Xbox President Says World Has Changed From Offline to Online

[Jadak]

What's he's talking about isn't really the problem, nor is what most people are redirecting it towards.

For his points, I agree with him. It is a solid step for a modern console to be integrated with the online world. I have no objections with a console that is legitimately using it's internet access at all times to provide an enhanced experience.

Does that suck for people not able to meet that requirement? Yes. But those people can buy something else, or nothing. At some point you just need to draw the line and decide that if you're going to make something targeted towards a modern audience, you're going to have to sacrifice those who don't meet the standard.

But, as harsh as even that sounds to some, that's not what is being done. Does the new Xbox make use of the cloud to improve the experience as they claim? Yes. But it does not require it. If it did, they would have a point, yet instead they've gone and made a console that works perfectly fine offline as well, yet added mandatory online authentication anyways.

And that is the problem. Not a performance one, of course. In reality it's likely to make little difference, simply connecting to a server for an authentication check once in a 24 hour period is not a big deal (even better if they made it once per 24 hours of play time). But, it is a check with justification that is acceptable from a consume point of view, and that's not okay.

 

[templar1138a]

Put down the shovel, Microsoft. The Xbone's grave is already sufficiently deep.

 

[loc978]

Not to parrot TotalBiscuit, but all that talk about being connected all the time... yet Singapore isn't one of the countries they plan to release in. Somehow I think this guy thinks that the suburbs of Seattle are representative of the entire world, despite there being places in rural Washington that you just can't get a broadband connection.

The guy that told him to take a hike was correct. Don needs to get out of his series of climate-controlled, wirelessly connected bubbles and see that not everything on Earth is made or even controlled by humanity.

Also, I agree that he seems to be completely missing the point of criticisms leveled against the Xbone's policies.

 

[Hawk of Battle]

Also, does the phrase "Playstation 4 preorders outselling Xbox One preorders on an 8 to 1 ratio" mean anything to you? You know, as if you were doing something wrong and should SHUT THE FUCK UP?!

Is that count accurate? I'd like it to be so, but is there any source on this?

 

[Something Amyss]

Don Mattrick says the advantages of always being connected to the internet can be seen in smartphones, tablets and PCs.

Which is true, but none of those things completely lock down if I can't connect to the internet. Not even tablets.

Anyway, I suggest a new headline: Xbox President Has Grasp of Obvious, Still Misses Point.

Microsoft...at this point, silence was truly your best PR.

Silence was hurting them, too. Remember, the Xbone wasn't just going to require you to be always online, but also lock down used games and kick you in the balls if you played any Nintendo titles just a few short weeks ago.

I honestly can't see a way out for Microsoft. Even falling on their swords would probably get them criticised on their technique.

I feel no sympathy for the company that has dug this grave, mind.

Funny thing about comparing it to a computer, does the Xbone do anything a computer can't do? $500 can get you a decent gaming computer nowadays, and they don't have the Kinect spying on you.

Well, you've ruined my answer. I was going to say "spy on you out of the box."

...They probably should stop comparing it to a PC, though.

The world is more then just THOSE 21 countries you know.

You lie. Why would you lie like that?

The funny thing is, it's not even like there's this sudden drop off where it's like, only 21 countries have the internet or something. Poland can't play One titles. Sorry Poland, no future for you!

 

[Saltyk]

Okay... I said this yesterday. Microsoft, I'm getting tired of hating on you guys. Why must you keep acting like idiots? Do you have some sort of need to do so in order to live? Can you not survive if you don't kick a puppy or something? Seriously, just please stop. Please. I still won't buy your anticonsumer shitbox, but if you can go a week without pissing me off, I'll not tell people I meet to not buy your console. Sound like a deal? Please?

Microsoft...at this point, silence was truly your best PR. Maybe you should revert to that instead of implying your customers are the ones out of touch with reality. If gamers are upset over something you are doing, don't tell them they don't understand how the real world works. They have a better grasp of it than you do from your high-rise office.

Also, does the phrase "Playstation 4 preorders outselling Xbox One preorders on an 8 to 1 ratio" mean anything to you? You know, as if you were doing something wrong and should SHUT THE FUCK UP?!

Is it really an 8 to one ratio? Could you provide a link? I just checked Amazon's gaming list (5 of the Top 10 are PS4 with only one XBone and three others are Sony products) and I could believe it, I'm just wondering where you found the numbers.

