Mods, I will be linking this to the Xbox One thread, but it is its own discussion, and I feel deserves its own thread. Wednesday March 23rd, 7:00 AM Melbourne, Australia Its three hours after the announcement of the Xbox One. Ive just woken, up, and Im excited. I jump online to read up on Microsofts latest home console. Where are the games!? Xbox One reveal a disaster! Microsoft sure stuffed this one up Why would anyone buy this shit, Microsoft deserves to die The Playstation 4 announcement blew this out of the water Consoles are still shit, omg this crap is already outdated, PC master race Im confused by the articles, particularly the comments, and their overwhelming negativity. There are gifs, photoshopped pictures and videos blanketing the internet with furious hate for the Xbox One. What did Microsoft do that was so terrible? I wonder. I do some further reading. It seems that most people are complaining about online requirements and used games. Some are complaining about Kinect. Its being called universally ugly. Surely the online requirement isnt that bad, I think to myself. Ive always thought Kinect was pretty cool stuff. I think it looks ok, but Ill reserve my judgement until I sit down and watch the conference. Later that day, I finally had the opportunity to sit down, and watch the conference from start to end. The further I got into the video, the stranger I began to feel. My confusion from earlier in the morning had returned. I watched it all, through the unveiling, the sports, the TV, the Call of Duty, and by the end of it I was angry. Angry enough to write this piece. Angry at the gaming community. Right now, I hate the gaming community. I was excited as I sat through that conference. I saw that Kinect would come included with every console. Thats awesome I thought to myself, Every Xbox One owner will have a Kinect. It will really be able to live up to its full potential I thought. Blu-ray drive, games being installed to the hard-drive, and being linked to my account ala Steam. This will be very great for a lot of people. It seems a small thing, but being able to launch a game without requiring the correct disk is a massive convenience. Then we get to EA sports. I could not care less about sporting video games, but the demos shown were cool. I started to think about how this technology will benefit the games that I love to play. I was excited because this was new, awesome technology that will enhance our experiences as both consumers and gamers. And yet just this morning I had had to sift through an ocean of hate to get to the Xbox One news. I stopped thinking about the Xbox One and I took a step back to look at the gaming community as a whole. I did not like what I saw. Because although its probably the worst response Ive seen, its not just the Xbox One. The Playstation 4 announcement was attacked for several reasons, including not showing a console. The Wii U was attacked because people thought the gamepad was a waste of space, time and money. The Vita was attacked because the community felt it had no reason to exist. The 3DS was attacked because the gaming community called 3D a gimmick. Very rarely do I remember seeing someone take a step back and say hold on guys, think about how cool this is. Think about what new things we can do with it, and how it will enhance our gaming experiences. And I see this as a problem. I feel that regardless of what Microsoft had announced at that conference, it would have been torn apart, because that is what our community has become. Criticism can lead to innovation, and it is a very valuable tool that must not be discounted, but we have reached the point at which the gaming community has become so critical, and so hostile, that we have lost sight of why it is that we became gamers in the first place. We have become a community that is stifling innovation, a community that Im not sure I want to continue to be a part of. The Xbox One has its share of problems. I could write an entire article about how many of them are of little consequence, and have been over-dramatised by technology websites across the globe. I could explain why Microsofts decision during the unveiling event to focus on the console, and entertainment, as opposed to games, was a good one. But why should I? It will just be responded to with hate and disgust, as Im sure will this one. I could try to change the community, to inspire everyone to just appreciate awesome technology for what it is, But Ive just about given up on you, gamers
I think you more or less answered your own questions with this. I didn't see anything during the Xbox One reveal that made me think that, but I thought it several times throughout the PS4 reveal. It's as simple as that. I'm not at all interested in TV features, and the amount of times they were mentioned is absolutely staggering. Games were a low priority for Microsoft at that conference and so gamers became bored and disinterested. They seem determined to move further and further into other areas of entertainment as made clear by the increasingly ugly and annoying 360 dashboard updates. With each one, new complaints flood in, and MS apparently don't listen at all, still they push for more and more premium services, more advertising and more excuses to take money from their customers. With all the talk of TV it was shocking to hear that you can't access the live TV features without yet another peripheral (sold separately) and that the services wouldn't even be available to the majority of countries at launch. I'd go as far to say they made some incredibly stupid mistakes here. So what new things can we do with the Xbox One exactly? I've got a pretty good list of things we can't do (unplug the Kinect, stay offline for 25 hours, lend/borrow games, upgrade the hardware, get it to fit on my desk) but I'm struggling to see just how my gaming is actually being enhanced by this console. Compare this to Sony's announcement, which reads like a love letter to gamers. Everything was focused purely on how much fun you would get out of playing amazing games and how they're working their hardest to give the consumers what they actually asked for. I'm with you on the state of the gaming community, it's terrible, but so was this reveal. Microsoft simply aren't trying hard enough. First it was Windows 8, then their phones went downhill, Surface failed to make a big enough impression... there's a pattern emerging. I also read this morning that they're finally giving Windows 8 a proper start button, but you have to buy a mouse with the it included. Yes, Microsoft are actually charging you money for a start button. I typically buy every console from each generation, and I've had three Xbox 360s, but if you ask me the only way you can possibly turn the Xbox One reveal into something positive is with some very creative denial.
