Earlier we got "would you date someone who raped you" as an analogy. We're improving!
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Microsoft officially pulls DRM from Xbox One, announces new policies
- Thread starter chubigans
- Start date
Earlier we got "would you date someone who raped you" as an analogy. We're improving!
Yoshi
Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
Won't they? I would be quite cautious after that experience. I doubt this was fun for anyone involved. If I just think at how many super-angry tweets I sent to Majornelsen for instance, this is not nice to have.
Closed minds are easily boggled it seems.
If I can buy a game, put it in a machine, get what I feel is 60 dollars worth of value out of it and then sell it off again then I am pretty much happy.
Other factors don't much play into it in any great way.
Vlightray
Member
Agreed Fully.
BishopLamont
Banned
lol, microsoft shook.
Monocle
Member
Oh internet, you are a bottomless source for delightfully demented hyperbole.
I have to thank you, I haven't laughed that loud at a post in a long time.
People take this shit way to seriously.
Good decision, except this is what it should have been in the first place. Microsoft is still a terrible company in my eyes.
They changed this only because they saw all that money slipping away with the pre-orders. They didn't care about the consumer in the first place, the announcement of DRM/always online is a proof of this.
And now, people are awfully quick to forgive them and forget about all this? I'm not forgiving them, not when they aren't even doing this for the gamers.
They changed this only because they saw all that money slipping away with the pre-orders. They didn't care about the consumer in the first place, the announcement of DRM/always online is a proof of this.
And now, people are awfully quick to forgive them and forget about all this? I'm not forgiving them, not when they aren't even doing this for the gamers.
LyleLanley
Banned
Have we gotten any holocaust or slavery comparisons yet?
It's just called, "being cautious" & not being gullible to accept them so fast just because they changed their policies, because they might try this method again later on down the road.
I can totally understand certain posters like BoboBrazil, Wynnebeck, W!CKED, Skidd, & lovegames718 about it.
Do people really spend much times thinking about companies in those terms? I'm trying to understand as the idea seems alien to me.
I pretty much couldn't tell you what company made what product in my house with 90+% of what I own.
I'd agree that MS' attitude towards customers isn't as good as Sony's (I think Nintendo's is almost as bad as MS') but at the end of the day it has little or no affect on me.
Phife Dawg
Member
That is a true megaton, good decision.
Still leaves more than just a bad taste that they wanted to implement such policies though. But it's up to the consumer to decide whether they want to hold that against them.
Oh and get rid of mandatory kinect-ion while you're at it.
Still leaves more than just a bad taste that they wanted to implement such policies though. But it's up to the consumer to decide whether they want to hold that against them.
Oh and get rid of mandatory kinect-ion while you're at it.
Ollie Pooch
In a perfect world, we'd all be homersexual
I think the problem is more the mixed message - it sounds like they did actually have some sort of alternate vision for the future of console gaming.
The way they presented it, though, was so terrible and unfocused it came off as shady and dishonest. They couldn't show anyone any benefits of their system and everything sort of came out after the E3 presentation which made it seem like they didn't want to stand behind it at all. Of course, given how not much of it was in the E3 show there's the possibility they were testing the waters with it and when it was savaged by pretty much everyone they backed down.
The fault is in their awful PR regardless, and not having a clear message for their people to present. The whole thing was so confused, it's not surprising it got canned.
The way they presented it, though, was so terrible and unfocused it came off as shady and dishonest. They couldn't show anyone any benefits of their system and everything sort of came out after the E3 presentation which made it seem like they didn't want to stand behind it at all. Of course, given how not much of it was in the E3 show there's the possibility they were testing the waters with it and when it was savaged by pretty much everyone they backed down.
The fault is in their awful PR regardless, and not having a clear message for their people to present. The whole thing was so confused, it's not surprising it got canned.
Flatline
Banned
Yeah, who gives a fuck about his consumer rights? Let's just give corporations a free pass to screw us every time they feel like it and LOL at the losers who care about this crap. It's not like we're thinking individuals with principles or anything, just blind consumatrons buying stuff we like. Fuck yeah!
Monocle
Member
Now instead of having a console a bajillion times more powerful than the PS4, MS will have to resign themselves to a fair fight.
In seriousness, it's hilarious how their bullshit about cloud processing was exposed for what it was: hand waving to distract people from the fact that DRM was the main purpose for the Xbone's constant connection. It's so fucking jokes, I just can't.
"Oh, we can't just turn off DRM with the flick of a switch." *cut to MS announcing that they can in fact turn off DRM in an instant*
How droll. I don't even need to play games, I can just kick back and watch the antics of this crazy industry with a bucket of popcorn. (Yes, I realize I just described about 95% of GAF.)
For whatever reason there are people out there who genuinely think that public outcry had no impact on this whole affair. Their argument is that Microsoft only changed their mind because Sony didn't go with DRM and Sony didn't go with DRM because they were never going to anyway. It's a good argument stance to take because relying on "they were going to do it anyway" is like a get out of jail free card for logical debate.
