Best Buy's E3 Wii U Promotion Ambushed by MS

theeboredone

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Given the website, take this with whatever grain of salt you want. However, it seems like it's also popping up on twitter as well. Basically, for those who don't know. Best Buy is running a promotion with Nintendo, in which they allow customers to play some of the E3 games at selected stores. Not sure if these MS guys are actual reps, or fanboys wearing their clothes...but it is what it is.

http://www.gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=205110

Wow, this is some pretty crazy stuff. Microsoft is certainly in damage control mode with Xbox One right now. They're trying to sway people back in their direction. Apparently, one of the ways they're trying to do so is by hitting up Nintendo's Best Buy E3 Experience Event.

Believe it or not, multiple reports are coming in stating that Microsoft employees are hitting up the line and asking people why they would bother with Wii U when Xbox One is right around the corner. As you can see in the image above, there is indeed someone wearing a Microsoft shirt approaching people in line. This is just a bit too much for me!

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martinmc78

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This may come across as being slightly fanboyish but.

Its more than plausible that this has just been done to further drive down MS reputation at the moment. Could have just been a guy near the wii U queue that was interested in the console. Its easy enough to take a picture out of context and post it up on twitter.

If I walked into an apple store wearing my Microsoft t-shirt and someone snapped my pic the caption could easily be MS employees trying to steal apple customers.

I've worn my MS tshirt in PC world and had people come up and ask me questions about PC's rather than speak to the PC world staff.

On the other hand its also completely possible that they were trying to get people to check out the xbox one.
 

Mystictrust

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I doubt that's actually happening. Companies don't do that, and I doubt they would risk their reputation, officially sending out employees to sway them from a purchase of a competitor's system... particularly when that system is the Wii U - which is on a completely different level than PS4/Xbox One.

As mentioned by the OP and martinmc78, that could easily have been just someone with a Microsoft shirt. Maybe he just got off work and happened to be in the store, maybe he doesn't work for Microsoft at all, maybe it's some moron who hates Microsoft and thinks it would be funny to see what happens.

People are great at paraphrasing or misunderstanding what someone is trying to tell them. What if the guy is not actually saying, "Why are you bothering with this when the Xbox One is coming out?"... what if he was asking what would make them choose the Wii U over the Xbox One? Or what if he was gathering opinions/getting input to see if Microsoft had a similar event if they or anyone they know would also be willing to see E3 games for the Xbox One in store? Or maybe this is a random guy who said nothing of the sort, or someone saw his Microsoft shirt and made a joke about Xbox One and he replied with his thoughts on Xbox One or something.

Unless a video comes out with the actual words spoken, I can't truly trust this, and I think this can be spun in any way that anyone wants. I also must add that Microsoft hate, while usually somewhat high anyway, is especially at a near all-time high right now, so I really don't doubt that this could be either spun way out of control from what it actually is, or could be a ploy from a competitor or angry MS hater.
 

Matthew Verive

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This was true at the Schaumburg event as well. There were two Microsoft reps, one in a white Microsoft shirt (with the new logo), the other not in a uniform. They were talking to people about the event, why they're excited about Wii U, etc., and taking notes - the uniformed guy on his Surface, and the non-uniformed guy seemed to be typing up stuff on his Windows Phone. And when I say taking notes, I mean there was a document up on the Surface titled something like "Nintendo E3 Experience at Best Buy" and there were paragraphs being typed.
 
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This was true at the Schaumburg event as well. There were two Microsoft reps, one in a white Microsoft shirt (with the new logo), the other not in a uniform. They were talking to people about the event, why they're excited about Wii U, etc., and taking notes - the uniformed guy on his Surface, and the non-uniformed guy seemed to be typing up stuff on his Windows Phone. And when I say taking notes, I mean there was a document up on the Surface titled something like "Nintendo E3 Experience at Best Buy" and there were paragraphs being typed.

So this states that they are doing nothing wrong. Simply research. Anyone can do this, the fact that they work for Microsoft does not augment anything.

