Steven Asarch for Kotaku, Xbox’s Biggest Flop Was a Decade Ahead of Its Time

Microsoft’s follow-up was the Xbox One, the always-online console bundled with the much-maligned motion control accessory known as the Kinect. To be blunt, the console’s introduction was a bit of a clusterfuck.

It may be hard to remember, but Xbox was absolutely dominant over Sony in the US during the 360 vs. PS3 era. It got more exclusive games, often better versions of multiplatform games, and if online multiplayer was your jam, Xbox was the place to be. Hell, “Xbox” became the generic term parents would use for “that game console thing,” taking over decades of it being “Nintendo” and then “PlayStation.”

Given that momentum, most people expected that to roll into the next generation battle, but it speaks to the unbelievably bad job Microsoft did designing and marketing their next console that they immediately forfeited all of that good will and market power.

But as the linked post points out, some of the things we hated at the time have become relatively normal in modern gaming. Microsoft has a real knack for either being too early to things or introducing new things in a way that just makes people freaking hate them until someone else can pitch them way better.