Are We Too Hard on the Xbox One?

While the anti-Microsoft memes continue to stream onto Reddit's front pages, Gamers Association editor Curtis Stone asks the inevitable question: "Are we being too hard on the Xbox One?"

[GamingAngelGabriel]

To an extent, I'd say yes. We NEED to be this hard on Microsoft's policies, but the system itself and the games line-up available are impressive. I'm legitimately excited to use Kinect for some games; I just don't want it spying on me.

[OrangePowerz]

Games wise I think MS had a good show at the E3 although none of the games are really my cup of tea except Forza 5. With the current restrictions and mandatory Kinect there is no way in hell I will get one for Forza 5 even though I never have problems with my Internet or buy used games or rarely lend games to friends.

[Kingthrash360]

while I dont agree or disagree with you....they still insist that this is the right way to do things and treat the consumer/ fans/ gamers even though we are showing them we dont want these bs policies. so I say not hard enough because they still have these policies and it seems it will only take the xb1 to fail to make them realize they made a bad choice and that gamers wont stand for it.

[Tyre]

Hell no, 'the price of freedom is eternal vigilance', these articles are made by shills. Their 'immersive obedience box' is a wrong enterprise. Their vision of the future is faul. period. We must never tolerate these attempts to steal our freedoms from under our noses. Their business model is one many and they chose in favor of the greedy corporates & paranoid governments instead of what's better for the customers/people. Their choice is the easiest & laziest route. More freedom to legalise stealing/spying and over-charging the customers/people. How they're being treated is completely justifiable. Their actions are inexcusably. You must be out of your mind to be fine with all of this. All their measures are completely unnecessarily complicated also.

[4logpc]

I really dont understand how Microsoft is taking away anyones freedom, when you dont have to buy the Xbox One.

if you hate it so much, buy a different console and move along.

[grimmweisse]

@4logpc, and that's exactly what everyone is doing. More pre-orders on Sony's system over MS.

And if MS want people to buy their system they have to their stance. Freedom or not, if it doesn't sell as well it will have to change regardless.

If the reaction from E3 is anything to go by, they are in for a rough ride.

[Narutone66]

Well, we were also hard on Sony when PS3 was released, look what happened now. Sony learned an important lesson. We need to teach MS the same lesson, just like teaching your children a lesson when they do something bad. Let me asked any parents out there, do you reward your children when they do something bad?

[zebramocha]

@narutone you can't compare the legacy Sony had with the ps1-2 to Ms as they fell off around 2008-9.

[showtimefolks]

its not the system we hate its how MS is handelling everything,

to say if you don't have net connection buy a xbox360 is like saying deal with it

used games/rental game policy needs to be more clear and IMO like what sony said we are not doing it and leaving it up to the publishers, but in MS's case they are also saying the same thing but their message is not clear

kinect 2 should be optional IMO

$499 not an ideal price point

now if you want ps4/xbox one you will pay for 2 service in plus/xblive and that should be anywhere from $100-120 range per year meaning you could buy 2 games

also xbox one is region locked which to me is a big thing since i buy games from other countries

xbox-one is a great system with a lot of games but also a lot of restrictions, and some of them are very stupid

[jmc8888]

It is going to spy on you, Microsoft already said so. You just have to be able to actually read through the legalese of what they said.

Then that info is not just used against you by gov't, but by businesses too.

You do realize that what the gov't gets they give to all sorts of Fortune 500 and outright criminals.

The whole 'I have nothing to hide' bs that losers talk about...is well...incorrect. Because that info that you're going on vacation, well someone has that info, and you might come back to an empty house.

Or you may invest in something given all the knowledge you can legally acquire, but because of the spying, other people know more, which is an unfair trade practice, and you lose your investment.

Yes that IS what the NSA is doing, and Kinect 2 will just give them that much more data mining capability.

They record EVERYTHING. They even have a google like search to easily find everything about you...and no they think they don't need a warrant.

Very little of it do they even try to put up a facade of legality, noted by the unconstitutional FISA courts which are not bound by the constitution. Meaning you don't have to be a bad guy to be spied on, or searched on, or be taken advantage of.

