220°

Xbox One kerfuffle kicks up more concerns over ads, privacy

"You guys want to make advertising money with the Kinect but you also want to make console/game selling money [from] us," Pete Dodd, the man who started a social media campaign against digital rights management (DRM) on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this summer, wrote on the popular gaming forum NeoGAF Monday. "I don't know how you can do both."

ArchangelMike3845d ago

I'm going to stay as far away from the XbOne and Kinect as I can. Microsoft have all this negative press, that has not stopped since the XbOne was announced. THey make U-turn here, and 180 there, but the negative issues still keep on coming.

I know that if I get an XbOne, I will get burned somehow, someway, I just know it. I'm not going to trust Microsoft with my money.

mewhy323845d ago

Not trusting micro$oft is a smart move. after all the 180s and admission of participating in the prism nsa project, and now openly admitting that the kinect will be collecting data right out of your living room? Yeah. Stay away.

thrust3845d ago Show
falviousuk3845d ago Show
Ron_Danger3845d ago

I think that it's funny that all the MS supporters thought that Kinnect was going to let you use your XBox like the computer in Minority Report. Instead, it's being used to send customized advertisemts to you like the ones in Minority Report.

Say what you will about Sony and Nintendo, but at least all of the news for them lately has been 100% about gaming.

NatureOfLogic3845d ago

I can spend $100 less for the superior console, get the best of multiplats and not get spied on. Xbone is a disaster.

SilentNegotiator3845d ago (Edited 3845d ago )

They will have everything they need in the XBL ToS, no doubt.

Either "deal with" having Kinect data sold to third parties and supporting the most heinous data collection around or don't buy an Xbox One.

thechosenone3844d ago

So what do you say people, is this the absolute worst console launch in history?

Saigon3844d ago

Normally I go through comments and agree and disagree based on the comments for the article you all provide, but I can't do it this time, because I feel ashamed at what is happening to this system. I want this system to be successful because it is good for gaming but the information being spewed down is a little ridiculous. They can't catch a break. This article points out something very vivid that XBO has been receiving criticism since its been announced, and it hasn't stopped. I am not telling people to stop, its just I am shocked. Every week for the past couple its been bad news, u-turn to get good news and then someone finds the bad in the good news; and this happens every week. I am starting to think, the third console curse is real and if history stays true the 4th console is the turn around and the 5th console is trash once again.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 3844d ago
Mega243845d ago

what computer do you use, does it has windows and a Webcam?

WeaseL3845d ago (Edited 3845d ago )

You can still buy a PC without a camera

falviousuk3845d ago

And the mobile phone will have a camera as well as gps

SuperWeeb3845d ago

I use a custom built computer with no webcam, dual booting Linux Rosa and Linux Mint. Any games I want to use are run through Wine or similar programs.

I made it official last month, I do not want to deal with Windows again, and will probably get rid of it if I go on my laptop.

Mike134nl3845d ago (Edited 3845d ago )

The big fear of consumers revolve around advertisers collecting information of users which users do not want to share. I do not believe private information can be collected without consent, but consumer interactions with the advertisement will.

Nuads are more about interactivity. Meaning that the interactive decisions made by the consumers in the advertisement will be recorded they are not about secretly recording consumers.

Nuads basicly result in some sort of polls which allows for realtime market results.

DragonKnight3844d ago

Are you actually mounting a defense?

denawayne3845d ago

Funny how you're letting this "negative press" decide for you. Have you ever heard of the term propaganda? Don't be a sheep. Make intelligent decisions for yourself. A lot if these advertisement articles are what if scenarios. Just take a wait and see approach and see how it pans out.

Nodoze3845d ago (Edited 3845d ago )

Denawayne = a true Microsoft sheep

As for Microsoft, I am hopeful that people can finally see that they could care less about gaming and are only interested in REVENUE channels. They are looking to milk the consumer (micro transactions, used games, ads etc). They are a dark spot on gaming that is a cancer. The sooner they exit, the better off we will ALL be!

Ashlen3844d ago (Edited 3844d ago )

Make intelligent decisions for yourself and buy a PS4.

Personally, I feel the dishonest propaganda is coming from Microsoft.

Sony has basically said the same things from the beginning not changing all the time.

It's Microsoft who says one thing in a big press event where lots of people will hear then quietly corrects the untruths in little press memos or on twitter the next day.

