Microsoft Exec on Always Online Consoles: "Deal With it"

[Saulkar]

Ok....I'll deal with it. I've decided not to buy the next version of the Xbox.

Dealt with.

(I hope this isn't too low content, I'm awfully new at this)

Hi'ya, welcome to the Escapist. When Microsoft asks the both of us why we did not buy their newest console we will both say in unison: This douche you hired convinced us otherwise.

I want my console to be available when I want it to be, where I want it to be, no exceptions. Also if this always on Kinect thing turns out to be true then that will be another nail in the coffin for Microsoft from me.

 

[Tradjus]

There is absolutely no question, this man is about too be thrown under the bus by Microsoft.
He'll be fired, his family will be fired, everyone he ever knew will be fired.
Microsoft will violently and with finality purge every mention of him from the reality in which we inhabit.

 

[Kaossdemon]

I remeber one of the creators of the original Xbox saying the console owes its success to a series of bad decisions their competitors made and not to anything Microsoft has done. I suppose this is what he meant.

 

[Narcogen]

No, all our devices are not "always on", at least not in this way. There's a huge difference between being able to use online functionality to enhance a device wherever it is, and deliberately crippling that device from performing functions it would otherwise be capable of arbitrarily just because there is no network connection.

My mobile devices don't lose the capability of launching apps I've purchased when its in airplane mode. My desktop and laptop computers don't stop performing local tasks when no network is available. Both of these classes of devices are more useful online, but are still useful offline.

An "always online" console that won't let you play more than a few minutes without a network connection is a brick around its owners neck, inconveniencing only those who have unmodified devices with legitimately purchased content, and having no effect whatsoever on piracy.

This certainly brings into sharp focus the need to eliminate class action lawsuits in TOS modifications over the past few years, because even if the console doesn't work like this at launch, they might update it to work this way later.

 

[Jandau]

I have a feeling most comments on this article are going to be directed toward Microsoft because of the title... instead of the Exec himself.

There's a difference between an exec like that saying it (who probably doesnt play video games), and the corporation saying it.

No, there isn't, not really. People in high corporate positions making public statements directly related to the line of business their company is involved in will always be interpreted as making semi-official statements in the company's name. This is a reality of their work and they should be aware of this and refrain from making such statements to avoid it reflecting badly on the company in question.

You might say that while this is true, it's still not fair, but it is fair. Who do you think makes corporate policy? The execs. So when an exec makes a statement regarding the business practices of his company, even if it's a personal statement, it still reflects his own standpoint and views, which in turn shape the overall corporate policy. A douche doesn't suddenly stop being a douche when he goes to work.

I have to highly disagree with you, because people making personal statements are not official statements. Let me give you an example of how this statement could be a very personal statement.

Researcher- Executive Board, we are going to lose sales if we make the console always online.
Execs - Our stockholders see it as needed, can we make it work.
Researcher - Sorry sir, we will make less money in the long run.
Exec- Fine, cut it out.
Exec on his personal twitter - I dont get why yall are so dramatic about it.

Its about intention. If you cant take a personal opinion (which he clearly shows its personal, from his replys, which if it was really about the company, he would of said something more professional), then you need to step back and think.

An unprofessional exec is an unprofessional exec. An unprofessional exec does not speak for his company on his personal twitter account, unless he states it.

Well, in that case, we'll just have to disagree. The example you provided wasn't an example, it was a situation you created to fit your argument, and one can do that for any argument one chooses to make, so it doesn't really prove anything either way.

An exec speaks for his company, period. He doesn't get to make personal statements on a public platform regarding the work he does. I'm sorry, he doesn't. And the key here is the platform. If he wants to rant to his friends over a beer, sure, go fot it. But Twitter is hardly a private setting. It's a public platform and statements made on it are treated as such. Imagine if you will (since we're making examples up and all), if Obama tweeted how he'd personally really like to nuke the fuck out of North Korea. By your reasoning, it's a personal opinion and we shouldn't think twice about it...

An unprofessional exec speaks for his company just as a professional one does.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Customers who don't like what you're selling won't buy it. #dealwithit.

Quoted for the motherfuckin' truth. Microsoft is run by idiots.

They will crash and burn because of things like these. Always-ON is not the world we live in. It's the world you want to force us to live in. Good luck with that.

 

[chadachada123]

Oh. Oh wow.

Fuck this guy.

How can someone be THAT completely ignorant of the world, no, of his own fucking country/state? Does he even realize that a significant portion of the United States still doesn't even have access to basic broadband? That a surprisingly large percentage of the US still uses DIAL-UP?

(Beyond this, he makes it seem like the average person, or average lower-middle/lower class person at least, has much of a choice regarding what county they live, which is asinine and frankly disgusting in itself)

Were it any demographic other than suburban/rural folk that he was spitting in the face of, a statement like his would have gotten him fired. Fuck, I hope these string of tweets does get him fired.

 

[MiskWisk]

Well, guess I'm getting a proper gaming pc next year then.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

According to his LinkedIn profile, he was the creative lead behind several LucasArts titles including The Force Unleashed 2 and this:

Spoiler

I guess when LucasArts was shut-down he wanted to accompany it down in flames as well.

relevant link and image

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/adam-orth/44/354/b44

Spoiler

 

[Dr. Octogonopus]

Looks like microsoft is replacing YLOD with 404 errors.

This is just an other example of why I think that twitter needs to have a pop-up that appears every time you want to tweet something that says "Really? You want the public to read that? Just think about what you're saying for a minute." Kind of like the little paper clip dude in Word or that buddy you have that stops you from drunk dialing an ex.

 

[Ralphfromdk]

As much as I love my 360 (I own a PS3 and a PC too, so no bias here) I would very much like Microsoft to make the 720 always online, and then have the sales tank, and Microsoft close the games division of the company.

