The Xbox One Could Rise To The Top, If Microsoft Does One Thing

Microsoft is a company famous for big successes and big mistakes. Windows ME and to some extent Vista are cases in point. Some of Microsoft’s mistakes have been releasing products that aren’t very good – again, Windows ME – and some of those mistakes have come from listening to the public.

[Lowsnamebrand]

ya, MS should stop listening to there target audience and fall further behind in sales, im not even a MS fan and i think that would be the dumbest thing they could do.

[badboy776]

2 things

1.Drop price $299

2.Xbox Live Free

[mikeslemonade]

This article is garbage. Two flaws in the article after skimming. He says all xbox have the system connected online which is not even close. Only half of the install base have it connected and only 1/3 have Gold or even less than that(pretty sure less than 1/3).

He says no one cares about 1080p and 60frames except high end PC gamers. That's wrong too and self explanatory. And also it's about the gap and system prowess of the PS4.

and @top I think 300 and free gold would only make the X1 stay competitive in sales but they will still lose to PS4. We learned from last gen that a one year headstart and $150 advantage for the better part of the generation still could not beat PlayStation.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

So I notice ppl here only on N4g keeps saying MS should drop the price to 299$. Or this site is most vocal about that.

Why is that? Why is it this site keeps plugging that?

Everyone knows MS will start to do just fine at 399$ along side great compelling games.

I don't, I don't get this site and why ppl say the things they do here.

Some times I think they're joking but ppl are serious and just baffling the logic ppl come up with here.

example @Badboy comment "Xbox Live free" there's.

You know damn well why that's not happening. Especially now that the competition has charged online services.

[FriedGoat]

Because a system SUBSTANTIALLY weaker should not have the same price point as something nearly double the power.

Hence when I buy a graphics card the more powerful cards are more expensive.

[barb_wire]

XBL is never going be free - at least not in the forseeable future.

MS have spent a fortune (billions) just getting the TV side of the XBOX division up and running and trust me, they intend to keep the TV side.. but TV programming isn't cheap neither is the talent needed to make it.

No, people will be paying for XBL for many more years to come.

[Clown_Syndr0me]

Are you joking?
Perhaps Virgin should make Broadband free too. Oh and why doesn't Sky drop their subscription fees?
Perhaps football clubs should give their season passes out free of charge too?

[MelvinTheGreat]

Lol @ FriedGoat double the power, no. The devs said that GDDR5 was 50% FASTER, that does not translate to double the power.

[Gekko36]

A few things.

1. Dropping the price is an incredibly stupid thing to do. (The market dictates the price point... Not you.

2. Xbox Live has been a pay service since conception with The original Xbox, providing a great service. Now that common apps have been removed from behind the paywall should they give it away for free, again a stupid argument.

OT: I've read the article thoroughly and completely agree. I had no issues what so ever with the original plan for Xbox One.

So the idea that the public bollocks things up is correct!. All the moaning gamers should have been ignored from the very start. MS shouldn't be interested in what Sony are doing, but instead moving forward with their own vision.

Dropping the price further would have been fine.

As for @mikeslemonade's flamebait comments regarding the PS4 prowess and X1 should come with free Live Gold membership. That again is crazy. Why would a company that already makes an excellent ecosystem for online gaming care about giving it away for free just to stay competitive, when they can either do a price cut or roll games in with the price.

Right now you can buy an X1 with titan fall for £379. The price cut it making a difference in the UK. I don't live in America so care little for American's or what deals they have. What I do care about is the public thinking that dumb ideas will some how either save the day or bury MS.

In short. It's time for MS to tell the hardcore gamers on this site and others of it's ilk to STFU.

[johndoe11211]

This has to be the most idiotic, retarded, senseless, ill-informed, out of touch, mind-numbingly stupid microsoft koolaid guzzling article I have ever read.

I'm sorry but that author is a complete idiot that is out of touch with the gaming community. Had microsoft kept the drm they probably would have sold less than a million units to date. Had they not bundled the kinect in the first place they would not be having the abysmal sales figures that they have had for the past 4 months.

