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I think Microsoft might surprise a bunch of people

They've got a big open sand box zombie game coming out for XBLA/PC still and I think that is microsoft published

(State of decay)

State-of-Decay-water-tower-perch-610x240.jpg



still some current interesting stuff & future stuff has me really curious.
 
Whoever has the most 1vs100 type experiences will win most of my gaming time. It was shameful how good that was and how quickly Microsoft just said "fuck you" to everyone and pulled the plug.
 
Great post OP.

There are lot of people on this site giving MS a lot of crap. Either way, they have a lot to prove after the huge event Sony had last night.
 

Corto

Member
CoD exclusivity would surprise me though I'm not sure if it would pay off, CoD DLC timed exclusives is fully expected. The first party exclusives will surprise me quite simply because we don't really know what they are doing. Rockstar and Bethesda DLC timed exclusives won't surprise me also.
 
I have no doubt that MS could surprise us with any variant of announcements, but knowing the company it will likely be a mixed bag for most GAF members.

This is what I am expecting. I always seem to take some good with the bad anytime MS does anything new. Hopefully the good just outweighs it.
 

Bgamer90

Banned
People just assume Microsoft will continue down the same course early next gen that they've been on late this gen. But they won't. They'll have to reorient themselves with hardcore gamers because that's the crowd that buys consoles in the early years.

Exactly. Anyone that thinks that things will be the same is being silly/shortsighted.

They have too many 3rd party (core gaming) developers on their side and they are putting a ton of money into new exclusives.
 

stuminus3

Member
OP, I don't think the change in Microsoft was as much to do with the recession as it was them following a paradigm shift in the whole industry.

Remember, in 2005 there was no such thing as the Wii and the DS hadn't made much of a splash yet. The iPhone and the rise of gaming on smartphones and tablets was a long, long way away. What Microsoft did in the early years was simply aim for the dominant target, which at the time meant pretty much people like us.

Whether we like it or not, that age is gone. The "PlayStation generation" kids that Microsoft was originally targeting are, like the original "Nintendo generation", a relic of the past.
 

DocSeuss

Member
My guess would be, GTA V is released for 360/PS3 on 17.09.2013...BUT, MS and XBox 720 has next-gen exclusivity (possible DLC exclusivity) for 6 months or so on GTA V.

Not possible. GTAIV was one of the best-selling games on the PS3 and the 360. There is no way Microsoft could possibly moneyhat that big. The loss just isn't worth it, even for exclusivity. At a quick guess, we're talking about a moneyhat around five or six billion dollars.

The goal is to increase marketshare and profits. The Xbox brand is now in jeapordy of losing market share. Bungie is now multiplatform and the the PS4 looks to have better specs. To core Xbox fans the PS4 becomes more enticing. Paying for online a higher spec console is more appealling.

The perfect storm is brewing for Sony. The Wii U is flopping and the Xbox strategy looks to be the equivilent to the Maginot Line.

I think Microsoft is aware that Sony is doing well because of first-party games. They're not entirely clueless. They were just playing it safe the past few years. They're going to come out swinging with the launch of a new console, like they always have.

As a core Xbox fan, the PS4 is not more enticing, because the PS4 still has games from developers that I don't enjoy. This is the company that craps out a LOT of exclusives, but they're generally Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, Killzone 2, Wonderbook, Uncharted 2, Resistance 2, Sony Smash Bros level. Not really all that appealing to me, since they're quite pathetic from a design perspective.

Sure, if Infamous was the bare minimum quality of Sony games, then as a core gamer, they'd attract me more, but right now, they're the first party with the lowest average metascore, and with good reason.

They can release as many games as they like, but to interest me, the quality will have to increase by a significant margin.

I can already see what'll be there:

1. Kinect, Kinect, Kinect
2. Casuals
3. More pay-walled features you can get for free with an internet browser
4. Massive push on tie-ins with Windows 8 tablets and WP8 that no one will ever use because no one buys these devices

What is wrong with you? Reading the OP is a thing every forum goer should do. People like you really ruin this thread for me. :(

Whoever has the most 1vs100 type experiences will win most of my gaming time. It was shameful how good that was and how quickly Microsoft just said "fuck you" to everyone and pulled the plug.

