Microsoft revealed a brand new market for the Xbox One this week as they unexpectedly started pitching the machine as a “justifiable” and “affordable” business expense. That’s right, the next-gen video game console is also the perfect solution to a whole host of nonexistent problems facing today’s small business owner.
A post on the Microsoft blog reveals explains the convoluted sales pitch in the following manor:
“As the owner of a small business, you find great value in your computer and your phone. Between the two of them you are prepped for presentations, up to date on your appointments and able to create documents with relative ease.”
“However, let me throw another device into that mix: The Xbox One.”
“What is being positioned as an excellent entertainment device can be just as enticing for you and your small business. In fact, it’s entirely justifiable to make the Xbox One a business expense. The Xbox One, priced at $499, is an affordable option for small business owners, as there are many features built into the console that could help it rival even the most modest of video conferencing and networking platforms.”
The post then goes on to list several applications like Skype, SkyDrive (a browser-based cloud storage app), Internet Explorer (which is typically only used once by business owners to download any other decent web browser), Wi-Fi Direct, and of course unnamed “future applications,” that are all improved by the Xbox One.
The full pitch is simply amazing in how far it is willing to go to completely dismiss the fact that modern day offices are already running similar (if not the exact same) programs/applications using equipment they currently own. Similar to the infamous (and boring) Live TV-focused reveal for the Xbox One, this new approach is literally offering solutions to problems that have already been solved.
I suppose the one thing to take away from this new Xbox One sales pitch is that there is no longer any doubt that Microsoft is not focused on video games. That’s not to say that the next-gen console won’t end up with a decent library of titles, but it is crystal clear that gaming has officially taken a back seat to entertainment and small business solutions.