The moment microsoft decided to force kinect they placed themselves in a loose/loose situation. People were saying since the reveal that they would not buy an xbone if it came with the kinect, they kept it anyway, hence the abysmal sales figures. By choosing to drop it now they are screwing the initial buyers who bought into their "vision".

This could have all been avoided if they just kept it optional. Sony kept the ps camera optional and the damn thing is selling like hotcakes. People will always prefer options.

[Magicite]

That is NEVER, EVER, NEVER ,EVER gonna happen..
Oh wait, its a MS, You can expect 180 anytime.

[xx4xx]

Unrealistic.

One of the reasons Sony started charging for their online component was because they saw Microsoft made like a billion dollars off of XBOX Live memberships alone.

They won't give away that cash.

[kreate]

if I may add to angelic's comment.

I don't understand why so many ppl paid for xbl last gen when nobody else charged for online play.

back than, the excuse I heard was that psn sucks, and xbl had netflix.

the most dumbest excuse I ever heard. and this excuse was used by some n4g users I considered smart.

I told everyone that this type of practice, if not fought against early on, will become the industry norm in the future.

Microsoft is rich, they can afford to not charge for online play, while charging for their tv services.

yet, the lemmings in america are totally fine with paying something that use to be free.

I really don't understand ppl, not just this site. now that its the industry norm, I pay both on psn and xbl.

thanks to the lemmings.

there's no going back now even if ppl did complain.

[DragonKnight]

Except MS never listened to the public. They listened to sales. So, in fact, they are doing what any business would do and trying to get more sales. It just so happens that the reason their sales aren't up to expectations is the reasons that the public have stated so it's only a coincidence that their maneuvers turn out to be consumer friendly, but their motivation wasn't consumers it was sales.

[mcarsehat]

I think they will throw a load of big AAA exclusives at us. gamers want big AAA exclusives. Yes there is a big talk of indie games at this time but most hardcore gamers don't want indie games, they want the shiny shiny graphics and that's what sells.

I'm a big fan of indies, i think Hotline Miami might be the best game i have played this year (even with the PixelArt graphics, i still got a bit weary and sometimes scared playing the levels haha)

Gamers aren't like me though, the majority are 14 year old boys that want big bombastic games so the company that goes further down that route will win overall.

[SilentNegotiator]

What a moronic article...Yet another ill-informed idiot claiming that we would have gotten full fledged "family sharing" when nothing of the sort was announced. It was a RUMOR.

[CYCLEGAMER]

Hindsite is 20/20 where were the articles like this pre the price drop. Now everyone want to talk about how MS should have kept the kinect in the box and continued to innovate. MS cant win in the gaming community, people are so fickle and jaded.

[Darkstares]

It's kind of a wonky topic, they suggest Microsoft just go full steam ahead and stop listing to fans. Sales speak louder than what's said on forums. Sure there is a vocal minority out there who just continue to spout out noise and will never be a customer regardless. They do however have to use sales as a way to see what works and what doesn't work.

I personally believe it was pre-order numbers and developers that told Microsoft hold on a minute with their initial plans to lock games and require a 24 hour check-in process. Now that the X1 sales have flattened after selling 4 million they realize it's not working. That's why they are removing Kinect. Plus you have analysts like Pachter saying they need price parity to compete with the PS4.

The good news is they are able to do these things. Nintendo is even more stubborn, they still think of yesterday and use the same handbook that worked years ago. What worked yesterday simply won't work today. Sony learned many lessons too with the PS3 which is why the PS4 is running so smoothly for them. Microsoft may suggest they listen to fans but in reality they only really listen to sales. There needs to be a balance, you can't just rely on the die-hards who wear their passion on their sleeves. You have to be able to react quickly and thankfully Microsoft in only half a year into this generation.

[medman]

I really don't understand why articles like this exist....Microsoft has yet to "win" a single console generation, so what "rise to the top" is this article referring to? In order to rise to the top, Microsoft would have to win areas outside the US and UK, and that isn't going to happen. Microsoft is going to have a hard enough time trying to claw it's way back even in the US and UK, never mind everywhere else.

