Microsoft… WHY?!? (Contains Profane Language)

Warning: This post contains profane language. While I have kept it as mild as I can I have to provide my honest feelings if I didn’t it would be an insult to you my readers.

Today Microsoft announced the next line of the Xbox series of game systems. The announcement was by and large about the hardware that they were releasing and I believe that there was 8 games total mentioned: 4 were EA Sports title (bleh), Halo was mentioned though mostly for the Steven Spielberg tie in Television Show, Call of Duty 4 or 5 was mentioned, and finally a Forza game. However by and large most of the console was the focus, and … sadly this humorous video is a quasi-accurate representation of the presentation. Edit: I almost forgot a game and only caught this in editing the final game involves a girl with some sort of mental powers… beyond that your guess is as good as mine.(While what I’m linking is to Kotaku, most of what I am linking is the same across different platforms including Gamespot, various Twitter feeds, and of course Kotaku themselves.)

Where should I start when talking about the system? I’m not going to talk about the biggest issues till the end so I guess I’ll start with the small stuff. First the controller looks good although nearly identical to the current controller. This isn’t a bad thing… but it isn’t a good thing either you see the controller is good but the changes are something you have to experience, so I can’t really say if it’s worth the upgrade, and sadly the one thing I could have liked to see, a port to connect to the console from what I saw was absent.

Next the console itself requires the Kinect sensor/camera attached to it. I hate motion sensitive gaming because I game in a room that’s 8’5” by about 10’. Note I have all of my furniture in this room so my free space is something like a 4’ x 4’ square… I MIGHT be able to fit in a dance mat… but any missteps or winging your legs wide would lead to a broken foot. In short small space = BAD FOR MOTION CONTROLS. Console makers need to understand this but somehow they think we all have HUGE living rooms to play in. I’ve already gone into some detail on this so I won’t harp on the subject but let’s just say that even the Wii I don’t particularly care for.

My third complaint comes from the fact that the Xbox One (Hexbox at Halloween?) is that it’s not backwards compatible. In this day and age I find that hard to excuse with some exceptions for example the Playstation 3 had such an unusual architecture that developers had a hard time really making games for the system… let alone going back and having to come up with some type of emulation? Yeah I can kind of understand why it’s not backwards compatible. The Xbox 360 on the other hand doesn’t suffer this particular limitation so just like the PlayStation Vita, I have a difficult time justifying having no backwards compatibility (remember that in Japan you can pay a fee to get your PSP games as a download to play on your Vita).

That ranks right up there with my fourth complaint… having a 10 dollar offer (picture here)for people who sign up for updates… but that offer is only announced though limited channels. If you’re going to do something like that be fair and announce it to EVERYONE. I’m sorry but a limited announcement like that is like a flaming bag of dog dung on the doorstep for everyone who finds out about it AFTER you stop the offer.

As a minor quibble let me just say that at least the pictures I’ve seen of it… the system looks stupid. I can’t fault them for this because looks are highly a matter of taste and I attempt to avoid judgment based off of pictures since I can’t verify if they’ve been photo-shopped, the resolution they were shot in, or any one of a host of other things that could influence my actual impression when compared to seeing it in real life. However it LOOKS to me in the pictures… kind of like a cable box from the 80’s or early 90’s … only with a weird slot and instead of a digit counter for the channels it has the Xbox logo.

For anyone looking for me to keep calm:

*WARNING WE HAVE HIT THE HOT ZONE*

The next few issues are where I really take issue with the system, and what cause me to come to my final verdict based off of the information at hand. Please keep in mind I came into this with neutral feelings. I neither particularly like, nor do I dislike the 360, I like Microsoft as a general. I don’t feel a need to promote one console over another as I find aspects of every console I’ve ever played that I like and love, including ones other people consider bad like the Intelevision 1, 2, and 3 (Yes there were 3 different models of the Intelevision… we owned them all at one point or another).

Issue five is one that I have a problem with as a whole with the direction that computing is moving. I like my private information private, and I don’t like the idea of other people even having access to things, hence I tend to store my most valuable information in CDs, paper copies, or USB sticks. I don’t store passwords as a general, and I follow security guidelines and provide places with as little information as possible for security reasons. In short I value who I am… not what a company can offer me in trade for them holding my information.

The Kinect sensor/camera/bar thing is ALWAYS on with the new Xbox. It has to be for it to have the functionality of being able to say “Xbox On” and have the machine turn on. That in and of itself technically is an issue that ties into the larger issue… so I guess that’s issue five and so let’s look at issue six.