DragonKnight3844d ago

It's not propaganda when the bulk of the negative press is coming right from Microsoft themselves.

ArchangelMike3844d ago

@denawayne

The intelligent, informed, gaming consumers have decided for themselves. They have chosen the PS4.

Sheep you say... why are you defending Microsoft again?

baaaa...

denawayne3844d ago (Edited 3844d ago )

Every reply to my comment is from a typical Sony fanboy. Why are you even in this article? Take a look at my comment history. Not one PS4 only article comment. You know why? Because I'm not buying the system. I'm also not a sheep. I bought the original Xbox when the PS2 was the console to buy. My Xbox tag was established on day one of Live. I attended an Xbox 360 launch party in the Mojave Desert. Sheep follow what everybody else does. And once again, everybody is jumping on the Ps4 bandwagon because it's the in thing to do. Seriously, why the F does anybody care what system I buy? Do you all really care that much for me? I'm touched. Because I can give a rats azz about what system you buy. In fact, I can give a rats azz about anybody on this planet except my family and friends. I'm buying an Xbox One, going to enjoy it, and sleep well knowing you care so much about what I spend my money on. Thank you. Move along. Your herd is waiting.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3844d ago
HmongAmerican3844d ago

I think the console release in a time where govt spies on everyone, namely NSA. Even if the device doesn't do what the company PR says, the inform consumers will think it the opposite of what the hardware do. MS will still get away with it and we will have to deal with it.

malokevi3844d ago

As long as I can play 64 player 60FPS metro on Nov. 22nd, trusting MS has nothing to do with it.

3-4-53844d ago

I don't think people within Microsoft even trusts other people at Microsoft right now.

They aren't on the same page, otherwise none of this negative stuff would have happened in the first place.

Sony knows what they are doing this gen, or at least it appears that way. Which is why PS4 will be my first Playstation.

I'm going to miss you Xbox controller.

rainslacker3844d ago (Edited 3844d ago )

Come now...MS is wanting to deliver us an "advertising experience". An "Advertising experience" is complimentary to a "Gaming experience", because we gain so much more from our experience from ads than we do from games.

Don't see why people are being so cynical. Don't we all like experiences? I know I do. Often when I'm watching TV and see an ad for some new crappy ripoff crime drama(or Cheetos), i think to myself, "I might watch that(or eat those) if only the experience of the ad was better". Never have I ever thought to myself, "Wow, that's probably going to be a really crappy ripoff crime drama(or I prefer Cheetos Puffs)". It's always the experience I analyze.

You fan boys and your skepticism. Learn to trust MS. Learn to love them. Let them shove their experiences down your throat. You will enjoy it....they promise. If you don't, you can turn it off...because that is the only sensible thing to do when you have a feature that no one cares about or wants...allow them to turn it off...makes sense doesn't it?

Sadly, I now have to put in the obligatory /s because I doubt I layed it on thick enough.

More seriously...why does MS even think we want a better experience with ads? I'm pretty sure most people would prefer not to have more ads plastered all over their 360 life style.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 3844d ago
hankmoody3845d ago

Doesn't bother me one bit. Looking forward to getting the Xbox One and a PS4 later down the line.

AxeCain3845d ago

Im with you. XB1 first then PS4 6-12 months later.
This NSA/Kinect crap seems be going to far... I don't have anything to hide. Also, the adds could be good for new game/movie releases. I have no issues with this.

DeadManIV3845d ago

Why the f**k don't people get it? If you let them have this, we will lose everything. It's a slippery slope man - if you give an inch they will take EVERYTHING.

karl3845d ago

As DeadMan said... we cant give into this crap. Once we allow this there is no way back.. we just dodge a bullet with the drm crap.. every other company would have implemented it if not by the huge negative reaction ms got from it. We need to stand against this too.. we are all gamers regardless of platform. This affect us all

boeso3845d ago

Believe it or not the NSA spying is not about finding terrorists or criminals its about knowing everything about its people so to pre empt everything. Like playing someone in chess but they know exactly what you're going to do next.

fsfsxii3845d ago

Its not about hiding things, its having privacy that no one is allowed to breach

Jury3845d ago (Edited 3845d ago )

Ads could be good? Wow! Ms could give you a box of shit and you'd find some silver lining

You're actually paying for Kinnect which is little more than a spying machine to give your info to companies so you can be target with advertisements... And you like this?

grassyknoll3845d ago

People like you depress me so much, civil liberties are the foundation of any democracy & free society. You really need a history lesson. No one should have a possible surveillance device on their home. Just because you're not doing anything deemed wrong now doesn't mean it isn't going to be in the future.

