Xbox One Reveal was a Success Regardless of Reaction

From GamesReviews:

"Peter Molyneux was a guest on IGN's Xbox One coverage earlier, and he said something that got me thinking. They were talking about the release date and the difference between "worldwide" and "around the world," and the difference that that wording might imply. Molyneux was pretty certain that the wording was important, that everything said and shown would have been very carefully selected to give off a very specific vibe. How can a conference so lovingly put together be so hated by so many? Why did they so obviously miss out on opportunity after opportunity when they had everything to prove against the PS4?

"The only answer that seems to make sense is that this whole thing - negative reaction, memes, joke videos - has all been meticulously planned."

[xHeavYx]

You can't succeed and suck at the same time

[dedicatedtogamers]

Yeah, this person has an odd definition for the word "success". He seems like the people who defended Adam Orth's #dealwithit by saying "hahaha fools! this is exactly what Microsoft wants! Now no one is talking about PS4. All press is good press, fools!" and then later said "Microsoft is being quiet so they can blow us away on May 21st with the console reveal".

And now the MS fanbase is going full damage control: "hahaha Microsoft troll u! Just wait until E3. This was a masterstroke! They will get expectations so low and then they will win E3!"

[TKCMuzzer]

Yeah its odd. By the end of the conference all I wanted to see was the new COD. Even that only looked ok but I just thought to myself ' I will just get it on the PS4 if its any good'. That's surely not a response any company trying to promote their own console/pvr wants.

[matgrowcott]

That's rather the point. They can and have.

I suggest you read the article (or at least the excerpt above) to get my full point, but it's fairly obvious that Microsoft have manufactured this hate. They've said nothing at all about the console, nothing at all about the games that'll be released for it, and yet people are ranting and raving. They had the opportunity to court the core crowd over and over again, and purposefully didn't.

It's like watching a car crash. They've created an atmosphere where you're so sure they're going to fail that you can't look away.

The sort of person unlikely to watch E3 has been catered for tonight and are happy. Everybody else is going in with such low expectations that they can't help but be at least mildly impressed if they reveal a ton of great core titles.

It's cheap tactics, but so far, so good.

[BlackTar187]

lol this is such jargon and straw reaching.

LOL wow my only real response is WOW at you

[TKCMuzzer]

I'm not sure that's really a business model. Do you tell your investors " hey you know what, we are going to make it look crap, grab some hate and bang we will have them'. Thats very risky and would only work if their games would be vastly superior to the oppositions, which they will not.
In business, you come out firing, you show what's what out of the gate, you gain momentum and ride with it.
Every bad move they make they just help Sony along. Sony are in a no lose situation, nobody thought they would be better than MS before the reveals but quietly they have gathered momentum, mostly from gamers. Microsoft should be showing what their customers want to see, you can only piss people off so long before they wonder off.

People also seem to forget, there is still loads for Sony to unveil including the console which automatically makes their conference at E3 worth watching, plus we know Sony will have plenty more games to show.

[matgrowcott]

@TKCMuzzer

They HAVE come out firing. Financially, they've impressed their biggest backers. The Netflix, ESPN, Sports, COD crowd has been well-catered for, and two minutes on the Xbox Facebook page makes that pretty obvious. There are people out there who are willing to argue that tonight's conference is proof that this is Sony's last generation.

Xbox One will sell, and it'll sell in its millions - it'll probably be the biggest seller in the US.

The teasing is specifically for the core gamer, the crowd that picks over every piece of news, ever piece of content. You can't tell me that you didn't feel specifically under-represented this evening?

There were moments where they obviously glanced over things that would be of huge interest to the core. That wasn't a lack of quality or that they didn't have anything to say (because neither of those options made sense). If you think that was anything but specific avoidance, I don't know what to tell you.

@Cyguraton

Casuals will see their news coming from Xbox on Facebook, and they've been out in force tonight. Take a look. 75,000 likes on the reveal photo, and over 100,000 likes on everything since.

[cyguration]

It's funny because most gaming journos on this site lose their bubbles so quick you would think they were fanboys. Your comment kind of proves why that is.

OT: MS hasn't done squat to win anyone over. Casuals don't watch live streams, but they will see the news that everyone and their mother report on coming out of the live-stream and most of it won't be good save for XDF members like yourself desperately trying to spin it like it's some sort of elaborate marketing ploy.

Face it, the console will kill used games on the XB1. Sony and Nintendo have used games in a bag, unless you like paying extra to play an old copy of game? Or, you're probably some rich kid who "always buys new", yeah okay...good luck with that.

All that TV crap won't be reported on in a positive light, unless again, you're an XDF and then you're trying to make it like instead of wanting to play games you would prefer watching TV. News flash Vidya Gaem Jurn0l1st, if I want to watch TV I'll watch it for free on my PC, not pay MS to stream poor quality shows from a broken Windows 8 app on a fake console.

E3 will come and go and unless MS does a 180 from what they did today, it'll be the same crap over and over again. They didn't "wow" us last year and I doubt they'll "wow" us this year, even with a new console.

[TKCMuzzer]

@matgrowcott
You said it, the US. That's who its aimed at but the world is bigger than one country, believe it or not in the rest of the world no one cares about ESPN and NFL.
The PS4 will do all kinds of multimedia stuff and will be future proof but the way Sony are promoting it is to get the day one purchasers on board before everyone else.
Its still NOT a business model to create negativity on the off chance people think you have something up your sleeve. If that's the way you think then I assume Microsoft have been doing that for the last two E3 conferences, pretending they have nothing to show........oh they didn't.
Casuals clicking a 'like' button on a website is one thing, buying the machine is another, remember loads of kids are on Facebook, its easy to 'like'. I mean the PS4 reveal trailer has over 28 million views on YouTube........It just shows interest, that's all.

@matgrowcott

I know what your trying to say but as a gamer hoe does this benefit me, I'm the one going to be spending money on software, I'm a day one purchaser, I want Microsoft to put me first, which they have been doing less. I don't think they can convince me know matter what but you like many will feel differently.

[matgrowcott]

@TKCMuzzer

You're right that liking is easy, but that's not the proof, is it? The casuals that everybody looks down on ARE Microsoft's biggest market, and have been since they revealed more people use their Live accounts for Netflix and ESPN than for gaming. These people are usually in the US, and these people are the ones that give Microsoft the most money. They have been more than catered for this evening. They probably don't even know what the PS4 can do.

The core are a secondary group; important but not as important as they like to think. How do you impress them when 1/ you're behind so you're limited in what you can show and 2/ they've already been blown away by your competitor?

You don't. You imply bad things without revealing anything. People go mad, get invested in hating a product they know nothing about, investors don't care because the core buyer is happy and there's a gamer outrage at least once a week and everybody ends up happy come E3 when those that were even tempted to buy an Xbox One before learn it's not all doom and gloom.

Meanwhile, the people that hate your product continue to talk about it anyway, using pictures and videos when appropriate.

This is paired, probably, with learning that the PS4 isn't as perfect as we think it is, perhaps even a continuation of the "Developers can have passes for used games" thought.

Exactly which bit of this do you think is bad for Microsoft? This initial outrage? Do you think a company with billions of dollars is so dense that they wouldn't consider this reaction whilst planning their conference? Do you think it wasn't carefully scripted to get a specific reaction?

If the outcome was positive, would your answers be different?

@your edit

As a gamer, it doesn't benefit you. You're being played and it's working. You'll have terribly low expectations come E3, and then they'll announce 15 passable to decent looking games and your jaw will drop.

Maybe not you specifically, but that's how it'll work out. They only need to announce 3 or 4 huge games (Gears 4, Halo 5 and something unexpected: Kameo 2 or something similar from RARE) and some core features, and people will be able to justify the purchase, they'll be able to say it wasn't as bad as they expected.

You'll still end up buying day one and you'll still end up buying a load of software. This is a move by a company that knows it can't compete with its competition on a feature-by-feature level, but that knows how to rile up their audience with little to no long-term damage.

[MysticStrummer]

"they've impressed their biggest backers"

MS stock dropped and Sony's went up.

Mission accomplished? O.o

[grassyknoll]

Never run a business. Ever.

[DigitalRaptor]

Read this, it's very enlightening:

http://kotaku.com/that-xbox...

Their conference was a disaster.

[Pyrrhus]

The writer is claiming we are 'hooked' on the X1 despite a subpar reveal. Right....

[Arai]

As I said prior to the reveal, the meltdowns will be glorious all over the net...haha

Man that was so bad I almost cried because it was too painful to watch, yet funny at the same time.

[gamertk421]

Same way I felt about the PS4 reveal, tbh.

[Maddens Raiders]

the great Worldwide/Wall Street Crash of 2007 was one of the most cleverly designed financial coup d'etat's in history and we are now all living in the sunlight of Elysium.

[Snookies12]

Call of Duty disagrees.

[PigPen]

It's one of those boxes that seem inferior by the numbers but becomes the lead platform to develop for. And make no mistake, the PS4 will be a big console too. I think that's why Sony didn't show the console.

[SoapShoes]

Unlike some think, "Any publicity is good publicity" is not true...

[Why o why]

Oh yes you can...ask Devine brown

There will be some who defend this reveal. Its the nature of the beast. Strange thing is some of those who bagged on sony for not showing the ps4's physical form will give ms a free pass for opening with and focusing mainly on cable and media features. Sony showed us games, ms told us about games.

[pop-voxuli]

Yeah, they Suck Seed alright.

[Majin-vegeta]

That's up to gamers to decide.And it's not looking so good.

[Enemy]

And gamers have decided, as well as common sense, that 4 > One

[ArchangelMike]

4>1 :)

[Cryptcuzz]

That is genius and I can actually see Sony using that in one of their commercials.

[gamertk421]

N4G "gamers" have decided...

[NYC_Gamer]

We'll find out how successful MS is once the console is on the market

[Godmars290]

No. We'll find out E3 whether or not MS was being clever or oblivious.

The one thing that's certain is that they've little to no room for mistakes now. That they're likely going into E3 more of an underdog than Nintendo would be with a presentation.

[dedicatedtogamers]

At this point, I think the best Microsoft can hope for from the general gaming audience (they already have the loyalty of the fanboys) is going from "do not want" to "cautiously optimistic".

The "no games revealed" is only the smallest aspect of why this event sucked. Unless Microsoft plans on changing required game installs, full-price fees for used games, required internet connection to verify activation codes, required Kinect, etc. etc. than I don't see how the E3 presser can be much better.

[DevilishSix]

The thing is that MS has a reputation for poor E3 showings at least the least 3 or 4 E3's, that if they are betting on E3 then they are betting on a long shot.

[TKCMuzzer]

It's only a success if it makes people like myself want one. That has not happened and left me underwhelmed, that is not a success. I won't be pre ordering.

[Root]

Pffft so your saying they did all this to get a negative reaction for memes and stuff so it would hype the console up more and give them free exposure....no.....just stop it. The conference was crap, there was no secret hidden agenda to it at all or so wild conspiracy...you can spin it all you want but the reality of it is, is that MS f***** up big time.

You can keep doing stuff like this or keep going on saying stuff like "Bu bu but wait for E3" which has been done so many times in the past which then MS fails to deliver but it's getting tiring, so learn from your mistakes and accept this is the road they want to go down, they don't care about us anymore. I kept laughing and shaking my head during that conference everytime they MADE OUT like they were about core gaming or when they made it looked like they had contributed to it recently when they haven't.

"How can a conference so lovingly put together be so hated by so many?"

How was it put together lovingly...TV this, TV that, TV down your throat untill you choke

No more pre owned games
Kinect is mandatory
Too much TV focus
Too much sports stuff
Too much entertainment stuff which people outside the US won't get
No gameplay shown, just CGI stuff
Biggest reveal was COD
No Alan Wake 2
Console is massive
Kinect 2 looks like a Kit Kat Chunky XL

I could go on...the point is nothing was directed at gamers.

[hennessey86]

Has Been confirmed to be in game footage

[BlackTar187]

in game engine right. What you saw was not game play footage though right? I have no idea if im wrong but i thought forza looked fun but i always play forza anyways.

[Root]

It was apparently a look at the in game engine not actual gameplay footage.

[CourierSix]

Yeah, sadly you're definitely right. MS has failed massively, looks like PS4 for me....