Very smart move by Microsoft: They aren't trying to teach, they are simply trying to learn.

Edit: Thanks for the info Matt! Helped sort this confusion out
 

Matthew Verive

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So this states that they are doing nothing wrong. Simply research. Anyone can do this, the fact that they work for Microsoft does not augment anything.

Very smart move by Microsoft: They aren't trying to teach, they are simply trying to learn.

I should have noted, however, that I was third in line, and so was out of the store in the first few minutes (it wasn't worth getting back in line, since it wrapped around the store). There very well could have been reps later pestering people, I just wasn't there for it.
 

Mystictrust

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I should have noted, however, that I was third in line, and so was out of the store in the first few minutes (it wasn't worth getting back in line, since it wrapped around the store). There very well could have been reps later pestering people, I just wasn't there for it.
That is true... they could have. But from what you witnessed... I imagine that is exactly what people saw/heard and some took that out of proportion. I can definitely see how "Why are you excited about the Wii U?" could be turned to "Microsoft reps asking why people are getting the Wii U when Xbox One is coming out".

People usually regurgitate their perceptions (or interpretation), and perceptions don't always match reality. This is why you could whisper one thing to someone at the end of a long line of people, and by the time it got to the front of the line, that thing would be massively distorted. I think the very possibility that Microsoft were there to try and push people over to waiting for an Xbox One is EXTREMELY miniscule.
 

Keith Wallace

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Here's my question: If Microsoft WAS going up to people saying "why worry about the Wii U when the Xbox One is coming out soon?" who cares? If they have employees going around talking up the console to rival fans, is that actually a bad thing? Now, if they're going around calling Wii U supporters stupid and harassing/berating them, that's a problem. If they are simply going around saying "why get a Wii U when the Xbox One is better?" then that's simply a grassroots movement to build support, no?
 

Mystictrust

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If they are simply going around saying "why get a Wii U when the Xbox One is better?" then that's simply a grassroots movement to build support, no?
It's not something they should be doing right now in that case, not with such negative PR coming out of E3 (post-Sony media briefing, of course). From the link OP provided, and the comments on that page, it just looks bad on Microsoft (or is perceived to be looking bad on Microsoft). Right now, anything Microsoft does is going to be scrutinized. But if it looks like they are doing anything to gather support from another console's potential user base - especially if that user base is not PS4 - it can very easily be perceived that "OMG, Microsoft is admitting they made a mistake, and are trying to gather support from a group of people who may not be on Sony's side yet. They need to make up for potential lost sales or they are doomed... OLOL XBOX FAIL!!111!!1!"
 

Keith Wallace

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In reality, anyone who jumps to that moronic conclusion won't consider the console in the first place, so it really just makes people with a 0% chance of buying the console freak out, which doesn't do much harm (if any). The people who jump to the conclusion of "Microsoft knows it failed" from "Microsoft is trying to get more people interested in their product," are the same idiots who would respond to an article stating that Microsoft dropped the price of the Xbox One to $400 with "Microsoft's console is terrible, so they dropped the price! Don't buy it!" Those reacting that way will put a ridiculous negative spin on anything Microsoft says or does, and Microsoft can't do ANYTHING to shut those idiots up. If they try to gain support, they'll be called out of harassing people, it seems. If they're silent, they'll be called out for "hiding" from the negativity, and it will be treated as confirmation of the negativity.

there's no winning with fanatical dissenters, same as there is no winning with fanatical supporters.
 

Mystictrust

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The problem with fanatical dissenters is their influence on the unknowing, unsuspecting potential buyer. If they can get their hands on some hard, solid, factual event and perceive it and twist it into the way they want, they can pass those along to the buyer. Word of mouth is powerful, and people talk.. I'm not talking just forum postings or blog comments and articles (although bias certainly creeps in to blog posts and articles that reach thousands), but actual talking with friends. I mean, that fanatical person online, could very calmly tell one of his friends who asked what he thought about the consoles, "Well, the thing is, Sony seems to have the better product here. They have a lot of games, they don't block used games like Xbox... and the problem is, Microsoft kind of knew they messed up because.. and you can look this up... they actually sent some representatives to try and sway some Wii U owners into buying an Xbox One."

