Microsoft Xbox needs to die.

[Brian Hendershot]

Haven't seen one of these threads lately. Ahhh....

Also, I would be more sympathetic if this wasn't your fourth console...

 

[remnant_phoenix]

I'm a happy Xbox 360 owner.

I'm not big into online multiplayer, so I don't pay for Live.

I'm still on my first Xbox (it's one of the old-style models) and the only flaw I've faced is it had a problem reading discs at one point, which was fixed for free because it was within warranty.

When I got my 360, the PS3 was too expensive, and even now the idea of mandatory installs seems silly, so I think I prefer the 360 to the PS3. Also, I like the controller better.

I don't have the inclination to get a decent gaming PC. I'm aware that it's not that expensive to get a decent rig. But for me, the biggest turn-off is the maintainence. On top of the usual anti-virus/anti-spyware stuff that all PCs need, there's upgrading, which I don't know how to do and don't want to pay someone else to do. All in all, I'd rather buy a new console every 5-7 years than worry about all that, so I prefer my 360 to a gaming PC, even if I do miss out on Steam.

So...yeah... To the OP, I'm sorry that you've had bad experiences with 360s, but just because you've had those experiences doesn't mean that the 360 is some plague on gaming or that Microsoft is a medieval tyrant. There are many people (such as myself) who are pleased with their Xbox 360 systems who also are not fanboys.

 

[Vardermir]

I'm glad Microsoft has no idea how to build hardware. I was always able to convince my friends to give me their broken boxes after they had bought a new one, I'd just fix them up and have a good console for about half a year. Eventually I got even luckier, one had a box with a still valid warrenty, so I went ahead and claimed it and I haven't had any problems since

 

[Casey Bowen]

I'm on my third 360 and it pretty much never gets used. After two video card meltdowns (the E74) error... I found myself playing my PS3 a lot more... exclusives? I'm not really that into Gears of War, Halo or even Left 4 Dead. Since ME2/3 are on both and Itagaki isn't there to push his 360 only agenda... there is less and less reason for me to use it.

I think the last game I did buy for the 360 was ODST and that was used when it hit like $18 and I still haven't gone halfway through it. Kinect is a pretty cool technology but isn't anything I care about so certainly don't need to spend more money on it.

The redesigns of the Dashboard to me get progressively worse and less friendly to navigate and find what I was looking for which led to a lot less time there.

For me -- the 360 is pretty much dead. I keep it around for those few games I have left that are exclusives and even those have more dust on them than my the few Wii games kicking about.

 

[juyunseen]

I have owned 2 xboxes. One pro refurb, and a 360slim. Neither have ever had any problem. I have never had the RROD (but probably because I never play for more then 2 hours in one sitting max ) and I don't really mind paying for live, aside from the stupid fact that I've already paid for neflix.

But, on the other hand, I have been spending more and more time on my PC recently, playing games on steam. Not Skyrim mind you, because my PC can't run it. I've been having a wonderful time playing Half-Life 1 and 2, StarWars Battlefront 2, TF2, Doom, and Serious Sam and I plan on buying the Steam version of Prince of Persia: Sands of time.

 

[Tharwen]

I might be in the minority but the PC gamers can keep their mods. There is a reason game developers generate content for their own games; it's because they're good at it. I haven't seen a mod yet that isn't in some way half-arsed or stands out from the original content like dog's balls.

I prefer the mods that make minor technical improvements to the game. Things like bugfixes and lighting improvements, which are very hard to make badly.

Most mod makers are much better programmers than designers or artists, which is why they're mostly awful.

 

[Arina Love]

lol raging is not going to help you. Don't like product? vote with your wallet and stop crying.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

A couple of things.

1) Screw mods. Most are cheats of some kind and while I enjoy SOME mods, most just don't improve my game-play experience enough for me to make the switch to PC. And this IS NOT an invitation for you to suggest ANYTHING!!! I know about ALL the mods you are so dying to tell me about.

2) I, like many others, didn't have much of a problem with the RROD. One time about a year into use, sent it in, had it back for free in less than a month.

3) Power for price. A brand new 360 was $400. A laptop(I move too much to have a desktop) that could do the same thing would have cost around 1000-1500. And I REALLY don't feel like debating this one. In addition to this, PC just isn't as reliable. There is always a problem. With install, with the graphics card, with the in-game content, with the performance. And if you found some deal/computer that blows what I just said away, quite frankly I don't care. I am talking from experience.

4) Exclusive games and ease of use. Not only are there several games I LOVE that are only on 360, but I feel that Xbox LIVE is completely worth it for excellent service, good servers and great accessibility.

If you feel differently, that's fine. I however, will be playing my 360 for a VERY long time.

 

[Macgyvercas]

I haven't seen a mod yet that isn't in some way half-arsed or stands out from the original content like dog's balls.

All I can say is that you obviously haven't seen some of the housing mods in Skyrim. The one for Vlindrel Hall is far superior to the default. Makes the whole place less dreary looking.

