Jimquisition: Xbox One out of Ten

[Dragonbums]

I was never planning on getting an Xbox One or a PS4, yet even then that performance infuriated me. Since Nintendo is rarely talked about or ignored when it comes to discussion about the direction of the gaming industry I have to take into account what Sony and Micrsoft are going with their consoles.
The fact is- if Game consoles are trying to be the next "smart" TV, then they already lost that race because there are a bazillion products out there that already do that, and devices people have that will make them redundant.
I use my Wii as evidence. It has Netflix, Interent, weather forecasting, and News. I use NONE of those features. I play the Wii to play games. Even when I'm not playing games, I don't go to those channels. I just check the e-shop and power off.
People already have a BLU-Ray to play movies. They have smartphones to browse the internet and watch Television at the same time, they have remotes to turn on the tv.
Xbox One can't even do those things without the use of ANOTHER cable box. So that means you would have two pieces of bulk slammed in your living room.
No thanks Wii U did it better.
I only know ONE person who is interested in this console, and unironically he just happens to live on the coast.

 

[Dragon_Nexus]

2013...the year millions join the PC Master Race. Resistance is futile.

I was already kinda there...but depending on the next few months, I might go there full time.

 

[Luminos564]

*Sigh* This was just, so very, very sad to hear. I mean, I wasn't all that interested in Microsoft's newest Xbox, but I was open enough to give it a chance to impress me. I wanted them to pull out all the stops and prove they can actually compete this generation since Sony's PS4 reveal left much to be desired. But nope, Microsoft instead proved that unlike Sony, they can suck even HARDER. I've honestly run out of negative things to say about this console. I want to hate it. I want to see it be set on fire and its ashes tossed into the River Thames. But it's so bad, that it completely falls off my hatred spectrum.

I am still not wholly convinced of the PS4 since not a lot was shown about it, but so far it is looking all the more appealing simply by virtue of not having much to talk about. Hopefully E3 will do something right and introduce something to liven this next generation up.

 

[Snowblindblitz]

I still think it will do well.

I think it sucks, but it will do well.

It will sell to the people who want the latest gadget, enjoy COD (as they get early DLC), have a nice big living room and want something that can do everything but aren't that tech savvy.

As for gamers? Well we need to see the games first, but it's clearly not created with that customer base in mind, or else it wouldn't be focusing on all of the crap nobody asked for. Especially with the used games issue.

Yeah, this. A friend posted on FB about how much they liked it. I linked several articles describing all the bad features, and people just popping in to say how they wanted one.

I literally watched their puppet strings get pulled. Horrifying. My friends....they.....are gone...and no amount of rescue boats/lifeguards can reach through to them.

 

[chinangel]

doesn't the xbone's always on kinect recording thingy violate privacy laws?

 

[serious biscuit]

Why is everyone so focused on them not showing games, it was hardware reveal, to show off their new hardware. I think they did it better than Sony making it so close to E3 because they have a quick one hour show for the hardware and then two weeks later show off their games in full, whereas Sony had near 3 hour show with just specs and no more than teasers for games.

 

[weirdee]

Hey Jim. Just wanted to thank you (and perhaps God) for taking the time out of your regular schedule to take a dump on the Xbone. I probably wouldn't have been able to wait the entire week to see you drop the hammer. See you in the next episode.

 

[gamegod25]

It's both funny and sad to see just how out of touch MS apparently is. Be it ignorance or just plain contempt for gamers I don't know. Apparently "needing time to respond to Sony" meant thinking of how they could make it as unappealing as possible in comparison.

No, Gamers are just out of touch on what sells on mainstream and what mainstream consumers demand.

And just what is that exactly? Something that does what everything else out there already does?

The number one demand out there is convenience and ease of use.
Then look at the top 10 games of 2012:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/184637/

Call of Duty and Sports games.

They hit the nail straight on the head.

Go where the money is.

And that's the problem. Just like when they and Sony tried to get a piece of Nintendo's success with motion controls by bringing out their own "me too" peripherals, no one gave a shit because they already had something that did that. Instead of trying to do what our TV's, phones, PC's, Kindles, etc. can do already they need to focus on what a console does best...play games! And even if they have a shitload of mind blowing exclusive games lined up, that still wouldn't be enough to get me to pay for a console that locks me out from playing used/borrowed games and requires an internet connection to work.

If you want to support them then fine, that's your right as a consumer. But I refuse to reward such clearly anti-gamer bullshit when there are plenty of other options out there.

