With all of the controversy surrounding Microsoft's policies regarding the upcoming XBox One, I pose to you this question: Is Microsoft being treated fairly by consumers?
What time is it? Time to dig in to the issue. It's Jack Time, baby!
Microsoft has never had an easy time when introducing a new Xbox console.
When Microsoft announced in 2001 that they would be releasing a gaming console to directly compete with the highly successful Playstation and Nintendo consoles, most people though that this endeavor would fail miserably. After all, Sega - a gaming company - failed when trying to compete with its Dreamcast console. How could Microsoft, the makers of products like Windows 98 and Microsoft Office, survive in the gaming industry?
Even Microsoft wasn't so eager to attach their corporate name to the XBox brand. It wasn't Microsoft XBox, or XBox by Microsoft ... it was just XBox.
To make things worse, they had to compete with the new Playstation 2, which had already been released since October 2000.
However, Microsoft pulled off a highly successful console launch with stellar titles like Dead or Alive 3, EA sports titles like Madden 2002, and of course, the innovative system-seller, Halo. And the promise of the future addition of XBox Live made the future of multi-player gaming very promising.
The success of the original XBox console, and it's groundbreaking XBox Live service, led to much anticipation when the XBox 360 console was announced during a special broadcast on MTV. The console sold out everywhere when it was released in 2005.
However, soon after launch, many technical issues began to pop up. The most infamous and most frequent problem was referred to as the "Red Ring of Death" in which a ring of red lights indicated a major problem with the console. Some estimates say that 30% of the new consoles experienced these problems. There were also a host of other problems, such as scratched discs and software problems. Microsoft had a lot of work to do to replace faulty consoles and fix software updates. These problems left a sour taste for many console owners.
Sony announced their new Playstation 4 console in February 2013. It wasn't long before Microsoft announced a new console would be on the way, to be revealed on May 21st.
Even before the console reveal, many consumers had already decided to wait until after the console launches before considering a purchase, due to the technical problems of the 360. In addition, unconfirmed rumors already begin to circulate about Digital Rights Management (DRM) policies.
The highly anticipated reveal of the XBox One drew much criticism. The presentation focused mostly on the multimedia functionality of the new console, such as TV shows and sports. There was also a presentation about the new Call of Duty game.
Although Microsoft had previously announced that they would focus on featuring games at the upcoming Electonic Entertainment Expo (E3) just three weeks later, people were still perplexed as to why they didn't showcase games for a new gaming console. Microsoft seemed more focused on promoting the new box as an "entertainment" console, aimed at a broader audience than just gamers. But shouldn't a new gaming console be centered around games?
It was also announced that every console would include a new and improved Kinect motion sensor, which had a mediocre reception on the 360.
After the reveal event, the rumors of DRM policies begin to pick up a lot of steam. Other rumors surface as well, alleging that the new console would require a 24/7 always-online connection, and that you couldn't turn off the Kinect camera. Some rumors even stated that the new console would completely block all used games. People were very concerned about these rumors, and had concerns about privacy issues. Could people hack into your camera and spy into your living room? With recent news regarding a government scandal involving the NSA secretly monitoring cell phone activity, this is indeed a very legitimate concern. Gamers already begin pledging to opt for the Playstation 4 instead of the XBox One - even before any of these rumors are verified.
About a week before E3, Microsoft announces several policies surrounding the DRM and connectivity issues. Unfortunately, many of these policies simply confirmed some of the circulating rumors - although many of the policies weren't nearly as bad as some of the rumors.
The new console would require to check-in online every 24 hours to utilize a new online DRM system that would keep track of your gaming library. If you can't connect to the internet, your games would stop working. The console will not work if the Kinect sensor is not plugged in. (However, they have announced that the Kinect sensor can be turned off.) And there are restrictions on the way people can share their games - even though they announce a new way to share games with others online.
The backlash begins. People are not happy that Microsoft wants to make changes on the way consumers can share, buy, rent, and sell their games, and the internet and media outlets blow up with this news.
Then E3 happened. Sony publicly gives a 1-2-3 punch to the gut of Microsoft. In their press conference, they publicly announce that they will not place restrictions on the way people can share their used games. Also, they announce that the price will be $100 less than the XBox One. Then, a viral video is released that slams Microsoft about the used game issue. (See it here.) With the eyes and ears of the world watching the press conferences, Sony has clearly won the advantage.
It didn't take long until Microsoft realized that they had to make changes. Some of the policies were reversed - there are no longer daily internet requirements, and DRM has been removed altogether, allowing gamers to freely share, sell, trade, and buy their used game discs. This was great news to most people, but some people feel that this change has a significant cost to the direction that Microsoft wanted to take XBox One.
However, the question remains - are gamers being short-sighted? Perhaps Microsoft has a long-term vision of the future that brings forward the future of gaming technology. There's no doubt that the plans for the XBox One brought significant changes to the ways people play games. And there's no question that Microsoft has done a very poor PR job to explain to people WHY they would want to have an always-online connection, or WHY they would want their games to be tracked, or WHY they would want this new Kinect sensor that comes included with every console, or WHY the XBox One has a $100 advantage over the Playstation 4. If Microsoft did a better job in the PR department, people could be excited over new features of the console, instead of looking at it as new restrictions.
The console is months away from release, and there are still plenty more features and details to be announced. So is it fair to be spreading doom-and-gloom rumors - some of which are exaggerated or completely false - about XBox One before all of the facts have been announced? Should gamers already be making decisions about which console to buy? Are the future technological possibilities being overlooked?
With so many questions that have yet to be answered, perhaps gamers could be more patient until all of the facts are released. On the other hand, Microsoft needs to do a much better job convincing the gamers why their vision of the future is all about features, and not just a bunch of restrictions. Show us what the machine can do... not what it CAN'T do.
So with all of the circulating rumors and criticism, have consumers given Microsoft a fair chance? Or did Microsoft blow it?
Perhaps it's somewhere in the middle. Time will tell how this new age of gaming will play out.
Until next time ... It's Jack Time, baby!
Jack
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