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Pennello: "People just weren't ready for all digital Xbox One". Post #657 = ether.

BeeDog

Member
MHNAYrQ.gif


Total evisceration, goddamn.
 

Bundy

Banned
I don't get why Penello is even talking about this shit. Your console launches in 2 weeks, and you really want to bring up your bullshit policies that everyone was furious about and start another fervor? What's the strategy here?

I've got no fucking clue. MS has collectively had its head up it's own ass for a while now. I want to critique this whole mess but frankly they've bungled this thing up so hard it's difficult to know where to start.

Albert, I know you read Gaf. You need to stop talking about this. Period. Full stop. No more. Shush.

Every time you or any other MS representative goes on the record to discuss the DRM policies you take an inherently anti consumer approach even if it's not your intent. Which at this point I'm going to assume it's your intent given the frequency with which you and your cohorts put this bungle on the consumer. You can't claim that consumers weren't ready for your vision of the future. We will never be ready for your vision of an all digital future because neither you nor anyone else at MS has never, not once, made it clear what exactly that vision is, or was, could be or will be.

Simply state that Microsoft misread the market. You operated in a vacuum under the assumption that your consumers wanted certain things that we didn't and now you're having to back track. That's fine. You guys made a mistake, it happens. It's time to reread your audience and try again. What you can't do is continue to allude to the fact that consumers weren't ready for your product. That's insulting, and it insinuates that you still have plans to fuck us over in the future. Consumers are naturally entitled. We have to be. We're paying large sums of cash, in this case a premium, for your product. We have certain expectations based on how you present that product and once that transaction is complete we're naturally entitled to complete ownership over that product. We also have expectations for your product based on competing products and services from other manufacturers. You do not operate within a vacuum and this relationship does not work in reverse. You are not entitled to my money.

The DRM strategy as we know it is beneficial to no one but Microsoft and its partners. This statement is true based on the information you have given us. You can claim that miscommunications and disorganization led to dissemination of inaccurate rumors, but the truth of the matter is that the only time you've detailed any consumer benefit was AFTER you shut the DRM down. We also had it on good insider authority that those claims regarding game sharing were complete bullshit and you're lying to us. All the "facts" you attempted to detail to consumers were completely contradictory during the period of time immediately following the initial announcement. Every further clarification only led to further confusion as your company continued to contradict itself. Repeatedly. These are not signs of miscommunications. These are signs of a critical lack of vision and fundamental misunderstanding of your target audience and it shows.

Right now Sony is assaulting you with precision strikes in the market that matters the most during launches, the core gamer audience. You need to buckle the fuck down and figure out what your product is, and who it's for. Right now I can't figure out who this product is for, or why anyone should want it. If it's for the hardcore gamer what are the benefits of paying for XBL over PSN+? You're entering a new generation and Sony is catching up significantly. Voice chat is no longer an appropriate answer. You've failed to clarify on the future of the Games With Gold promotion. At first it was temporary, now it's not? The offerings have been substandard when compared to PS+ over the period of time since it was first announced. Your product is no longer the preferred place to play multiplatform titles and you have virtually no first party resources to draw from. The last entry of your largest IP, halo, was not received well by it's audience and you've lost a chunk of your third party exclusive content over the past generation. As a consumer why should I believe that this won't happen again? Why should I, as a gamer, buy a Xbox One when judging by your track record you've nearly abandoned the 360 halfway through it's life and let a massive series like Mass Effect go multiplatform. It seems to me like this will probably happen again and most major titles I can just wait for.

Is this for the casual gamer? If so why aren't we seeing more kinect games? If so why is it the most expensive console on the market? Where is the content that's going to blow the casual market away? The original kinect was successful because it was a novel add on. A new way of interacting with a product you already had in your household. This is not the case for you any more. The original Wii took off because it was something entirely new, original, and extremely affordable. It was a novelty. This is also not the case for the Xbox One. The family/casual market, if there's much of one left, is going to Nintendo. They have the stronger family friendly IPs. You either need to focus on them or drop the kinect.

Is this a device for the mass market? Designed to integrate into television and media services? It can't be, once again it's the most expensive console no the market. It can't compete in price to something like the Apple TV, or even the Vita TV, a device that at least makes sense as a cheap complimentary purchase to a product a consumer will already own. If that's the case then why haven't we heard more about these television and film products? Where is the info on Remedy's new game that's supposedly blending video games and television entertainment? We know virtually nothing about how it plays, and we know virtually nothing about the television series. Are there other projects like that in the works? If it's designed to compliment a cable subscription why can't it function as a DVR? What benefit is there to a $500 black box that functions as little more than a glorified TV remote? Why aren't you partnering with cable providers? Why are the TV services so severely limited globally?

Microsoft, who is this product for? On the surface you seem to be approaching this device as a jack of all trades type of console. The problem is that the title of "jack of all trades" implies a level of competency in these services that is glaringly absent from your strategy. You lack vision. Period. Stop making excuses. Stop blaming the consumers.

Shut the fuck up, buckle the fuck down, figure out who you're targeting, and fix this.

/end rant

MS is talking about it, because they will bring it back. The whole BS, yes, they will bring it back.
This is one of the reasons why I'm not going to buy a Xbox ever again.

XB1 will go back to its DRM atrocity. We're gonna be there excuse, based on the numbers of people who are online, who buys more on what format, etc.
It's only a matter of time. No one should expect M$ to be kind especially when it tries to push it's message across. The going digital idea is inevitable yes, but the problem is the control that we'll have on our product/license we own. They can snag that $hit away however they please.
This!
 

This about sums up my feelings. MS had ever chance in the world to rationally explain their positions on there system's policy, particularly during the hour long reveal when they had the entire conversation to themselves. But what we got is absoultely no mention of the DRM during the briefing, only to find out in the hours after and it was backpedaling every since.

Penello's rhetoric in this interview is pure bullshit. Lets not forget that in the few weeks prior to the reveal, MS had all the hype in the world. A popular opinion around he industry and gaming populace was that MS was about to knock their presentation out of the park. That they were about to outshine Sony and whatever else. Them coming out and falling on their face is nobodies fault but their own.
 

