I know what you are thinking, this isn’t an article about Nintendo. You are right, it isn’t…at least not directly.
In 2010, Motorola sued Microsoft for infringement of 16 patents. I won’t bore you with the details, however Motorola had requested that Microsoft cease using their patented technology and provide compensation for past infringement. Needless to say, Microsoft did not just write a blank check to Motorola, but instead decided to battle it out in court. Of course there is a lot more to the court battle. Microsoft has sued Motorola as well, so it seemed that the case would be tied up in the court system for years, or until one side gave in.
The court battle has been ongoing and it is look like Microsoft might not come out of this one victorious. In fact, it is looking really bad for Microsoft right now. International Trade Commission Judge David Shaw has suggested that the Xbox 360 should stop all imports and all existing consoles already in the US should be banned from further sales. This is a huge roadblock for a console that is posting stellar sales. This does not even take into consideration the fact that we are entering a crucial time of the year for the video game industry with E3 just around the corner.
Of course Microsoft disputed the potential banning of the system, however Judge Shaw had the following response to Microsoft’s dispute:
“enforcing intellectual property rights outweighs any potential economic impact on video game console buyers.”
As part of the judgement, Judge Shaw has stated that he wants imports of the 4GB and 250GB models stopped as soon as possible. If the judgement is enforced, President Obama and his officials will have 60 days to decide whether to allow the ban, or override the ban. Now, normally I would say that the judge has the final say in an issue such as this, however it is an election year, and a ban on Xbox could mean layoffs. This could get pretty ugly.
On a lighter side, a ban on the Xbox 360 could be huge fro the Wii U. With Microsoft out of the picture only Sony and Nintendo would remain. And with only one of the two pushing a new system, could we see Xbox fans jumping to Nintendo? I only ask because the rivalry between Sony and Xbox fans is pretty rough. What are your thoughts on the judgement?
roxaxis
Microsoft fans would jump back to the PC. Not Sony or Nintendo.
frstOne
This just shows (again) how broken the patent system is.
Job
I agree with Roxaxis, they’ll jump to PC. IMO, Xbox is the least needed console of the three.
Stan
Continuing with what Job and Roxaxis said, Microsoft would have no choice but to focus all of there game development on PC games. That would make the PC quite a gaming powerhouse.
RisnDevil
If this is upheld (which is both sadly and luckily unlikely) it would have no real impact on anything. 3rd parties would continue to develop their games for the 360 due to the large install base and Microsoft would just put their next console into overdrive to get to market faster, no sweat lost. And with no current console to worry about, a LARGE amount of resources could be expended on guaranteeing one hell of a launch line-up, even in time to launch this time next year.
Gabriel
Crazy @_@ Well, for one, I don’t think true 360 gamers would go to Nintendo but rather Sony since they are a more similar system with games they’d like.
Zac
I don’t even like the XBOX, but I can already tell you I really don’t want to see it banned. It will mean higher prices for the Wii U and give Sony a reason for charge for use of PSN.
Even if the XBOX is banned we will likely see them bring out a revised version designed to avoid patents, much like what Samsung did to the Galaxy Tab in Germany. This will still come with a price increase for other consoles however.
Mike
If Microsoft does not decide to stop making game consoles, then they’ll likely start (or speed up) development of the 720.
Lord Lemmy
I’d say if Microsoft gets wiped from the gaming industry, for one, several Xbox players will go to Nintendo, several to PS3, but those with their allegience to Microsoft’s device, they most likely will go to the PC. Secondly, I’m hoping it would inspire a TRULY Nintendo vs. Sony competition, making it maybe even similar to the grear Nintendo vs. Sega days. In all honesty, it’d still be a sad day to see it banned, even though I do prefer PS over Xbox.
Mario
My life is good without Xbox. I can play all kind of game on PC with a emulator.
Daniel
i agree with mario. pc gaming is better to play than xbox. and you can still use the xbox wired controller to play some games like battlefield or skyrim so its all good. i think it would be intersting to see sony vs nintendo if obama agrees to the judge. although i think nintendo could beat sony with their hot-seller 3DS and their new, powerfull and hd version wii-u.
Erik
XBOX fanboys already have the system so this wouldn’t bother them too much. Live would still be up, and games will still be sold for the Xbox. A 360 ban would push Microsoft to put out the next gen console. This would be bad for WiiU!
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