Xbox Isn't A Gaming Console, Steve Ballmer Says

If you're a gamer, and you know other gamers, then you've probably had at least one conversation that focused on whether or not the Xbox 360 is better than the PlayStation 3, or vice versa. It's a heated debate, for sure, but if you've been talking about whether or not each of the consoles is a better gaming console, then Steve Ballmer can clear everything up for you rather quickly. In a recent interview, Ballmer opined that the Xbox 360 isn't, in fact, a gaming console at all. No, it's something much more.

Steve Ballmer had an interview with USA Today's Maria Bartiromo, and informed her that "Xbox isn't a gaming console." He added that, "Xbox is a family entertainment center. It's a place to socialize. It's a place to watch TV." Obviously, while Ballmer can't ignore the fact that the majority of the Xbox 360's success has come from videogames, he is focusing on the bigger picture, and offering up a far more generalized title for Microsoft's console, instead of shoving it down into a specific niche.

Of course, Ballmer couldn't go without talking about the recently released Kinect peripheral. He pointed out that the device is female-friendly, and hopes that women will opt-in to play more games, due to the lack of joystick-heavy controllers. The CEO wants to draw in more players, more of a demographic than just the "gamer." He wants to bring in the whole family, which is pretty obvious from the marketing campaign that Microsoft has been trying to sell the Kinect with since its launch.

The big question is, how do you feel about Microsoft's CEO saying the company's videogame console isn't a gaming console?

[via USA Today]