I did not know about 1 vs 100's existence until after the plug was pulled. imad. I mean, I was vaguely aware of it, but they didn't really explain how awesome it was. I heard that by word of mouth after it was canceled.
 
Mandatory Kinect
Anti Used (according to the leak)

Either one of these things is bad enough, but anti used is something I just don't accept. No matter what they showed I wouldn't be impressed.
 
NeoGAF lives in a bizarro world where success equals failure and failure equals success. About 3 years ago is when Xbox started selling really well and putting the red ring debacle behind them.

No, no, no. You've got it all wrong. Xbox has tanked for a while now. They're playing catch up, they're scared, ground to make up, 8 GB of RAM, etc. etc.

Good post by the way. I agree with all of it.
 

partime

Member
Microsoft is the software company. What Sony announced in terms of services was impressive, but I expect Microsoft to have even crazier things in the oven. Things we didn't even know we wanted. They didn't beef up security for nothing - they want to give Sony as little time to react as they can.

HA, kind of like the iPad.
 

Mifune

Mehmber
Full BC would be a nice surprise. And of course there will be some cool first party games that we never saw coming. First round of games will probably be on par with what we saw from Sony.
 

DocSeuss

Member
Mandatory Kinect
Anti Used (according to the leak)

Either one of these things is bad enough, but anti used is something I just don't accept. No matter what they showed I wouldn't be impressed.

It's mandatory that Kinect will be plugged in.

It's not mandatory that Kinect will be in all games (their largest first-party studio openly rejected Kinect for Halo 4, for instance).

I have no problem with this. That's my setup right now. Sometimes, I just wave to my Kinect and tell my 360 to shut off when I don't feel like getting up and picking up the controller.

What are the odds of a new Fable game that isn't kinect journey 2? And isn't horrible?

Lionhead is actively working on a new AAA game that does not appear to be Kinect. I've heard rumors it's an MMO, but knowing Lionhead... it's not going to be an MMO the way most of us think of it. I'm guessing it'll be more like Destiny.
 

GavinGT

Banned
"OMG I can't stand Kinect, OMG so many ads"

We get it. You have a disproportionate hatred of these things. Does this exact opinion really need to be aired ad nauseam in every thread that mentions the next Xbox?
 

FordGTGuy

Banned
I can already see what'll be there:

1. Kinect, Kinect, Kinect
2. Casuals
3. More pay-walled features you can get for free with an internet browser
4. Massive push on tie-ins with Windows 8 tablets and WP8 that no one will ever use because no one buys these devices

People say that there isn't a bias against Microsoft on NeoGAF.......
 

ironcreed

Banned
Hoping they surprise the hell out of me, but I don't expect I'll be buying one for awhile. It is becoming less of a necessity to own all of the consoles and I imagine this will be even more so next gen. The PS4 sounds like it is going to have me covered for years, but I naturally would still love to see Microsoft bring it hard on strictly the gaming. We shall see.
 
Microsoft actually have nothing to prove. They have the momentum (in terms of market share) going into next gen.

No need to rush out half-baked "un-unveilings" with desperate presenters and game company reps showing way too much of much too little. It's business as usual at Microsoft and you can expect they will start this gen as they did the last one: throwing lots and lots of money at it.
 
Microsoft actually have nothing to prove. They have the momentum (in terms of market share) going into next gen.

No need to rush out half-baked "un-unveilings" with desperate presenters and game company reps showing way too much of much too little. It's business as usual at Microsoft and you can expect they will start this gen as they did the last one: throwing lots and lots of money at it.

You didn't enjoy Square coming out and saying, "Final Fantasy news....at E3!"

If people in the audience had eggs and fruit, they should have tossed them at him.
 

harSon

Banned
Microsoft are pretty good at following up to their existing concepts. For example, the transformation of Xbox Live on the original Xbox to Xbox Live on the 360. Or the original Zune, compared to Zune HD (regardless of its sales, it was probably the best dedicated MP3 player on the market). They tend to test the waters with an idea, and then perfect it the next time around, ie. the original Xbox and then the Xbox 360.

