Sweeney Admits There's No Proof of Evil Plan by Microsoft, Proves He's Not Up To Date On UWP Specs

After the fiery op-ed written on The Guardian, Tim Sweeney admitted there's no proof of an evil plan by Microsoft, only the fear of one.

[Aurenar]

The only thing you can be sure of is this: Valar Morghulis.

[Relientk77]

"Someday I'm gonna put a sword through your eye and out the back of your skull"

:)

[Vermigs]

Valar Dohaeris

[3-4-5]

Sweeney sounds like a spoiled whiney man-child who needs to grow up.

[Overload]

What he is talking about it potential problems, which is a valid concern. Especially given Microsoft's history, look at the unveiling of the Xbox One and GFWL, they have an obsession with having complete control.

[Dabigkahuna76]

Is they any different than Apple or Sony with they devices I don't know that's why I'm asking

[Festano]

I don't think it is

[DragonbornZ]

He did a bit more than talking. I mean, he definitely has valid concerns, but with the whole "we must stop them" and looking at this article here, he jumped the gun.

[Overload]

I agree with that.

[TheCommentator]

Yeah, it could have been a bit less soap-boxy. Phil said they'd be laying out the details soon, which I'm looking forwards to.

[dkp23]

That was under old leadership. Over the past two years under phils control, he has done what people wanted. Focus on games yet still get a lot of shit for some reason regardless if it is a pc xbone issue.

[christocolus]

@Overload

Please ...His rants were premature at best. why even write a letter when you have no proof of anything? All this has done is make him look kind of silly. Take a look at all those replies?He even admits he currently uses windows10.

[mark_parch]

this has been microsofts biggest problem this gen a lot of undiserved bad press. sure they're not perfect and the launch was terrible but this attempt at an apology won't get much press and the damage has already been done from his origonal comment

[Hoffmann]

Why would I buy a Xbox One today when there are better alternatives in the form of a Gaming PC and the other Platform(s)?

Would felt screwed if I would have bought an XB 1 + paid the monthly Live costs.

For 400-500 bucks you can upgrade an PC already to play the games the XB1 can. but you don't have to pay to play online of course.

[starchild]

Why do people play multiplatform games on the PS4 when a superior experience (and free online) is available on the PC? Answer that and you'll have your answer.

[Hoffmann]

They play it on the PS4 because its the better console alternative and they dislike PC gaming I guess or don't want/can't to spend the money to have the superiour experience.

But why would someone with a gaming PC buy an XB1?

[Manic2014]

"They play it on the PS4 because its the better console alternative and they dislike PC gaming I guess or don't want/can't to spend the money to have the superior experience"

@Hoffmann

Do you see the irony in this statement and your comment above against the Xbox one?

[NatFanBoyRestricted]

Hoffman-Why would I buy a Xbox One today when there are better alternatives in the form of a Gaming PC and the other Platform(s)? - Maybe their too broke for a gaming pc,or their friends pay on xbox.

Hoffman -400-500 bucks you can upgrade an PC already to play the games the XB1 can. but you don't have to pay to play online of course. -You really make that sounds simple. Some people find it a deal-breaker to change batteries out of a xbox controller, but are suddenly perfectly fine with building and managing a gaming pc and dealing with graphic card drivers. Wow

Hoffman-They play it on the PS4 because its the better console alternative and they dislike PC gaming I guess or don't want/can't to spend the money to have the superiour experience.

But why would someone with a gaming PC buy an XB1? -- Derp for console exclusives prior to xbox titles releasing on pc,their friends paying on xbox.

[Alexious]

That's true, PC is certainly the superior choice right now.

[dkp23]

It is but the superior choice comes with a much higher price tag. That is why consoles will always be in demand because of what a console can do at that price level. So it isn't as easy as if ms wants to release on pc too. I'll just get on pc.

[Cy]

Ease of use, familiarity, knowing that I only have to buy a console once (barring any breakage, which is a possibility on PC as well), being able to play on my TV while sitting on my couch. All valid reasons. For me it's mostly ease of use. PC is a more complicated platform and when something goes wrong there are four times the reasons and possible fixes than there are on a console. And in case you think I'm a console only gamer who doesn't know anything about how "no, really, it's so super easy to use a PC and learn everything about it" I have a $2000 gaming PC and I've had some form of gaming PC since the early 90's. Just like I've always had a console. And I've always preferred the console experience. My PC is for PC exclusives, the internet, and my writing. My Xbox One is for everything that isn't console exclusive to another console.

[Festano]

I have both PC and consoles, each platform has its own strengths.

[matgrowcott]

The ideal situation is to own everything. Upto that there's just personal opinion. Why do people pick iOS over Android, and vice versa?

There's no wrong option when it comes to buying a console. Unless you pick an Ouya, obviously.

[n4rc]

Because then you're playing unoptimized PC versions of games when the console versions are arguably better. You aren't at the mercy of a bad driver or a hardware conflict.. You don't start GPU shopping every time you get a new game or worrying about hackers etc

Playing Xbox exclusives alone isn't going to turn a console gamer into a PC gamer just like that.. Game sales are generally showing exclusives don't hold the weight they once did so why not sell your first party games to more people?

That's my take on it.. I'll still be gaming on my Xbox and PC gamers will stay with PC, only now they get some awesome games and ms makes more money to make more games for me lol

[NeoGamer232]

I buy both. And with the new MS commitment to both platforms I see this as a huge win for me as both a consumer and a gamer.

