X-Box One

[Dr Kain]

For those not in the know how, the X-Box One was revealed. I watched the conference and was not impressed. TV talk, sports, sports fantasy (whatever that is), sports games, Halo tv series, sports on tv, a game that looked interesting for the whole 30 seconds we saw it, and then Call of Duty. Whoopiefriggado. The machine looks like a VCR.

They did say you would not have to be plugged online to play singler player games, but everything else works from the internet. It will play used games, but because the games are going to be connected with your profile and require installs to play, you will have to pay an install fee for games that have been previously used. The controller requires batteries again. And not backwards compatibility (which we all knew).

[Pixel Dan]

It will play used games, but because the games are going to be connected with your profile and require installs to play, you will have to pay an install fee for games that have been previously used.

This right here is what will keep me from buying one, most likely. Aside form the fact that there's nothing about XBox One that makes me feel the need to buy one, having to pay extra to play previously used games is bogus. What about games that we borrow from friends? I assume since it's going based off the game being linked to your profile, you'd have to pay money to play a game you borrow as well. And then when you give it back to your friend, will they have to pay to link it back to their profile? This is a very flawed system. I trade games with friends very often, because games are expensive and I can't buy every game that comes out that I may want to try. It will suck if I can no longer do that.

[wolfsfang]

xbox one did not impress me all that much either.

Well except the Halo TV series that is. I hope it is going to be on actual tv and not just be some kind of exclusive "tv show" which you can only watch on the Xbox One, cuz I am not getting a console just to watch one show no matter how awesome it might be

[Dynamo of Eternia]

This right here is what will keep me from buying one, most likely. Aside form the fact that there's nothing about XBox One that makes me feel the need to buy one, having to pay extra to play previously used games is bogus. What about games that we borrow from friends? I assume since it's going based off the game being linked to your profile, you'd have to pay money to play a game you borrow as well. And then when you give it back to your friend, will they have to pay to link it back to their profile? This is a very flawed system. I trade games with friends very often, because games are expensive and I can't buy every game that comes out that I may want to try. It will suck if I can no longer do that.

The other issue is that regardless of whether or buy a game new or used (and pay a fee to activate the used game), the bottom line seems to be that it requires an install and therefore likely an internet connection to even allow it to install.

This means that someday when the Xbox One is "retired" (which will likely include online/network support) and becomes a video game relic any previously retired game system, if your console breaks, the hard drive crashes, etc, you will instantly lose access to any and all of your games with no way to recover them. If my NES, SNES, PS2, or any previous console breaks, I can buy a second hand replacement, pop my games in, and play them.

Heck, even if your console is still working and you manage to find an unopened, never used copy of a game for the system that you never got around to playing, if the network support is gone, you won't be able to install it or use it at all. This makes pretty much any and all games for the thing extended, glorified rentals.

I personally don't trade many games in and buy most of my games new (not at $60, but still new copies), with my used purchases being here and there (but they do happen). But since long term access is a concern to me, and since I have had to replace one old console previously and I have bought some used games after the life of the respective consoles have ended that I just never got around to playing when it was current, all of these things are of concern to me.

No matter what your gaming habits happen to be, this is not a good thing at all. It looks like a fun toy, but not much more.

I'm hoping the PS4 ends up being better off in this respect, but we'll have to see how that pans out.

I've been a console gamer for pretty much all of my life, I own all of the current consoles, I have many previous consoles going all of the way back to the Atari 2600 (including both previous Xboxes, all 3 Playstations, and pretty much every Nintendo console ever made, and almost all Sega consoles except the Master System), and I just feel like they are pushing me away with this. I can't see any good reason to support this.

[JonWes]

That has to be one of the ugliest things I've ever seen. I understand the thought process, but I think once again Microsoft missed the mark on design. It looks like a VCR from the 80s. The controller doesn't look bad. The specs seem okay, but not exciting enough to trade up and have to deal with the downfalls of paying to install games and all that.

[Dr Kain]

[Ridureyu]

Rental-only is the way that the industry is going, sadly.

[TheDeviot]

Rental-only is the way that the industry is going, sadly.