[Gamerbynight]

Microsoft most definitely won last gen. There competition lost a huge chunk of business to microsoft called the USA. When you loose marketshare and watch your company devalue to junk stocks and analysts are talking bankruptcy as away out while your competitor basically tied you in ww numbers and took your market share and your company is not worth even half of what it was at the beginning of last gen is not winning. In my opinion microsoft easily won last gen with those things being considered. The health of your company and profits going forward are the single most telling sign. We will have to see how this gen goes but its way to early to tell at 6 months in.

[MEGANE]

Well, i don't even know what to think anymore.
XBOXONE doesn't have any personality anymore, It has change a lot from what MS announce a year ago.
The problem with MS is that they are not use to innovate but to copy or imitate, and at soon as they saw success in PS4 they turn their machine into an underpower PS4. They sacrifice all this innovations because they dint have faith and conviction.
MS is trying to play safe by following the PS4 formula(price, PLUS, etc).
Now the question is; "what can I do with an X1 Diskinected that I can't with a PS4?"

[tuglu_pati]

What can a PS4 can do except for better graphics a PS3 cant do. You see your question can be applied to any console.

[MEGANE]

Lets keep it Next Gen(X1, PS4 and WiiU I guess), but to be fair with you I feel there was more of an upgrade from PS2 to PS3 than from PS3 to PS4. "The PS3 was...no, is a Beast".

Before i get disagrees think all the good things PS3 brought to the table; Full HD, HDD, Bluetooth, BlueRay, Wireless, Card readers, Optical, HDMI. Wireless controllers(built in batteries ;) ....). Backwards compatibilities and more!
Man! PS3 still my favorite Console of all time!!
Not only that., PS3 single handed push the HD generation across the border

[tuglu_pati]

i agree with you on that one PS3 is a beast ;)

[user1439414]

I am gamer and playing games in better graphics and also with a much better controller than the PS3 plus having a much better interface and online PSN I am very happy I upgraded to the PS4. I do not want Kinect gaming or TV DVR features.

[FriedGoat]

Well also, I can play my full PS4 games when I'm out of the house with almost no input delay.

[Clown_Syndr0me]

To be honest the highest step up from last gen to this gen was the ability to stream from my console without my capture card, and voice commands.
I love using Twitch on consoles, its justa shame that the PS4s twitch is very limited compared to the X1s.

[MRMagoo123]

Yup they need to back up their ideas, I dont want to bring Sony up in this but look how they went with Bluray, people said it was a mistake but they knew it wasnt so they stuck to their guns and now bluray is even in the xbone, MS may have swayed people into their train of thought if they had only stuck to their original plans from day dot and watched how the cards fell, instead they changed everything that made it a different console and now althought Xbone fanboys wont admit it , its just a weaker PS4.

@tuglu

The ps4 can stream live gameplay at a touch of a button, it can screen capture any moment you choose at a touch of a button, it has far more ram therefore can hold more memory on games making them more diverse, it can download in the background whilst playing games, it can use voice commands, it has special uses with the speaker in the controller along with the light. I have a lot more but i think you get the point. there are loads of things it can do that the ps3 cant.

[Ashlen]

Um, they did stick to there guns until they realized that PS4 was getting pre-orders 10 to 1 at many retailers.

People who think Microsoft should have stayed the course either have already forgotten how things actually went down or are just delusional.

If they hadn't made all the 180's things would be far worse for them than they already are.

[Why o why]

Trust me....if ms didn't do all of those 180s their console would of been dead on arrival. The rest of the world would of shunned it worst than what they are already due to the features NOT available in their regions.

[ScareFactor]

Obviously the leap from PS2 was bigger were going into the first HD generation

[SoulSercher620]

"So the answer to Microsoft’s problems with the Xbox One? Simple. Stop listening to the public and put everything back the way it was when it was announced a year ago. Then, and only then, will the console be the best of its generation."