Now let me be clear, I don't believe that for a second, but for the sake of argument let's assume it's true. IF Microsoft ONLY changed their mind because a competitor chose a different strategy than them all they've done is prove they're incapable of leadership, have no faith in their own ideas or their ability to communicate them. This is then a much bigger deal as it speaks volumes about the company and their ability to function.
Let's then also look at alternative scenarios.
1: They backed down because someone in the company had a completely uninfluenced change of heart. (lol)
2: They backed down because their own fanbase in enough quantity told them they didn't want DRM. One issue here is a view held by the "Hashtaggers had no influence" crew that there simply aren't enough hashtaggers so there isn't enough scale to enact change. I've personally been told by one on this topic that $300K (their estimated figure of the loss of "hashtagger" sales ) isn't enough to change a billion dollar companies mind on policy, especially when "iron clad, unbreakable" contracts with publishers are involved. So if this is truly the reason Microsoft backed down it means either the scale of public outcry was much bigger than we think..or it's not the reason.
3: They backed down because they saw the general consumer reaction or a lack there of to their offerings at retail. Pre-orders had only just started so analysis on this would have been mostly projections. They were either the worst projections in the world or this was only a minor factor.
No matter how I look at it I can't see a version of events where the hashtag influence wasn't a critical deciding factor. If not by direct numbers then by working as a magnifier of shared sentiment. If this is the case then I feel it's the magnitude of this shared sentiment and it's impact on the language and vigor in the response that is the chain reaction we saw that had the most influence, but I can't think of a way to objectively measure this.
Now let me be clear, I don't believe that for a second, but for the sake of argument let's assume it's true. IF Microsoft ONLY changed their mind because a competitor chose a different strategy than them all they've done is prove they're incapable of leadership, have no faith in their own ideas or their ability to communicate them. This is then a much bigger deal as it speaks volumes about the company and their ability to function.
Let's then also look at alternative scenarios.
1: They backed down because someone in the company had a completely uninfluenced change of heart. (lol)
2: They backed down because their own fanbase in enough quantity told them they didn't want DRM. One issue here is a view held by the "Hashtaggers had no influence" crew that there simply aren't enough hashtaggers so there isn't enough scale to enact change. I've personally been told by one on this topic that $300K (their estimated figure of the loss of "hashtagger" sales ) isn't enough to change a billion dollar companies mind on policy, especially when "iron clad, unbreakable" contracts with publishers are involved. So if this is truly the reason Microsoft backed down it means either the scale of public outcry was much bigger than we think..or it's not the reason.
3: They backed down because they saw the general consumer reaction or a lack there of to their offerings at retail. Pre-orders had only just started so analysis on this would have been mostly projections. They were either the worst projections in the world or this was only a minor factor.
No matter how I look at it I can't see a version of events where the hashtag influence wasn't a critical deciding factor. If not by direct numbers then by working as a magnifier of shared sentiment. If this is the case then I feel it's the magnitude of this shared sentiment and it's impact on the language and vigor in the response that is the chain reaction we saw that had the most influence, but I can't think of a way to objectively measure this.
Lol this is exactly the first thing that popped in my head when I read the news lol
SatansReverence
Hipster Princess
Considering the Cloud doesn't really do much in real time, it won't be that bad.
Also, I'm sure there will be games that are "Cloud required" or "better with the Cloud".
And the advantages are much broader than single player improvements. Dedicated servers for an entire consoles multiplayer library? That is huge no matter how you spin it.
It's a pretty non sensical meme to be honest.
The OS update that removes the DRM, online check in and all that wouldn't even exist yet.
Monocle
Member
I know right! It's terrific.
Haha, I guess their sale projections took a big dive after all the negativity surrounding their console and they started to panic, otherwise they would never do this.
Shows that they are very insecure about their new product, not really a good sign.
And there's still way too many issues for me to care about xbone.. Obligatory kinect camera, it's still slower and more expensive than the competition.
I'm going to take a wait-and-see approach with this one. Start with PS4 and after a few years I'll see if it's worth bying one.
Shows that they are very insecure about their new product, not really a good sign.
And there's still way too many issues for me to care about xbone.. Obligatory kinect camera, it's still slower and more expensive than the competition.
I'm going to take a wait-and-see approach with this one. Start with PS4 and after a few years I'll see if it's worth bying one.
D
Deleted member 1235
Unconfirmed Member
aaannnd back on my possible purchase list.
edit: Family sharing going out is a bit :/ though.
edit: Family sharing going out is a bit :/ though.
painful fart
Member
I like Eurogamers take on the One 80.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...stores-game-ownership-and-expects-us-to-smile
Xbone me if old.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...stores-game-ownership-and-expects-us-to-smile
Xbone me if old.
MaulerX
Member
What in the world do you mean by "too late"?
The system does not launch until 5 months from now. By the time it launches, no one will even know or remember they even attempted this. It'll be business as usual. If anything, they were smart in changing it this quick.
Not yet, but expecting it. People agreeing with that rape analogy as if it's on the same level as this is just something else...
Back to happy news. Xbox one being region free is really awesome. Didn't think Microsoft would ever make that possible.
