Xbox thread

[bitWISE]

Microsoft seems to think we spend the entire day in front of the tv. Or want us to, with PiP Skype calls and tv and sports and social messaging etc.
Not sure how that is in the states but that's very much not how it works here.

Everybody knows that people in the US spend most of their time behind the TV.

What I don't understand though is why anyone would want to be bothered with Xbox Live notifications (your friend is online!) while watching a movie or having your mother-in-law Skype you while your movie is still playing.

There's an option in the current Xbox dashboard to disable notifications while watching video

[Eraser]

What I don't understand though is why anyone would want to be bothered with Xbox Live notifications (your friend is online!) while watching a movie or having your mother-in-law Skype you while your movie is still playing.

There's an option in the current Xbox dashboard to disable notifications while watching video

Yeeeessss, I know! But what's the point of the TV watching side of Xbox One if you disable all of it's TV watching features?

[xer0s]

It's interesting to see all the heart burn this unveiling has recieved. I can't decide if it's a reluctance to integration, PC fanboys bashing the platform, console fanboys bitching about the specs, or all of the above. Honestly, I doubt Microsoft could have done anything to make the hive happy...

But for some reason I feel like there is a deeper reason for all the angst towards the XBOX ONE. Why wouldn't you want all your entertainment in one place? It seems the majority of people are hesitant to want to integrate their entertainment...

[MKJ]

Because I already have all those devices and none of them needs replacing. Well, except for the game console which is becoming outdated.
So yeah, if they had focused on the gaming needs (like Sony did) they would've made the hive happy.

[Eraser]

But for some reason I feel like there is a deeper reason for all the angst towards the XBOX ONE. Why wouldn't you want all your entertainment in one place? It seems the majority of people are hesitant to want to integrate their entertainment...

Because for me it simply doesn't work and it doesn't work at the expense of the other end of the spectrum: gaming.

With Xbox 360 there already has been a trend to move towards more multimedia offerings. But as I've clearly pointed out before, if you don't live in the US (or Canada I guess) you're missing out on a lot of that functionality, simply because it isn't available here. The Xbox One appears to focus even more on multimedia and TV entertainment. I've already mentioned quite a few (technical) flaws with their approach and why I couldn't use any of those multimedia features the Xbox One has on offer. At the same time, while MS continues to push their hardware platforms as all-in-one entertainment devices, they are shifting their focus away from gaming. The Xbox One reveal shows this, but it's the overall direction MS has been going in.
So where I'm losing out on gaming related things, I'm not gaining anything from the TV side of things. Combine this with their phone-home functionality, anti-2nd-hand blocks, mandatory HDD installs, mandatory Kinect and no independently published games allowed, then you've got a pretty disappointing offering.

[xer0s]

Have we heard any reactions from the game developers?

[MKJ]

Indies have been made at MS for a while now. The big devs won't say anything yet, that'd be bad for business.
Unless you're Valve, then you own the place anyway.

[MKJ]

Oh look this looks better..
http://www.xbox360achievements.org/news ... lised.html

[Eraser]

Have we heard any reactions from the game developers?

They're not too positive about tne presentation and the focus on TV at least:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013- ... and-tvtvtv

Also, self-published games are completely out now, so no more indiegames on Xbox. Interestingly, Sony and Nintendo still allow this.

[Don Carlos]

Sony currently have the march on this gen, but they are capable of fucking it up massively too

[shaft]

[losCHUNK]

Sony currently have the march on this gen, but they are capable of fucking it up massively too

They might feel comfortable doing the same thing with better hardware. Sony will never miss a trick to make money, unless they have turned a corner but I've checked all windows and can't see any pigs flying.

lol @ steam pic too

[MKJ]

Indeed

[xer0s]

I can walk into a game store and buy old XBOX games for cheap. What's the difference?

[scared?]

What kind of moron walks into stores to buy games these days?...

[shaft]

except you can do the exact same thing with xbox games if you wait...so derp

http://www.amazon.com/Halo-4-Xbox-360/d ... rds=halo+4

[Eraser]

Memphis has a point. Steam sales are far more interesting. You get AAA titles for like $5 in steam sales within a year, maybe even half a year of their release. AAA Xbox games rarely if ever drop below $20. It cannot be compared.

[Captain]

Arkham City was 66% on sale when it launched on Steam.

[MKJ]

I don't mind paying a bit more for a physical copy. After all, you get a nice case with some artwork, hopefully a printed manual and the convenience of using it anytime anywhere I want.

[bitWISE]

The main thing about used console games is that it's been a huge part of console gaming for decades. As a kid, there was nothing better than a trip to the local used game store to browse for hours and trade in your Christmas gifts for a few fresh games.

And they aren't really doing it to prevent piracy, they just feel like they are missing out on the revenue from all the resales. They should really be getting their money from the stores like GameStop but the easier solution is to just push it off onto the consumer.

[Don Carlos]

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/24/repor ... ned-sales/

Publishers to get a cut too, which I think is good

[Eraser]

I don't mind paying a bit more for a physical copy. After all, you get a nice case with some artwork, hopefully a printed manual and the convenience of using it anytime anywhere I want.

Boxes only take up space, the artwork usually consists of macho men holding guns and the manual is a one page brochure kind of thing that says "press x to not die".

Oh and anywhere anytime? You mean as long as you took your physical copy with you?

[Mogul]

[img]retarded%20point%20image[/img]

The heart of the issue is that Steam games are so cheap, they significantly mitigate the demand for used/borrowed games on PC. I almost exclusively buy console games used because of the discounted price. I think that's true of most console gamers, hence Gamestop's success with used games. Steam, meanwhile, offers games (and tons of convenience) for similar or lower prices during their regular, insane sales.

I think another part of it is that game trading/used games haven't been part of PC gaming culture for over a decade, so it's not something PC gamers demand, necessarily. Though ultimately, it's a Good Thing to be able to trade and buy used games, we've gotten used to it, and as mentioned, with Steam, we have an excellent equivalent, of sorts. Console gamers have relied on trading and buying used games for a long time and they don't want to give up the ability to do that. Yes, the world will go on, as it did for PC gamers who lost this ability years ago, but nobody wants to feel less empowered.

One solution, should their current design go through (and I imagine it will), is for Xbox to start offering regular, insane deals on par with Steam's.

[shaft]

[img]retarded%20point%20image[/img]

I almost exclusively buy console games used because of the discounted price. I think that's true of most console gamers, hence Gamestop's success with used games.

I've bought 98% of my console games new and so do most people I know. At gamestop the price difference between "pre-owned" and new is usually so marginally small its worth the extra 5 to get a crisp case and scratch free disc. Poor people are better off just not being impatient and waiting 6months for the game to be at half price. As far as games and steam, with PC you're dealing with an entitled crowd who know if they cant find an good steam sale and an easy way to get the game they want they will just steal it for free. Otherwise if you ignore the sales the games devalue mostly the same.

[scared?]

Lol poor ppl ...