Unveiling Directly to the Consumer

This is kind of stupid. I mean, where do most gamers go to get their fix? The web...shacknews, for example. I'll bet the shack will be covering the release regardless of where the thing was aired - whether it be E3 or on MTV. It doesn't really matter. These are the people that'll be buying in the first week - hardcore gamers that already know about the system anyway.

Yeah, I get the whole thing of marketing directly to the "normal" consumer on MTV, but if you do that, all it is is a 30 minute commercial. What's so new about that? Great, now we advertise your game systems like we advertise the ThighMaster - on infomercials. I'll take a FloBee with my XBox 360, thanks. For those that don't remember, a FloBee was a device that allowed you to cut your hair with a vacuum cleaner. Brilliant.

This isn't a step up, this is a step down. Why don't we start selling game consoles on QVC while were at it?

They don't "cut out the press" because you are still going to post news about.

So how do they lose?

http://www.shacknews.com/ja.zz?id=9924122

"There's a risk you're going to distract consumers' attention and put it on something that doesn't exist yet in the marketplace. The last thing anyone wants to do is undercut demand for product in the market now."

How could the risk be any greater or less if the xbox is revealed on tv instead of the media??

I trust these things as much as your average infomercial - so not at all. Watching hired shills gush about whatever they've been paid to gush about just isn't my idea of a good source of information. Might work on the MTV crowd though.

Wow imagine that taking it right to the consumers and bypassing the sycophants of review sites who suck up just to free stuff before people. Heavens if they should give a bad review but instead suck up to a company to get more and more goodies or exclusives down the road.

This should have happened a long time ago. The fans who ultimately make the purchase are 10x more important than the "media" agents who want a free lunch...

there'll still be a press release or AP report about the television event.
doesn't seem like this would effect anyone's ability to write about stuff.

Sega: "We're coming out with this new system called the Saturn"
E3 1995: "Oh dear that system needs work. Hope you get it up to the snuff of this unstoppable system called the Nintendo 64 and this plucky newcomer the PlayStation"
Sega: "Well actually we've already got it in stores. We put it on shelves while you were on planes and checking into hotels"
E3 1995: "You're kidding right?"
Sega: "Umm, no."
E3 1995: "Well it was nice knowing you..."

Yeah not exactly the same thing but sometimes trade shows are good for feedback. Still, it's not like everyone always listens.

The media doesn't like being bypassed? Who'dve thought?

I wonder if CNN is still ticked at how Reagan ignored them.

I don't see that big of a problem. Although movie buff media (i.e. magazines, web sites) have more information about films than you can find out from the official spin, most people don't even know the movie exists until they see the trailer.

Word of mouth? Old and busted.
Reviews and opinions? Old and busted.

Hyping people into buying it on the day of release? The new hotness.

It's worked for the movie industry for years now, so I don't see it failing here.
It is a bit of a short term policy though, imo - hardcore gamers get quickly immune to it and your casual gamer will feel badly burned by it, so you might have his money today but do it a few more times and he'll just stop playing games altogether. $50 is an expensive mistake.

Is CNN thinking about buying the shack?