Save the Xbox!
Here's some free ones, Microsoft. Here's how you fix your console.
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Here's some free ones, Microsoft. Here's how you fix your console.
Read Full Article
Save the Xbox!
- Thread starter Shamus Young
- Start date
Good points, but I doubt many of them will happen.
1) I doubt will happen because at this point they have probably spent a lot of money on making cases and boxes for the thing and the name will be plastered all over other objects. Changing it now would probably cost a lot of time and money.
2) As you said, it's too late for this generation, and considering you said it will be a long one, I doubt by the time we are ready for an upgrade they will be thinking of preserving the ability to play games released this year.
3) I agree with all of it, except Minecraft is still indie, because they don't have a publisher. Being successful doesn't really change that, but I agree with the overall point being made. That supporting Minecraft isn't really "supporting indie's" as a thing, because at this point it doesn't actually need support.
4) Again, I imagine the thing is pretty much made at this point and I can't see them drastically changing it now. Changing the software to allow offline play is considerably different from physically redesigning a required piece of kit four months before release.
5) Unfortunately Microsoft never learnt this with the 360, and only recently have they decided to even do what the PS3 did with PS+, so really I don't think they will learn to do this properly for a good few years yet.
6) If they haven't learnt this one, then they deserve to go bankrupt.
7) Not going to happen. November is ideal for Christmas, and that's the kind of thing they are relying on to make them a lot of money. If the PS4 is released before Christmas, you can guarantee the XBone will as well. They cannot afford not to.
1) I doubt will happen because at this point they have probably spent a lot of money on making cases and boxes for the thing and the name will be plastered all over other objects. Changing it now would probably cost a lot of time and money.
2) As you said, it's too late for this generation, and considering you said it will be a long one, I doubt by the time we are ready for an upgrade they will be thinking of preserving the ability to play games released this year.
3) I agree with all of it, except Minecraft is still indie, because they don't have a publisher. Being successful doesn't really change that, but I agree with the overall point being made. That supporting Minecraft isn't really "supporting indie's" as a thing, because at this point it doesn't actually need support.
4) Again, I imagine the thing is pretty much made at this point and I can't see them drastically changing it now. Changing the software to allow offline play is considerably different from physically redesigning a required piece of kit four months before release.
5) Unfortunately Microsoft never learnt this with the 360, and only recently have they decided to even do what the PS3 did with PS+, so really I don't think they will learn to do this properly for a good few years yet.
6) If they haven't learnt this one, then they deserve to go bankrupt.
7) Not going to happen. November is ideal for Christmas, and that's the kind of thing they are relying on to make them a lot of money. If the PS4 is released before Christmas, you can guarantee the XBone will as well. They cannot afford not to.
If the Xbone has a red ring problem, nothing is going to save them. They better have got their stuff together on that
I'm with you on #1. There's no way the name or design can be massively altered at this point unless they delay the whole thing, which they really don't want to do.Legion said:
Disagree on #3, though. Mojang is a billion-dollar company. Billion as in "more money than I can comprehend", billion with a B. When Minecraft started, they absolutely could be classified as an indie developer. However, at this point I'm uneasy calling them that because they don't need a publisher; There is less of a need for publishers on PC games, and I'm sure as far as Microsoft is concerned they count as the publisher for the 360 version. (Hell, if they continue their current activities, they could be the money behind a lot of 'indie' games in the future).
OT: A good piece, and just as enjoyable for the fact that Microsoft won't do any of these things (except maybe an indicator on the Kinect).
1.) No one who matters cares what the thing is called. The average consumer is going to see the words XBOX/Playstation, nothing more.
2.) Not really sure what it is about the new systems that takes compatibility off the table but I agree, this is a big mistake.
3.) What would you rather have? 10 games of Minecraft quality or 10,000 fruit ninja knockoffs? Users don't need a larger selection of crap, they need a smaller selection of gold. Proven developers with reliable/complete ports is the way to go. Some sort of non intrusive sampling ground would be good as well. But indie games should have to meet a certain standard before inclusion. Tech demos abound and that just ain't fun.
4.) See #1. The only people worried about this are tech bloggers. The average person releases more information to facebook on a daily basis than Kinect will ever get from being in their living room. A non issue for the average consumer.
5.) Agreed, they also need to start pricing digital items accordingly. Charging the same is foolish and THAT is something consumers will not like.
6.) Your PS2 is a much simpler device so I wouldn't put too much stock in that comparison, however, discount wholesale parts is never the answer. This generation of console better be rock solid indeed.