CPS2

Member
Careful if you ever accidentially break the ToS on one of their future consoles or they'll just deactivate your console and account and make it useless. Even if you don't break the ToS I still think they won't support your digital games or account indefinitely.
 

Game Guru

Member
I do think that the future is going to go more digital, but saying that "people weren't ready" is stupid. Lots of people are ready for that in theory. They accept it in other industries, and there's a large market that would accept it in games. They already do accept it on PC.

The problem is that people don't want Microsoft, as they are now, to have the keys to that digital future, and that's a matter of trust. A centrally managed service with digital trade-ins, a central digital distribution store, and locking every purchase to one's digital account aren't inherently bad things, even with some onerous restrictions. But they have to be backed up by flexible, consumer-friendly pricing and a commitment to the long-term stability of the service. When I look at how Microsoft has handled the Games on Demand store on the 360, or at their recent complete shutdown of XBL on the first Xbox, I can't trust that those conditions will exist.

When Valve first launched Steam, it was buggy and lacking many of its current benefits. It wasn't popular for a long time. But they had the confidence to see it through in the long term, and develop it to the point where they earned people's trust. Microsoft didn't have that confidence, and backed down when the conversation got heated. They assumed the problem was the market, when really, they were the problem. The indecision they showed is exactly the reason that people shouldn't trust them to protect their games over the long term.

Instead of saying, "People just weren't ready to make that leap right away," or, "... we never got a chance to have a rational conversation about what we were trying to do," they should be speaking from a position of humility. "We hadn't done enough to convince people to make that leap. We intend to prove to our consumers that they can trust us entirely with the future of their games." Trust is easier to lose than it is to gain, and gaining trust takes time, but one can just point to Sony's work in the last year to see how much can be done if a company makes honest, positive steps towards their customers.

And this is why I will not trust any of Microsoft's services. The only products from Microsoft that I use is Windows, Bing, and Xbox, and the latter two can easily be switched for Google and PlayStation if I so desired, as I plan to do when I transition from the 360 to the PS4. I mentioned GFWL before, but that exactly proves this point. GFWL might've been a horrible, horrible service, but MS didn't put the effort in to try to improve it and make it a real competitor to Steam. It took Steam a decade to get to where it is. Even EA is at least putting effort to make Origin into a real competitor to Steam. Maybe Microsoft should come back in a decade and we can see if they learned that legacy is important for a digital service, just like how legacy is important to Windows.
 
Right now Sony is assaulting you with precision strikes in the market that matters the most during launches, the core gamer audience. You need to buckle the fuck down and figure out what your product is, and who it's for.

This bit I don't agree with.

The launch line up is very gamer focused, diverse and strong. In terms of unique offerings at retail it's arguably stronger. They certainly aren't losing in that area and I can't see any sign they haven't realised how important the games line up is.
 

wizzbang

Banned
Digital is long term renting, nothing more. You arguably only own a "license" now with physical copies, with digital it's even worse.

The collectors like Jeff Guerstman and a plethora of others, hundreds, thousands of other hardcore OCD nerds who save up games, THOSE people are what allow us, 10/15/20/25/30 years later to play games we enjoyed as kids, as they were originally intended.

Digital only, when it happens (and it will happen) needs to be CHEAPER because it's a fucking rental. In Australia it costs more to fucking buy digital, then I need to wait for it to download (even a fast link in Australia will only move around 6 - 8gb an hour) and we have limits on what we can get. The internet issue is our problem but why is it fucking almost consistently god damned more fucking money. You assholes (ALL digital providers, not just MS) told us that "digital will be cheaper, we need not package it, blah blah" this is not the case.

You also told us we'd get shit instantly as soon as you said it was out.
Here's a good example of a fuckup.
http://www.ozgameshop.com/pc-games/crysis-warhead-game-classics-pc <-
That game didn't unlock on Steam until midday or some stupid shit in the USA, let alone here in Australia. I had a paid game "locked" in my steam account I couldn't play that people who had purchased retail COULD play, that pirates WERE playing but nope shit was locked. Yet again, digital being shit. Did anyone unlock it "early" nope.


You're trying to rent me games, you're trying to re-sell me games, you can do this, I will put up with all the shit, I'll treat games as far more disposable, without a disc or case or box to cherish nostalgically years later, I'll do it but you need to motherfucking show me the money. These prices, right now? for rentals? Fuck all of you (yes even PC publishers using steam, 60% of you are alright, the remaining 40% are toolbags.. 90$ US for the basic edition of COD? Why? It's the same fucking bits and bytes.

Vermin.
 

BBboy20

Member
Digital is long term renting, nothing more. You arguably only own a "license" now with physical copies, with digital it's even worse.

The collectors like Jeff Guerstman and a plethora of others, hundreds, thousands of other hardcore OCD nerds who save up games, THOSE people are what allow us, 10/15/20/25/30 years later to play games we enjoyed as kids, as they were originally intended.

Digital only, when it happens (and it will happen) needs to be CHEAPER because it's a fucking rental. In Australia it costs more to fucking buy digital, then I need to wait for it to download (even a fast link in Australia will only move around 6 - 8gb an hour) and we have limits on what we can get. The internet issue is our problem but why is it fucking almost consistently god damned more fucking money. You assholes (ALL digital providers, not just MS) told us that "digital will be cheaper, we need not package it, blah blah" this is not the case.

You also told us we'd get shit instantly as soon as you said it was out.
Here's a good example of a fuckup.
http://www.ozgameshop.com/pc-games/crysis-warhead-game-classics-pc <-
That game didn't unlock on Steam until midday or some stupid shit in the USA, let alone here in Australia. I had a paid game "locked" in my steam account I couldn't play that people who had purchased retail COULD play, that pirates WERE playing but nope shit was locked. Yet again, digital being shit. Did anyone unlock it "early" nope.


You're trying to rent me games, you're trying to re-sell me games, you can do this, I will put up with all the shit, I'll treat games as far more disposable, without a disc or case or box to cherish nostalgically years later, I'll do it but you need to motherfucking show me the money. These prices, right now? for rentals? Fuck all of you (yes even PC publishers using steam, 60% of you are alright, the remaining 40% are toolbags.. 90$ US for the basic edition of COD? Why? It's the same fucking bits and bytes.