[MikeMyers]

Anyone can create a negative list if they are a negative person to begin with.

There are now fantasy drafts built into sports games.

The system will always be ready, no more waiting for updates.

Instant access. Go from games, to TV, to music, back to games, all instantly. Try doing that as quickly with remotes and a controller.

Forza was running in game.

Call of Duty looked amazing, no worries that this system is not next gen. The detail is amazing, all written by an Oscar screenwriter. A all new direction for the series. People complained it;s always the same and always the same engine. That won't be the case. Now watch as the negativity comes back saying it will now be that same engine going forward. Negative, negative, negative.

Xbox Live started with 500 servers in 2002. Today they now have 15,000, when Xbox One comes out it will have 300,000. Larger worlds, MMO's, larger matches, way better match-making. Friends list is now 1,000.

Exclusive TV content such as the Halo series. All TV running through Xbox One with quick search and easy access.

15 exclusive games coming int he first year alone. 8 of which are brand new ip's. People asked for exclusives, they are coming. Now watch as the reply will be most are Kinect. That's the typical response from those who are pessimistic to the bone.

[Root]

Here he comes to wreck the day

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Course you would be fine with the new Xbox since you know, your like Mika, mostly going against what the majority of us feel so you have something to fight or argue for.

[MikeMyers]

No comment? Thought so. Instead we get a youtube video because listing anything positive would simply go against your nature. There were bad things shown and good things. Seems to me some people gravitate to the bad things more than the good and have a habit of doing that over and over again.

[iceman06]

There could be beauty found in the profound shape of a turd...but it is alas a turd nonetheless. I am by no means calling Xbox One a turd. However, I am also not grasping at straws to paint this reveal as anything other than what it was...lackluster at best. What we got was a pretty cool cable box and some wonder about what the games it will eventually play will actually play like. E3 is around the corner...so I will keep my fingers crossed.

[GamersRulz]

You can see each company visions in their reveals:

PS4 reveal:

KZ, Infamous, Driveclub,Knack,Deep down....etc

Xbox reveal:

Price is right! Lol

[dedicatedtogamers]

Not to mention PS4 reveal was one of the first events to give concrete details about Bungie's new game, Destiny.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who sees the irony of a former-exclusive Microsoft studio showing up for a Sony event, whereas the current Halo developer shows up to the Xbox One event...to talk about a TV show.

[DigitalRaptor]

I thought that was quite surprising to be honest. I remember otherZinc calling people idiots on here for labeling it a multiplat instead of a 360 timed exclusive. Ironic.

To be honest, Microsoft can keep their timed/ exclusive DLC on the next generation of predictable, yearly Call of Duty and sports game rehashes.

I'll take exclusive DLC on the more unique, diverse and adventurous games like Destiny, Assassin's Creed IV and Watch Dogs. If the companies are gonna play ball like this, so be it.

[stuna1]

That was a good observation lol.

[windblowsagain]

Oh don't start.

Come on down.

But what if i'm £1 over.

[00]

then yeah it was a success.

[pompombrum]

And the results are in : Xbox 1, Playstation 4.. deal with it.

[muffinbutton]

will you like to try todays special, xbox one?

no, ill have the ps4 well done with a side of wii u...

[fsfsxii]

Sorry, didn't they said that the conference is going to change gaming???
I didn't see the games, so where is the change??
EDIT:
Where are these fans?? Every xbox fan who's in his mind confirmed that the PS4 already wont he next gen

[DevilishSix]

Actually MS did change gaming. They managed to chase off the core fanbase they built over the last 11 years in just under an hour. That truely is industry changing.

[MysticStrummer]

They changed gaming into... something else... O.o

[BrianC6234]

Is this tool serious? It looks more like a flop. GDDR3 RAM. People confused about playing used games. Hardly any games even shown. And people thought Sony failed just because they didn't show the PS4.

[Loki86]

I am tired of hearing about no games being shown, they said BEFORE the conference that E3 would be all about the games, announced 15 exclusive, 8 new IPS. How about you all wait till after E3 to make any type of verdict since you obviously don't research anything before going off on a tangent.

