The Xbox/360/720 Topic

I don't want to defend Microsoft, but I'm not sure why people are so upset over the $500 price point.
$500 for a console that people are going to use for 5+ years. People send more on gadgets they replace every year or two.

Consoles don't quite have the same "luxury factor" as smartphones or tablets that people go crazy for, so I think they should aim lower with them. It will be interesting to see some unrealistic expectations get shattered, the 360 and PS3 didn't take off until they hit lower price points, got a big library and an updated model.

Sonic_13 said:
I don't want to defend Microsoft, but I'm not sure why people are so upset over the $500 price point.
$500 for a console that people are going to use for 5+ years. People send more on gadgets they replace every year or two.

Because when converted, that means Europeans have to pay approximately $660, and jesus christ that is high.

SuperLink said:

Sonic_13 said:
I don't want to defend Microsoft, but I'm not sure why people are so upset over the $500 price point.
$500 for a console that people are going to use for 5+ years. People send more on gadgets they replace every year or two.

I think moreso than that people are upset at €499 and £429

Because when converted, that means Europeans have to pay approximately $660, and jesus christ that is high.

That definitely sucks. Did they announce a price for Japan or did they just give up that market?

Sonic_13 said:

That definitely sucks. Did they announce a price for Japan or did they just give up that market?

Just because I'm a nice guy, I'll do a recap of all the exclusives the Xbox One is getting.

Killer Instinct Xbox One:
This sounds very interesting, and Rare is ACTUALLY doing something.

Forza Motorsport 5:
I think I know EVERBODIES' reaction to this...Meh.

D4:
This sounds interesting, an episodic horror series by the creator of Deadly Promonition.

Minecraft Xbox One Edition:
It's Minecraft....on Xbox One. WOOOOOOOOH!!!

Dead Rising 3:
This is by far the game that interested me the most. I might actually get an Xbox One for this game. Though I don't like how it got all serious, I liked the goofy charm of the first 2. :/

Crimson Dragon:
This is...meh. It's basically Panzer Dragoon...On Kinect.

Halo:
Who didn't see this coming?

Below:
This seems to be a mysterious rougelike RPG. I dunno, doesn't interest me.

Overall, I thought the conference was..decent. I'd give a 7/10

CrystalMushroom said:

Killer Instinct Xbox One:
This sounds very interesting, and Rare is ACTUALLY doing something.

They did Silent Hill: Homecoming and a bunch of other "mediocre at best" games.

SuperLink said:

CrystalMushroom said:

Killer Instinct Xbox One:
This sounds very interesting, and Rare is ACTUALLY doing something.

Rare isn't actually doing it at all. It's being done by Double Helix Games.

They did Silent Hill: Homecoming and a bunch of other "mediocre at best" games.

DAMN IT!
*sigh*
And to think Microsoft actually had a heart.

I enjoyed Microsoft conference, getting all the TV, kinect, sport junk out the way last month was a good move. They said they'd only talk about games at  E3 and they did.

Games did look good actually, however games i'm really excited for like Battlefield, Destiny, Watch Dogs are multi-platform.

thenexus6 said:
I enjoyed Microsoft conference, getting all the TV, kinect, sport junk out the way last month was a good move. They said they'd only talk about games at  E3 and they did.

Games did look good actually, however games i'm really excited for like Battlefield, Destiny, Watch Dogs are multi-platform.

And if you have a PC...titan fall. That Was easily one of the best looking titles and I'm so glad that its not an exclusive! 

Also, what the fuck happened to dead rising?

Xbox One is more or less saved.

Dom Mattrick writes an open letter saying "Your Feedback Matters". I bloody hope so but they should have realised far earlier.

You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world.

So, today I am announcing the following changes to Xbox One and how you can play, share, lend, and resell your games exactly as you do today on Xbox 360. Here is what that means:

• An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games - After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.

• Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today - There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.

