760°

Major Nelson Rebrands Himself as “Switch Flipping” After Xbox One DRM About-Face

You can say many things about Xbox Live Director of Programming Larry Hryb (AKA Major Nelson), but not that he takes himself too seriously or that he isn’t capable of self irony. He previously went on record stating that Microsoft couldn’t just “flip the switch” on its DRM policies, and now that the “switch” has been very dramatically and publicly flipped, he's trying to be a good sport.

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PrimeGrime3954d ago ShowReplies(4)
vishant1013954d ago

Hey dont hate on major nelson hes a great guy and besides at least he admits when he was wrong unlike half of those PR people in the industry.

Abriael3954d ago

Not hating at all. He's being a good sport, and I respect that. Besides, I'm sure he at least partly believed in what he said when he said it.

Alexious3954d ago

Then he's totally misinformed...

BISHOP-BRASIL3954d ago

Well, it's not impressive for PR people to have no access to information beyond what they are told to say.

Abriael3954d ago

@Bishop-br: he's not a PR. He's the director of programming of Xbox Live

AngryTypingGuy3954d ago

Who cares. Anyone making the big bucks at Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, or wherever will tow the company line in any direction those above them want to go. If Larry Hyrb publicly stated that he didn't agree with the original all digital, DRM direction of the Xbox One a few weeks ago, how do think that would've worked out for him? Not too well. I'm sure he has a family to feed, so he's going to go in whatever direction the hand that feeds him (that being Microsoft) wants to go.

SilentNegotiator3954d ago (Edited 3954d ago )

Major Nelson might not deserve hate on a personal level, but as a mouthpiece for such a constant stream of BS, well...it's hard not to cringe every time he opens his mouth or tweets.

SilentNegotiator3954d ago

"He's being a good sport"

He took the mic out of AngryJoe's hand in the middle of the interview because he didn't like him suggesting changing the policy would be easy.

DAYS before they decided to change it.

He's a good sport until you throw him a curve ball. Then he's an A-hole.

Gamer19823954d ago

Just shows though MS PR reps and the people in charge actually know FA about the new console..

zeee3954d ago (Edited 3954d ago )

Larry is a very small fish in a pond of some very large fish. There is only so much he can say. Like I said, veerrryyy smaaalll fishh :)

I actually feel for Adam Orth. The guy was a hero wrapped in a jerk or vise versa.. go figure!

I mean, he told us about the impending doom. He told the truth but the poor chap lost his job. And come to think about it, for what? I mean, what he was defending is no more! The policies that MS were touting about are no longer there. The console that was "built" around those policies is embracing the methods of yore not because or PS4 Pre-order numbers but because of you, the gamers (as MS would have you believe lol)

Ah, Microsoft. How you have lost integrity on so many levels! It's almost as if you didn't learn anything from Sony's PS3 launch era!

indysurfn3954d ago (Edited 3954d ago )

Am I the only person that caught this?

Microsoft qoute:An internet connection will not be required to play OFFLINE Xbox One games....If they where not trying to fool you it would
read:An internet connection will not be required to play Xbox One games. see the difference? I don't care if it drops to 199 It This is what Microsoft meant by they will make this CLEAR. (MORE TRICKY) This could just be a feature on the back of the box. So if they dont make a offline box like they have a 'online multi player' capable box on the back of the disc it is okay to still drm you to there hearts are content!!!

kupomogli3953d ago

@indysurfn

They've said that you need to connect to the internet one time tot do an update, presumably to update the firmware and patch the DRM, and that you would never have to take the console online ever again if you didn't want to.

So when they say offline games, I'm sure they mean that all games offline features will be playable without an internet connection and the online features will still require an internet connection as well as Xbox Live Gold.

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 3953d ago
Baka-akaB3954d ago (Edited 3954d ago )

I havent seen anyone from MS truly admits they were wrong , just some backflips , with hidden punishment (removing everything as if it needs drm check in ?) , and then one guy making fun of himself , when quite frankly he simply didnt know squat and repeated what he was told

medman3954d ago (Edited 3954d ago )

Let's be honest....this guy should rebrand himself as a corporate mouthpiece who does and says exactly as he is told. And he's completely full of s@#%. Is everyone who works for Microsoft's gaming division a complete and utter d-bag?

lategamer3954d ago

He's a PR guy. He's told what to say. Its his job.

sAVAge_bEaST3954d ago

The culture at Microsoft seems to be all about Lies and Deception, ever since launch they have been giving contradictory statements,.
Such as this whole DRM fiasco, which if they denounced at E3, would maybe chalk it up to the fans,. But since they reniged 2 weeks later, after pre-sales were horrible. tells me it was all about the money, not customers.

They never explain the cloud, just that it is Infinite.. When we know it's just P.R. smoke and mirrors,. and they seem to have extreme contempt for gamers., even though they make a gaming system.

Tyre3954d ago

@Baka-akab Thx for saying this...that is the whole point here with Microsoft...anything but being straightforward and honest. Again dancing around and reacting like an offended child. It seems Microsoft employees are so accustomed to behaving like this. Playing word games and diverting the discussion on anything else than the issues that matter. A shame their mentality has been X-Ray boned. Thanx to the Xposed Xbone 180!

Zeusprototype3953d ago

maybe because they wasnt wrong? having a gaming community crying over features or changes isnt wrong its just a sign of the spoilt western generation who think every thing should cater for them.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3953d ago
DVAcme3954d ago ShowReplies(3)
DomceM3954d ago

nelson is a pr guy. he was flat out lying, now he is rolling with the waves acting cool.

