Xbox 360: Elephants Filling up the Room

Ever heard the term "The elephant in the room"?

It may be defined as:
An obvious and or large problem that is impossible to overlook.

The Xbox 360, despite being quite successful, has several elephants in the room.  It's starting to become quite crowded.  Microsoft is mostly only picking up the dung piles of one of these "Elephants", being the one that represents the faulty hardware.  Why?  Because it's the most noticeable to their customers.

Let us take a look at these "Elephants"

[soxfan2005]

Funny how you conveniently forgot to mention Forza 3 in your list of 2009 exclusives. Completely ignoring the 360's highest rated exclusive of the year in an attempt to make the lineup look worse makes YOUR arguement look like a pretty big pile of elephant dung.

Plus, calling ODST, L4D2, and GTA Episodes "poor" is quite a stretch. Exactly what are you basing this OPINION on? I always love how you guys make fun of the GTA4 DLC. I guess paying $20 for a game that has more content than a lot of $60 games offer is somehow a bad thing. After all, aren't you complaining that MS charges too much for other accessories and services? Yet, when they offer a GREAT value by selling TWO great games at discount prices, you consider them "poor".

[HolyOrangeCows]

I didn't call the GTA episodes poor. That's one the games I am GIVING the 360 props for having. I didn't call L4D2 poor, either. I said it's a different experience on the PC, because of Valve's constant updates and 0% risk of the DLC costing you anything (Unless they decide/announce that they are going to, and they CAN since they don't have to go through Microsoft). Did I call ODST "Poor"? No, I said it was short. Did I say the 360's overall lineup this year was poor? Yes. Work on your reading skills.

Yes, I "conveniently" forgot ONE....oh boy!
"makes YOUR arguement look like a pretty big pile of elephant dung"
Yep, you're right. If I had included Forza 3, THEN my points on the 360's wasted power, faulty hardware, and accessories and peripherals, and lack of games would have been valid....but I forgot to list ONE game, thus they are not.

[soxfan2005]

You didn't just forget to list one game, you forgot to list the BEST game. Every Forza article that springs up on N4G is flooded with PS3 fanboys - I find it hard to believe that you suddenly forgot that Forza 3 exists.

If I wrote a blog that was critical of the PS3's 2009 exclusive lineup, and I "forgot" to mention Uncharted 2, would you just shrug it off like you're trying to do here?

Some of your other points are actually valid. If you just stuck to the facts - and didn't have any major omissions like Forza 3 - I would have no problem with what you wrote.

[thisguywithhair]

Are you getting paid by the FORZA people or something?

[HolyOrangeCows]

"Sony fanboy"
"How in the hell did you get one of your postings deleted on your own blog!?! You my kind sir are PATHETIC!"
"hatemongering"
"obsess"
"this is pathetic"
"calling ODST, L4D2, and GTA Episodes 'poor'"

This is ridiculous. None of you have actual valid criticisms other than me forgetting ONE game and making stuff up about my blog (See the lies about what I said about GTA episodes, L4D2, and ODST).
Instead you just throw around hateful remarks.

Don't sit there pretending like this blog is unreasonable. It points out real problems the 360 is having and that's it. Don't become so upset over it.

[soxfan2005]

You made a blanket generalization that 2009 was a "poor" year for 360 games, then you proceeded to list your reasons why you disliked ODST, L4D2, & Halo Wars - seemingly confirming that you feel those games are poor. Maybe you don't actually feel that way, but that is the way you wrote it.

If you had said "2009 was a poor year overall, however ODST, L4D2, & Halo Wars were good, well received games", that would have been more accurate.

I was wrong to criticize you over the GTA episodes - you didn't actually say anything negative about them other than listing them after the "poor" remark.

[Anon1974]

How frustrating this must be. You write a blog, a good blog. It brings up some well thought out and valid points. And then come the 360 defense with their personal attacks and nonsense, not one of them actually addressing the actual issues you raised.

And that's the thing. I'm a 360 owner, yet I refuse to be blinded by console loyalty. It's ridiculous. How so many can ignore valid points are beyond me. RROD is a huge issue, still! 2007 was a great year and since then great exclusives have been few and far between in comparison. Accessories are ridiculously priced and the 360's top game was Gears, released back in 2006, then nothing topped it until Gears 2, two years later and only then by a slight lead. Why haven't we seen steady improvement in 360 games if the console has so much juice.

These are valid points, and real issues for 360 owners. By attacking this blog, going after the author personally and by focusing, not on the issues raised but instead on the author's forgetting to mention one game, you are all effectively doing exactly what the author was talking about.

Ignoring the elephants in the room.

But what do you expect. You have 3 of the 360's staunchest and most blinded faithful all over this, soxfan2005, Soda Popinsky and Halo3 MLG Pro. These 3 couldn't recognize the 360's elephants in the room if they sat on them.

[soxfan2005]

Speaking of being blind, you obviously didn't read my second comment. I admitted that he made valid points well before you did. However, his omission of the 360's best game of 2009 - whether intentional or not - greatly reduces the integrity of the whole blog.

Then, you have the nerve to complain about personal attacks? Read the blog again. He calls Aaron Greenburg a "Zoo Keeper". Is that not a personal attack? Or, is it OK as long as Greenburg and Dan Greenwalt are the targets (as they are frequently on N4G)?

Read some of his comments in other threads on N4G. He is clearly trying to attack the 360 from a PS3 fan point of view, not write an objective analysis. The same can be said of many of your comments.

