• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Phil Spencer Says he finds Console Wars Distasteful and Wants to Push Against It

Status
Not open for further replies.
I saw this a moment ago and even though I already respect Phil Spencer this kind of even made me respect him more. I completely 100% agree with him. But what about you guys? What do you all think? Discuss


"I've said before, the one thing that I probably find a little distasteful in the discourse around games is the divisiveness that people try to build between platforms,"

"It becomes more about what piece of plastic I own than what games I'm playing. It becomes more about somebody else failing than the things I love succeeding. I don't think that's a good place for our industry."

"I know that's not everybody, and it's easy to find the pockets of that vitriol and I kind of think that that is gaming, but I'm not going to embrace that. I'm going to actively push against that,"

"People sometimes will make fun of me that I mentioned Sony or I mentioned Nintendo," he said. "It's not to placate anybody or make them think I'm some kind of good guy."

"My job isn't really to keep you from buying something else. My job is to make you proud of what we offer, and to give you an enjoyable experience with the product we have. That's 100% of what I'm focused on."


http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-boss-finds-console-wars-debate-distasteful/1100-6430824/
 

Eolz

Member
His argument is right. He's not against saying "my game is better than yours", just the stupid " lol my console is better, why are you playing this game on X console".

That's the good attitude to have.

Edit: looks like some people didn't read what he was saying as usual.
 
xbox_boat2pu3v.jpg


Was he around when this happened?
 

emb

Member
I like watching the competition. Luckily, Sony and MS still definitely seem to engage in 'Console Wars' anyway. At least, the last few E3s it felt like they were trying really hard to outdo one another.

I'm fine with them not being jerks about it though.
 

EBE

Member
how long before---oh. two and three replies in. right.

anyway, its absolutely the correct attitude to have about these things.
 

FelipeMGM

Member
Phil is an awesome guy and is handling the Xbox division really well, lots of amazing games and deals coming from him...

But if he really believe stuff like this he shouldnt give voice to bias fanboys like he does all the time on twitter
 
Console wars, I feel, are not inherently distasteful. They can be, like, for example, the bad taste MS left in everybody's mouth after their Xbox One reveal and shitty DRM policies before they 180'd.

They can also be hilarious, such as Sony's 'game sharing' reaction video.
 
He's right but MS would be singing a different tune if winning.

why? hes behind. he has incentive to tear down the competition, not promote unity.

lol, why cant he just be a guy that likes games, and is in charge of making a specific console as best he can. Why is that so hard to believe? Why do gaming heads need to be sitting in an office throwing darts at pictures of the competition?

they are people who like games. both at sony and xbox. thats cool.
 
He's right but MS would be singing a different tune if winning.
There is a difference between business and the console wars. Both Microsoft and Sony would be very pleased to have snatch up more market share. Phil still wants to "win" or he wouldn't have the job.
 

axisofweevils

Holy crap! Today's real megaton is that more than two people can have the same first name.
I think this is a good thing. Console wars are childish.

I have noticed that MS have been less console-warry this time round. The fact you had Kamiya on an MS stage with "Favourite game: Zelda - A Link To The Past" on screen says it all.
 
Man i wish sony and Nintendo did as many interviews as this guy try to catch them in pr mode lol(although reggie showed his after e3 for like a week)
 

thuway

Member
Honestly, this is what he should be saying, but I doubt many will listen. With that said, it's pretty disgusting out there in the trenches of Twitter, SystemWars forums, and the ilk. It hasn't been like this since the SNES / Genesis days, but it probably always was this bad, the internet just wasn't as big.

At PAX, I saw Adam Boyes give a huge hug to Chris Carla and they both were excitedly talking about games. So fanboyism really doesn't exist at the corporate level. The way these machines and jobs go- Phil could end up at Sony or Nintendo or who knows where. He's a smart man, and hopefully his words mean something to some of the more disillusioned.
 
why? hes behind. he has incentive to tear down the competition, not promote unity.

lol, why cant he just be a guy that likes games, and is in charge of making a specific console as best he can. Why is that so hard to believe? Why do gaming heads need to be sitting in an office throwing darts at pictures of the competition?

they are people who like games. thats cool.

Honestly i agree, he doesnt seem like hes a sore loser or a sore winner. I think whether he was behind or in front, he would be singing the same tune. Phil gives me the impression that he respects Sony, Nintendo and valve very much. Thats why i like him. Hes, to me, the perfect man for the job. If anyone will turn Xbox around, itll be him.
 
To be fair, it's easy to say you don't want to participate in the console war when you're losing.

It is a good principle, but yeah, this is what it sounds like. Major Nelson used to be a main offender in the past when it came to console war nonsense.
But Sony and Nintendo are also pretty quiet, so I guess we are making progress.
(Not that the occasional hyperbolic PR statement can't be fun though!)
 

Monketron

Neo Member
Wasn't it Xbox who bought the Tomb Raider 2 timed exclusive? actions speak louder than words.

I'm all for first party exclusives. But don't screw over half the player base by throwing money at 3rd party (timed) exclusives (especially franchises previously released on other consoles) and then throw your hands up claiming how bad the console wars are and trying to take the moral high ground.

Saying that I'm actually a fan of Phil, who's clearly a gamer not just a businessman, and he's probably saved Microsoft from complete disaster this cycle.
 

x-Lundz-x

Member
Please partner with Sony for the PlayBox then. I'm tired of having to own two consoles for all the games I want to play.
 
It's similar to sports team rivalries, I'd imagine- among the actual players/staff on the teams it usually ranges from "friendly rivalry" to "don't actually give a shit," it's the fans themselves who adopt the "I root for two teams every week, [my team], and whoever's playing against [rival team]" mentality.
 
I feel like Aaron Greenburg used to express the opposite, when 360 was hot

Ultimately, I think the fanboy wars hit its peak last gen, and MS was encouraging it
 
Honestly i agree, he doesnt seem like hes a sore loser or a sore winner. I think whether he was behind or in front, he would be singing the same tune. Phil gives me the impression that he respects Sony, Nintendo and valve very much. Thats why i like him. Hes, to me, the perfect man for the job. If anyone will turn Xbox around, itll be him.

i think people just get real entwined in the 'console wars' mentality and forget who these people are.

his job is to make xbox better. his job. not his entire purpose in life. its not like to get the job he had to cut his hand open and bleed onto a stone cutout X before chanting to the windows gods.

there are people at the top of both sony and nintendo and xbox who's job may be at that company but they got there because at a base level, they just like games.
 
Honestly, this is what he should be saying, but I doubt many will listen. With that said, it's pretty disgusting out there in the trenches of Twitter, SystemWars forums, and the ilk. It hasn't been like this since the SNES / Genesis days, but it probably always was this bad, the internet just wasn't as big.

At PAX, I saw Adam Boyes give a huge hug to Chris Carla and they both were excitedly talking about games. So fanboyism really doesn't exist at the corporate level. The way these machines and jobs go- Phil could end up at Sony or Nintendo or who knows where. He's a smart man, and hopefully his words mean something to some of the more disillusioned.
Good post. Neogaf isnt without guilt though.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom