) But there aren't as many of us as there appears.
The Mainstreamers and the Casuals are the ones MS is veying for. They are the players who make up the vast majority of consumers and are willing to line up for a console on launch day and lay down $600 for a console, some games, and extra controllers. Casual gamers don't care THAT much, but they'll drop $500 on the system and
a game.
MS doesn't REALLY care about the Parents because they know they don't give a damn... just as long as their kids are happy.
Now there is a delicate balance appealing to each group. They have to keep the Hardcore fans salivating so they leak pics, movies, press conferences, etc... things the other three groups don't even know go on. Just enough to keep us drooling. The biggest challenge is appealing to, AND KEEPING THE ATTENTION OF, the Mainstreamers and the Casuals. This is vastly more difficult than pimping 720p screenies every day. This is why they just don't bother yet. There is no reason to waste time showing off to a group of people that they already have in their corner... or who don't care enough to remember what they saw on MTV last night. This is why MS hasn't begun really showing off just yet. The people they really care about roping in don't care yet. And if they showed off what they do have right now, 2 months early, they'll just say... "oh, that's not that great". It's not that they don't care about us, it's just not good business. And any console maker will do the same.
In the end, it all boils down to the most essential concept of all: You can't show off a work of art until it's finished. Plain and simple. There just isn't time to show off what you're crunching to finish.
At least that's my take on it.
