Microsoft Backs Down on Controversial Xbox One Online Requirements, Used Game Disc Trading

[Avus]

Let me quote this from one of the twitter... I 100% agree on this...

"Microsoft only changed its policies because of SONY! Not because of gamers! This is not an apology. This is surrender"

This is the beauty of competition.

 

[imkvn]

I think it's good when a company is willing to work with consumers. Xbox 360 is a still a very good console with a lot of original ideas. I think sony and ms will offer pretty much the same thing. I still think MS has the upper hand slightly with the market and better internet integration. Sony really has not done much lately and every move they make seems lackluster compared to everyone else cameras, tvs, phones, movies, computers.

 

[nevilence]

I already pre-ordered my PS4. Microsloth may be getting better at reversing their bad decisions, but I would be more comfortable if they could stop those bad decisions from happening in the first place. After seeing the mess that is Windows 8, who knows what horrors their new console will be hiding.

I kinda liked the way I could share my games under the Xbox One share plan, MS was trying to be different and change the way we share and trade digital content. I think the latest decision is a step backwards, eventually discs will be phased out

I dont see why physical media should be phased out, I hate having to wait on a download, even when its fast. But having a disk, bam, its installed or being played within minutes. Not that I am saying digital content is bad, by no means, in fact I have well over 100 titles in my steam library. But I like the convenience that they both offer, I just hope we dont lose physical until I can have a full 20GB game in 2 mins

 

[demonhorde665]

now they just need to rename the console xbox one is just a dumb name

 

[CaedenV]

While I applaud MS removing their head from their ass there's still the discrepancy between hardware specs:

XB1 = 5GB 2133MHz DDR3 effective RAM
PS4 = 7GB 5500MHz GDDR5 effective RAM

XB1 = 768 GPU cores
PS4 = 1,152 GPU cores

XB1 = 1.34 TFLOPS
PS4 = 1.84 TFLOPS

XB1 = Requires proprietary HDD (Much like Apple this means they can up the price for no reason)
PS4 = Removable and easily replaceable non-proprietary drive

At the end of the day the specs simply do not matter. If they did then PC gaming would dominate at all times because next gen consoles are going to hit 2010 PC quality at the end of 2013 while the PCs continue to progress.

It is all about the games. For this last gen xbox360 brought home the bacon in game sales, and profits per game sold because the PS3 was dificult to program for at first, and then the platform was plagued with security and trophy issues, and then Sony was too prideful to work with developers properly.
This gen it looks like Sony will be on top again, but it is really way too early to tell. Before the PS3 launch I though that Sony had it in the bag, but it turned into problem after problem, and MS developed the platform into something completely different from what it started from. Hopefully Sony does not screw it up again, but again, we have about 2 years before we can tell who is going to flounder, and who is going to have consistent long term sales.

At the end of the day, most gamers end up buying both platforms for the sake of at least a few games, because gamers love games. Consoles are just a vehicle, not a religion.

 

[Fulgurant]

dont know why everyone keeps pointing out the specs difference? xbox 360 had crap specs vs the ps3 and both did very well. the only thing they are failing on is the price difference

A.) The more expensive item's specs are vastly inferior to the less expensive item's specs, in this case.

B.) The PS3-versus-XBox-360 hardware comparison was apples to oranges. The two consoles had vastly different architectures, and so game developers had to jump through hoops to fully optimize a single game for both consoles. In the case of PS4 versus XBox One, the architecture is nearly identical, which means that on-paper spec comparisons are valid until proven otherwise.

C.) The XBox 360's GPU was arguably stronger than the PS3's. In the case of the new consoles, that disparity is not only reversed; it's also magnified.

A couple of interesting links regarding the 360 and PS3 follow:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2006/dec/07/ps3vsxbox360
http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/01/16/chip-architect-speaks-about-xbox-360-and-ps3-creation

 

[Fulgurant]

At the end of the day the specs simply do not matter. If they did then PC gaming would dominate at all times because next gen consoles are going to hit 2010 PC quality at the end of 2013 while the PCs continue to progress.

Hardware specs aren't everything; that's true. But to say that they don't matter at all is a huge exaggeration. All else being equal, you want better hardware specs. No one in his right mind could possibly disagree with that.

The all else-being-equal part is important. Of course PCs and consoles aren't directly comparable; they serve different markets (or if you prefer, different segments of the same broad market). If you want a no-fuss, plug-it-in-and-go, play-games-from-your-couch-on-your-TV experience, you go with a console. If you want flexibility (through player-made mods and so forth), the best graphics available, and a bunch of general-use utility on the side, you grab a PC.

There are a lot of console gamers who don't give two craps about PC hardware specs, but you can be damn sure that if they hear the XBox One will ship with ~33% less graphical horsepower and for a $100 price premium, they'll care about that. That's the sort of factoid that can tank sales' volume, and thereby influence game-development licensing over the longer term.

 

[CyranD]

Xbox 360 to PS3 is not a good comparison for how games going to look on XboxOne vs PS4 because the PS3 had a difficult architecture to develop games for resulting in a lot of crappy looking ports. PS3 was more powerful but no one was willing to spend the money to develop games to take advantage of it.

This time around both consoles are using similar architectures so it should be easy with out that much extra work for the developer to simply crank up the graphics settings on the PS4 a little higher then on the XboxOne. Just like it don’t take that much extra work for a developer to give the option to someone with a higher end video card in a PC to set there video settings higher in a game then someone with a lower end video card.

