Microsoft: Making the biggest mistakes ever with Xbox One

[Steven Garrigus]

I've been an Xbox supporter since November 2001 when the original Xbox was released. I have purchased over 400 games NEW since then through now for both the original Xbox and the 360. I've been a Windows user since Windows 3.0. And I've been a Windows Phone user since the release of the HTC 7 Surround running WP7. And now...

Microsoft has screwed up big time. The Xbox One is a joke. Regardless of what people think about always online, locking games to accounts, Kinect always running, etc...the fact is that the Playstation 4 is going to be Microsoft's chief competitor. And if Sony ISN'T doing these things, Microsoft has screwed the proverbial pooch.

Already, the German government is investigating the fact that Kinect 2 is mandatory and people in general are pissed. Why? Supporters say it's no big deal because web cams, cell phones, etc. can see you all the time. The difference is, I don't have my cell phone sitting on my lap looking up at me UNLESS I WANT IT TO. I don't have my web cam filming me, recording my surroundings and being a necessity for me to even operate my laptop. The Kinect 2 is intrusive to a disturbing degree. Fine and dandy that Microsoft wants every One to have one so it's not a peripheral that gamers may or may not have, but why do I HAVE to use it if a game does not require it?

Used games is a touchy subject. I understand the need for developers to get their money, but really? Locking games to my account so my friends can't play it if I want to loan it to them? I can't take it to my nephew's house? It's bullcrap. What you are going to see is Microsoft and their "partners" like Gamestop, EB and Game regulating the price of used games rather than letting market demand regulate those prices.

Sony has focused on GAMES while Microsoft's focus is on a all-in-one set-top box. They have came to the table with a console that requires online-which a large portion of the current 360 owners DON'T HAVE. They have came to the table with an under-powered console compared to the PS4, cloud computing be damned. They have shown that they are completely out of touch with what their gaming audience wants.

I'm sorry, but at this point in time, I will have to pass on the Xbone. When I purchase a videogame console, I do so to play games. I don't care about fantasy football, DVR, HDMI-in to lay a guide over my already competent DirecTV guide or any of this other crap. I want to be able to put a disc in and PLAY MY DAMN GAME. And what happens in a few years when all these fancy new games, with cloud-boosted features are turned off? I guess I'll have an expensive-*** pile of $60 drink coasters. No thanks Microsoft, no thanks.

 

[12Danny123]

Dude. Its not about gaming anymore. Its about services now. Also wait for E3 to see the games. Don't judge yet

 

[Steven Garrigus]

What it's about is Microsoft focusing their "game" console on everything but games. I've waited. I've waited years. While Microsoft practically abandoned making great 1st party games aside from the usual Halo/Gears/Forza selection. I've watched while Microsoft focused on Kinect-krap titles instead of traditional offerings. I've watched them focus on apps instead of games.

I love Windows 8. I love WP8. I love the unification. But this console is a travesty. To say it's not about gaming anymore if worrisome. Every other device in my house already does these things Microsoft's wants the Xbone to do, and they do it quite competently. Make no mistake, people buy game consoles for games. Microsoft so far has sold me on picking up a PS4. My love of Halo be damned. I won't support a products that doesn't do what I want.

 

[Laura Knotek]

I believe that the gaming market is changing like the music/movie markets.

Few people buy CDs/DVDs to listen to music or watch movies anymore. Some old-school folks might complain, especially those who used to buy vinyl records; however, nobody misses cassettes, VHS or Atari 2600 cartridges.

Technology changes, no matter what the market happens to be. Does anyone long for the days of old analog TV sets with vacuum tubes, or do they move on and get the latest HDTV sets?

 

[xboxonthego3]

Explain to me how the PS4 has better specs? It seems to me that they are pretty close from what we know. And why can't a device do multiple stuff? It is still a gaming device with just more features. What is wrong with having more features? To say the PS4 is focused more on games than the Xbox one is not a good argument at this point imo. We don't know everything about either console yet. Wait until E3.

 

[paulxxwall]

Sweet if that means you're not going to buy one that's means one more for me!!