[Zero109]

MS are trying to do what Apple and Steam have done. Have a store controlled by them. Not saying it's necessarily right but if it is open source and doesn't block certain features then everything should be good.

[Alexious]

Indeed. The question is, though, why is he okay with Apple and Steam but not with Microsoft?

[Hoffmann]

Steam and Apple are not affecting console gamers, thats why

[aconnellan]

@Hoffman

Moot point - the argument was never, ever, about console gamers, it was about gamers in general, and specifically the PC app/gaming development and market space.

Alexious is pointing out that Sweeney's big issue is that MS can control everything with the Windows Store (on PC), but he's totally fine with Steam and Apple controlling their own respective stores/systems. That's the irony in the argument

[Alexious]

@Hoffmann: he is talking about PC here. Not sure where you got the bit about consoles, they're tangential at best on this whole topic.

[Paideia]

While he shouldn't be denouncing something he clearly doesn't comprehend fully, his reaction is not inconsiderate.

Gabe Newell saw Microsoft's wish to create a walled garden since Windows 8. It's not far fetched to imagine this would be the case for Windows 10 as well.

Many Microsoft's Representatives are now saying UWP is trying to be open from the start, but how much open? Big companies, Microsoft included, are notorious for double speak, even Phil Spencer is guilty of that. The fact that they're saying "UWP will be open" doesn't say much till we have actual proof that the system is truly open, not "android open" (Yeah, it's "open", just not really...)

[aconnellan]

"The fact that they're saying "UWP will be open" doesn't say much till we have actual proof that the system is truly open"

What?

They've literally said that it will be an open ecosystem, with no doublespeak or roundabout talk, and people are still saying "well, obviously they don't mean it" or "they're going to go back on it, you wait and see"

I'm generally an advocate of the 'wait and see approach', but your comment doesn't really make sense, especially when using that logic in other contexts:

- Sony 'says' that PSVR will work at launch and be amazing, but we won't know until it comes out, so we shouldn't trust Sony for talking up their own product, and we should cancel all preorders and start a smear campaign against it, right? Right?

[Paideia]

Applying a Fourier Transform to a cake recipe doesn't make any sense either. That's not the point, buddy.

Microsoft's own words could have weight if they had consumers trust, which apart from their own fanboys, it's not really the case.

Their past history shows that:

They have been trying to create a Walled Garden for a long time.

They have decades of Anti-trusts trials behind them.

And most importantly, it's very known throughout the software development industry that Microsoft operates through monopolizing strategies (See "Embrace, Extend and Extinguish" on google, please).

Coming from Microsoft's own history, these concerns are not by any means exaggerated. Accusations would be (as done by Tim), but I believe the concerns are grounded.

[Mikefizzled]

Funny because Epic won't put Paragon, Fortnite and UT4 on any store front besides their own, which they control.

[Alexious]

Indeed. There's something fishy in their argument

[Automatic79]

So why @Tim Sweeney go on a rant on twitter. To have the twitter warriors and media manipulate another hate driven agenda for MS. This is going to be a long generation.

[MJunior]

When something like this occurs, is a big hit on the person who made the claims. Industry persons have to take care on everything they say, especially if they attack some big company.

[Alexious]

Agreed. I think it was mostly made as a kind of leverage to get something from Microsoft behind the scenes.

[Chris_Wray]

Well I personally wouldn't doubt that Microsoft are aiming for total dominance when it comes to the PC. As a company they wouldn't have pushed Windows 10, even making it free, without undeniable benefits to themselves. We already know about the fact that they gather insane levels of data on W10 users and the only way to stop them was to opt out when originally installing the OS.

With this, well MS hadn't released all the information to begin with and having read the twitter conversation I find it hard to believe people who have defended Microsoft by saying "they haven't told us yet so you should have waited for them to tell us". Companies should be forthcoming to avoid things like this coming up. Was Sweeney overreacting? Sure, but he's human and none of us like a company such as Microsoft, who are undeniably abusive with power, keeping relevant details from us.

I'd still like to forward arguments gave against Microsoft and/or W10, which are valid. MS have made it a longer process to change default programs.
On the same note, a updates to W10 in the past have reportedly reset default application settings, putting their own programs back to the forefront.
MS enforced mandatory downloads of W10 on W7 & W8 users before the outcry hit them, even after that there was an update that just had a persistent W10 ad. Look at how they were dealing with the Xbox One in how they were aiming for an always online system, locking down software to one machine/account to prevent resales, only the outcry stopped them.
Look at their willingness to let any of their systems be used for espionage by US agencies.

Microsoft should not and can not be trusted and until they prove different, I'm more than happy to think the worst and I'm with Sweeney in thinking the worse when aspects are still hidden from us.

[Garethvk]

MS always seems to be blamed for evil deeds and plotting.

[TheGreenMan]

@ Garethvk

Look at their history and tell me the shoe doesn't fit. It's like saying "I can't believe that people are consistently suspicious of the Patriots cheating." Given their track record, why wouldn't you be suspicious?

I'm not saying they are definitely plotting something "evil," only that consumers should be at least a little bit skeptical of their motives based on past dealings.

[LavaLampGoo]

I mean, he never said this was 'The Plan', at least thats not how I read it. What he did say was the this store *could* be used to undermine competition, and that is true. And with all the crap going on with businesses and governments, I can't blame him for worrying.

[ccgr]

Time will tell

[Jmanzare]

He definitely jumped the gun on the criticism. Very unprofessional