So who's heard the latest news? Microsoft is backing off their original plans for the Xbox One and made some changes. The console won't have its online requirements (24 hour check in/ always online required). Now you just need to go online once every new game you buy. That, and you can share games without having to pay a fee. That's about it. They changed the only things they could change without completely remaking the damn thing. Now there are people all over shouting stuff like "OMG THEY LISTENED!!", but to those people, i say this: Microsoft claimed they "listened to customer feedback" in order to make these changes. They didn't listen to anyone. They just chickened out of the train wreck they knew they were heading into regardless of the feedback. The "customor feedback" they reffered to is all the hate they've been getting. Their motivation to make changes didn't come from the "customer feedback", it came from the knowledge that Sony was ripping them a new one. In my opinion, it's a cowardly last-minute move and a bad attempt to get back in the race that Sony already won by a mile. Microsoft was already beaten when they first announced the Xbox One. Now they're just being pathetic.
I think you're just being unfair here, dude. I'm no Microsoft fan, but really. What is it about all the hate they've been getting that does not constitute "customer feedback"? They know about the thrashing they got at E3, and this is their answer. What should they have done instead, go forward with their original scheme despite all the disapproval? Or just let their investment fall flat by cancelling the console entirely? Or go back in time and redlight the project before anything is developed? They have to backtrack and remove the features people hated most. The market isn't giving them a choice.
I know they're given little choice right now, but still. No matter what they do now, the first impression they left is the one people will remember, and all these changes they're making might make them a little more popular, but considering the fact that they're forced to make these changes in order to stay popular is downright laughable. Maybe it's just me, but right now i'm seeing Microsoft as the company that is childishly competitive, whereas Sony is the company that is just doing its job without thinking they need to live up to someone else's product. (Which is basically what Microsoft is trying to do very hard now.) So yes, I am basically saying Microsoft would have been more respectable right now if they just accepted defeat and move away from the game console industry, and focus on things they're better at doing. (Which is sticking to computers) tl;dr: Microsoft has handled their plan of action very poorly ever since they started receiving all the hate and criticism about the Xbox One.
They got cocky. They thought they were like Apple and no matter what kind of poop they dished out, mindless zombies will pour their money into it.
That would be the crux of my disagreement then. The way I see it, Microsoft is currently in a situation with two options: A) Launch the console, and possibly lose money; B) Abort the console, and definitely lose money. Which is the better option? The XBO may not be a great console, but Microsoft is not going to quit the game before they've even played. They've already invested in developing the console, so now they have to finish what they started. Aside from that, I do agree that Sony has put out a superior machine and so Microsoft has to play catch-up. I just believe that by cutting the XBO's most hated features, they are doing that to some degree. I know more than a handful of gamers that swore against the XBO to begin with, but now that the DRM features are cut, they're either heavily conflicted or are outright planning to get both consoles. Microsoft may not have won your heart but they did win some.
XB1, if you want me to buy you, you're going to have to stop all...this. But you just gestured to all of me. Yes! Exactly! If you want me to buy you, you're going to have to stop being all of you.
So what I said wouldn't apply to you then. On another note, it's funny that people are deciding which console is better before they're even released, because that makes sense.
MS isn't trying hard to live up to someone else's product...they're going back to what they were doing prior due to the massive outcry of...pretty much everyone. Both the 360 and PS3 share a very similar business model. This has nothing to do with living up to another company's product when this has been the practice shared by BOTH competitors. It is the current norm and what the customers want; therefore it is in MS's interest to stick to it. MS took a leap too far and was way to headstrong, they've lived up to their errors. I actually think that is respectable in its own merit. They'd be ruined if they dropped Xbox and Xbox Live. There's no reason why they should quit. Your butthurt/pointless anger toward MS is quite humorous though I might add.
