190°

MS:"Many Of Our Customers Have Serious Concerns About Government Surveillance Of The Internet"

Despite the rumored intrusion with Microsoft's Kintect, is Microsoft giving lip service or are they taking a stand against Big Brother.

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fastgamenews.blogspot.com
Angels37854224d ago

Yeah...regardless of their intentions ANYONE would be at least a bit uneasy if someone wanted to put an advanced camera in heir home connected to the internet....doesn't matter if it was sony, microsoft or my friend dave down the street....I dont trust dave.......

JsonHenry4224d ago

Very valid concerns. One branch, just ONE branch of our government here in the USA track 5 billion cell phone locations a DAY. Yes, that means more than just US citizens but around the world. And they are doing it with or without the consent of of the company you use for your cell service.

What do you think they are doing with your webcams or Kinect peripherals?!?!?

http://www.washingtonpost.c...

JhawkFootball064224d ago (Edited 4224d ago )

Blogspot.com? We're now able to create our own blogs and post news on N4G? The guy couldn't even spell Kinect right.

See quote, "Kintect"

Actually see SWayne's profile (Just joined 3 days ago), he merely created a blog and have been posting his own articles.

http://n4g.com/user/news/sw...

Jeedai Infidel4224d ago

They still need warrants to do anything with that info; Are you in constant fear of police barging into your home whenever they please, because they can, but not without a proper warrant signed off by a judge.

This loss of trust in our society is what we should be alarmed by. We sit on computers/tablets/phones all day long and worry about surveillance, yet we are slowly abandoning human contact.

JsonHenry4224d ago

The Snowden files show that they do not bother with warrants. They collect the data they want to use THEN (maybe!) get a warrant retroactively to use that data against you.

The 4th amendment is being violated by the simple act of data collection in the first place. The fact they then use that data against you or others after the fact is breaking so many state/federal laws that there is not enough time to list them all.

morganfell4224d ago

Sorry Jeedai but all they need to enter your home is probable cause. It's too easy to gin that up. Full search of the house will require a warrant but under the Patriot act they can move quickly on that.

MS helped create Prism. They are the last company that should be trusted to insure our privacy.

Jeedai Infidel4224d ago

When's the last time any of you knew anybody that had their house barged into? Don't let the Marxist propaganda machine keep you living in fear, that's all I'm saying. Why do you suppose that all this spying is still attached to conservatism, even though the "Progressives" are the ones instituting it? And before you say it, Bush is no conservative, neither is McCain nor Romney. We should be worried that none of our choices ever matter, and that they are all Marxist.

And don't get my brushing away of fears confused with allowing constitutional infractions, I'm a Constitutionalist, but I'm also a realist.

pompombrum4224d ago (Edited 4224d ago )

"They still need warrants to do anything with that info"

Wrong, they only need warrants if the person is a US citizen on US soil. For everyone else, they can do what they want with that info.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4224d ago
Nujabes_4224d ago

Then you're screwed if you have a smartphone; which has GPS and microphone that can be used to track you even when the phone is turned off.

malokevi4224d ago

I guess that makes me nobody then.

*whisps away into nothingness*

rdgneoz34224d ago

According to the listings of when each company bent over for prism, it doesn't look like MS put up much of a fight to begin with. And all of that was done using "legal process."

http://www.hangthebankers.c...

parentoftheyear4224d ago

"That’s why we are taking steps to ensure governments use legal process rather than technological brute force to access customer data."

That's sweet and all Microsoft but the government will do what is wants.

ambientFLIER4224d ago

An advanced camera connected to the internet. Hmm, you mean like...a laptop webcam? Or...a...1080P cellphone cam?

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4224d ago
b00mFargl34224d ago

Using the term ANYONE already makes your argument invalid. You dont see people putting tape over their camera's on their smart phones, tablets or laptops commonly. All of these devices can be monitored on so many levels, but we are more concerned about the gaming systems in homes. Seems a bit silly.

GrandTheftZamboni4224d ago (Edited 4224d ago )

The devices you mention have narrow view of vision compared to camera positioned to see the whole room. I still wouldn't want the government checking my aural hygiene via my phone or how much spider web there is on my ceiling via my tablet.

ssj274224d ago

It can see behind walls

HolyDuck4224d ago

Phone docks, laptops, webcams, tablet docks, holding each device gives near enough the same field of view so what is your point? Unless you have a weed farm in your closet ands kinect is actually looking who cares? Besides, you take your phone to more places than just having it sat in one roomn 24/7.

b00mFargl34221d ago

Did the CIA put a chip in your brain too. Better start wearing aluminum foil hats for all the NSA spying going on. I guess just unplugging the camera just isnt an option so bitching about the camera instead seems like a much better solution. Your phones and tablets besides just your cameras can do far more things to be tracked than a camera pointed at your couch. I would be more worried about my texts and phone calls than anything. Not a damn gaming console in the living room. Panasonic and Samsung have had stuff like this forever on their smart TV's.

