Gamespot: Microsoft previously promised that May would be a big month for Xbox news, and they certainly were not joking around. In case you missed it, Microsoft announced today that a new version of the Xbox One will launch June 9 for $399--the same price of Sony's industry-leading PlayStation 4. It was a surprise announcement, and it wasn't the only news Microsoft revealed today. We also learned that Games with Gold is coming to Xbox One in June and that entertainment apps like Netflix and HBO Go will no longer require an Xbox Live Gold subscription. In short, it was a big day for Microsoft.
We caught up with Microsoft chief marketing & strategy officer Yusuf Mehdi and chatted about all the major news Microsoft had to share today regarding the future of the Xbox platform. Before I could start asking questions, Mehdi told me that Microsoft decided to make these announcements today, ahead of E3 2014, so that Microsoft's showing there could be all about games. "We are really excited about bringing what we hope will be a display of games that will tee up an incredible second holiday for Xbox One," he said.
Among them are the potential that lies within their HoloLens technology
No one wants to touch it. Everyone else is going for something greater and better.
Lmao I was thinking this when coming into the topic. Honestly I think the tech is cool but as its own thing separate from video games.
Pretty much, I don't see myself gaming with it... could be useful in other areas though. VR is the thing I want to game with, especially immersive games like Elder Scrolls or Fallout.
I can see HoloLens one day merging AR and VR into one device simply by completely covering the field of view with AR.
Once we get the device small enough, HoloLens can go with you to everywhere you go. It can replace your mobile phone and be much more convenient too especially with Cortana!
The next 10-years in computing is going to be very exciting.
Donthate has a point, the combination would be spectacular. Hololens is too expensive in its current form, but throw that and VR together? Done, bought, first day. That said, any other VR companies could do that with the use of 3 cameras or 2 lighthouses, something multiple companies have products made for. Wouldn't be a patent breach and is just software that that point. Hopefully developers figure it out first and keep it open to everyone ;)
The Hololens is simply augmented reality attached to your face. Almost every console from PS3 to 3DS has tried to implement a gaming experience into augmented reality and failed. If Nintendo, of all people, could not succeed, Microsoft likely won't either.
@nX
You don't see yourself gaming with it because you can't judging by all your anti Xbox One MS comment history.
The fact that for a single person, or even someone that is not single, the ability to not having to or wanting to upgrade your t.v every couple of years this is a winner right there.
100 inch t.v screen on any wall you like - priceless. No cables no drilling no brackets - nothing.
hololens could indeed have an incredible future.
Hololens will excel in the fact that it will do more than gaming. When putting it up against Vr for gaming purposes it falls short. When broadening it's use to every day life applications then you can easily see the potential for this thing. I'm more excited for the non-gaming things I'll be able to do. Gaming on this will be pretty casual so when it comes to that aspect of it I'm not so thrilled
Hololens will be awesome for stuff outside of gaming. I mean it's awesome tech and hopefully someday i'll find something can personally use it for.
I don't think gaming on HoloLens will necessarily be casual, because it depends on what you are making and if you can receive the inputs of a controller.
Overall it is just too soon to tell, but it is possible that HoloLens in the future will be both an AR and VR device when the field of view can be completely covered with AR.
Gaming is, and has been for quite some time, about immersion. Immersion IS about taking you out of reality and putting you in the game world. Immersion IS NOT taking the game world out of the TV and putting it on your coffee table. Microsoft isn't pushing Hololens as a gaming device because even they know its applications in that field are limited at best. In the commerical and industrial worlds, it can be a game changer though.
@dboy
Or the opposite because it will not have much to do with gaming. Like Kinect had many applications outside of gaming, and ultimately failed to do anything as a result.
Indie games will fly to this device, how many indie games are on pc's tablet's and mobile phones, but I too am looking forward to the non-gaming options, movies for one.
Why couldn't Hololens also be VR? All it would take is an extra peice of plastic to block out the environment around you.
I still wouldnt want to play a game where the level was my living room, and the whole game was as big as my house, even if Sony did it.
It probably would not do well, just like the move controllers and kinect.
They already kinda did with Vita. The main difference being Vita doesn't strap to your face.
But otherwise it got quite a few uses in the AR world.
It still wouldn't really be a gaming peripherals, so nothing would change for me, I think the tech is really cool, but I'd have no use for it, I'm sure companies will though, and others.
Saying that I also don't really care for VR either, besides that multiplayer Mech game, non have really interested me.
Speak for your self fanboy. I would react the same way but the way you fanboys act like everything is against you and then act innocent is stupid and obvious, same goes for sony fanboys. These topics have an opinion aspect , not every sony fan will act the same.
I didn't like how sony supported the vita and i did talk against sony in the same year they released the vita and i got tons of disagrees, those that saw reality agreed with me but fanboys really proved themselfs at that point now the ones that disagreed are doing what i did. Many people who like sony products do the same as me. I don't care about sony , i care about what i will get.
I am still doubting VR which is focused on games let alone something that is not related to games. All i care about is a better but reasonable experience for gaming. VR sounds promising yet needs to prove it self before i support it or claim anything. As for AR , i am sure a billion% that if anyone bought it for gaming will be disappointed just like what happened to kinect. This is not a feature , this is an expensive device, gaming so far use it as an extra feature because it's hard to come up with something creative and practical in the same time.