I mentioned this in the game thread, but I think this last run of consoles is only making the PC
look like the more attractive option. 95% of the titles these consoles will get will also see release
on Windows anyway. Unless you really can't live without Forza 5 or Halo 5 on the Xbox One
what reason do you have to get it? Achievements? Steam does those just as well. Community? All
of the various stores are quickly catching up. Even EA's Origin, and Ubisoft's Uplay for all of the ire they draw.
With digital stores and retail fighting for your business, game prices are often times sold for well
below their $50 launch prices. Comfy couch? You can hook up a computer to a TV, and use Steam's Big Picture mode
to navigate with a 360 gamepad. Need to do more than game on it? It's a computer. Run
Office/Photoshop/QuickBooks/CS5/etc.etc.etc. Contrary to popular belief, you do NOT need to spend $1600 to play
games at a Xbox One/PS4 level. These things will be on par with a $700 PC. (Figure an i5 based system with a
respectable hard drive, RAM, and a mid tier video card). These things are likely going to launch around $500.
A new rig on par with them will cost the same or even less a year, and a half to two years in.

It really feels like the Commodore 64/128 days to me. Superior versions of 2600/Intellivision/Colecovision titles for less
Hell the C64 even held it's own against the NES/Sega Master System/7800 Trifecta despite displaying 16 colors as opposed to 32.
I remember playing all of Sega's arcade titles on it.

But then maybe that's Microsoft's real plan with this. Compete with Apple's TV box, and push the lions share of Xbox fans
back onto Windows where they still make some money on the OS, and they don't have to fight Valve, but rather let Valve,
and it's competitors have those gamers.

In any event I don't see this console or the PS4 completely tanking, but I do see them running into slow starts the way
Nintendo has. Sony will probably do a bit better than Microsoft if I had to place bets only due to the CD-Key system.
I don't see the average parent of teens or pre teens buying this if they have to buy replacement keys every time they
buy a used title for $20 in a down economy. I could be wrong but if the internet backlash is any indication I don't think
I'm that far off the mark

[Ridureyu]

Yeah, but look at the PC industry - Valve has been doing great things with Steam, but their days are numbered. Expect similar "temporary licenses" instead of purchases, like what happened with Spore.

[Phil.Pastel]

The name is what cracks me up. It just sounds so.... uncool. Xbox fanboys have at times acted like they are the reincarnation of hell's angels -- and now they are going to be playing on a system called one which is forcing ads down their throats while a camera looks on

[undeadplastic2711]

I've never owned an Xbox and certainly won't be getting the new one

[TheDeviot]

Yeah, but look at the PC industry - Valve has been doing great things with Steam, but their days are numbered. Expect similar "temporary licenses" instead of purchases, like what happened with Spore.

I don't really see that for all games. I can see that more with stuff like F2P, or MMO titles where once the new version comes out, you're essentially forced into the new one.
So you're essentially paying a subscription or being microtransactioned. There will always be a need for full games. If the major publishers stopped making them there would
be smaller companies finding ways to do just that. Look at the reboots coming down the pike this year: Rise Of The Triad, Shadow Warrior, Wolfenstein. all games that
if done properly (And seriously ROTT is looking awesome) will probably turn a profit. They may not get the Michael Bay budgets behind them. But they still
will look great, play great, and a lot of folks who hate paying "The Warcraft bill" every month will probably flock to them.

The entire reason you are seeing "Billed" or "Micro vended" games is because publishers cannot afford these ballooning budgets. If anything I think we'll have another 1983-1984
crash period in the next decade. Then the industry will have to rethink this entire notion of chasing Hollywood.

[Ridureyu]

I'm also looking at things like SImCIty and DIablo III's "Always On" debacles - when those become the industry standard, people will be too used to them to complain...

[mbaker]

My god, The next generation of consoles isn't looking very good. At least the Wii U looks like it has potential compared to Sony, and Microsoft's offerings. I feel that backwards compatibility is an absolute must for all consoles, but the console makers insist that they must push the pixels to the limit just so they can get into the fancy Hollywood parties.