Judging a console that isn't even out yet is ridiculous. Stop with it, really. It solves nothing and only creates fearmongering. When you know for 100% certain that something sucks, complain about it then. Stop whining about it when you don't even know what the hell you're talking about. I'm not any fanboy, in fact, I hate both companies. Let's not forget that Sony also tried to pin this DRM crap on us with the PS3 and we were like 'lolno'. (Though to a lesser extent) Doing so, they retracted it, hence the PS3's lower sales rating at first. It picked up later on though. So by Rarit's logic, Sony was the exact same thing as Microsoft is now. It's clear that Sony capitalized off of MS's crap. Don't try to White Knight Sony. They're a business, if MS's plan succeeded, undoubtedly Sony would have gone the same route. They saw that people were unhappy with MS's decision and decided against DRM. Does that make Sony any better than Microsoft? No. It makes them a company that wants to make money, and people have no right to bash something that doesn't exist in the public yet. Jeesh. I wish this stuff would stop, but no.
Judge. Judge everything. Do it whenever you want. Mircosoft showed what they wanted to do and they have now been forced to change their console. That judging caused it, if everyone sat around quiet it would have never happened. People judge everything nonstop anyway, why exclude consoles.
I don't mean the policies. I mean the console itself. Judging already as in like 'OMG PS4 has better specs omg its gonna b so cul' PS3 had better specs but arguably had worse performance due to the nature of it's engine. I know that some games have lag issues on PS3 but don't on 360. When a console comes out, then you can say it's problems and declare with 100% certainty which is better. Judging on past policies solves nothing.
I still say judge it. Why release them if they are not to be judged. Is that not the point. Of course some games will differ based on console. Perhaps the developer doesn't understand one engine as good as the other or how to use the hardware. That's not the consoles fault.
This. So much this. I really don't see why people were judging the Xbox One if they're just gonna run back to it.
That really isn't how business works. They don't care about what makes them look like they have more dignity, they care about giving customers what they want so that they will buy it. They're a business, plain and simple. People hating the **** out of their product would constitute "negative customer feedback" in my book. Microsoft also does game consoles pretty well (up to this point) so backing out of the video game industry would pretty much kill half the industry. And I wouldn't count on Sony taking up the mantle either, as Sony's Playstation is not profitable for them. Sony actually loses quite a bit of money on it's consoles, and repeatedly have been advised to shut down the part of the company that makes electronics in general. Turns out Sony makes all its big bucks on insurance writing, so they may not be in the console biz forever.
Business 101: It's all about the Money Business 101 Semester 2: How to Look Like the Better Company by Giving Customers What They Want (But It's Still About The Money) It's pretty simple. If a company can make money even with whining consumers, they won't change their ways. If it's clear that your actions are going to lose more than half of your sales (Like the XBone), then you probably need to rethink your strategy to make more money. Sony doesn't give a crap about the consumers, they care that they get the money that's in your wallet; making you guys happy isn't a gesture of kindness, it's a money-making practice that LOOKS like it. With Sony's clear 'Haha look how stupid XBone's policies are buy from us instead' videos/propaganda, it made them look like God and XBone look like Satan, which is, again, a money making tactic. Like I said before: If Microsoft's plan had worked out and people were decently happy with it, Sony would have gone the exact same direction, potentially better, potentially worse, we don't know. White Knighting a business is a terrible habit that will bite you in the @$$ later.
In all this discussion, no one has noted the fact that MS said nothing about turning off the built in Kinect. The implication is that it will still be always on and always watching. I disagree with that on principal and I still think you'd have to be a complete moron to buy one of these things because you'd be openly inviting MS to spy on you.
Let's take a moment to discuss Microsoft's OTHER massive failure: Games With Gold. It was supposed to be an incentive/reward program for XBL Gold members, offering two free game downloads per month. When it was announced, we were promised AAA titles like "Halo 3" and "Assassin's Creed 2." The progam started yesterday, and the first game offered is "Defense Grid," a mediocre XBLA game from '09. Bait and switch, anybody?
That and I don't think they really thought through the implications of their decisions. Speaking strictly in terms of my personal preference, I like Xbox 360 more than PS3. However, I own both and definitely think that the free online of the PS3 is enticing. As time goes on, I might use my PS3 more and more. I haven't heard much about whether or not I'll have to pay for an online membership on the PS4 or Xbox One. I already had Gold, so I didn't really care.