Vermin.
Yeah, the technical and bureaucratic nightmares of digital is something most don't seem to talk/think about. Kind of like today's multiplayers: willing to suffer through the bullshit for the sake of fun/convenience.
 

Skeff

Member
The problem for MS is that they need to continue this line of consumers weren't ready as they will be bringing it back in the future, so if they came out and said it was a bad idea, it'd be even more hypocritical.
 

Chocolate & Vanilla

Fuck Strawberry
I've got no fucking clue. MS has collectively had its head up it's own ass for a while now. I want to critique this whole mess but frankly they've bungled this thing up so hard it's difficult to know where to start.

Albert, I know you read Gaf. You need to stop talking about this. Period. Full stop. No more. Shush.

Every time you or any other MS representative goes on the record to discuss the DRM policies you take an inherently anti consumer approach even if it's not your intent. Which at this point I'm going to assume it's your intent given the frequency with which you and your cohorts put this bungle on the consumer. You can't claim that consumers weren't ready for your vision of the future. We will never be ready for your vision of an all digital future because neither you nor anyone else at MS has never, not once, made it clear what exactly that vision is, or was, could be or will be.

Simply state that Microsoft misread the market. You operated in a vacuum under the assumption that your consumers wanted certain things that we didn't and now you're having to back track. That's fine. You guys made a mistake, it happens. It's time to reread your audience and try again. What you can't do is continue to allude to the fact that consumers weren't ready for your product. That's insulting, and it insinuates that you still have plans to fuck us over in the future. Consumers are naturally entitled. We have to be. We're paying large sums of cash, in this case a premium, for your product. We have certain expectations based on how you present that product and once that transaction is complete we're naturally entitled to complete ownership over that product. We also have expectations for your product based on competing products and services from other manufacturers. You do not operate within a vacuum and this relationship does not work in reverse. You are not entitled to my money.

The DRM strategy as we know it is beneficial to no one but Microsoft and its partners. This statement is true based on the information you have given us. You can claim that miscommunications and disorganization led to dissemination of inaccurate rumors, but the truth of the matter is that the only time you've detailed any consumer benefit was AFTER you shut the DRM down. We also had it on good insider authority that those claims regarding game sharing were complete bullshit and you're lying to us. All the "facts" you attempted to detail to consumers were completely contradictory during the period of time immediately following the initial announcement. Every further clarification only led to further confusion as your company continued to contradict itself. Repeatedly. These are not signs of miscommunications. These are signs of a critical lack of vision and fundamental misunderstanding of your target audience and it shows.

Right now Sony is assaulting you with precision strikes in the market that matters the most during launches, the core gamer audience. You need to buckle the fuck down and figure out what your product is, and who it's for. Right now I can't figure out who this product is for, or why anyone should want it. If it's for the hardcore gamer what are the benefits of paying for XBL over PSN+? You're entering a new generation and Sony is catching up significantly. Voice chat is no longer an appropriate answer. You've failed to clarify on the future of the Games With Gold promotion. At first it was temporary, now it's not? The offerings have been substandard when compared to PS+ over the period of time since it was first announced. Your product is no longer the preferred place to play multiplatform titles and you have virtually no first party resources to draw from. The last entry of your largest IP, halo, was not received well by it's audience and you've lost a chunk of your third party exclusive content over the past generation. As a consumer why should I believe that this won't happen again? Why should I, as a gamer, buy a Xbox One when judging by your track record you've nearly abandoned the 360 halfway through it's life and let a massive series like Mass Effect go multiplatform. It seems to me like this will probably happen again and most major titles I can just wait for.

Is this for the casual gamer? If so why aren't we seeing more kinect games? If so why is it the most expensive console on the market? Where is the content that's going to blow the casual market away? The original kinect was successful because it was a novel add on. A new way of interacting with a product you already had in your household. This is not the case for you any more. The original Wii took off because it was something entirely new, original, and extremely affordable. It was a novelty. This is also not the case for the Xbox One. The family/casual market, if there's much of one left, is going to Nintendo. They have the stronger family friendly IPs. You either need to focus on them or drop the kinect.

Is this a device for the mass market? Designed to integrate into television and media services? It can't be, once again it's the most expensive console no the market. It can't compete in price to something like the Apple TV, or even the Vita TV, a device that at least makes sense as a cheap complimentary purchase to a product a consumer will already own. If that's the case then why haven't we heard more about these television and film products? Where is the info on Remedy's new game that's supposedly blending video games and television entertainment? We know virtually nothing about how it plays, and we know virtually nothing about the television series. Are there other projects like that in the works? If it's designed to compliment a cable subscription why can't it function as a DVR? What benefit is there to a $500 black box that functions as little more than a glorified TV remote? Why aren't you partnering with cable providers? Why are the TV services so severely limited globally?

Microsoft, who is this product for? On the surface you seem to be approaching this device as a jack of all trades type of console. The problem is that the title of "jack of all trades" implies a level of competency in these services that is glaringly absent from your strategy. You lack vision. Period. Stop making excuses. Stop blaming the consumers.

Shut the fuck up, buckle the fuck down, figure out who you're targeting, and fix this.

/end rant

I came here to post exactly this.... is what I'd like to say. Spot on chap. Spot fucking on!
 

Relix

he's Virgin Tight™
After all this Microsoft rep shit, 720p, the bad taste from the DRM... I cancelled my Amazon XBO pre-order. Really. These idiots right now treat gamers and their customers like shit and dumb. "We weren't ready"...come on, that's insulting. I was a strong 360 player until the thing derailed with Kinect; it was at that point my favorite console ever. COD4? Gears? Halo? Lost Odyssey? Mass Effect? Tales of Vesperia? What the fuck could go wrong! I don't know what happened in the road (i am sure it was Kinect) but they fucked up so badly I lost all the good will I had towards them. I looked at XBO with hope, and in fact I was one of the few that was neutral to the whole DRM thing since I saw some of its advantages but the disadvantages were massive. Still, I kept my preorder. I was very decided to keep both my PS4 and XBO pre-orders but then came the constant "customers are dumb, lolz" comments from them, "resolutiongate", the lack of good first party studios... etc. It seems they don't get gaming anymore, and they just have a few corporate shills there that have absolutely no idea what they are doing. So, PS4 for me it is. Nice screw up Microsoft.
 

