Boycott Microsoft

[Dr.Awkward]

I don't think boycotting is going to do enough to make Microsoft understand what we look for in a console, and understand the kind of responsibility and fool-proofing is needed for the kind of technology they plan to use in the Xbox One.

What we need is an open letter, not one to Microsoft, but to Microsoft's shareholders. If we can explain the technology used in Xbox One, the responsibilities that are required for their use, and the consequences and serious concerns around it at a level they can understand, then perhaps they'll be more wary of Microsoft's decisions. Perhaps we can also persuade them to demand a shareholders' meeting with both the executive boards of Microsoft and its Xbox division, just so they can see just who these executives making these decisions are, how they react to the questions we have arisen, and why they have angered the community so much. It might just make them demand the firings of a few individuals who's made one too many mistakes and avoided their punishment...

 

[Doom972]

Yes, boycot Microsoft. Go PC gaming, where you will game on a... Microsoft machine.

Unlike with Xbox, 360 and Xbone games - Microsoft doesn't get any profit from PC games unless they were made by one of their studios, or if it uses Games For Windows Live (which, thankfully, few games use). So yes, you can still boycott Microsoft as a PC gamer if you wish. As for the operating system, you can always use Linux with WINE (it's free), but many games won't work properly.

 

[Something Amyss]

Captcha: "love me?" - Wait, what?

Captchas need love too, man.

Sadly, I do think any boycott will end up with a lot of people secretly buying a Bone.

Not necessarily you, but people scream and cry and buy anyway. It's a fact of gaming.

Surely boycotting Microsoft is actually the same as just supporting Nintendo or Sony? In the gaming industry, I don't think a huge amount of people buy for various platforms.

The biggest problem with the "vote with your wallet" mantra is that there's no way to count a negative vote in itself. Sales figures are ridiculously one-sided. That's why EA and Sega can point to Mass Effect 3 and Aliens and make an argument.

It's easier to support positive practices than to punish negative ones. Especially in a busines that just says "piracy" and "haters gonna hate."

As such, it might be a good idea to actively support these other companies, but a vote against one is not necessarily a vote for another.

That said, on this forum I've been defending Xbox One a lot, and I'll just say here and now... I'm sick of it. Every time I try to defend it, Microsoft says 'oh, he doesn't hate us yet' and throws another spanner in the works making it just impossible for me to sympathise. C'mon Microsoft, it's as though you're asking for it :'(
So yeah, Sony fanboy now. Burn dem XOs!

Start hating faster, dude, maybe they'll stop fucking it up.

If you have internet, why would you boycott the xbox, it works just like steam and it is close to a PC.

Steam checks my games every 24 hours (every one hour for my non-primary game device)? I didn't know that. I kept playing Magic: the Gathering when my ISP was struck by lightning and my internet was down for almost two days. Steam must be screwing up or something.

A couple weeks ago, I ACCIDENTALLY had Steam in offline mode for days before I noticed. And I was all "huh, how did that happen?" Will Microsoft let me do that? I mean, if it works JUST LIKE STEAM.

This is one of my biggest things with the Bone. They've actually made Steam look good.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Nice speech, however...

Organised Boycotts just don't work.

Most gamers don't have the will power for that. They may talk a good game, but it'll only last until the next Call of Duty or whatever comes out and then the whole thing goes out the window. I know there are already gamers out there who are going to buy the damn thing despite it screwing it's customers up the ass because it's got some exclusive that they like. Way to see the big picture guys.

 

[TrulyBritish]

Am I really boycotting if I've already decided I want nothing to do with the console anyway?
Whether you're going to buy the Xbone or not I'd assume you've already made your decision.

 

[neppakyo]

I'll boycott the xbone, I'm not buying one. (I run windows 7 and kubuntu linux myself)

Bit tired of xbone defenders main arguments being "it's not that bad" and "I can live with it" It's like being given the option of either being fucked in the ass by a 12" spiked dildo, or a 12" bladed dildo. Either way you're fucked.