 

[Steven Garrigus]

I believe that the gaming market is changing like the music/movie markets.

Few people buy CDs/DVDs to listen to music or watch movies anymore. Some old-school folks might complain, especially those who used to buy vinyl records; however, nobody misses cassettes, VHS or Atari 2600 cartridges.

Better technology is great, but not at the expense of legacy functionality. If you really think people don't care about classic games and their ability to use them, then I guess all these game stores that sell old games and consoles are there just to look pretty? Checked classic game sales on eBay and other sites lately?

We are not talking about VHS. We are talking about taking away a consumer's rights to do as they please with a purchased product. I'm pissed at Microsoft for doing this. As is "teh interwebs" in general. Sales of One versus PS4 will reflect this. I hope Microsoft is ready for the fallout.

Technology changes, no matter what the market happens to be. Does anyone long for the days of old analog TV sets with vacuum tubes, or do they move on and get the latest HDTV sets?

 

[Steven Garrigus]

Explain to me how the PS4 has better specs? It seems to me that they are pretty close from what we know. And why can't a device do multiple stuff? It is still a gaming device with just more features. What is wrong with having more features? To say the PS4 is focused more on games than the Xbox one is not a good argument at this point imo. We don't know everything about either console yet. Wait until E3.

I am waiting for E3. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that at the reveal, Microsoft's focus was squarely on all the things the Xbox One does BESIDES gaming.

How is the PS4 more powerful? Faster RAM. Much faster RAM for one. Second, a graphics processor that is about 50% more powerful. Now this doesn't automatically mean games will be better on the PS4 and the PS3 is a classic example of how more power doesn't equate to better gaming. See all the 360 multiplats than ran better than their PS3 counterparts.

But for me, the Xbone is a joke at this time. Hell, Microsoft even shut off comments on their YouTube channel because of the flak. I'm not going to bury my head in the sand and pretend to be happy with this product because I'm not.

As simple as I can put it: I want to buy a game console to play GAMES. Everything else is fine & dandy, but I want to play GAMES. Not jump through hoops, read advertisments that I have to PAY for the "privelage" of seeing through a Gold membership and scan through screen after screen of app icons to get to my game. And I sure as hell don't want to talk to the Kinect to get ANYTHING done. That's what the good-ole A-button is for.

 

[sinime]

The TV stuff doesn't take away from the gaming... And Kinect always being on... It's not always recording you to beam the info to MS or some government watch agency. The info would only be used to control the device. The only way it would stream video elsewhere is if you are intentionally skyping someone or playing a game where video is sent back and forth.

 

[Coreldan]

Tell me how did PS4 focus more on games? Are you really thinking that cos they didnt show games much on the initial conference that it will have less games than the PS4? I guess technically you are right that if PS4 has less features, it will be "more focused on gaming", but the truth remains that both will get amazing games and short from the exclusives being a preferance question, both will be gaming consoles first, regardless of their secondary features.

PS3 was a popular blu-ray player while it had little gaming value to a lot of people, this is no different really. The people who play games will get their gaming fix sated on the X1 just the same as they did with PS2, PS3, Xbox, 360 etc.. Just cos it has more features doesn't mean that PS4 is ACTUALLY any more gaming focused.

I do however give you two things: The worries about kinect always being on and the spying-conspiracy-thoughts. I'm not personally worried but it does make one paranoid I guess. The other thing being. The other thing is the spec difference. It's there, but it's not massive. How this will pan out will largely depend on optimizations... Usually multiplatform games go by the lowest device specwise, so it depends if the devs will specifically bother utilizing the better RAM and GPU but also if the devs will bother utilizing the cloud computing of the X1. This is a totally wild card for now and what comes to pricing, short from the bundled Kinect, X1 has cheaper hardware.

Judging from your avatar it appears you have a smartphone. Was making smartphones the worst mistake ever for mobile phone companies, after all they stopped focusing solely on calling and texting which is the primary focus of mobile phones. Are you mad that the phones have extra features which you personally have no use for? Curse them for not focusing on calling and upping the price with useless smartphone features!