In addition to buying a disc from a retailer, you can also download games from Xbox Live on day of release. If you choose to download your games, you will be able to play them offline just like you do today. Xbox One games will be playable on any Xbox One console -- there will be no regional restrictions. 
These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox One. The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold. Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray.

Pretty sure this is the real deal guys, I'm glad because if they stick with this, it means that hopefully no other games console will ever go this draconian way ever again.

As the top commenter said "Xbox 180 confirmed!!!"

- No 24 hour check-in required
- No used game restrictions
- Internet required once at initial setup
- Games still installed, but disc now required to be in tray.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/19/microsoft-reversing-xbox-one-internet-used-game-policies

EDIT: SuperLink beat me to it by 1 minute!

I wonder how this is going to effect certain ideas they had such as:
- Using cloud services for in game effects/expansions/AI/etc
- Game installs (it appears the disc is now required to be in the tray instead of being able to freely install).
- Family sharing (it now sounds like being able to share your library with up to 10 friends is gone).
- Others?

( Edited 19.06.2013 22:09 by Sonic_13 )

A victory for gamers!

Apart from the higher price, the X1 is now a big competitor again.

Good for them but Microsoft still lost my respect forever. The damage is already done and won't just magically disappear. They tried to enforce these things and vigorously defended their policies for several weeks until they actually realised that they simply won't get away with it, no matter how much they wish they could.

This surely has to be the biggest 180 in the entire video game industry, right? I hope this will show some of these big publishers to not take their consumers for granted but I think that's a little too optimistic.

The internet sure works fast...

I wonder what this 180 costs Microsoft (and I don't mean just in lost console sales).

There were a lot of systems that needed to be developed to support things like used game sales, online check-ins, game verification, cloud computing, game library sharing, and more that are either not going to be used at all now or in a significantly reduced capacity. How much time and money was spent developing them? How many of the 300,000 new servers were for all that?

So all these policies for the future of gaming have been removed after the massive uproar. It's really pathetic just shows they were just greedy and power hungry but have realized its hurt them so are changing. It's nothing to do with their "vision of the future of gaming".

It's good news for gamers, but I still don't trust them.

Thinking about it I'm actually a little disappointed by Microsoft's 180.

While I was enjoying the spectacle and would have liked to have seen their launch, I'm actually disappointed I won't get to see how their policies play out in the long run. While there are, of course, many downsides to a console that requires internet (see used game policy) there were also some cool benefits as well, such as family share, that are now scrapped or things like the cloud computing game extension that may not be scrapped, but probably won't be used nearly as much, if at all now. There are also probably many cool ideas that haven't been revealed or thought of yet that could only be done on system that requires internet.

Either way it doesn't matter to me as I have always been and always will be a Nintendo gamer, but it would have been cool to see how it played out. It made the Xbox One different from the PS4 and Wii U. I think it's better for the industry when each system is rather unique as opposed to essentially 2-3 carbon copies.

Agreed in some respects that the damage is done. They took their eyes off of what the gamers want and as a result I don't really trust them. Just did a quick check through my 360 catalog -- the majority of my games were bought used. Even if they've scrapped their plans, I'm still wary of them. I'm not subscribing to a future where every game I buy costs me $60 without any other options.

That said, they've at least shown they're listening to their audience. We got their attention and they reversed a bad decision. This proves that as a collective gamers can call out companies for unfriendly practices. With that power in hand, it does restore a bit of confidence that I can invest in an XB1 and be reasonably safe from more stupidity enacted without the general communities consent.

Still strongly leaning PS4. But there's at flicker of hope for XB1 now.

cloud computing game extension that may not be scrapped, but probably won't be used nearly as much, if at all now

This policy shouldn't affect plans for the use of cloud computing. But then I doubt there are too many developers aside from first parties who will use it in a meaningful way regardless of Microsoft's policies.