[wolfsfang]

imho the problem is that microsoft seemed to have forgotten that the XBOX is a GAMES console. That is why people buy them. If I wanted to watch TV I would do just that

[Phil.Pastel]

imho the problem is that microsoft seemed to have forgotten that the XBOX is a GAMES console. That is why people buy them. If I wanted to watch TV I would do just that

But it was always the "plan" for it to be more than "just" a game console.

They just couldn't implement the plan right away because the previous systems weren't up to snuff (particularly the first one which is laughable easily to hack).

[wolfsfang]

but that's a stupid plan.

I use my xbox to play games. That is it. It plays games and serves NO other function at all.

Now my PS3 I play games on but I also use it to play DVDs and Blu-rays because it saves me having to buy a standalone blu-ray player. However if I did have a standalone player then that also would be used ONLY for games.

[Phil.Pastel]

MS doesn't care about the individual consumer. It's all about signing contracts and lucrative deals with sponsors and partners (ie. developers, netflix, etc,.).


Not saying that's good or bad. It just is what it is.

[diosoth]

So in an effort to fight used game sales and piracy, they're only going to thumb their noses at paying customers, making piracy look more appealing.

Just like they've done for 10 years straight.

Unfortunately they will never admit that DRM, trying to kill used sales(imagine book publishers trying to ban used sales or libraries, or Mattel saying you can't buy second-hand MOTUC) and all that have hurt their industry, not helped, by treating paying customers like potential criminals.

And honestly, I hate Microsoft. The only reason I use a Windows PC is for gaming because Apple won't appeal to the gamer market. Windows is a constant security hole of malware, and I suspect it's on purpose because an OS with little to no malware vulnerability wouldn't have an industry of selling antivirus programs behind it. Their own updates often break things(it seems lots of people have had issues with the recent Windows Update this past week), they refuse to make their OS fully backwards compatible("Wanna play DOS games? (censored) you, buy new PC games!") and could add in 16-bit support into 64-bit Windows, but won't because they don't care about older program support.

Windows 7 is better than Vista int he same way dropping a rock on your foot is better than shooting yourself in the foot but it's steps back from XP.

I liked the original Xbox, it was all but the king of that gen, but the 360 is king of breaking itself. MS could have spared disc scratch errors by installing a 3 cent rubber part into each console, but left it out, because their lawyers told them that settling a class-action lawsuit over disc scratch problems would be cheaper than installing this part. They blame a lot of issues on lead-free solder, yet none of the other game consoles have this problem.

[Fendi]

I'm getting annoyed with Microsoft working practice! Range from Always Online, to non replaceable internet HDD, to "Your Xbox One will be unusable without Kinect".

So if people avoid that market I think it's time for they to move on and learn their lesson.



or not.

[Dr Kain]

This right here is what will keep me from buying one, most likely. Aside form the fact that there's nothing about XBox One that makes me feel the need to buy one, having to pay extra to play previously used games is bogus. What about games that we borrow from friends? I assume since it's going based off the game being linked to your profile, you'd have to pay money to play a game you borrow as well. And then when you give it back to your friend, will they have to pay to link it back to their profile? This is a very flawed system. I trade games with friends very often, because games are expensive and I can't buy every game that comes out that I may want to try. It will suck if I can no longer do that.

You have to put your profile onto your friend's console and he would have to play it under your name.

BTW, it was also revealed that the system's HDD is not interchangeable. It will run on three operating systems, so it can crash three times over. Also, the controller requires normal batteries. Finally, the system will require to be online at least once every 24 hours to play an offline game, but you do need internet access to install the game.

[Ridureyu]

It looks like a huge backlash is building from people in the military who won't bve able to play an always-on console.

[Dr Kain]

It looks like a huge backlash is building from people in the military who won't bve able to play an always-on console.

There is going to be a backlash everywhere as MS just gave the finger to everyone.

[Galmorzu]

I love that retro early 90s, late 80's VCR vibe they have going for it!... rbshift.gif

XBOXONEDESIGN_zps42e8ade8.png

[diosoth]

There is no reason that you should ever be online to install or play an offline game. No reason. It hasn't done anything to stop piracy, either. More people are buying legit games, but installing and playing pirated versions just to dodge the useless DRM.