Does Microsoft Deserve Their Current Condition?

Microsoft planned to launch with heavily controlled DRM and is one of the foremost pushers of microtransactions.

Microsoft deserves the ass-whopping their getting. Anyone who votes no is a fanboy.

MS doesn't invest in first party, they hire incompetent engineers (Seriously... You hire 5,000 engineers and all of them got bested by a single man?), they started all the bad crap in gaming (Pay2play peer2peer online gaming, paid DLC, etc.) and if they were in the lead they'd probably have pushed even more anti-consumer practices. If MS weren't so stubborn, they'd have removed pay2play online gaming by now, but they're still clinging onto that fantasy that they'll regain their 360 heyday and make bank off gold subscriptions, which SONY has stolen through their own PS+ subscription. Those days are long gone, but MS is too blinded by greed to accept that fact. As long as SONY continues to charge for online play as well, very few people will buy the current Xbox and future Xbox.

MS should just leave the industry so another company can join. Anyone who isn't a fanboy would agree. Bad competition isn't good for the industry. If google joined the industry, you can bet that online gaming would be free on google's console, forcing SONY to do the same.

Of course.

I'd say they deserved to get walloped at launch, which they did, but everything they have done since then warrants them being in a far better position than they are in now. Hopefully, the market sees and recognizes that as such, if not in the short term, then in the long run.

Don't let MS's actions now fool you. They're only keeping up their "for the gamers" facade to gain back marketshare so they can attempt their anti-consumer practices in the future. Just look at how they're still keeping the Pay2Play online gaming subs. That just proves MS hasn't really changed. They're still dreaming of the days when they were making billions in profit for online gaming subs. Those days are long gone now that SONY is in the massive lead and is also charging for online play. MS is still the greedy company from 2013.

Absolutely, and the problems with the XBox brand started long before just the launch of the XBone. They could have had a crazy amount of franchises to carry them through this generation, but they took it for granted that everyone would fall at the altar of their holy trinity and instead spent tons of money and man-hours to push Kinect. Not to mention, letting Bungie run out the door was one of the single dumbest things a major publisher and platform makers has ever done in the history of gaming. Running Rare into the ground being the second.

Yes, should have put more oooomph into the hardware.

They deserved it, in the past-tense, however people need to let go of the past and realize the console itself and the people who are heading it now are going a completely different direction, a great direction which has made the Xbox One a really good console.

This console doesn't even have a stigma anymore, I think it's just people's unwillingness to let go of things long since past and in general most are expressing over-dramatics.

does ms deserve the position its in? sure, their plan for the xbone initially was horrible. Does Sony deserve the success it's had? hell no, they've done nothing this gen to deserve it really. They're happy to be in cruise control since they dont have to try.

MS dug their own grave at E3 2013. I am honestly surprised the XBone is doing as well as it is.

They royally fucked up in the beginning to where they're still reeling from the effects of the initial reveal. But they're making a turnaround, or at least trying. I can commend that much.

The truth is the decisions you make at your strongest point and at your weakest point is how you define who you are, and what M$ did when they were on top was nothing short of greed. They were absolutely out of control and only cared about making money. If they had taken as much risks as Sony did things won't be like this. Sony, even during their weakest points with the PS3 knew exactly what they could've done in order to make sales, but they insisted on focusing on gamers and pumping out different IPs and taking chances. So, if anything, sony is enjoying the rewards of their devotion and integrity, while Microsoft is being attacked by bad karma.

Exactly. I have absolutely no sympathy.

The deserve it. I hope it gets worse. I could see this gen with sony having a 60/30/20 lead against XBONED and Nintendo.

They deserved all the backlash they got from that E3 and hopefully this gen has been a humbling experience for them, like last gen was for Sony which led them to create the great PS4.

@notafanboy@Shewgenja Why are you posting on two accounts in the same thread, sloppy.

LOL is that what's going on? So it seems like it's a bunch of fanboys in here when really it's only 4 guys with multiple accounts.

I see this board isn't short on conspiracy theories.

@whistle_blower: Funny thing is that online play subs, which MS started, is also biting them in the ass. Average console gamer will probably buy those subs, but there is no way they'll pay for 2. If a gen is 6 years long, PS+ will cost $300 while XBL Gold will got $360. That's ontop of the hardware costs. Given that the PS4 has more games, more quality exclusives, better multiplats, and a thriving multiplayer base, most of them will get the PS4 only. No way will they pay for 2. MS's greedy practices are biting them in the ass.

At first, I was against SONY charging for online play, but it's actually one of the main reasons why Xbone is flopping, so I now support it. If PS4 had free online play, it's probable that many gamers would have bought 2 consoles.

