Xbox early days were not all sweet and merry as many people would wish to think, affirms Lorne Lanning in an interview with Oddworld Inhabitants. Apparently, a number of ideas were floated here and there of how Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) should approach its first gaming console. Some called for the console to be offered for free while others insisted on it being used purely for playing movies while running on Windows.
Initial Xbox Sentiment
Lanning was apparently convinced to switch from Play Station to Xbox, one of the brightest moves that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) made in its push to become a behemoth in the gaming console business. However, it appears that one of the reasons Oddworld made the switch was speculation that the system could have been given away. At the time, Xbox was not seen as a core business with the belief that it was going to be another casual gaming machine.
Obviously things changed sooner than later before Microsoft came out with its first set of games. The conversation inside the company before the big launch were all over the place according to Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley. Some people were reportedly talking of the console carrying games only developed by the company while others called for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) to gobble up Nintendo.
Early Windows Resentment
Making Xbox run purely on Window’s would have been catastrophic, as the industry had already shown some resentment to the operating system. In the end, all the bad ideas were swept under the rugs, and the Xbox team sat down and came up with an excellent product that ushered a new era of gaming.
Xbox success was not as a result of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) being a corporate behemoth but because the team was out to prove itself by ensuring the console was not just another gaming platform like Mario.