7.) Nah. The only people who would cry about this are tech bloggers and nerds. The average consumer is still buying 360s and PS3s to this day. A bad launch isn't going to kill MS or its minuscule games division.
The takeaway here IMO, people who are ingrained in technology, the ones who write about it, who have to have everything as it comes out. They don't represent the average consumer. MS knows this, Sony knows this, and neither company is going to plan their long term strategy on that small subset of consumers. Both consoles will sell. both will have their ups and downs, and both will be scrutinized to death by people like you and the people who read tech blogs and gaming sites.
2.) Not really sure what it is about the new systems that takes compatibility off the table but I agree, this is a big mistake.
3.) What would you rather have? 10 games of Minecraft quality or 10,000 fruit ninja knockoffs? Users don't need a larger selection of crap, they need a smaller selection of gold. Proven developers with reliable/complete ports is the way to go. Some sort of non intrusive sampling ground would be good as well. But indie games should have to meet a certain standard before inclusion. Tech demos abound and that just ain't fun.
4.) See #1. The only people worried about this are tech bloggers. The average person releases more information to facebook on a daily basis than Kinect will ever get from being in their living room. A non issue for the average consumer.
5.) Agreed, they also need to start pricing digital items accordingly. Charging the same is foolish and THAT is something consumers will not like.
6.) Your PS2 is a much simpler device so I wouldn't put too much stock in that comparison, however, discount wholesale parts is never the answer. This generation of console better be rock solid indeed.
7.) Nah. The only people who would cry about this are tech bloggers and nerds. The average consumer is still buying 360s and PS3s to this day. A bad launch isn't going to kill MS or its minuscule games division.
The takeaway here IMO, people who are ingrained in technology, the ones who write about it, who have to have everything as it comes out. They don't represent the average consumer. MS knows this, Sony knows this, and neither company is going to plan their long term strategy on that small subset of consumers. Both consoles will sell. both will have their ups and downs, and both will be scrutinized to death by people like you and the people who read tech blogs and gaming sites.
Bro, who the fuck cares if the internet hates the XB1? This doesn't mean the console is sure for failure, most of the ppl who buy consoles don't even know about forums like these. If you looked back at PS3 vs XB360 on western gaming sites, the PS3 was waaay more popular and won polls all the time, yet sold abysmally. The X1 is pre-ordering quite well on amazon, dominating all 4 of Sony's PS4 bundles. The XB versions of CoD and BF4 are selling FAR better than the PS4 versions, so we all know where that HUGE bulk of gamers is going.
For hardcore gamers in the west its not going to be as polarized as it was this generation, most will have XB1 but there will be a good chunk that get the PS4. And for the casuals, there will be no real competition, its just the XB1 for them.
For hardcore gamers in the west its not going to be as polarized as it was this generation, most will have XB1 but there will be a good chunk that get the PS4. And for the casuals, there will be no real competition, its just the XB1 for them.
2-A: At the very least don't tell you customers they are "backwards" for wanting to still play their old library of games AS WELL AS your shiny new games. Unless you're gonna be offering a ton of games every month (good ones that is) then I'm probly going to need something else to play while I wait for you to come up with something new.
5-A: Make digital games CHEAPER! If I can buy a physical copy for the same or lower price then I'll just buy a physical copy instead. Even at normal price I may get some free extras and the freedom/security that comes from having a physical copy in my hands.
5-A: Make digital games CHEAPER! If I can buy a physical copy for the same or lower price then I'll just buy a physical copy instead. Even at normal price I may get some free extras and the freedom/security that comes from having a physical copy in my hands.
6. Make the hardware rock-solid reliable.
If rumours are true this one is already on the rocks. Microsoft are (supposedly) having trouble hitting adequate manufacturing numbers at their intended spec for the APU that the whole system hinges on. Microsoft being who they are I can see them either down clocking it to oblivion or selling at original spec and hoping, not that they ever tried that one before.
The more expensive console having both slower and less reliable hardware would be a doozy, it's five years deferred but if it happens I want it to sink Xbox division. In fact, not sink them, but drag them to the bottom and bury them so deeply that when Sony and Nintendo (and possibly Apple, Valve, Google) come to designing new hardware they'll have a big fat reminder of what they absolutely shouldn't do.
If rumours are true this one is already on the rocks. Microsoft are (supposedly) having trouble hitting adequate manufacturing numbers at their intended spec for the APU that the whole system hinges on. Microsoft being who they are I can see them either down clocking it to oblivion or selling at original spec and hoping, not that they ever tried that one before.