Respawn

Banned
Such great post in this thread. Bravo ladies and gents. Man I wish people voted harder with their wallets keeping the unit on the shelves. It would have been amazing.
 
As someone buying an XBox One at launch, if this talk is intended to make the eventual reimplementation of the policies less embarrassing I will be selling it.

I'm switching from Xbox to PlayStation for my multiplatform gaming this gen, so it won't hurt me too much.
 

The_Monk

Member
Fellow GAFfer Foxix your post made me even more proud to belong in here, very well written and spot on. It seems that you clearly know what you are talking about when it comes to creating a target to a product in the market. Well said.

As to use my example. I got two 360's and one Kinect in the past. I'm in Europe. For the entire generation Microsoft did not care to understand the difference between portuguese spoken in Portugal and portuguese spoken in Brazil. A simple task. Moving to the first time Microsoft did an event showing the XB1 all I saw was things that were not for me. TV Services, App services, Football apps, etc, etc. It's clear. I get it. You created a console for the United States of America. Or should I say, for a specific consumer in the USA because not all of them like what they saw. The consumer got it, I got it. It's a shame because from someone who also was a consumer for the 360, considering a XB1 in a early stage never was such easy decision like it is now. A product without a proper target is not a product that is going to be sold to the right consumer and a product without vision shows lack of dedication to present it as what to is do their audience.

Why is Microsoft focusing so much in one single country, are they really expecting to profit in other countries while they keep promoting services that won't be available in many other places? As a consumer Microsoft become pretty clear to me that when the new model is arriving -XB1- then the old model as no longer a proper use. No more good exclusives for the 360 while Sony presented a great selection of amazing exclusives games such The Last of Us, BEYOND and Gran Turismo 6. Different views of the business sure, they probably think 360 is in decline while the PS3 has reached its maturity stage. But for the average consumer, these Marketing/Economy related terms do not matter, it's not what they want for a console.

After reading the articles of this particular individual I felt ashamed. I really did, because there are good, honest, polite people trying every single day to find a decent job, yet here's apparently someone with one and yet, he does not value it. The lack of being humble is really a shame, I wish he could understand how a market truly works instead of just blaming the consumer because it's not their fault. I really hope they can be selective -the consumer- as to where their money goes this Holiday season.

I've been on the Microsoft HQ this year, I'm a humble working person, after leaving the HQ it was said to me, that, anything I ever need to let them know if they can help. One week later I got 2 games as small thank you for everything and a Recommendation Letter from Microsoft. Best surprise I ever got it since it means a lot when you are fighting the economy crisis to strive and get a good job. Because I work hard, I'm humble and polite and if I don't know something or simply do not understand I will never blame the consumer.

This individual -with due respect, honestly- brought me shame. And it's a shame that many people won't be aware -as consumers- of how some Microsoft workers want things to work. They had everything to keep their costumers and to gather many more, yet when you lack vision as a shepherd your sheep will move to a more green field.
 
Boom. Pending some miraculous turnaround in both PR and consumer perception, this is going to be the next Dreamcast. The next two months are going to be extremely entertaining.

Nah the X1 will sell out atleast the first few batches. All consoles do.

It is when the initial hype train wears down and the product is just another product on the shelves we will see what the future truly holds.

The Wii U sold very well for the first little bit .. but then crashed and burned soon after that. The Saturn, Dreamcast, numerous other consoles did fantastic in the first little bit, but then crashed and burned.

This time around MS has to go head to head from the jump with Sony, when Sony is more akin to its former self then the PS3 PR disaster that was the PS3 ( sold what, 200K units the first month? ). So it will be a complete different ballgame this time around. Especially with the PS4 having a UI that can atleast stand up against the X1 UI with its own cool list of features, some of which not even the Metro UI is able to do ( like joining games from livestreams ).

But yeah the X1 will sell out in the beginning, if it does not ... well may as well go home if your MS. The PS4 launch is shaping up to be the largest ever by what my retailers and friends are telling me. Some stores around here are getting 8x more consoles then they EVER have gotten for a console launch before and that is just to satisfy pre-orders lol.
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
Boom. Pending some miraculous turnaround in both PR and consumer perception, this is going to be the next Dreamcast. The next two months are going to be extremely entertaining.
If it were the next Dreamcast you'd have an enormous positive buzz from gamers.
 
Some of my fellow gamers continue to puzzle me to no end. I look at the statements such as this one or the recent Phil Spencer comment, and I can find nothing controversial about them. Nada. Zilch. It's clear to me as day that they're absolutely true. And yet they cause such shitstorms on places like GAF. I guess some of you guys are in for a rude awakening, that's precisely the direction the whole of this industry is taking.
The whole industry is going to start making us check in online every 24 hours? Game discs are going to become useless on their own, until you phone home to ask for permission to play the game on them?

Xbox One's version of what 'all digital' meant was completely fucked, and was about as attractive to the majority of consumers as DIVX was. Most consumers don't like being treated like criminals.
 

jjasper

Member
The problem for MS is that they need to continue this line of consumers weren't ready as they will be bringing it back in the future, so if they came out and said it was a bad idea, it'd be even more hypocritical.

They really don't though. If they came out and said something along the lines of "Our fans are important to us and so we listened and found they were not happy with this feature so we removed it. We thought we had this really great idea but we completely failed in our ability to articulate why it was great for the consumers and so ultimately that is our fault."

Or something like that in more PR talk. Take ownership of it, explain that it was their fault people got upset because they did such a terrible job discussing it and state fans input is important and apologize.

Would anyone really get mad at that?
 
I've got no fucking clue. MS has collectively had its head up it's own ass for a while now. I want to critique this whole mess but frankly they've bungled this thing up so hard it's difficult to know where to start.

Albert, I know you read Gaf. You need to stop talking about this. Period. Full stop. No more. Shush.

