160°

Microsoft’s decision to remove pack-in headset from Xbox One hurts parents, hard of hearing

The PA Report: "The problem with using the Kinect for voice chat is that other players' voices will be coming out of my television speakers. I have no clue what they're going to say, or when. When I'm online I can't easily pause the game when a kid walks in, and there is no limit to the sort of racial, sexual, or otherwise idiotic things that people say online."

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penny-arcade.com
JsonHenry3971d ago

I guess they assume people want to use the kinect for VoIP? I've used mine a few times and it works pretty good for talking. But I much prefer having the incoming voice going directly into my ear instead of through the speaker system.

abzdine3971d ago

it's great the PS4 bundle includes a headset!

HK63971d ago

Albeit a terrible in-ear one that looks like those cheap ones they bundle with cellphones.

abzdine3971d ago

@HK6:

you can still use your own, it's a universal jack connection.

Utalkin2me3971d ago

I don't think is a major problem. But what i do see is a problem, is not supporting current headsets.

WalterWJR3971d ago

Clearly Major nelson thinks this is not a major problem.

Cam9773971d ago (Edited 3971d ago )

Kinect is awful for voice chat. Since it comes out of your TV it can be hard to hear in some games causing the user to mess with the audio settings from the game's menu. However, it can be seen as a good thing. Hopefully more children are disallowed mature-rated games due their parents overhearing both the nature of the conversations between friends and unknown users.

Random guy:"You ******* squeaker, **** yourself!"
Parent: "Johnny, what did he say!?"
Johnny: "Nothing."
Parent: "That's the 8th time this week, give me that game!"

Kenshin_BATT0USAI3971d ago

*cue kid pulling gun on parents and shooting them according to the American Government.*

ShwankyShpanky3971d ago

Funny how they try to assuage privacy concerns about an always-on net-connected camera and mic by saying you can turn it off (via software)... and then leave out a standalone gaming headset and force you to leave the Kinect on if you want to chat in-game.

It will be interesting to see how many menus/options you need to go through to turn the Kinect off and on. It's not uncommon for companies to bury various privacy settings under layers of menus, making it more inconvenient to access if you just wanted to turn it on for brief periods.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3971d ago
MarkM3971d ago

Begin to thick that we live in a world where people expect every issue or bump to be solved for them or to never have to be inconvenience for anything.

Bobby Kotex3971d ago

That sentence doesn't even make sense.

ShwankyShpanky3971d ago

Um... seems like some of the major features of the One are Microsoft's attempt to "solve" the (non-existent) "inconvenience" of having to push a power button or pick up a controller or check your TV guide (or, until recently, putting discs in the console).

Bobby Kotex3971d ago

Obvious step backward and another reason to get a PS4.

theWB273971d ago

They could have at least made prior headsets compatible if they weren't giving us one bundled with the X1.

Why o why3971d ago (Edited 3971d ago )

Wow.....I agree. Why cant the old ones work...have they modded the jack or something. Sounds a tad nickel and dime'ish to me

RavageX3971d ago (Edited 3971d ago )

So now you have to pay for an adapter to use something you already own? Geez...

MS is doing everything wrong/backwards this time around. They had better get their act together and do it soon.

Skate-AK3970d ago

Haha wow I just realized I said comparable instead of compatible.

Software_Lover3971d ago

OMFG. You cant win for losing. I'm sure the "hard of hearing" will have other measures in place. How do they hear the game dialogue and music?

Vip3r3971d ago

Why have the volume up full when you can easily just use a headset.

MS screwed up big time by not using a 3.5mm jack.

ShwankyShpanky3971d ago

Game dialogue: subtitles
Music: nice to have, but generally not integral to playing or understanding the game

I say this as someone that usually plays games with the sound muted, and use a headset when I really want to use chat.

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170°

Microsoft once tried to nab LittleBigPlanet from Sony after a few drinks

It turns out that many moons ago, Microsoft once had its eye on the Sony published LittleBigPlanet series.

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eurogamer.net
XiNatsuDragnel1d 15h ago

Microsoft had a good idea but fumbled it again.