 

[JohnnyDelRay]

It's both funny and sad to see just how out of touch MS apparently is. Be it ignorance or just plain contempt for gamers I don't know. Apparently "needing time to respond to Sony" meant thinking of how they could make it as unappealing as possible in comparison.

No, Gamers are just out of touch on what sells on mainstream and what mainstream consumers demand.

And just what is that exactly? Something that does what everything else out there already does?

The number one demand out there is convenience and ease of use.
Then look at the top 10 games of 2012:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/184637/

Call of Duty and Sports games.

They hit the nail straight on the head.

Go where the money is.

And that's the problem. Just like when they and Sony tried to get a piece of Nintendo's success with motion controls by bringing out their own "me too" peripherals, no one gave a shit because they already had something that did that. Instead of trying to do what our TV's, phones, PC's, Kindles, etc. can do already they need to focus on what a console does best...play games! And even if they have a shitload of mind blowing exclusive games lined up, that still wouldn't be enough to get me to pay for a console that locks me out from playing used/borrowed games and requires an internet connection to work.

If you want to support them then fine, that's your right as a consumer. But I refuse to reward such clearly anti-gamer bullshit when there are plenty of other options out there.

Very enlightening post re: top selling games...I had forgotten about that. But I also wonder how long these stats hold out, I mean a while back there was the whole guitar hero rock band thing that was topping every chart out there. But I guess Halo, CoD, and sports games have had a lot more consistent run.

I think the majority of the console gaming and buying market is not quite reflected here. This console will do well it seems, how could it not if they follow the trend in sales. So everyone predicting the crash, is wrong. People complain about Diablo 3 and Battlefield 3's always online, Origin, what have you, they are still the biggest selling and most highly pre-ordered games in history. So no matter what the sentiment is here on the escapist or even on most gaming forums, it's not going to be reflected in the market.

Convergence of devices has been something that technology has always done, since microwaves had clocks on them, then phones having calculators, calendars, then cameras, now TV's browsing the internet, it's unfortunately a natural progression. We want GAMES consoles to play GAMES, but Microsoft just wants that piece of the pie as well. ONE, meaning ONE device in your living room.

It's a bit of a shame, but I'm one of those few types of gamers that aren't reflected in their demographic at all - not interested in sports (other than motor), or integration of devices that I already own, unreliable internet connection, and partly a PC gamer as well who's getting rather excited at the prospect of building an HTPC this coming generation.

 

[Signa]

I should have said this when the video was new and there was a chance of Jim seeing it, but thank you for this bonus video Jim. I knew your next video was going to be about the Xbone (how could it not be?), but I was perfectly willing to wait until you were ready to talk about it on your own time (most likely a Monday or one after the next), but you still took the time to make it when you did at the same quality as the rest of your content. That's going above and beyond to serve your fans (even if you just had to get it off your chest), something Microsoft has forgotten how to do.

 

[Something Amyss]

it's based on everything good that was in 360

I didn't know ads, motion controls and apps were the best of the 360. Sounds like it was a really terrible console.

 

[badgersprite]

I saw someone point out that the Xbox One isn't designed to compete with the PS4 - it's designed to compete with the Apple TV, and that tells you just about everything you need to know.

As you pointed out, Jim, it's not even a good competitor, because every single function the Xbox One does can already be achieved by better, more specialised devices that are also most likely cheaper than the Xbox One is going to be, especially taking into account the fees you inevitably have to keep paying for all the services it's supposed to be compatible with and for the Xbox One itself. And, those of us who really want those devices and can afford them most likely already have them.

There is literally nothing it is offering me, except the potential hilarity and inevitable frustration of how incongruous and awkward Kinect controls are going to be in any kind of real world situation.

 

[badgersprite]

It's both funny and sad to see just how out of touch MS apparently is. Be it ignorance or just plain contempt for gamers I don't know. Apparently "needing time to respond to Sony" meant thinking of how they could make it as unappealing as possible in comparison.

No, Gamers are just out of touch on what sells on mainstream and what mainstream consumers demand.

And just what is that exactly? Something that does what everything else out there already does?

And, by "mainstream consumers", do you mean people who don't play video games? That's kind of what your statement seemed to imply, Baldr. I ask that because I'm genuinely curious as to why you or anyone would think that a whole lot of people who don't play video games are going to be persuaded to buy a video game console. Are they really going to buy an Xbox One purely for its other, non-gaming features?