Every time you or any other MS representative goes on the record to discuss the DRM policies you take an inherently anti consumer approach even if it's not your intent. Which at this point I'm going to assume it's your intent given the frequency with which you and your cohorts put this bungle on the consumer. You can't claim that consumers weren't ready for your vision of the future. We will never be ready for your vision of an all digital future because neither you nor anyone else at MS has never, not once, made it clear what exactly that vision is, or was, could be or will be.

Simply state that Microsoft misread the market. You operated in a vacuum under the assumption that your consumers wanted certain things that we didn't and now you're having to back track. That's fine. You guys made a mistake, it happens. It's time to reread your audience and try again. What you can't do is continue to allude to the fact that consumers weren't ready for your product. That's insulting, and it insinuates that you still have plans to fuck us over in the future. Consumers are naturally entitled. We have to be. We're paying large sums of cash, in this case a premium, for your product. We have certain expectations based on how you present that product and once that transaction is complete we're naturally entitled to complete ownership over that product. We also have expectations for your product based on competing products and services from other manufacturers. You do not operate within a vacuum and this relationship does not work in reverse. You are not entitled to my money.

The DRM strategy as we know it is beneficial to no one but Microsoft and its partners. This statement is true based on the information you have given us. You can claim that miscommunications and disorganization led to dissemination of inaccurate rumors, but the truth of the matter is that the only time you've detailed any consumer benefit was AFTER you shut the DRM down. We also had it on good insider authority that those claims regarding game sharing were complete bullshit and you're lying to us. All the "facts" you attempted to detail to consumers were completely contradictory during the period of time immediately following the initial announcement. Every further clarification only led to further confusion as your company continued to contradict itself. Repeatedly. These are not signs of miscommunications. These are signs of a critical lack of vision and fundamental misunderstanding of your target audience and it shows.

Right now Sony is assaulting you with precision strikes in the market that matters the most during launches, the core gamer audience. You need to buckle the fuck down and figure out what your product is, and who it's for. Right now I can't figure out who this product is for, or why anyone should want it. If it's for the hardcore gamer what are the benefits of paying for XBL over PSN+? You're entering a new generation and Sony is catching up significantly. Voice chat is no longer an appropriate answer. You've failed to clarify on the future of the Games With Gold promotion. At first it was temporary, now it's not? The offerings have been substandard when compared to PS+ over the period of time since it was first announced. Your product is no longer the preferred place to play multiplatform titles and you have virtually no first party resources to draw from. The last entry of your largest IP, halo, was not received well by it's audience and you've lost a chunk of your third party exclusive content over the past generation. As a consumer why should I believe that this won't happen again? Why should I, as a gamer, buy a Xbox One when judging by your track record you've nearly abandoned the 360 halfway through it's life and let a massive series like Mass Effect go multiplatform. It seems to me like this will probably happen again and most major titles I can just wait for.

Is this for the casual gamer? If so why aren't we seeing more kinect games? If so why is it the most expensive console on the market? Where is the content that's going to blow the casual market away? The original kinect was successful because it was a novel add on. A new way of interacting with a product you already had in your household. This is not the case for you any more. The original Wii took off because it was something entirely new, original, and extremely affordable. It was a novelty. This is also not the case for the Xbox One. The family/casual market, if there's much of one left, is going to Nintendo. They have the stronger family friendly IPs. You either need to focus on them or drop the kinect.

Is this a device for the mass market? Designed to integrate into television and media services? It can't be, once again it's the most expensive console no the market. It can't compete in price to something like the Apple TV, or even the Vita TV, a device that at least makes sense as a cheap complimentary purchase to a product a consumer will already own. If that's the case then why haven't we heard more about these television and film products? Where is the info on Remedy's new game that's supposedly blending video games and television entertainment? We know virtually nothing about how it plays, and we know virtually nothing about the television series. Are there other projects like that in the works? If it's designed to compliment a cable subscription why can't it function as a DVR? What benefit is there to a $500 black box that functions as little more than a glorified TV remote? Why aren't you partnering with cable providers? Why are the TV services so severely limited globally?

Microsoft, who is this product for? On the surface you seem to be approaching this device as a jack of all trades type of console. The problem is that the title of "jack of all trades" implies a level of competency in these services that is glaringly absent from your strategy. You lack vision. Period. Stop making excuses. Stop blaming the consumers.

Shut the fuck up, buckle the fuck down, figure out who you're targeting, and fix this.

/end rant

Preach on!
 

KOMANI

KOMANI
Microsoft, who is this product for?

/end rant

i can tell you who's attracted to this system.
Besides the Microsoft fan boys (and I don't mean that it any derogatory way at all, so please don't take any offense. I'm over-generalizing on purpose.) it's meant for those who are ready for a new future in gaming. Much like Sonos, the XBOXone is meant to be a machine to have all your multimedia needs in one machine.

Look no further than the difference between Microsoft Surface tablet, and every other tablet in the market. The XBOXone, in idea, is a super sexy machine that works for you and all your American needs.

"I just want a machine that I can plug all my stuff into. No more changing inputs, flicking through menus." This is how it was explained to me by someone who pre-ordered the system.

"Sony is just offering a console with stronger graphics, but the Xbox is offering everything, all in One."

and to clarify, when I say fan boys, that's meant to be an umbrella for those who have enjoyed Xbox, Xbox Live, and there exclusives. I don't mean it as bully in a school yard.
 

Sweep14

Member
I'm now genuinely convinced that CBOAT's Ass storm incoming is, in fact, the return of the X1's DRM program.

The gamer's busted them on the door and they'll try ASAP to return sneakily using the window
 

imt558

Banned
I've got no fucking clue. MS has collectively had its head up it's own ass for a while now. I want to critique this whole mess but frankly they've bungled this thing up so hard it's difficult to know where to start.

Albert, I know you read Gaf. You need to stop talking about this. Period. Full stop. No more. Shush.

Every time you or any other MS representative goes on the record to discuss the DRM policies you take an inherently anti consumer approach even if it's not your intent. Which at this point I'm going to assume it's your intent given the frequency with which you and your cohorts put this bungle on the consumer. You can't claim that consumers weren't ready for your vision of the future. We will never be ready for your vision of an all digital future because neither you nor anyone else at MS has never, not once, made it clear what exactly that vision is, or was, could be or will be.