Everyone should ignore those facts at their own peril. Or you might wake up and your bank account is empty. It's already happened in Cyprus and Spain, and it's the law of the land to happen here in the U.S. under the Dodd-Frank act.

Kinect is just one part of it, and yes MS has been selling you out to the gov't since Windows 95. If you believe them it's as stupid as leaving a kid with a convicted pedophile.

[GrownUpGamer]

They will shine if they give this:

Allow Used Games, NO 24 hrs check, and NO Kinect Sku on day one with a 1 month Xbox Live Gold Free for $399

This comment is going to receive disagrees for no reason.

[creatchee]

I don't expect Microsoft to change its policies before launch, or even up until a year after launch. Assuming that that is the case, there are a few things they can do.

First and foremost, EXPLAIN ALL OF THEIR POLICIES AND HOW THEY WORK. I'm talking in detail and so that everyone who is a potential customer knows exactly what they are getting into. Send out press releases, post videos online, provide retailers with definitive fact sheets, etc. Even if the policies can be considered bad at face value, consumers will have more respect for the company and be more likely to purchase their products if they are fully informed of everything that comes with buying a One.

Second, for the love of god, GET YOUR PR GUYS ON THE SAME PAGE. When Major Nelson, Don Mattrick, and Phil Harrison either give out conflicting reports or can't answer important questions, it looks very bad for the company. How can customers have faith in a product if the faces of the company give them nothing solid to believe in?

Third, TELL US WHY WE WILL BENEFIT FROM THE POLICIES. The games look great, but the policies are putting off the hardcore crowd, and even some of the casuals and later adopters. The Family Group is a great start, but because of the problems I've illustrated in my previous two points, people don't have a full understanding of it and why it will be a great feature. Also, make sure that each "bad" attribute is canceled out by a directly-related "good" attribute.

Finally, BE HUMBLE. Nobody liked being told to get a second job to afford a Playstation 3. Similarly, military personnel don't like being told to buy a 360, and people who don't like the other policies don't like being told to deal with it. As an extension of the previous points, take what people are saying into account before you respond and THEN tell them why you might still be able to provide them with a great next-gen experience.

Microsoft has five months until launch. If their policies in regards to the One are set in stone, that's the way it is. However, they can still regain at least some if not a lot of support if they change their presentation. I've said all along that there must be a method to their seeming madness. I'm not saying that it has to be tomorrow or next week, but it has to be relatively soon because the time to show what that method is before they get into even more trouble than they already are in is ticking away.

[3-4-5]

You need to be to show people they are wrong, when they actually are, so they don't go thinking things that aren't true.

People are bashing way too hard sometimes though, because XB1 will have some awesome games, and has a great controller, but it's all the other Corporate BS that people and gamers can't stand.

[webeblazing]

Not really the spying, even though they have been exposed being apart of the PRISM act that hit the fan. but they fact they took the controlling what they did on the 360 to the extreme. we shouldnt let sony slide either cuz the could still give the most basic mp 4 they could split the mp before join to join dedicated (PS+) server or p2p(free), alot of people on pc if they luv a game they will even pay for a server = free good servers for everyone. on not side with anyone but you have to admit every gen it getting closer to PC (not bad but great) steam you can play offline. but like i said they took it too far, but they are a business and MS deal with way more piracy than any, we should know, look at any torrent site (how many of you have a download windows on there LMAO, but maybe they have they reasons and so do MS, i just dont support theirs)

[georgeenoob]

When fanboys finally find something to b*ch about they will turn whatever that is into the worst thing on earth since world hunger.

[webeblazing]

r you talking bout what i said bout PRISM cause it was on the news, newspapers, internet, everything you must not be form the the U.S. even that it was more gear toward people like you---> if you not from here. my point wasnt about that tho bout i guess you missed the point and if the comment wasnt for me my badd.

[metaltales49]

At this point it doesn't matter if you agree with microsft policies or not either you do or you don't.But the fact that you know there wrong but your will to ignore there policies in order to get a games that look pretty show that you have no self control and you don't care about gaming.Where is you self respect as a gamer will to take microsoft crap to get a game you make me ashamed to be a gamer.

[Insomnia_84]

No, we need to be harder!

[NYC_Gamer]

MS needs to ditch all of the anti consumer/indie restrictions

[Wedge1082]

Do this, and I won't have one thing to complain about.

