Microsoft wants to kill PC gaming

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

No they really aren't. Seems like if any large corporation (except for Valve) gets a mention in news or a forum post there's usually a large negative reaction that doesn't always seem warranted to whatever news item or discussion is posted. Ah well.

OMG I hate Valve STEAM NEEDS QUALITY CONTR--wait, where was I?

But yeah, there's a whole host of them that either invite fanboyism or pure hatred just by mentioning them. Apple and Valve both came to mind, even though I don't like either one of them.

I get a knee-jerk reaction to Apple... but there's a long history of why me and Apple do not get along so I can understand it. Valve at one point had high esteem from me, but like EA (a company I once worked for and respected) there's been enough crap to undermine the goodwill.

 

[Lightspeaker]

There are still a lot of unknowns and "what ifs" at the moment, but with past history as a guide, it's not unreasonable to assume that Microsoft will at some point attempt to implement some anti-consumer and borderline illegal practices into Win10, it's just their MO.

It's not 1995 anymore. Microsoft isn't that company anymore.

Look I can appreciate that there's a certain amount of back and forth on this UWP thing in this topic.

But did you like...sleep through the entirety of 2013 or something? Or somehow totally miss the XBOne backlash over DRM practices, always online, sharing, the forced inclusion of Kinect, etc etc etc? And the condemning of Microsoft as being anti-consumer and the whole scheme to be a potentially dangerous infringement of consumer rights? Not to mention the hilarious fact that a lot of the 'benefits' of the console would be basically US-only and therefore entirely unattractive to anyone outside of the United States?

Claim you don't think that this UWP revelation is a problem if you wish. But seriously, Microsoft definitely IS still that company, as demonstrated less than three years ago.


Somewhat relevant, also highly amusing:

 

[The Jovian]

You can't trust Microsoft. They want full control. The problem is that Microsoft is shaping themselves into a service platform. And since games are designed to run primarily on Windows OS, they absolutely will eventually try to force everything to go through Windows Store in order to be installed on Windows at all. Even if they're "denying it" now with their vague statements, don't be fooled. That is exactly what they're planning. Even if it's an overreaction, it's better to overreact than to let it go and basically tell Microsoft "go ahead, fuck us over".

I suppose I should trust the perspective of a time traveler from a dystopian plutocratic future, but since today's government is still entirely in the "monopolies are bad and no amount of money will make me not dislike them" camp, I refuse to believe that Microsoft can accomplish what you're saying without crossing several major lines, and getting sued out of existence for trying to establish an illegal monopoly over the PC gaming market, because that's the scenario you've described, a monopoly.

As hard as it may be to believe Mr. Jensen, today's corporations still have lines they won't cross, and there's a HUGE difference bewtween EA or UbiSoft (or whoever) price gouging its customers with DLC and micro transactions, and trying to control them with Online Passes (a fortunately extinct practice), and Microsoft actively trying to monopolize the PC gaming market, they already had to brave through one antitrust lawsuit back in 2001, they sure as hell don't need another.

And even if for whatever reason the US government doesn't give a damn about Microsoft's attempt at a PC gaming monopoly, Microsoft still wouldn't do it because the instant they try they will alienate so much potential PC gaming developers that Mac OS, Linux and Steam OS are gonna eat Windows' market share for breakfast.

 

[Something Amyss]

I get a knee-jerk reaction to Apple... but there's a long history of why me and Apple do not get along so I can understand it. Valve at one point had high esteem from me, but like EA (a company I once worked for and respected) there's been enough crap to undermine the goodwill.

I don't really knee-jerk to Apple so much as resent the fact that their model of overpriced shiny "lifestyle" products that don't last or hold up to other consumer electronics has dominated the industry and made it virtually impossible to get something decent.

I dropped Samsung because their new phones took away the things that distinguished them from iPhones.

But I'm not going to foam at the mouth every time they come up. Just sometimes. >.>

 

[FalloutJack]

So, Microsoft is trying to be control-freaky with their unpopular control-freaky OS that I'm not gonna use? Good to know. I'm sure no backlash will ever-

Heh, nope. Couldn't keep a straight face.

