Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi: We Need To Educate Consumers

[StriderShinryu]

On the most basic of levels, I understand what he's saying and I do think he has a point. Consumers don't like change. That's very true. And yes, sometimes you do need to provide extra education and examples as to why the change you're proposing is good. That's just reality. I can honestly see there being potential benefits to cloud computing, unified accounts with attached game library, always on style connections, etc.

To then, however, go on and refuse to offer any of that education by refusing to give the details you just said were needed?

And then to flat out admit that you don't really want customers to be educated at all because it's their collective lack of knowledge that you're truly counting on to sell your product?

Yeah, sorry. Good premise at least and you starting off well. Probably should have stopped there.

 

[Norix596]

Customer education - man, that sounds important. If only there were some kind of high profile, big budget multi-day convention where Microsoft had the platform to come forward and pitch their product to potential customers.

Sarcasm aside, I don't really understand MS's pitch to non-gamers. The target non-gamer audience already has a TV, netflix and a smart-television. I'm not sure what these people will think they're getting for $500 besides a gimmicky voice controller universal remote.

 

[Smiley Face]

Oh, come on, not again...

Well, to be fair, he certainly did better than folks have previously, but even so, he doesn't make any sense.

First, he says that digital is the future and asks us to imagine all the impressive things that only the Xbox can do, and then doesn't actually say IF the Xbox will do any of these things.

Then he makes an argument for why people will buy the Xbone, and manages to contradict himself in doing so.

Point #1: Most consumers don't pay attention to the details we're all getting hung up on, and so will not decide against buying the Xbone.
Point #2: People will buy the Xbone, despite its higher price tag, because they will examine the details and conclude that the Xbone is the better machine.

Come ON! Microsoft, get your act together! This was amusing at first, but now it's getting tired.


Oh, and look - this guy is Microsoft's Xbox Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer - so this is the guy who Microsoft can (and probably should) blame when everything goes to shit.

 

[Leg End]

So, this is officially worse than Sony and the whole "we want to make you work for the PS3" on every level isn't it?

Jesus fucking Christ.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Customer education - man, that sounds important. If only there were some kind of high profile, big budget multi-day convention where Microsoft had the platform to come forward and pitch their product to potential customers.

Someone should make a meme out of that. "Wants to educate people - cancels press conference".

 

[Gray Firion]

Ah finally. I wondered when they were going to say that it was the consumer's fault for not liking their patently bad product. Oh, and that they're banking on the rest of the world not knowing the details about it. You can't have a complete PR shitstorm without one of these, good on them for going with both.

Man, they don't even give their feet a 24h rest before shooting it anymore. I know it's just a stump at this point, but pretty soon they're gonna blast away the entire legs too.

 

[TheEvilCheese]

Thankfully, normal people seem to be taking note of the ludicrous policies of the xbone. Hell, my mother knows why no-one should buy it and has actively discouraged a friend from pre-ordering one for the kids. This is the same woman who hasn't played a video game since the original sonic, and even then she wasn't a fan.

People with some medium presence on the internet are having this shoved in their faces and it's amazing.

Yes Microsoft, digital distribution IS better, you know what else is cool? Steam prices. GOG style ownership. No 24 hour checkins which you still haven't justified and no required camera to play games. Show me why it's worth the downsides and then we'll talk, all you have so far is bullshit.

 

[Taurus Vis]

Unfortunately, Mr. Mehdi, your chief problem is that we are well educated, not undereducated. We can fully comprehend the abusive business practices that stem from the precedents your trying to set. I believe you wish more to force us into abusive relationships, much like paying $60 a year for online gaming when PS3 was free, as well as EA forcing online passes on to us. The unfortunate thing about the pay for Live service, is that Sony has adopted it, because enough of us didn't vote with our wallets and allowed you to set that precedent.

The message that we, as informed consumers will spread now, is to not buy the Xbone, and diligently work to make sure none of our friends buy, although Sony and even yourself have made that quite the easy choice. You want to fuck the consumers. Prepare to lose you job, you fucking suit wearing monkeys.

Captcha: "with bells on"


I'll be to Xbone's funeral with bells on!

 

[Do4600]

"educate consumers" Oh I'd say we've learned enough about your console.

Wow, it's like, Microsoft are living in a bubble.

It just boggles my mind how ridiculously anti-consumer this is, and the sad thing is, it probably won't fall flat on it's arse.