What do you mean by greater and better? There's no other tech out there that's producing holographic images through nothing but glass. So what's competing with it?
No one wants to touch it? The top 3 companies in the world.
1.Apple
2.Microsoft
3.Google
All are working on AR.
I'm going to get one of them when the price drops after they're all released, definitely won't be buying Apple, but AR could change business, laptops and and education if they mass market and produce it to them. This thing + AutoCAD O_O
Well when you can combine both, its pretty darn Awesome
http://www.gizmag.com/sulon...
I think everyone agrees that it is very impressive technology (much like Kinect), really future is now stuff (much like Kinect), with many implications to real world industry, but not really useful for gaming (much like Kinect).
Kinect never got a chance to be explored in gaming. For instance, Xbox Fitness gamified fitness at home and is a huge leap forward.
Other games that have come that are great include Fantasia, Dance Central, Fruit Ninja Kinect, D4 and so on.
There is still a lot of potential there, but the naysayers killed Kinect!
Naysayers? If the product was good then the haters wouldnt really have a leg to stand on. Two iterations of Kinect and the best part of a decade since it came out and still no one has proved how it came better real core gaming experiences in any meaningful way. Thats not naysayers, thats just reality.
Devs had plenty of time to produce a real game on it, it never happened. All they showed is that its good for dance games or punching balls away, not real games that real gamers want to play. You cant blame naysayers for that and its a long way from the bold promises of changing gaming that MS went on and on about.
Im yet to be convinced Hololens can be used well in gaming. Like I said its impressive tech with possibly a million uses. It could very well change society the way smart phones have. But gaming? Some one tell me how, please. I dont want a level that is my house. It sounds very limiting.
Even the on stage demo of that guy shooting aliens looked cool, but really the way he was ducking slowly away from even slower fire and plodding around the stage, after that initial shock value of an alien in your living room wears off, will that sort of simple gameplay be enough for todays MP centric twitch shooters gamers?
I think VR definitely has a lot to add to gaming as it can immerse you right in the game and block out the world. I dont think AR with its bringing the game into the world approach has much to offer gaming. Buy hey, if a game comes out that proves me wrong I will happily admit it and buy one.
Kinect will really shine once vr takes off. Think about it, the real world gets blocked off and now you are inside the gameworld. The gamepad/keyboard and mouse will become useless. Kinect works in vr due to body movement. So be able to move in a gameworld using your body will truly change the way we play games. I can't wait till vr reaches sword art online status
Cool technology, but I don't think gamer's want something that equates to something like a secondary experience, so far I have not seen any real control type game play done with it. It's just a more elaborate secondary screen type of thing, not literally but similar in what it can offer to games. The price for it will probably be more than most would want to pay for that experience.
It's more suited to educational purposes.
RTS, basically able to have full view of the map and order troops to go forward. Be able to spot the enemy from miles away. Have a virtual chat with your rival or the nation leaders you want to conquer. It could also bring the star wars: a new hope chess game to life. I do want to emphasize that its real strength comes outside of gaming.
Care to elaborate? Comparing VR tech to Hololens is like comparing a calculator to a PC.
Wrong wrong, wrong, and wrong. @Captain wormy
Good luck with greater and better
Firstly this technology is not for gaming, it was not created for gaming, it was created to do whatever the application is on the device, app's run everything and if a game is made for it so be it, this device is created to be a multitasking unit, I for one can't wait to be sitting on one of my long journey to work or home and just watch a movie on the go full surround sound, also since most of you haters of MS, saying games this and games that, just imagine a Bluetooth connection between your mobile phone or mini tablet to this device, your phone or tablet being the controller, you can adjust the size of the screen to suit yourself, I play Dungeon Hunter(V) on my tablet everywhere, now this is just app, so why can't it be possible on this device that was never intended to focus on games. Can you take VR on the road, are you free to move about with VR, NO you can't, don't get me wrong I can't wait to see what the gaming industry do with VR, but HOLOLENS, I don't see them pushing it, but I do see indie games making a big bang with, on the move big screen gaming, this device is a multitasker like your PC/MAC,and TABLETS, If pushed and marketed correctly you would see this more common place, it may look silly to ware out on the streets, but when people start to ware, depending on the price, who knows what possible and I can tell you, there will be two types, the one sold to the general public and the one sold to businesses and universities training hospitals and schools, I don't see any other devices offering this flexibility apart from your laptop, tablet and mobile phone all on a small screen.
Game on
Well, if you're talking about being on a journey and watching movies/projecting game screens then actually I'd like VR instead of AR. Why would I want my game overlaid on top of random surroundings (which looking at the Hololens might not work so well as the 'windows' seem to snap to flat surfaces which aren't in ready supply on the move).
Wouldn't it be better to effectively sit in a dark cinema with surround sound and watch your movie, or project your games video feed up onto the massive screen?
Plus the Holo lens FoV is pretty tiny which annoys me as all the promo bullshots have shown it effectively taking up the whole area wherever you look as opposed to the center.
While HoloLens is going to be very cool for gaming, I know that Microsoft is making it to use in numerous industries. Gaming, architecture, design, science, etc. etc. I like that they are trying to make something that can be used in all facets of your everyday life; it is an interesting little device, and I am excited to see where the project goes.
HoloLens is not a gaming device by nature. The everyday use will be awesome and the gaming aspect is just icing on the cake.