PR guy doing his PR job. Nothing to see here.

Def dont like the dude.

Varodor3953d ago

he's not a PR. He's the director of programming of Xbox Live

3954d ago
PerryCaravello3954d ago

who cares lol.. some old man

gives a shit...

ShwankyShpanky3954d ago

Where did he admit he was wrong?

Don't know which is worse... that he's implicitly taking some kind of credit for "flipping the switch," or that he's so glib about being shown up as being totally full of crap.

KarrBOMB3954d ago

In all honesty, it's not Major Nelsons fault. He has to say or withhold whatever he's told. The sole responsibility falls on the M$ execs that say what goes. Now who's to say they don't backtrack on their change of hearts once people purchase their Xbones.

nosferatuzodd3954d ago

He's a lying scumbag, like all the arrogant Microsoft suits.

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 3953d ago
Grap3954d ago (Edited 3954d ago )

he's doing his job nothing wrong with that it's not like he is going to say yah we can have an offline console but we are going to screw you over with it.

Clarence3954d ago (Edited 3954d ago )

His job is to be informed about the product he's selling. That's his job. I'm not giving him a pass because he's making fun of himself.

If want to own up to something you did wrong, then own up to it. Don't joke around about it. To spend $500 is serious to most consumers. He was serious about that BS he was saying last week.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?...

Look at the last 5:48 of the video. Angry joe says he's sure it's simple to turn of the policies. Major then tells him basically he's doesnt know what he's talking about. Now look the policies simply get turned off.

Nelson is like a deer in headlights in this video, with his goons trying to rush joe through his questions.

coolasj3954d ago

If you make a mistake, the best way to deal with it is to own it and turn it into a joke. Nelson is owning it. Good on him.

Hicken3954d ago

Though it essentially means he lied about how easy or hard it was to get rid of the DRM. Which makes what he says from now on suspect.

OC_MurphysLaw3954d ago

I can't say he lied about how easy or hard it was because none of us knows what it took to reverse this course. I am guessing MS was working on a reverse course after Monday E3. How easy or hard ....who knows but he atleast he is owning up and being a good sport.

Abriael3954d ago

The word "lie" is being thrown around too much. Like Dlacy13g said, we really don't know if it was as easy as to flip a switch. For what we know Microsoft may have some long and hard months in front of it refocusing the Xbox One to a DRM-free machine.

legionsoup3954d ago

I agree with the part about owning it, but not turning it into a joke. That means he's making light of it, and in turn, the gamers.

Own it an be sincere. I could at least respect that.

ElementX3954d ago (Edited 3954d ago )

"not"? What is this, 1994?

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50°

Xbox Podcast 753: Battlefield Portal, Death's Door and more

This week's episode of Xbox Podcast talks Battlefield 2042 Portal, Death's Door, and more!

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180°

Mixer Won't Just Become Facebook Gaming on Console, Xbox Executive

In a Reddit post, Xbox's Larry Major Nelson Hyrb said that mixer won't just change to Facebook Gaming on Console.

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gamersnavy.com
Mr Pumblechook1393d ago

If I was Facebook I would drop the branding as it is now associated with a failed streaming service.

exputers1393d ago

What do you think, why would Facebook partner up? They must be failing badly too lol

Stanjara1393d ago

While Mixer failed and didn't see any growth (or better, their traffic was going down), Facebook's gaming division (or whatever) was going up due to Oculus or chat or mobile gaming. More traffic on service, more ad revenue.
Increasing traffic also means that you have to go where there is traffic or where people are.
Since Facebook has money, and Mixer has money they went together to see potential growth.
Facebook goes for gaming because they have billions of people, who some of them are gamers, but they game on other platforms.
At this stage what ever they do they will se growth, but not from hc gamers or gamers in general, but from every day Joes who heard that fifa, gta and cod exists.

In other words, who cares :p

SpaceRanger1393d ago

Two companies that have been scrutinized for data collection practices, Facebook being the worst of the two. This is a partnership MS should have stayed away from.

Ausbo1393d ago

That was really the only option. Couldn’t have gone to YouTube because stadia would conflict with xcloud plans. Couldn’t go with twitch because amazon will be releasing their own answer to the streaming Wars.

The only other option was to not partner with anyone. If they did that, they’d be leaving their streamers high and dry. At least with Facebook they are offering partner status to those who had it in mixer and sign on bonuses

SpaceRanger1393d ago

It would have been way cheaper to just buy out people with sign on bonuses. The partnership with Facebook was probably expensive and will further tarnish their branding in the streaming space. Especially with so many companies boycotting Facebook right now.

And the likelihood of Facebook being integrated into the XSX at some point is super high now. Not sure anyone would want that.

MS can’t catch a break this gen when it comes to partnerships.

Ausbo1393d ago

The partnership is more about a gateway to xcloud. They want to push that to as many people as possible. They wanted mixer to be that, but it failed to gain traction.

This was more about xcloud than anything

Sunny_D1393d ago

I don’t know. His wording was cleverly typed. It feels like he’s saying it won’t be integrated for now.... Or get built into the OS someway or another.

1393d ago Replies(1)
RazzerRedux1393d ago

Sounds like this was all just a way to kill off Mixer and endorse an alternative that isn't Twitch or Youtube.

ColdSin1393d ago (Edited 1393d ago )

I think you are right. Amazon seems to have a game streaming service up their sleave and want it to go along with Twitch (click-and-play stuff). The same is true for Google with their Stadia streaming service.

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50°

647: What You Can Expect From the Next Generation of Gaming

Larry Hryb talks with Jason Ronald about Xbox Series X.

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