gaming The real problem with the Xbox One

[Forlong 1,726]

Okay, I've seen a few people ask why the Xbox One gets so much hate.  Kind of a dumb question, but I think they mean "why does it still get so much hate?"  Microsoft took out the DRM, so why do we get enraged at the thought of this console?  Because DRM wasn't the main problem with the Xbone, it was a symptum of the problem.

 

The Xbox One was not made to compete, it was made to dominate!

Microsoft expected Nintendo to just roll over and play dead while Sony followed in lock-step behind them.  They expected gamers to buy their console just because of brand loyalty, and anyone who didn't like it could "deal with it".  They made it with full confidence that it would be a rousing success simply based on the fact that they were the ones making it.  Here are a few things regarding the console that are evidence of this mindset...

 

Multimedia device!

We all remember that circus of an announcement, wherin Microsoft tried to compete dirrectly with television.  I'd like to remind everyone that a TV does not need the Xbone to function, but the reverse is not true.  Oh but that's not all, the Xbone will also need a cable box to stream TV.  That's right, the Xbone just acts as the "middle man" in the transaction.

Then there's the internet.  Microsoft couldn't make it like their computers, allowing you to use whatever web browser you please.  No, you're stuck with Interenet Explorer, the Bing search engin, and Twitch live-streaming.  Spoilers: they suck.

The console also allows you to record gameplay, but not edit the video.  Why would you want to be able to do that?  And you can't use this fuctionality to record TV, because that would actually be useful.

The most hilarious part of this is that the Wii U already does all this better.  It can stream television programing without the need of a cable box or TV.  You can use any web brouser or search engin you choose.  The touchpad on the controler makes said web browsing easier.  And it costs less than the Xbone, a lot less.

 

BEST GRAPHICS EVAR!!!

Except they aren't.  You know, I find boasting about having the best graphics to be annoying, but in this case it isn't even true.  The Xbone's graphical capabilities are significantly topped by the PS4.  And, I hate to point this out again, the PS4 costs less.  Oh but the costs aren't that bad.  They are worse, much worse.

 

Expense out the wazo!

Not only did Microsoft put a $500 price tag on the thing; it requires an HDTV, it doesn't come with a free or even discount price game, most of the online features are for Gold members, and Smartglass requires you to buy another expensive device.  Because of these costs, it can't even boast the middle ground.  If you want a multimedia game console and a graphical powerhouse, it's still cheaper overall to get the Wii U and PS4.  Here, let me show you.

 

Xbox One: $500

Windows RT tablet: $400

Set-top box: $50

Minimal cost: $950

 

PS4: $400

Wii U: $350

Minimal cost: $750

 

That's a full $200 that could be spent on three games or so.  And that's not even taking into acount subscription costs.  In addition to having to pay whichever set-top company you get your box from, you'll have to pay $60 a year to Microsoft.  PS+ costs $50 a year and there are no subscription fees on the Wii U (not yet, at least).

 

So there's the problem.  It can't compare with the competition.

[Megas 27,725]

I'd also guess that since the removal of DRM and the Used-Games restrictions coding is only a patch and not a full on hardwar change from the start would still make everyone very wary

 

This video should explain what I'm talking about

 

http://youtu.be/JVzwI_aImrw

[Aaramus 449]

I'm certainly not going to defend Microsoft after what was an atrocious console launch and a mediocre E3 presentation but I believe the XBone won't fail as much as people believe it will.

Yes, it's more expensive than the PS4 and the mandatory Kinect isn't exactly popular. Graphics doesn't really matter currently as developers are yet to figure out how to use the hardware perfectly, something we've only seen in the last couple of years in the current generation.

 

However, what will keep the XBone going and may actually help it is the much stronger line up of exclusives, something that will always win console wars. With Halo being much more popular than Infamous or Killzone along with two brand new IP's in Ryse and Quantum Break and the killer apps for the PS4 being put off until 2014, the XBone has the potential to get off the mark quicker when it comes to game sales.

Yes there is bad press for XBone, but I think people will get over it. I don't want the XBone to fail, competition is good and hopefully it means better PC games ^^.

Edited July 9, 2013 by Aaramus

[Galen 1,354]

There's also the issue that a lot of people who turned away from the Xbox after its propositions for the new console is that people aren't going to easily trust Microsoft now. As Megas75 said, that they were able to remove the restrictions so easily implies its a software issue rather than a hardware issue. There's no telling if a patch eventually comes in where those restrictions will be set in place again after the console's release.

