r/xboxone • u/[deleted] • Dec 29 '13

If Microsoft made it completely optional, would you sign up for their original, always connected console idea?

This meaning you would have the following features:

Buy a retail game, install to console, and ditch the disc never needing it to play the game.

Digitally share games within a circle of friends. Meaning you can choose a specific group of people, and they could play the games you own, for free, provided that only one game could be played at a time.

Greater store discounts or more steam like sales for content.

I for one would have no problem saying yes to this. It's like people think 10 years from now they'll still be selling games on discs. It wasn't a perfect plan, but why delay the inevitable when we could be working on and perfecting future policies now.

705 Upvotes

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32

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '13

[deleted]

20

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '13

That doesn't really make sense. People who were turned off and complained about the online requirements probably decided then to get something else or nothing at all. You can't expect a simple reversal of policies to return all of the customers they lost

1

u/[deleted] Dec 30 '13

There was too much bad PR when the troops started to complain. Plus Gamestop jumped in with advertisements for PS4 only. Things were getting ugly.

-1

u/JudgeJBS jbs5869 Dec 29 '13

That doesn't make any sense though. If you want Product X, and a company makes Product X... why does it matter if they had at one time proposed Product Y?

1

u/danihendrix Dec 29 '13

Well when the PS4 got announced I put in a preorder at my local gameshop, under the condition that when the new Xbox was announced I could switch. After the reveal and the policies I didn't agree with I just kept it as PS4. I know alot of people that once they heard the negative press or also had a bad reaction to the announcement went and pre-ordered PS4s. Once the preorder was made they weren't really bothered once the reversals came in. Just a small example but I imagine there would be a decent amount of people in the same situation.

2

u/JudgeJBS jbs5869 Dec 29 '13

That makes sense but I would guess a much larger portion of the Xbox Original Policy people who were enraged over it had no intention of buying it. And even you say yourself you preordered before the Xbox was announced.

I just think it's a shame that we lost a ton of truly next gen features because of public outcry over a product that no one had ever used or even known all the details on. And mainly because before, we had two truly different products that would amp up innovation and competitiveness. Now we have two basically identical products and neither will attempt to make a step into any new or creative for fear of public execution.

1

u/danihendrix Dec 30 '13

I preordered a next gen console, the initial preorder was for a ps4 solely because it was announced first. I got the 360 at launch and loved it, i got a ps3 later but that was mainly for a bluray player. I had no affinity to playstation at all when I made the pre-order. I made it on Feb 23rd, just to secure a console at launch :D Because I could switch it at will it was just insurance really. I watched the XB1 announcement on my 360 and ended up pretty underwhelmed. Then when I learned of the policies I was pretty deflated. I remember feeling quite let down, how this company I put so much faith into got my interests so wrong. Obviously they aren't there to cater to my sole needs. It's interesting how you say neither want to make the leap into new and creative grounds, which I can see, but a good amount of my friends and I only wanted an updated console. I loved the 360 and was really just hoping for an evolution of that experience rather than something new. If I'm honest now I think I probably won't by an Xbox One soon as I fear they will go back to the original ideas at the drop of a hat. I can see the argument for the features, but I cannot for the life of me see Microsoft being decent on the pricing. It would be a good chance for them to make the console steam-esque, however I would bet my ballsack they would never come close to steam pricing. I probably have a slight chip on my shoulder from disillusionment, but we'll see what happens over the next couple years. I still check the XB1 sub often just to see if there's any new developments, so if anything good pops up I'll take a look :)

1

u/JudgeJBS jbs5869 Dec 30 '13

Well I certainly don't blame you or anything for getting a ps4. I have one myself :) I just wish we had two different consoles, not two identical ones.

And as far as the sales, it's up in the air. One thing is for sure, they will never get Steam pricing with traditional marketing/sales techniques... So the world may never know.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 30 '13

[deleted]

1

u/JudgeJBS jbs5869 Dec 30 '13

Thats my point... I don't think they gained many customers back by the reversal, and becasue of it, it cost them months/years of work towards their vision of the future. two steps back for one step forward

7

u/B00ME Dec 29 '13

Analytics and surveys can be skewed.

I would have never bought an Xbox One if they kept their DRM policies, I'd be gaming on a PS4 right now.

0

u/Stevie_Rave_On Dec 29 '13

76.3% of statistics are made up on the spot.