[3-4-5]

They will.......4 years from now when the realize they aren't going to meet projections and they fire 10 people and finally they make a change but it will still have some BS behind it.

It took them 8 years to have Actual sales on Xbox live.

That 10% off BS doesn't cut it Microsoft, especially when you charge $50 for Digital games that have been out for 5-6 years........take a look at Steam and how they do things.

[Mikelarry]

nope ms are the ones being hard on consumers and are so tunneled visioned that they cannot see that they are alienating the fan-base they spent all that time building from the 360era. what a shame

[DragonKnight]

No. Some only learn the hard way.

[wardestroyr]

If anything, we need to go harder on the XBone.

For the sake of consumers everywhere, this console needs to be wiped from existence.

And, the worse part is I was actually a fan of Xbox - this is the most disastrous PR I have ever witnessed.

[killbillvolume12]

If we are not hard on Microsoft then this would become the norm and it would just keep getting worse and worse....

[kneon]

Exactly. Do you think that Sony would get away with charging for online if Microsoft had not been getting away with it for an entire generation?

[Kingthrash360]

not hard enough imo.

[ape007]

that's what she said

[Kingthrash360]

well she keeps turning me off with all her restrictions...lol

[ape007]

^^^^^^

looool what a counter, i gotta go hide somewhere and never show my face again xD

[Der_Kommandant]

We need to try harder

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

no

[hiptanaka]

No, we're actually not hard enough on the Xbox One. Any console which seeks to redefine game ownership and consumer rights (for the worst) deserves to fail miserably.

[ape007]

the system itself is amazing, the controller is almost perfect, xbox live is awesome and the games are awesome too

BUT BUT BUT

the DRM BS is TOTAL CRAP, i love xbox 360 but ms u need to drop that crap and make a 399$ kinect free xbox one edition if u want to compete with sony or you'll be eaten alive. Period

[Clarence]

Remember 2006 when the PS3 was released. Remember how hard the media, and Xbox fans were on the PS3.

Nope not hard enough!

[Misterhon]

Hell no!

[paris007]

NONONONONOONONONONONOONONONONO NNO AND A MILLION TIMES MORE!

[Moonman]

No, and it won't change until THEY change.

[Majin-vegeta]

Noooooooooo over 9000!!!!!!

[Daves]

As a fellow human being I kinda feel sorry for the execs, but they brought it on themselves.

Roll on PS4!

[jmc8888]

Why they are knowingly trying to screw us.

Don't believe the lies that they aren't. They want our data. They want control.

They know how much we hate it. They know how illegal it really is. They simply do not care.

This console is a perfect embodiment of what our society is today.

But don't worry Obama has to fund, arm, and train some Al-qeada terrorists in Syria while he spies on us for no reason whatsoever. (republicans too!)

When will people learn, it's all about control, not faux terrorism.

No one should feel sorry for MS Execs, they did it to themselves.

[Eldyraen]

You just sound way too paranoid for me to even take seriously.

I can see what you're trying to say and agree with some of it but just come off as nuts. I guess when the world turns into 1984 though you get to laugh your ass off right up till they put you in room 101.

[Brucis]

Considering it took months for people to start asking if maybe people were being to hard on Nintendo for their lack of games? Considering how long it took for people to stop shitting on Sony for the $599 and 'second job' comment?

Not even close. Microsoft made a mistake worthy of the shit they're getting.

[Hicken]

No.

[GraveLord]

No. We need to be even harder on it. Let's boycott in front of the Xbox HQ and sell our Xbox 360s!

[cyguration]

Heck no!

#Dealwithit

[LAWSON72]

It was great that MS only showed games at their conference, but IMO they are underwhelming and just overall not very appealing. Quantum Break just does not interest me, because the idea of a TV show meets video game is not that intriguing. Killer Instinct may have been revived, but I dont like fighting games, especially a free to play one.
I will admit Forza looks great, but not that many people play Forza that long, I know I played Forza 3 and Forza 4 for over 100 hrs each and gets boring after you are done fantasizing over cars and the the dlc makes the games so expensive. I bought Forza 4 at launch with season pass for $90 and guess what they released around 4-5 more car packs worth $7 each plus Porshe pack worth $20. The price to get the whole Forza experience is not cheap and the xbones price does not help.
As for Halo, it died as soon as Bungie quit catering to the community and 343 expects to get new fans by adding casual changes to the game and apparently they quit having maps made 6 months after launch.