[LMW-YBC 102]

The thing that puts me off from the Xbox One is Microsoft ever thinking about adding DRM to it. They thought - as did the majority of the general consumer base of consoles - that this decision would push SONY to do the same with their PS4. But nope, Jack Tretton just aimed his shotgun right at MS and blew two barrels into their face; no DRM or used game restrictions on PS4.

 

After this, it was simply nothing but more negative PR for MS. Don Mattrick's "offline device" statement was probably where it reached its highest. PS4 was dominating pre-orders, and this forced MS to remove what was quite clearly the losing point for them (except the $500 price tag though and the necessary Kinect). They say they did this because they "listened" to the fans, but the only thing that was listened to were the pre-order numbers, as is typical for businesses in the red (*cough* EA *cough*). Yipee, no more DRM. Nope, there wasn't exactly cheering for this decision after this.

 

Why did they do this in the first place? The only real reason I could think of is to prevent piracy, but adding DRM would just mean that you are punishing even your innocent fans and branding them as criminals. And anyone knows this rule: the more you lock down access to a want, the more that people try to break into it.

 

And what's to stop them from re-implementing DRM about a year or two after the Xbox One's release? This may sound stupid to think, but so was the idea of DRM to begin with TBH. You can never tell with businesses like this, but now that DRM has been officially affiliated with Microsoft, it's now a worry for any buyer of the Xbox One.

[Discordian 6,015]

The number one thing that has really screwed over Microsoft for me is that it has no games worth getting. They have a couple I might look at, far in the future, at a friend or family member's house, but ultimately they have nothing that makes me want that console.

 

Here's a funny thing: The Xbone is meant to "centralize the living room" but....gamers don't want that. We wanna play games. Or how about in Japan? I read an article that the Xbone is gonna have to be reformatted a bit because the center of the typical Japanese household isn't the living room. That's not to mention that most of it's services only really work with US networks in the first place....

 

They tried to do something new, that could potentially improve things....but while doing so they were willing to sacrifice the one type of person who would have made their console a success: Gamers. Until recently their online checks would have only blocked games from being used but everything else could still be used from the TV center (internet likely not required) to the disc drive. But games? Nope.

 

They did a bad and got a slap on the wrist so changed things. Now their console might actually be worth a damn........if they ever get anything more than shooter shooter shooter random dragon game that's still kind of a shooter shooter shooter shooter. See where I'm going with this? <.<

[Forlong 1,726]

I'm certainly not going to defend Microsoft after what was an atrocious console launch and a mediocre E3 presentation but I believe the XBone won't fail as much as people believe it will.

 

Yes, it's more expensive than the PS4 and the mandatory Kinect isn't exactly popular. Graphics doesn't really matter currently as developers are yet to figure out how to use the hardware perfectly, something we've only seen in the last couple of years in the current generation.

 

However, what will keep the XBone going and may actually help it is the much stronger line up of exclusives, something that will always win console wars. With Halo being much more popular than Infamous or Killzone along with two brand new IP's in Ryse and Quantum Break and the killer apps for the PS4 being put off until 2014, the XBone has the potential to get off the mark quicker when it comes to game sales.

 

Yes there is bad press for XBone, but I think people will get over it. I don't want the XBone to fail, competition is good and hopefully it means better PC games ^^.

 

The Wii U has the strongest exclusive library.  PS4 is going for variety, Xbox One is not.  Oh yeah, and pretending the new IP is going to be awesome.  Did you forget "Mirror's Edge" and "Heavenly Sword"?

[FaZe Vinyl 521]

Okay, I've seen a few people ask why the Xbox One gets so much hate.  Kind of a dumb question, but I think they mean "why does it still get so much hate?"  Microsoft took out the DRM, so why do we get enraged at the thought of this console?  Because DRM wasn't the main problem with the Xbone, it was a symptum of the problem.

 

The Xbox One was not made to compete, it was made to dominate!

Microsoft expected Nintendo to just roll over and play dead while Sony followed in lock-step behind them.  They expected gamers to buy their console just because of brand loyalty, and anyone who didn't like it could "deal with it".  They made it with full confidence that it would be a rousing success simply based on the fact that they were the ones making it.  Here are a few things regarding the console that are evidence of this mindset...

 

Multimedia device!

We all remember that circus of an announcement, wherin Microsoft tried to compete dirrectly with television.  I'd like to remind everyone that a TV does not need the Xbone to function, but the reverse is not true.  Oh but that's not all, the Xbone will also need a cable box to stream TV.  That's right, the Xbone just acts as the "middle man" in the transaction.