Did this guy miss the whole DRM fiasco last year? He must not have realized gamers won't stand be to be locked down, and that's why pre-orders for XB1 were abysmal until MS removed it.

A perfect example of someone who cares more about MS than gamers.

[MCTJim]

This now makes 14 total in 36 hrs....new record?

[Spotie]

Are you going to keep complaining? It's a fresh, relevant topic, and everyone has an opinion on it. Since nearly everyone has a website or blog, there will be many articles discussing said subject.

There's nobody with a gun to your head forcing you to read the articles...which I doubt you're really doing anyway.

[MCTJim]

Only as fresh as the other 15. So yes..i will continue. These are all duplicates that should not be approved time after time.

[Spotie]

Freshness isn't at all determined by the number of articles covering the subject, but by the recency of it. As it is extremely recent, expect heavy coverage, and avoid accordingly.

Also, you can't call opinion pieces duplicates unless they're actually the same article by the same person. If those requirements aren't met, then it just happens to be lots of articles that are similar due to the authors having similar opinions on a given subject.

And, as always, you're free to ignore them.

[OrangePowerz]

Without the changes they might have even worse sales than the Wii U. They made the changes because they have seen Pre Order numbers last year and now the sales numbers.

[corroios]

Must be cheaper. If microsoft didnt spent 100 millions on the kinect and invested that money for a good gpu they could react, but they didnt..... Multiplats are better on the ps4 and the formula halo,gears,forza just isnt enough to rule market. A second place is what the xbox one can reach

[Flamingweazel]

Who wrote this article MisterxMedia?

[Brazz]

The guy is butthurt xboxfanboy, this read is bullshit, don't waste your click...

"The Xbox One, as announced almost exactly one year ago, was a great idea. It was a console that was going to allow people to share games with friends and family, and let you control games and other features with gestures and voice control. The PS4 has none of this, and nor does the PC. What’s more, PCs might be powerful, but they are dismal in the living room."

"So the answer to Microsoft’s problems with the Xbox One? Simple. Stop listening to the public and put everything back the way it was when it was announced a year ago. Then, and only then, will the console be the best of its generation."

Can't say if he's trolling or if he sincerely nourishes these ideas that are very bad...

[OrangePowerz]

PC has family sharing on Steam, you could theoretically use voice and gesture on PC (but nobody wants to). The PS4 has also voive control, Tomb Raider and Thief have the same voice controls on both consoles with the difference that PS4 works with the cheap headset. The author really needs to do some research :D

[Budobear]

"The Xbox One, as announced almost exactly one year ago, was a great idea. It was a console that was going to allow people to share games with friends and family, and let you control games and other features with gestures and voice control. The PS4 has none of this, and nor does the PC. What’s more, PCs might be powerful, but they are dismal in the living room."

The PS4 can share games by giving them the disk, which I know is different to what Msoft had in mind, but its a damn site easier. The PSeye might not have gesture control (yet) but the PS4 does voice control, not quite to the level of the xbox 1 but it still does it. They both do face logging in via the camera, so I see very little difference between the two. A feature list for the two would be very similar, with the exception of the TV through-put for the one and this just wasn't enough to pull in the customers.

[RosweeSon]

Stop talking crap and make some games!!

[Kakashi Hatake]

Is Microsoft owed the top spot or something? You see nothing but articles saying what they could do to dominate. Seems like they can't accept PlayStation dominating...

[Gamer187]

I think one of the major things people forget is that the decision driving the Xbox division are derivatives of Microsoft as a whole. As much as you would not like to admit it, Xbox Division while important is not Microsoft's main concern. They have metrics to meet and they can not just plow ahead blindly with an idea for innovation sake. Numbers talk in the meeting rooms in real life and the people in charge of the Xbox division are going to make decisions based on that fact to continue keeping Xbox as marketable as possible so they can keep selling them for us to enjoy.

Think about the cycle like this

Scenario 1 Xbox is successful Microsoft allows budget increase / approval which allows more money to be distributed to games funding which in turn increases revenue and the beat goes on.