Like, I use my Xbox 360 and PS3 to play DVDs and Blu-Rays, but I own them because they're video game consoles and I play video games. People I know who don't play video games didn't go and get this device that's more expensive than a DVD or Blu-Ray player so they could watch movies on it - they bought DVD/Blu-Ray players. The same thing is going to happen here.

Even if they do want all these other features, they could just get an Apple TV or some other similar device that's cheaper and easier to use and already does all of this and isn't a video game console and doesn't come with a giant Kinect that you need to set up somewhere on your TV in order for it to work. Or, otherwise, they'll just stick with whatever setup they already have, even if it means using multiple devices, because they already spent money on it and they aren't gaining anything new with the Xbox One.

 

[Zeldias]

I really hope the PS4 comes through with some PS2-quality shit, because the PS3 has been a poop-covered ass and a half for me. I'm still trying to hold out hope for the Xbox One and the PS4, but I'm not buying either of those motherfuckers until I see a healthy library of games. Because I hate TV, I hate my friends, and I hate this weird idea that since PC games can do CD keys and you can't trade those, it's OK for consoles to do it, too.

That said, I'm glad people in this thread (that I've read so far) aren't going on about a looming game crash. Gaming is too deep in the cultural zeitgeist for that to happen again. And the current popular, seemingly neoliberal take on a boycott is basically to feed a different head on the same hydra. Shit ain't gonna happen.

But whatever, I'll be over here modding my PC games and having a blast.

 

[EstrogenicMuscle]

Unfortunately this episode doesn't really add much to the discussion. And there are more interestingly produced episodes.

But hey, it's another episode a few days after the last one. That is only being done at the last minute because of a awful mistake on Microsoft's part, so you can't ask for much.

There's a good point there about the PC there. What much is the point of a console anymore when consoles now are just bad PCs? Heck, at least with Good old Games you don't have to verify your junk all the time. And with Green Man Gaming, you still get DRM junk, but at least it is possible to trade your games. Your digital games are being treated as property, you can give them away or trade them. Legally. And games for the XBOX One are still most likely going to cost a whole lot of money. At least with Steamworks DRM, you can get most games for under $10 at some point in time.

What was the nice thing about consoles back in the day? The fact that you could share them. Didn't have good local multiplayer. The internet wasn't a big thing so there wasn't good online multiplayer. And you just plugged it in and played.

If you wanted to play a good game of Street Fighter as a friend's house, you just took a Street Fighter cartridge and two arcade sticks over to a friends how, popped the game and controllers in and you played Street Fighter. Now you have to jump through hoops to do everything. Again, what about two people who just want to grab two arcade sticks and a copy of Street Fighter?

All the plug and play, all the nice features of consoles are gone. Most people don't care about graphics that much anymore anyway. You can buy a laptop today for the price of a PlayStation 3 that plays a lot of great games pretty well. You can plug it into the TV and plug two joypads or whatever into the TV and have good local multiplayer on lots of games. And for goodness sakes, sharing games on the PC looks to actually be easier than with consoles. If you want to get your friend a game send them a game you bought for $4 as a Steam gift. There's nothing about console hardware that is impressive anymore. Not the new graphics, not the controllers, not the local multiplayer, not plug and play cartridges and discs, not used games.

At least the Wii U still feels like a console somewhat. Well, at least we know Microsoft is out of the race. Consumers won't put up with this and won't let this precedent stick. The Wii U sales are skyrocketing and Sony stocks are way up. Sony aren't going to make the same mistake after they've seen what it did to Microsoft. So we still have at least two consoles this generation keeping the tradition alive.

 

[GamerAddict7796]

Well thanks Xbox One. I was hoping for this to kick some major buttocks but now I may, after playing consoles my entire life, make the switch to PC. OR go to PS4.

Best start saving either way.

 

[wearesoneutralthatithurts]

Yeah,sure i want a console which acts as my own little big brother monitor INCLUDING SURVEILLANCE CAM WITH FACE RECOGNITION which counts nicely how much people inhabit the room. Even in the dark. And then i have to pay more.


At first, i didn't believe it: http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/139706-microsofts-new-kinect-patent-goes-big-brother-will-spy-on-you-for-the-mpaa

Fu. Microsoft? Fu!

 

[cefm]

Well, at least this might decrease the amount of people insulting other people's mothers on XBox Live.

Your Mom has a dial-up connection.

 

[InvisibleMan]

"The Xbox ONE will do what my TV already does"... Nope, not even that: the Xbox ONE does NOT come with a screen! So, you still need to buy a TV...

This announcement did not make me more excited about the PS4, either... it made me more excited about getting a Wii U instead!