Then there's the internet.  Microsoft couldn't make it like their computers, allowing you to use whatever web browser you please.  No, you're stuck with Interenet Explorer, the Bing search engin, and Twitch live-streaming.  Spoilers: they suck.

The console also allows you to record gameplay, but not edit the video.  Why would you want to be able to do that?  And you can't use this fuctionality to record TV, because that would actually be useful.

The most hilarious part of this is that the Wii U already does all this better.  It can stream television programing without the need of a cable box or TV.  You can use any web brouser or search engin you choose.  The touchpad on the controler makes said web browsing easier.  And it costs less than the Xbone, a lot less.

 

BEST GRAPHICS EVAR!!!

Except they aren't.  You know, I find boasting about having the best graphics to be annoying, but in this case it isn't even true.  The Xbone's graphical capabilities are significantly topped by the PS4.  And, I hate to point this out again, the PS4 costs less.  Oh but the costs aren't that bad.  They are worse, much worse.

 

Expense out the wazo!

Not only did Microsoft put a $500 price tag on the thing; it requires an HDTV, it doesn't come with a free or even discount price game, most of the online features are for Gold members, and Smartglass requires you to buy another expensive device.  Because of these costs, it can't even boast the middle ground.  If you want a multimedia game console and a graphical powerhouse, it's still cheaper overall to get the Wii U and PS4.  Here, let me show you.

 

Xbox One: $500

Windows RT tablet: $400

Set-top box: $50

Minimal cost: $950

 

PS4: $400

Wii U: $350

Minimal cost: $750

 

That's a full $200 that could be spent on three games or so.  And that's not even taking into acount subscription costs.  In addition to having to pay whichever set-top company you get your box from, you'll have to pay $60 a year to Microsoft.  PS+ costs $50 a year and there are no subscription fees on the Wii U (not yet, at least).

 

So there's the problem.  It can't compare with the competition.

Hey guys, lets make another one of these threads instead of putting it in the X1 thread!

 

So, I hate the X1. Considered it until E3 when I was really impressed by Sony. But I found some very interesting points I disagree with here.

 

1) All consoles are made to defeat the competition. No one ever created something saying "Hey guys, I got a great idea for a product! But let's not make it where it outsells the competition.

 

2) That's the point. The console isn't strictly a game console. Their focused on being at the center of your living room, and getting your money for more multimedia.

 

But if you're going to tell me that the PS4 isn't, then I'm going to laugh in your face. It may not be a cable box, but it certainly is more than a game console. IIIRC they have already put a copyright on Playstation TV and are working on really improving Netflix to make it a main feature.

 

3) I'll give you that. Spec wise the PS4 beats out the X1.

 

4) This is the one that makes me scratch my head the most.

 

First off, No discounted or free game? The last time I remember a console that came with a game was 2006 when the Wii came out with Wii Sports, and neither the PS3 or XBOX 360 came with free games (barring the special editions).

 

Most of the online features are for gold members, but that hasn't changed from the X360, and the PS4 will end up having the same requirements to play online. 5 bucks a month.

 

Next, Smartglass isn't required, and you don't have to have an expensive tablet to use it.

 

Another thing that kinda gets me is this. Yes the X1 is $500, but the console is still $400. That extra $100? Yeah, that goes to the Kinect. That camera isn't cheap at all.

[Proton 565]

Those are some really good points you got there, sir.

Anyway, I actually don't despise the Xbox One for its cost or its media-oriented features, no, I hate it for just one thing: The 180 turn. At first, Microsoft was all like " Oh hey look we got some DRM now buy our console yayz". The response was obviously negative. And then came Sony with their E3 conference: "PS4 GOT NO DRM FEES :D", and everyone was like ":DDDD".

And then, just then, Microsoft said: "Oh god sonys gettin all tha customars we cant let dat happan" and eliminated DRM on the One. That's why I hate them, they didn't turn around because of OUR suggestions, they did because Sony was going to be the obvious winner.

 

Now Microsoft is dead to me.

[Toa of Ponies 259]

SO MANY XBOX ONE THREADS, ITS DRIVING ME CRAZY,

 

You do bring up some excellent points in this thread and is probably one of the more well written and explained ones to read.

Also you didn't bring up the point of " Oh, the shouldn't of put the stuff in the VCR looking thing in the first place if they were gonna get rid of it"  Which is good Because I've seen so much of that.

