Poll: MS may be pricks but maybe they aren't complete morons.

[GonzoGamer]

So I suspected this before and now I'm all but sure of it after reading the latest:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/124891-Microsoft-Exec-Offline-Gamers-Should-Stick-With-Xbox-360

I think most of us know that consoles are often sold at a loss to the company, especially at the beginning of the console's cycle. What MS makes all its money from is the subscription fees to XBL. Therefore by making their console require an online connection every 24 hrs, they're basically weeding out the consumers who would buy the unit but not likely pay for xbl. The problem for them I think is that they might be overestimating the loyalty of their fanboys. Or maybe not, these are people who stayed loyal when the 360 had a 50% defect rate and the xbl fee got hiked up so who knows.

It's a real dick move but it's one that might make/save them a lot of money.

 

[9thRequiem]

Speaking as someone who fully plans on getting at least 1 Xbox One, I wouldn't be so sure of that.

Just remember that this is the company that made the Zune.

 

[Foolery]

I think there's another thread just like this one. Hold on. Yup.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.410420-Gamers-Without-Internet-Can-Stick-With-Xbox-360-Says-Microsoft
Anyway, they are crazy. Like a fox!

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I don't think you understand just how stupid MS are being right now.



They're being catapult stupid.

That's pretty damn stupid.

[sub]What do you mean that picture is shopped?[/sub]

 

[Strazdas]

They think they know what they are doing, they are doing something differently, the reuslt will be that it wont come biting up their ass due to fanboyism for stuff like halo and COD.

Al;so they are releasing a new 360, so go buy that instead. they wish anyway.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I would generally assume that a corporation with this much money has a pretty good idea on how to keep making this much money, but right now... I don't know.

Maybe they are actually geniuses and they're pulling a New Coke. We'll have to wait and see.

Heck, maybe the Xbox1 is going to fly of the shelves like hotcakes. [small]I fucking hope not![/small]

 

[Tom_green_day]

I think their reveal was dumb, but E3 showed a noticable improvement and I think things will change before the release to make it more consumer friendly.

 

[tilmoph]

They have an idea of what they want to do. I really don't think they just threw people out on the stage for conferences and told them "Say whatever it takes to piss people off, it'll create buzz and we don't know what we're doing with this thing right now anyway." They want to make a publisher friendly system, that has all the controls that EA et al have been putting into games for a while now. They want to make a system that plays games as a bonus to its other features, trying to go after novelty enthusiasts and people with too many remotes who would actually think yelling at their TV and flailing about for the kinect's amusement would be an improvement.

I just don't see this working for them. Xbox is still a name linked heavily to gaming, so not a lot of non-gamer or light gamers are going to think of it when looking for non-game electronics. They'll retain some gamers on the basis of halo and overall brand loyalty, but it won't be as strong since the X1 costs more than the PS4 and is publisher friendly, not developer or consumer. And the 24hour check is going to be revised the first time the authentication servers take a shit and cause mass bricking. They won't die, this won't be a saturn or a dreamcast, but unless something genuinely crazy happens come Christmas shopping, I just can't see XBox1 beating, or being in a dead heat with, PS4.

 

[faefrost]

Remember, their three last product releases were "the new version of office with the loathed ribbon UI", Windows 8, and the "Surface" tablet (with keyboard!). They have not had a consumer success since Gates left. It's like someone is pumping a steady vocabulary of "creative destruction" and similar bullshit business speak up their collective corporate asses without having any real clue. In short MS is no longer run by engineers and developers. It is run by the marketing people. And they share a certain similarity with the XBox's core target market. (A company run by drunken foul mouthed frat marketing to drunken foul mouthed frat boys... It's a niche.)

 

[Comocat]

IMO Microsoft is being shit on now, but Sony and Nintendo have possibly tipped their hands too early. I have a hard time caring about what happened last week, so if MS changes their policies in October, will anyone really remember all this controversy? Microsoft really only needs a few tweaks to make this console desirable, so I think we'll see them change course in October. "After listening to our fans, we've decided to eliminate the 24 hour check." Done and checkmate.

