive demand for original Indian gaming content, then that's great news for Indian game developers and gamers.

India is certainly a potentially lucrative market for the gaming industry. Microsoft's investment in launching the 360 here, coupled with other efforts like Reliance's entry into online and mobile gaming, will influence how it develops, as well as serving as signposts for the rest of the industry to watch out for and learn from. Good on ya, big guns. We're counting on your smarts.

Next-Generation Gaming Consoles - Why I Want Nintendo in India

Anand Ramachandran — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 00:57:41 EST

The insane amount of hype (yawn!) over the worldwide launch of Sony's PS3 and Nintendo's Wii over the weekend will now make way for the next-gen wars in full earnest.

All three consoles ( if you've been living under a rock, the XBox 360 is the other) are now here. We'll soon see the usual pleasant surprises, broken promises, price cuts and fanboy comedy that are so integral to any console war. When the dust settles, we'll know who won.

Here's why I hope (against hope), that it will be Nintendo.

In an earlier article, I had expressed a simple wish - that developers would take advantage of all this next-gen horsepower to do more than just provide better production values. Improved graphics and sound are just par for the course. That's what next-gen consoles are supposed to do. In fact, that's why they're called next-gen.

However, early indicators are clear - if you're looking for ground breaking gameplay on the 360 or PS3, you're largely out of luck. None of the marquee release titles, good games as they may be, offer anything other than admittedly off-the-scale production values in the grandiosely titled 'next-gen' experience.

The Wiimote is our only hope.

Of the three console manufacturers, only Nintendo seems to be making a conscious effort to take gameplay forward. They've always been known for innovation, and this time I believe that they've done exceedingly well to not lose the plot and stay focussed on what makes their products special - unpretentious (yes, Sony and Microsoft, I'm looking at you) simplicity, innovation, and bucketloads of fun factor.

Yes. Nintendo gets it. They've taken one of the most basic gamer's responses, the physical reaction to what's happening on the screen, and turned it into an input mechanism. Noticed how gamers, in all their excitement, sway their controllers (and their bodies), from side to side - to prevent their on-screen Ferrari Modena from going into a hopeless tailspin? With the Wiimote (and, to be fair, with Sony's far less exciting Sixaxis), it would actually work

Thanks to the Wiimote's motion sensor technology, your physical movements while holding the controller will be translated on to the screen. Swing it like you will a tennis racquet, and your on-screen player will do likewise. Point it at a baddie and fire, like you would a real gun - no clumsy d-pads or analog joysticks. Very exciting.

And very newbie friendly. This is important. Most high-profile PS3 and X360 titles are increasingly aimed at a gamer audience - a short-sighted, incestuous attitude that's stifling the industry's growth. Companies continue to put out products that are difficult to learn, and have features that can only be truly appreciated by experienced gamers. I've experienced this first-hand when trying to introduce friends to gaming. Many of them never really get into video games because the learning curve is too intimidating.

This is why I believe that Nintendo's products are best suited for getting a whole new segment of people into gaming. Markets like India are chock-full of people who've never played games before. Products like Gears of War aren't going to convert too many of them into gamers. Fancy explosions and realistic physics will get their attention, but won't hold their attention long enough to convert them.

Yes, I know. I'm an idiot. Your friend started playing games because of Half Life 2. I'm talking about the majority, here. For every newbie who was converted thanks to the beauty of Halo's gameplay, there were 20 potential gamers who were put off because it was too hard to get into.

Only simple, fun friendly, easy to learn products have the potential to break through and go mainstream in markets like India. Like the Wii. And the Nintendo DS. Games like Super Mario Bros, Brain Age and WarioWare. Among the present gaming giants, only Nintendo seems to have the ability and attitude it takes to penetrate mainstream markets and attract new buyers by the dozens. Now, if they'd only get some real marketing brains to work for them.

Go, Nintendo! India needs you.