Adam Orth Resigns Following Always-Online Twitter Comments

[AzrealMaximillion]

Denying a rumour is often like pouring fuel on a fire, it burns a lot hotter than it did before. For a start denying a rumour means you are giving it a certain degree of credibility, if it wasn't you wouldn't bother to deny it.

By allowing the rumour to bubble MS can create a bigger reveal when it doesn't. Plus the rumours mean a lot more is being said about their console.

Again, with the way that stocks work (which is confidence) bad rumours aren't good. I don't see how denying this rumour would make MS look any worse if the rumour isn't true, especially one that may result in a feature that gamers universally hate. As it stands the Durango looks to be the least attractive of the 3 major consoles this gen with this rumour being left untouched by MS. Add this to the fact that the Xbox brand has effectively lost the majority of its exclusive franchises, the fact that Xbox Live may still be a factor, and the fact that as of recent news, the 360 is in last place for the 7th generation console sales tally, it would be foolish for MS to not try and drum up some positive news for the Durango before they announce it.

Waiting this long is hurting MS and if this rumour of always online is true the Durango is going to be one of the most hated consoles ever made by default. Always online has been the bane of many games recently. Diablo 3, SimCity, MinerWars (launch version), all took major flak for having always on DRM. Ubisoft took a 95% hit to PC sales when they implemented their draconian DRM, which was thankfully removed after months of people hating them on EA levels.

My point is that MS not denying this rumour is what's adding fuel to the fire here as it makes it look like the rumour is true. Hell, the rumour has been confirmed as true by a few developers (the list and links to quotes are on the original Orth outrage thread). This always online rumour is the only thing people are talking about with the Durango and that's a bad sign.

 

[Tradjus]

Oh, yeah, sure, he "Resigned"
In two quotation marks big enough too blot out the sun with.
But yeah, called this from day one, cause problems for Microsoft and you get the shaft, deal with it. /Shades.

 

[Strazdas]

And the drama of taking comments on the internet out of context and getting peopel fired for them continues. Hail internet? Sometimes i think people on the internet is intentionally trying to win a contest of getting away with as much damage to people lives as they can.

I think the moral of the story is "don't have a Twitter account if your a gobshite" =)

More like dont have a twitter account and post anything that internet can take out of context, misinterpret and turn agaisnt you.

 

[Gilhelmi]

I live in Rural Kansas. I get decent internet here, but I live close to town (note I said 'decent', my brother complains every time he comes home about the slow connection). I know out in the country, the farmers, if they have it (most of them here do) it is still dial-up because Cable (as in TV) lines do not always go out that far. This is just Kansas.

In Montana (where, I would believe you if you told me cattle outnumbered people), most small towns do not have more then dial-up.

I dislike being in large cities for more then a few hours. I like having a yard where I can grow my own garden, an open field of beautiful grain to look out over, and an endless sky of stars. I also like knowing the people in town, and my neighbors. I like the fact that I can go to the bank and they will pull up my account because I have done business with them since I was 10 (paper route). And I love the sunset in the sky. Truly, I live near paradise.

But I just see this as another example of a backwards city person who demands that everyone be as backwards as them. Trying to force their city thoughts on how we need too do this or that, instead of what works. Trying too speed up our lives and die sooner

 

[FalloutJack]

Well, when you think about it, they had no choice but to fire him.

Consider it for a moment. Microsoft receives INCREDIBLY bad press from this guy's attitude. Even by distancing and assassinating his character, it's still EA levels of bad PR. And because they know that, they can't risk looking that level of stupid in front of all of us, because then we'd ridicule them even more. Therefore...

 

[Jabberwock King]

What I can't wrap my head around is why anyone would even consider making a console "always online." I find it hard to believe that xbox piracy is a serious issue, and if the concern is with pirating xbox games, then that only makes a little more sense.