 

[game junky]

This move might have saved this console generation for Microsoft - the used gaming community and back themselves off the edge of the cliff and folks that like to travel with their consoles don't have to stress about the always on phenomenon. Price is still going to be a factor but I think this will keep most current 360 owners faithful. This reaffirms my earlier theory - folks who currently own a 360 will get the XB1, folks who currently own a PS3 will buy a PS4 and folks that own both consoles will choose to consolidate down to 1. As one of those folks, I am moving to the XB1 - though the specs seem to slightly edge toward the PS4, I think xbox live is a better user experience and the Xbox One's launch title selection is incredible. For me, my PS3 is pretty much just my bluray player - I have purchased maybe 4 games total since launch and now that Metal Gear is jumping ship Sony is running out of titles I can't live without. Resistance is good, Last of Us is fantastic but it's not enough to make me want to buy a PS Plus membership and a $400 bluray player when I will have one with my XB1. I don't think my exact reasoning is the same as the majority, but I am definitely not alone. As with all things, competition is a good thing - consumers get to have options to choose from and manufacturers have to push themselves to release better products in order to compete for sales.

 

[Neve12ende12]

We have lost. Oh Xbox One, we barely knew ye. This is a step backward and has effectively just just turned the Xbox One into a beefy 360. Please note that I might be a little biased because I have internet, hate Gamestop (power to our wallets), and have never bought a used game.

Here are some of the great features we just lost because people are afraid of the future:

1. Family Sharing. Enough said.
2. Remember when you could download a game and play it on any Xbox One? Now its only good on the Xbox it was downloaded on.
3. Remember when you lived on the east coast and could just let a friend borrow a game on the west coast? Gone, better get that expedited shipping.
4. Remember when you could use smart matchmaking to INSTANTLY jump from Ryse to Killer Instinct? Please insert disc.
5. Remember when you could just switch between TV, Music, Internet to a game? Please insert disc.
6. Remember that time you didn't have to insert disc and now your disc is scratched? You're fucked.
7. Remember that time you lost your disc or forgot to bring it somewhere and it could have been OK? You're fucked.
8. Remember when games might have went to Steam like prices because they were digital? Fail.

This is a victory?

 

[fixxxer113]

In this day and age, Internet access is the same as any other utility. We don't have an uproar because Microsoft didn't provide a method to play the XB1 when the power is out!?

We live in an always connected world, and need to realize that just like us, our devices can be always connected too.

No it's not the same. Not everyone spends all their time at home with their DSL. I'll give you an example:

I buy lots of games on Steam. Many of them play on my laptop as well as my desktop. I frequently make train trips that last about three and a half hours, so it's nice to have something to do in that time. Before Steam's Offine Mode, I was not allowed to play my single player games that I payed for, on my laptop for witch I spent a bunch of money on... Isn't that a bit unfair? Also, what if someone has a second house in the country, with no land-line? Why shouldn't your kids be allowed to take their console with them on their vacations? Online is required for multiplayer and for things that have to do with your gamer profile. Single player games should NOT require any kind of online connection. It makes no sense.

I must say I don't really trust Microsoft or Sony. Whenever they talk about these terms of use, they mostly refer to "Disc based games". They could gradually go all-digital with their games and reinstate all those nasty requirements...

The one good thing that came out from all of this is that some people might finally realize that no matter how giant a company may be, it ows it's power to the consumer. If we can fight our consumerism and say "No" sometimes, we can turn things around

 

[zedon]

They'll probably sell it at some point without the kinnect for $100 cheaper.
I think I will order one now, wasn't really looking forward to buying a japanese product over American.

 

[w8gaming]

[We live in an always connected world, and need to realize that just like us, our devices can be always connected too.]

Yes, devices can be always connected, but it does not have to if it serve no benefits at all. Not everyone wants to play online, and what use is internet connection when the game is just for offline play? Sure, when power goes down, we have no choice but to find something else to do. It is because electricity is mandatory to run an electronic device. If we do not need internet connection, why does it become a requirements? Good that MS finally see its own folly.

 

[Kornel Hartung]

Brave Sir Robin ran away.
Bravely ran away, away!
When danger reared its ugly head,
He bravely turned his tail and fled.
Yes, brave Sir Robin turned about
And gallantly he chickened out.
Bravely taking to his feet
He beat a very brave retreat,
Bravest of the brave, Sir Robin!

 

[cats_Paw]

Thats fun. Now we only need to make EA and Blizzard fix their games and we are set to go!

 

[mrface]

Well when you piss off military members by stating that for them to enjoy a Micrsoft Xbox experience while deployed, they can not do it on the XBOX One, things are going to change.

 

[hoofhearted]

I wonder if the whole thing was planned to begin with. After all, this whole controversy stirred more attention than most advertisers wet dreams.

 

[hoofhearted]

Between giving us back the start button and removing this outlandish DRM, Microsoft is doing us so many favors. We owe it to them to become fanboys now. Sheesh.

 

[vehlor]

OMG! I am enjoying reading this article. lol.

 

[cirdecus]

I wouldn't argue about the different in hardware specs. They will mean very little between the two consoles. In terms of everything the XBox One can do from an entertainment stand point, I think they've given the best value with their console. I've been using media center for a while now for my entire home television and gaming platform and it's been amazing. I think a lot of people will be happy with the idea that everything is on one device.

 

[kawininjazx]

LOL, well that was quicker than I thought...

Windows 8.1's giving us Start Button back too; and they're now giving away the touch type cover for Surface Tablets for free... what's up with MS lately? they seem to just make bad calls and then back down on them

We got a start button, but not a start menu. If you could disable charms too, that would be great.

 

[cats_Paw]

It might be a marketing tactic: Be bad first to later look better. Its a common negotiation technique.

 

[Dave Rainey]

So now I would consider buying one if they lose the kinect requirement, and obviously lower price. Just sell a kinect-less version for 400...

 

[ubercake]

Good response! They must have learned to listen to their customers based on the backlash Windows 8 caused.

 

[digiex]

That is why there is an undo button.