RyanShutup3845d ago (Edited 3845d ago )

I'm liking what I'm reading here... glad there's still some left in this world with foresight and common sense!

@DeadManIV @karl @boeso @fsfsxii @Jury @grassyknoll Good on you guys! :)

DragonKnight3844d ago

"Give them an inch, they'll take a mile."

"I've got nothing to hide" is exactly the kind of mentality that causes you to do something you didn't know was illegal until you're arrested for it. Like that LoL player who was arrested for joking about bombing a school.

malokevi3844d ago (Edited 3844d ago )

"Why the f**k don't people get it? If you let them have this, we will lose everything. It's a slippery slope man "

https://yourlogicalfallacyi...

Your logical fallacy is: Slippery Slope

"The problem with this reasoning is that it avoids engaging with the issue at hand, and instead shifts attention to extreme hypotheticals. Because no proof is presented to show that such extreme hypotheticals will in fact occur, this fallacy has the form of an appeal to emotion fallacy by leveraging fear. In effect the argument at hand is unfairly tainted by unsubstantiated conjecture."

Ridiculous. That's how you all sound.

AxeCain3844d ago (Edited 3844d ago )

I suppose that none of you have cell phones or purchase items from the internet? I got something for you. Its called a clue: you are being tracked.... so what!
This is why I am saying this war has been lost.
Keep trying though... You might accomplish something...

rainslacker3844d ago

@Malokevi

The problem with your analysis is that there is already evidence that those extreme hypotheticals are extremely real possibilities. PRISM. MS own admittance to wanting to target ads. Those are the things people don't like. Acceptance only breeds the idea that it's alright, and completely ruins the foundations of the principles that people are standing up for.

But go ahead and buy it. Use all those wonderful features. One day when we're all living in some dystopian society, and you're wondering how that all came to pass, we'll point back to you. These kinds of social changes don't happen overnight. They've been brewing for years, and they come about because people ignore or dismiss those railing against the bad things that come to pass.

malokevi3844d ago

^^ Case and point. lol.

+ Show (9) more repliesLast reply 3844d ago
mcstorm3845d ago

I agree im the same. If the government ect want my info have it I don't have anything to hide and its not worth worrying about imo people are making everything worse than it is for anything and everything they can now a days.

DragonKnight3844d ago

How do you know you have nothing to hide? What if the government arrests you for something you thought was perfectly legal until they changed the rules without notification? Do you think you're protected from the government doing whatever they want to you? Because you're not.

mcstorm3844d ago

@DragonKnight Now you really are clutching at straws here. That could happen anywhere and the government have other ways of finding out what you are up to if they want too get over it it really is not a big deal. If your that worried about things why don't you destroy all your technology plus your phone a better tool to find out what your up to than Kinect.

hankmoody3845d ago

You know why it doesn't bother me? Because I'm not doing anything in my life that I have to hide from anyone, much less the big bad gubmint. And frankly, I can't believe that they would find me that interesting that they'd need to check up on me and my family to see what we're up to. There's SO much more to worry about than unfounded paranoid fantasies. And seriously, how many of the people here bitching about their precious privacy have Instagram accounts? Twitter accounts? Facebook accounts? Any kind of social media account? Own a smartphone? At the end of the day, it's too much of a hassle to live off the grid than on it. If you think MS and the government want to spy on you, let me free your mind by letting you know that you're really not that interesting. That goes for me as well.

Hicken3845d ago

There's no need to be "off the grid," like you say. And the worries are not unfounded, nor are they paranoid.

Nobody wants their privacy breached just because... well, apparently, you and a few others do. It has nothing to do with you doing something wrong or having something to hide. I don't want Microsoft or anybody else having the ability to watch me while I have guests, or walk around naked, or just enjoy dinner with my family.

It's my home, and I deserve privacy within it. Government be damned; they don't have a right to it, either. The only reason they get away with it is because nobody stands up to them over it. People are too apathetic.

"I'm not doing anything in my life that I have to hide from anyone."