Imagine all the possibilities with it... This device is perfect for watching sports, gaming and of course porn. Every TV station tries to sell you the second screen stuff, here the second is just there when you want it.
on the video game front... yeah, hololens isn't that big deal for games, there are much better things...
on other fronts...
damn, this thing is amazing, i can see this becoming a must have product. it's still early, and there are lot's of problems, but there is lot's of potenttial on lens.
@ captain wormy...I think that remains to be seen. But yes, VR is more relevant right now and certainly closer to consumers hands. But hololens does seem like it has cool potential. Maybe it will wow us, who knows. Unless they repeat the whole "project natal will change earth and cure cancer and peter molynuex talking to wierd virtual kids" thing.
Back in the days, 3D was suppose to be the future. It did get resurrected only to die a horrific death. Sony went all in on 3D and it was an epic fail.
Back in the days, Nintendo try to do VR saying it was going to be the future. It failed and has shown up again. Sony has gone all in and guess what will happen? Just a matter of time.
Augmented Reality was done with Sony Eye back in the days. Like all the other tech, it was cool but died. Now years later MS is making it look even cooler but outside of Minecraft no real gaming advantage. It too will fail like Google glasses.
Cool tech but if the view from inside is really that confined I don't know how well it will do.
Haven't we all dreamed of experiencing holograms? Think the tech is still in early days so to most consumers/users on this site it might not look as appealing right now but in a few iterations or given some time, this tech could be revolutionary
I completely agree. Like you said in future iterations. I believe it's decades away similar to VR was in the early 90's.
Was with them until I found out it doesn't cover the whole display. Not fully immersing.
Yesterday Microsoft Corporate Vice President for Windows and Devices Marketing Yusuf Mehdi spoke at the Credit Suisse Technology Broker Conference, and talked about the performance of Xbox this year, next year’s lineup, and the outlook for Xbox Live across consoles and Windows 10.
Didn't MS say '2015 has the greatest lineup in Xbox history'?
Are we gonna ride with those words every year now?
And no, 2015 wasn't the greatest lineup in Xbox History.
Heck 2016 looks even better. It has the variety, the titles are spaced out throughout the year for those that care for it. I mean who can rip into titles such as:
Crackdown
Sea of Thieves
Recore
Quantum Break
Cuphead
Gears
Scalebound
Pretty damn beastly and superior to even this year's showing which relied a lot on the usual MS staple which were still great in their own right.
The best shooters and racers this year and then that variety next year.
Ah yeah wow.
So we get third person shooters, a FPS MMO, an adventure game, a 2d platformer (of sorts), a unique indie title and a RTS.
Now that is some sick variety and big name titles to boot. Pretty beastly!
@Septic
they will be nice for those who already got an X1, but as a draw to the platform they will have an impossible job with games on other platforms dominating the hype like Zelda, Horizon, NMS, Uncharted4..etc and 2 big hardware launches for gamers to consider with the NX and PSVR.
2015 was Microsoft's big shot and it's gone
Xbox's 2015 "greatest lineup in Xbox history" consisted of only 2 NEW AAA exclusives.
Everything else was remake/port, timed, Free2Play & small budget/indie (Nothing wrong with these types of games...But I seem to remember a certain community bashing those exact type of games)
@Newmonday
"2015 was Microsoft's big shot and it's gone"
What a load of rubbish. Where did you get this expiration date from? Why should MS commit sepuku in 2016?
"They will be nice for those who already got an X1, but as a draw to the platform they will have an impossible job with games on other platforms dominating the hype like Zelda, Horizon, NMS, Uncharted4."
'Impossible to draw to the platform'? We're talking about great games lineups. What are you on about? Sales? Believe it or not, some people actually play consoles to play videogames and what we're talking about here is a variety of promising looking titles.
Spare me the badly drafted doom and gloom posts please.
according to my tastes and my expectations i don't think it's that hard to top 2015 in terms of releases. tbh i have no idea if an exclusive game came out to X1 this year between January and September.
2016 seems indeed to be the year of the variety on all platforms, and certainly a massive year for gaming.
Zelda Wii U
Uncharted
GT Sports
Horizon
Star Ocean
...
X1 owners will for sure have a blast in 2016, but the question is: Is any of these games a system seller? not sure though.
Wow what a poor attempt at good PR from one of the most annoying guys at MS.
If 2015 was the best year in Xbox history I'm glad to have spent my money elsewhere but yes, 2016 looks more interesting in terms of variety.
@NewMonday
"they will be nice for those who already got an X1, but as a draw to the platform they will have an impossible job with games on other platforms dominating the hype like Zelda, Horizon, NMS, Uncharted4..etc and 2 big hardware launches for gamers to consider with the NX and PSVR."
this is about how the xbox one looks in 2016, why is it impossible for you to see that instead of always trying to downplay what the xbox one offers? nothing in that article talks about dominating in sales but you can't resist the need to counter any positive article about the xbox one can you?
"2015 was Microsoft's big shot and it's gone"
then why are you here?
The question I keep seeing is "are the games coming out for the X1 in 2016 system sellers". I guess I would reverse the question and ask "what PS4 games outside of UC4 are system sellers?" Because the games you list are games that are in the same class as what the X1 has coming out. Unknown quantities. The difference and only,difference is that if it's coming out on PS4 it's an instant system seller.