 

[ASan83]

I don't think you understand just how stupid MS are being right now.



They're being catapult stupid.

That's pretty damn stupid.

[sub]What do you mean that picture is shopped?[/sub]

You, sir, have made my day with that gif. Thank you.

I don't claim to have any business acumen at all, but this whole ordeal has been a disaster. Glad to see they'll seemingly support the 360 for a bit longer, but you can't say things like that. Especially when there are better options out there, like say two of you competitors out there with newer, fresher options than your dated back up plan. It just comes across as dickish, and last I checked, that's not a good way to gain or even maintain customers.

 

[mohit9206]

They think they know what they're doing but this shits going to bight them in the ass.

 

[VanQ]

Fair enough. But an intelligent prick that knows they're being a prick is infinitely worse than an ignorant prick that just needs some guidance.

 

[Doclector]

I don't think you understand just how stupid MS are being right now.



They're being catapult stupid.

That's pretty damn stupid.

[sub]What do you mean that picture is shopped?[/sub]

Thank you for that gif, it lit up my entire week.

OT: That's exactly what I said before when trying to deny rumours of always online.

Then it happened. And I realised that the brains that used to hold up the greed had left the company. If that is their plan, it's a bad one, because there's plenty of people who would've paid for XBL but will not be buying the one.

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

No one at MS can actually come out and say this, but they are doing exactly what EA and Activision want them to do. All of this restrictive nonsense is for the benefit of publishers. If they can convince enough dummies to re-upp, the publishers will have gotten a foothold and the "customers second" ideology will spread to Sony and every future console. This is why it's critical that XB1 fail decisively.

 

[Gatx]

No one at MS can actually come out and say this, but they are doing exactly what EA and Activision want them to do. All of this restrictive nonsense is for the benefit of publishers. If they can convince enough dummies to re-upp, the publishers will have gotten a foothold and the "customers second" ideology will spread to Sony and every future console. This is why it's critical that XB1 fail decisively.

EA and Ubisoft have made statements about how they're unsure whether or not they want to opt-in for Microsoft's used game thing. The opt-in option definitely shifts blame to publishers rather than Microsoft if a game can be resold, so I think they would be wary about participating.

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

No one at MS can actually come out and say this, but they are doing exactly what EA and Activision want them to do. All of this restrictive nonsense is for the benefit of publishers. If they can convince enough dummies to re-upp, the publishers will have gotten a foothold and the "customers second" ideology will spread to Sony and every future console. This is why it's critical that XB1 fail decisively.

EA and Ubisoft have made statements about how they're unsure whether or not they want to opt-in for Microsoft's used game thing. The opt-in option definitely shifts blame to publishers rather than Microsoft if a game can be resold, so I think they would be wary about participating.

That's because EA and Ubisoft, despite some relatively recent examples to the contrary, somehow have better PR people than Microsoft.

These restrictive policies are clearly bad for us, but it's not like MS is doing it out of the blackness of their hearts. They're doing it because they want to squeeze more revenue from us. Stands to reason publishers would get in on that action and, potentially, lend greater support and exclusives to the more profitable platform. Otherwise, MS is just dicking us for fun?

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

That strategy might work for them if they didn't have any competition. And they act like they don't.

 

[Vetta E-dom]

Speaking as someone who fully plans on getting at least 1 Xbox One, I wouldn't be so sure of that.

Just remember that this is the company that made the Zune.

Not sure If good or bad,

If the same division that made the Zune, made the X1 it would feature

-plays any game from any console(nintendo,sony,dreamcast)
-Exact same specs as competitors if not better
-Comes packaged with a high quality headset
-Well designed hardware with multiple color choices and limited editions
-A user interface designed by some sort of design deity
-More than likely half the price then the competitor
-Picks up any wireless signal that even sneezes in its direction

and ultimately no-one would buy it because its not apple

 

[ResonanceSD]

These are the same guys that had the rape joke in their E3 conference, and you think they aren't completely stupid?

Well, I've got a bridge to sell you.