Microsoft exec stirs up controversy with ‘always on’ Xbox Twitter tirade

[Atariboy]

I guess it's all a pack of lies then and Microsoft will go down in a spiral of flames if they mandate that the Xbox 720 always be connected to the internet since most of their customers lack a broadband internet connection in 2013.

 

[godslabrat]

Well I don't think it will be as bad as the first time around, when Nintendo had to release the NES as an "entertainment system" that used "game paks" because of the stigma associated with the term video games

 

I'm not sure sure about that. I think the idea so many people have that tablets can replace consoles is just as threatening as the 1980s idea that video games were "over". Either way, you're getting people looking at consoles and saying "Why would I buy one of THOSE?"

[Algus]

I'm not sure sure about that. I think the idea so many people have that tablets can replace consoles is just as threatening as the 1980s idea that video games were "over". Either way, you're getting people looking at consoles and saying "Why would I buy one of THOSE?"

 

Hmm, maybe

 

The truth is, I don't care what the device I play my games on looks like. With the tablet you have the ability to sync multiple game controllers and some have the ability to output to a TV. I would be more than happy to convert solely to a tablet I can take to a friend's house, plug in to his TV and we have all my games. Sync a couple of controllers and kick back. Console gaming for me is about gaming from the couch and as long as I can do that, I'll be happy. I don't care if the machine itself is a dedicated gaming device or just a computer that I've interfaced with a television.

[JamesD]

Hmm, maybe

 

The truth is, I don't care what the device I play my games on looks like. With the tablet you have the ability to sync multiple game controllers and some have the ability to output to a TV. I would be more than happy to convert solely to a tablet I can take to a friend's house, plug in to his TV and we have all my games. Sync a couple of controllers and kick back. Console gaming for me is about gaming from the couch and as long as I can do that, I'll be happy. I don't care if the machine itself is a dedicated gaming device or just a computer that I've interfaced with a television.

The only drawback I see to the tablet over a console is speed. Until the tablet matches the speed of a console there will always be some interest in a console. I also think the console is a little better suited to use as a media center but not by a lot.

Otherwise I agree. I certainly don't need another box attached to my TV just to play games.

 

The apps made my 360 useful in other ways when I first bought it, but MS wants $50/year or more for the privilege of using Netflix, Crackle, etc... while they are free on my Android device, Blue Ray, and TVs I've acquired since. I really don't see the need to pay for the privilege now.

[JamesD]

I guess it's all a pack of lies then and Microsoft will go down in a spiral of flames if they mandate that the Xbox 720 always be connected to the internet since most of their customers lack a broadband internet connection in 2013.

Pack of lies? Down in flames? Over the top much?

 

I'll start with the latter.

Microsoft has too much money to go down in flames but MS execs are depending too much on some statistics gathered by someone behind a computer.

They think they will gain more revenue based on elimination of piracy than they will lose in sales.

I don't think the console will flop but I think MS may have to rethink their position if sales don't meet expectations.

I also think returns are going to kill them. Expect a lot of refurbished consoles to show up that never had any issue but the connection.

 

 

As for the broadband statistics...

The 4G maps I looked at are theoretical. They don't account for terrain. Hell, I can loose a cell phone signal traveling through the middle of Denver so how do expect not to have issues in rural areas where companies try to put towers as far apart as possible?

Take a trip to a local bar around here and you'll find people walking around trying to get a signal on their smart phone. Do they have broadband? Yes. Do they always have a connection? No. That alone means the statistics are going to be severely flawed.

Edited April 8, 2013 by JamesD

[cimerians]

All three of my 360's are useless at the moment other than playing some CD based games. Most digital games for the last few years are available on PC (and PS3 sometimes for free if your a Plus user).

 

Here's the thing that bothers me. I went out of my way to become %100 Microsoft in my house. I picked up Windows 8 for cheap (ugh) and then even got a Windows 8 phone through Verizon. All that was left was for them was to get rid of that GOLD bullcrap and "fix" the 360. I've already blocked some of their annoying ads on the Xbox 360 dashboard through my router and DNS service. I was really looking forward to the next Xbox to do something RIGHT. Just like they geared the first Xbox and the first few years of the 360 for GAMERS. It was all geared towards us and gaming. It was awesome.