Let's use Horizon as an example it's a game we know little about by a studio who makes good but not amazing (which is what I'm guessing you guys think a game has to be to be a system seller) games. Yet here newmonday and others are sitting talking about how it and other unknown games will make it impossible to buy an X1.
On top of that Many of the games listed as X1 killers in 2016 have no release date! Come on guys. Both systems have what may shape up to be the best year in gaming.
P.s. Psvr is not going to sell well. My prediction because who in there right mind wants to cover your face for hours? I could be wrong but that's my opinion.
P.p.s now I'm off to play Tomb Raider because unlike newmonday and his mob I play games not systems or sales
P.p.p.s I don't care about any exclusives because when Mass Effect comes out I don't plan on leaving my house.
Both 2015 and 2016 are great years for Xbox (actually Xbox gamers). But neither are the best in their history in my opinion. That is reserved for 2007 when Halo 3, Forza 2, Lost Oddysey, Eternal Sonata, Mass Effect, and BioShock were exclsuives on the Xbox 360.
2015 is the best 2015 for XBOX One in XBOX One history in 2015 for sales that we don't report because they don't matter except when we do report them when they do matter.
Well, I can certainly entertain that MS bolstered a major complaint about not having anything for the beginning of the year.
Recore, and Quantum Break as big titles are great.. they've got stuff for summer and fall as well so the XBO community has stuff to play all year.
However, the known quanties and the strongest of the entire line up is Quantum Break, we have no idea what Record is, it hasn't even gotten a gameplay trailer and it's pressumably 5 months out from launch spring being March-May.
Sea of Thieves is Rare's return to AAA since Nuts and Bolts, Gears 4 looked underwhelming, Crackdown looks promising but the beta is Summer, and could probably launch in early 2017 to nail the mechanics, Scalebound looks really promising, but the gamescon demo was rough, and last we heard, that game is a 2017 title.
As for Halo Wars, I've got nothing as I don't care for RTS...
I'm not gonna bother listing and comparing, but Just gonna say, What MS has lined up is ok! I'm intrigued in Record, and Quantum Break... Everything else
This year looks to best last year in my opinion, with all these new fresh IP's. Glad MS is doing more than the Halo, Gears, Forza rotation from the 360 gen. This will pay off tremendously for MS, just like this same Business strategy as Sony did with the PS3.
@ThePope
Pretty much all third party games are system sellers for the ps4 simply because they are all better with it, excluding a few poorly optimized ones.
@Septic- Sea Of Thieves, Gears, Cuphead etc and likely the rest of that line up will be released on PC, its hard to say how great an XONE line up is when I can play most of those titles on a PC....
I mean...I don't need to own a XONE to play lots of that line up so I question who much reasons to do I really need to own a XONE if I can on PC. I don't know how "beastly" that is for XONE, I mean...MS is getting bank, but I'm not seeing much incentive to actually buy an XONE vs buy a MS published title.
Also forgot about Halo Wars. I'm sorry but with MS push for PC as well, I'm not too sure how many will jump on XONE next year when many of its key titles are coming to PC or likely yet to be announced to be coming to PC as Phil stated they still have more games coming to PC, who knows what else they will release.
Multiplats play better on PS4 and I don't see that stopping and lots of MS titles are coming to PC...I again don't know how well that makes anyone want to buy a XONE next year any more then this year. Halo didn't move units but Gears will? Even though its lessor to Halo?
OH Forza will, even though it has no history of moving such units?
OH those new titles will even though XB has a history of not selling much units in regards to Japanese titles? I mean...I don't see much that will really help MS next year, its just as bad as this year.
It's just a marketing SLOGAN, don't make a big deal of it.
just like, "Greatness awaits" <-- Do I agree with this? Nope as I'm still waiting for greatness on that platform.
The game companies can advertise, or use whatever slogans they choose to use... They are trying to sell you consoles after all.... Since most of you are obsessed with sales figures, advertising is a part of it in case you haven't figured that out.
xoxo
--
Oh and, marketing or not. 2015 was indeed great on XO. In this part of the world, there's something for everyone on it. The Chief, Lara, Marcus Fenix Rare Replay Ori and all sorts.... basically games.
Well said + bu....wait is there any point now?
Its true though but marketing or not, 2015 was good, albeit relatively quiet for the first half of the year but next year is mad. The PS4's lineup looks insane too. Bye bye money
Except they aren't saying it was great, they are saying it's the best in history... which can't be proven because it's entirely subjective. Kinda like Sony'so best place to play slogan.
The problem with Microsoft slogan is what do you call next year's lineup... is it better than the best in history...
Microsoft is very self-congratulatory lineup is all hype (except for Halo). It's just a PR tagline. So, next year they will have a new tagline.
"just like, "Greatness awaits" <-- Do I agree with this? Nope as I'm still waiting for greatness on that platform."
The thing is, you don't even own that platform, so how can you accurately judge its content? Sure you can twitch stream most of the games and get a feel for how they look, but I've personally passed on plenty of games only to go back and actually try them later & absolutely fall in love w/ new titles & genres. You can't pass judgment on a lineup you haven't played. I'm sure there are plenty of games on your XBO that you wouldn't typically enjoy only to actually try them and love them. Same goes for PS4. You can't judge what "greatness" is or isn't there because you haven't actually tried it out. Same goes for me & the XBO...right now the only 2 exclusives that really get me going are SSOD & QB, but when I finally do get one, I'm pretty sure I will try out many others and potentially dig them a lot...I wouldn't discount a system I don't own...perceptions are one thing but reality is another.