 

Nah, in all seriousness I couldn't care less about Sony or Microsoft, Nintendo's where I dive my attention at. And I'm gonna be spending to much money on SUPERAWESOMEGAMESTHATARETOHARDTOEXPLAININWORDS like PW:AA 5, Rune Factory 4 and Pokemon X and Y to buy a new console Anyway.  :3

Edited July 10, 2013 by Toa of Ponies

[Forlong 1,726]

I just found out there is a petition to bring back the DRM restrictions on the Xbone?

http://www.change.org/petitions/xbox-one-give-us-back-the-original-xbox-one

 

Yes, this is real.  I can't believe anyone would be that collosally stupid.  Even if, on the off chance, you like all that DRM nonsense; you have to download a patch to get rid of it.  Just don't download the patch!  Why should the console alienate anyone who would want to buy it as long as it doesn't have that stuff?

[Megas 27,725]

I just found out there is a petition to bring back the DRM restrictions on the Xbone?

http://www.change.org/petitions/xbox-one-give-us-back-the-original-xbox-one

 

Yes, this is real.  I can't believe anyone would be that collosally stupid.  Even if, on the off chance, you like all that DRM nonsense; you have to download a patch to get rid of it.  Just don't download the patch!  Why should the console alienate anyone who would want to buy it as long as it doesn't have that stuff?

This'll sound fucked up, but I'm seriously considering signing these petitions just for them to see how stupid this idea really is. Fanboys this idiotic deserve to get screwed over

Edited July 10, 2013 by Megas75

[Planty 1,053]

The thing that puts me off from the Xbox One is Microsoft ever thinking about adding DRM to it. They thought - as did the majority of the general consumer base of consoles - that this decision would push SONY to do the same with their PS4. But nope, Jack Tretton just aimed his shotgun right at MS and blew two barrels into their face; no DRM or used game restrictions on PS4.

 

After this, it was simply nothing but more negative PR for MS. Don Mattrick's "offline device" statement was probably where it reached its highest. PS4 was dominating pre-orders, and this forced MS to remove what was quite clearly the losing point for them (except the $500 price tag though and the necessary Kinect). They say they did this because they "listened" to the fans, but the only thing that was listened to were the pre-order numbers, as is typical for businesses in the red (*cough* EA *cough*). Yipee, no more DRM. Nope, there wasn't exactly cheering for this decision after this.

 

Why did they do this in the first place? The only real reason I could think of is to prevent piracy, but adding DRM would just mean that you are punishing even your innocent fans and branding them as criminals. And anyone knows this rule: the more you lock down access to a want, the more that people try to break into it.

 

And what's to stop them from re-implementing DRM about a year or two after the Xbox One's release? This may sound stupid to think, but so was the idea of DRM to begin with TBH. You can never tell with businesses like this, but now that DRM has been officially affiliated with Microsoft, it's now a worry for any buyer of the Xbox One.

 

This isn't completely true, I'm pretty sure developers still have the option to use DRM if they wish is one way or another.

 

The DRM thing is massive, but I feel like if they gave a big incentive to buy games on line by making them cheaper then they could do it slowly.

 

I like having my games on steam, I can get to them where ever whenever and I know I'll have them forever.

 

This'll sound fucked up, but I'm seriously considering signing these petitions just for them to see how stupid this idea really is. Fanboys this idiotic deserve to get screwed over

 

There are some advantages to the DRM and I can see where people are coming from. 

 

I personally prefer a 50/50 (where the whole checking in thing is removed because it's dumb) and it works in a similar way to steam.

 

The whole family sharing thing was a cool idea as well .

[Discordian 6,015]

SO MANY XBOX ONE THREADS, ITS DRIVING ME CRAZY,

 

You do bring up some excellent points in this thread and is probably one of the more well written and explained ones to read.

Also you didn't bring up the point of " Oh, the shouldn't of put the stuff in the VCR looking thing in the first place if they were gonna get rid of it"  Which is good Because I've seen so much of that.

 

Nah, in all seriousness I couldn't care less about Sony or Microsoft, Nintendo's where I dive my attention at. And I'm gonna be spending to much money on SUPERAWESOMEGAMESTHATARETOHARDTOEXPLAININWORDS like PW:AA 5, Rune Factory 4 and Pokemon X and Y to buy a new console Anyway.  :3

I'm more or less in this same mindset but I also don't care about Nintendo. I hold no loyalty to company. I follow games and aside from Kingdom Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy XV I've seen little for the PS4 but I have seen enough to make me want it. Though KH3 and FFXV alone are enough to make me get the PS4.

