Three reasons why Microsoft didn’t sell Xbox 360s to the Army

Recognizing the advantages of gaming consoles in training the new recruits, the US Army thought it would be a good idea to purchase a bunch of Xbox 360s for that very purpose. Just when you thought that Microsoft would jump for joy at the prospect of selling multiple consoles in one go, they actually turned the purchase down.

Recognizing the advantages of gaming consoles in training the new recruits, the US Army thought it would be a good idea to purchase a bunch of Xbox 360s for that very purpose. Just when you thought that Microsoft would jump for joy at the prospect of selling multiple consoles in one go, they actually turned the purchase down.

Roger Smith, chief technology officer for PEO STRI, the ones in charge of purchasing training equipment, says Microsoft execs refused to sell him the Xbox 360s for three reasons, as reported by Wired.com:

• Microsoft was afraid that the military would buy up lots of Xbox 360s, but would buy only one game for each of them, so MS wouldn’t make much money off of the games
• A big military purchase could create a shortage of Xbox 360s.
• If the Xbox became an Army training device, it could taint its reputation. Microsoft was concerned that “do we want the Xbox 360 to be seen as having the flavor of a weapon? Do we want Mom and Dad knowing that their kid is buying the same game console as the military trains the SEALs and Rangers on?

So now, Smith says that the interest in training using Xbox 360s has toned down quite a bit. “Our initial enthusiasm when Xbox and XNA were new products has cooled. At this time we have no active or anticipated projects or R&D that are looking at using either of those products for military simulations. I would be happy to reopen these discussions if Microsoft is interested in selling these products to our community”