I read this whole topic thinking why haven't neoGAF's resident MS employees chimed end to put an end to this ridiculousness by denying these accusations. It is very rare and unusual for a topic so derived from MS's supposed incompetence to go unanswered from Stinkles, Arne and co. I mean wouldn't they love to come in here and clear this misuderstanding up for everyone? Then it hit me. They would risk job security saying a word about this because the accusations brought foward aren't entirely false and might have more truth to them than even they would like to admit up to.
Having said that if this is true I sadly predicted this would happen when I first saw the financial corner MS was backing themselves into with Xbox. Xbox fans got too use to MS taking a big hit in their pockets just to spoil us gamers with cheap moddable hardware with all the fixins (HDD standard) and a buisness model seemingly designed around making their fanbase happy. But when it came time for them to make that money back people would start to see a completely different MS whoes primary concern is now pure profit. There is nothing wrong with that if it wasn't for the fact that MS had already established a loyal fanbase designed around their old buisness model no matter how unrealistic it was to maintain.
Anyone else remember when Xbox was revealed and MS bragged about being the only console to come with hardrive as standard allowing for possibilities not possible on PS2 and Gamecube? They stated how Sony and Nintendo were holding back progress by not making HDD standard as well and they were the only ones moving the industry foward. Not only did they completely flip-flop on there stance on integrated HDD and developers being able to design around it but now they even refused to make things like wifi standard (not even in their "Elite" sku) when even the Wii the technoligical joke of the generation made wifi a standard. When you are forced to turn a profit it is impossible to run the kind of buisness model MS did with Xbox which sadly means decisions like stabalizing download prices.
If we continue to get more free content like the GoW map pack then XBL consumers will get use to having that sort of content for free and will eventually refuse to be charged for a similiar expansion in another game because they feel it could of been provided free of charge just like the other games. MS definitely do not want us getting use to having such content for free especially with a game that popular and what they probably have in store for Halo 3. Thats it in a nutshell.
Having said that if this is true I sadly predicted this would happen when I first saw the financial corner MS was backing themselves into with Xbox. Xbox fans got too use to MS taking a big hit in their pockets just to spoil us gamers with cheap moddable hardware with all the fixins (HDD standard) and a buisness model seemingly designed around making their fanbase happy. But when it came time for them to make that money back people would start to see a completely different MS whoes primary concern is now pure profit. There is nothing wrong with that if it wasn't for the fact that MS had already established a loyal fanbase designed around their old buisness model no matter how unrealistic it was to maintain.
Anyone else remember when Xbox was revealed and MS bragged about being the only console to come with hardrive as standard allowing for possibilities not possible on PS2 and Gamecube? They stated how Sony and Nintendo were holding back progress by not making HDD standard as well and they were the only ones moving the industry foward. Not only did they completely flip-flop on there stance on integrated HDD and developers being able to design around it but now they even refused to make things like wifi standard (not even in their "Elite" sku) when even the Wii the technoligical joke of the generation made wifi a standard. When you are forced to turn a profit it is impossible to run the kind of buisness model MS did with Xbox which sadly means decisions like stabalizing download prices.
If we continue to get more free content like the GoW map pack then XBL consumers will get use to having that sort of content for free and will eventually refuse to be charged for a similiar expansion in another game because they feel it could of been provided free of charge just like the other games. MS definitely do not want us getting use to having such content for free especially with a game that popular and what they probably have in store for Halo 3. Thats it in a nutshell.