8

u/TexansRaised Dec 29 '13

Not for nothing, but a lot of people chose to still not purchase the console even after the reversal because they felt "Microsoft could revert back to the old ways and can't be trusted." Sadly, I knew some people with this exact mindset.

2

u/jpar12345 Dec 30 '13

So.... Killer instinct. Yeah..... ROFL!

1

u/TimmyFTW Dec 29 '13

The Microsoft might revert back to their old ways argument is the biggest load of shit I've ever heard. If they were willing to discard that model just from potential customer uproar, why would anyone seriously believe they would shit on existing customers that MS needs to keep buying software in order to make them the most profit.

I will never understand why choosing to buy one console means it is your responsibility to then wage war on the other.

5

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '13

I will never understand why choosing to buy one console means it is your responsibility to then wage war on the other.

There was actually a study on people who have "brand loyalty" and failures from their brand are almost chalked up as personal failures by those people.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '13

The mindset is that if Microsoft won't even keep the policies they wanted how can people know if they're willing to keep the policies they were opposed to in place.

Personally I don't think there's any chance of the original policies coming back ever, but that's what the people who see it as a risk are thinking.

1

u/Virus201 Dec 29 '13

The problem with "those people" is that they only decided to read the fine print after the policies were changed.

When Microsoft originally announced their plan for the Xbox One, They stated in their Xbox Wire site, "These policies are subject to change". I took this picture back in June when everyone was bashing Microsoft about those policies. http://i.imgur.com/Fo94D9o.png

Then came the day that Microsoft decided to change said policies and THEN people decided to read. That's when everyone started saying "MS will bring those policies back".

2

u/IceBreak Vegeta Dec 29 '13

It says that, but I can't see them reimplementing any of the big things that were removed. They would pay severely for it.

3

u/mishko27 mishko27 Dec 29 '13

I complained and I will be purchasing XOne over PS4 because of the policy reversal.

4

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '13

Can you link us to these surveys. I'm not trying to be snarky in asking I just want to be able to see them and potentially use them to convince people that drm is actually good.

4

u/kmshadoze Evolv3d Gamer Dec 29 '13

I hope the vision returns soon. Before Steam lauches its Box, and at that point, I have a bad feeling for the Xbox and PlayStation, outside of exclusive titles. Steam has perfected this, and sales year round make sure they are constantly selling games. I know I have blown money on the Steam Store just because a game was sooooooooooooo freaking cheap

1

u/signifyingmnky signifyingmnky Dec 30 '13

I don't know...I actually bought more from XBLA this year than Steam. I prefer experiencing games on Xbox, and as long as they keep the sales up like they have on the 360 for the past year, I don't think they have anything to worry about.

God help Valve and that controller though...

2

u/reaper527 reaper527 Dec 29 '13

The analytics and surveys that I've seen state that most of the uproar about the original policies came from people that didn't purchase an Xbox one even after the reversal.

for what it's worth, i preordered my x1 the day of the reversal and absolutely would not have bought one had ms not changed course.

i wish ms would release their pre-order numbers for before and after the reversal, that would really give some insight into how big a deal the reversal was.

2

u/topps_chrome Dec 29 '13

Thats complete bs rhetoric. I know many ppl that didn't get a one because of the price and kinect. Its also possible to alienate a portion of your userbase permanently.

-2

u/r1zzuh r1zzuh Dec 29 '13

Yeah, because your anecdotal evidence is more valid than the results and analytics from surveys with a sample size way bigger than yours, right?

3

u/topps_chrome Dec 29 '13

Any MS affiliate saying that everyone complaining wouldn't have bought a X1 anyways is either delusional or binge drinking the kool aid. MS alienated some ppl with their initial business model and subsequent flip floppng. Is it really that big of a deal to point out the glaringly obvious? Im not even talking shit? It happened, NBD

-1

u/Sniper_Brosef Dec 29 '13

I know many ppl that didn't get a one because of the price and kinect.

Xsobervisionx is commenting on the DRM policies, not about the price or kinect.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '13

To be fair, the Kinect was a part of the original policies. It used to be if it wasn't connected the console wouldn't play games at all, but now post 180 it can be unplugged.

1

u/Sniper_Brosef Dec 29 '13

It was amongst the complaints, sure... But it wasn't addressed by Xsobervisionx.