Cacabunga9h ago(Edited 9h ago)

Project Spark idea was decent but they quickly gave up ..
LBP was wonderful

ApocalypseShadow1d 4h ago

Microsoft in a nutshell. Always tried to poach Sony employees, games, 3rd party games and devices like the depth camera that was turned into Kinect but was running on PS2 before Xbox 360. Wouldn't be surprised they wanted LBP. Just like they worked behind the scenes pushing the MLB to bring Sony's baseball game to Xbox instead of making their own.
https://www.playstationlife...

They didn't spend years trying to develop their own baseball game. They wanted Sony's game.

They're scum.

Zachmo1828h ago

Microsoft didn't force MLB on Xbox. MLB gave Sony 2 options either go multiplat or risk losing the license.

OtterX11h ago

"However, Healey said Media Molecule wouldn't have felt right doing that, adding it would have been "morally corrupt"."

Major kudos to Media Molecule for being an upright studio with principles.

Tody_za11h ago(Edited 11h ago)

Great, more stories like this please. Show the last of the zombies holding the line what we've been saying for years: Microsoft is anti competition, anti industry and has no interest in making games at all.

But hey, at least there's an Xbox Games Showcase to look forward to, right?

Inverno10h ago

Well considering SONY just killed the series, LBP would've been dead by now either way. Though MM probably wouldn't exist by now either, so I'm glad they stayed with SONY, hopefully they don't get shut down any time soon or ever honestly.

Inverno8h ago

They shut down the servers, that's millions of user created levels gone. That and dead are pretty much the same, it's also been years since 3 and they cancelled HUB soooo.

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60°

Game Studio Closures, Entertainment News, Disney, And More Skewedcast

The full Skewedcast crew back for this episode and Gareth, Justin, Michael, and JoeyZ at Skewed and Reviewed break down the latest entertainment news qith a focus at 40:00 on the Microsoft Studio Closures and how it impacts the game community and what can be done to help offset this negative trend.

340°

What is the point of Xbox?

Xbox has repeated the same terrible mistakes for over a decade. The reason is simple: its priorities are back-to-front.

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eurogamer.net
purple1011d 12h ago

ohhh man, the press really did not like those last closures, their having a field day bashing xbox,

anyway, ive got to nip off to the shops now, i've run out of microwave popcorn.

Jingsing21h ago

Apparently the last 10 years wasn't enough to get the gaming press to notice but as soon as they touch Bethesda it is full on nuclear war. A lot of people in the gaming press seem to have this irrational hard on for Fallout and Skyrim despite the fact they are low quality poor buggy games.
I've grown tiresome of the unbalanced fandom in the gaming press for fantasy games and their ability to just forgive crap so long as it's a fantasy game RPG game all quality concerns are not an issue for them,

anast20h ago

Popcorn has been good lately.

PapaBop18h ago

Clearly this is just a big conspiracy orchestrated by the popcorn industry, Microsoft are just their puppets, every time they open their mouths, I'm forced to stock up on popcorn.

TheEroica12h ago

Yep, Microsoft and Sony are a mess. Neither have a compelling business strategy and they're not making bangers anymore.

anast9h ago

Which Sony games are you talking about?

PhillyDonJawn8h ago

You enjoying all the bs Sony and MS been doing? Shame on you

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XiNatsuDragnel1d 11h ago

Xbox is getting rightfully roasted here

Einhander19721d 10h ago

The only point to xbox is and always has been to take market share and money from PlayStation and Nintendo, but mostly PlayStation. It's been the goal since sweaty Steve Balmer said it himself.

1d 10h ago
ApocalypseShadow1d 4h ago

Yup. To put Sony out of business because they thought they were a threat to their Windows business.

solideagle16h ago(Edited 16h ago)

Genuinely curious: how is Sony (hardware company) threat to Windows (operating system/software company) business?

isarai1d 8h ago

I mean the motto "xbox, the most optional console ever made" was peaked years ago, people are just now taking a step back from deepthroating Phil to see what we've all been seeing for a long time now.

Ra30309h ago

The current Microsoft Xbox motto is .....We're Microsoft Xbox, and we don't care and it shows!

P_Bomb1d 7h ago

I’ve still got friends that main on XB. For their sake, I hope it sticks around. They’ve put everything into that ecosystem. It’s all or nothing.

I wonder if we’ll ever get back the level of competition seen during the 360/PS3 era?

NotoriousWhiz21h ago

Seems like Daddy Microsoft is trying to shut it down. Or at least bring costs under control. On the bright side, it seems likely that acquisitions are going to stop.

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