News - Microsoft says Xbox One is "enticing for your small business"

[Biscuit]

'Hey apple, this would be a great product for your main meeting room!'

[ET3D]

I just want to point out (since it's often not clear to people) that a Microsoft MVP isn't a Microsoft employee. He's a person who's rewarded by Microsoft for having a positive presence in a community related to a Microsoft product. So it's basically an end user's idea which appealed to Microsoft enough to stick on its blog site.

Personally, I don't much see the point in using an Xbox in the office (except for gaming), but I do see how it can be developed into a useful conference room device, using the kinect to provide much better interaction, from drawing on a virtual board, to gestures which allow to focus on particular people for remote conferencing or show certain slides.

[wasabi]

If they did a 'pro' version with Lync / AD / Exchange UC integration but no games
(or games hidden away) I think it might do well. At the moment Polycom / Cisco have the market tied up where customers spend tens of thousands for really rather awful inflexible equipment.

[T Muffy]

Faux MS Quote; "If the gamers don't want it, lets find someone else to offload it to."

Sorry Microsoft, this is the mistake you made. Gamers want a games machine, not a universal 101-in-1 do it all box.

Couldn't agree more.
Microsoft want it to do everything, I just want to play games.

[Saracen]

Suggests it's a justifiable business expense and great for video conferencing.

I can just imagine myself with an HMCE inspector during an audit .... "but it's for video conferencing, honest!!"

Riiiight.

[magnetobob]

Faux MS Quote; "If the gamers don't want it, lets find someone else to offload it to."

Sorry Microsoft, this is the mistake you made. Gamers want a games machine, not a universal 101-in-1 do it all box.

Couldn't agree more.
Microsoft want it to do everything, I just want to play games.

If i look at my friends list and i know its a small example yet 75% of them are watching netflix or love film or watching a film. look like there using the xbox as a streamer rather than a games console.further more i think one of the main reasons the playstation got into the home was its abliltiy more as a blu-ray player as as a range of age generations saw the box as a multi use facility.

[Chadders87]

If i look at my friends list and i know its a small example yet 75% of them are watching netflix or love film or watching a film. look like there using the xbox as a streamer rather than a games console.further more i think one of the main reasons the playstation got into the home was its abliltiy more as a blu-ray player as as a range of age generations saw the box as a multi use facility.

The point is that both the Xbox and PS3 were games consoles that had other attributes such as dvd player and netflix as a bonus. MS is reversing this by making the XBO a Home Media Center that you can play games on.

Small difference really, except when they annoy gamers and destroy a loyal fan base in favour of a non-gaming core focus.

[Noli]

Maybe I'm weird but I don't think it's that daft. There are many younger, smaller and tech savvy businesses out there for whom this use wouldn't be laughable. Not every corporation is a grey suited Vodafone or BP.

Really, only 0.001% (or somesuch) of businesses out there need to understand possible benefits and try this and it's a huge increase in sales for MS with no downside.
I can't argue with their strategy. Even if it doesn't take off, it's cost them nothing - as the development costs have already been spent for their core target audience, which is largely already a captive one.