 

[verdant monkai]

This title is rather "fear mongering" isn't it? Its not like they said they want to kill PC gaming just monopolise it. I think we all know by now that Microsoft is a veritable cancer that wants to exploit consumers and make gaming a generally unpleasant place to be. I'm not saying this isn't worth discussing I'm just not surprised its happening. But hey chances are some of you guys bought an Xbone so I guess this comes as a shock to some.

I'm not a fan of PC gaming. I don't like 8bit indie games, discussing graphics, mods, having to wait years for Japanese games, or wondering if the game will actually work on my rig. So it wouldn't bother me if PC gaming did die, but we all know it won't the only people microsoft can really ruin things for is the people who still buy their consoles.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I get a knee-jerk reaction to Apple... but there's a long history of why me and Apple do not get along so I can understand it. Valve at one point had high esteem from me, but like EA (a company I once worked for and respected) there's been enough crap to undermine the goodwill.

I don't really knee-jerk to Apple so much as resent the fact that their model of overpriced shiny "lifestyle" products that don't last or hold up to other consumer electronics has dominated the industry and made it virtually impossible to get something decent.

I dropped Samsung because their new phones took away the things that distinguished them from iPhones.

But I'm not going to foam at the mouth every time they come up. Just sometimes. >.>

I've always seen Apple as the BMW of computers, extremely expensive and mostly proprietary but more of a status symbol than worth its pricetag and hearing people I've known most of my life crow about them constantly yet never be able to give me an objective reason why my cheaper PCs were "inferior", that gave me kind of a complex against them.

 

[Something Amyss]

I've always seen Apple as the BMW of computers, extremely expensive and mostly proprietary but more of a status symbol than worth its pricetag and hearing people I've known most of my life crow about them constantly yet never be able to give me an objective reason why my cheaper PCs were "inferior", that gave me kind of a complex against them.

For me, it's about the ubiquity of things like the iPod and iPhone. I'm not really big on feature-limited and shiny. I don't like two hour battery lives because everyone has to fight to make the thinnest phone. I really don't like that almost every major iteration of iProducts have some major flaw, yet people will line up for months to get the next one. It's like Star Wars Episode 2 all over again!

 

[Vigormortis]

If devs can't freely use DX12 then it only gives Vulkan more ground.

I'm okay with this.

Not saying this is not true....but don't lump EA, Activision or even Valve really, as "victims". They do similar things in an effort to maintain control in their own ways. Activision toyed with that Call of Duty subscription thing, and EA Origin is them taking a swipe at Steam....and Steam well, I love it but its a monopoly I find myself stuck in.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monopoly

At the rate people keep misusing that word, it'll become the new "censorship".

 

[Vigormortis]

Talking about GoW, how has there not been a thread yet about how shitty the port is? Worse than Arkham Knight apparently.

It is? Runs flawlessy on my PC.

It plays like shit for just AMD users I think.

Here: <youtube=utOyqdoMqas>

Which is hilarious, since the original game was built for AMD-centric hardware...

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

There are still a lot of unknowns and "what ifs" at the moment, but with past history as a guide, it's not unreasonable to assume that Microsoft will at some point attempt to implement some anti-consumer and borderline illegal practices into Win10, it's just their MO.

It's not 1995 anymore. Microsoft isn't that company anymore.

Did you forget the attempt at digital games only, always online, bundled with a Kinect? That wasn't 1995. Nor was turning MS Office into an insane subscription model.

This argument makes no sense.

The digital games only, always online, bundled with a Kinect Xbox One never really happened in the end. They did have the connect as a mandatory peripheral for a while, now they don't include it in most of their bundles, the digital only never happened, the always online never happened. Personally, I truly believe they were moving forward too fast for consumers, I don't believe they were doing that out of malice. They were certainly wide of the mark, but unlike the old Microsoft, they listened and adjusted.

That is nothing like the old Microsoft. Completely unfair to compare that to their old practices.

The "insane subscription model" makes no sense - MS Office is still a standalone product. The subscription model is not mandatory and more than that, it's actually a much better value for money and extremely popular. I see nothing wrong with that at all.

 

[Something Amyss]

Did you forget the attempt at digital games only, always online, bundled with a Kinect? That wasn't 1995. Nor was turning MS Office into an insane subscription model.

Which part of that was borderline illegal?