They laid the groundwork in the entertainment sphere with the Xbox 360, and I fully expect them to do for entertainment, what they did for Online and Independent gaming with this next console. I wouldn't be surprised if they had full Windows Media Center integration within the console itself, and expanded from there.
 

Derrick01

Banned
I expect them to come out swinging early on in the generation and then about 70% of the way they'll fizzle out with gamers like the last 2 generations. I even expect them to have a better launch lineup than PS4, especially if they secure GTA 5.
 

Dlacy13g

Member
I can already see what'll be there:

1. Kinect, Kinect, Kinect
2. Casuals
3. More pay-walled features you can get for free with an internet browser
4. Massive push on tie-ins with Windows 8 tablets and WP8 that no one will ever use because no one buys these devices

So Sony introduces their new motion camera that will be sold with every system, what about Sony showing off all the connectivity with the Vita (news flash nobody is buying it) and mobile & tablets as in tie-in with Sony Mobile, they pretty much ripped off a form of smart glass to top it off, then you have Gaikai to play any demos and back catalog all rounded out with PSN buys on PS3 wont carry forward to PS4. Did you bitch about that?

Btw if you read between the lines Sony pretty much is saying for PS4 you will need to be online all the time to use 90% of what it does.
 

UberTag

Member
You didn't enjoy Square coming out and saying, "Final Fantasy news....at E3!"

If people in the audience had eggs and fruit, they should have tossed them at him.
I legit felt sorry for Hashimoto. The guy's been trotted out like a stooge to two Sony conferences to make empty E3 promises and to say "we haven't forgotten about FFX HD on Vita - here are some character models".

As far as Square Enix has fallen, I doubt this guy is at the root of the problem. He's just been adopted as the bumbling face of incompetence.
 

Lothars

Member
I expect Microsoft to drop the ball on their announcement with the next xbox, I don't have any faith in them.

Hopefully they will announce some cool surprises and make a difference but I'll believe it when i see it and if the rumored leaks are correct especially about anti used than it's DOA.
 

Spongebob

Banned
I doubt that there will be many major surprises during the nextbox unveiling. MS's goal now is to take over the living room and to do that they will shift their focus away from games to non-gaming services and features.

MS won't be going after the GAF crowd this time around, they'll be going after the "dudebro" audience and casual gamers. And to do that they don't need new IPs, just Kinect 2.0 and the latest COD/Halo game.
 

kevinski

Banned
I'm a bit concerned about Microsoft at the moment. The company generally tries to make new platforms as accessible as possible for developers (from a programming standpoint, not so much from an openness standpoint), but Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 haven't really made the splash they were intended to, and I believe that Microsoft even burned some of its bridges with people who were developers or hardcore fans up until the releases of those products.

I'm fully expecting Microsoft to rely on strong third-party support as its primary enabler of success. I've never really been into Microsoft's first- and second-party content, though. I just hope whatever Microsoft unveils later this year (as I assume will be the case) is capable of incredible new things that developers really want to contribute to.
 

Dusky

Member
So Sony introduces their new motion camera that will be sold with every system, what about Sony showing off all the connectivity with the Vita (news flash nobody is buying it) and mobile & tablets as in tie-in with Sony Mobile, they pretty much ripped off a form of smart glass to top it off, then you have Gaikai to play any demos and back catalog all rounded out with PSN buys on PS3 wont carry forward to PS4. Did you bitch about that?

Btw if you read between the lines Sony pretty much is saying for PS4 you will need to be online all the time to use 90% of what it does.

What's that supposed to mean exactly? If you want to use online features well you kinda need to be online to use them. The option to stay offline and play games is still there.
 
Not possible. GTAIV was one of the best-selling games on the PS3 and the 360. There is no way Microsoft could possibly moneyhat that big. The loss just isn't worth it, even for exclusivity. At a quick guess, we're talking about a moneyhat around five or six billion dollars.