And xbone exclusives? They are crap. Not very interesting at all. Now the PS4 has more interesting ones, hell even nintendo has better ones than the xbone. You say killer instinct for the xbone? It's garbage, looks like shit too, KI gold on the N64 was average, decent and fun at times. They new one doesn't appear that way.

To xboners, get a backbone, live without playing another shitty halo or gears of war game, hell, ms releases them on the PC, get it for that. Stop being apathetic to your rights, don't be an xboner and support the xbone, go support something else, PS4, Wii, PC, steambox, or whatever.

 

[masticina]

Oh Microsoft will sell consoles don't worry all this bad PR they are generation will damage their brand YES. But give people a Halo 102847284728 and they still buy the console. Give the people a Call of Duty.. and guess what they buy a damn console.

People are sheep MEEEEH get used to that. They will not end up with no console sold. BUT yeah the issues they are having right now WILL mean less players will go for the Xbox One.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

You're just now realizing that Microsoft is a crappy, out of touch company that can't make anything other Microsoft Office? I'd love to join you, but all the apps I need are on Windows. I'm waiting/praying for Valve to make Linux a more viable OS but until then I'm stuck with Windows 7. Dem chromebooks are looking better and better every day... I will refuse to buy the XB1 though. I'm not rich and white enough afford more than one console anyway, so I might as well not get the one that comes with guaranteed chance to ass fuck you

 

[Outcast107]

I'll boycott the xbone, I'm not buying one. (I run windows 7 and kubuntu linux myself)

Bit tired of xbone defenders main arguments being "it's not that bad" and "I can live with it" It's like being given the option of either being fucked in the ass by a 12" spiked dildo, or a 12" bladed dildo. Either way you're fucked.

And xbone exclusives? They are crap. Not very interesting at all. Now the PS4 has more interesting ones, hell even nintendo has better ones than the xbone. You say killer instinct for the xbone? It's garbage, looks like shit too, KI gold on the N64 was average, decent and fun at times. They new one doesn't appear that way.

To xboners, get a backbone, live without playing another shitty halo or gears of war game, hell, ms releases them on the PC, get it for that. Stop being apathetic to your rights, don't be an xboner and support the xbone, go support something else, PS4, Wii, PC, steambox, or whatever.

I'm gonna buy two.

OT: Ah boycotts. They say they stay on target. Until Darth Vader comes in and shoots them down. Wait..what was I getting at again?

 

[Trishbot]

This is the easiest boycott ever.

Unless you just NEED the Halo, there's almost no reason to get the Xbox One.

It's more restrictive. It needs online authentication. It's $100 more expensive. Even the hardware is inferior to PS4's according to devs. It will have dramatically less indie support. It's region-locked. Trading games is a pain. Buying games is a pain. Sharing games is a pain. PLAYING games can be a pain. More features the PSN has (such as Hulu) the Xbox charges for. Hell, if you're not even in those 21 approved nations, you're screwed anyway (sorry, Africa, nearly all of Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia). You also have no assurance the games will even WORK in 10 years when the servers go offline.

PS4 is a superior system and a superior value.

Easiest boycott I've ever done, and I had an Xbox 360 last gen.

 

[sunsetspawn]

Easiest boycott I've ever done, and I had an Xbox 360 last gen.

Word! I've been an XBOX supporter since Halo, and the 360 got me when I saw the first shots of Mass Effect (though 2 and 3 got progressively derp), so I'm pretty fanboyish. However, this time around Microsoft thinks it can fuck with my money, and that shit don't fly with me. Shit, I stopped buying things from certain companies simply because their products became inferior, to say nothing of this draconian online bullshit (and the creepy kinect stuff, but that's not my main issue)

The question is this: will the Sony fanbois let us in the club? I don't need to start liking weeaboo shit, do I?

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Nice speech, however...

Organised Boycotts just don't work.

Most gamers don't have the will power for that. They may talk a good game, but it'll only last until the next Call of Duty or whatever comes out and then the whole thing goes out the window. I know there are already gamers out there who are going to buy the damn thing despite it screwing it's customers up the ass because it's got some exclusive that they like. Way to see the big picture guys.