Shouldnt those be words every console manufacter/publisher should live by ? To make their next year better than their last...
Hey, it is the norm around here to call Microsoft out for absolutely every little thing.
all the way down to their Slogan of choice.
So Ocelet is just following tradition.
He's pro Sony he's not gonna care whatever MS says. Geez its just a slogan why does MS get bashed in when every other company does the same?
technically if every year is better than the last, then you could have it the "Best" lineup in xbox history every year. Just remember this is subjective, they could pick a different MS employee every year when they showcase their favorite games. So it doesn't have to be YOUR version of "Best"
But 2015 wasn't the greatest lineup in Xbox's History. X360 had much better years.
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I still think 2007-2008 were some of Xbox's strongest years. Between the two you had Halo 3, Mass Effect, Bioshock, Crackdown, Gears of War 2, Ninja Gaiden 2, Fable 2, Too Human, Lost Odyssey, Forza 2, and PGR4.
2015 to me wasn't THE best but one of the best in a while. 2016 looks to be even better given the variety within the year and finally there seems to be exclusives from start to end in 2016.
Besides Too Human, that year was MS's strongest line up of games in their history of gaming.
Besides, they haven't been able to replicate that
All consoles should have a better lineup the next year. 2016 does look like the best ever.
Yeah but they (for their lack of originality e.g. Bloodborne was a Dark Souls game with a different name for sould) aren't the big tentpole games that are made for everyone.
Bloodborne is bloodborne, not dark souls. Or is dark souls just demons souls by a different name?
LOL! Bloodborne is a completely different beast than Dark Souls.
Dark Souls 3 is copying a lot or everything from Bloodborne though.
MS is a broken record in this regard. Just like every release of Windows is the "Best Ever", even ones like ME, Vista and Win 8
and 2016 gets the best games ever! and 2017 gets the best games ever! and you get a car! everybody wins! wooooo
Its official, Xbox is top tits. Scalebound, Crackdown, Quantum Break, Sea of Thieves, Recore, Halo Wars, Gears, Forza. Probably some unnanounced stuff and times exclusive junk like ARK and ED. That's how we do it in the hood.
http://i284.photobucket.com...
They never said '2015 has the greatest lineup in Xbox history'?
As far as I know they said the holiday is Xbox's greatest lineup, and they touted their announcements as greatest in Xbox history. This includes 2015 holiday to 2016 holiday.
If you look at what they released and plan to release it really is the greatest lineup in Xbox history.
Gears Ultimate
Rare replay
Forza 6
Halo 5
Tomb Raider
Fable legends
Recore
Quantum Break
Crackdown 3
Scalebound
Gigantic
Gears of war 4
Halo wars
Sea of Thieves
I've been playing Xbox for a long time and it's never had such a diverse AAA lineup within a span of a year and a half.
https://www.youtube.com/wat...
They said that many times. Look at the end of the trailer.
^But that's also referring to the holidays, not all of 2015. They didn't even come up with this campaign until E3.
I really think people are taking it out of context, they're referring to 2015 holidays and beyond. This is why they advertised Gamescom with the same "greatest lineup" thing, when it was all about 2016.
It's only a marketing campaign about their investment in exclusives, which has never been better.
What's wrong with that? Both Sony and MS strive to have the best line up every year.
It was the best year for xbox , I believe that . Tomb Raider , Halo 5 , screamride , ori and the blind forest and forza .
So they're thinking about pushing the Live subscription model on Windows? Good luck with that
Yeah I'm looking to get out of paying to play online not add more platforms to the list.
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I would agree 2015 was the best year for xbox one. It had a lot more and better exclusive games than it did the previous years that should keep fans of various genres happy. My one gripe is that we had to wait until the end of the year to get them. Either way I thoroughly enjoyed ori and the blind forrest, gears of war remastered and rise of the tomb raider on my xbox this year.
Microsoft's Chief of Marketing probably turned a lot of fans against him with recent comments about how he thinks the company's original vision for an always online, no used game console was the "right vision".
Not even in 20 years. People like physical disk more.
Digital games aren't ours. We just own the license until they shut down the servers. No thanks
Just when I thought MS PR would turn a new leaf. They're back to saying we didn't understand. I'm sure everyone understood you clearly MS. MS should look at what their "original vision" did to their rapidly declining market share. Phil is doing a great job, but Yusuf is really not helping.
Yup, good example of this is look at how many games (arcade or full) you downloaded on your 360 or ps3, now look at how many of those you could redownload on your xbone or ps4? Besides the very very very few that were ported the answer is NONE.
Digital only is not the future .
Oh but wait...it isnt just MS pr. Sony and nintendo promote digital games as well. At some point there will have to be a transition from physical to digital. We all know this and no matter what anyone thinks....it is the future.
Maybe not tomorrow or 10 years (or 20) but it is happening. The push for any kind of adoption of a new trend starts with the right key ingredient.
Be that a new digital only version of a high profile game or the inclusion of content only made available to digital versions of a game...it will happen. Perhaps sooner than expected.
And when it does, then all these people who are saying it wont happen or people like physical will all be on that digital roller coaster with their hands up wondering why they didnt get on sooner.
if you think that its only MS saying this...you are sadly mistaken. There is an underline method to this madness and it isnt just MS that is behind it. Its any physical medium producer looking for a way out to save $$ but still deliver their product.
