Microsoft Was Surprised By Xbox One Outcry

[StewShearerOld]

Microsoft Was Surprised By Xbox One Outcry

Microsoft's Albert Penello says the company wasn't expecting the reaction and "assumptions" that came out of the Xbox One reveal.

Just in case you've been living under a rock on another planet in a galaxy far, far away for the past few months, you may recall that Microsoft ran into some trouble following the reveal of the Xbox One. While many were looking forward to the beginning of the next console generation, the new gaming machine nonetheless <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/7358-Xbox-One-out-of-Ten>triggered an outcry thanks to some of its attached restrictions. These would include always-online features that would require the console to check in with Microsoft once a day before players could access their games. The company would eventually <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/125204-Microsoft-Drops-Xbox-One-DRM-Restrictions-UPDATED>reverse its most controversial policies. That said, even now the company's surprised by how gamers reacted.

"We were surprised at how vocal it was, and we were surprised at the reaction and assumptions that people had about what we were trying to do," said Albert Penello, Microsoft's director of product planning. According to Penello, the console's policies were, in part, an attempt to adapt to what other successful entities in the game industry have done in recent years. "We were looking at what Steam does, we were looking at what iOS is doing, we were looking where the customers were going and saying 'I think we can actually give you a better all-digital experience.'"

Of course, the Xbox One isn't all digital, which was arguably part of the problem. There were more than a few who took issue with the idea of buying a physical game and then not being able to play it until the console received permission online. In the end, Penello believes it may have boiled down to a simple misunderstanding. "I think the problem was that people got in their minds that what we were trying to do was somehow evil or anti-customer." Considering the <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/124891-Microsoft-Exec-Offline-Gamers-Should-Stick-With-Xbox-360>somewhat dismissive way Microsoft responded to consumer concerns, that might not be a poor assumption to make.

Source: <a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QrZP0AmUvk>Rev3Games via <a href=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/199663/Microsoft_reflects_on_the_Xbox_One_alwaysonline_furor.php>Gamasutra

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[Agayek]

So let me get this straight. They listed out all the ways they were going to fuck over the customer while any benefits were poorly explained at best, if they got mentioned at all, and it's a surprise that there's customer backlash?

Who the hell is running things at Microsoft? A lobotomized chimpanzee?

 

[Ralphfromdk]

This just goes to show how far they had/still have their heads up their asses.

You wan't to be like Steam? THEN COPY STEAM. Don't try to make an evil clone and tell us it's the same thing.

 

[gigastar]

I think the moral of the story here is "Assumptions are a sure-fire way to get your ass torn off".

Or it could be "Assumptions resulted in Don Mattick leaving Microsoft for Zynga".

Dont know which is better...

 

[gibboss28]

...your surprise is unsurprising, you seem to be a fucking gargantuan beast that can't tell its arse from its elbow anymore.

 

[Able Seacat]

The rumours of 'always online' were around a while before the console was reviled so it's not like the initial reaction from people was hard for Microsoft to find.

 

[Johnny Wishbone]

"I think the problem was that people got in their minds that what we were trying to do was somehow evil or anti-customer."



When you debuted the console, you had a perfect opportunity to explain to everyone why what you were trying to do was good and pro-consumer. Instead, you chose to tell people:

- "This is good for you, trust us."

- "Don't like it? Deal with it. Or stick wth the 360."


How can Microsoft possibly be surprised by the negative reaction to this?

 

[Racecarlock]

Are they trying to ascend to some super saiyan level of stupid?

 

[Erttheking]

Exactly how out of touch is Microsoft with the rest of the world? No seriously, I'm starting to be concerned that they may be from another planet.

 

[GAunderrated]

Are they trying to ascend to some super saiyan level of stupid?

They have already achieved super saiyan and are now in the time chamber trying to see how they can ascend further.

 

[oldtaku]

Jesus, you dumb bastards. Stop defending your stupid anti-consumer positions after you've retreated from them.

Yes it was anti-customer, no it was nothing like Steam. Steam games run just fine offline, and I take advantage of that quite often.

There was nothing consumer friendly at all, and no benefit to anyone but you and your advertisers, about having the console drop dead if it doesn't phone home every 24 hours.

 

[TiberiusEsuriens]

"I think the problem was that people got in their minds that what we were trying to do was somehow evil or anti-customer."

Pretty much sums it up. What they wanted to give us was actually [mostly] pretty neat, but what they told us we were getting sounded like shit. It did sound evil, but that's because you basically told us that it was evil. There may be fault on both parties, but most of it was a failure of PR and marketing.

 

[WeepingAngels]

There was plenty of outcry just based on the rumors. Microsoft can't claim to have not heard it.

 

[Gorrath]

Of course he says they were surprised. What else is he going to say, that they knew that customers were going to hate the policies and did it anyway, assuming we'd be too apathetic to call them out? And the whole 'We wanted to be like Steam and IOS' falls flat on its face. I can still play my games on both of those platforms if I lose my internet connection for more than a day. You looked at, and used, all the controls that are built into IOS and Steam while seemingly offering none of the return value.

 

[Charli]

Someone in that company was WELL aware of it, I bet anything I own. Accepting that the developers were gormless fucks, too wrapped up in their own euphoria of making a new type of way to game (aka making a PC, but not) and simply overlooking all the ways the system could be abused to line the people who knew about all the negatives, pockets. SOMEONE KNEW. And did nothing, they simply all shirked responsibility and were deafened by cha-ching noises.

No one stopped and went 'hold on' isn't this kinda risky? Or, 'guys, don't you think maybe this will be tough for consumers to swallow looking at the options they have now. I bet anything, because Microsoft stinks high of that attitude right now, NO ONE sees to be calling out bullshit where they see it and using some friggin common sense.

Heck are you hiring Microsoft? I'll send you my CV right here;

'HAS COMMON SENSE, KNOWN TO USE IT OCCASIONALLY.'

 

[Scrythe]

This just goes to show how far they had/still have their heads up their asses.

You wan't to be like Steam? THEN COPY STEAM. Don't try to make an evil clone and tell us it's the same thing.

The worst part is, they did try to copy [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Games_for_Windows_%E2%80%93_Live] Steam.

 

[cynicalsaint1]

The problem isn't that they're wanting to go digital - the problem is the required internet connection and daily check-ins.

Its all the "You have to use it like this" stuff that people don't like.
You have to be online.
You have to use Kinnect.
And so on.

No one wants to be told what they can and can't do with a product they purchased.

 

[Zipa]

This just proves how out of touch and how far up their own butts the people at Microsoft are. That and how much they underestimated the consumer. I would wager that they were banking on the majority being apathetic to all their anti consumerism to a point where they could get away with royally screwing over a lot of people.