An Honest Question about Sharing

[BQE]

I've been fervently following all the news regarding the new consoles and one particular feature seemingly boasted on both prospective machines is some permutation of a sharing functionality.

Personally, I don't have a facebook or a desire to innundate my friends (or anyone) with my gameplay videos or achievements. My close friends and a several others I've talked to don't seem particularly interested in these sort of features as well.

That being said I'd like to open the floor to you all. Do you like/want these video/gameplay sharing features? Is facebook connectivity in your hobbies important or interesting to you? Do you intend to regularly use these features or even try them?

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

I don't have a facebook either, and if I want to share something related to the games I played with my friends, we'll get some chat going on Steam or something, or simply reminisce during the post game banter. Needless to say, I have no intention of even trying those sharing features, if only because the consoles I have never get connected. And speaking of Steam, I am kind of annoyed that it's been moving towards the same "share with everyone" mentality as the consoles.

 

[piinyouri]

As far as how the PS4 is going to use it from what I've heard, I have no problem and I'm not sure why anyone else would either.

It will be entirely optional, and will not impact you negatively if you choose not to use it.
You could just put duct tape over it and pretend it doesn't even exist.

Myself personally, I like the option. I wouldn't be using it all the time, but I still like that it's there should I want to use it.

Of bigger importance and this actually excites me is from the sound of things, the PS4 will have a screen capture/video capture mechanic built right into the system itself, similar to how the 360 handled their music player.

That's pretty great for me because I'm a screenie person. I love taking screens in PC games and I was thrilled when Dragon's Dogma offered the ability to do so as well. I mean who wouldn't want to capture a particularly great moment and get some bad ass fully customized new wallpaper?

 

[Juan Regular]

I suppose it's nice that the average console player can record snippets of gameplay and upload them to youtube now too. Of course that means there's going to be even more useless videos of people recording the same things over and over.
Same thing for the other social stuff: As long as the console doesn't try to force facebook and twitter on me, I'm fine with it. I definitely won't use it and I can't say I know many people that do, but if it makes someone happy, let them have it.

 

[VanQ]

I tried the whole thing out when World of WarCraft allowed your FaceBook to automatically update whenever you acquired an achievement/new piece of loot or leveled up. Needless to say, a lot of friends told me to quit that shit or they'll hide my posts from showing up on their news feed.

You thought Farmville was annoying, bragging to you every time someone got a new sheep? Guess what, you're about to become what you hate.

 

[Zhukov]

Having a dedicated 'share' button right there on the controller does seem pretty damn try-hard.

"Online social media is big? Right then, so how can we crowbar that in?"

On the other hand, it's also harmless. I'm not one to kick up a fuss about extra features just because I don't intend to use them.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I have no problem with it, and will in fact probably use it if I get a PS4.

My friends and I have always really enjoyed playing back and watching some of the crazier things that happen in the Halo games, or Call of Duty, or TF2, so we've always loved theater mode and the replay feature in TF2. If the PS4 lets me do things like that in every game, then I think that's pretty cool.

It's not something I plan on using all the time, but sometimes things happen in a game that are so strange or funny, you just have to share with your friends.

Also, since this seems to somehow be important to the topic at hand, I also don't have a facebook or any other kind of social networking site, so it's not like I'm going to be inundating my friends by posting tons of gameplay footage on those kinds of sites.

 

[piinyouri]

Just found this
http://gamingbolt.com/ps4s-share-button-will-have-limitations-you-cant-upload-whatever-you-want

No idea how reputable that site is, and the articles kind of old so it may be invalid by now, but if it's true, that's really quite disappointing.

I mean I do kind of get where they're coming from, what with keeping people from posting really big spoilers, but then why have the feature there in the first place. : /

Hearing this, I hope you will be able to copy/move any files you make off of the console.

 

[BQE]

Having a dedicated 'share' button right there on the controller does seem pretty damn try-hard.

"Online social media is big? Right then, so how can we crowbar that in?"

On the other hand, it's also harmless. I'm not one to kick up a fuss about extra features just because I don't intend to use them.

This encapsulates my sentiments pretty thoroughly. To my knowledge, this is the first time that a gaming console includes something that isn't necessary or relevant to the game or system in a meaningful way. All the buttons on the controller serve a purpose, there isn't a button that you'll refrain from using and most likely curse when accidently pushed.

This boardroom mentality that everything on the entire planet needs to implement social media in some form or fashion is really disturbing and obnoxious honestly. Jimquisition and Zero/Extra Punctuation have repeatedly highlighted the fact that the current era of technology and game seems to be one of the most disconnected from the actual desires of consumers.