 

[SycoMantis91]

All that and yet you bought four of the things and continue to pay for their internet services? When you keep throwing money at them like this, you are giving them every reason to think they are doing a fantastic job.

This. You clearly love Microsoft and the gaming services they provide if you continue to purchase their systems.

 

[Spartan753]

I might be in the minority but the PC gamers can keep their mods. There is a reason game developers generate content for their own games; it's because they're good at it. I haven't seen a mod yet that isn't in some way half-arsed or stands out from the original content like dog's balls.

BTW I'm sorry to hear about the issues you've had with your 360's. I've got three in the house (2 Pros and a 360S) and none of them have had any problems.

Two words: Europa Barbarorum.

It is a million times better than vanilla Rome: Total War. Scope, quality, historial accuracy, polish, graphics. Everything is better.

 

[PatrickXD]

I'm not at all jealous of the mods. Heck, I have a PC version of Morrowind modded to damnation, and I've logged roughly 20 times as much on my xbox version!

But I do see your point, Microsoft do come across as 'money grubbing'. Maybe if they could justify why they do this, we would have more sympathy for them. As it stands I'm fairly apathetic about the situation. I can get my DLC on a free Xbox Live account or in store, and I stopped enjoying multiplayer enough to pay for it a while ago.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

I've had two....my last one went black and white. I'm fine with MS, shit happens and there are games that I enjoy. Also I am not forced to by 360, nor are you so you cant complain. As for games, there are some amazing games, but its down to the developers and not MS. Computer games have hardly changed since the PS1 wowed me with that Manta Ray demo....that was awesome. Yes graphics and physics have gotten better but the games are still the same. Dynasty Warrior games have improved since the PS2, battles are better and enemies more spread out....but i agree still got a way to go. We have huge games like Elder Scrolls and Fallout that have both story and huge worlds to explore. Then we have COD games that are all the same, just better graphics....and you do know when the new generation comes out, the COD games will still be the same just with nicer graphics. Not saying the are not fun to play, just that they havent evolved. I expected huge WW2 FPS, cities and atmosphere like the real thing. Freedom. Space. Excitement. Not more of the same with pretty graphics, Crysis 2 looked amazing, but still a corridor based shooter with the odd big area thrown in.

Mods. Wish we had more of those. Thought thats what we would have when consoles went online. Like if you made a certain wrestler, you could sell him online for a few MS points. Real community made marketplace. I did some modding on Morrowind back in the day and wished they released a version of Morrowind on 360 with the top 20 mods added to it. A "Mod" edition.

Re Updates. Thats just lazy developers taking advantage of the online aspect of a console. Like they did with PC. Some DLC I wonder is because it got finished late and thus had to ship the game without it due to deadlines. But then depending on the size and scale of a game, i expect Skyrim to have bugs, FPS not so much.

In the future things will get worst. New tech, prices to make games go up. Few companies will risk big bucks making original titles. Consoles want to be the centre of entertainment for the family instead of just playing games. TV, film rentals, music and the internet. I hate that.

 

[Vkmies]

Yeah, I pretty much stopped buying Microsoft consoles. I have 3 original XboX's. All of them run whatever and whenever they want. Some games work, some dont, no matter the quality of the disc or antyhing like that. I also have one 360 that just stopped reading ANY discs. I decided to let microsoft keep their Boxes. I'm gonna keep my PC up to date and buy Nintendo and Sony consoles.

 

[C2Ultima]

I'm on my first Xbox, which is the redesigned one (I got it about a week after they announced it. No problems yet. I'm not sure why you're only singling out the Xbox and PC. Sony and Nintendo don't matter do they?

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Thanks mate, just needed a reassuring post like this to remind me why I'm the only one of my friends who doesn't have one of the damn things. Microsoft gets too much of my money with windows. I'm not up for this kind of this crap.

That leaves Nintendo and Sony for my console purchases during 8th gen. However I don't like the Wii and I don't like touch screens so that leaves Sony. Maybe. If I'm going to spend a bunch of money, I might as well do it on a computer I can use for other things as well as gaming.

Console gaming hasn't appealed to me since the 6th generation to be honest...

 

[pbteyeofharmony]

To be fair, no console allows mods anymore. The PS3 conceivably could have, but it dropped OpenOS. It makes sense, from the developer's point of view. After all, a vibrant and active modding community (as exists for The Elder Scrolls series and the Civilization series) can significantly add life to a game. If a company makes money by selling you lots of games, why would they want you be able to play them longer? The XBox's restrictions on user-generated content makes sense from that perspective (even if it is greedy and wrong, which it is).

I agree on Live pricing. EITHER charge more money OR post ads. Thou shalt not do both of those. Though, to be fair, it isn't that hard to disable them (at least it wasn't. I'll have to check on that). As for technical issues, I'm with you. I've burned through 2 Xbox 360s, either with red rings or disc tray problems. Still have the fat old PS3 I got back in 2007.

