Edit: this is part rant, part PSA.
Edit edit: because reading an entire post before responding is now foolish, I'll copy/paste an apparently necessary clarification from a later post...
They DO allow publishers to track our collective playing habits, which is why we have 4-6 hour long shooting galleries left and right. Why make a 12 hour game if 70% don't finish it? Why create unique mechanics or interesting side plots if only 10% find them? But hey, that's on us. Can't blame "achievements" for shallow, impatient people.
All that said, I'm going to be incredibly pissed off if I never get to "own" another game again because a bunch of 360 morons mindlessly re-upped on account of not wanting to lose their completely meaningless gamerscores/achievements/profiles.
Let's be clear: the only way Sony wins is if they completely dominate market share. Think along the lines of 70/30. Otherwise, Microsoft's "customers second" ideology will yield greater profits for publishers, which in turn generates greater support and exclusives for Xbone. Eventually Sony will have to adopt similar anti-consumer policies to keep pace, and that's that - standards set, consumer contract successfully rewritten, the end.
So please, PLEASE, do not buy an Xbone just to maintain your profile, gamerscore, friend list, etc. That sort of brand loyalty is exactly why MS created all of that junk in the first place. It's an emotional manipulation from a company that is currently doing everything in its power to rewrite the basic concepts of ownership in favor of billion dollar corporations. Don't fall for it, and don't let your friends fall for it. Believe it or not, you can reassemble your entire virtual life quickly and easily through Steam or Sony or anything else. And your gamerscore, your achievements, etc. - they don't actually mean ANYTHING. Let them go.
Edit edit: because reading an entire post before responding is now foolish, I'll copy/paste an apparently necessary clarification from a later post...
I really hate the "gamerscore"/achievements/trophies concept. Never needed to check my accomplishments off a preset list in order to keep track of my fun, etc. But whatever, they're not hurting anyone, and they don't monopolize any valuable resources.I didn't really bother to spell out the whole thought progression because I assumed a few people would fill in the blanks for themselves, but oh well.
- if everyone who owns a 360 buys an Xbone and everyone who owns a PS3 buys a PS4, market share in the US will obviously remain relatively stable
- if market share between the two consoles is similar, publishers will make more money with the Xbone because MS's policies are drastically in their favor
- publishers making more money on one console will favor that console with greater support and exclusives
- more third party support and exclusives will draw more people to the console, shifting market share
- as Sony begins to lose market share, they will implement similarly anti-consumer policies in order to level the playing field
- end result: publishers win, consumers lose
If MS releases a superior product with loads of amazing, must-have exclusives, oh well, game over, "ownership of the things I buy" was fun while it lasted. I just hope "brand loyalty", or loyalty to a bright green dashboard, a gamerscore, or a friends list, is not the deciding factor. Realistically, Sony needs a sizable market share advantage to win the next generation and prevent the proliferation of these draconian anti-consumer features. If it's at all close, MS will eventually win out. I think that will suck.
They DO allow publishers to track our collective playing habits, which is why we have 4-6 hour long shooting galleries left and right. Why make a 12 hour game if 70% don't finish it? Why create unique mechanics or interesting side plots if only 10% find them? But hey, that's on us. Can't blame "achievements" for shallow, impatient people.
All that said, I'm going to be incredibly pissed off if I never get to "own" another game again because a bunch of 360 morons mindlessly re-upped on account of not wanting to lose their completely meaningless gamerscores/achievements/profiles.
Let's be clear: the only way Sony wins is if they completely dominate market share. Think along the lines of 70/30. Otherwise, Microsoft's "customers second" ideology will yield greater profits for publishers, which in turn generates greater support and exclusives for Xbone. Eventually Sony will have to adopt similar anti-consumer policies to keep pace, and that's that - standards set, consumer contract successfully rewritten, the end.
So please, PLEASE, do not buy an Xbone just to maintain your profile, gamerscore, friend list, etc. That sort of brand loyalty is exactly why MS created all of that junk in the first place. It's an emotional manipulation from a company that is currently doing everything in its power to rewrite the basic concepts of ownership in favor of billion dollar corporations. Don't fall for it, and don't let your friends fall for it. Believe it or not, you can reassemble your entire virtual life quickly and easily through Steam or Sony or anything else. And your gamerscore, your achievements, etc. - they don't actually mean ANYTHING. Let them go.