I think thats the point. Yes digital sales are becoming more prevalent, but Microsoft should take a page out of Sony's playbook. See, both companies want the same thing, but Sony is doing it correctly. PSNow is the first step and is more ambitious than anything to come out of Microsoft PR. Sony seems to understand though,that you can't pull the rug from up under people. If digital is really superior, we, the consumers, will eventually chose it for its speed and convenience. All the while we will still have physical copies.
Every successful technological step forward superseded its predecessors because it was better, not because the old tech was pulled from the market. Sony has introduced a service that is a threat to the preowned market, but they are smart enough to allow preowned sales to continue with the expectations that we will see streaming as a faster and more convenient method.
Microsoft learned the hard way that the old American philosophy is correct; the market itself decides. To say that their vision was correct is insane. Consumers are correct because we ARE the market. This is not open for negotiation.
Correct my if I'm wrong but I believe this is the very first comment in which XiSasukeUchiha actual says something sensible.
I disagree. I think in about 10 years most of the music, movies, and games will be digital only. Maybe they'll produce a limited amount of physical copies but I guess the lion's share will be bought digitally.
But still MS was way too early with most their policies and flat out stupid with some and I'm glad they changed them.
PC gamers tend to like Digital.
The problem with Microsoft/console is that Digital will never be the future with the way they are treating it. Watchdogs was £39.99 on Steam yet £60 on Xbox Live.
And this my good people is the reason I will NOT support microsoft this gen. They are just snakes waiting to strike.
*
On consoles, more people are buying games in physical form still.
Games are getting bigger. 20 to 40GBs in size. And with ISPs limiting bandwidth and throttling speeds, it's not as easy as it should be.
It may be the future, but we're not there yet.
*
@darth
OK. So lets say that in 10 to 20 years digital is where it's at. Does that mean that we have to accept it as the only thing today? 3D displays are probably going to be commonplace in 20 years, but is it something we should be saying is the future now, and is it something that an entire ecosystem should be focused around?
MS problem was never their DD policies, it was their policies on retail games.
Here's my prediction. In 20 years, both retail and physical will co-exist, and we'll still be having this same argument.
Seriously. In ten years internet providers will probably start upgrading their infrastructure. By then, games will probably be 4x bigger than they are now...conservatively speaking, and the net will still be too slow.
@Multiplatguy A hundred times this. If we go all digital, there should be atleast the subsidy of the cost of production of physical hardware passed on to the consumers, ala steam. You cant be seriously selling 4 year old games at 60$ and expect gamers to cough up.
Yusuf shouldn't be allowed to talk. Whether he is technically right or wrong, he just constantly says the wrong things from a PR persective.
He is like the anti-Phil Spencer. One has a silver tongue and says everything gamers want to hear, the other has a regular tongue that he uses to clean the foot he keeps in his mouth.
Yea I was against the whole digital thing. But the last few games ive purchased gave been digital. InfamousSs, Watchdogs(ps4), Wolfenstein (XB1). Its so dam annoying having to get up and change the disc of a game that i still have to install anyway. Id rather just download and be done with it. Way more convenient. And im not a "trader". I buy games and keep them. The discs are just annoying now.
So was I until I bought a few digital games. Don't get me wrong some of the DRM stuff was bad, but the always online was also to allow reselling/lending of digital titles.
So now as a result, if I want digital, I have to pay full RRP for a game that can never be lent out or sold. We all asking for these services now, and guess what, we can't have it as always online was the pirate protection. Great job internet, thanks /s
Copen if youre using your remote instead of getting up to change the channel then youre as lazy as me. Douche.
I have also gone all digital since X-1 and will not go back.Plus I like saying go to a game and start to play.
It bugs me having to find discs just to switch games. It bugs me having to find places to store discs (specially places that are out of the reach of my children). It bugs me when I cannot find a game I want to play.
I have no desire to sell or trade games. The box and disc hold no value to me what-so-ever.
Digital games are just a better choice for me, and for the poster you replied to. Being lazy has nothing to do with it.
You prefer discs. There are several reasons someone might prefer discs. That's fine. It doesn't make you better than him.
Then explain to me why people steal movies, games and music on the internet? How about explain to me why Netflix is so popular as a service? Let's take it a step further. Why is it that we like the PS+ service so much. We don't get to keep those unless we pay for the service.
EDIT *when I say the above. I am referring to the trend of DIGITAL, and how people use media*
Digital Age is here and the dip in physical discs sales are starting to show that. In a lot of ways we use digital all the time. Buy a CD, dump it on your computer or IPOD, never touch the CD again.
EDIT *I can guarantee that 90% of people then go to a store SELL that CD once it's digital on their computer IF they bought a physical copy. How would that be any different with Games? That's why there was a Digital Daily Check in. They had to protect the developers or they would be in trouble and owe. Just how business works. Step have to be in place for people making money on stuff. *
Just to be clear. I didn't like the Daily Check in idea. That was the one thing that needed work on. Otherwise the rest of it felt OK in my book. Obvious changes and restrictions needed to be made. You will start to see more digital sales happen in time. Both Sony and MS will make that happen, because they make more money off it. They will both show you the advantages by offering better prices and giving you more for your money. It's just a matter of time.