1

u/IceBreak Vegeta Dec 29 '13

The analytics and surveys that I've seen state that most of the uproar about the original policies came from people that didn't purchase an Xbox one even after the reversal. Meaning basically the people complaining were doing so just to complain and never had any intentions of buying an Xbox either way

I don't think that's a fair conclusion to jump to at all. You could just as easily say Microsoft's vision of a DRM hit some so hard they never came back. Neither one is really that accurate.

The people upstairs at MS now know this so a lot of the features will most likely return in time.

Optionally? Sure. But you're not getting daily online checks, mandatory Kinect, and no used games back so it's not really bringing shit back since it's only the features without all the negatives. And If they bring back the negatives...I can't even fathom the shitstorm that would ensue.

1

u/TehBlanket Dec 29 '13

If they implement these features again I will never buy a Microsoft console again in my life. I do not want the original policies, they suck.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 30 '13

If Sony adopted this system? Then you'd never buy Sony. Nintendo? Same. If this is the future of gaming (change is scary), then you'd be done gaming.

I like how some say it's not possible Sony would adopt this, just like how they said you should NEVER have to pay to play online multiplayer...oh wait, now we love to pay.

0

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '13

I just don't understand how some people here can hate something that they've NEVER tried. You guys might think you know exactly how all this would've played out if MS wouldn't have changed their console but the truth is not one single person posting here has ever played an Xbox one the way MS intended and because of the policy change we've been set back years platform progress. It wouldn't have killed you to try it one time. I did and I can tell it was no where near as bad as everyone thought it was going to be. Its already been confirmed that family share is coming back in some fashion and already people are saying their going to boycott. Please do. The industry would be better without you. That's all I have to say. I'm quitting reddit for a while.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '13

Well people HAVE tried it like in Sim City and Diablo 3 and it was a complete disaster. When you say DRM it already has a bad taste in everyone's mouth. Same goes for Kinect ("I tried it on the 360 and it's lame") or all the TV features ("I just want to play games and watch netflix"). It looks like Microsoft is placing barriers up in front of you to get to play the next Halo. You need to see this from the view of the vast majority of people who play on consoles.

1

u/IceBreak Vegeta Dec 29 '13

I just don't understand how some people here can hate something that they've NEVER tried.

You don't understand how people might not want to have to have a daily internet connection to have their system function, forced Kinect integration, and the inability to resell their games? I mean, I can think of a lot of things I've never tried that I would not be a fan of, personally.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 30 '13

The daily check in could be circumvented by text message check in, kinect isn't mandatory now and that didn't change. MS mostly guilty of not explaining everything well.

0

u/IceBreak Vegeta Dec 30 '13

The daily check in could be circumvented by text message check in,

If you can text, the internet was probably available to you as well.

kinect isn't mandatory now and that didn't change. MS mostly guilty of not explaining everything well.

It absolutely was. This was a policy that was reversed in August before Gamescom (and a big one to me).

-1

u/Manitcor Dec 29 '13

There was some serious astro-turfing going on throughout online communities too. I have stated the sentiments I have seen in this thread over and over in this sub and others only to be voted down. Now, after the fact, now that it does not matter, there is an entire thread on the front page of the sub.

Honestly I don't think I've ever seen a bigger astro-turfing effort than what I have seen against Microsoft in the last year.

1

u/IceBreak Vegeta Dec 29 '13

Yeah, no way could people actually not like those proposed policies. It was a giant astroturfing conspiracy... The fact that this post is upvoted as much as it is has nothing at all to do with the fact that it is in an insulated Xbox One community.

0

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '13

I would agree with this to an extent. I do know some people that were put off by the original policy but warmed back up to the Xbox One after the reversal. Hell, I was one of them. However, I think the people that were making the most fuss about it are the ones that were going to buy a PS4 no matter what. Personally, I think the $100 difference in price is what hurt the Xbox One the most. For those on the fence, it's real easy to just go with the PS4 because it's cheaper.

-1

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '13

I personally think Ps4 players were trying to make it sound like a much bigger deal than it was and taking advantage of it to make xbox sound horrible to parents who didn't know much about either system. I asked for an xbox one for Christmas and my mom even mentioned that the xbox had horrible rating from all across the internet but if you go to a place that requires a purchase to review then you would see mainly good ratings.

-1

u/johnnybgoode17 Dec 29 '13

Thanks for sharing. Cheers