When Geek on Stun did their snarky little piece about Microsoft’s XBox guru J Allard’s dramatic new look (with significant weight loss, a shaved head, and hipper threads), we thought: give the guy a break. He looks MUCH better, healthier. But then, when we started to see him on the OurColony 360 infomercial, on the vid of the Microsoft press conference at E3, and doing other press appearances. You can only hear so much talk about the “iconic gesture” of the console design (an “in-breath”), the “ring of light” (a.k.a. the power button), and all that other “360” market mumbo-jumbo before you start tasting your own spit up in your mouth, and Allard’s makeover really does smack of just another PR gimmick. The MS press conference video is laughable, with Allard in jeans, an expensive suit jacket, and a gray hoodie (if you’re going to play the style game, that look is SO two years ago!). For part of it, he sat on the floor, for chrisakes, behind a planted audience that was about 35% woman, and everyone was supposedly so moved by the reveal of the 360 that they crossed their arms spontaneously to make “X” signs. Woot!
All of these press events are heavy with hype (Nintendo proclaimed a revolution and did little more than hold up an ambiguous black box), but Microsoft had people snickering and sniffing the air, trying to figure out what direction the smell of bull pucky was coming from. Hey, man, it’s “360,” it’s coming at you from ALL directions!