Scenario 2 Xbox is not successful Microsoft is forced to make decisions about the Xbox division, probably not good ones

Scenario 3 Xbox is stagnant this may buy it a longer shelf life but ultimately in business stagnant may as well be a failure.

I own all systems including PC and WII U and Kinect just isn't that innovative especially considering the length of time the original Kinect was out to build a foundation for the new one. You can't just say innovative and not be innovative. My PS4 has vice controls, hell so does my IPAD and cell phone. Everyone myself included was expecting a way more robust interface with the Kinect camera no just voice commands.

Things are not just black and white I think from an immediate future for the division the decision to drop connect was a great one.

[incendy35]

The problem Microsoft faces is that they have a big vision for the future but consumers are mostly stuck in the past. Unfortunately even if their vision is the correct vision, it is reliant on Consumers buying into it. The best way to go about it is to try to appease everyone. Offer the future, but also offer ways for people to keep living in the past.

With Kinect I think this will work just fine, after all, the X1 works great regardless of the input you use. For Digital Marketplaces, this is tricky. Definitely be easier to just jump into the Steam model and allow publishers full freedom, but as we saw last summer consumers will go in kicking and screaming even if the end goal is to make games more reasonable and publishing easier.

[SilentNegotiator]

Strict console DRM sure won't be a part of my future if I can help it.

[incendy35]

Yes, I am suggesting they offer people like you ways to remain in the past. While still letting those of us who want to venture into the future do so as well.

[SilentNegotiator]

I'm glad that the overwhelming majority of gamers don't want the corporate-owned future that you want.

[HacSawJimThugin]

Bring back family sharing. That idea alone will drive sales.

[Spotie]

It was only ever an idea, hence why there are still no concrete details of what it entailed.

[lonelyplayer]

One thing to be number one.... Hmmmm make the console free.

[aerisbueller]

They didn't listen to customers, they listened to sales. They didn't have to change much about XBox One. They could have just said 'these features require a persistent broadband connection' for the one's the features that really did, and 'this game requires a persistent broadband connection for all game modes' for the games that really did. There was no reason it had to be all or nothing. It was also their fault for their horrible salesmanship. During the entire initial DRM debacle, there wasn't a thing that came out of their mouths that made it sound positive for gamers, and half the stuff they said was directly insulting, like the #dealwithit thing.

If they understood gamers in the least, they would have predicted the problem with the DRM. It's not like anyone paying even a little attention to the game industry wouldn't have known that gamers would be less than thrilled about mandatory online check-ins that actually turn off all gameplay if you aren't online in a 24 hour period. You have got to be kidding me. Something like Steam might have faired better, but their system was clearly designed for their own and publishers' benefit, with the gamer as an afterthought.

They should have kept the Kinect mandatory in my opinion, and put a bounty on innovative uses of the Kinect in Kinect exclusive titles. The tech demos are amazing, but they did nothing with it.

All in all, though, I think in most ways they're moving forward. The tone of their rhetoric recently is night and day from when Ballmer and Mattrick were in office. And most of the other changes recently have been overwhelmingly positive, across all Microsoft products like Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 and related policies. Microsoft looks like it's headed to be a very awesome company very soon. It's refreshing because under Ballmer's rule I really couldn't stand them.

[breakpad]

Crap aricle that promotes Microsoft and even DMR (privacy nuts etcetc)..console graphics (and other features) cannot easily copied even by powerful pCs (except X360's games)...lot of console exclusives games are specially designed for the unique system which hosts them.

[gigoran]

I cannot believe what website this is coming from. I honestly thought I was reading kotaku for a minute. They were defending the 24/7 connection to the Internet by saying "And let’s be honest, everyone who buys an Xbox connects it to the internet anyway". Let's be honest... No! They think only privacy nuts were pleased about that? Only a small percentage were unhappy they removed that. Some may reply and say they wished they kept it because of whatever features it provided, bit those people are a part of that small percentage.

I'll agree that some small websites are fanboys to certain consoles and give favorite reviews to the console they blindly support, but I would never in a million years think that a website like this would say something so idiotic.