They deserve the reactions they are getting. The price is way to high, and the sad thing is it does not need to be that high, sell one without required kinect for $350 and they may actually get some positive response, which seems to nonexistent so far. I know me and many other gamers who have a 360 dont even like to hear the word kinect let alone buy a console that requires it. The online requirement is to gain support from publishers, like EA, and they expect gamers to adapt to it, because it happened with the PC gaming crowd. The whole no used games is the biggest deal IMO, because from my experience this gen is that the only way to get deals on older games is by buying a used copy and usually at the store that is the only option available because the game is far from new anymore, therefore the only option will be to buy it from xbox live and odds are if this gen is anyway to judge the Xbox Live prices you will have to spend $20 on that old game and deal with it because that was the only option. The Xbox One is such a closed platform it should be called Xbox The Place with only One Option.

[rela82me]

Why is everyone saying no used games? Their is the option for publishers on both consoles to restrict used games, but the one supports used games. No publisher in their right mind would restrict the total access of a used game on any console, just disable full functionality.

[4logpc]

I think the theory of change just upsets gamers. Steam was slammed when it was first announced as well. Once the dust settles, all will be normal.

The only thing that really upsets me is when gamers call other gamers dumb or other mean names when they say they are pre ordering or intend to buy an xbox one. Just because you dont like the Xbox One, doesnt mean that it isn't a compelling product to others.

[Neoninja]

Well said, but you know that keyboard courage is something. I believe in respecting someones opinion no matter how much I disagree with it. Some folks on here just have no respect and just want to get arise from someone and justify their choice on platform or platforms.

Edit* This goes both ways also and not to just those who favor PS over MS or vice versa. Don't know why we can't talk about games or consoles in a civilized manner. I get the passion which is great, but have respect for someone enjoying the hobby as well.

[Imalwaysright]

Steam is a service, the xbone is a console. In other words OUR property. This is not about change, this about having the freedom to do whathever the hell we want with OUR property. This is about our rights as consumers.

[4logpc]

I still fail to see the difference. So if Microsoft didnt offer discs at all, and said hey you gotta download only, people would be ok with it?

[Imalwaysright]

Steam is a service that we do NOT own!! When you buy a console it is YOUR property. I'm sure you're aware of the the 24 hour check in on the Xbox. That is basically asking permission to use YOUR property and if you don't ask permission you payed € 500 for a brick. Whats next? Asking permission to use your clothes or maybe to start your car? I don't want companies controlling what I can or can't with my property that I legitimately buy with MY money and I'll be damned if I'm going to support this crap.

Its not just about the license of games that btw we HAVE THE RIGHT to sell to whom and when we feel like without having publishers telling us or controlling how we can or can't do it. Its also about the hardware that is OUR property.

[4logpc]

OK then think of it this way.

You buy a PC, an you can do whatever you want with it, but if you want Steam, you need internet. You buy a game on Steam, you can't sell it, you can't trade, and you gotta be online to play it. (unless you go into offline mode which doesn't last forever.) If you lose internet without going into offline mode, you can't play your games, but you can still do whatever else a PC can do. A lot of disc based PC games ever require that you use Steam now. So you buy the disc, and it becomes a coaster.

Xbox One is the same way. You buy the box, and you purchase your games. If you dont check in, it becomes a DVD/Blu Ray/ TV player. Still can use the box.

So how is that different? Is it because you buy an Xbox One for games only? If you want to play PC games you are gonna have to use Steam.

[Imalwaysright]

I don't think you understood what I was trying to say. A service and a platform are 2 completely different things. We own the platform but we don't own a service and that is why they should never be compared.

We have the freedom to do whathever the hell we want with our property (something that MS is trying to take away from us) and we should NEVER have to ask permission to use what is ours. Steam on the other hand its not our property and we have to abide to its rules if we want to use it. You're talking about software, I'm talking about hardware.

Oh and we do have the right to sell our digital games here in Europe.

http://www.joystiq.com/2012...