Simply state that Microsoft misread the market. You operated in a vacuum under the assumption that your consumers wanted certain things that we didn't and now you're having to back track. That's fine. You guys made a mistake, it happens. It's time to reread your audience and try again. What you can't do is continue to allude to the fact that consumers weren't ready for your product. That's insulting, and it insinuates that you still have plans to fuck us over in the future. Consumers are naturally entitled. We have to be. We're paying large sums of cash, in this case a premium, for your product. We have certain expectations based on how you present that product and once that transaction is complete we're naturally entitled to complete ownership over that product. We also have expectations for your product based on competing products and services from other manufacturers. You do not operate within a vacuum and this relationship does not work in reverse. You are not entitled to my money.

The DRM strategy as we know it is beneficial to no one but Microsoft and its partners. This statement is true based on the information you have given us. You can claim that miscommunications and disorganization led to dissemination of inaccurate rumors, but the truth of the matter is that the only time you've detailed any consumer benefit was AFTER you shut the DRM down. We also had it on good insider authority that those claims regarding game sharing were complete bullshit and you're lying to us. All the "facts" you attempted to detail to consumers were completely contradictory during the period of time immediately following the initial announcement. Every further clarification only led to further confusion as your company continued to contradict itself. Repeatedly. These are not signs of miscommunications. These are signs of a critical lack of vision and fundamental misunderstanding of your target audience and it shows.

Right now Sony is assaulting you with precision strikes in the market that matters the most during launches, the core gamer audience. You need to buckle the fuck down and figure out what your product is, and who it's for. Right now I can't figure out who this product is for, or why anyone should want it. If it's for the hardcore gamer what are the benefits of paying for XBL over PSN+? You're entering a new generation and Sony is catching up significantly. Voice chat is no longer an appropriate answer. You've failed to clarify on the future of the Games With Gold promotion. At first it was temporary, now it's not? The offerings have been substandard when compared to PS+ over the period of time since it was first announced. Your product is no longer the preferred place to play multiplatform titles and you have virtually no first party resources to draw from. The last entry of your largest IP, halo, was not received well by it's audience and you've lost a chunk of your third party exclusive content over the past generation. As a consumer why should I believe that this won't happen again? Why should I, as a gamer, buy a Xbox One when judging by your track record you've nearly abandoned the 360 halfway through it's life and let a massive series like Mass Effect go multiplatform. It seems to me like this will probably happen again and most major titles I can just wait for.

Is this for the casual gamer? If so why aren't we seeing more kinect games? If so why is it the most expensive console on the market? Where is the content that's going to blow the casual market away? The original kinect was successful because it was a novel add on. A new way of interacting with a product you already had in your household. This is not the case for you any more. The original Wii took off because it was something entirely new, original, and extremely affordable. It was a novelty. This is also not the case for the Xbox One. The family/casual market, if there's much of one left, is going to Nintendo. They have the stronger family friendly IPs. You either need to focus on them or drop the kinect.

Is this a device for the mass market? Designed to integrate into television and media services? It can't be, once again it's the most expensive console no the market. It can't compete in price to something like the Apple TV, or even the Vita TV, a device that at least makes sense as a cheap complimentary purchase to a product a consumer will already own. If that's the case then why haven't we heard more about these television and film products? Where is the info on Remedy's new game that's supposedly blending video games and television entertainment? We know virtually nothing about how it plays, and we know virtually nothing about the television series. Are there other projects like that in the works? If it's designed to compliment a cable subscription why can't it function as a DVR? What benefit is there to a $500 black box that functions as little more than a glorified TV remote? Why aren't you partnering with cable providers? Why are the TV services so severely limited globally?

Microsoft, who is this product for? On the surface you seem to be approaching this device as a jack of all trades type of console. The problem is that the title of "jack of all trades" implies a level of competency in these services that is glaringly absent from your strategy. You lack vision. Period. Stop making excuses. Stop blaming the consumers.

Shut the fuck up, buckle the fuck down, figure out who you're targeting, and fix this.

/end rant

right.gif
 

Aaron

Member
Digital on PC works because I can still play 20 year old games on my current PC. I wouldn't even be able to play 360 games that I buy this year on an XB1. A digital future bound to a specific console isn't something that works.
 

spwolf

Member
I've got no fucking clue. MS has collectively had its head up it's own ass for a while now. I want to critique this whole mess but frankly they've bungled this thing up so hard it's difficult to know where to start.

Albert, I know you read Gaf. You need to stop talking about this. Period. Full stop. No more. Shush.

Every time you or any other MS representative goes on the record to discuss the DRM policies you take an inherently anti consumer approach even if it's not your intent. Which at this point I'm going to assume it's your intent given the frequency with which you and your cohorts put this bungle on the consumer. You can't claim that consumers weren't ready for your vision of the future. We will never be ready for your vision of an all digital future because neither you nor anyone else at MS has never, not once, made it clear what exactly that vision is, or was, could be or will be.

Simply state that Microsoft misread the market. You operated in a vacuum under the assumption that your consumers wanted certain things that we didn't and now you're having to back track. That's fine. You guys made a mistake, it happens. It's time to reread your audience and try again. What you can't do is continue to allude to the fact that consumers weren't ready for your product. That's insulting, and it insinuates that you still have plans to fuck us over in the future. Consumers are naturally entitled. We have to be. We're paying large sums of cash, in this case a premium, for your product. We have certain expectations based on how you present that product and once that transaction is complete we're naturally entitled to complete ownership over that product. We also have expectations for your product based on competing products and services from other manufacturers. You do not operate within a vacuum and this relationship does not work in reverse. You are not entitled to my money.

The DRM strategy as we know it is beneficial to no one but Microsoft and its partners. This statement is true based on the information you have given us. You can claim that miscommunications and disorganization led to dissemination of inaccurate rumors, but the truth of the matter is that the only time you've detailed any consumer benefit was AFTER you shut the DRM down. We also had it on good insider authority that those claims regarding game sharing were complete bullshit and you're lying to us. All the "facts" you attempted to detail to consumers were completely contradictory during the period of time immediately following the initial announcement. Every further clarification only led to further confusion as your company continued to contradict itself. Repeatedly. These are not signs of miscommunications. These are signs of a critical lack of vision and fundamental misunderstanding of your target audience and it shows.

