I'm not scared about XBone as a Halo Lover

[Angelblaze]

I really really love my Halo, I'm a massive Cortana fan and I really do love the series despite its flaws...that said I'm worried about the Xbone...


But my Halo love is not why. I'm worried about it from an economic point of view - how much of a massive effect is still going to have on our world economy as a whole. Just think about it - video gaming really is a billion dollar business. Consoles play part in that and like it or not, there are going to be some innocent people who are about to pay for it with their jobs. If this console doesn't sell there is going to be layoffs, crashing companies, the whole nine yards. I know that 'This is Microsoft' but there are still going to be other companies - specifically developers, that are going to get locked out and run over by this unless they switch to pc/mobile within the next...couple of months.

That's really not long in terms of game development.

Should I be worried or am I just overreacting here?

 

[Colt47]

I really really love my Halo, I'm a massive Cortana fan and I really do love the series despite its flaws...that said I'm worried about the Xbone...


But my Halo love is not why. I'm worried about it from an economic point of view - how much of a massive effect is still going to have on our world economy as a whole. Just think about it - video gaming really is a billion dollar business. Consoles play part in that and like it or not, there are going to be some innocent people who are about to pay for it with their jobs. If this console doesn't sell there is going to be layoffs, crashing companies, the whole nine yards. I know that 'This is Microsoft' but there are still going to be other companies - specifically developers, that are going to get locked out and run over by this unless they switch to pc/mobile within the next...couple of months.

That's really not long in terms of game development.

Should I be worried or am I just overreacting here?

If Xbox One sinks Halo isn't going to go anywhere. They'll just start making the games multi-platform like Sonic and other Sega titles. Also, mobile is just this decades social gaming: it's not going to displace home consoles and PCs anymore than existing hand held gaming devices have. In fact, in the future mobile devices will likely have a ton of apps meant to enhance the experience on home consoles and PCs.

A lot of PR and business folks don't have the cross knowledge that the older generation did with the industries they run, so they make bold statements without knowing the limits of the tech they are talking about. If anything the Financial business is getting way too much power in businesses these days and are making everyones lives miserable...

 

[Vrex360]

On the Halo side of things... well....

Unless 343 brings the Arbiter back (and by extension sympathetic elites in general and elites in multiplayer and a formal apology to the proud majestic Sangheili race for trying to make them into something from Gears of War) I'm not interested in 343's little 'Reclaimer trilogy' (though hypocritically I own several toys from Halo 4, seriously I need to be a more fickle consumer).

As far as the effect of this, I worry too. I mentioned in another thread my fear of Always Online ultimately meaning the end of re-playability for games thus decreasing gaming's value as an art form in the long run and the economic backlash has got to be an issue too. As much as I want to see Microsoft get the business equivilant of being hung drawn and quartered over this gluttonous abomination of a console (if it really is as bad as they say it is, I am still ready to give them SOME benefit of the doubt), I don't want to see hard working men and women with families to support getting fired.

That said I doubt it'll be a global catastrophe, though a console crashing could be very bad for the industry.

Captcha:
Ice to meet you

I haven't been gone that long!

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

While I don't want those people to lose their jobs, I want this to be a wake up call for the suits, and if this happens due to a massive loss of jobs, then it'll be even more effective as that'll mean that many more people behind it.

As for Halo, yeah, even if MS's Xbox branch sinks, it'll just go somewhere else.

 

[krazykidd]

Would it be so bad , to miss out on one game? I mean i get being a fan of something , i really do , but missing out on a game or a couple of games because of poor business practices , isn't it worth it ? I

I really don't like the attitude of some gamers . Sure do what you like with your money , but when shit hit's the fan , don't complain , you supported it .

 

[mrm5561]

I dont think theres anything to worry about. No matter what people are still goingto buy the xbone. I might not sell as well as the ps4 but it will sell

 

[Soopy]

I can't really see a reason to purchase an Xbone to be honest. Exclusives have never really been an issue for me and the way consoles are going they have zero convenience compared with a well built PC.

 

[Trueflame]

Wait, you're worried about Microsoft having layoffs, or the overall impact a lackluster console generation could have on the gaming industry? Either way, I don't think you should worry. A single console or company, no matter how large, does not make the entire industry. Others will pick up the slack, or new companies will form to fill the void, that's simply the way of things. The bloated and out of touch fall, the new and innovative rise, and so forth.

Halo certainly isn't going to go anywhere, it'll simply become a multi-platform title and be just fine. Microsoft will also be fine, even if there are layoffs. The Xbox division, although very profitable, makes a relatively minor portion of Microsoft's total operation.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

Wait, you're worried about Microsoft having layoffs,

They're worried about the people who might lose their jobs, not about MS.

 

[Trueflame]

Wait, you're worried about Microsoft having layoffs,

They're worried about the people who might lose their jobs, not about MS.

Ah... Well then. People will find new jobs. No matter what you do someone will be adversely affected by it in some way, somewhere down the line. So you might as well do what benefits you and not worry about things so far beyond your reach or proximity.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

Wait, you're worried about Microsoft having layoffs,

They're worried about the people who might lose their jobs, not about MS.

Ah... Well then. People will find new jobs. No matter what you do someone will be adversely affected by it in some way, somewhere down the line. So you might as well do what benefits you and not worry about things so far beyond your reach or proximity.

Now isn't the kind of climate where people can find jobs easily, so it does make one feel guilty about it. Still, you're right about worrying about things out of your control.