 

Then someday it all changed. They decided to go another road. And now its uttter rubbish if this is the road they continue to take.

 

Good riddance.

 

More: I even sticked up for them at work (I'm the head of IT) when people were clamoring at me for a MAC workplace. "Can we get MACs" is all I heard a year ago until I said no.

 

Now I'm not so sure anymore. I've bought everyone iPhones and most employees have iPads along with Windows 7 PC's on a Domain (VM'd). All thats left for me to do if I wish it...is switch from my MS Domain to Linux and MAC computers. I'm actually really thinking about it this time.

Edited April 8, 2013 by cimerians

[xg4bx]

Ok so the Xbox brand has just committed suicide, now let's just wait for one of Sony's typical retarded/suicidal decisions, (no bc is pretty g-damn close, I'm sure the PS4 price tag will be the trigger pull) to have a complete meltdown.

 

I said on another site that at the end of the day the Wii U will be the least offensive option for gamers this coming gen and I'm standing by it.

[Atariboy]

 

Pack of lies? Down in flames? Over the top much?

 

It's a bit of obvious (But good natured) sarcasm while bowing out of the conversation. I don't see how I can argue with someone that doesn't want to believe widely available statistics or at the very least refuses to believe that there's at least a good chance that there's at least some truth to them even if they may be significantly off in some areas. You're welcome to it but you leave me at a disadvantage doing so and just left me the option of conceding while communicating a tiny roll of the eyes as I leave.

 

But since you continued it, I'll add a few things to clarify my arguement for others that may read this. Unless one can prove that broadband penetration rates include every individual that owns a cell phone whose home has enough signal strength available to connect, I still think it's wrong by proclaiming that the statisics out there do that. The point of these measures isn't to inflate the truth but accurately measure it to get an accurate picture of the situation across the country. So I don't see such trickery being done. So I'm quite sure that 3G and 4G cell phone coverage, percentage of Americans that own a mobile phone, and cell phone coverage in general are different statistics entirely.

 

Furthermore, the statisics show that only a couple of percentage points of American citizens connect a PC via traditional dialup internet while something like 70% of Americans have a PC hooked up to broadband internet already as of a year or two ago. More specific numbers were posted in my post on the last page for those that want to reference it.

 

And lastly, I live in rural upstate NY. We're the second largest county East of the Mississippi if I remember correctly, we have the smallest population in NYS, and are the second poorest county in the state as of the last news I saw. And Upstate NY is bordered by two of the largest fresh water lakes in the world with Lake Ontario to the West and Lake Champlain to the East. And I'm in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountain range which is home to over 6 million acres of forrested land, most of it classified as wilderness (And by far the largest park in the country). And the community I'm in is largely farmland or idle farmland.

 

So I'm well aware of the limitations that persist to this day in regard to mobile phone coverage (I can and do literally drive for hours at a time sometimes without any signal strength), broadband coverage via land lines sometimes being unavailable just because you're on the wrong road and the ISP doesn't think it's worth installing a line at their own expense to serve, etc. Yet when small communities like those just to the East of here (Where I live, broadband internet has been available from Time Warner Cable for well over a decade in this village of 9,400 people) like Star Lake NY and others throughout the Adirondacks are getting fiber optic internet lines installed and broadband internet access and there exist grant programs across the country to do likewise with other rural areas, broadband rates are going up quick and I'm seeing clear evidence of it in the largest wildnerness area in the country where the few communities there are are typically measured in the hundreds or less.

 

So while I'm sure much of the geography of this country are in black areas in regard to being able to physically connect with broadband internet, it's still growing quickly. And the majority of the population already has it (Heck, 70% or so of it has broadband internet already and I'm talking subscribers rather than those that just the option of subscribing by having a service available to them). And I'm sure that the vast majority of next generation console owners fall within that demographic. And by the time the Xbox 720 and Playstation 4 become viable options for many of the gamers that may fall outside of that group, I'm sure broadband coverage will have grown that much more as the remnants without coverage continue to be tackled by government subsidized programs to run new lines. And hopefully the economy has improved where more of those with the option of subscribing that have yet to do so with the last statistics I saw will have subscribed to a broadband internet provider.