The more expensive console having both slower and less reliable hardware would be a doozy, it's five years deferred but if it happens I want it to sink Xbox division. In fact, not sink them, but drag them to the bottom and bury them so deeply that when Sony and Nintendo (and possibly Apple, Valve, Google) come to designing new hardware they'll have a big fat reminder of what they absolutely shouldn't do.
I've read rumours that claim the complete opposite. One said that Microsoft have been telling developers that the specs of final silicon are better than expected which should give performance of the GPU a 10-20% boost. The other said that Sony backed out of a load of component orders due to production issues with the PS4.fix-the-spade said:
As with all rumours who's knows what's true.
i almost wonder if they have already written off the xbone and will give it a short generation and try to pull a sega by launching a new system really early.
of course being wholly and willfully ignorant of past failures of the industry it would seem like a brilliant idea to them
of course being wholly and willfully ignorant of past failures of the industry it would seem like a brilliant idea to them
While most if not all of those changes are sensible, it's going to be difficult for Microsoft to adopt any such changes or respond to further market pressures. They already made their bid for power, and it bit them in the ass; HARD.
I've already seen apologists and gaming "pundits" (/sarcasm), saying that Microsoft's backtrack made them look weaker and worse than before. In one way, I do agree with them: M$ lost a LOT of trust by trying to force their dark DRM-laden future on the market at large.
(*interpolating the WiiU's present failboating into the future anyway; who knows, maybe Nintendo can stop the ship from sinking. Defend it if you must, but I'm not convinced it's worth a shit as it stands.)
It's kind of funny and sad that just a couple of years ago, I thought that the biggest problem people would be speculating for the 360's predecessor would be RRoD and most of it would be done in jokes.
Instead, the we got to watch a flaming trainwreck of anti-consumer bullshit; bullshit that only two years ago would reek of something SONY would do (why not? They had been on a big DRM binge since the PSP and weren't averse at all to downgrading the PS3 post-purchase).
So who knows? Maybe after all the trust M$ lost, a critical Xbone hardware pandemic would be the last straw and kill the system. Lord knows I'd be keeping them on a short leash now if I were in the market for an Xbone.
Some people say it means "Self-Published" or "self-owned", others attribute it to "low budget", "non-mainstream" or even "niche".
And there are issues with each interpretation so long as the term retains loose definition.
(It would seem logical to rely on the more objectively described "self-published" descriptor though that forces one to ask some interesting questions. For example, isn't every Mario game indie because technically they're self-published and financed by Nintendo?)
You're right though, it's all rumors. I'd love to get a look at the physical architecture of both systems, but both Sony and Microsoft will probably be keeping those close to their vests until near launch (with good reason).
I've already seen apologists and gaming "pundits" (/sarcasm), saying that Microsoft's backtrack made them look weaker and worse than before. In one way, I do agree with them: M$ lost a LOT of trust by trying to force their dark DRM-laden future on the market at large.
(*interpolating the WiiU's present failboating into the future anyway; who knows, maybe Nintendo can stop the ship from sinking. Defend it if you must, but I'm not convinced it's worth a shit as it stands.)
A greater than 50% critical hardware failure rate didn't break the 360 market; so pardon me if I don't have much faith that it will for the Xbone. (Or maybe I'm just an old gaming fool.)BrotherRool said:
It's kind of funny and sad that just a couple of years ago, I thought that the biggest problem people would be speculating for the 360's predecessor would be RRoD and most of it would be done in jokes.
Instead, the we got to watch a flaming trainwreck of anti-consumer bullshit; bullshit that only two years ago would reek of something SONY would do (why not? They had been on a big DRM binge since the PSP and weren't averse at all to downgrading the PS3 post-purchase).
So who knows? Maybe after all the trust M$ lost, a critical Xbone hardware pandemic would be the last straw and kill the system. Lord knows I'd be keeping them on a short leash now if I were in the market for an Xbone.
The gaming world really need to sit down and hammer out some grounded definitions for "Indie".Thunderous Cacophony said:
Some people say it means "Self-Published" or "self-owned", others attribute it to "low budget", "non-mainstream" or even "niche".
And there are issues with each interpretation so long as the term retains loose definition.
(It would seem logical to rely on the more objectively described "self-published" descriptor though that forces one to ask some interesting questions. For example, isn't every Mario game indie because technically they're self-published and financed by Nintendo?)
I've heard that the Xbone's APU is positively massive for a wafer of its size at its printing scale (29 nanometers, IIRC). That was about three months ago.rasmithuk said:
You're right though, it's all rumors. I'd love to get a look at the physical architecture of both systems, but both Sony and Microsoft will probably be keeping those close to their vests until near launch (with good reason).