 

[FalloutJack]

*Sigh* We know you're trying to be like Steam, guys, but why is it that you who want to be like Steam ARE NOT LIKE STEAM?!

Spoiler: So, to reiterate in friendly spoiler tags...

 

[DeadlyYellow]

I kindly request Mister Mattrick offensively action my 860Kbps indiscriminate protrusion.

There's a reason I disable cloud systems on everything that offers them.

 

[rednose1]

How is it that Microsoft just doesn't get it? I agree, PCs, smartphones, tablets, microwaves, toasters connecting to the internet makes them more awesome.

The thing is, I control when they connect, and they still function if they go a day without doing so. The heart of all this hatred at Xbone is the loss of control it forces on the consumer.

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

Here's a question for Microsoft: how is the access to this perpetually updating community powered by the cloud going to work? Do you get it for free if you're a Gold Subscriber? Because I can't think of that many AAA developers who are willing to continually put new content into their game without the promise of DLC pricing, subscriptions or micro-transactions. Indie devs, maybe, but you've already managed to completely alienate that demographic. So who is going to pay for it? Us or you? Because 100 extra for the console, plus 10 a month, plus extras to access this updating content would be far more than a lot are willing to pay.

 

[Infernal Lawyer]

Does he have a specific schedule of idiotic press statements that he must adhere to between now and launch? Because this really is an amazing stream of steady daily stupidity. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Yes Going online is a huge convenience, benefit and productivity boost. But oddly it isn't a necessity for all of those devices you mention (save possibly Windows 8. How's that working out for you all?). They all work just fine for their primary purpose should hey be disconnected from the interweb a for days weeks or months.

Even a cell phone, which primary purpose is to be connected, doesn't lock out everything that doesn't need a connection just because!

OT: Mattrick, don't you fucking get it?! Online is great, online is fine, there's so many good things about it! BUT THERE'S NO FUCKING REASON TO FORCE ONLINE FOR NO REASON, OTHER THAN DRM. Noone's complaining that you're letting us try out all these 'awesome' features like the cloud and whatnot, those are fine. BUT I WANT TO BE ABLE TO PLAY GAMES WITHOUT HAVING TO CHECK IN WITH MY PAROLE OFFICER.

 

[Goro]

The DRM perspective of the *almost* always on is bad enough, but I can foresee that every time the 'bone checks in, there will be something to update, and everytime you switch on your leased machine the first 10 minutes will be spent watching an install bar. Then devs will get lazy and time pressured, and day one DLC will become day one patches to make unfinished games work. I don't have a huge Internet plan, I want to play what's on the disc. Microsoft could you be getting this any more wrong?

 

[frizzlebyte]

Jesus... this guy doesn't get it. He truly, truly does not get it. We, as the consumers, do not like being forced to do something to preserve functionality. As someone with a chronically unstable internet connection (in a major urban area, mind, where according to these chucklefucks that shouldn't ever happen) I can't trust my service to be able to connect that often for any stretch of time. Therefore perpetually online games do not appeal to me, and I prefer things that are still playable without an internet connection.

But according to this Mattrick ton of bullshit, I am "backwards" and not fit to purchase their console, and I should stick with my 360.

Well, I will, you fucking prick. I won't be supporting this inconvenient, clunky thing that thinks it's the future, when you have a competitor that will give me everything I want in a console, a console I can use for a hundred dollars less. There is no reason to ever purchase the Xbox One for me, therefore I won't. And I guess Microsoft won't miss me and my backward ways. Way to treat off a loyal customer for the last decade.

Microsoft really needs to come down from their cloud.

But the cloud is the future!

Seriously, this is the best post in the whole thread. Very Jimquisition.

OT: Yeah, you'd love to believe the world has changed, because that change directly benefits your "consumer leases their life to megacorporations" wet dream.

No thanks, pal. I'll stop gaming, computing, and move to the Appalachians before that happens.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

Okay... I said this yesterday. Microsoft, I'm getting tired of hating on you guys. Why must you keep acting like idiots? Do you have some sort of need to do so in order to live? Can you not survive if you don't kick a puppy or something? Seriously, just please stop. Please. I still won't buy your anticonsumer shitbox, but if you can go a week without pissing me off, I'll not tell people I meet to not buy your console. Sound like a deal? Please?

