RUMOR: Microsoft once 'considered' an OnLive acquisition

[garyopa]

Also, they think the next PlayStation will be a GoogleTV box



More 'juciy' details included in the recently leaked document which dates back to August 2010, have surfaced. Seems that they also addressed Apple, Google, Sony and Nintendo competition.

As part of the recently leaked document that supposedly details Microsoft's plans for its follow up to the Xbox 360, a few media sites have started to note other "juicy" details.

On the slideshow's seventh slide, an examination of the next Xbox's potential competition reveals some interesting tidbits about Microsoft's thinking back in 2010.

It looks like they considered the cloud gaming service OnLive, as a "potential acquisition target."

For OnLive, the notes suggest the streaming company has the ability to "up-end the console gaming market by making expensive consoles and PCs unnecessary for AAA gaming."

Pairing with a partner like AT&T could give OnLive the ability to provide subsidized hardware that makes money through game sales and subscriptions, the note warns. Under the "THREAT" section of the note, it mentions OnLive point blank as a "potential acquisition target."

Streaming games and entertainment from the cloud will be a major feature of the "Xbox 720" by 2015, according to the leaked planning document. While the information in that document hasn't been positively sourced to Microsoft, there is some evidence suggesting it could be authentic. The internal presentation dates back to the middle of 2010, though, so any potential acquisition plans could be well out of date by now.

And here's how Microsoft supposedly sized up the biggest potential threats from other competitors:

- Apple TV: Integration with iTunes and iDevices helps increase the value proposition and locks more consumers into the iOS platform. The ability to use iOS apps with Apple TV was also seen as a threat.

- Google TV: The platform had the "potential to become O/S standard for TV" by licensing itself as a free app platform for TV. Could also expand the reach of Android.

- Nintendo "Wii2": Differentiates itself by being "family friendly" and "less expensive" than the competition. By launching first, the system could "defend [Nintendo's] success in broad gaming segments" and "further erode console differentiation" by matching the hardware power of the PS3 and Xbox 360.

- Sony PlayStation 4: Threats from Sony's next system include killer apps, exclusive Sony content, "PSN experiences" and integration with a home consumer electronics ecosystem. Microsoft als expects Google TV to be a "key feature" of the system, apparently.

So, there you go. Again, take it with a grain of salt.

But, as stated on the previous news rumor thread, the document has since been removed, so it could be REAL afterall!

NEWS SOURCE: More Xbox leaks Microsoft once considered an onlive acquisition (via) ArsTechnica

Our thanks to 'Gauss' for this news item!

[Ahmed_p800]

Could be real, but pretty old, nintendo WiiU is named as Wii2...so this document is +1year old for sure!
Still, interesting

[MadonnaProject]

I am surprised how onlive seems to have done well. I have a free account with them and strangely enough their emils have gotten less recently.