Why does this mentality mean it's okay for people- government or otherwise- to invade your privacy? You'd call the cops if somebody was just peeking in your window, right? But why? You've got nothing to hide, right? So let them stare all they want.

Right?

Nodoze3844d ago

Hicken, sadly this is a snapshot into the average American mindset these days. People who do not seem to fathom that our civil liberties are being trampled upon.

Instead they opt in, and could seemingly care less because 'they are not doing anything wrong'. Unfortunately when you give up your civil liberties, and place all of the power into the hands of the surveillance state it does not matter. If you are deemed a threat for WHATEVER reason, the threat will be dealt with.

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the socialists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.

-------

Normalcy bias is VERY powerful.

Mega243844d ago

You know that the Kinect is not necessarily needed to be plugged in anymore for people to use the Xbox one, all those complaints we're heard.
This goes to Nodeze too, and to those who say DRM was anti-consumer, when in actuality was anti piracy, a well know issue that this gen of consoles suffer.

DragonKnight3844d ago

@Mega24: The DRM wasn't anti-piracy, it was anti-used. Big difference. Pirates would have broken the system and played offline.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3844d ago
vitullo313845d ago Show
True_Samurai3845d ago

Meh I'll be too busy shooting guys on bf4, slashing barbarians, or decapitating zombies to even care

RyanShutup3845d ago

...and this is kids, is the kind of attitude that will eventually lead to our enslavement, entertainment is the opiate for the masses eh?

Thehyph3845d ago

Why don't you stop reading Orwell and start reading Alinsky?

thrust3845d ago

Wow^^ was going to say other things but i think your to far gone!

WOW!

CrossingEden3844d ago

Meanwhile, you have a smart phone and webcam.

Thehyph3844d ago

I assume my disagrees were about me saying to stop reading Orwell.

I love Orwell, and I believe the entire world would benefit from reading his most important (in my opinion, of course) work: his essay on political prose.

I meant Alinsky over Orwell as a pessimism/optimism thing.

Don't complain about some terrible future if you're not willing to do something about it.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3844d ago
Niv3845d ago

I'm sure it's gna see how fat u are and cut your health benefits via NSA and sell u more junk food!

Campy da Camper3844d ago

Yes really. You don't think insurance companies would want to buy data on you? They see you drink tons of soda and order pizza every week via LIVE app and see a snapshot of your chubby butt on the couch then when your SSN gets submitted to group health for insurance from your new job you get high cost coverage or denied.

AxeCain3844d ago

If this is coming then so be it... tbh there are too many "fat lazy butts" out there that needs a swift kick in the ass!
Its sad that the people that are healthy are the minority...

Show all comments (98)
280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"

purple1015d ago

Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”

Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever

Nice one ☝️

Zeref4d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde4d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander19724d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville4d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff21834d ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos4d ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4d ago
isarai5d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref4d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan4d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis0074d ago (Edited 4d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander19725d ago

This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.

No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.

Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.

5d ago Replies(3)
Einhander19725d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

5d ago
5d ago
Zeref4d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde4d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander19724d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander19724d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier4d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto4d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff21834d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto4d ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4d ago
Hofstaderman5d ago

Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?

crazyCoconuts4d ago

Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.

Xeofate4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts3d ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic4d ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

Show all comments (43)
370°

Could Xbox Soon Become The Next Dreamcast?

Microsoft's future in the video game space is murky right now, so let's break it all down.

Read Full Story >>
thegamer.com
ApocalypseShadow17d ago (Edited 17d ago )

Not anytime soon. But they're on that path.

One thing not mentioned in the article is Microsoft's money bags. If Sega had Microsoft's money, they would have still been around as a hardware manufacturer. Xbox as a platform only survives because of the money bags. They can continue making consoles for the core and port to PC.

The multiplatform strategy is only the result of arrogance and misguided leadership that blew up in their face. They thought gamers would jump on Xbox in droves if they knew that many of their favorite games would be only on Xbox. But that's not happening at all. Sales didn't increase. They decreased. Why? Because the dumb asses thought giving away these expensively made games in a cheap service would also turn the tide.

Gamers on other platforms are willing to buy quality. They don't need to be handed nearly free games in a service that aren't even finished and sometimes average in their development. Gamers buy Nintendo games. They buy Sony games. Microsoft groomed their base to not buy games. Even the quality ones. It has always been their plan to go digital. But most gamers still like single player gaming. Still like physical releases.

