Microsoft knew that this year it was all about software for the Xbox 360. Before anyone even jumped on stage to begin, we were being assaulted by Gears of War in all of its glory. It's obvious they're banking on this title, but it's dumb to think this was all they had.
While a few moments brought the crowd alive, this was a surprisingly subdued conference for Microsoft. Peter Moore led it the whole way through until the end when Bill Gates made an appearance. There was no excessive music; no showing off new pieces of hardware, and not very many surprises either. What Microsoft showed us was, for the most part, exactly what we expected.
We knew Halo 3 would show up, and it did. Bill Gates and Peter Moore's little false finish to their keynote was a nice cap leading into the teaser trailer premiere, and the revisiting of the tattoo (along with a cheap shot at Sony) to reveal Grand Theft Auto IV was great.
The rest of the show pushed online play. They're numbers are undoubtedly impressive, though Microsoft seemed to be preaching to a choir. They don't seem to have any strategy to pull new people in. There's no question their support for their current customers has been unbelievable (especially for E3). This focus doesn't speak to those consumers who may have been on the fence about the system, or those disappointed with Sony's showing that may be taking a hard look at the 360.
Aside from the surprising announcement of some nice Xbox Live Arcade games, the biggest innovation comes from Xbox Live Anywhere. This incredible technology makes sure you're always thinking Xbox, which is amazing from a marketing point. While it doesn't make the games any better or "next-gen" if you prefer, this ensures that Microsoft has a customer base involved in every aspect of their day-to-day technology use.
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