And yet that is not what that announcement was, that was not its purpose. The Xbox One announcement was just that. An announcement. It was a way to introduce everyone to the hardware, and get a whole bunch of system features out of the way, so that the company can focus just on games at their E3 Conference. If their conference doesn't show much in the way of games then those critics worried about Microsoft drifting away from gamers may have been right, and I will admit defeat. But the way I see it, Microsoft is a massive company, and can absolutely add new features without detracting from the gaming aspect. "Sony's announcement... reads like a love letter to gamers"? In some respects I will agree with you. The PS4 announcement certainly was targeted more at gamers than mainstream media like the Xbox One's was, however to me, this is what Microsoft's E3 announcement is for. Just because Microsoft is expanding their appeal, and expanding the features and usability of their console, doesn't mean that they have put gaming on the back-pedal. With regards to features, I don't understand why not being able to unplug the Kinect while playing is even a gripe. I suppose some may be concerned with privacy, but such concerns are unfounded. In terms of online connectivity, for some people, if we do indeed need to connect to the internet every 24 hours, this will be a deal-breaker. For almost everyone, this will be a non-issue. I have given this some due thought, and I struggle to think of scenarios in which I will not have access to the internet for over 24 hours when I am trying to use my Xbox. I understand that this is an issue for some, but it is a side-effect of moving Microsoft moving its product to the digital space. Besides which, having also seen the PS4 conference, there is likewise not much new to get excited about, only improvements, and I love them. As I've said, if Microsoft's E3 conference is a flop, I will gladly admit defeat, but as I see it right now, the hate directed at the One, and at Microsoft's announcement, is unwarranted. P.S. I'd say their phones are more uphill than down, especially if you're comparing to 6 months ago, and the new mice do not introduce a new 'start button', only a button on the mouse itself which gives quick access to the Windows 8 Start Screen
Because nobody asked for this? Nobody wanted a cable box built into their console, nobody wanted to be required to be online once every 24 hours just to play their games, nobody wanted them to block second hand games, nobody wanted them to require a kinect to even use the damn console. Do you see where I am going with this? Your defending microsoft by telling us that we are all silly for not supporting this machine because you think they are not doing anything wrong, when on the contrary they have done everything wrong, like i just previously mentioned. People are jumping on the PS4 bandwagon because mostly everything that has been said negative about the Xbox, sony has come along and said we won't be doing this, we won't be doing that, just like gamers wanted! Instead of telling us that we are being a mean community for not understanding what this console is trying to do and for not liking it, tell us in great detail what you think the console is doing well and why we should be buying it? That way you may get some supporters, but just sitting in your chair and telling us that you don't like us, and that the community is being a bunch of a cry babies is not going to help support your case. just my 2 cents.
You say it's not what the conference was about, but it's what gamers expect from a games console reveal. Are Microsoft that distanced from their own customers that they thought this is what they wanted? They may well show more games at E3, but they haven't given me a single good reason why their console is the one to play those games on. To be honest, neither have you. You've complained about the attitudes of gamers but I'm not seeing any compelling reasons to invest in the Xbox One. Instead of telling us we don't appreciate the hardware, why not tell us about the pros of the hardware? Are there even any to mention? The Sony conference was indeed focused on games, but it was also about why their console provides the best gaming experience. Going for a mainstream audience is a fine idea for any company, but in doing so you risk losing your core audience, and that's what's happening here. Nintendo have been very successful financially by going "casual", but their games library is suffering because of it and anybody who considers gaming a hobby is going to overlook it in favour of the bigger and more varied collections provided by the competition. Kinect wasn't exactly a success, so continuing to push it to the extent Microsoft are only goes to show how much they're rejecting the "hardcore" group and aiming their products towards Joe Casual, parents and their kids. You're right about people complaining about anything and everything they can find, but this backlash was pretty much universal, and when you've got a universal consensus, it's usually because there's a genuine and valid point behind it.