 

[Sack of Cheese]

That's pretty great for me because I'm a screenie person. I love taking screens in PC games and I was thrilled when Dragon's Dogma offered the ability to do so as well. I mean who wouldn't want to capture a particularly great moment and get some bad ass fully customized new wallpaper?

Me too! Lately I only buy RPGs or games with customisations for PC solely because I can take screenshots of my characters or capture cutscenes.

 

[FalloutJack]

No, obviously, but then I'm not ON facebook and don't have to share a damn thing.

 

[BQE]

No, obviously, but then I'm not ON facebook and don't have to share a damn thing.

But is the fact you aren't on Facebook the only thing keeping you from using or wanting a feature like that? Is a button on your controller pad exclusively for recording[limited] in game footage enticing in any way?

 

[Wyvern65]

I'm indifferent to sharing. Will never use it myself, but if other folks enjoy it, great for them.

I am on the fakebook, but I won't spam my few friends with game achievements. My main worry is that I'll accidentally hit the button and it will pull up some interface that takes me totally out of whatever I'm playing. That said, I haven't really looked closely at where on their controller it is and how easy it might be to actually hit.

 

[Vylox]

Boring, useless.

If I want to record myself playing a game, I have 9 different cameras to use. I happen to have a Facebook account, but rarely ever actually use it (I've even marked their constant E-mail updates as fuxing spam)
Back to the recording thing... great, just what I need a live video feed that I can't edit and trim down, along with not being able to actually add commentary too.. good job, this is every gamer's wet dream come true... an automatic upload of grinding and running in circles collecting scenery, with no commentary to at least provide entertainment.

 

[deathzero021]

i have no facebook, twitter or tumblr or whatever else the kids are doing these days. nor do i have ANY interest in sharing gameplay videos with anyone. i dont even have any interest in watching any one else play a game (unless it's for research purposes)

 

[Miss G.]

I don't care for sharing because I like my single-player experience to be just that, but if it's not being forced upon me and/or it's completely optional, that's fine with me.

 

[MysticSlayer]

Well, I never plan on using any of the features, as I'm never on Facebook or Twitter. Might be a little annoying to keep seeing features and such that I never use, considering I technically paid for those features, but I'm not really going to avoid a console because it has features that makes sharing things on Facebook and Twitter easier.

 

[ZZoMBiE13]

I think Microsoft made a shrewd move signing TWITCHtv as their streaming service. People who want to host a channel do so on Twitch, and people who want to watch games also do so on Twitch. I'm not sure who Sony is using though. For all I know they could be using Twitch as well. But I'd expect it's a proprietary service through their own servers and whatnot. But again, I do not know for sure.

Either way, I think it's a good move. It's a feature I expect to become more popular. And I have certainly watched a lot of TwitchTV over this past year. When I can't play a game, why not watch some. Beats watching insipid television shows or rewatching movies I've already seen.

 

[BQE]

I think Microsoft made a shrewd move signing TWITCHtv as their streaming service. People who want to host a channel do so on Twitch, and people who want to watch games also do so on Twitch. I'm not sure who Sony is using though. For all I know they could be using Twitch as well. But I'd expect it's a proprietary service through their own servers and whatnot. But again, I do not know for sure.

Either way, I think it's a good move. It's a feature I expect to become more popular. And I have certainly watched a lot of TwitchTV over this past year. When I can't play a game, why not watch some. Beats watching insipid television shows or rewatching movies I've already seen.

In the vein of Microsoft, I was wondering what the new buttons on the Xbox One's controller were for and did some research:

Xbox One Controller Button Names

The Xbox One Controller introduces two new buttons on Xbox where Start and Back appeared on Xbox 360. These buttons are named 'Menu' and 'View'.

Menu: "The Menu button (on the right) will bring up context-specific menus which game and app developers can design to enhance the user experience. The Menu button could be used in scenarios such as bringing up in-game menus, showing video playback options, and accessing commands on the console?s user interface."

View: The View button "will change views or provide more information in games and apps. The function of the View button will be driven by developers. Possible uses of the View button include viewing a map during a role playing game, displaying a leaderboard in a first person shooter, and enhancing the navigation of the console's user interface."


That's actually pretty interesting to an extent. I had assumed that they were also an obnoxious button for sharing/recording. I'm not entirely convinced that these buttons will add a lot however.

 

[Callate]

If a console had the means to record my gameplay in a way that I could independently edit and score before releasing at a time of my choosing (or not, and without showing said footage to anyone), I'd certainly consider using it. And by independently, I mean- if I want to download it, put it on my PC or Mac to use a proper editing program, and then upload the video to some non-approved video sharing site in Norway or Singapore, that should be a-okay.

I'm not presently aware that any platform offers such an option, but that's not to say that none of them does, only that it hasn't been presented as such.