SilentNegotiator4224d ago

I have more control over my computer than a closed system like a console. Even Android has infinite more ways to control what it does, what info it sends, etc.

stuna14224d ago

Because the home should be the most secure place you have! Cell phones, Laptops, Tablets are mobile devices that for all case in point are not something many attribute to privacy, simply because they are mobile.

My Desktop doesn't have a camera, but my Laptop does! My landline telephone doesn't have a camera, but my Cell phone does! It's because if these different functions that determine what I say or do with each device I'm using. When I'm at home there are just certain things I should be able to do without the fear or concern that someone is possibly seeing everything I see or do.

buynit4224d ago

I just dont understand some ppl.. the funny part is that I bet most of them have web cams a cell phone a tablet but lets just say they dont... how are they going to avoid highway cams mall cams intersection cams...

Its like I said if it bothers ppl that much then move out of the states and go back to the cabin in the woods with lanterns and shit. Most of you are just flattering ur selves anyway unless you are doing some serious shit that isnt legal..

parentoftheyear4224d ago

I am in IT, and I know ALOT of people that put take over their webcams. ALOT.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4221d ago
Eonjay4224d ago (Edited 4224d ago )

Microsoft was involved in the Prisim program so the concerns are more than valid. The question I would ask is whether surveillance actually makes us safer. Also, if Microsoft aand other companies set up back doors to give the NSA access, who else has acess and what is stopping companies and individuals from using those very same doors to spy, steal, and compromise accounts (financial or otherwise)?

Benjaminkno4224d ago

The NSA can FORCE communications companies to compile data for the government, as well as barring them from informing their consumers. It doesn't matter what company it is, they will have to comply with "national security" matters as the government sees fit.

It's the law.

sAVAge_bEaST4224d ago (Edited 4224d ago )

Microsoft IS big brother.. @ least in bed together. That company is the definition of the 1%, and their elitist attitude towards us , the 99%.

Bryan5744224d ago

Microsoft and Google are helping to create George Orwells 1984.

XboxFun4224d ago

Oh really?

http://www.networkworld.com...

http://www.valuewalk.com/20...

Maybe instead of jumping on bandwagons and spouting off popular false views from other fanboys, maybe you should actually read some current news.

Show all comments (39)
240°

‘I think Xbox hardware is dead’, says Microsoft gaming veteran

One of the founding members of the Xbox team has questioned Microsoft’s multiplatform gaming strategy, and said they believe the Xbox hardware business is effectively “dead"

Read Full Story >>
videogameschronicle.com
1d 7h ago Replies(3)
Goodguy011d 6h ago

Think that rumor that they'll still make a new console but at a profit at $1000 will be true though. The series consoles will remain their cheap alternative throughout next gen I would say. Keep in mind that game pass and pretty much going 3rd party is their main focus. They want to bring xbox everywhere.

1d 5h ago
GamerRN9h ago

If they don't maintain some kind of console presence, I think they will lose gamepass subscribers and just become a 3rd party publisher who eventually sells everything off

Cacabunga8h ago

Xbox games are releasing on all platforms. Who needs this hardware? PS or PC is all you need

Flewid6387h ago

I've never owned an Xbox in my life and I have GamePass.

thorstein6h ago

The only Xbox I owned was the 360. I have gamepass for my PC.

GamerRN1h ago

Majority of Gamepass users are currently on console...

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1h ago
crazyCoconuts7h ago

Even if they could get it down to $800 for a box that can run with comparable performance to a PS6 (at, say $200 cheaper) the population of people willing to buy such a thing would be so limited.
It would be the worst of both worlds.

1d 3h ago
Futureshark18h ago

A slow, painful and public death too.

Show all comments (62)
300°

Looming Xbox layoffs threaten Microsoft's reputation

Even as the company sets out to overhaul the very definition of Xbox, cuts at its studios risk creating a negative image reminiscent of EA's worst era

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gamesindustry.biz
Jingsing3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

I appreciate the article but this guy must be living in a delayed universe, The reputation was ruined 10+ years ago and hasn't recovered since. As such people have voted with their wallets and stopped buying Xbox products in large amounts.