Yes they deserved it. But I couldn't care any less. All my favorite consoles have never been top sellers, for my 32 years of gaming.

As an Xbox gamer, I was honestly disappointed with their May 2013 reveal. Quite possibly the dumbest, idiotic and most backwards thinking a company could even contemplate. A complete embarrassment.

Fast forward NOW, all those policies have been reversed for the good. Anyone denying this is a complete fucking idiot, really. The platform has become more focused, more gamer centric, providing a robust online service (the best console service, really), viable exclusives that most gamers do care about, both current and upcoming, strong 3rd party support, and now B/C feature. And relevant daily updates that are for the most part mostly gamer centric. A UI that is much more improved and efficient than before, again gamer user centric. So far so good, the Xbox One has crossed that battered pot holed road, and the road will only get smoother and paved ahead.

Ya they do, the launching with all that DRM really set them aback, and they only have themselves to blame

Yup. They attempted that shit DRM, they deserve to be in the bed of which they currently lie.

They deserved it, they pushed anti-consumer policies onto everyone and pulled an arrogant reveal.

@mems_1224

Sony does deserve it tbh lol, the strongest survive and the sales prove it. You can say remasters and no games all you want, but Sony marketed well and didn't treat its customers like nothing.

What a sad little fanboy you are... nevermind the fact that you're hiding behind an alt account too.

@Snugenz said:

@notafanboy said:

At first, I was against SONY charging for online play, but it's actually one of the main reasons why Xbone is flopping, so I now support it. If PS4 had free online play, it's probable that many gamers would have bought 2 consoles.

What a sad little fanboy you are... nevermind the fact that you're hiding behind an alt account too.

I'm actually not biased and am not a fanboy. Read my name.

I think it is better if MS left the industry so another, more consumer-friendly company can join the race. SONY is accomplishing just that.

Without a shadow of a doubt, im surpised its doing as well as it is. Some people here put the 360 on a pedestal, but i do not. No amount of exclusives or features could make me overlook the FACT that it was 100% defective, and they continued to sell it!

An annual/monthly subscription and overpriced accessories on top of an admission fee? The lack of investment in first party exclusives, moneyhatting 3rd party games and dlc that everyone should get to play, the list goes on...

The xbox brand is a stinker, and the occassionaly elequent pr statements they put out dont convince me one iota that m$ have turned things around.. Halo5? B/C? Updated firmware? Nice bulletpoints, they look good on paper, but the reality is this, halo 5, like the rest of xbox's exclusives is a glorified mobile game, the b/c is limited and inconvenient (this is supposed to be a console not a pc) same goes for the new firmware.

Hmm...I'm impressed with this thread so far. I'm getting actual detailed answers and not just ambiguous one liners.

lol get out of here

Let's try to stay on topic, guys.

In the beginning....oh hell yes! But they have been firing on all cylinders since hiring Phil Spencer. My XBONE and PS4 get nearly equal playtime. That is truly a feat considering the state of the Bone at launch.

Over-dramatics? I just think people don't want to waste their money lol. MS have come a long way, but that won't change much this gen.

@notafanboy: Yeah, I feared for Sony when they first announced they'll be charging for PSN but I figured it was also inevitable.

Doesn't have to be inevitable. I see this as temporary until MS leaves the industry and another company (Like google) joins the race.

Google probably won't charge for online play (They'll make money through minor ads in your homescreen), which will force SONY to do the same to compete.

LOL you going to hold your breathe on when or if MS is going to leave gaming?

I hope they do.

I love their OS. Windows is the best OS for productivity and software compatibility. It's also very lightweight compared to Macs, which lag and crawl like hell after a few updates. Every major windows update starting from Windows 7 has become lighter and faster than the previous. Windows 7 was faster and more efficient than Vista. 8, despite its ugly UI, was better than 7. Windows 10 is absolutely amazing. It's smooth as hell, low in memory usage and faster than 8/8.1.

I'm planning on buying the surfacebook soon.

I just don't like the Xbox division and hope another company joins the race.

Reality is MS isn't leaving gaming anytime soon whether you or anyone else hopes and prays for it cause the X1 is selling well and the heads of MS said they are happy with the Xbox brand and division. Phil has turned things around and there is some goodwill again between gamers and the Xbox brand cause of the updates and new game announcements. They stumbled badly with the Xbox One which a lot of companies will do but they have recovered pretty good so I don't see them leaving gaming anytime soon, if ever cause there are millions of people that still love their Xbox and the brand. Fanboys love to dislike a certain company cause of things they didn't agree with when all you have to do is not buy the product and they will fix it, to sit there and hate one company like they ran up in your house and stole all your worldly possessions is just dumb. We need competition and if MS was around you think Sony wouldn't have tried and push their camera onto everyone rather than making it an optional thing? They would have been trying to get over on gamers just like MS did and just how all these gaming companies try to do, they dip their toe into something and see if it works and if it doesn't then they changed their minds, it happens all the time.