 

[TotalerKrieger]

Talking about GoW, how has there not been a thread yet about how shitty the port is? Worse than Arkham Knight apparently.

It is? Runs flawlessy on my PC.

It plays like shit for just AMD users I think.

Here: <youtube=utOyqdoMqas>

Which is hilarious, since the original game was built for AMD-centric hardware...

Looks like Nvidia Gameworks strikes again...the closer they get to monopolizing the gpu market, the more underhanded they become. AMD really only has one last shot to land a solid hit with Polaris. Another ho-hum performance and they will have lost too much market share to ever recover.

http://wccftech.com/nvidia-gameworks-visual-corruption-gears-war-ultimate-edition/

 

[HybridChangeling]

I think it's time for another around of trust-busting for Microsoft.

Yeaaahhhhhh boy. Between them owning tons of originally 3rd party content, and all the new features becoming either Windows Exclusive or heavily licensed, Windows and the games industry need time away from each other.

 

[Chaosian]

All I can really say is it looks like it'd be a good time to initiate the Linux gaming Renaissance.

 

[IceForce]

Come on now, seriously? The thread title is sensationalized, clickbaity to all hell, and not even close to accurate.

You're doing yourself no favors.

 

[Erttheking]

Are two different people using your account?

How is this an issue? It's like people keep forgetting what being a corporation is about. They exist to do one thing and one thing only - make more money. No one is demanding that you buy their products. Exercise some fuckin' restraint every once in a while and don't buy shit if you don't think the price is right.

That point still stands. If you refuse to buy stuff, the platform dies. But gamers don't seem to have even the slightest impulse control. They must have a game immediately. Pre-order! Pre-order!

You can't trust Microsoft. They want full control. The problem is that Microsoft is shaping themselves into a service platform. And since games are designed to run primarily on Windows OS, they absolutely will eventually try to force everything to go through Windows Store in order to be installed on Windows at all. Even if they're "denying it" now with their vague statements, don't be fooled. That is exactly what they're planning. Even if it's an overreaction, it's better to overreact than to let it go and basically tell Microsoft "go ahead, fuck us over".

Amazing how you can't say gamers have thin skin or a problem with being assholes, but accuse them of having poor impulse control and no one bats an eye at it. Also seriously hoping that you aren't saying you in the singular.

Also the point that he was getting at is that you were basically trying to shut people up who had concerns about games, saying "It's the job of a corporation to make money," which is ironic considering your avatar is based on a cyberpunk game. Now you're bringing up a move a company is making that you're concerned about. And a couple of people, me included, find it rather hypocritical.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Amazing how you can't say gamers have thin skin or a problem with being assholes, but accuse them of having poor impulse control and no one bats an eye at it. Also seriously hoping that you aren't saying you in the singular.

Also the point that he was getting at is that you were basically trying to shut people up who had concerns about games, saying "It's the job of a corporation to make money," which is ironic considering your avatar is based on a cyberpunk game. Now you're bringing up a move a company is making that you're concerned about. And a couple of people, me included, find it rather hypocritical.

I think the context matters. I wasn't defending corporations in that post. I was explaining the state of affairs in the world and how you can avoid something like that becoming a problem if only you could exercise some impulse control.

 

[Buckets]

Have Microsoft just hired the Fine Brothers, suppose they need to try something else to get world domination.

 

[deadish]

This is why Microsoft is the worst company in gaming. Worse then EA, worse then Ubisoft, worse then Capcom, worse then Konami. At least most of those companies are content to screw over their customers, or to burn themselves down. Microsoft wants to fuck up the entire medium. I can't believe people actually trusted them. Unfortunately, this has a much better chance of going through then the Xbone. Just fuck that whole company.

I have been saying this about Microsoft since they launched the first Xbox. MS is a real life Kevin Spacey character, always scheming and "positioning", and is mercenary and utterly ruthless.

They aren't here to sell products, they are here to own the market. They don't want to beat their competitors in the ring, they want to kill and bury them - the former is good for us, the latter isn't.

If you want to know just what kind of company culture MS has, all you need to do is read their "leaked" internal training manuals and emails.

http://www.groklaw.net/articlebasic.php?story=20071023002351958
http://www.groklaw.net/articlebasic.php?story=2010011422570951