 

So far this gen Nintendo has the best games on their consoles though between the 3DS and the Wii-U. The existence of Persona 5 could buy a few consoles though. I think it's unlikely that it'll be Xbone exclusive, if it's even on it at all. The only SMT game to ever make it to a Microsoft console was Catherine and it's not even officially SMT. Plus most of the SMT games have been on Nintendo consoles so far anyway between Soul Hackers and SMTIV.

Edited July 10, 2013 by Discordian

[LMW-YBC 102]

This isn't completely true, I'm pretty sure developers still have the option to use DRM if they wish is one way or another.

 

The DRM thing is massive, but I feel like if they gave a big incentive to buy games on line by making them cheaper then they could do it slowly.

 

I like having my games on steam, I can get to them where ever whenever and I know I'll have them forever.

Well, any publisher/develepor who does add DRM is shooting themselves in the foot.

 

But I agree, it would be a cool and reassuring feature, but there's a different opinion on everything between PC users and console users. We [console users] have been used to the current marketing of games for about 30 years now, so it's quite clear that we are happy with it to this day. You can't just simply throw a huge change into it. Microsoft will have to convince us console users that going Digital wouldn't be sacrificial, and they frankly haven't done enough convincing until the Xbox One was announced.

Edited July 10, 2013 by LMW-YBC

[Forlong 1,726]

This'll sound fucked up, but I'm seriously considering signing these petitions just for them to see how stupid this idea really is. Fanboys this idiotic deserve to get screwed over

Go right ahead.  If they're going to be stupid enough to support this, they deserve to be screwed over.  It's the Darwin Effect.  That's a real thing, right?

[Scootalove 10,689]

I really agree with your points. The thing is, people are expecting the Xbox One to really sink to the bottom of the ocean while others are actually supporting Microsoft's decisions with the Xbox One. Luckily, we don't have to brag about the consoles since the main focus here is the competition between the upcoming consoles. When you add DRM into your policy, then your already digging your own grave.

[PoniesPlease 365]

Personally, I don't believe that they deserve less hate after removing the DRM.

 

They deserve MORE hate, because they couldn't even succeed in trying to screw us over!

I'm certainly not going to defend Microsoft after what was an atrocious console launch and a mediocre E3 presentation but I believe the XBone won't fail as much as people believe it will.

Yes, it's more expensive than the PS4 and the mandatory Kinect isn't exactly popular. Graphics doesn't really matter currently as developers are yet to figure out how to use the hardware perfectly, something we've only seen in the last couple of years in the current generation.

 

However, what will keep the XBone going and may actually help it is the much stronger line up of exclusives, something that will always win console wars. With Halo being much more popular than Infamous or Killzone along with two brand new IP's in Ryse and Quantum Break and the killer apps for the PS4 being put off until 2014, the XBone has the potential to get off the mark quicker when it comes to game sales.

Yes there is bad press for XBone, but I think people will get over it. I don't want the XBone to fail, competition is good and hopefully it means better PC games ^^.

 

No way are the Xbox exclusives superior to PS4.

 

Even though I hate Nintendo, you can't argue that their exclusives are successful and so I suspect that they win in the "We have the best exclusives" argument.

 

Playstation and Xbox have always been similar consoles (although I believe that the Playstation will always be better), but the PS exclusives are so much more diverse and better than Xbox's.

 

Uncharted, The Last of Us, Killzone, Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid, and so many more....

 

versus Halo, and Gears of War. LOL.

[Foreigner And Lover 207]

 

 

Playstation and Xbox have always been similar consoles (although I believe that the Playstation will always be better), but the PS exclusives are so much more diverse and better than Xbox's.   Uncharted, The Last of Us, Killzone, Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid, and so many more....

 

I just feel the need to mention that MGS5 is for both (and with the hd collection, just about all of them)

 

 

 

I'm more or less in this same mindset but I also don't care about Nintendo. I hold no loyalty to company. I follow games and aside from Kingdom Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy XV I've seen little for the PS4 but I have seen enough to make me want it. Though KH3 and FFXV alone are enough to make me get the PS4.

 

 

Same for FFXV and KHIII, plus Persona 5 has a 0% chance of being Xbone exclusive, thankfully.

 

As for my two cents, both the DRM and the 180 show that MS doesn't have the consumers best interests at heart. However, I'm sure Sony would have implemented DRM in a heartbeat if they thought it would make them money. As for exclusives, I'm split. Halo is better than Killzone and Resistance and Forza is better than Gran Turismo. Ryse looks good as well. But Uncharted and Last of Us are also major selling points for Sony. In addition, a lot of Japanese publishers only release games for Playstation and Nintendo since the Xbox is virtually nonexistent there. Of course, Nintendo will always have the best exclusives.