Poll: Former Microsoft Console buyers: Will you buy the 720?

[Scrustle]

I've bought both previous xBoxes. I even bought three 360s.

But if the rumours of the Durango are even remotely true, there's no chance I'm getting one. It looks like a horrific disaster.

But I really hate that this is how I'm thinking. Not because I'm a fan of the brand at all. I am not in any capacity. It's because I love Forza. I'm a huge fan. It's one of my two favourite ever franchises (the other being Zelda), and I've spent more time playing Forza than any other game. Thousands of hours. By far the main reason I bought several 360s was to continue playing Forza, not because I liked the machine at all.

But with the direction they're going it seems that it'll completely ruin that experience. It's devastating that I have to give up one of my favourite games ever, but it looks as if it will be even more so if I try to continue with it. Not to mention a lot more expensive.

It's just awful. So, so awful.

 

[Snotnarok]

Had an xbox, had a 360 got fed up with their bullshit and hardware problems and I'm not buying their newest console.
I had 11 360's fail on me (red ring, e74 error etc) and I take really good care of my devices, their consoles are the only ones to break on me and in such number it's astounding.

And after seeing the 360 recently I'm decidedly done, I don't know how ANYONE buys into their XBL bullshit, you pay 60 bucks+tax for online play, demos and voice chat? On top of that they advertize to you on your consoles dashboard, then if you want netflix/hulu that's a separate deal obviously but you have to pay that on top of nonsense yearly fee which is rather difficult to unsub from. What kind of blow to the head do you have to take to take that as a good deal? The reason I bring up how shit a deal this is, is because I'm sure this'll be on the next xbox, and who knows what's going on with their always on idea.

The fact there's people who still pay for XBL when there's better, cheaper alternatives blows my mind and I know even if the always on bullshit happens people will buy it and they'll gladly pay the 60 a year despite server issues stopping them from playing the game they paid for.

 

[Gidiel167]

honestly, i would rather finally buy a PC than buy the new xbox with always on internet needed. Would save me money and probably give me a better experience in the long run.

 

[mbarker]

360 is the last console I'll ever buy. I'll go PC all the way now.

 

[KeyMaster45]

Buying into the next console generation is definitely a question I've been pondering lately. There have been few if any games I haven't been able to get for PC a few months after their release. Combine that in with emulators I use to rip my older games off their discs and play them on my PC, then I suppose it has become an all-in-one gaming platform for me that I am very happy with. Consoles are kind of obsolete devices for me.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

360 is the last console I'll ever buy. I'll go PC all the way now.

Pretty much same here, I'm leaving my mind open to Nintendo products which give an entirely different experience to PC gaming, but there is not much point in buying an Xbox or Playstation when the PC I have already and need anyway does the job so much better.

Also I really hated what Microsoft did to the Xbox 360's dashboard, it started as that efficient and slick 'blade' interface and ended up as the monstrosity it is now, prioritizing shoving advertisements in your face over having an easy to use system.

 

[CriticalMiss]

Ooh, something just occurred to me:

Microsoft doesn't HAVE to put the always online requirement on their console. They can just make it without a writable harddrive or memory card slots... and make everything work off of a cloud. That way, you're encouraged to be online to save games and achievements... but not actually required. There, no longer do we have to worry about the "always-online" feature.

They could call the console SimBox! The adverts could be total rip offs of the Lion King too.

I'm not going to get one. If I won one and there was no cash alternative then I'll probably see what happens when you microwave it. And if MS tried to pay me to own one I'd probably fake my own death or something.

 

[Pebkio]

They could call the console SimBox! The adverts could be total rip offs of the Lion King too.

I'm not going to get one. If I won one and there was no cash alternative then I'll probably see what happens when you microwave it. And if MS tried to pay me to own one I'd probably fake my own death or something.

Oh, I would totally own one if they paid me, I'd even write reviews for all their games. They'd all go something like this:

"Still don't have a stable internet connection... couldn't actually play. Other than that, the boxart is kinda nice: 8/10."

 

[Poetic Nova]

owning both a Xbox and a X360. Planning on skipping the 720 with these ridiculous prices and online only crap.

 

[Sonicron]

If they go the Always Online route I'm out. I'm already frequently pissed off by Microsoft sticking me with crappy dubs on their game discs, not to mention the fact that the online gaming feature costs money, so the argument that my less-than-stellar internet connection is constantly required for the new console to function at the most basic level is just another nail in the coffin. I know nothing's confirmed at this point, but the ugly rumors that are piling up sure don't make me excited to own one of those things.
Then again, if the PS4 ends up going through with the dreaded 'no more used games' scheme I just might move all the way outside my comfort zone and get a Piston.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

I bought an Xbox and a 360 and have enjoyed both except for the optical drive problems that seem to plague the original Xbox and that horrible Metro dashboard they made to be compliant with the Kinect. >_>

Whether I get a 720 hinges on two things.