The xbone is a class action lawsuit waiting to happen.

[4logpc]

But you can do whatever you want with the hardware. You can sell your xbox one if you want.

Unless you are saying that since I buy the Xbox One, I should be able to do whatever I want with the hardware, even if that means hacking it and making it run PS4 games (just using that for an example, I know that isnt possible), as well as pirate games.

I think you could say Microsoft is switching from disc based to service based. The Xbox One is the device to get the service. The same way the PC is the way to get Steam as a service. The disc is just the installer now. Everything is tied to your account now, and not the disc.

Maybe I just will never understand, but in my brain its the same thing.

And that joystiq piece you posted doesnt say it is illegal for a company to not allow someone to resell a game, but simply it must be stated that the seller, in this case steam and origin, must state that before the purchase is made.

[Imalwaysright]

Would i have the freedom to keep it offline and still be able to play my games? I think not and there goes the freedom to do whathever the hell I want with my property! Hell I wouldn't even have the freedom to take my property to any country in this planet and be able to use it.

Imagine if other companies followed that trend. Imagine you having to ask permission to sleep in your bed or to sit in your couch. That is what MS is trying to do with the xbone. They want to control what we do with our propertyt and that is why I won't support MS anti-consumer practices.

[Vip3r]

Nope.

[jmac53]

Hehehe HARD ON hehehe.

[ArtificiallyYours]

As nice as the games were....

Can't really jump over a barbed wire fence naked, so, no.

[Kratos_1986]

ARE WE TO HARD ON THE XBOX ONE ??

ANSWER : NO THE XBOX ONE IS TO HARD ON US !

F*** Microsoft sh!t i hop it fails badly so they think twice again before they give us crap such as DRM , no USED game , 24h online check , device spying on me ,,, we have the right to chose for our selfs we are not forced to fall for there sh!t

PS4 all the way

[WorldGamer]

I actually don't blame MS for trying, the ones I blame are the consumers if they reward MS with sales and make the model they are trying to push a viable one.

At the end of the day, consumers drive the market.

[MadMen]

As an avid Xbox fan 4 Life

We are not being too hard on Xbox One, they screwed the pooch and I'm pi$$ed, all the work they put into taking SONYs market share, kiss it goodbye.

[totalwar]

My main problem with the always online part is why not allow it to be offline as well? How much harder would it have been to have this vision without forcing it on us? I mean Sony is out to make money as well but realized that some people don't want a DRM machine that needs to be connected or it won't work? Two of my cousins in the military aren't allowed to kick back and play xbone because they couldn't give the so difficult option of being played offline

[looney]

http://m.winsupersite.com/x...

I got this article off the neogaf forums a good article on Xbox one please follow me on Twitter and share this link to everybody you know.

@xLooneyiscrazyx Twitter account

[xkevmandc]

only adults acting like 12 year old, with on girlfriends... must be all PS-fans. lol

[ginsunuva]

no go harder

[DivineAssault]

M$ is harsh on us with its restrictions so NO, i think we should be harder on them

[zabu_san]

I think both Sony and Microsoft have the same plan in mind for next-gen: digital distribution. The only difference is that one's being rather coy and laid-back about its intentions, and the other is being aggressive upfront about it. If I may re-use my swimming analogy again:

Sony: Swim coach teaching you gradually to swim.
Msoft: Drunk dad kicking you in to the deep end of the pool.

Obviously we need to learn to swim, or focus on digital distribution, but Sony's idea of slow and steady is the more preferred route to Microsoft's forcefulness.
Sony are being smart with their Gaikai setup, waiting until ~2014 to have it up and ready, Msoft are hedging ALL of their bets that come launch, it'll all run 100% smoothly. Let's face it, it probably won't.

As for the PR stance on things, THIS is Msoft's biggest opponent right now: themselves. Every day they seemingly dig themselves a bigger and bigger hole. Adam Orth's "deal with it' motif/disaster has practically become they're mantra, and they're killing themselves. Are Sony going to be much better? Probably, but it really does seem they've improved from their $599 fiasco from E3 2006. I'm expecting Sony to blunder SOMETHING in the coming months (there's no way they're THAT squeaky clean), but right now, they can just lie back and let the pre-orders and money roll in...