Technically true but given how easy it is to just buy a different system this one might be easier to swallow. From the sounds of things there's already going to be a pretty hefty unofficial boycott of xbox one. Personally, I've never bought an xbox so I'm already ahead of the game.

Did I mention the blindly devoted sheep who'll throw away their consumer rights for a few shallow exclusives? I'm pretty sure I did.

 

[Snotnarok]

Yes, boycot Microsoft. Go PC gaming, where you will game on a... Microsoft machine.

They don't control any DRM on windows, they don't get any licensing fees, they make no profit on games sold on PC unless bought through the Games for Windows Live service.

OT: It's not going to happen, people are going to buy it anyway, they will ***** they will whine then they will cave because a game they liked is on it. Then boycott will turn to "It's not so bad...Actually it's neat that I can share games across Xbox's with friends"

The XBone isn't going to be the next 3DO, it may come in dead last but it'll still sell.

I have no interest after many 360 failures and my general hatred of DRM, so there was no plan to buy this even prior to their hilarious plans for DRM

 

[TallanKhan]

I was a dual console user this generation (PS3 and 360) as I felt both had some decent exclusives. I was always more favorable towards the PS3 (mainly because PSN is free) but had intended to buy both consoles this generation. No more. Microsoft have lost my business for this generation at least.

 

[Samurai Silhouette]

Yes, boycot Microsoft. Go PC gaming, where you will game on a... Microsoft machine.

Linux, that is all. And no, do not think of it at the Windows killer, as the people who think so are kidding themselves into thinking that Linux is some sort of Windows competitor. It's not, but it's a viable alternative.

How is linux a viable operating system when it's obscure to over half of the population? It's nearly impossible to boycott something that's almost mandatory for day to day lives. I will be boycotting their system to let them know that I'm no longer a consumer in their gaming products.

Citation please.

I'm being very picky here I know, but this is something from which I need the numbers to back you up. This is not directed at anyone in particular, but I find it hard to believe that half the IT population doesn't know Linux.

Or was it the European population? Doubt it, as some (quite possibly more) countries there are running Linux...

That's one problem; no descriptive modifiers were given. Half of which population, again?

Also; I said viable alternative. My original post also elaborates on the fact that I cannot fully run away from MS as my parents are resilient to change and for some games that I don't want to mess around in Wine too much for. I've been able to do it, but my laziness prevents me from doing so all the time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_systems
http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp
https://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=10&qpcustomd=0
http://www.zdnet.com/latest-os-share-data-shows-windows-still-dominating-in-pcs-7000013351/

My original post also elaborates on the fact that I cannot fully run away from MS as my parents are resilient to change and for some games that I don't want to mess around in Wine too much for. I've been able to do it, but my laziness prevents me from doing so all the time.

:\
So yeah, good luck boycotting their OS. I can't because my grades are dependent on it.

 

[thesilentman]

Yes, boycot Microsoft. Go PC gaming, where you will game on a... Microsoft machine.

Linux, that is all. And no, do not think of it at the Windows killer, as the people who think so are kidding themselves into thinking that Linux is some sort of Windows competitor. It's not, but it's a viable alternative.

How is linux a viable operating system when it's obscure to over half of the population? It's nearly impossible to boycott something that's almost mandatory for day to day lives. I will be boycotting their system to let them know that I'm no longer a consumer in their gaming products.

Citation please.

I'm being very picky here I know, but this is something from which I need the numbers to back you up. This is not directed at anyone in particular, but I find it hard to believe that half the IT population doesn't know Linux.

Or was it the European population? Doubt it, as some (quite possibly more) countries there are running Linux...

That's one problem; no descriptive modifiers were given. Half of which population, again?

Also; I said viable alternative. My original post also elaborates on the fact that I cannot fully run away from MS as my parents are resilient to change and for some games that I don't want to mess around in Wine too much for. I've been able to do it, but my laziness prevents me from doing so all the time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_systems
http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp
https://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=10&qpcustomd=0
http://www.zdnet.com/latest-os-share-data-shows-windows-still-dominating-in-pcs-7000013351/

My original post also elaborates on the fact that I cannot fully run away from MS as my parents are resilient to change and for some games that I don't want to mess around in Wine too much for. I've been able to do it, but my laziness prevents me from doing so all the time.