YourMommySpoils2d ago

Their reputation was lost way before that. From the moment Microsoft said they entering the console business, we all knew it would be a downgrade.

Bathyj1d 14h ago (Edited 1d 14h ago )

That's not true at all the OG Xbox had drive and they had hunger and they wanted to accomplish something. It was a great console.

they didn't quite reach their goals and they gave up prematurely because they couldn't win. It was halfway through the Xbox 360 when kinect released and that was when they lost their way and we're a rudderless ship ever since

Agent751d 12h ago

In all fairness, Xbox had some great games with online play, Xbox 360 even better. Xbox consoles started to die with the Xbox One. Ditch consoles for the PC and PS.

YourMommySpoils1d 3h ago

@Bathyj hard to compute ay. Xbox was never better than a PC and that's all they ever were. A demo box. Doesn't get more true than that.

3d ago Replies(1)
isarai3d ago

What reputation is this threatening exactly? 😂

Lightning773d ago

Rumors of Turn 10 being either shut down or hit with massive lay offs is on the horizon.

The issue is MS will do something right only to do something very, very wrong. And they do this what seems calculative at this point. Doesn't matter what they do the Investors and leadership want more and more money an endless bottomless pit of purr insatiable greed. A company that acts like it's broke or hurting is what really, really infuriates me. They've surpassed apple again well over 3 trillion who acts like they're a million dollar company is fk stupid. Pivots and changes for no reason and can't do things for more than a year with out a pivot or changing their metrics.

Christopher2d ago

That would be really bad since Phil just hyped up next year as a big Forza year at Summer Game Fest.

1Victor2d ago

@christopher: “ That would be really bad since Phil just hyped up next year as a big Forza year at Summer Game Fest”
The key word big can be ether good or bad 🤷🏿only time can tell

DarXyde2d ago

First Forza being generated entirely via AI?

If any company would do it, it'd be them.

Nacho_Z1d 19h ago

Isn't the point that it's irrelevant how profitable MS is, the suits have decided it's time that the Xbox division started making them money. Hence the layoffs, the pivots.

hennessey861d 15h ago

That wouldn't surprise me, as motorsport has been heading down hill since the great number 4. Where as playground have consistently put out better games. I think the two studios will be merged under playground games banner.

2d ago Replies(2)
Show all comments (63)
660°

Microsoft planning “major” Xbox layoffs next week

The cuts are expected to be announced next week.

Microsoft is also planning thousands of job cuts that will impact other parts of it businesses

Read Full Story >>
theverge.com
6d ago Replies(1)
6d ago Replies(1)
Obscure_Observer6d ago

MFs has been beating their chests over great quarterly results and big profits to shareholders while firing people by the thousands just like Sony.

I wonder if at the top of those rumored layoffs they´ll also cancel upcoming or unannounced games while shutting down more studios as well.

6d ago
pwnmaster30006d ago

Always got to throw shade at Sony smh.
Yes we get it,
MS good Sony bad
MS bad Sony is also bad lmao

6d ago
Obscure_Observer6d ago

F* them both!

Just for the record, I don´t care about your victim complex crap either. Find someone else who cares.

blacktiger6d ago

He was talking about both. Why you getting offended when he's using both names

pwnmaster30006d ago (Edited 6d ago )

@Blacktiger

Im not offended , that’s just his formula lol
He can’t help help himself, he needs to bring Sony down when the topic involves MS.
Whether is good news for MS or bad, it some how leads to Sony doing bad lmao.
It’s actually hilarious.

InUrFoxHole6d ago

He's not wrong but im tracking what youre saying. In this case is should just be MS bad. Thats a lot of people fired

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 6d ago
Tacoboto6d ago

"just like Sony"

Gosh you're insufferable, not everything needs to be both-sides'd. Sony's had layoffs, but nothing like what Microsoft has been doing and is continuing to do.

CrimsonWing696d ago (Edited 6d ago )

I mean, no offense, but this is why you’re not some corporate business person running a major corporation. Big profits don’t mean jobs are safe. Do you understand why things like this happen:

Cutting jobs to maintain or increase profitability, especially in underperforming divisions like parts of Xbox like other gaming divisions.

Corporate restructuring and relocating resources for strategic stability in ever changing markets and consumer behaviors.