 

Getting back to the reason I posted in the first place, I don't see anything in the statistics that would alarm me that Microsoft will be locking out many customers by mandating a connect to Xbox Live if the rumor ends up being accurate. Now having people make a personal decision that they don't want a console that has to be connected at all times when in use to the internet is a whole other factor entirely and a concern I share with everyone at AtariAge such as yourself that don't like that thought.

 

Heck, I very well might opt out after a long history of owning every console each generation in time (Which I've done this generation since late 2007 when I adding a Wii and PS3 in quick succession after buying a 360 a year earlier). But that's not the same thing as what we're now debating.

 

But like I was getting at with my last post if someone read beyond the sarcasm, if there is a major problem by Microsoft going in this direction, the market should take of it in time. If large groups of customers are locked out and many others voluntarily ignore the platform due to a mandate they're unwillingly to deal with, I'm sure Microsoft will be picking up on it in time and making adjustments as necessary.

 

Feel free to respond, disagree, add information, and so on. But to spare the forum another long winded reply and since I don't think I have a chance of changing anyone's mind, I'll be concluding these long winded replies here.

 

 

Edited April 8, 2013 by Atariboy

[Starscream]

I lol at this thread

[NE146]

Having broadband is a moot point. I have good solid, fast & reliable broadband, and an entire house that's structurally wired with ethernet ports in every single room (although I passed on having ethernet in the crapper ). And what?

 

The problem is if I happen to buy one of these consoles and put in the 4 year old's room , I have zero desire for him to be "online" just to play his games. Call me fickle but I like having that option.. using a device for it's purpose as a standalone without caveats, especially when it's the primary function of a device.

Edited April 8, 2013 by NE146

[JamesD]

...

And lastly, I live in rural upstate NY. We're the second largest county East of the Mississippi, have the smallest population in NYS, and are the second poorest county in the state. And Upstate NY is bordered by two of the largest fresh water lakes in the world with lake Ontario to the West and Lake Champlain to the East. And I'm in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountain range which is home to over 6 million acres of land, most of it classified as wilderness (And by far the largest park in the country). And the community I'm in is largely farmland or idle farmland.

...

Hamilton county NY huh?

I grew up in Nebraska. About 1/4 to 1/5 of the population density you have.

 

Having broadband is a moot point. I have good solid, fast & reliable broadband, and an entire house that's structurally wired with ethernet ports in every single room (although I passed on having ethernet in the crapper ). And what?

 

The problem is if I happen to buy one of these consoles and put in the 4 year old's room , I have zero desire for him to be "online" just to play his games. Call me fickle but I like having that option.. using a device for it's purpose as a standalone without caveats, especially when it's the primary function of a device.

Excellent point. I wouldn't want my 4 year old to be online either, even with parental controls.

[Atariboy]

The problem is if I happen to buy one of these consoles and put in the 4 year old's room , I have zero desire for him to be "online" just to play his games. Call me fickle but I like having that option.. using a device for it's purpose as a standalone without caveats, especially when it's the primary function of a device.

 

I can't imagine any AtariAge user calling you fickle for feeling that way.

 

Hopefully if they go this route they will at least provide strong parental control options to limit online interactions to just those permitted by a parent.

 

 

Hamilton county NY huh?

I grew up in Nebraska. About 1/4 to 1/5 of the population density you have.

 

While I'm sure the population density of some of the counties in upstate NY (Real upstate NY; not everything North of NYC which is at the Southernmost point of the State like some use the term for) could sound like a metropolis to some out West (I know there's a county somewhere in Texas with less than 100 people for instance), it's still far down the list in population density in areas of the United States where any significant number of people live. Sadly the console world has and always will cater to appealing to the masses. I can't imagine prospective Xbox 720 users in areas without legitimate broadband access being large enough where they're too concerned about it. And I suspect most people in such areas either appreciate the remoteness and what comes with it or feel economically trapped and wouldn't be considering a new console purchase in the first place.

 

But like I said earlier and I think we agree on, hopefully if major mistakes are made they will backtrack for the good of their business and for their established customer base that they now have and tone down some of their DRM measures after the fact that they seemingly think will fight their version of the boogeyman (Used game sales). And since I think we're still in the rumor stage, maybe we're talking for nothing. That's what I'm hoping for.

