Interview with Xbox Europe’s Neil Thompson

A few months ago, we were always talking on and on about console wars this and console wars that (well, at least I was). The Christmas holidays are finally just around the corner now, and with the three next-gen consoles already out in the market the battle between Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony is really getting tighter.

Last week, we pointed you guys towards an interview with Xbox Europe boss Neil Thompson by GamesIndustry.biz. Today, we’re bringing you the second part of that interview, and man oh man, has Thompson got some words for their rivals in the console business.

On the PS3. When asked about his thoughts on the PS3’s delayed European launch, Thompson comes off as almost disappointed that they didn’t get to go head to head with Sony’s next-gen console. “To be honest we were very sceptical that it would launch in Europe this Christmas anyway,” he said “In some ways it would have been good if it had, because then people could have really made the comparison. Sometimes it’s worse when you’re fighting a myth than when you’re fighting reality.”

On the Wii. Thompson also had some very choice words for Nintendo’s Wii console, calling it an “innovative, low-definition product.” Says Thompson: “Someone that’s considering buying an Xbox 360 to play the latest high-definition football game, Gears of War or Viva Piñata, and have an online experience that extends that, is not the person considering a Wii, in my mind. They are only a competitor in so much as they’ll take consumers’ pounds, and I’d like to have as many of those as I can.”

On the Xbox. Apart from talking about the competition, Thompson also took time in the interview to address concerns voiced by some gamers that Microsoft has totally forgotten about the original Xbox. “I wouldn’t agree with the idea that we don’t support the original Xbox,” he said. “There’s still hundreds of titles on the original Xbox and publishers are still releasing content for it.”

On the Xbox 360. Touching on the five-year old Xbox console inevitably led to questions about his thoughts on the Xbox 360 longevity. Pointing to the Xbox 360’s online features, Thompson said that the Xbox 360 would have a much longer lifecycle than it’s daddy. “The way that the technology was built, the way we can update the system and services more effectively through online etcetera, I would think it would have a much longer lifecycle.”

A few months ago, we were always talking on and on about console wars this and console wars that (well, at least I was). The Christmas holidays are finally just around the corner now, and with the three next-gen consoles already out in the market the battle between Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony is really getting tighter.

Last week, we pointed you guys towards an interview with Xbox Europe boss Neil Thompson by GamesIndustry.biz. Today, we’re bringing you the second part of that interview, and man oh man, has Thompson got some words for their rivals in the console business.

On the PS3. When asked about his thoughts on the PS3’s delayed European launch, Thompson comes off as almost disappointed that they didn’t get to go head to head with Sony’s next-gen console. “To be honest we were very sceptical that it would launch in Europe this Christmas anyway,” he said “In some ways it would have been good if it had, because then people could have really made the comparison. Sometimes it’s worse when you’re fighting a myth than when you’re fighting reality.”

On the Wii. Thompson also had some very choice words for Nintendo’s Wii console, calling it an “innovative, low-definition product.” Says Thompson: “Someone that’s considering buying an Xbox 360 to play the latest high-definition football game, Gears of War or Viva Piñata, and have an online experience that extends that, is not the person considering a Wii, in my mind. They are only a competitor in so much as they’ll take consumers’ pounds, and I’d like to have as many of those as I can.”

On the Xbox. Apart from talking about the competition, Thompson also took time in the interview to address concerns voiced by some gamers that Microsoft has totally forgotten about the original Xbox. “I wouldn’t agree with the idea that we don’t support the original Xbox,” he said. “There’s still hundreds of titles on the original Xbox and publishers are still releasing content for it.”

On the Xbox 360. Touching on the five-year old Xbox console inevitably led to questions about his thoughts on the Xbox 360 longevity. Pointing to the Xbox 360’s online features, Thompson said that the Xbox 360 would have a much longer lifecycle than it’s daddy. “The way that the technology was built, the way we can update the system and services more effectively through online etcetera, I would think it would have a much longer lifecycle.”