It's not stupid at all, it's completely rational. Your logic is backward. You just posted yourself what the definition of a console is, and that's what was expected of it. Yes, it does more stuff, but clearly people aren't as interested in that. For Microsoft to think they are just proves they know nothing about their audience. People watched the conference wanting to hear about games, and it's the job of a company to give their consumers what they want, not bore them with something else. I really don't know how I can make it any simpler than that. It's not comparable to Apple as smartphones were always designed as multi-use devices and that's their appeal. The main appeal of a games console is the games. It's comparable to Nintendo revealing a Wii and talking primarily about how it makes toast.
I would agree that Microsoft seem really out of touch with their audience. Bill Gates coming out saying how much consumers wanted the Surface because of the iPads lack of keyboard was bizarre. With Apple's iTV probably to be announced this year, Youtube's paychannels and the movement towards pay per channel not packages the TV obsession seems a little old. Plus everyone outside of the US gets very little of those features anyway. Their exclusives are running low and their competitors are way more numerous than Sony and Nintendo. Maybe its just me but with the UI disaster that was Windows 8, Microsoft need to re-orientate with what they do well. Buy good studios and look after them, keep providing great online gaming, powerful consoles and create UI's that work. Who knows tho. With WiiU moving away from motion I could see the Kinect pulling in some parents. We will see
Well, the definition is perfectly correct. But I was talking about an "entertainment centre", not a "console". If I want a console,there's a x-box,ps3,ps2, so on and so so forth of outdated technology that'll sort that out for me. The past is the past. It just might be time to move on. Of course sometimes a console is all one needs so you make a very fair point. edit. I don't think I got my point across very well last time but to be honest, the multimedia (I know, its a buzzword marketing term, but still) element of the whole Xbox one thing is actually the most interesting part. I have a dose of boxes underneath my tv taking up space. If only I could have the one box for tv, games, video, etc, you know what, that'd be kinda cool.......Is what I ultimately meant to say. I very ocd as well though so the current clutter drives me a little bit nutty.. I'm kinda hoping this multimedia/interactive/play centre/console/blue ray one box does all things kinda thing works out. Don't hate on me or flame on me guys, its kinda what I'm looking for I might just be the marketplace. And be able to play COD Ghosts, which lets be fair, looks amazingly cool.
Its pretty late so I'll probably post a more well thought out response later but here are some quick thoughts. The conference was a reveal of what the console does. It plays games and also has a wide variety of new entertainment features to go along with that. Microsoft never said they were going to show a game-centric event, it was an event in the next generation of XBox. It was the gaming community that assumed it would be all about the games. And it is not the job a company to give consumers to give the consumers what they want but to sell consumers a product that appeals to those consumers. Microsoft's target audience for this conference was obviously not traditional gamers but to the more casual audience who are not as interested in the gaming aspects but will like the other features that the One offers. Why else would they show COD and EA Sports games but none of their system sellers like Halo and Fable? COD and sports titles sell millions to less traditional gamers along with more traditional gamers. Also with E3 around the corner Microsoft gave themselves a chance to appeal to the traditional gamers at a separate conference letting Microsoft show off different sides of the console to their respective audience.
Okay, so it does things other than play games. But there are millions of people across the world who want to know which console will be most suitable for playing games, and Microsoft didn't give them any reasons. It's foolish to ignore an audience that big. I get that they're trying to expand, but they didn't have the ears of people looking for a multi-media box, they had the ears of people looking for a games console. They were preaching to entirely the wrong crowd. If they're looking for a new crowd, there are better ways of talking to them rather than through a conference almost universally perceived as a gaming event. That's what they're being attacked for. If they want to go casual, let them. But they should know how little respect Nintendo gets from the gaming community these days. As I said before, gaining a new audience almost always means losing an old one. That event told me that if I want a box that provides live TV and subscription services, but also plays games, then I should buy the Xbox One. Also that if I want a box that appeals to my hobby as a gamer, I should buy the PS4.
As a 360 owner I think the the One is a complete deal breaker and I agree with the negative opinions over the used games and the connecting to the internet is another dealbreaker to me as I've never once bothered to connect my 360 since I've bought it. PS4 looks to be the much better console this gen and the fact I already have a Vita ties in nicely as well so between windows 8 and the One bye bye Microsoft.
They figured they can reel even more people in by showing countless features that are not relevant to gamers. As I see it, it sucks for us, but for them they see $$ when they are thinking of the potential audience they can reach by having the ultimate entertainment system. Its no longer videogames, its now everything in one. As for now I am leaning towards ps4, but i am not totally giving up on the xbox one.