As a disclaimer, I come from a very different background than you. I havn't cared about consoles at all the last generation. Since I got a modern PC in 2005 (up from my 266 mhz Pentium II I used until that), consoles have been worthless for me as PCs do gaming better IMO, they also do everything else I need so I had no reason to get a console. I did have a GameCube which was valuable to me during those 266mhz days as I couldnt play on the computer. However now, finally, when the consoles can do a lot more than just slap in a disc and play the game (why am I paying for this again when I can do it on PC?), I'm finally interested. With what we know about the PS4 atm, it has NOTHING going for it for me. The X1 however has sparked interest in me, who has for the last decaded despised consoles, this is one customer that they wouldn't have had with the "just gaming" approach and I bet I am not alone. Also, since I come from PC gaming, the "used game thing" doesnt worry me, it's not like I could borrow any of my PC games the last years either. DRM isnt Microsoft, it's just the direction all this is going. Also, we still have extremely little of anything confirmed about the used games.

What I'm saying is that bottom line will be that outside exclusives that are only a matter of preference, both consoles will do gaming just about the same and pretty much equally good. Both will be very succesful as gaming consoles. However, unless PS4 has some really nice extra features still unannounced, the Xbox One will just simply do more things, most likely for the same money. So looking at it from the aspect of your usual Average Gamer Joe who doesnt read forums, if he gets more for less, why go for the option with less features?

 

[xboxonthego3]

I am waiting for E3. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that at the reveal, Microsoft's focus was squarely on all the things the Xbox One does BESIDES gaming.

How is the PS4 more powerful? Faster RAM. Much faster RAM for one. Second, a graphics processor that is about 50% more powerful. Now this doesn't automatically mean games will be better on the PS4 and the PS3 is a classic example of how more power doesn't equate to better gaming. See all the 360 multiplats than ran better than their PS3 counterparts.

But for me, the Xbone is a joke at this time. Hell, Microsoft even shut off comments on their YouTube channel because of the flak. I'm not going to bury my head in the sand and pretend to be happy with this product because I'm not.

As simple as I can put it: I want to buy a game console to play GAMES. Everything else is fine & dandy, but I want to play GAMES. Not jump through hoops, read advertisments that I have to PAY for the "privelage" of seeing through a Gold membership and scan through screen after screen of app icons to get to my game. And I sure as hell don't want to talk to the Kinect to get ANYTHING done. That's what the good-ole A-button is for.

Alright I have heard about the ram. Not sure if it will make a huge difference. I didn't know about the GPU. But you give a good example between the PS3 and the 360. Let's keep from calling the console names though. Trying to be serious. Xbox one is making some change. Not everyone will like it. It appears you might be settled on the PS4 and that's fines. Either console will be good. The PS4 seems like it will fit your needs better. For me the Xbox One fits mine better. I respect your opinion and good competition. I hope you enjoy what console you go with.

 

[Reflexx]

Funny.

"I'm waiting for E3"... then proceeds to complain before E3.

 

[curseoftheninja]

I currently have a PS3 and an Xbox 360. My Xbox gets used much more than my PS3. Mainly, my PS3 is a bluray player.

Before I was married, I gamed constantly. My weekends were spent playing COD and Halo with my bachelor friends. Now that I am married, I still use the Xbox, but we use it for multimedia. I play games still, just not avidly as I once did.
So in this new console cycle, what am I looking for? The system that does much more than just gaming. The multimedia features look awesome on the Xbox One. It also looks easy to navigate for my technologically challenged wife.

Also, all of this fuming over "XBOX ISNT BOUT THA GAMES !!!1!" makes me chuckle a bit. Microsoft admitted up front that the Xbox reveal was going to be about features, while E3 would be about the games. I don't understand where all the rage is coming from: they already told us the games would come at E3.

 

[ncxcstud]

I keep hearing about the better ram and better GPU... what I don't hear about is the price. Both of those things will add cost to the PS4.

