Microsoft Exec on Always Online Consoles: "Deal With it"

[The Wooster]

Microsoft Exec on Always Online Consoles: "Deal With it"

Adam Orth doesn't get the "drama" surrounding "always online" consoles.

There are rumors that the successor to the 360 will require a constant internet connection (though, to be fair, there are also rumors that it will be hewed from the bones of children and powered by tears, so I'd take them with a grain of salt for now). Considering we have a rather recent example of how horribly wrong an always online launch can go, [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122732-EA-Admits-That-SimCity-Could-Have-Been-Offline] you'd imagine Microsoft would be doing its best to distance itself from said rumors. It isn't.

Adam Orth, creative director at Microsoft Studios, has been doing some thinking about the concept of an always on console. His conclusion? He doesn't get "the drama."

"Sorry, I don't get the drama around having an "always on" console," he tweeted [https://twitter.com/adam_orth] earlier today. "Every device now is "always on". That's the world we live in. #dealwithit"

"I want every device to be "always on," he added.

Now, this is Orth's private Twitter account and he quite obviously isn't speaking for Microsoft in any official capacity, but his combative tone and disregard for seemingly valid concerns doesn't seem to be winning him, or the company he works for, any fans.

"Sometimes the electricity goes out. I will not purchase a vacuum cleaner," he commented, apparently in response to those who pointed out that their internet connection could be inconsistent.

He went on to double down on that questionable analogy:

"The mobile phone reception in the area I live in is spotty and unreliable. I will not buy a mobile phone," he added.

Orth's Twitter account has since been made private.

Source: NeoGAF [http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=534951]




Permalink

 

[Alleged_Alec]

Wow. Nice and douchy way to alienate the fans, Microsoft.

 

[Kargathia]

Customers who don't like what you're selling won't buy it. #dealwithit.

 

[thethird0611]

I have a feeling most comments on this article are going to be directed toward Microsoft because of the title... instead of the Exec himself.

There's a difference between an exec like that saying it (who probably doesnt play video games), and the corporation saying it.

 

[Zeraki]

"Meanwhile... at Microsoft's PR department."


Wow, what a douchenozzle. If I wasn't already dead set against getting the next Xbox this would definitely clinch it. It does make me wonder though... if this guy is so defensive about this subject, the rumors of the new console always being online may actually be true.

 

[Sectan]

Is there some law that if you're a high up in a gaming company under criticism you have to act like an ass to potential customers? This wouldn't even be a thing if he was defending always online professionally. Turning it into an argument a 13 year old would have just makes you want to smack him across the face. "WE NEED MOAR CUSTOMERS! LET'S START INSULTING THEM THAT'LL WORK!"

 

[Starke]

Any bets on how long before he gets his ass fired?

He won't. Who do you think came up with the idea to make it always online?

 

[Slyaap]

Ok....I'll deal with it. I've decided not to buy the next version of the Xbox.

Dealt with.

(I hope this isn't too low content, I'm awfully new at this)

 

[Zeraki]

"Meanwhile... at Microsoft's PR department."


Wow, what a douchenozzle. If I wasn't already dead set against getting the next Xbox this would definitely clinch it. It does make me wonder though... if this guy is so defensive about this subject, the rumors of the new console always being online may actually be true.

Any bets on how long before he gets his ass fired?

I'm not going to be making any bets just yet, but I am curious if he himself made his account private to avoid the heat coming his way... or if he was ordered to my Microsoft.

captcha: lardy-dardy... for some reason this feels relevant to the topic at hand, but I can't think of why.

 

[weirdee]

any more outbursts like that and we can ride microsoft's stock price all the way down space mountain

 

[Starke]

Any bets on how long before he gets his ass fired?

He won't. Who do you think came up with the idea to make it always online?

When it comes to Microsoft, there is always a bigger fish.

And with how small their gaming sector is, I can promise you he really doesnt want to piss off one of those bigger fish. And running his mouth like a brain dead chimp will do exactly that.

The other side of that is, he's not likely to actually piss them off with something like this. Bigger fish, bigger concerns. Now, if the console dies on the shelf because of the connection requirement, or gets marked as unfit for sale in Europe because of it... then he might be looking for a new job.

 

[XandNobody]

Sometimes, I miss the middle ages.

You guys knew how to light an asshole on fire back then.

 

[suitepee7]

he doesn't 'get' the problem, fine, he 100% will not get my money. the more i hear about these consoles, the more tempted i am to stay as a PC gamer. i enjoyed my ps3, but nothing about the next gen seems appealing to me.

 

[Mromson]

He doesn't "get" it.
Guess he doesn't "get" my money either.

 

[Jandau]

I have a feeling most comments on this article are going to be directed toward Microsoft because of the title... instead of the Exec himself.

There's a difference between an exec like that saying it (who probably doesnt play video games), and the corporation saying it.

No, there isn't, not really. People in high corporate positions making public statements directly related to the line of business their company is involved in will always be interpreted as making semi-official statements in the company's name. This is a reality of their work and they should be aware of this and refrain from making such statements to avoid it reflecting badly on the company in question.

You might say that while this is true, it's still not fair, but it is fair. Who do you think makes corporate policy? The execs. So when an exec makes a statement regarding the business practices of his company, even if it's a personal statement, it still reflects his own standpoint and views, which in turn shape the overall corporate policy. A douche doesn't suddenly stop being a douche when he goes to work.