E3 2008: Microsoft not “holding its breath” on Home, not ripping Miis off

Microsoft has been asked some intriguing questions about their online service strategy involving Avatars and more. The software giant said that they’re not taking ideas from Nintendo and they’re not threatened by Sony‘s PlayStation Home. David Gosen speaks for the boys in green after the jump.

Microsoft‘s David Gosen gave a rather stoic response to questions raised in E3 about Microsoft’s avatars and how it affects the strategy for the Xbox 360 against its competitors. The one looming the biggest in the horizon is the PlayStation 3’s Home, but Gosen didn’t seem intimidated by it at all.

“What Sony does with Home is up to them, and my advice is that we shouldn’t hold our breath, because that could be quite a dangerous thing to do,” he said to answer an inquiry on whether Microsoft is fast-tracking the redesign of Xbox Live before Home has a chance to pick up its momentum.

Gosen also responded to some allegations that Microsoft is trying to buy into the Mii craze of the Wii. He denied this and said that this is not so much about countering the competition’s niche as it is offering owners more choices.

He said their Avatar models differed significantly from Miis in that they have arms, necks, and legs. It was also pointed out that the idea isn’t an entirely new one in the first place.

“Avatars go back to this concept of a social experience on a social network – [we have] 12 million members [on Xbox Live] globally, and we have a very actively engaged member-base,” Gosen told the media.

On a final note, Gosen said that this is only the beginning for Microsoft’s revitalization of Xbox Live. He assured players that Microsoft will create ways to make Avatars more integral as we go along to create a system that’s truly viable.

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Via Games Industry