Harrison on Steambox, Shield - "entering the hardware business is a hard thing to do"

Microsoft’s European VP Phil Harrison has offered his opinion on the Piston and Shield PC-consoles touted recently by Valve and Nvidia at CES 2013.

Speaking with MCV during a press junket this morning in London, Harrison said the firms may find the road ahead quite tough for new, mass-market consoles.

“CES is always very interesting. But entering the hardware business is a hard thing to do," he said. "You need to have deep pockets. Hardware can be successful but it’s rare to get new hardware to scale. I’m talking tens or hundreds of millions.

“It’s about having a supply chain and a distribution model, it takes thousands of people to make a reality.”

Microsoft announced this morning its new London studio, Lift London, will focus on connected products instead of physical releases.