We didn't get a whole lot of info from the Sony press conference, we didn't get what most people wanted from the Microsoft press conference.

When the dust settles I'll be willing to be that the two systems will be remarkably similar in all aspects - games, used games philosophy, 'always-on' internet connections, etc...

I'll go where my friends go. Most of them (who are far less hardcore gamers than I am) are all on the XBOX 360 and ALL are excited about the XBOX One, and all plan on purchasing it.

But, Let's see what E3 brings.

Though, I do find it funny that people keep saying, "But what about the games man? Where are the games?!?!?" Yes, Microsoft announced that 15 exclusives will come to the Xbox One in its first year, 8 of which will be new IPs... I don't believe Sony made as bold of a statement, but Sony gets a pass since they didn't talk about TV? Really?

 

[tmccaghren]

The DRM thing is the only thing that pissed me off. Like someone else said earlier, by all means--the game developers deserve to be paid.

However, when I am unable to loan a game to a friend, because they will be prompted to pay for the game upon insertion of the disc--that IS a travesty. For a machine that from the ground up is designed to stay in one place, they seem to make you want to take your Xbox with you to your friends house when previously you only had to take the game...

Does anybody else see the problem with that? I purchase something, I should be able to loan or gift that used game to a friend. MS says they "have a plan" for used games, so we'll have to wait and see.

 

[Coreldan]

You can play the game at your friends as long as you login. Thats confirmed. Borrowing games outside your account is another thing. They seem to have a plan, just yet to be revealed

 

[joeynox]

The DRM issue isn't microsofts fault. This was brought on by the developers. It was going to happen one of these days to consoles.
The Xbox one has failed on so many levels and it hasn't even been released. The fact that people who don't have internet connection won't be able to play single player games. Xbox will lose millions of console sales due to this. Another issue is that Microsoft put a very poor gpu in the Xbox one. Microsoft has already pissed off all the indie developers and no one , not one developer has said 1 positive thing about that big ugly box. Then there's the Kinect that's being forced upon users. No one wants to use Kinect for anything. When my mother in law stays over do I really need to have her screaming Xbox on Xbox blah blah. I don't blame Microsoft for wanting to make a set top box but they are sacrificing too much to do so. They are taking resources away from the gaming side , they are alienating their core user base, they handicapped their product sales by mandating 24 hour check ins ,And lying about their 300000 servers. If Microsoft doesn't change these policies or if they don't someone come up with more gpu power then they will be forgotten just like nintendo

 

[usnberry]

I like the new XOne, but will I be able to rent games? I used to check out new titles via Red box, but now... Maybe if MS offers a free 24 hour trial online or something. But that's my only issue: I don't want to buy every game at $60 without playing it first.
Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

 

[berty6294]

I like the new XOne, but will I be able to rent games? I used to check out new titles via Red box, but now... Maybe if MS offers a free 24 hour trial online or something. But that's my only issue: I don't want to buy every game at $60 without playing it first.
Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

that's what trials/demos are for.

 

[Reflexx]

The DRM issue isn't microsofts fault. This was brought on by the developers. It was going to happen one of these days to consoles.
The Xbox one has failed on so many levels and it hasn't even been released. The fact that people who don't have internet connection won't be able to play single player games. Xbox will lose millions of console sales due to this. Another issue is that Microsoft put a very poor gpu in the Xbox one. Microsoft has already pissed off all the indie developers and no one , not one developer has said 1 positive thing about that big ugly box. Then there's the Kinect that's being forced upon users. No one wants to use Kinect for anything. When my mother in law stays over do I really need to have her screaming Xbox on Xbox blah blah. I don't blame Microsoft for wanting to make a set top box but they are sacrificing too much to do so. They are taking resources away from the gaming side , they are alienating their core user base, they handicapped their product sales by mandating 24 hour check ins ,And lying about their 300000 servers. If Microsoft doesn't change these policies or if they don't someone come up with more gpu power then they will be forgotten just like nintendo

LOL

You're believing every rumor you read.

I've got a bridge I'd like to sell you.