Good points. Though in relation to point #6, making the Xbox One rock-solid, I am afraid I have some bad news.
Basically, the red ring of death was caused by many things, one of which was cheap solder on the CPU socket and the GPU socket. Basically, the system would overheat and the solder would fail. Another major problem was the GPU bus, which would overheat and damage in much the same way.
Sony solved these problems with the PS3 slim, but MS failed to do so with their own reversion.
This next generation, Sony will have the CPU and GPU cast in the same die, while MS has the GPU on-board. Basically, Sony married the CPU and GPU very close together, thus reducing power consumption and heat generation. Whereas the on-board GPU in the Xbox One is much the same as the Xbox 360 slim, unfortunately. While MS could have invested in new solder, better cooling, and better bus connections, at this point it does not seem like they have learned from their past mistakes.
Basically, the red ring of death was caused by many things, one of which was cheap solder on the CPU socket and the GPU socket. Basically, the system would overheat and the solder would fail. Another major problem was the GPU bus, which would overheat and damage in much the same way.
Sony solved these problems with the PS3 slim, but MS failed to do so with their own reversion.
This next generation, Sony will have the CPU and GPU cast in the same die, while MS has the GPU on-board. Basically, Sony married the CPU and GPU very close together, thus reducing power consumption and heat generation. Whereas the on-board GPU in the Xbox One is much the same as the Xbox 360 slim, unfortunately. While MS could have invested in new solder, better cooling, and better bus connections, at this point it does not seem like they have learned from their past mistakes.
By the same logic Blizzard-Activision is indie, as they self-publish. Overall I fully agree though - especially as I'm not entirely convinced you should call it Mojang supporting Microsoft, as XBLA sure needs minecraft a lot more than minecraft needs XBLA.Legion said:
OT: I'm not sure Microsoft fully appreciates just how much they need to make a complete 180 on so many major features. Everything points to them mostly relying on just brute forcing their way to profitability.
All of this is interesting, as are the comments thus far, but the reality of the situation is MS is unable to admit a mistake. Yes, they backpedaled on the always on. But recall the real news. This is a tablet processors. It is slow, cheap and draws little power. A few years from now a (maybe even at launch) a Windows Surface Pro will be able to run almost any game designed for the Xboner. Absolutely will if they ignore the Kinect. As most users will ignore it so will many of the developers. None supported by MS of course. It's in the contract.
The camera is a hack and will be always on. MS is lying about it. How do I know that? Their lips were moving. I am waiting for the box to be released and our dysfunctional congress to get up in arms about it. Those will be hilarious hearings, btw.
The Game OS is a cut up version of W8. Which means it will be easily hacked. The processor is an AMD APU and it will allow W8 being hacked. It is the nature of those beasts. Which means someone will find a way to drop a hack into the data stream somewhere and it will harness a W8 zero day exploit. Resulting in video being uploaded just to embarrass Xboner customers or MS themselves.
The console is effectively dead with the Next Gen. If one cannot build a $500 PC today then it will be possible in less than two years. Then what? Run W8 and play games? Nope, just run Steam and kiss the list of bad decisions goodbye.
The camera is a hack and will be always on. MS is lying about it. How do I know that? Their lips were moving. I am waiting for the box to be released and our dysfunctional congress to get up in arms about it. Those will be hilarious hearings, btw.
The Game OS is a cut up version of W8. Which means it will be easily hacked. The processor is an AMD APU and it will allow W8 being hacked. It is the nature of those beasts. Which means someone will find a way to drop a hack into the data stream somewhere and it will harness a W8 zero day exploit. Resulting in video being uploaded just to embarrass Xboner customers or MS themselves.
The console is effectively dead with the Next Gen. If one cannot build a $500 PC today then it will be possible in less than two years. Then what? Run W8 and play games? Nope, just run Steam and kiss the list of bad decisions goodbye.
Pretty much un-emulatable architecture, especially for PS3-on-PS4 (I'm not explaining it again, look through my previous posts if you really want to know)theApoc said:
We're not saying 'let anything on the console' (although there are rumours that there's gonna be an 'app store' for the Xbone that integrates with the Win8 store...yay...-_-), but if something is of high enough quality to be on the console, let them release without 1) going through a big publisher (e.g. like what Klei did with Shank) or 2) Going through Microsoft Studios publish it and then be platform exclusive (e.g. what Klei sadly did with Mark of the Ninja)