I don't know - the install base for the bulk of the sales is there for the PS3/360 versions. That is where most of the sales will be, not on PS4/720 (if these versions even exist) - especially not in the GTA V launch window. It could be enough to off-set Take-Two for a smaller moneyhat for a next gen exclusive. GTA IV was released around at least 18 months after the PS3 launch (over two years for the 360). THAT far into the generation - I would agree with you. But consumers are fickle - they won't wait for two years for a next-gen GTA V if it's already out for current gen.
 
I doubt that there many major surprises during the nextbox unveiling. MS's goal now is to take over the living room and to do that they will shift their focus away from games to non-gaming services and features.

MS won't be going after the GAF crowd this time around, they'll be going after the "dudebro" audience and casual gamers. And to do that they don't need new IPs, just Kinect 2.0 and the latest COD/Halo game.




Don't forget Crackle. They need that too.
 

buhdeh

Member
People say that there isn't a bias against Microsoft on NeoGAF.......

Do I need to post pictures of my Xbox 360 before I can give an opinion on Microsoft?

So Sony introduces their new motion camera that will be sold with every system, what about Sony showing off all the connectivity with the Vita (news flash nobody is buying it) and mobile & tablets as in tie-in with Sony Mobile, they pretty much ripped off a form of smart glass to top it off, then you have Gaikai to play any demos and back catalog all rounded out with PSN buys on PS3 wont carry forward to PS4. Did you bitch about that?

Btw if you read between the lines Sony pretty much is saying for PS4 you will need to be online all the time to use 90% of what it does.

Is this even English? I don't even know what you're arguing about.
 

abadguy

Banned
I doubt that there many major surprises during the nextbox unveiling. MS's goal now is to take over the living room and to do that they will shift their focus away from games to non-gaming services and features.

MS won't be going after the GAF crowd this time around, they'll be going after the "dudebro" audience and casual gamers. And to do that they don't need new IPs, just Kinect 2.0 and the latest COD game.

Yeah all the studios they've been opening up and talent they've been hiring are proof that they've changed focus to non gaming services.
 
Ms has not started all these studios for no reason. I think ms will have more new ip than Sony this gen. I'm gonna get both systems so I don't care.
 

DocSeuss

Member
So Sony introduces their new motion camera that will be sold with every system, what about Sony showing off all the connectivity with the Vita (news flash nobody is buying it) and mobile & tablets as in tie-in with Sony Mobile, they pretty much ripped off a form of smart glass to top it off, then you have Gaikai to play any demos and back catalog all rounded out with PSN buys on PS3 wont carry forward to PS4. Did you bitch about that?

Btw if you read between the lines Sony pretty much is saying for PS4 you will need to be online all the time to use 90% of what it does.

Yeah, Sony seems to be going the Blizzard route (getting Blizzard on there, for one thing). They're doing the real name thing, adding a TON of features that are undoubtedly pay for (I will be shocked if this stuff isn't paid for--I think one reason they avoided announcing prices is to get us invested in the idea of having these features, so when they announce the price, we'll feel so invested that we don't want to go without them), and most of it seems to be mandatory always online stuff.

I think Sony is generally given more leeway than Microsoft because they have traditionally released more core retail games (despite these games often being of lesser quality) than Microsoft every year. I can definitely understand that perspective.

There's bias against every company on GAF, though the number of people who showcase it varies from company to company.

I think you will see bias pop out in threads of positivity towards developers people don't like, because it's human nature to be contrarian when something one is heavily invested in seems diminished in some way (like the praise of a competitor). If I made a "Sony is pretty cool, guys" thread (prior to the PS4's announcement), I'm fairly confident a lot of people would jump in and get upset. It's just human nature.

I'm a bit concerned about Microsoft at the moment. The company generally tries to make new platforms as accessible as possible for developers (from a programming standpoint, not so much from an openness standpoint), but Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 haven't really made the splash they were intended to, and I believe that Microsoft even burned some of its bridges with people who were developers or hardcore fans up until the releases of those products.