If the Xbox dies out (which is unlikely but not impossible; compare the success of the PS2 to the mariginal non-failure of the PS3), I don't expect that the industry will suddenly get better. With fewer competitors, Sony and Nintendo will probably get worse. Robust competition is good for consumers, not producers. We should be hoping for MORE consoles, if anything. Hopefully console developers will realize they have to provide better service instead of technically superior products if they want to attract customers.

 

[TPiddy]

I bought the original XBox 360, and I got 2 free replacements for the two RRoD's I incurred. I then bought an Elite with the Jasper chipset and have not had a problem since. 6 years of fantastic gaming experiences. My Wii is in my attic. And Sony can F@#$k themselves if they think I'm spending another dollar on their overpriced shit. I actually have friends.

 

[2fish]

On 360 number 3. I have moved away from it save for games like bayonetta, ninja gaiden, and perfect dark HD.

Got so pissed at it for it killing itself 2 months after the warranty. My PC may also have had issues (needed a new sound card and HD) but I could fix that with the help of a friend and not have to send it away thus saving me money.

I like the 360 controller save for the d pad. Otherwise I am loyal to no system. I follow the games. If bayonetta, ninja gaiden black, and perfect dark HD came out on the microwave and could use a good controller I would be there.

I tend to like my RPG?s on pc now that I have a pc that can run them. But that is countered by my spectacle fighters being on console.

FPS can be on the system that is best for them.


Also I got sick of paying for gold to play online.

 

[Char-Nobyl]

I am now on my fourth xbox where my first 2 had RROD and third had trouble with the huge bar thing continously turning off and the dvd driver not closing properly. My fourth xbox is the limited gears 3 one which comes with 2 gears of war controllers both of which are screwy. The one had its b button get caved in after 2 weeks and the second continously loses battery power over and over. This is my 5th xbox controller to mess up.

Oh, look, an anecdote. Moving on.

And just look at their live service, where it costs developers 40 thousand dollars for a simple patch on their games.

Got a citation for that number?

They lured a bunch of small independent developers and with the new update beat them in a corner and charge developers huge amounts of money to put games on the arcade.

Now, tell me in plain terms how that's a viable business strategy. $40,000 is chickenfeed to a company as big as Microsoft. Why would they risk long-term business for such a low payoff in the short-term?

With the new patch we are bombarded with advertisements, and they have the guts to raise the price on live for something which really should be free.

Oh, it should? You mean like internet service? Because that's free, right?

You have to have an active live account to have access to "perks" like netflix (thats a JOKE) and live ruined any communication with their community with their games. Just look at the sorry state of the dungeon defender dlc, microsoft acts like bloody money grubbing tyrants and just look at how it ruins games that thrive on dlc like l4d or team fortress 2.

Okay...so then whose fault is that? Those games are getting perpetually updated. While I see the problem with the limit to updates, you're complaining about a problem as valid as claiming the 360 ruined RTS games by not including a mouse with its keyboard.

When I buy a game, I usually expect it to be a complete product. With stuff like Skyrim or Fallout, I'll expect a fixer patch within a day or so, but then beyond that, any DLC will be what I choose to buy.

You cannot mod ANY game on the 360, which makes people who bought skyrim on the 360 insanely jealous of all the fun the pc community gets to have with user created content. Microsoft simply does not ALLOW us access to it because it contradicts their ideals.

No shit, Sherlock. No console lets you do that because they're consoles. And you claim to love user-generated content and update-based games, but those two things mix like sodium and water. I can't download a mod for a computer game without it invariably being rendered useless by the next update, so I choose not to use mods even when I have the opportunity to do so.

And let me establish right now: I much prefer paying $400 for a console that can reliably play any game I feed it than sinking two grand into a computer that will be outdated and useless before I'm out of college. And that's assuming that it doesn't crash or get a virus or something.

Enough is enough! all microsoft accomplishes is strangling developers with their bullshit, and get away with releasing GARBAGE hardware so you have to re-buy the console and controller over and over and they actually have the guts to charge you almost 100$ a year to play games online.

Uh-huh. You still haven't provided any citations.

Next gen microsoft NEEDS to lose the race because they are literally keeping gaming in the dark ages with their selfish tactics. In a perfect world everyone would buy games only for the pc so developers / consumers can enjoy freedom and the biggest hurdle for developers would not be the money to make the games, but only their creativity.

Oh, I see. So your idea of a "perfect world" is one where consoles don't exist? Because that will end the evil console monopoly that Microsoft has?

Take a quick check at your operating system for me. Is it something with 'Windows' in its name?

Will microsoft ever have gems like Cave Story, SOL exodus which is trying to make a space combat comeback, or Terraria? NO, because they ask for way too much money. Microsoft is the equivalent of the church in the dark ages.

Ah. I see. So you just learned about the Dark Ages in history class, and you eagerly leaped into action to declare this 'profound' parallel that you obviously know nothing about.

What is there to defend about the 360 other then brand loyalty?

Here's a Debating 101 tip: always consider what the opposing side might say. It makes building your arguments easier, and it'll help you realize that sometimes you have to provide evidence for your claims.