Poll: Microsoft: Embarrassed to be in gaming?

[Ironbat92]

I've been starting to think an think more about the whole Microsoft event. I personally didn't think it was that bad, but I'm starting to come to a conclusion about Microsoft. With the last two E3's and this press conferences, it's pretty clear that Microsoft wants its system to become an entertainment hud, A place where you can watch movies and T.V, play games, listen to music. But, this whole push that Microsoft is doing is leading to the conclusion that Microsoft is embarrassed to be in the industry. Microsoft is caring less and less about making games, and focusing more on features that I can already do with other technology. Why do I need my game system... oh I'm sorry, "Entertainment" system, that let's me watch T.V when I have T.V and a cable box? Why do I need to listen to music on consoles when I can do it on my Computer with iTunes? Why do I need to use Internet Explorer on a console when I... you get the point. Microsoft came off pretty pretentious by pushing features that I already have on a game system. Why can't I just play games on it? That seems to be the problem with Microsoft. Say what you want about the
Wii U and its controller, say what you want about the PS4 and the share button, but Sony and Nintendo both know that it's game system first, not some social media entertainment center. As a wise man once said, there is nothing wrong with catering towards a niche audience. This is like if an anime dubbing company decided to focus less on anime, and instead focused on licensing anything, from T.V Shows to Movies in america to Radio talk shows. So, I guess what I've been trying to say is this: Microsoft, either you start caring about your audience, the same people that made franchise like Halo, Gears of War, and Call of Duty house hold names (yeah, I know CoD is on other consoles, but who get's CoD Elite and Map Packs first?) and stop making you game system something it's not and will never be. Just make the system and quality games and remember that you're a game system first. What do you guys think? Is it Microsoft embarrassed to be in the industry? or they just be idiotic?

 

[skywolfblue]

Microsoft is caring less and less about making games, and focusing more on features that I can already do with other technology. Why do I need my game system... oh I'm sorry, "Entertainment" system, that let's me watch T.V when I have T.V and a cable box?

That's a problem that the entirety of Microsoft suffers from. Not just it's game division. They love to stick their fingers in all the pies, without understanding what people really want out of a Tablet, or a Smartphone, etc. An "entertainment system" is fine, but I expect Microsoft to screw it up miserably like they always do.

Is it Microsoft embarrassed to be in the industry?

No, they're not embarrassed, they're greedy. They just want more of the pie. The pie in this case being the casual market.

 

[lacktheknack]

What a silly question.

If they were embarrassed to be here, they'd shove off back to computer operating systems. No company releases a product that does one thing and claims it does another, aside from gag gift industry and Acme Corporation.

Also, you say there's nothing wrong with catering to a niche audience... well, look how that worked for Reel Physics. Microsoft just goes too far in the other direction and tries to appeal to all, but they don't resent their original audience... they'd just release a not-gaming-affiliated cable box if they were.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

First I read your poll and was like "wot?" but I kind of get it. Apparently Microsoft thinks making a device that appeals only to gamers might scare away all casuals who might want an Xbox TV media thing. Just look at some gaming pc cases and laptops. They look slick and appealing and flashy and glow neon. Now look at the XBone. It's like it was designed to be as discreet and "normal" looking as possible. Nothing about it says it's a device for "fun" or gaming. "If you buy this, you won't look like an immature child who plays video games!" is what the device says to me

 

[Signa]

I voted yes because they are at least an embarrassment to the industry. I also expect that they want to "widen the net" on all consumers everywhere to get as much money as possible, and that means TV before games. So they aren't actually "embarrassed" as much as they aren't there for the games.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

It's sort of the other way around. Not so much of the general public actually know the Xbox is made by Microsoft. They try to keep it seperate, as if to seperate it from their reputation on other devices for having unwieldy and unnecessarily restricting software. Xbox is meant to be the 'cool' part of Microsoft.

 

[Phlakes]

What did you expect the event to be? Would you rather they just stand there and say "it can play games" for an hour?

 

[Lunar Templar]

can't say with 100% certainty, but does kinda seem that way, and I doubt E3 will be changing any minds after this event

 

[Splitzi]

Microsoft isn't embarrassed to be in the industry, they just want more. They want to control the way someone is entertained. They want to control the living room, acting as a cable box, game console, web browser, and music player. With the new Xbox they aren't just trying to appeal to gamers, which apparently a lot of people are annoyed by. With all the hate after the announcement all I can do is shake my head. I'll wait to pass judgement until the thing actually comes out, same as I'll do with the PS4, which, unless people have forgotten, had an equally as bad reveal...but I guess that's all forgotten now.

EDIT:

ShadowRatchet92

OP-They know you can watch t.v. from your cable box, music on iTunes, and the internet on your computer. Don't you understand that they are trying to replace those items...?

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

I don't think it's quite like that. My perception of it is that Microsoft is starting to see the redundancy of consoles, and what they can really offer now that "plug and play, no patches or codes or fiddling like the PC" doesn't apply anymore. They're grasping for things the machine can do, because "box connected to the TV that plays games" is fast becoming something that is losing its identity and is also becoming assimilated into every other type of machine. Steam and PC are also putting on the pressure by making PCs more accessible than ever before, while consoles are becoming ever more complicated and losing their focus.