I'm fully expecting Microsoft to rely on strong third-party support as its primary enabler of success. I've never really been into Microsoft's first- and second-party content, though. I just hope whatever Microsoft unveils later this year (as I assume will be the case) is capable of incredible new things that developers really want to contribute to.

I think Windows 8 was a huge, huge misstep on Microsoft's part. Their Windows division is just... making so many wrong decisions.

Ms has not started all these studios for no reason. I think ms will have more new ip than Sony this gen. I'm gonna get both systems so I don't care.

Do we have a roundup of what they're doing anywhere?
 

Hanmik

Member
I like your thinking OP. you put alot of thought into it. But I sadly think MS will not surprise us software wise, maybe with the OS (unless it is just windows 8) but not games wise. If I look at the pc software and the way they have evolved for ms, then I only see them as a company that just wants to make money now. subscription, dlc, micro transitions etc. has simply taken over where innovation and fun used to exist.

BUT I for one hope they will surprise me and make me buy an xbox.
 
You know, the one thing that I think could actually be an ace up Sony's sleeve is their new open attitude towards indie devs.

If Microsoft doesn't surprise us with a much more open XBLA, that could potentially bite them in the ass.
 

FordGTGuy

Banned
I think Windows 8 was a huge, huge misstep on Microsoft's part. Their Windows division is just... making so many wrong decisions.

Windows 8 is not a misstep at all they did it for a reason and it's only the first step in this direction.

Tablets and touchscreens are the future of PC Windows 8 is taking a step to make it more user friendly on those devices.
 

Shrennin

Didn't get the memo regarding the 14th Amendment
I think it's way, way, way too early to count Microsoft out in any aspect next gen. Sony surprised us and went beyond the rumors even of having 8GB of RAM, for instance, and Microsoft could do the same. With that said, Sony seems on their game and I hope Microsoft is as well.
 

charsace

Member
Whoever has the most 1vs100 type experiences will win most of my gaming time. It was shameful how good that was and how quickly Microsoft just said "fuck you" to everyone and pulled the plug.

I think they pulled back on things like that to do them properly for the next system.
 

DocSeuss

Member
I like your thinking OP. you put alot of thought into it. But I sadly think MS will not surprise us software wise, maybe with the OS (unless it is just windows 8) but not games wise. If I look at the pc software and the way they have evolved for ms, then I only see them as a company that just wants to make money now. subscription, dlc, micro transitions etc. has simply taken over where innovation and fun used to exist.

BUT I for one hope they will surprise me and make me buy an xbox.

We know for a fact that they are working on at least two IPs (horror action shooter from Black Tusk, action-adventure or shooter from Rare), possibly four. Lionhead's working on an MMO-like game, Turn 10 is doing something, Playground's doing something else, etc.

Windows 8 is not a misstep at all they did it for a reason and it's only the first step in this direction.

Tablets and touchscreens are the future of PC Windows 8 is taking a step to make it more user friendly on those devices.

No it isn't.

I've actually half-written a thread on this before I got really sick this week.

Tablets and touchscreens are not the future of PC. Most people already have PCs, so there's no real reason to continue buying more. Most people do not have tablets or touchscreens, so there is a reason to buy more. We are not seeing customers switch from PCs to tablets and touchscreens. We are seeing customers in the process of supplementing their computing experience with a tablet/touchscreen device.

Some people really aren't that bright when it comes to why people buy things. Including, like, everyone in the game industry.
 
Do we have a roundup of what they're doing anywhere?

TheOddOne has been a good job following all the goings on, but refuses to create a new thread as it will only serve to encourage post after post of "lol kinect" and other such drivel that doesn't add anything to the discussion at hand.
 

Spongebob

Banned
Yeah all the studios they've been opening up and talent they've been hiring are proof that they've changed focus to non gaming services.

Ms has not started all these studios for no reason. I think ms will have more new ip than Sony this gen. I'm gonna get both systems so I don't care.

Do we have any information regarding the size of these studios? I'm willing to bet that the majority of them are working on Kinect titles or maybe even non-gaming/gaming related applications and services.
 
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