I'm about two thousand posts behind, but I wouldn't be surprised.
I do share the general sentiment that MS has lost a lot of goodwill they accumulated with the 360, and the reversal on the Xbox One DRM has only partially restored it. I still have significant reservations about the system, and even with Microsoft's reversal, I find myself hesitant to embrace the platform. Just for trying to go the direction they were going.
I do think they altered the competitive dynamic with the PS4 today, tossing a few of the sandbags they burdened their platform with. They are in a better position now and I would not be surprised to start hearing reports of stronger pre-orders (for stores not yet maxed out like Gamestop). But they've got a ways to go to really even the scales.
It also dashes their PR about the way the system was designed from the ground up to have all games connected to the cloud, always online, etc. Just *poof*
D
Deleted member 1235
Unconfirmed Member
I've purchased the last 2 consoles from microsoft and ignored the Playstation. I'm now considering staying a customer again.
HOWEVER.... it sounds like PS+ and Sony's take on indie gaming is still making the Playstation more attractive.
I know I'm not paying for both a live and a PS+ subscription, so I'll wait a bit longer and see how the launch actually pans out of both consoles. I will say that anyone picking a 'team' yet is silly. Sony played the PR better so far, but that doesn't mean shit if the hardware in the PS4 doesn't actually work out as well in practice and all the exclusives land on Xbox (and vice versa)
Monocle
Member
Good piece. The author shares my unease about MS's future policies.
Yep, such nonsense. How embarrassing.
Well, I'd argue against the "too little," but not against the "too late."
I have a bad feeling that if all this was implemented and planned for so long, there is a good chance it will be reimplemented in the future. Maybe little by little, maybe all at once with a big dashboard update, but I just don't trust MS. Then again, I haven't in a really long time.
Hmm that's not the point, its his attitude, treating joe like he's a child because he's making an assumption.
When in fact it looks like his assumption was soon on target.
It probably took longer to write the PR bullshit statement to accompany their decision than it took to write the code to disable the online check.
Tim the Wiz
Banned
Glad MS saw sense. But I'm also glad how clearly this episode shone a light on the corporate apologists in the press, lapping up anti-consumer policies as 'the future'. There was some really despicable stuff on display.
Eh, I don't think it's too early to "pick a team" at all, but then again it's not like I think once you've picked on you can't switch.
The PS4 is still more powerful, $100 cheaper, doesn't require a camera to be plugged-in (that part's still in, right?), has self-publishing, is adopting free-to-play models, and has already announced four free PS+ games. Bonus: Naughty Dog might be the best developer around.
ninjapanda
Member
This is truely magnificent news!
I'd like to thank all those involved in creating this movement for change. It would seem while Microsoft was resistant to listening to reason they were suddenly forced to listen once it affected their revenue prospects.
I do not believe any of this would have been possible if there was no coordination of outcry from dedicated gamers at a very early stage. It is this prompt action which created risk for Microsoft and casted doubt in their ability to establish a solid userbase as a foundation during the launch phase.
This is proof that voicing your concerns and voting with your wallet does work on a mass scale.
Congratulations to all those involved.
I'd like to thank all those involved in creating this movement for change. It would seem while Microsoft was resistant to listening to reason they were suddenly forced to listen once it affected their revenue prospects.
I do not believe any of this would have been possible if there was no coordination of outcry from dedicated gamers at a very early stage. It is this prompt action which created risk for Microsoft and casted doubt in their ability to establish a solid userbase as a foundation during the launch phase.
This is proof that voicing your concerns and voting with your wallet does work on a mass scale.
Congratulations to all those involved.
BurnOutBrighter
Banned
Nice still not gonna buy it. Microsoft only changed because they basically had to, if given the chance they would have fucked me over and I see no reason for them to not try it a second or third time in the future after gamers settled down or in the next next generations with new consoles. Forcing a asshole to be nice doesnt mean he isnt a asshole any more if you stop forcing him to be nice. Sadly I cant trust Microsoft to not try this shit again and again in the future.
dark_inferno
Member
So who is going to buy the spy console 0 0 xbone?
Someone talk me off the ledge if this is a bad idea. Itchy fingers.
RebornYeti
Member
The idea of game sharing was kind of nice, actually. Being able to play a game that your friend owns at the same as he or she is playing it is a neat idea... Even if it would have been for Singleplayer games/modes only.
I'm sad that it's gone, but I'm much more happy now that The XB1 doesn't require an internet connection.
You'll probably get the same answers as this thread to be honest.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=596666
ultrazilla
Member
Let's see. MS still requires Kinect for the system to operate and
would not comment on if they would revert back to the DRM policies
in the future. Yeah, they can still fuck off.
would not comment on if they would revert back to the DRM policies
in the future. Yeah, they can still fuck off.
Nikodemos
Member
That's a bigger point than at first glance. If they can simply say 'lol, j/k' about their online policy, they basically acknowledge that "Da powuh ov da clowdz!" is basically SimCity-style DRM bullshit, and those 'tree hunda towzan servurs!' are smoke and mirrors. It turns every single thing they said up to this point a falsehood.