"Seriously?" his friend would ask.

"Oh yeah, it's bad out there. Microsoft knows they are in a tough spot and they definitely aren't gong to win over PS4 fans, who know better. Sony is taking care of them, Sony listens. You should buy a Playstation" This same guy could then go online and write, "OLOLOL MY BEST FRIEND SAID HE WANTS A PLAYSTATION NOW AFTER HEARING ABOUT THE XBOX ONE MESS. MICROSOFT REALLY FAILED". This is a possible scenario... people behave differently when they fall behind the wall of anonymity, and not everyone behaves online as they do in real life.

It's very true that there is no winning, but I would argue that things like this just provide even more evidence that the uninformed might find hard to dispute. Especially because we in this thread aren't even 100% sure of what went on, since the only person there actually left before the Microsoft guys did. Anyone can say anything, really, but what we do know is that it happened - or at least appeared to. That strengthens the case for a fanatic anti-****** to sway people away from the product from their nemesis company.
 

Polychrome

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Very smart move by Microsoft: They aren't trying to teach, they are simply trying to learn.

Honestly, that's a really good move for them, if you ask me. Nintendo fans are the right people to be asking.

It can't all be about Master Chief, but by bringing Killer Instinct back, I'd say Microsoft's halfway there. People like Nintendo because there's a crowd of loveable characters they can always come back to. For better or worse, they are the Disney of video games, and everybody knows it.

If Microsoft brought us an all out wonderful sequel to Kameo or Lost Odyssey, I'd be jumping for joy, regardless of if I had to pay another $500 or not. I also love Blue Dragon and Viva Pinata, but I think it's time to cycle some other characters in again. :)
 

Keith Wallace

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The problem with fanatical dissenters is their influence on the unknowing, unsuspecting potential buyer. If they can get their hands on some hard, solid, factual event and perceive it and twist it into the way they want, they can pass those along to the buyer. Word of mouth is powerful, and people talk.. I'm not talking just forum postings or blog comments and articles (although bias certainly creeps in to blog posts and articles that reach thousands), but actual talking with friends. I mean, that fanatical person online, could very calmly tell one of his friends who asked what he thought about the consoles, "Well, the thing is, Sony seems to have the better product here. They have a lot of games, they don't block used games like Xbox... and the problem is, Microsoft kind of knew they messed up because.. and you can look this up... they actually sent some representatives to try and sway some Wii U owners into buying an Xbox One."

"Seriously?" his friend would ask.

"Oh yeah, it's bad out there. Microsoft knows they are in a tough spot and they definitely aren't gong to win over PS4 fans, who know better. Sony is taking care of them, Sony listens. You should buy a Playstation" This same guy could then go online and write, "OLOLOL MY BEST FRIEND SAID HE WANTS A PLAYSTATION NOW AFTER HEARING ABOUT THE XBOX ONE MESS. MICROSOFT REALLY FAILED". This is a possible scenario... people behave differently when they fall behind the wall of anonymity, and not everyone behaves online as they do in real life.

It's very true that there is no winning, but I would argue that things like this just provide even more evidence that the uninformed might find hard to dispute. Especially because we in this thread aren't even 100% sure of what went on, since the only person there actually left before the Microsoft guys did. Anyone can say anything, really, but what we do know is that it happened - or at least appeared to. That strengthens the case for a fanatic anti-****** to sway people away from the product from their nemesis company.

But again, the people who will act like that will do it regardless of the facts and the situation. They'll make up negative points if the console drops in price ("it's terrible, so they have to GIVE it away!"), or if Microsoft includes free DLC ("it's so bad they have to give away games!"). They'll make up negative comments about anything, and spread those, true or not, regardless of what Microsoft says or does. At least this way, Microsoft is finding means of presenting facts to combat those claims.
 

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