Investor expectations and optimizing operations to maintain investor confidence. Whatever boosts stock prices and improves future margins.

And there’s many other factors at play. It’s never as simple as business doing well, everyone’s safe. That’s just you not understanding at all how corporations work and have been working since the beginning. This isn’t something that’s specific to Xbox, you can bet your ass Sony and Nintendo do this and if it’s not clear by now, game development is not a stable job nor has it ever been for many. A lot of developers are contractors and guess what happens when a project is done?

Ganif6d ago

Nintendo said they have no plans for layoffs, and you can't seriously claim that the scale of Sony's layoffs most of which involved Bungie which is self managed as even close to the same scale as what Microsoft has done since they purchased Zenimax. And that significantly less layoffs would have happened if those publishers had stayed independent. Keep in mind that much of these layoffs have been due to redundancies specifically related to these buyouts.

CrimsonWing696d ago (Edited 6d ago )

@Ganif

Nintendo:

https://gamerant.com/ninten...

Sony:

https://gamerant.com/playst...

https://techxplore.com/news...

I don’t think it’s realistic to treat Sony’s layoffs as somehow outside the norm for the industry right now. Even if Bungie is self-managed, Sony’s cuts went far beyond that like Naughty Dog, Insomniac, London Studio being shut down completely, and multiple teams across the globe took hits. These weren’t just minor adjustments.

Nintendo, I had to look up and you’re right. They seem to be an outlier, but rest assured at some point it happens. And even then there’s been layoffs, albeit a smaller amount and contractors.

Would fewer layoffs have happened if studios from acquisitions stayed independent? Maybe. But even independents have been hit hard and look at what’s happened with Embracer’s fallout, or smaller devs like Digic, Roll7, or Volition. This isn’t just a “Microsoft problem” or strictly tied to acquisitions; it’s a broader correction happening across the whole industry, and unfortunately, layoffs are a big part of that process right now.

Ganif6d ago

From your article:

"According to reports, Nintendo of America restructured its testing operations, leading to layoffs of about 120 contractors, part of a strategy for global integration.

Nintendo of America, publisher of iconic franchises like Mario and Zelda, is shifting some contractors to full-time roles for better development integration."

Contractors are not employees, and even if you want to count them as that, it's 120 people vs around 7500 since Microsoft purchased Zenimax.

In an era of game industry layoffs, Nintendo is hiring more people
https://automaton-media.com...

Nintendo Announces 10 Percent Pay Raise For Devs Despite Lower Profits
https://kotaku.com/nintendo...

Nintendo CEO’s refusal to layoff staff goes viral following industry-wide cuts
"Satoru Iwata took pay cuts to ensure staff didn’t have to be let go"
https://www.nme.com/news/ga...

And as for Sony you're comparing less than 1000 total jobs to an estimated7500

Has the industry faced layoffs, yes, but that still doesn't account for the mass layoffs due to redundancies that was easily predictable, or that fact that at least 1/3 of Microsoft's layoffs and studio closures happened before the industry downturn.

thorstein6d ago (Edited 6d ago )

Take the L, Crimson.

People hate Nintendo, but Ganif proved why they deserve support.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 6d ago
-Foxtrot6d ago

It's like banging your head off a wall, he just can't help himself.

Microsoft can do no wrong, Sony sucks at everything and Nintendo is bigged up because it's less hassle than trying to defend Microsoft all the time

What's going to happen when Microsoft finally turn completely third party, then what?

anast6d ago

I enjoy Obscure. Obscure does good work.

crazyCoconuts6d ago

Did you know that the first n4g was designed to be a perfect human world? Where none suffered, where everyone would be happy. It was a disaster. No one would accept the program.

Tacoboto6d ago

I wouldn't be surprised at this point if anast and osbcure were both alts for the Admin.

We know how Obscure especially drums up additional comments and clicks with his spam-worthy remarks that somehow never get moderated

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 6d ago
Profchaos6d ago

Thats business present a strong front to your shareholders while your company burns around you.

Keep shareholders happy at all costs andnif not happy keep them numb to the reality of you organisation

Angyobangyo5d ago

" Just for the record, I don´t care about your victim complex crap either. Find someone else who cares. "

Just for the record, you clearly you do if you have to vent this hard.

TheExecutioner5d ago

Basically you think like kids when it come to choose between candy or chocolate.

Sonic18815d ago (Edited 5d ago )

Are you and Anast the same person?

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 5d ago
6d ago
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