:\
So yeah, good luck boycotting their OS. I can't because my grades are dependent on it.

Problem with stats like those is that they don't consider dual boot scenarios. Hell, there's no proper way to figure out the true market share of Linux as there's no licenses for the majority of the distros (Windows uses licenses, as we all know) or tied to specific hardware and only that hardware (Apple has this approach, once again common knowledge).

The closest we've gotten is the Humble Bundles, which is still skewed as the Linux users still pay more on average than Mac and Windows. If anything, Humble Bundles show that there is a market for games on Linux, but no one's ready to keep asking for it in the industry today.

I do sympathize with you on being tied to MS products though. For a full year, I could only use .docx for my papers. I've gotten around that as of late by saving it as a .doc though, so I can start slowly moving away from Windows. My main issue is more the culture in which Windows thrives more than anything else, with it being first in the market and having a massive case of vendor lock-in. :-/

 

[Not Lord Atkin]

I genuinely and truly do not want to see Microsoft stay in the console business anymore

I think this sentence says it all. Microsoft should either come to its senses or abandon the console market. I don't think anyone here wants it to go out of business in general, the OT only seems to imply wanting them out of console manufacturing business.

In other words, please, just leave your PC and Windows arguments be.


In all seriousness, while I think that Microsoft may be going a bit too far with this, a flat out boycott is not necessary in this case. The public opinion is already at its all-time low, people just aren't going to buy the bloody thing, boycott or not. You don't need to organise them into not buying shit they weren't going to buy in the first place.

 

[neppakyo]

I think the point is just to boycott the xbone. Windows 7 is still a good OS, windows 8 is a piece of shit.

 

[EstrogenicMuscle]

Linux, that is all.

I played my Steam library on an Ubuntu partition the other day. Every PC of mine has an Ubuntu partition. No, Ubuntu isn't for tr00 Linux enthusiasts. But I don't know what I'm doing, so it doesn't matter. Neither are most people who use an OS. Ubuntu is free as in free beer. So there is no reason not to install it. And among the easiest and most user friendly to use.

I had a good time playing a good game of Cave Story+, Shatter, Spirits, and a few others. But the Linux library is still incredibly tiny. And Wine is still incredibly flawed, to the point I can't even play Recettear without hassle.

I support Linux, but it has a long way to go. I'm kind of hoping that Valve tries to pour money into it. Because if so, it finally might get the kind of power behind it that it needs to take on Microsoft. Microsoft is a billion dollar industry off of Microsoft, so if someone can give them a proper competitor, they have a massive market.

Google also did okay with Android, though Android and Chrome OS are no alternative to Windows. And Android is definitely a very closed system. But with enough work, it would also be possible for Google to give us a Linux alternative. Perhaps Valve and Google could work together on an OS to take down Microsoft?

Either way, in the meantime, sorry. I'm definitely not buying and XBOX One. But I'm going to keep buying copies of Windows 7. There's no adequate replacement right now for someone like me who continues to build computers out of old and new parts. Linux is nice but it just isn't as good for gaming. Especially if you have the level of know-how that I do.

I just want an operating system to sit down and play a game of Touhou or even The Last Remnant with.

 

[Entitled]

Having less indie developers is somehow a downside? They are low budget for a reason, there is nothing to miss about cheap games. If you are so interested in these cheap games, you need not look further than basic crap game sites like miniclip.

In this generation Minecraft alone on the Xbox 360 sold more than any Gears of War, on PC+Xbox360 sold more than any Halo, and on all platform, sold more than any Call of Duty.

Microsoft's reply to this, is that they want to make sure that at least they secure the last generation's Minecraft on the Xbone, while throwing out every other indie developer, including the ones who will inevitably make next generation's Minecraft equivalent, then they can start playing catch-up months after the hype.

Missing out on all of this generation's Braids, Journeys, Dear Esthers, World of Goos, and Mark of the Ninjas, isn't something that they could afford, even if these wouldn't be wildly successful products on their own, the "classy" reputation that they bring certainly moves lots of hardware sales.