[BlackTar187]

i wish they would have been less vague on everything. How many are core games and how many are Kinect games. With this much focus on kinect you have to admit its looking like +50% kinect games. Otherwise why would they ship it with console?

[DevilishSix]

how many of those 15 and 8 are kinect and arcade titles. I expect few AAA core games there. MAybe a couple new core IP's if lucky. MS just doesn't have the first party titles that has been proven over two generations already.

[Cryptcuzz]

I understand your frustration with how people keep bringing up the lack of games in MS Xbox One reveal, but understand this.

It does not look good for MS to reveal a GAMES console with the lack of GAMES. It does not make sense and makes one wonder what is their purpose with this video game console. To sell games or to sell us on DVR like features and Kinect 2.0?

It is like unveiling a car only to talk about and showing how you can play music and watch TV while driving. Does that make sense?

[BabyTownFrolics]

this is what I wanted from the new xbox:

a more powerful console than the 360 spec wise
a more powerful kinect
an improved Live

I got all those things, so I was satisfied with the reveal. Yeah they could have shown more games, but E3 is right around the corner.

I cant wait to get a ps4 as well, because it seems that sony like MS imo has improved on their last console.

[Automatic79]

I actually liked Today's show and they did mention the story will be told through two events. Lets see what E3 offers.

[stuna1]

Well it shouldn't be to hard to outdo this part of the story! Their problem now is will people want to stay for the other part of the story!?

[LightofDarkness]

This author seems to be going on the "no publicity is bad publicity" idea. Well, that's quite untrue.

MS have basically had a "Charlie Sheen" day. They showed everyone just how nutty and out of touch they are with reality; and while it may keep them at the forefront of headlines and watercooler conversations for the next little while, they'll never be taken seriously again.

[matgrowcott]

It's less "no publicity is bad publicity" and more the lesser of two evils.

They had to choose between directly competing with the PS4 reveal or getting people talking in other ways. If they really are six months behind on everything and they have nothing to show, the former isn't a possibility. So they've won over the best of both worlds.

They've impressed the casuals who love ESPN and CoD, while specifically ignoring the core crowd.

The problem is that people are presuming the core crowd is what will sell this console. That's not true.

[SDF Repellent]

MS already confirmed a few days ago that this show is a sneak peak and world premier of the new xbox and the games will be the focus at E3. They managed to cramp everything within one hour while showing a sneak peak of Forza 5 and a new Remedy IP and promised 18 exclusives within a 12 months of the Xbox One launch. An Crackdown Orb has been spotted on the dashboard during the reveal, Black Tusk just tweeted that they will be showing their new game at E3. So if you want to see game, E3 is where it is. I am glad MS decided to do a 2 part event, this to show the feature and revealing the system and E3 will be focus on games, I think that is a perfect strategy. Now here comes the disagrees.

[Jughead3416]

I think the presentation sucked. But the hardware is pretty impressive. I am disappointed that they sacrificed gaming horsepower for more multimedia features. The PS4, according to many game devs is a beast. Some have said it's a monstrous machine. I don't think anyone will say this about the XBOX One. It can do alot and provide next gen gaming experiences, but Sony's focus on games and gamers cannot be understated. Sony all the way for me.

[LightofDarkness]

Funny thing is, it's not the hardware that's impressive at all. It's the software. All of that Kinect interaction had more to do with good software engineering and UI design than the hardware that it used.

The games will prove the power of the hardware design, and they didn't really show any of that yet.

[MeatAbstract]

I was fairly optimistic about the new console reveal. I was stuck in work but when I got home, I avoided any news, made some food, sat down and got ready to see Microsoft impress me.

Instead it was TV and sport. For 40 minutes 20 minutes spent on a few games and other such things. 8gn of ram thrown at you and now lets flick the screen around. Wholly unimpressed.

It's looking more and more that I'll just use my money for a new console to just upgrade my PC.

[Riderz1337]

Microsoft Stock down

Sony and Nintendo stock up.

SUCCESS

[Loki86]

MSFT closed a 0.06 increase, Sony went up because of a potential investor. RESEARCH things it helps you not look like a fool.

[Jake_the_Dog]

Its a success if your main goal was to suck balls.