Xbox 180: the fallout

Now that Microsoft has decided to do away with all of the anti-consumer restrictions on the Xbox One you would think everything would be okay. But, no. Apparently there is a group of people out there that really liked the policies. I touched on this in my last post, and about the fact that the family sharing was going away with the restrictions. To the people that think that all-digital and game licenses are the future: Just get a gaming PC. PC gaming has been like that for some time now. Services like Steam have grown quite popular delivering people digital downloads of games. And I totally get why some people are into that. It can be very convenient, I'm sure. But console gaming is a different entity from PC gaming. We console gamers continue to want the right to loan our games around, to buy cheap used games, and to have meaningful libraries of games on our shelves. Not pointless discs that eventually won't do anything anymore because some server shut down. Seriously, this isn't meant as an insult or an attack or anything, check out PC gaming. You'll probably really like it!

As for the family sharing issue, I think Angry Joe said it best (NSFW). The people that raised their voices to get Microsoft to change their policies aren't the ones that took family sharing away. Microsoft chose to do that themselves. There doesn't seem to be any reason for it, either. Did they just do it out of spite? They could still implement this feature for digital versions of games if they wanted to, they're just not. So if you want that back, let them know. They're clearly listening. Then again, we never got the full details of the family sharing. There were rumblings about it not letting you share the full game, rather just a demo version, which would be kind of dumb considering most games have demos anyway. Ah, whatever, we'll likely never know for sure.

Lastly there's the conspiracy theory going around. Yes, I'm breaking out the tinfoil! Did Microsoft plan this whole thing? Maybe they announced the restrictions knowing everyone would hate them, hoping that when they reversed their decision everyone would celebrate them for listening to their customer base. It's something that's not completely without precedent. If that was the case here, though, I don't think it worked. In my experience, both online and in my daily life, people are still pretty upset with Microsoft. Going from, "We're gonna screw you good!" to, "Okay, we decided not to screw you," isn't going to make people like you. Oh sure, we're all very happy that the decision was made, and I do plan on getting an Xbox One myself eventually, but it still makes Microsoft look bad. As I said above, console gamers are not PC gamers, and we tend to have long memories. We're not going to just forget that Microsoft tried to impose those restrictions on us. And there's still the fact that Xbox One costs $100 more than PS4, mostly so they can bundle the Kinect in with it, which is something most people don't want in the first place.

I'm not trying to be super negative, here. It was a big deal for Microsoft to change their policies to suit their customers, and, as long as it wasn't a ruse the whole time, they deserve to be applauded for that. I just can't help but think that it's too little, too late. The PS4 is cheaper, has more exclusives, doesn't force a camera on you, and never tried to tell you how you can use your own games. Combine that with all the fantastic looking games coming from Nintendo this year, and Microsoft may have a rocky start with its Xbox One. Only time will tell, though. The PS3 had a rough start, and it eventually wound up passing the Xbox 360 in sales. The 3DS also had a slow start, and it's currently the best selling video game system world wide. We'll just have to wait and see.

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Microsoft pulls an Xbox 180

Boy, I'm glad I posted my feelings about the Xbox One when I did! If you haven't heard already, Microsoft has announced a complete reversal on it's Xbox One policies. You will no longer need to check in to Xbox Live in order to play games, and there will be no restrictions on used games. This is fantastic news, as it addresses two of my major problems with the system.

• With the online requirement gone, there is no longer any worry about games not working in the future. Twenty years from now if I feel like firing up my copy of Halo 5 I will be able to do so, as it should be!

• With used games working the same way they always have, I can now loan a game to a friend, sell it to an independent retailer (or buy a game from one), list it on Craigslist, or do whatever I want with it.

There are still some issues. You still need to connect your system to Live when you initially set it up, but after that you never need to do it again if you don't want to. This could be a concern still for people who live in areas where they can't get high-speed internet, but it's not a complete deal breaker. You can always take your system to a friend's house for that initial setup.

And, of course, there's still the Kinect. But since Microsoft has said we'll be able to turn it off (but not disconnect it) I could see just doing that and covering it up with something while I play. When I'm not playing the Kinect will be disconnected.