It represents everything wrong with blind, uninformed consumerism.

Is there anything that's right with it?

Weeeeelllll....The PS4 is probably going to dominate over the more Orwellian console simply because of it's cost. So in this case the lying, oblivious and greedy company is probably going to get shafted by "blind, uninformed consumerism" simply because the lying, oblivious and greedy company is lacking the one trait the "blind, uninformed" consumers want, cheap products. I'd call that a boon.

 

[Daveman]

Idiots.

"The possibilities are endless with the new digital system!"
"Really? How so?"
"Erm, well, we haven't really figured that out yet entirely but trust us, everything will be better!"

Sure Microsoft, sure.

Also they're looking at their research all wrong. They shouldn't think "Well these guys will buy it anyway so who cares?", they should think "Wow, all these people might have bought our console if not for this." This CEO will not last long with the current mentality methinks.

 

[TwoSidesOneCoin]

Need to educate me? I grasp what you're trying to do with this console, so you'll have to trust me, when I say that I've already decided which console I'm going to support if any. All I can say is thank god I got a PC.

 

[RJ 17]

"You can imagine the capability to have different licensing models, different ways that people have to access games," says Mehdi. "This all gets unlocked because of digital." As to what those different ways could be or what they might mean for the industry, Mehdi was reluctant to go into details.

Well surprise, surprise...yet ANOTHER MS guy who can't really get into the details of the advantages of their system other than "You can play your library from anywhere!*"

*so long as "anywhere" has a good connection.

On a more serious note, though, if I were this Mehdi guy, I would issue an immediate order to have Mattrick's big mouth sewn shut. If he did, it'd be the best PR/Marketing move MS has made since the XBone reveal.

 

[loa]

Yeah,yeah "you just don't get it".
Heard it before. Anything else?

And I do believe people know there are a ton of advantages that far outweigh the inconveniences.
Problem is, those only benefit microsoft.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

"There's a lot of education we have to provide to make sure that people understand," says Mehdi. He went on to add that "we're trying to do something pretty big in terms of moving the industry forward for console gaming into the digital world. We believe the digital world is the future, and we believe digital is better."

So a couple of weeks ago I voiced my thought that Microsoft was reminding me of a cult trying to open a portal into the Stygian pit and/or call forth Demons of the Netherworld into this plain of existence...only instead of that they're trying to bring about another gaming crash so they can rebuild the games industry in their twisted image. This quote seems to support my stupid, stupid theory.

---

Ya know when Microsoft could have convinced us that an always-online system that watches and listens to everything you do would be a good thing? Perhaps some kind of trade show or, convention...some kind of press conference or forum like those known to occur at that one expo some people have heard of...E3 I think. What do I know though: I'm just an uninformed consumer with spotty internet who likes playing Super Mario offline and without a camera watching and gauging my emotional response.

 

[sturryz]

So the only reason I don't like the Xbone is because I'm dumb... According to Microsoft.

Buying the PS4 simply because it's the console for dumb people not smart enough to enjoy the Mensa level console Microsoft built.

 

[BloodRed Pixel]

Educate those backwards Consumers -
I hope he like me kicking his balls constantly - ?cause that's what I learned from him to do.

Just craving the M$ New Speak!

 

[GodzillaGuy92]

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

"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."

...Seriously, does Microsoft somehow just not know that we can understand English? This is legitimately mystifying.

 

[Vrach]

You'll be able to take your library with you wherever you go, so long as there's a decent connection.

Except no, you won't, because not only will you not be able to get a library at all if you don't live in the 21 countries Microsoft is launching Xbox One Live in, if you visit one of them or move, your games will stop working altogether.

And he's right, they do need to "educate" us, although that's a terrible use of the word in the crap-hole of a situation they're sitting in. They need to "tell" us (not as big a word, but much more on the ball) what that always-on will provide. Because for now, the most visible thing about what it will do is restrict you from playing games you've purchased (or even using the consoles) in not even one, but a number of ways.

 

[panosbouk]

(How long until we can say back to Microsoft "Deal with it?")

Since they say that we need to be educated, although I found it totally insulting, educate us in your damn press conferences instead of ignoring or dodging those matters.

They really failed to sell the product. Every business who wants to sell you something, even if it is shit they try to convince you through marketing-PR why you need that shit and at the end you find yourself getting that shit while you didn?t even need it. Microsoft didn?t even do this.