Always on connectivity and computing in the cloud are the name sakes here. Microsoft has said that the Xbox One isn’t always on, however you have to install games to a small (500 gb) hard drive, AND submit a code to them to tie the game to your account this is a large step towards an always on connection. It gets worse however, in that the Microsoft is having the system use cloud computing as an optional part of the games, if this is enabled that means your system will constantly be connecting to the internet to download data, make game saves, and whatever else they have it do.

Combined issues five and six are a huge problem. Think of all the security holes Microsoft patches in any given month for Windows OS (Mac users you get your updates too, so no getting snarky). Now issue six and a half is ties in that the system has 3 operating systems from what I gathered during the conference:

1. Windows 8 for Bing and such
2. Xbox One for the games.
3. Xbox Live for its online side of things.

Imagine the holes that a hacker can find … and with a camera that’s always on combined with a mic. that’s ALWAYS ON they can over hear passwords, see you to know when you leave for work, etc. As you can guess I find this to be a very bad and very dangerous combination for personal security. Then there’s the fact that the system “learns what you like” which means that Microsoft is collecting data about you, your viewing habits, gaming habits, etc. which is something that the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 both have in common that I personally despise.

Finally the hottest issue that has me seeing red with all the information that was released today. Issue seven, and in this case it’s not a lucky number. Microsoft representatives have said that the games will require a license that ties it to your account. Take your game to a buddy’s house or try to buy a used one from GameStop? Nope you have to pay a fee with some sites that I have read earlier in the day claiming that Microsoft’s VP himself has said that the fee would be THE SAME COST AS BUYING THE GAME RETAIL.

Now some of this may be confusion amongst the various members of Microsoft as a Kotaku article points out. I will give them credit there that this may well be the case, and if you take your id over to your friend’s house they may well be able to play the game with you.  There may even be a way to trade games though Microsoft.  However the sharing of games is a part of the very foundation and bedrock on which the success of the NES and Sega Master System were built on and thus current video games ARE built on. Removing this keystone of gaming is like a (pardon my language) bitch slap to the face followed by a knife in the back and for me it removes ANY AND ALL possibility of me purchasing their system. The only way I will get an Xbox One based off of the information that has been provided to this point, is if one is gifted to me.

For people who have little to no cash, used games are the only way that we can afford to pick up and play most games, and this frequently means waiting multiple months (or if it’s a Nintendo title until a retail store decides to take a loss on the game… example last time I looked Super Mario Galaxy was selling for $49.99 in stores near me ) before we can afford to buy a game. Adding an additional fee on top of this will result in fewer games being sold as a result, and thus a smaller base for things such as sequels, and if you can’t share games with friends this too will limit your exposure since I can personally vouch that there are many games I’ve had to try before I bought.

In short Microsoft has created a situation in which they not only have put their worst foot forward, in just about every conceivable manner in the past several months (example look up the now ex-Microsoft employee who bashed people who didn’t like always on connections), but has now taken a pot shot at in my opinion the very fundamentals of the ground on which they are trying to establish this new console on. While I agree that games as an industry need to innovate, change, and adapt to the times, restricting your customers, and telling them that you don’t think they are paying enough for your services is poor customer service and is a step backwards into the age of archaic DRM like having to have a book of codes to unlock your game.

Focusing on TV, TV, TV, Sports Games, TV, TV, TV, and Call of Duty are not the way to capture your ENTIRE audience… it may appeal to part of them, but for the rest of us it’s like a big flag saying (pardon my language) “FUCK OFF!”. Having nothing to show for the people who play anything other than Guns or Sports (racing is a sport) and talking almost exclusively about how your console will be your ultimate set top box does jack squat to make me want your console as most of what you offered I can do with my other consoles of my PC/Tablet.

While E3 will certainly hold much more information about games to come (and the 8 new IPs that Microsoft studio is working on for a total of 15 games launched by them in the first year) this did nothing to set my desire for their console in motion. If anything it has managed to do the opposite and make me dead set against the machine. Everything I heard today from Microsoft has sent me one very clear message about the Xbox One… and that is that Microsoft has NO FUCKING CLUE IN HELL what it is that I want in a game console that supposedly as (at least in part) designed “by gamers”.

P.S.  Way to go Microsoft!  You don’t even know how your current Kinect device will react when you do shit!

Edit as of 1:26 AM on May 22, 2013:  For a comparison of the PS4 and XO based off of the currently known information please watch Gamespot's Video.    While I don't entirely agree with their conclusions, I do feel that they provide a very accurate look at what we know so far.