They forgot how to make money. The very lucrative business sector was pissed off by Windows 8, with a unified system that's supposed to please phone, tablet, home, and business users alike while pissing all of them off. For average joes, there isn't much that 8 offers that their Windows 7 machine can't do. It's like they want to apply this "unification" idea to "the living room" as if it was such a great idea before.

They're hoping the Kinect is this awesome ideal way to control all of your entertainment the way that touchscreen interfaces are supposed to be awesome for computer usage. I see it as a fiddly and cumbersome thing, I don't want to be a weirdo talking to my TV and making Minority Report sweeping gestures in the air loses its novelty really fast. I also don't want to be pointed at as being among the first to willingly have the telescreen installed in my home /tinfoilhat

Edit: This is also about control. They see swarms of consumers move to Apple despite the fact that Apple like full control. Their push in the computer world was to close Windows 8 a bit, and hopefully control the phone, the tablet, and the computer. They want to control your entertainment with the Xbone. If they can convince you to buy it, they can make their push to control your TV experience, your music experience, and your game experience. The one place you go to first to do anything regarding media and entertainment.

With the used game fee thing, the mandatory install, and all that shit, it's almost like they want literal "control" over the game playing you do. I'm sure publishers are loving this, and I wouldn't be surprised if over the years they've been talking with publishers about how to rid this pesky "used games and console piracy" problem. We already know that there's a special partnership with EA, and it coincides quite nicely with EA saying they're done with online passes as well as their stream of Nintendo bashing. They don't need online passes because this Xbone situation is much worse for us, and better for them.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who you are), I can see Microsoft getting a lot more exclusives, and not just timed ones this time around. This setup is ideal when considering what publishers have been pushing for all along, and a lot of them are going to want their game premiered on the Xbone, where nobody wants to buy it used and the consumer has no control.

I think we're going to get a lot more PC ports, but I think the situation regarding the Japanese market is going to remain roughly the same. The PS4 having a traditional x86 architecture means we could get much more PC ports from Japanese developers, but I don't see Microsoft doing anything to make the Xbone more appealing to Japanese audiences than the 360 was. All the TV shit looks like it's US only, and Japan doesn't give two fucks about Madden or COD. The future looks cloudy, and its obvious given how everyone is grasping at straws trying to see what will be viable for years to come. Because of that, I can't say. I don't know. Phones and tablets becoming ever more powerful, PC gaming becoming more popular and accessible, TVs becoming "smart"...all of it means that entertainment as a whole has become more fragmented than ever before, and Microsoft would very much like to take it all and have it under their wing. Gaming is only just one part of that, and if my experience with the 360 tells me anything, it truly isn't the most prominent part that they're concerned about.

(Sorry about the wall of text.)

 

[Goofguy]

There's a huge market outside of the gaming community, it only makes sense that Microsoft wants to tap in to that. Personally, I just want a game console. I don't want any added bells and whistles, just a box that can play the HD games I want offline and online. But I don't represent the majority in this sentiment. I don't have cable and I already have my laptop plugged in to my TV for music and surfing the net. Say what you will about Microsoft alienating the gamer demographic but consolidating all facets of a home entertainment system in to one makes sense. I just won't be getting an Xbone myself.

 

[8bitmaster]

After the press conference, I was just thinking.... why doesn't microsoft just cut out the middle man and just make smart tvs? What they showed wasn't a game machine, but a set-top box. After the last several years, no I don't think they care about the game industry as much as they used to and they should just make TVs which what they probably wanted to make all along.

edit: I do have to say I loved the press conference. They showed us something you could never do before. You can now watch tv... on your tv! It's mind-blowing!

 

[AD-Stu]

I can absolutely see the problems people have with the absence of backwards compatibility and the likelihood of losing used games and everything. But OP's argument just doesn't make any sense.

They're adding extra stuff onto the gaming console, but I don't think there's any suggestion that's going to make it any less of a gaming console, or that Microsoft are now somehow embarrassed to be in the gaming market or anything. People have been using their Xboxes as media centres since the original Xbox was released, in a lot of ways this is just a logical extension of that.

And sure, you've got a cable box and a TV remote already. If someone's looking for an all in one solution though, that cable box or TV remote will never be able to replace your gaming system. But your gaming system could replace them. And if you don't want it to you don't have to use those features, I'm sure you can keep your stand alone boxes and controllers if you want to.

 

[ResonanceSD]

?

They're diversifying away from gaming. It's a full entertainment system rather than a singular focused device for gaming on. Like what happened to the X360.

 

[Gulleko]

If they aren't ashamed of being in the games industry, the reveal yesterday
proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they SHOULD be ashamed.
Not for being a part of the gaming industry, but for doing such a poor job of it.
They don't seem to realize that many gamers don't want a bunch of features
they already have devices for, they want a GAMING CONSOLE.

Somebody needs to smack them all in the back of the head and tell them to try again,
because if they think that talking about its TV features and that effing Kinect (1984 is coming true! /tinfoil hat)
is more important than talking about the gaming part of it, they have some serious thinking to do...