Honestly, I'm also not sold on the whole proposition anyway. Microsoft's hyperbole regarding the cloud compute is overblown -- they're acting like your XB1 will be able to keep growing in power due to magic pixie dust delivered through the ethernet port. Just not how it works. Unless they figure out a way to beat the speed of light, there's too much latency. Especially when they're talking about wanting to hit 60fps with Titanfall and Halo 5. No way you're hitting 60 fps with matching CoD-like controller response if you're relying on the cloud to pull some of the rendering load.

To this point, the only game really bragging about its cloud use is Titanfall; and it's not using the cloud to offload rendering/physics etc. It's using it for online matchmaking. And while that's an awesome use for the cloud power (efficient server use), it's kind of under whelming and doesn't match the crap that Microsoft is spewing about it. 

I highly doubt they reversed it because of us. If Sony was doing similar things and we didn't have a much better choice, they would have gone through with their original plans for sure. Microsoft thought they could actually get away with it but on top of the gamer outrage, Sony called them out on it and completely destroyed them. If they really wanted to listen to us, they should have done this BEFORE E3. They had around three weeks to listen to all the negative feedback but they decided to wait instead and give Sony the perfect opportunity to get a ton of great press, mostly for not doing things that should never have been considered let alone attempted. It's all coming back to them now. Some people will decide to get a Xbox One now but far from all they've scared off.

Jacob4000 said:
Agreed in some respects that the damage is done. They took their eyes off of what the gamers want and as a result I don't really trust them. 

This.

If you ask me, although we've had the 360 and PS3 for 7/8 years, these new systems still feel somewhat forced through the door. The gap between PC quality and those consoles has kind of made it seem like they ought to upgrade, because the gap was becoming too big to ignore. But that's still not a great reason for new systems in my book. There is no hugely obvious improvement that jumps out at you from either the Xbox One or PS4, thus the games and the policies have to do the talking. Sony said their part quite well, but Microsoft were awful, and that will stick in the memory no matter how much backtracking occurs between now and launch.

If you come to E3 with a new console, you're mainly selling your vision for the next-gen. And Microsoft's original script really did read like 1984 - that was a completely warranted comparison. Now they've gone back on that original vision, and lets not forget MS claimed these features would be the core of their Xbox One experience, we're left with the feeling they don't really know what they're doing - except pushing a new system out where games will be even more expensive than they are now. 

Still, gives Xbox One a fighting chance. In a few years when the game base is there, I can't say I won't consider it. 

( Edited 20.06.2013 23:20 by The Strat Man )

I highly doubt they reversed it because of us. If Sony was doing similar things and we didn't have a much better choice, they would have gone through with their original plans for sure.

Well sure, it wasn't just us. If Sony unveils a similar plan gamers have no choice but to suck it up and deal with always on. We can complain, but what are we going to do?

However, offering an alternative is meaningless unless people actually change their choice of console. And the community as a whole did -- we candidly told Microsoft where to put their used games policy, and that we were switching to Sony for the next generation. So yes, Sony definitely provided gamers with the ammunition to take action with our claims, but if we didn't care enough to follow through Microsoft would have had no reason to change the policy.

This change wouldn't have happened without Sony playing their part, but it also wouldn't have happened if the community hadn't made it very clear it was important.

Did anyone else watch the Xbox One launch special on Spike tonight?

They interviewed deadmau5 before he performed. I think deadmau5 learned what the Xbox One was earlier tonight.

Question: "How excited are you to be at the launch of Xbox One? What's the first thing you're going to do when you get it home?"
deadmau5: "I haven't really looked into it so I guess I'm looking forward to opening up the box."

Question: "What games are you looking forward to?"
deadmau5: "I only know of two games so I guess those two games" <-- doesn't name them
Interviewer: "TitanFall is coming out soon!"
deadmau5: "That's news."

Question: "Are you going to bring your Xbox One on the road with you?"
deadmau5: "I guess I'll have to get one of those...uh"
Interviewer: "...travel cases?"
deadmau5: "Yeah."
Interviewer: "Awesome!!!" <-- easily the most enthusiastic response by either person during the interview

( Edited 22.11.2013 05:58 by Sonic_13 )