Of course. You make a product. The public is either interested or not. At the end of the day MS has to make something people want. If people don't want it....that's on MS. Consumer choice.

Yes they are getting exactly what they deserve.

I'd love to see Google enter the console market. But, hopefully they don't come in with too much confidence and think they can do whatever they want ike MS did

What does it say about Sony when they suddenly offer paid memberships after two generations of of allowing people to play games for free on the PS2 and PS3 or still push paid DLC despite being the the top company this generation.

Sony could have fixed alot of the mistakes you slam Microsoft for, but they are perfectly happy counting their sacks of money and making third-parties happy who do want paid DLC to be pushed.

Sony is just blinded by greed, and the only reason why they have been successful this generation is because Nintendo and Microsoft both fumbled the football and Sony picked it up and ran with it.

Nintendo came out with a system that had a terrible gimmick and poor marketing, while Microsoft kept shooting themselves in the foot with bad press up to the Xbox One's launch. Pretty much all Sony had to do was not say or do anything to upset their audience, and they would have been successful.

As for Sony being a consumer friendly company, that is a funny joke. Did you forget that this is the same company that charged 500 bucks for a PS3 and then insulted their fanbase by acting arrogant about it? Or their stance against 2D games in the past?

I'm not saying Microsoft is a saint, but Sony is no better. They could have done any number of positive things to
"repair" the damage that Microsoft had supposedly caused, but they are happy sitting on their throne selling online memberships(that were not needed to play online with any previous Playstation console), pushing DLC(including Call of Duty) and buying up exclusives.

In other words, Sony is playing the same game Microsoft did last generation.

In order to even compete remotely with XBL they had to charge. I remember lots of gamers saying they're fine with paying for it as long as its good

@BigShotSmoov007: Rest assured, I do not have an alt. The butt hurt I have inflicted on this board has Lems like Snugenz going straight loopy.

Being a company with over 250 billion market cap? Sure, why not? LOL

Seriously though, people act like there is some almighty that lays the judgement down of which company deserves what in business. The market decides. MS had some good ideas and I bet off the record most devs were for their no used games policy because they aren't making money from them. But they didn't learn from Sony's mistakes in the previous gen. There is an invisible ceiling to a console's launch price and it seems to be $400. Going over is stupid and doesn't work. They didn't keep their ear to the ground or read forums I guess because plenty were saying don't do the DRM thing. Even Sony said regarding it, they would let MS make the first move and react accordingly.

No MS doesn't, actually they deserve worst.

Well, this thread has done a great job relaying how system warriors really feel about Microsoft

The success of the X360 made Ms believe they are the king of the skies!!!

They come up with the most anti gamers policies and they've gotten what they deserve.

Hope they learn their lesson now!!!

@cainetao11:

Even Sony said regarding it, they would let MS make the first move and react accordingly.

Urban legend : Yoshida explained sony's position in an interview, three months before Xbone reveal. And they maintain it all along.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-21-the-big-interview-sonys-shuhei-yoshida-on-ps4

Eurogamer: One of the questions my readers really want an answer to is whether you're going to block the use of second-hand or 'used' games, because it's a huge concern for them.

Shuhei Yoshida: Do you want us to do that?

Eurogamer: No. I think if you buy something on a disc you have a kind of moral contract with the person you've bought it from that you retain some of that value and you can pass it on. Do you agree?

Shuhei Yoshida: Yes. That's the general expectation by consumers. They purchase physical form, they want to use it everywhere, right? So that's my expectation.

Eurogamer: So if someone buys a PlayStation 4 game, you're not going to stop them reselling it?

Shuhei Yoshida Aaaah. [Asks PR adviser.] So what was our official answer to our internal question? [Consults adviser.] So, used games can play on PS4. How is that? "

"

Launch with a shitty weak UGLY AS SIN console, with DRM, a stupid expensive peripheral and focus on Television...YES, YES they deserve it all and more.

yes.

100% correct.

I think they've done some good since but overall the massive amount of arrogance they've shown since the start has just spelled their torrential downfall.

Nothing on the system appeals to me really, hell I don't want a single "next-gen," console right now but if I had to pick one Microsoft's Xbone would be last on my list.

@notafanboy: sounds like someone is mad they can't afford $50 a year. Stay mad fanboy.

I agree with you on that. I just argue that they'd be in a far better position if they had cultivated IP during last-gen rather than having to wing it this gen.