Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi: We Need To Educate Consumers

[immortalfrieza]

Microsoft just needs to be quiet and sit in it's corner until launch day, because every time one of their representatives opens their mouth I feel a primal urge to punch my monitor so hard that it creates a wormhole directly to their face.

Exactly. Every day for the past 2 weeks or so I've been turning on my computer and coming across an article that makes me think "can Microsoft POSSIBLY get any more stupid?!?" and turning it on the next day and finding out the answer is
"YES!!!!"

 

[Rossmallo]

I'd say that this was another nail in the coffin of Microsoft, but...Honestly, either find me a space for another nail on this thing, or give me some diamond tipped ones so I can hammer nails into the existing ones.

Capcha: "you rock!"

Ye gods, even the computers are agreeing with my point.

 

[Insideout Ink Demon]

digital gaming on a closed platform... not good. that'll crash n burn

those who must have the newest MS product, could you not just hold out, make the thing bomb leaving MS forced to reverse all this with a firmware update?
if this is a sucess, it'll set one hell of a status quo

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

Why is Microsoft suddenly pretending they've invented digital distribution? Not only has this been the primary means for purchasing PC games for like a fucking decade, it's also 100% existent on both PS3 and Xbox 360 RIGHT FUCKING NOW. I can already do a bunch of the shit they're supposedly "inventing" - and with greatly reduced (or entirely absent) restrictions.

It's like they're answering questions no one fucking asked. It's insanity.

 

[xdiesp]

Consumers, trained dogs, what's the difference.

 

[deadish]

If people need to be "educated" about your consumer electronic device, your product has a usability problem.

Microsoft's handling of the Xbones release has probably provided more entertainment than the console itself will. It has been a shining example of how to run a PR train wreck with arrogant comments, failure to explain system features correctly or in a way that doesn't alienate customers and giving their rivals countless coups. They should have expected the furor after the difficulty valve had getting us to accept steam and should have done their best to paint its advantages (the cloud ability to access your games anywhere) from the start. The damage though has been done and looks catastrophic (and hilarious).

At this point they should just STFU. Every time they open their mouths, things just get worse.

 

[Something Amyss]

"Customers don't like a change."

This is sort of true. I mean if you were a customer, would you like the change from a normal body to a normal body with a halberd shoved down your arse? Education my arse, Microsoft you need the education. If I didn't know better I'd say they'd be insulting customers.

Even if it wasn't necessarily bad change, they should have thought of this BEFORE they decided to change thigns up so much.

 

[Olrod]

Every other consumer: We need to educate Microsoft.

 

[nightwolf667]

I love how Microsoft is basically saying the exact same crap Sony was saying when they revealed the PS3.

That's pretty much what I was going to say, this feels like a reverse of the last console cycle. I bought a 360 then because it was cheaper and I had some loyalty to Microsoft and Xbox. This whole thing just makes me giggle. It's like...did you guys learn nothing from Sony's massive screw up the last time round? No? *Pounds with pebbles.

 

[Snotnarok]

"consumers don't like change"

No consumers don't like suddenly going from owning a game to renting a license for permission to play a game you have to pay 60+ dollars for.

 

[John the Gamer]

Yes it is a big market. I failed to find anything interesting over at the Xbox stand, and the store run by old man Sony was closed for renovations, so I'm browsing the PC quarter of the market. They're next to the fruitstand and the shop selling pure, moddable AWESOME.

 

[Setrus]

Wait, I'm confused. Did he just say they need to "educate" the gamers? And THEN say "Oh the negativity is okay, because the broader community is ignorant"? Isn't that kind of...mmm...contradictory?

 

[DocMcCray]

MS: We are going to punch you in the balls and you are going to like it.
Consumer: But I don't like being punched in the balls.
MS: Let me try again...We are going to punch you in the balls and you are going to like it.
Consumer: Being punched in the balls hurts and I don't like it.
MS: Hmmm, apparently you just need to be educated on why you are going to like being punched in the balls.

 

[spartandude]

it seems the restrictions are so good for customers, they are in fact too good that they have just removed them

 

[TheMadDoctorsCat]

"Customers don't like a change."

This is sort of true. I mean if you were a customer, would you like the change from a normal body to a normal body with a halberd shoved down your arse? Education my arse, Microsoft you need the education. If I didn't know better I'd say they'd be insulting customers.

Yeah... except I don't think I "know better". I'd say they ARE insulting their customers. This is not a new phenomena for Microsoft either (go back and take a look at their press-releases for the infamous "Windows ME".)

But the best line has to be this:

"In a broader set of community, people don't pay attention to a lot of the details."

Maybe not, if they're buying budget. Has Microsoft forgotten that they're trying to make people pay hundreds of pounds (or dollars, or whatever your currency is) for this purchase? This is a premium purchase with a premium price, and Microsoft appears to believe that their target market will treat it as the same kind of impulse buy that you might make if you're considering a £2.50 iPhone game. Do they even understand that the vast majority of potential buyers of their product have budgets that they need to stick to?

 

[BrionJames]

While on one hand I agree that there are a lot of consumers out there (ie parents) who don't know the difference between one game and the next, which is why we have little crumb snatchers running around in games yelling ignorant shit on most popular multiplayer games. Those of us in the know, know that what Microsoft is trying to do is take away a lot of the power of private ownership of games released on their console and place it directly in their hands and that of the publishers. I agree that the PS4 is shaping up to be my next console, however I get the feeling that all is not as it seems with Sony's policies.