 

I suspect requiring a constant internet connection so a system can be connected to Xbox Live is a mistake no matter how many people have or don't have a broadband connection. And I hope Sony and/or Microsoft learn the lesson the hard way if they try it.

 

Excellent point. I wouldn't want my 4 year old to be online either, even with parental controls.

 

If parental controls were strong enough to limit your 4 year old's activity on your console in the way you see fit, why not? It's certainly your prerogative and I think it's nice to see a parent be concerned any time about what their young child is exposed to, but I'm just curious.

Edited April 8, 2013 by Atariboy

[iswitt]

<sarcasm>Fridges are always on. Not buying one of those.</sarcasm>

 

This exec has turned into one hilarious meme (as reference by my above comment). Some quick searching should pull up a plethora of hilarious images associated with him.

Edited April 8, 2013 by iswitt

[cimerians]

500 bucks for the system will be the cherry on top.

 

Sony from years ago has taken over Microsoft. Role reversal indeed.

[JamesD]

If parental controls were strong enough to limit your 4 year old's activity on your console in the way you see fit, why not? It's certainly your prerogative and I think it's nice to see a parent be concerned any time about what their young child is exposed to, but I'm just curious.

In theory, I don't disagree with you. Child controls should do the trick.

However... game systems can be hacked from inside or outside the house.

It may be unrealistic to think a 4 year old will hack a game console, but a friend's older brother... someone they know... Kids can be very resourceful.

As for as from outside the house... Microsoft isn't exactly known for faultless software and we all know what happened to SONY's online system.

 

Maybe the best solution is to not put a game console in a kid's room and give them a handheld game system with no WiFi connectivity.

[iswitt]

^ Maybe the best solution is to not force the consumer onto some track like always-on. Give them the choice.

[godslabrat]

This guy may have just become our best friend. If there's still time to reverse this design decision*, the flak MS is getting this weekend could likely shame them into doing so. He may have single-handedly sabotaged the "always on" concept.

 

* Assuming these rumors are true in the first place, natch.

[cimerians]

Nice read and my feelings as well, but for slightly different reasons as I mentioned above:

 

http://kotaku.com/life-after-xbox-471234010

[Atariboy]

"Nintendo was slandered as a kids platform, their historical strength turned against them."

 

You can tell he wasn't active in the console world prior to getting a job at Microsoft. This was hardly a seed that Microsoft planted in people's minds.

 

 

Maybe the best solution is to not put a game console in a kid's room and give them a handheld game system with no WiFi connectivity.

 

You're at AtariAge so the best solution is to start them on a Atari 2600 when they're 3 or 4 and move them on up slowly over the years from one generation to the next.

 

Edited April 8, 2013 by Atariboy

[JamesD]

You're at AtariAge so the best solution is to start them on a Atari 2600 when they're 3 or 4 and move them on up slowly over the years from one generation to the next.

 

If only I didn't despise the 2600.

[godslabrat]

 

If only I didn't despise the 2600.

Whoa, them's fighting words around here! The 2600 is far from my favorite system, but... Despise...? Really?

[JamesD]

Whoa, them's fighting words around here! The 2600 is far from my favorite system, but... Despise...? Really?

Really. I've never liked it. Every time I played a game on one as a kid I felt disappointed and I always liked computer games better.

Frankly, I didn't really like game consoles in general.and didn't buy an actual game console until the PS2 slimline model came out in silver.

I bought a 360 a few months later.

With the attitude of the console manufacturers that may be my last console I buy.

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

If only I didn't despise the 2600.

 

Hey doesn't anyone check references before letting any yahoo in here nowadays?

[+wood_jl]

Regardless of all the stuff in this thread, if it's "always online" then it's not for me. Quite simply, I don't like it, and I'm not buying anything that requires that. I hope enough other people feel the same way, and console makers get the message, or the console business can kiss-off.

[Taskmaster99]

Sure am glad I switched to Verizon Fios. Solid and fast connection......although that doesnt mean I'm gonna buy this crap!!!

 

So basically if I am in the middle of a game and for some reason the connection goes down....then so do I??? Great strategy.

 

But people will still buy it.