Editorial: Xbox Live Needs To Step Up Its Game

When someone hears the word, “Xbox Live” what do they think of? Blockbuster action titles like Gears of War? Addictive multiplayer games like Halo: Reach? Features like Netflix or last.fm? Nope. When people think of Xbox Live, they think of the best gaming experience available on the market today.

Xbox Live on Windows Phone 7 is not Xbox Live.

However, that doesn’t mean Microsoft isn’t on the right track. In fact, Xbox Live for mobile actually has a few key advantages over its competitors. Microsoft’s stab at Miis for Xbox have become surprisingly successful. Avatars really bring a gamer’s profile to life and Microsoft has managed to even outperform Nintendo in this area. WP7 does an excellent job with Avatars, but doesn’t provide quite as many options nor any options to purchase accessories. Achievements rock—the system is one of the most ingenious gameplay mechanics a game company has ever come up with and has become a big selling point for Xbox games over their counterparts. Mobile gaming is no exception and once the mainstream gets wind of Angry Birds having achievements, expect some major jealousy. Speaking of Angry Birds, Microsoft recently unveiled their new Must Have Games program for Xbox Live on WP7 and includes that insanely popular Rovio-developed game amongst some more mobile blockbusters like Doodle Jump, Plants vs. Zombies, Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 and more.

That all sounds pretty good, right? Well guess what? It’s not enough.

Xbox Live on WP7 is trying to catch up when it should be leading the pack. Microsoft should have come out of the launch swinging with full Live features like Cross-Gameplay Chat, Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer, Access to the full Xbox Marketplace, and more. All of those features could work tremendously well with mobile gaming, especially local multiplayer which is definitely a major omission.

Xbox Live on WP7 is trying to catch up when it should be leading the pack.

Even more essential than those features is the main attraction: the games. Microsoft was waving around some pretty pennies in front of developers for ports of major publishers’ games, but they should have been more aggressive than that. Microsoft should have been touting the deep Live integration and also amped up the capabilities of their XNA toolkit. Instead we are seeing the same games that have been on other platforms for months—even years—and Microsoft is still struggling to make a convincing argument over iOS. One of the worst parts about these ports? Publishers, especially big name ones like EA and Namco-Bandai, are pricing them way higher than they should be. This past week’s I Love Katamari was a shocking $6.99—the same price as the amazing Infinity Blade for iOS or even WP7’s own The Harvest. When you compare the price to quality ratio of WP7 games to iOS games, publishers are definitely cashing in on the reputation of Microsoft’s gaming brand.

Now there are familiar competitors emerging that could capture key audiences before Microsoft can even get a no-contract-required WP7 out the door. Nintendo is possibly the largest threat to mobile gaming in general—they offer a gaming platform without requiring a data plan and a significantly lower price for hardware. Their new 3DS has already launched in Japan to massive success and the company is planning to launch in North America on March 27th. Sony, their main competitor in the living room, is also launching their Android-powered Xperia Play this Spring with PlayStation Certified support and will also launch their NGP this Fall, bringing along PS3-like graphics, a capacitive touchscreen, PSN support, real gaming controls, and more. Also, it’s safe to assume that Apple won’t be resting on its laurels and could be boosting the power and mainstream acceptance of their Game Center service for iOS—a direct competitor to Xbox Live on WP7.

So far, Microsoft has a strong safety net thanks to the strength of the Xbox Live brand and the success of the Xbox 360 globally, but now is not the time to stop. They need more features, more exclusive games, and they need to move fast. Xbox Live needs to step up its game.