Microsoft...at this point, silence was truly your best PR. Maybe you should revert to that instead of implying your customers are the ones out of touch with reality. If gamers are upset over something you are doing, don't tell them they don't understand how the real world works. They have a better grasp of it than you do from your high-rise office.

Also, does the phrase "Playstation 4 preorders outselling Xbox One preorders on an 8 to 1 ratio" mean anything to you? You know, as if you were doing something wrong and should SHUT THE FUCK UP?!

Is it really an 8 to one ratio? Could you provide a link? I just checked Amazon's gaming list (5 of the Top 10 are PS4 with only one XBone and three others are Sony products) and I could believe it, I'm just wondering where you found the numbers.

This will also answer the other guy's request for a source.

I feel like an idiot now. I took my sister's word for it, and I can't back up a source. The only info I have is uncertain in any way other than "Playstation 4 is winning by a damn good amount."

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2420549,00.asp

The poll mentioned [http://www.cinemablend.com/games/94-Gamers-Favor-PS4-Xbox-One-According-Amazon-Poll-56705.html]

I think that poll speaks even louder than preorders, honestly.

 

[Seracen]

SO, why would I lease a car for the same price as buying that same car? Simple answer, I wouldn't.

Leasing works because you get a definable service at a cheaper price.

The console isn't cheaper than it's competitor, the games aren't cheaper than they are now, and I still don't own anything I buy.

Also, ask consumers if they are truly happy with the new M$ Office...where certain versions are not functional unless you continue to pay a subscription.

The ironic thing is, if XBONE was the vaunted unicorn of cloud gaming, the Netflix for gaming, it'd be fine. 10 bucks a month for unlimited gameplay is viable, just like 10 bucks a month for unlimited movies.

But it isn't. XBONE is a pale imitation that has M$ fooled itself into thinking is something other than total crap, and it hates its "entitled" fans for having their own opinions.

Your COMPETITOR'S stock went up the day of press release. Think about that, it isn't just the fans that smell the BS. Have fun in your foolish world of pride and hubris, I prefer to own the things I pay to own.

 

[JetFury]

Microsoft equivalent of the cell. Except worse

 

[likalaruku]

Yeah, I've got a tablet...All the games I play on it are offline single player. They also only stay fun for 5-10 minutes max & are ideal for falling asleep to.

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the Playbook the only tablet that supports Fash anymore? Don't all casual online multiplayer games run on Flash?

Yeah, I don't even know what the heck I'm talking about anymore >_>

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

I think it sould be fairly obvious to a sane person that while the internet being used to enhance or provide some functionality is good and there are a lot of features that rely on it in modern devices, until the internet is reliably accessible everywhere it might be wise not to have your device be completely dependant on the internet for its main purposes when it doesn't have to be. There's no change from offline to online. Online supplements offline, it doesn't replace it arbitrarily.

Although I'll add that Microsoft's whole attitude where the consumer is just too stupid to realise the benefits the Xbone will provide is getting annoying. I think they're just fabricating this whole "into the future" crap to get people to go along with something they know to be arbitrarily restricting.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

This is what I thought of after watching the source interview.

Not much else to say really.

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

Microsoft...at this point, silence was truly your best PR. Maybe you should revert to that instead of implying your customers are the ones out of touch with reality. If gamers are upset over something you are doing, don't tell them they don't understand how the real world works. They have a better grasp of it than you do from your high-rise office.

Also, does the phrase "Playstation 4 preorders outselling Xbox One preorders on an 8 to 1 ratio" mean anything to you? You know, as if you were doing something wrong and should SHUT THE FUCK UP?!

You know, I have been sitting merrily in the 'Sony camp' for at least half a decade now, and life is peachy.

Still, I was hoping for... real competition. A level playing field for the time, love, attention and monies of all God's creatures.

Microsoft decided to change the rules, and not in a good way.

I do not want Microsoft to shut up. I want them apologizing for Metro. I want them to revise their stance, their policies and their philosophy of what makes a gaming console a great gaming console. I want them to drop all that utterly useless marketingspeak, and I want them to stop the nonsense like they abandoned the HD DVD. Oh, wait, HD DVD abandoned itself.