Microsoft's problem has always been that they don't produce high quality games at the same output as Nintendo and Sony. Actually, they should be producing quite a lot more because they're worth over 2 TRILLION. How they don't have more is ridiculous and no excuse. Buying publishers to take away from competition only backfired. Because it still takes millions of dollars to continue to make those games from the publishers they snatched. Their only choice was to crawl back to their competitors to help sustain those developers because Nintendo and Sony platforms were the ones buying games.

Am I sorry for Microsoft? Hell no! They deserved last place for putting in the least effort. They deserved the fallout for buying up the industry and didn't make a single blip on the radar against their competitors where they now need those same gamers they took away games from to support them. Part of it may have been to cash in on their competition. But the result is the slow death of their platform. They may go 3rd party. They may keep making hardware. I don't give a shit about them to worry about it. I only give a shit about the destructive nature of their industry moves that only negatively affect gamers. They could sell and drop out of the industry and I wouldn't blink. Probably laugh. But not blink. They deserve whatever comes to them. At least Sega put in the effort when it came to games. They just had poor leadership. Microsoft has poor leadership and barely makes memorable games. That's a killer combination. And not in a good way.

Cacabunga17d ago

That would be an insult to Dreamcast.. it had a crazy line up of legendary critically acclaimed games.

Crows9017d ago

I was thinking the same. Dreamcast had incredible games in such a short amount of time. It was truly exceptional.

darthv7216d ago

...and yet all those great games were not enough to sway people from the looming release of the PS2 at the time. Sony just has that kind of brand loyalty.

Cacabunga16d ago

Darth

I do not agree.. Sony had even better games thanks to an unprecedented 3rd party support..
DC had amazing lineup but 90% were arcade games..

88316d ago

@darth:
And Sony showed off "The Emotion Engine" and their real time demos that made everyone think they would miss out on REAL next gen 128bit magic if they jumped in before PS2s polygon pushing monster (and early lack of anti-aliasing with a healthy heap of shimmer + DVD playback) stepped up. PS2 was a fantastic system though with amazing games.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 16d ago
blacktiger17d ago

That's not true. Just because Microsoft has the money doesn't mean Microsoft can allow xbox to bleed entire Microsoft money. It doesn't work like they. Also SEC will be watching and investor won't allow it. Lot of reasons why Microsoft can not continue even if they wanted to. SEC regulations is expensive.

fr0sty17d ago (Edited 17d ago )

Exactly this... Microsoft is a publicly traded company, mostly owned by their shareholders (Approximately 59.24% of the company's stock is owned by Institutional Investors, 7.73% is owned by Insiders and 33.03% is owned by Public Companies and Individual Investors.). Their shareholders call the shots on the business decisions, and their shareholders want one thing and one thing only, for their stock price to go up. Losses do not make stock prices go up... so if the division continually posts losses on hardware, but shows profits on software and services (which has been the case with Xbox its entire lifespan, for over 20 years now), the shareholders are going to grow impatient and demand they stop making hardware and focus on the only thing that has ever made them money, software and services.

When Microsoft bought Blizzard and Activision for almost 100 billion, I knew that was the nail in the coffin for Xbox as a console... as the shareholders were going to expect a quick return on that investment, and when it didn't materialize, they were going to be out for blood... out to force Xbox to sell those games on as many consoles as possible, "and while you're at it, sell those first party exclusives that aren't selling well on other consoles as well... hell, just stop making consoles and sell games."

If there is another Xbox console generation, it will definitely be the last, but I doubt there even will be one at this point. I think the Xbox division planning on it just in case, but I don't think the project has been greenlit from Microsoft itself. The rumors that they have not yet even secured the chips needed from the chip fabrication facilities ties into this.

shinoff218317d ago

While I usually agree with you . Alot of what was said can just also be asked before any of that.