Microsoft are on the nose at the moment with Surface and Windows 8 being underwhelming. I see your point about portions of the gaming community being sucky but I hardly think we should feel bad for Microsoft. Jump on Xbox live and hear the torrid of racist, sexist and homophobic slandering. That is the gaming community at its worst and until that cleans up a little what are we to expect from a uninspired product announcement.
meh, Steam is the way of the future - incredible back catalog, upgradable hardware, controller is based on preference, etc. If they could secure EA Sports there would be no reason for me to own a console.
I wouldn't go that far. If I was dedicated to PC I'd be able to name dozens of fantastic console-exclusive games I'm missing out on. I heard earlier that Sony plan to make their back catalog available to play via stream on the PS4, if that turns out to be true it's probably the best library of games I could possibly wish for.
I was not impressed with the xbox one. But it was mainly because of the comments by the veterans here about it.
I'll admit there are exclusives on both the Nintendo and Sony side that look awesome. That being said - if I could only afford one system - PC gaming is where it is at. Especially with Steam and GoG leading the digital revolution this side of things.
I dunno, joystick and tv support have always been better on a console, so personally I would rather game on a console. I really think pcs will be dinosaurs here now with tablet computers taking their place. And tablets that can be used as a pc or console. Or maybe the masses will be content playing angry birds on their iphones. Who knows.
never had a problem hooking up a PC to a high def screen - have several friends who use them as their main monitor. As for controller support - I haven't had a problem using my 360 controller for cross platform releases ever. The big name consoles are basically just limited computers now anyways. I own a 360 - will not be buying a One. If I get any next gen console it will be the PS4 - and definitely a WiiU for whatever major Zelda game comes next on it (the only reason I own a Wii was for Skyward Sword). Likely however I will be buying a high end gaming PC and using that in conjunction with Steam as the living room console - especially if they managed to snag the EA Sports lineup at some point.
Microsoft spent a large majority of its press conference on TV services instead of games, and you're wondering why the gaming community didn't like the Xbox One reveal? Come on now.
I don't hate the new console, and I do think Kinect is kind of cool, especially since they significantly improved it. I was left slightly underwhelmed at the reveal though. The things that I am not a fan of, are the internet connection every 24 hours, and DRM stuff. The lack of power compared to PS4 is disappointing as well. But yeah, I don't hate it. I think people on both sides are a bit extreme.
The problem is that the Xbox platform was made as an entertainment console, not solely a gaming console. The fact that gaming is the biggest use of the system doesn't make gaming the only reason the console exists. The backlash to the XBox One reveal not focusing on games is stupid. If Apple were to show off a new idevice and show no games people shouldn't be mad because that isn't what the i devices were made for. This is the same thing.
I get the feeling, and I think Sony is guilty of this as well (to a lesser extent), that 2 or 3 years ago they came up with the idea of where the gaming console was heading based on the climate at the time, things have changed and its probably more obvious now then it was then that the social and entertainment elements are topping, not the essence. Gaming is what these things are about, immersion, new game ideas and better tech. Not third rate entertainment systems that still require the usage of existing entertainment hardware to function. Forget your core pull and you risk becoming obsolete before you've even started.
Okay, great post. Contextually correct. The new x box is not a console. Surely that is obvious. Even more bad news. The console is dead. It is now an entertainment "Center". The tech has moved on Welcome to today. Don't fool yourself. (Nothing personal, sorry if it came across that way) Ps4. Xbox1. The difference is what exactly? It is what it is. If it doesn't suit you, well there's a ps 2/3 for that, but give up. Go home. Welcome to the new world. Or just go back to the "ps3" "gaming device"!?!?!! ,. On another note, don't go back. The picture perfect tech is..... Beyond belief. Both new consoles will make iOS look irrelevant. Unfortunately. The OP more or less has it right. Sentiment wise, spot on, totally agree, gamers are very critical. Contextually, well, tech has moved on. So. Right again. Why buy a console that's only a console?? Really, Why?? Personally, if I want an "console", they'd be gettinn nothing off me. The PS4 is still borderline. Its all about multimedia. In all its formats. And entertainment ain't cheap. If I wanted a "console" in the traditional sense, funnily enough, I have two or three sitting down at home. Doing nothing.