1. If it has that always-online crap.
2. If the thing actually works for the most part. I don't want The RRoD: Part 2, thank you very much.

 

[JemothSkarii]

Oh, I would totally own one if they paid me, I'd even write reviews for all their games. They'd all go something like this:

"Still don't have a stable internet connection... couldn't actually play. Other than that, the boxart is kinda nice: 8/10."

I suppose you could do the whole IGN-esque "10/10 It's okay", that could get you brownie points.

OT: I don't have an Xbox, but I have friends that do with bad internet connections. From what they've seen so far: Hell to the no.

 

[Echopunk]

I bought an XBOX as a more stable alternative to my often replaced and repaired PS2. Went with the 360 over the PS3 since my taste had changed from cutscene heavy jrpgs to more western developed games, and had my first 360 die on me a year later. I spent a year playing old PS2 and Dreamcast games and eventually bought a second 360 that was on sale (since I had the hard drive from my original one laying around).

I wouldn't buy any new console until it has had twelve to eighteen months break-in time, so I won't be punished for being an early adopter the next go round.

I'll wait for the official announcement to make my decision, but as of right now, if I do buy a next gen console some time in the next three years, I will probably be making a return to the altar of Sony. Then again, I'm not crazy about their announced specs and the online focus either. Hell, maybe I'll revert all the way back and go Nintendo for the first time in fifteen years.

 

[alphamalet]

How in the hell are we supposed to answer this question? We know nothing of the next-gen Microsoft console...

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Nope. I did buy the original XBox and the 360, but I will not buy the 720 (or whatever they're going to call it). I can't afford any new consoles right now and I have no interest in any of the new ones anyway and Microsoft has definatly turned me off theirs with even the rumour of this always online BS.

 

[RedDeadFred]

DRM is a major no sale. I bought a 360 and thoroughly enjoyed it but if there's any truth to these rumors, there's no way I will be giving Microsoft any of my money.

 

[Lever]

I've had both the original Xbox and the 360. That said, if Microsoft makes the next generation always online, I will avoid it like the plague. I just put together a desktop, so I may not get a console for a couple of years. If I do, the PS4 is looking better, pretty much every day right now.

 

[afroebob]

Not unless they make it so that there is no fee for xbox live and they don't pull the always online bullshit.

 

[jthm]

No, probably not. I've been losing interest in consoles and gaming in general as I get older. It's sad, I grew up with an Atari, NES, SNES, N64, Playstation, Game Gear, Game Boy, GBA, DS, GameCube, Xbox, PS2, PS3, 360 and Wii. I can afford an always on internet connection and my dsl isn't terrible, that shit doesn't matter to me. What matters is that gaming isn't what I remember it to be. In the last 5 years, I've only bought a handful of games that were worth replaying and that I still enjoy. The shooters are boring and same-ish. JRPG's like a constant diet of peeps, brightly colored and oversweet, with anime style voice acting that grates on your nerves after a while. What relative few platformers that have come out are built for a younger audience and are not at all challenging. Western RPG's are gradually becoming First Person Shooters. There aren't many top down strategy games anymore, and the few there are just don't stack up to the older ones (I'm talking Civ 2, Alpha Centauri, Age of Empires, Advance Wars). The fighting games are getting fewer and fewer and really only are made for a dwindling niche market. Character development in all the games is laughable, I can find more to like in that respect during the first 10 pages of a good book than an entire AAA release game.

I dunno, maybe I'm just rambling like the senile old man I've grown into, yelling at kids to get off my lawn, but everything seems duller than it used to. All the new releases are a third person action game with the same control set up and one gimmick to set it apart, an identical yearly sports release or another damn call of duty game. I've had as much fun playing with my $1 phone games as I have with the $60 new releases. It'd be one thing if the consoles weren't trying to assert more control and pervasive influence in my life as a consumer, but they are and I'm not feeling it with this coming generation. Maybe I'll build a good pc. Maybe I'll just become a casual gamer or find a new interest all together. I'm just not interested in investing in more of the same, just a little shinier this time.

 

[Something Amyss]

I live in Vermont. Our internet isn't even always online. And that's ignoring Microsoft's own spotty record here.

If they make it always online, then it's useless to me. I won't buy the console, period.

I will wait and see what these consoles have available. But if the new XBox is always online, I'll probably dump some money into building a gaming rig and say "see you later" to the console market entirely. So far, the PS4 doesn't impress me. My primary reason for owning a 360 is playing with friends, and I doubt they'll buy it if they can't play their single-player games offline. Because that's what we do when our shoddy internet connections are being spotty...We play games that don't require an internet connection.