How long will the shareholders wait? It doesn't appear long at all

Babadook716d ago

I think I get your point. Like just because MS has money does not mean they are content to throw it away on a dying ecosystem. Xbox has to be profitable or “what’s the point?”

ifinitygamer16d ago

Money bags, yes, but are we ignoring that Xbox actually makes a profit on games and GamePass? Hardware is often a loss leader, and they're probably making profit 4 years into the life cycle, but games and services revenue have been very profitable while other parts of Microsoft's business is struggling. Say what you will about the quality of those games, of course, but this is kind of a reverse Dreamcast situation, where the console was dragging down the company and put it at risk of shuttering entirely. Killing that console saved the business and allowed it to continue to make games on multiple platforms. In this case, the service is very profitable, as are the games, and they're also double-dipping into Multiplatform to extend this further, while their hardware is just sort of what they believe to be the best for gamers and their own titles (whether that is the case or not...)

fr0sty16d ago (Edited 16d ago )

The issue is, they aren't selling enough hardware to make their exclusives profitable, and now that they've bought half the gaming publisher/dev industry, they have no choice but to go third party to make a profit... and that is making their shareholders take a real close look at their hardware division under the microscope... why keep making the hardware if the software is all that is making them money, and they continually, generation after generation come in dead last with hardware sales?

Look at a game like Spiderman 2... if it had been an Xbox exclusive, with the amount it cost to develop, it would have been a huge failure... simply not enough consoles out there to sell it on. They would have been lucky to break even.

ifinitygamer16d ago

@fr0sty agreed completely, which is why they're hedging by releasing other games to multiplatform, plus they have PC to make up for the difference in a lot of ways, which is why their games are not complete money pits. It brings up the question of whether or not those exclusives would drive sales of consoles, though. Let's say Spiderman 2 was an Xbox exclusive, it would certainly have pushed console sales, though who's to say how much is anyone's guess.

fr0sty16d ago

That's why you can't rely on just one exclusive, Sony has always delivered on a wide range of solid exclusives, even this generation (even if they haven't been strong on the first party exclusives, they've made up for it with third party). They don't rely on just one "system seller", they have a portfolio of them.

16d ago
JBlaze22616d ago

ApocalypseShadow To be honest Sony has more of a chance to go 3rd party because like you said Microsoft has money, Sony does not. Sony does not have games, Only games they have come from 3rd party. Sony has been losing money for years and you. Saying Microsoft has been putting the least effort just proves you have no idea what's been going on. All Sony has done is repeat and recycle, never innovating or doing something new. All Sony has is brand loyalty nothing else and it shows.

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LG_Fox_Brazil17d ago

Not sure about that. It's been two decades and I still think about Power Stone, Shenmue, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Seaman and others, but I'm not sure I'll remember Xbox Series X/S games in a few years from now... Maybe I'll remember about the franchises that the Xbox brand spawned, but I don't believe that the Xbox Series lives up to the late Dreamcast or even to the Xbox name itself. I do have great memories about the 360 with Blue Dragon, Gears 2 and Lost Odyssey though

isarai17d ago

Nah, sega actually makes good games

Becuzisaid17d ago

No, Dreamcast was ahead of it's time and most still have very fond memories of it that had one. It also had some good games on it even in it's short lifespan. Xbox has none of these qualities.

Profchaos17d ago

I remember it coming out at the time in a really bad place they hit the market before the PS2 but it was during this transitional time when Sony was promoting the power of the PS2 and so many of the Dreamcast games were awesome but often third parties simply ported the PS1 version increased resolution and performance but rarely fully utilise the capabilities of the console.

I think in the end bad marketing done it in and like the GameCube so many people are fond of it now but at the time it was looked at in the lense of the day and it didn't stack up.

Personally I miss Sega in hardware they took risks that many companies won't

Becuzisaid17d ago

I never owned it, and got the PS2 right when it launched. But there were certain games it had that I was always jealous of that I didn't have access to - Sonic adventure, crazy taxi, power Stone, code Veronica, shenmue, skies of Arcadia. I always thought it was a really cool machine though. I've never heard a bad thing about it though from those that had it.

FinalFantasyFanatic16d ago

I only ever saw one Dreamcast, and that was one my friend owned, pity I never got to play it, I wonder what games he had for it?

It would be nice if some of those games got ported to modern systems.

Profchaos17d ago

Oh man sonic adventure on the Dreamcast made me so jealous as a huge sonic fan on the mega drive who also moved to PlayStation 2 I never got the chance to play it back in the day either. The Dreamcast in Australia where I am was always relegated to the smallest corner of EB Games it was kind of a strong first indicator that things were not going well at the time.

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Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox and weekly streaks to be killed off soon

Microsoft has announced the Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox will be discontinued in April and has confirmed that weekly streaks will also be coming to an end.

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