I could make a list of all the things that I felt the Yankees did wrong in 2009 if it made me feel better. In the end though, what really matters?

[Anon1974]

Way to ignore every single point he makes on your first post and then after him calling you out on it admitting he had valid points.

And then you go off again, distracting from the points made and instead focusing on everything but his points. Since when is being a zookeeper a derogatory term? It perfectly fits with his theme of "the elephant in the room".

Again, how about you address the points he raises rather then attacking the person. So what if his posting history shows an anti 360 bias? Does that make any of his points any less relevant?

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

LMAO! Sony fanboys more interested in 360 games. Forgetting Forza 3 just proves that you know nothing about the 360. So please stop worrying about it so much.

[HolyOrangeCows]

Go ahead and list EVERY Ps3 exclusive from this year, then.
If you miss a SINGLE one, then you "know nothing about the" PS3.

Pffft.

[ChrisW]

How in the hell did you get one of your postings deleted on your own blog!?! You my kind sir are PATHETIC!

[DelbertGrady]

All this hatemongering towards the 360 makes you look very desperate.

How come you'd rather obsess about a console you apparently hate instead of writing about the one you adore?

[madpuppy]

Personally, I will openly admit that I HATE the 360 and the lousy, dirty barely useful company that makes it.

I was a 360 owner, I never owned a PS 1,2 or 3. I was happy with the original Xbox and when the 360 was announced I gladly pre-ordered it from EB. I spent 700.00+ the night I picked it up (extra gamepad, couple of games, ect.)

I was happy with it until it red ringed, then the rubber on the gamepad analog stick started coming off in chunks...then the second one RROD!!! then the replacement (rechargable)batteries needed to be replaced
again! then the replacement to that one E74'd!!!

after I got it back from Texas, I threw everything 360 related into a big box, and I traded it for store credit at gamestop, I was so incensed by this piece of GARBAGE, I didn't even want to wait to get a better price selling it on e-bay or a classified ad. I just wanted the trash out of my home!

And you know what I did...I used the money I sold it for to get a PS3 slim.

There is nothing that the 360 can do that would convince me that it is better...and I gladly tell everyone I can my experience.

the games can look better on the 360, who cares? If you cannot make through a game without the fear of the hardware killing itself.

Live could be 10000 times better than PSN,
not if your 360 cannot connect because it is "on vacation" in Texas or smoldering!

I sorry, I am a critical consumer AND a gamer.

[DelbertGrady]

I get where you're coming from and if I had the same experience I would probably be pissed off as well.

I think both the 360, PS3 and the Wii have their pros and cons and I wish I could afford to own all three of them. All of them house must-have games and standout features. At the same time I think the 360 has the best games (for me), and I also prefer its controller in front of the others. I think XBL is more streamlined and user friendly than PSN, with the downside of not being free. Since most of my friends own 360's and I love playing online, switching to PSN doesn't feel that tempting. Even if it's free.

I hope people can accept me for preferring the 360. What is sad about this place is that I feel that you almost have to excuse yourself if you write something positive about the 360. And if you don't add in something positive about the PS3 in your comment you will get bashed no matter how levelheaded your arguments are.

Just play the games you prefer, on the console you prefer. And be happy :)

[madpuppy]

Everyone needs to do what they are comfortable with. If you have a bunch of friends on XBL I can see why that would influence your decision greatly. All I hope is that people go into a relationship with a product (and it is a relationship) based on Facts. I agree that XBL is a pretty good service, the crowning achievment is voice chat, it works so much better than the PS3 voice chat. I personally never really dug the blade interface and I really do not like the NXE at all but, the XMB I really like, it is a clean interface in my opinion and works really well. the 360 mainly being a gaming machine first I would venture a guess that the interface is more appealing to the younger gamer set.

Hey, I hope for the sake of the 360 gamers that MS resolves the issues and the system can stand on it's merits rather than it's faults.

As for me, I will just have to wait and see what happens during the next generation of systems. I just cannot forgive MS for what they did to me this one.

[chrisulloa]

Oh man, this is pathetic. Good article, gave me a good laugh.

[n to the b]

"...when the PS3 is getting games running in 720p HD..."

so what do u know, 720p is HD after all (I already knew this). so many sonyfans here try and convince me otherwise. OrangeCows I better not catch u making any sub1080p comments around n4g!

[Convas]

I admit OrangeCows makes valid points about the Xbox 360. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Microsoft did a bum job with this generation, or rather, they didn't do an efficient job of creating and supporting a highly capable console. (Despite the fact that I've had a X360 since 2007 and I've not had any problems, besides the three discs that I accidentally ringed in my ignorance).

The only course Microsoft has now is to address the problems the current X360 has by making an improved "slim" version of the console, or by starting afresh with the Xbox 720. They'll need to lower their accessories' prices, and they'll also need to deal with the decreasing viability of of the Xbox Live service which they so gladly slap $50 on.

As for the games, I really don't give a damn. I'm just as happy playing a multiplat as I am playing an exclusive. I think too many gamers put their confidence in these fancy words. My status as a gamer is in no way threatened or damaged based on how many exclusives my console has. That is my only gripe with the Sony Fanbase. They place too much confidence in exclusives. That's not what gaming is about. It's about having fun, enjoying the games you like, exclusive or multiplatform.

Of course, Sony is not without their share of problems, but they've done a very good job of supporting their console and making sure that they have a solid line up for their games.

[GameOn]

You are the definition of a fanboy lol.