2011科技界5位最优秀人物

硬件：唐•马特里克

微软互动娱乐业务部总裁

    从历史上来看，视频游戏机的寿命通常在5到7年。随着制造商宣布推出新一代产品，市面上现有产品的销量将逐步降低，直至退出市场。但是由于有了唐•马特里克，微软公司（Microsoft）的Xbox 360打破了这一宿命。

    对于这款标志性的游戏机而言，它的发展道路并非一帆风顺。2007年，马特里克从电子艺界公司（Electronic Arts）来到了微软。当时，Xbox的业务尚未实现盈利。同一年，由于硬件缺陷，使Xbox 360游戏机的故障率高达24%。延长保修期，对不满的用户进行补偿，使公司损失了11.5亿美元。马特里克起草并负责执行了一份三年计划，目的是扭转这一局面。微软互动娱乐业务部（Microsoft Interactive Entertainment）COO兼CFO丹尼斯•德尔金称：“整个部门发生了很大的变化。唐确实是我们的‘定海神针’。”

    如果没有马特里克，也就不会有Kinect。Kinect是微软公司针对Xbox 360推出的体感控制器。马特里克组建了Kinect团队，并从外部招募了优秀人才，比如创意总监库都•图苏诺达；此外，他还制定了重要的目标，如降低成本，以达到消费者可接受的价位。

    目前，不论是口碑还是销量，Kinect都是微软公司最成功的硬件设备。去年11月产品推出以来，Kinect的销量已经超过1，000万台。2011年前四个月，公司游戏机的销量与去年同期相比增长了29%，这也被认为是Kinect的功劳。程序设计迷已经编写了无数Kinect应用程序，从增强实境游戏到动作捕捉动画程序；而且，机器人专家也在使用Kinect的摄像机，来捕捉3-D实时影像。

    德尔金说：“许多人都能看清趋势，但唐不仅能看清趋势，还能组建团队，将愿景付诸行动。他就这样改变了我们的业务发展轨道。”

    （翻译 刘进龙）

Hardware: Don Mattrick

President, Microsoft Interactive Entertainment

    Historically, video game consoles survive for between five and seven years, with sales petering out when manufacturers announce the next product. Thanks to Don Mattrick, that's not the case for Microsoft's Xbox 360.

    Things didn't always look this good for the iconic console. When Mattrick moved from Electronic Arts to Microsoft in 2007, the Xbox business had yet to turn a profit. That same year, hardware defects caused up to 24% of all Xbox 360 consoles to fail, causing a $1.15 billion write-off to extend warranties and reimburse disgruntled owners. Mattrick wrote and executed a three-year plan to turn the business around. "There was just a lot of change, and Don was a real stabilizing force," says Dennis Durkin, COO and CFO for Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business.

    Without Mattrick there wouldn't be Kinect, the company's motion-sensor controller for the Xbox 360. Mattrick assembled the Kinect team, recruited outside talent like creative director Kudo Tsunoda, and set crucial goals like reducing costs to reach an affordable consumer price point.

    Now Kinect is one of Microsoft's most successful hardware devices, both critically and financially. Microsoft has sold more than 10 million units since last November's launch and is largely credited with driving console sales up 29% during the first four months of 2011 compared with the same period last year. Hackers have already programmed numerous Kinect applications, from augmented reality games to motion-capture animation programs; and roboticists are using the Kinect's camera to capture 3-D real-time images.

    "A lot of people can see trends, but Don also formed a team that could execute against a vision," says Durkin. "That's where he's really changed the trajectory of our business."