 

[Gennadios]

Look at it this way, the talented designers and coders will survive, there's tons of money going into the games market, it just so happens that its easier to be profitable as a small scale indie right now.

Yeah, tons of the "fat" in the system will lose jobs, but I'm not exactly wealthy. I don't really care if the people selling a product I can't or don't want to afford lose jobs. I can pay $15 for an indie game and have just as much fun.

 

[NickBrahz]

I am a long time halo fan, played and own every single one, used to play the first 2 on xbox and lan with friends, with that said it is fairly easy for me to say goodbye to Halo, i will not buying an XBone for various reason, i disagree with a lot of it, the kinect, online once every 24 hours, the used game fee, so halo 4 is the last Halo i will play until they start coming out back on PC.

And about people being fired, this sin't some perfect world where people work at once place there whole life, if M$ sinks they will just have to go find another job, im not going to buy an XBone and support them just so people don't get fired from M$, people get fired everyday.

 

[Olas]

It's capitalism, businesses that are unsuccessful downsize while others capitalize on that failure and scale up. Microsoft laying off workers because of the Xbone isn't a problem, it's the system working the way it's supposed to. The industry will be fine, everyone will be fine, and in the long run this will have taught them a lesson. Frankl I'd be more nervous if the Xbone turned into a huge success.

 

[Entitled]

How about this one?

As soo as the Xbone becomes obselete, and they turn off it's servers, all exclusive Halo games that were written to beexclusive on it will cease to exist. Gone. No more. Ereased from existence. Ashes and dust. Never to be played by anyone in the future.

 

[NickBrahz]

How about this one?

As soo as the Xbone becomes obselete, and they turn off it's servers, all exclusive Halo games that were written to beexclusive on it will cease to exist. Gone. No more. Ereased from existence. Ashes and dust. Never to be played by anyone in the future.

Nothing is Ereased in this day and age, the underestimate the willingness for people to try to get Halo emulators for PC.

 

[Entitled]

How about this one?

As soo as the Xbone becomes obselete, and they turn off it's servers, all exclusive Halo games that were written to beexclusive on it will cease to exist. Gone. No more. Ereased from existence. Ashes and dust. Never to be played by anyone in the future.

Nothing is Ereased in this day and age, the underestimate the willingness for people to try to get Halo emulators for PC.

It takes lots of time until emultation becomes possible on PCs, even PS2 generation emulators are slow and wonky right now. And the whole server-side cloud reliance just makes it that much more complicated.

It's theoretically possibble to emulate anything, even WoW has cracked servers, but they need to rebuild lots of in-game data from scratch, and that requires the kind of volunteer manpower that only the highest demand games can gather. Would a several years old blockbuster that already has sequels anyways, couldn't get.

You can't rely on hobbyist to reconstruct whole game libraries that it's owners are busy destroying.

If Halo 3 would have an online cloud dependance, that would get shut down right now, would it get that kind of attention?

 

[Batou667]

Xbone will be a success even if it's a financial loss. Microsoft will throw money at it and sell at a loss if need be to keep their brand recognition and market share.

Also, Halo isn't going anywhere. I'd say there's an odds-on chance Halo 5 will be a Holiday 2013 release for XBone exclusively to tempt migration from 360 - or failing that, a Holiday 2014 release to mark Xbone's position as the new "main" MS console. I think MS have realised that XBone adoption rates will be slow at first and so they're making all the right kinds of noises in terms of continuing to support 360, but by this time next year I'd wager they'll start pushing the new console more aggressively and so Christmas 2014 will likely be a more crucial time for them.

Why do I keep banging on about the Holiday/Christmas period? That's when Halo games come out. Look:

Every main Halo title has been released in the late Autumn. Christmas sales are a key part of Halo sales strategy.

Halo fans will have noticed 343's "release that sh*t half-finished, a couple of patches, and we're done" approach to Halo 4. The obligatory DLC came out at a Gatling gun pace, implying that three separate divisions were working in parallel, probably starting before Halo 4 had even been released. Everything points to 343 busily working on the "next big thing". The only questions now are what and when.

My predictions:

Winter 2013: Halo 2 Anniversary released for 360 and Xbone. The Xbone version has extra features (a bit like how Halo CE Anniversary was "better with Kinect"). [edit] Scratch that, Halo has never been released on two platforms and it seems unlikely to do so. It'll probably be the last Halo game on 360.

Mid 2014: Halo 3 and Halo 3 ODST servers shut down to "consolidate our resources and ensure a high quality of experience for our key titles. Don't worry, Reach and Halo 4 aren't going anywhere for the foreseeable future!"

Winter 2014: Halo 5 released as an Xbone exclusive. Sangheili are reintroduced "by popular demand", Didact turns out to be alive, Cortana also somehow made a backup before she "died". Arbiter still absent since 343 wouldn't recognise a charismatic supporting character if it emptied a needler clip into the seat of their pants. Reach servers are quietly taken down to "consolidate" the series' online presence.

Mid-late 2015: Xbox 360 no longer being supported by Microsoft. Halo 4 servers taken down in line with system-wide switchover to XBone as the only supported console. 343 makes vague comment about an upcoming Halo 3/4 HD release at some point to placate the few angry players who still remember the original trilogy.

Anybody reckon that sounds feasible?

 

[Vivi22]

If this console doesn't sell there is going to be layoffs, crashing companies, the whole nine yards.

If this console doesn't sell, we're going to see the PS4 and the Wii U pick up the slack and no one except Microsoft will be affected in any meaningful way.

The industry is not going to suddenly implode if the XBone doesn't do well enough, so yes, you're overreacting.