Not because I hate Microsoft, but it would serve as a good warning to every other company that they shouldn't do it.

 

[seditary]

Every device is 'always on' Mr Orth?

Only device I own that is always online is my modem because that's its function.

Dude sounds hopelessly blind to the real world.

 

[Strazdas]

if electricity goes out, you dont clame the cacuum creator, but if YOUR INTERNET goes out, you blame microsoft? double standarts FTW?

It would be double standards iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiif the next Xbox required, due to laws of nature, to have an internet connection to work.

It doesn't. Internet connection is an extra requirement put there to protect profits

how do you know it doesnt? have you read its code? do you know how it conducts its OS operations, how it plays games? it could very well be that it DOES require internet to function due to laws of nature.
There were mechanic vacuums, where you suck the air with a mechanic pump, therefore vacuum cleaners dont require electricity by laws of nature, still, would you use one?

i think you missed the point slightly. if your internet goes down, thats your fault, not microsofts, what people are getting pissed over is that even if YOUR internet works, that doesn't mean there's does. everyone who tried playing simcity had working internet connections, but EA servers couldn't handle it. that makes it their fault ALMOST entirely (save for the people who actually bought the game). however as stupid as it is, i do agree that at least he had the balls to outright say it, rather than try to disguise it as a 'customer service' move.

also, a broom is not a vacuum cleaner. a broom moves the mess, a vacuum cleaner tries to suck in the mess. they are both cleaning products, but are not both vacuum cleaners.

That is true. if theri itnernet fails you would not be able to use it. the same way like, say, ebay wont run if their servers crash. and it is entirely on them to take the blame for it. however this does not need to be an often occurance. and while companies continue to fail due to probably some stupid person saying "what, im nto going to let you buy so many servers, i want some money left over for new porshe", but as technology progresses and considering how microsoft already got HUGE servers running for thier other stuff they may just pull it off. not at launch perhaps, but pretty much NOTHING lauched without bugs.
both devices move the mess, in different ways, but they both do. they are both products meant to clean the mess. the new Xbox does not have to be the old Xbox. PS4 surely wont be anything like PS3. it IS a new product. and since we dont know how to works yet, it can be a broom to vacuum jump for all we know.

An exec speaks for his company, period. He doesn't get to make personal statements on a public platform regarding the work he does. I'm sorry, he doesn't. And the key here is the platform. If he wants to rant to his friends over a beer, sure, go fot it. But Twitter is hardly a private setting. It's a public platform and statements made on it are treated as such. Imagine if you will (since we're making examples up and all), if Obama tweeted how he'd personally really like to nuke the fuck out of North Korea. By your reasoning, it's a personal opinion and we shouldn't think twice about it...

An unprofessional exec speaks for his company just as a professional one does.

You are wrong. simple as that. ANYONE can have private opinion on ANY platform, period. We can be stupid and react to it as an official statement, which is why most companies dont allow thier workers to do that, beucase of people who misinterpre what is official and what is not, like you. if i were to get a twitter account and say "hey i hate poland", woudl that make my organization officially racist? nope. but yet somehow you think it will.
If obama said that on hos personal twotter, i woudl treat it as a personal opinion. does not mean i must forget about it, but i wouldnt take it as an official stance of US.

Does he even realize that a significant portion of the United States still doesn't even have access to basic broadband? That a surprisingly large percentage of the US still uses DIAL-UP?

and that is a problem exclusively of those people. if living in a first world country - strongest economy in the world - you still have Dial-UP, it is YOUR problem and noone elses.

 

[Aramis Night]

I skiped the last console generation entirely and was likely to do the same with this coming one(PC Gamer). But after seeing this Sony CEO troll the MS exec, Im really tempted to get a PS4. This, ladies and gentlemen, is how you troll. Not be reciting some tired meme you saw on 4chan 3 yrs ago, but with the actual application of wit. And Sony CEO's profile picture was a nice touch. 10/10.

That is a joke/parody account.
https://twitter.com/KazHiraiCEO

PARODY ACCOUNT.

Also, I'd like to add that this is also an article from Yesterday with another Source basically saying the same thing, even offering specifics: http://kotaku.com/the-next-xbox-will-require-an-internet-connection-to-st-470062456 which this was apparently a reaction to.

"Unless something has changed recently," one of the sources told us over email, "Durango consumer units must have an active internet connection to be used."

...

"If there isn't a connection, no games or apps can be started," the source continued. "If the connection is interrupted then after a period of time--currently three minutes, if I remember correctly--the game/app is suspended and the network troubleshooter started."

Well damn. You just saved me from buying a console for the first time in 10 yrs.

 

[putowtin]

Sony CEO Kaz Hirai, what do you have to say about this?

Hello?

You ther-

Spoiler

I don't care if that's a parody:
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha... oh!
[sub](fell off me chair)[/sub]

But seriously Microsoft, if you wanted to alienate your fans in one fell swoop, congratulations, you just did it!

 

[anian]

I want his job, I mean obviously the only condition to keep his job is not to be an idiot and he's failing.

 

[The White Hunter]

Sony CEO Kaz Hirai, what do you have to say about this?

Hello?

You ther-

Spoiler

Ahaha xD I like it.

As for the topic itself, if you don't get why people dont like it by now you're simply ignoring most of the damn community. We don't like it because it means our connection being iffy will mean we can't play and thats depressing.

Every now and then BT digs up wires for lulz and my connection goes tits up for a few days as a result (don't even use the bastards ¬_¬), or how about my house isn't wired terribly well so when the landline rings the internet cuts out for ten minutes as a result?

How about I don't want Microsoft spying on my activities all the time?

I give it 2 or 3 months after it's out before it's cracked to play offline at an absolute maximum.