Right now Sony is assaulting you with precision strikes in the market that matters the most during launches, the core gamer audience. You need to buckle the fuck down and figure out what your product is, and who it's for. Right now I can't figure out who this product is for, or why anyone should want it. If it's for the hardcore gamer what are the benefits of paying for XBL over PSN+? You're entering a new generation and Sony is catching up significantly. Voice chat is no longer an appropriate answer. You've failed to clarify on the future of the Games With Gold promotion. At first it was temporary, now it's not? The offerings have been substandard when compared to PS+ over the period of time since it was first announced. Your product is no longer the preferred place to play multiplatform titles and you have virtually no first party resources to draw from. The last entry of your largest IP, halo, was not received well by it's audience and you've lost a chunk of your third party exclusive content over the past generation. As a consumer why should I believe that this won't happen again? Why should I, as a gamer, buy a Xbox One when judging by your track record you've nearly abandoned the 360 halfway through it's life and let a massive series like Mass Effect go multiplatform. It seems to me like this will probably happen again and most major titles I can just wait for.

Is this for the casual gamer? If so why aren't we seeing more kinect games? If so why is it the most expensive console on the market? Where is the content that's going to blow the casual market away? The original kinect was successful because it was a novel add on. A new way of interacting with a product you already had in your household. This is not the case for you any more. The original Wii took off because it was something entirely new, original, and extremely affordable. It was a novelty. This is also not the case for the Xbox One. The family/casual market, if there's much of one left, is going to Nintendo. They have the stronger family friendly IPs. You either need to focus on them or drop the kinect.

Is this a device for the mass market? Designed to integrate into television and media services? It can't be, once again it's the most expensive console no the market. It can't compete in price to something like the Apple TV, or even the Vita TV, a device that at least makes sense as a cheap complimentary purchase to a product a consumer will already own. If that's the case then why haven't we heard more about these television and film products? Where is the info on Remedy's new game that's supposedly blending video games and television entertainment? We know virtually nothing about how it plays, and we know virtually nothing about the television series. Are there other projects like that in the works? If it's designed to compliment a cable subscription why can't it function as a DVR? What benefit is there to a $500 black box that functions as little more than a glorified TV remote? Why aren't you partnering with cable providers? Why are the TV services so severely limited globally?

Microsoft, who is this product for? On the surface you seem to be approaching this device as a jack of all trades type of console. The problem is that the title of "jack of all trades" implies a level of competency in these services that is glaringly absent from your strategy. You lack vision. Period. Stop making excuses. Stop blaming the consumers.

Shut the fuck up, buckle the fuck down, figure out who you're targeting, and fix this.

/end rant


BRAVO. Well written.

I think it all boils down to the leadership. They have no leadership hence mixed messages and mixed product.
 

scandisk_

Unconfirmed Member
I'm now genuinely convinced that CBOAT's Ass storm incoming is, in fact, the return of the X1's DRM program.

The gamer's busted them on the door and they'll try ASAP to return sneakily using the window

No way man, even if it's less anti-consumer compared to the previous DRM policies the bad taste isn't goin' anywhere anytime soon. They can't afford more of these negative buzz and shit. Not saying it's not possible but I highly doubt it.
 

Sweep14

Member
I'm now genuinely convinced that CBOAT's Ass storm incoming is, in fact, the return of the X1's DRM program.

The gamer's busted them on the door and they'll try ASAP to return sneakily using the window

No way man, even if it's less anti-consumer compared to the previous DRM policies the bad taste isn't goin' anywhere anytime soon. They can't afford more of these negative buzz and shit. Not saying it's not possible but I highly doubt it.

We'll see but their actual tone makes me think that they want them back at all costs as soon as possible (2-3 years...?)
 

PJV3

Member
No way man, even if it's less anti-consumer compared to the previous DRM policies the bad taste isn't goin' anywhere anytime soon. They can't afford more of these negative buzz and shit. Not saying it's not possible but I highly doubt it.

The trouble last time for MS was the lack of BC and a new console, people weren't tied in, they will bring it back in when people have game collections and other media on their hard drives.

It isn't the promise of a better digital future that will make people swallow the policies, it will be the loss of $$$$.
 

McLovin

Member
Yeah this "you guys just weren't ready" crap pretty much shot down any chance of me getting the X1 later on. Will we be ready in a year or two after we already bought an x1? Yeah no thanks.
 

Finalizer

Member
Yet the piling on still continues.

Because MS keeps prodding at the issue every time they repeat their "consumers weren't ready" mantra, and their continued effort to rewrite the narrative from shitty DRM to digital future shows a total lack of respect for the consumers' intelligence.
 

scandisk_

Unconfirmed Member
We'll see but their actual tone makes me think that they want them back at all costs as soon as possible (2-3 years...?)

If they can build up a good installed base in a span of 2-3 years, maybe. I still think it's stupid IMO, you don't smack your customers like that.
 

bebop242

Member
BRAVO. Well written.

I think it all boils down to the leadership. They have no leadership hence mixed messages and mixed product.

It really is leadershit failure. Wonder what CBOAT thinks of that godlike post. How people can argue how Sony's PS3 launch PR was worse than MS's One launch PR, I'll never know.
 

Majmun

Member
Post #657 is amazing. I can't think of any counter-arguments.

MS' unfocused vision isn't just vague, it's also fucking scary when you take the agressive DRM into account.

Bought the original Xbox and I liked it. Loved the X360. But they won't get my support with the Xbox One. I'm done with Xbox.
 
I've got no fucking clue. MS has collectively had its head up it's own ass for a while now. I want to critique this whole mess but frankly they've bungled this thing up so hard it's difficult to know where to start.

Albert, I know you read Gaf. You need to stop talking about this. Period. Full stop. No more. Shush.