There's one negative to all this, though. Apparently the option of sharing a game with up to ten people on your family list has been taken away. I know a lot of people are grumbling about that, but I'll gladly give that up if it means the bad things go with it.

Video game fandom is full of arguments, has been since gen 2 and probably always will be. I know there are some out there that will maintain that the original Xbox One policies weren't bad, and that by reversing them Microsoft are holding us back. In some ways I can understand that argument, but I can't help but see this as a major victory. Here's where I run the risk of sounding all preachy and hoakey, but it's more than just a victory for gamers. It's a victory for consumers in general. We should have the right to use the products we buy as we see fit. Now obviously Microsoft was completley in their rights to make the Xbox One with restrictions like they were going to, but we as consumers told them in no uncertain terms that we didn't like it and weren't going to buy it, and they listened.

So yes, I will be getting an Xbox One. Eventually. The thing's still $500, after all! It's tough to keep up with three consoles at once. Nintendo will continue to be my priority. I'll have to make a decision between PS4 and Xbox One, and right now I'm still leaning towards PS4, but time will tell.

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My problems with the Xbox One

Okay, by now you've probably read all kinds of things about the Xbox One. I doubt I have anything new to add, so I'm going to keep this relatively short.

• Required internet connection: First and foremost, I'm a game collector. I love to play games, but I also love having shelves full of old games that I can pull out and play at any time. The Xbox One is not designed for people like me. The fact that you have to connect to Xbox Live once a day to authenticate, or else your games won't work, means that at any time Microsoft decides to shut down the Xbox One's servers all the games you spent all that money on, the entire system itself for that matter, all become useless. All that money, gone. Now, I know Major Nelson has said they won't do that, they'll change it at the end of the generation so the games will still be playable. Of course he said that. What else would he say? I'm sorry, but Microsoft has given me no reason to trust that that will be true. From a business standpoint it makes much more sense for them to say, "Nope, can't play those games anymore. You should buy our new system! We'll be offering downloadable versions of all the old games there. You'll just have to pay for them again!" Kind of like what Sony is doing with the PS4. The big difference is that my PSX, PS2, and PS3 will still work.
• Used game blocking: This is not just a video game issue, but an issue for all consumers. If I buy a game and decide some time later that I'm done with it, I should be able to sell that game. Whether it's to a major retailer, an independent retailer, on an internet auction site, or just to a friend, I should be able to do whatever I want with it. Now, I'm a collector, so I don't sell my stuff, ever, so this isn't a big problem to me personally, but it's the principle of the matter. There's also the fact that I buy a lot of my games used, and I like to do it from independent retailers. It's my understanding that I won't be able to do that on Xbox One. Only major retailers that sign up with Microsoft's program will be able to carry used games. Not cool.
• Kinect integration: It's always on, it's always watching, always listening. You can't disconnect it or your system will stop working. Why? Oh, because Microsoft wants to collect large amounts of personal data on you and your family, that's why! The new Kinect can see in the dark, can read the emotions on your face, can even tell how fast your heart is beating! Did that new Call of Duty ad get you excited? Kinect can tell, and it's going to send that data off to Activision. Then there's the whole PRISM scandal. Look, it's not my intention to get all political on this blog. If you want to know more about that you can look it up for yourself. Suffice it to say that any kind of camera that's always on and always connected to the internet I don't want in my house. Yes, I know they said you can turn it off, but it still has to listen for voice commands, and you still can't actually disconnect it from the system. If you could do that I'd probably be okay with it.

Those are my major issues with the system. If they dropped those three things I'd gladly pick one up. The games for it look really good, and the features the system has are cool. But I will not support a company the continues to employ those kinds of business practices. Thankfully we have other options. As much as I'd like to play some of the exclusive Xbox One games, I'm going to be sticking with my Wii U and probably buying a PS4. I might consider an Xbox One after gen 8 ends and the always online restriction ends, if it actually turns out that way.

I'd love to hear what you think! If you're all for the Xbox One, tell me why. Post in the comments below. Of course, if you agree with me I'd like to hear that too. Tell me what system or systems you plan to get this generation. And don't forget to follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI. Thanks for reading!