People steal movies because they are free. People use Netflix because it's $8 a month instead of $200. People like PS+ because you get a ton of games for just $50
@xHeavYx
I am not talking about that. Ownership is the word I base that off of when it comes to the PS+ and G4G service. Is all I am saying. It's ALL Digital still is it not?
Your 100% right. It is not right in 20 years its right now. Movie, game, music, book sales are all down by a large amount all because of digital. I have only bought 2 of 5 games on disc this gen, and truly don't plan on doing it again.
On top of that, as I've said several times, digital downloads protect developers and put the money in their hands, and not in the hands of Gamestop who benefit the industry not one bit.
@dlconspracy,
Let me answer this for you.
The reason why is the data size. Music takes up very little space and it usually comes in a portable device like an iPod or phone. In order for you to listen to music on the go with ease is to go digital. No one carries a CD player around any more.
Netflix, is cheap and can be access anywhere as long as you have Internet access. It takes up no space at all. People who have Netflix do not care for ownership.
Movies, most hardcore movie viewers who like quality will never buy digital. They will buy the bluray. But unfortunately the majority of viewers just want to watch the movie once it's released. Buying digital movies is a lot cheaper and it can be access anywhere as long as you have Internet. Not many people trade in physical disks.
Digital Games, take up lots of space and it seems that it will just get bigger as this new generation mature. Many people want to own their games so that they can replay it down the line. You have to admit, finding retro games to play is harder then finding older movies. Another factor is the trade in and sharing of the physical disc. You can not do this with digital.
Internet bandwidth and cap is another issue. Not all people have the bandwidth to download a 50gb game. It easier and faster to go buy the physical game.
The last point is portability, you do not want to lug your console to different location just to play a game do you? Physical discs allow you to take just the game with you to play on other consoles.
Because you DON'T own movies streamed through Netflix or the music you steal.
Major game titles are 20-40GBs in size.
ISPs like to limit bandwidth and throttle speeds in many cases.
And people don't often download 20-40GBs of music or movies at a time.
Physical copies look better in collections and they're not limited to an online account.
^^^
Ever heard of Steam? Digital is the future, and closer then you guys think. PC games have reached it. Consoles won't take long. Even Sony is launching a digital service, PS Now.
Now if people said that Microsoft's digital service (that was planed for the X1) wouldn't have prices and promotions that Steam has, that I would believe. Microsoft are quite stingy when it comes to discounts or promotions.
I agree. MS was looking at the Steam example for their own. I don't disagree with you. I am apart of steam.
Man you people hate change don't you. Either that or you are thinking narrow sighted as usual.
1) Digital eliminates constraints, we get full games without the limitation of disk space.
2) lower prices as there is no costs for shipping, disks, storage...
3) External hard drive is more reliable than disk, especially backed up in the cloud. A broken disk is useless.
4) You can download overnight if your Internet is that slow.
I think you people just prefer to kill the industry by reselling and renting games. You want AAA games, but don't support them. Also it seems like gamers are stuck in mud, we went from cartridges, to disks, and in the future digital. When is the last time you seen a portable cd player, digital I pods and phones took over.
people accept change, they just don't appreciate draconian policies being shoved down their throats.
the problem with their "vision" was that *if* I chose to purchase a physical copy of a game, they were going to revoke any right I had to be able to lend the game to a friend or sell the game in order to make my next game purchase a little less expensive.
and just so you know, music on vinyl is back (and has been back for some time now). people still want to have physical copies of things, so I don't think that forcing people into an all-digital distribution model is the way to go.
that being said, I buy digital all the time - I have been doing it for quite some time - whether it's a PSN/XBLA title or digital version of a full retail game. I enjoy the convenience of not having to travel to a store to purchase a game I want. Does that mean I'm going to stop buying physical copies? nope... because there are certain franchises that I will only buy the physical copy for.
Go home your drunk
It the arrogance that killed xbone (original)
They wanted a piece of something that is not up to them. You can go digital and nobody cares as it transitions into it either way, but what MS did is downright insulting to customers!
1.
Its funny how you care so much about disk space now. 50GB is enough, and if not 200 would be.
2. Are digital games cheaper? Really? Cos 90% of the time I see them more expensive than at JBHiFi. Of course I'm looking at the PSN prices, but please, tell me if XBL is different. Unless theyre selling new games cheaper on XBL than on PSN I doubt it, but digital prices are nearly always more, for some baffling reason. How would it be if that was the only place you could buy them?
3.
Really? I've had Harddrives fail before. Not very often. But I dont think I've ever had a disc fail that wasnt mistreated. Yes you can redownload a digital game. I supposed thats the price you pay to have it in your hand.
4.
So go make a sandwich huh?
Basically, i like owning the physical copy, I like having the cover on my shelf and I see no advantage at the moment to changing to digital. If they were cheaper than maybe I'll revisit.
I did appreciate the original xbox one vision. The problem was in the way it was explained. So I agree with Mendi. People never stopped to listen to the real story.(I understood it perfectly) And why was that? because it was poorly explained. You could trade your games like usual, you could lend/share your games to friends. But before they could explain it correctly the damage was done and they reversed said policy. At E3 this year, I was hoping they would have announced Digital downloads could be shared like originally they had announced, but alas, it did not make the show. I was also hoping for a price cut for digital only games too, cutting out the middleman would indeed make it cheaper and more realistic for people to adopt it. So a $60 game would be $45. I would definitely like to save money just like the next person. As for the people hate change comments I see below and above, yes, people do not like change, but if you make them want to change..with incentives like cheaper costs to purchase game, then they will adopt it quicker.
