Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi: We Need To Educate Consumers

[UsefulPlayer 1]

"There's a lot of education we have to provide to make sure that people understand," says Mehdi.

Sure, core gamers complain, but the folks who don't really pay attention and who just want a fancy box will be fine with Microsoft's Xbox One. "In a broader set of community, people don't pay attention to a lot of the details," said Mehdi. "We've seen it in the research, we've seen it in a lot of the data points."

I'm honestly pretty interested in the Xbone. I kinda like the idea of games locked into my account, I have redownloaded Blizzard's games many times and appreciate how I will always have them. I think its cool as shit to command my xbox open apps. The thing does feel pretty futuristic, but too much for me. I mean I still have internet issues sometimes and still play on a standard TV most of the time. I mean I'm sure there will be the day where these issue are nonexistant, but its certainly not gonna be by the end of this year, for me atleast.

That said, a business model where you actively bet on people not paying attention to what they're dropping $500 on and write-off the nerds that actually do pay attention to the product....I dunno, sounds kinda fucking retarded.

I also kinda thought it was an accepted idea that nerds set the trends in this market. We decided what the fuck is good and people follow our lead because we would know, we live this shit.
(^I think I got this idea from MovieBoB, a lot of blockbusters are pretty nerdy)

Edit: Also, I feel like if you're banking on people not being educated on the Xbone, you shouldn't piss on core gamers so much because the one thing we're good at is bitching and harboring resentment. I think the internet is still on fire about how much the Xbone sucks and you just keep feeding the fire.

 

[somonels]

Bahahaha, that's rich.

I'd like to point out that form some perspectives education 'namely literacy and math' was to enable more and better control over those in servitude. From conditioning them form an early age for obedience and allowing indirect control over their doings by written orders.

It's disheartening to see fairly lukewarm reactions to the developments in the past decade that strongly indicate that what M$ is trying to pull is not unique but even now a fully fledged zeitgeistig development around the world. PRISM is essentially the same thing (and would also have access to your living room, complete with cameras and microphones.)

It can already be - has already been - argued to what an overwhelming say corporations have on the policies that 'free' countries -- who are supposed to serve the citizen -- make. Capitalism is no longer the bringer of choice, freedom and democracy. It has become the end goal, and democracy has become the enforcer of corporate interests and keeping the consumers in line.

This is paranoia. I don't believe it to be unfounded.

 

[luvd1]

... I quite like the sound of having my game library where ever I go and while my friends play one of my games, I can still play it too. That does sound nifty.... Shame about the DRM shit, used game shit, the kenict shit, always online to play shit, price shit, having my friends vetted shit (fek, I have friends that won't be on the list coz your not releasing the thing in their country), the pointless middle man tv shit.... Have I missed anything?

 

[Griffolion]

Microsoft creates a terrible console. And then proceeds to brand all detractors as half-wits in need of education?

Keep going, MS. Sony doesn't have to do any work at this point to drive PS4 sales.

 

[faefrost]

"And the negativity? Well, it may not matter so much to Microsoft. Sure, core gamers complain, but the folks who don't really pay attention and who just want a fancy box will be fine with Microsoft's Xbox One. "In a broader set of community, people don't pay attention to a lot of the details," said Mehdi. "We've seen it in the research, we've seen it in a lot of the data points."

What about the extra $100 you'll be paying for the Xbox One, over the PS4? Again, Mehdi doesn't see a problem with that. The Xbox One will deliver so much increased value over the PS4 that a piddling $100 will be neither here nor there. "Ultimately consumers will decide which is better," Mehdi said. "It's a big market."

XBOX ONE! BUILT BY STUPID PEOPLE, FOR STUPID PEOPLE!

Yep! that does indeed seem to be their chief marketing strategy.

 

[ZeroMachine]

"It's a big market."

That Sony now dominates.

 

[Slash2x]

Anyone else read "educate" and thought indoctrinate? Seriously I think that you have provided ample info about your product and even NON-gamers are starting to notice the stench.

 

[Wargamer]

Let me just run this through Google Translate: Execu-speak to English.

"People are fucking retards. You could hand them a gun and tell them shooting themselves in the face would make them lose ten pounds and they'll do it. As long as you tell those inbred hicks in the Southern USA that they can get porn on their XBox they'll snap it up! As for gamers... fuck 'em. Give them a new Halo and a new CoD and they'll buy it regardless. Thank God for the mentally retarded people who keep us in business!"

 

[McMullen]

And Microsoft needs an education in how to design products that the consumer wants. These are, as others have said, luxury items. There shouldn't be any necessary evils. There should be no other consideration than what the consumer wants, and if you've failed to meet those expectations, then you've failed in your job, and others will be happy to sit there and let you drive the customers to them.

 

[Vault Citizen]

Am I twisting the guy's words or did he just say that the Xbox will be good for those who don't know any better? Because that's what it sounds like to me.

 

[idarkphoenixi]

"Educate Consumers"

Oh, I see. It's not that you have a bad product, I'm just too stupid.

When your marketing plan is to hope people are too dumb to pay attention to details, it's probably something to keep to yourselves. And I think even the most casual of consumers who only want a fancy remote control are going to pay attention to a $500 price tag.

 

[Maurice Harding]

"There's a lot of education we have to provide to make sure that people understand,"

hmmmm where have i heard that one before oh yes, communist russia.

 

[maximalist566]

I sense that Microsoft just graduated from EA school of giving "protecting our shit ideas" interviews

 

[BurningWyvern90]

It's not that we don't understand your console's features. The cloud idea would be really cool, since we've moved on from memory cards and it would be nice not to lug my 360 halfway across country every time I go home. It's the way you're going about revealing it and everything else. Or not revealing, as the case may be.

Either fix it, or clarify things. Insulting and alienating consumers makes it worse, and also makes you look ridiculous. You're a corporation, not a kindergartner. Stop pointing fingers.

And get rid of Big Brother, because I don't think even people who pick it up on a whim want to be watched constantly.

 

[faefrost]

"Here at Mircrosoft, the unedumacated consumer is our best customer "

 

[faefrost]

"There's a lot of education we have to provide to make sure that people understand,"

hmmmm where have i heard that one before oh yes, communist russia.

I was thinking when they passed Obamacare without anyone actually reading it.

 

[CriticalMiss]

Microsoft need to slow down, I'm trying to keep track of everyone they are giving the finger to and they just keep lining up more people. So far it's anyone without a decent internet connection, the countries the Xbone isn't launching in, gamers and now pretty much all electronics consumers.

But clearly I'm an idiot so I mustn't understand their marketing strategy. Maybe pissing people off is how this echo-gnome-icks works?