14 DAY TRIAL // The Xbox One has overcome a lot of challenges since its announcement, with numerous shifts in policy improving the initially disastrous perception regarding the device, but its makers are still aware of the uphill push awaiting them.
The next-gen console was surrounded by a lot of controversy before its launch, but the consistent transformation of the product and the people behind it have managed to offer the Xbox One a "momentum shift," according to Xbox UK Marketing Chief Harvey Eagle.
Microsoft, however, knows that there still is plenty to be done, and is determined not to pull any punches in the competition against Sony's PlayStation 4, which so far seems to have secured the lion's share of the next-gen market.
"The change started to happen when Titanall was released in March, it's been a hugely successful title and the start of what I believe to be is the momentum shift," Eagle has said to CVG.
The guys at Xbox have done a good job tending to the console so far, attempting to catch up with the soaring PS4, which registered over 7 million sales as of April this year, when the company last disclosed its internal figures.
The more competitively priced Kinect-less SKU, the enhancements made to the Games with Gold service, and the continued support through firmware updates all played an important role in the increase in sales and popularity that Microsoft's computer entertainment system has benefited from lately.
"There's still work to do to increase sales. The momentum shift is something to be encouraged by, but certainly there's more work to be done. We do need to see this grow and continue over a period of time. With such a strong line up of games coming out over the next six months, I think that's going to increase momentum," Eagle explains.
"We won't stop listening and responding. If that means we have to change in the future based on what people are asking for, then we're completely committed to doing that," he continues.
He has also pointed out that it's the console platform holders' duty to bring more people into gaming, to expand the user base of the console market, in order for the competing companies to not simply trade the same customers between each other.
The recent appointment of Phil Spencer as head of the Xbox division has been pretty auspicious so far, and the company's slew of recent improvements seems to be consistent with its stated goal of catching up and even surpassing Sony, its main competitor in the next-gen console business.