Every time you or any other MS representative goes on the record to discuss the DRM policies you take an inherently anti consumer approach even if it's not your intent. Which at this point I'm going to assume it's your intent given the frequency with which you and your cohorts put this bungle on the consumer. You can't claim that consumers weren't ready for your vision of the future. We will never be ready for your vision of an all digital future because neither you nor anyone else at MS has never, not once, made it clear what exactly that vision is, or was, could be or will be.

Simply state that Microsoft misread the market. You operated in a vacuum under the assumption that your consumers wanted certain things that we didn't and now you're having to back track. That's fine. You guys made a mistake, it happens. It's time to reread your audience and try again. What you can't do is continue to allude to the fact that consumers weren't ready for your product. That's insulting, and it insinuates that you still have plans to fuck us over in the future. Consumers are naturally entitled. We have to be. We're paying large sums of cash, in this case a premium, for your product. We have certain expectations based on how you present that product and once that transaction is complete we're naturally entitled to complete ownership over that product. We also have expectations for your product based on competing products and services from other manufacturers. You do not operate within a vacuum and this relationship does not work in reverse. You are not entitled to my money.

The DRM strategy as we know it is beneficial to no one but Microsoft and its partners. This statement is true based on the information you have given us. You can claim that miscommunications and disorganization led to dissemination of inaccurate rumors, but the truth of the matter is that the only time you've detailed any consumer benefit was AFTER you shut the DRM down. We also had it on good insider authority that those claims regarding game sharing were complete bullshit and you're lying to us. All the "facts" you attempted to detail to consumers were completely contradictory during the period of time immediately following the initial announcement. Every further clarification only led to further confusion as your company continued to contradict itself. Repeatedly. These are not signs of miscommunications. These are signs of a critical lack of vision and fundamental misunderstanding of your target audience and it shows.

Right now Sony is assaulting you with precision strikes in the market that matters the most during launches, the core gamer audience. You need to buckle the fuck down and figure out what your product is, and who it's for. Right now I can't figure out who this product is for, or why anyone should want it. If it's for the hardcore gamer what are the benefits of paying for XBL over PSN+? You're entering a new generation and Sony is catching up significantly. Voice chat is no longer an appropriate answer. You've failed to clarify on the future of the Games With Gold promotion. At first it was temporary, now it's not? The offerings have been substandard when compared to PS+ over the period of time since it was first announced. Your product is no longer the preferred place to play multiplatform titles and you have virtually no first party resources to draw from. The last entry of your largest IP, halo, was not received well by it's audience and you've lost a chunk of your third party exclusive content over the past generation. As a consumer why should I believe that this won't happen again? Why should I, as a gamer, buy a Xbox One when judging by your track record you've nearly abandoned the 360 halfway through it's life and let a massive series like Mass Effect go multiplatform. It seems to me like this will probably happen again and most major titles I can just wait for.

Is this for the casual gamer? If so why aren't we seeing more kinect games? If so why is it the most expensive console on the market? Where is the content that's going to blow the casual market away? The original kinect was successful because it was a novel add on. A new way of interacting with a product you already had in your household. This is not the case for you any more. The original Wii took off because it was something entirely new, original, and extremely affordable. It was a novelty. This is also not the case for the Xbox One. The family/casual market, if there's much of one left, is going to Nintendo. They have the stronger family friendly IPs. You either need to focus on them or drop the kinect.

Is this a device for the mass market? Designed to integrate into television and media services? It can't be, once again it's the most expensive console no the market. It can't compete in price to something like the Apple TV, or even the Vita TV, a device that at least makes sense as a cheap complimentary purchase to a product a consumer will already own. If that's the case then why haven't we heard more about these television and film products? Where is the info on Remedy's new game that's supposedly blending video games and television entertainment? We know virtually nothing about how it plays, and we know virtually nothing about the television series. Are there other projects like that in the works? If it's designed to compliment a cable subscription why can't it function as a DVR? What benefit is there to a $500 black box that functions as little more than a glorified TV remote? Why aren't you partnering with cable providers? Why are the TV services so severely limited globally?

Microsoft, who is this product for? On the surface you seem to be approaching this device as a jack of all trades type of console. The problem is that the title of "jack of all trades" implies a level of competency in these services that is glaringly absent from your strategy. You lack vision. Period. Stop making excuses. Stop blaming the consumers.

Shut the fuck up, buckle the fuck down, figure out who you're targeting, and fix this.

/end rant


agree with everything that was said here. I was a huge Xbox 360 fan from day one. I loved the machine until Microsoft actually realised they could have the trojan horse strategy in place finally with Kinect and Now Xbox One. I know Xbox One has better exclusives in the launch window but I am still sticking with Playstation 4 because I am making an investment in the future of a system I believe that is catering more towards the gamers by having creating good games rather than throwing money at the best and ask them to make it for you which is what MS has become right now with Xbox One. I would very much like a gaming system like the original Xbox 360 was. Most of what I see Xbox One are games which are made by 3rd Parties which have been made to make the game exclusive for Microsoft to tie in the customer, and when all those millions of customers are locked in, put the DRM back in place.
 
The whole industry is going to start making us check in online every 24 hours? Game discs are going to become useless on their own, until you phone home to ask for permission to play the game on them?

Xbox One's version of what 'all digital' meant was completely fucked, and was about as attractive to the majority of consumers as DIVX was. Most consumers don't like being treated like criminals.

No, their initial attempt was too restrictive in some ways (and perfectly fine in others, although people still complained about them), I'm not talking about that at all. Those are just implementation details that are going to be worked out over time, but the overall vision, what Pennello is talking about here, is more in tune with reality than what some people here would like to admit.

And by the way, yes, game discs are going to become useless on their own. In fact, they'll be going away entirely as the primary way of distribution. How someone can argue that that's not going to happen in the next 10-15 years is beyond me.
 

spookyfish

Member
Some of my fellow gamers continue to puzzle me to no end. I look at the statements such as this one or the recent Phil Spencer comment, and I can find nothing controversial about them. Nada. Zilch. It's clear to me as day that they're absolutely true. And yet they cause such shitstorms on places like GAF. I guess some of you guys are in for a rude awakening, that's precisely the direction the whole of this industry is taking.

Ahh, the old "Sony will do it too!" defense. Maybe someday it'll actually be true.
 
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