Edit: also the article and title were taken out of context...its definitely out for clicks/flaming.
1. Digital is limited by constraints. Constraints on hard drive space. Constraints on bandwidth. Constraints on what you can do with your purchases.
2. Not my overall experience. On consoles, on release day they're the same price. Down the road, retail games are much cheaper. More often than not, the retail versions are often $10-20 cheaper than the still full priced digital version after less than a month.
3. Take care of your stuff and you won't have broken discs. I haven't broken a single disc in my entire life. What about when the games are taken down from the servers. It's rare but it happens. What about when that server decides to shut down completely...such as Games for Windows?
External hard drive? By your argument, save money on games(already disproven) but spend it on storage mediums. Dunno about you, but what has more value? A game you can sell, or a hard drive that will be worthless in a couple years?
4. I can drive to the store and be back in 15 minutes max. Don't have to wait overnight.
The industry isn't dying from buying a reselling games. It's making more money now than it ever has.
Oh I see the usual suspects are here...... MS vision will come to fruition eventually, maybe under the guise of Apple, Google, Samsung or even Sony.....we are almost there already..... Video games are the only real medium that had a used market, and that will die eventually.... Caused by gamers who trade in for nothing, to see game sold for $5 less than new retail price...... Our own greed and stupidity is causing it..... Nothing can stop Drm right now, it is inevitable....... Gamers think the big guys listen..... They do listen..... To the till....... Thats what matters....... Bring on the hate....
"Caused by gamers who trade in for nothing, to see game sold for $5 less than new retail price...... Our own greed and stupidity is causing it....."
Greed is positively what this all boils down to. Though, in my opinion it's stemming from the opposite corner you steer attention towards.
I believe the industry will significantly contract or worse if they proceed in pushing digital exclusively.
I truly believe the industry will be feasting on humble pie if they take too stern a position on digital and always online/DRM.
Microsoft should foresee this. I hope they aren't blinded by the green light again/still
Here's the thing. Steam does that already and people love Steam yet that is indeed DRM.
People just choose what DRM they like which is weird if you are going to complain about it.
If you don't think digital is the future then you are very wrong. It may not be now and even in five years yet digital is indeed the future.
Also actually read the article before posting it was taken out of context.
20 years, huh? So what about those millions upon millions of PC gamers with huge Steam collections? Those are all digital. I don't see them complaining about buying games super cheap and not owning a physical disc. 20 years, sure, if you prefer to be stuck in the past while the world moves on..
Yes it was, whether you like it or not. All mu friends are buying games digitally. Everyone is connected. Maybe it was a bit too soon but it definitely was the right vision. It is the future. Just like how the original Xbox required Broadband when everyone was on dial-up, Xbox should have pioneered this vision. I hope the Xbox 4 will do what they tried to do with the X1.
This guy should shut up and let phill do the talking. This guy will set back all the bs phill has been fixing. Shut up dude and go sleep.
From what I can tell he just says that digital is the future, but where MS screwed up was trying to force it on retail. Said they didn't give the choice, which is why people were so against it.
Don't think this was really an epiphany...as it's what's most gamers have already said. Don't screw around with retail. They can do whatever they want to improve DD, but when they tried to apply it to retail, people were upset.
i'd say within 5 years it'll move to a primarily digital service across the board... publishers will love it as it'll cut out a cost on the retailers cut, physical disc/packaging/distribution costs and warranties (they do actually exist on games I've been informed)
if they cut the costs of digital by 10-15 it'll drive people towards it
Physical isn't going anywhere as long as there are still ISP mandated bandwidth caps and the US is still lagging behind in bandwidth speeds. And that likely isn't going to change anytime soon with these new threats to net neutrality hovering above our heads.
And an all-digital future definitely won't mean lower prices. Not by a long shot. The only reason we see discounts on digital versions of games now is because they use the discounts as a way to push digital sales. If digital is the only format, they'll have no need to try and the format to us and thus will just charge the same prices as they would physical copies. Even now, discounts on digital media is both rare and largely insignificant compared to the physical price.
Aaron Greenburn and Yusuf Mehdi, what do they have in common?
That they NEED TO SHUT THE HELL UP!
everything seems to be going MS' way right now with Phil Spencer as head. Dont let these guys tarnish the brand even more so...
Of course it was that's why you guys dumped it in a heart beat when PS4 was slaughtering you in pre-order sales.Clearly you don't stick with your visions Kinect is another prime example of all talk no walk from M$.
No more "tv, tv, tv, tv, tv, tv and tv"? After making the diskinect Xbox, will they drop the power of the cloud also?
Sorry but all those changer ware not made to sell what gamer want, they did because they need to sell more systems.
This is NOT a price drop ...for 399 the console itself is even more expensive than in the Kinect bundle at 499. Also of course E3 is all about games, it's the biggest gaming event in the world... the bigger question is about which games. It would be quite ironic if they would announce a bunch of Kinect games now.
"E3 will be all about games"
The amount of times I've heard this line from MS over the past few months has been unreal.
It's like they all go to a PR class and are forced to memorize the line over and over and over again.
A year late and a hundred dollars short