GS News Update: Xbox One DRM/online controversy "hurt me personally" says Phil Spencer

New Xbox head responds to last-years criticism of the Xbox One, but says that their system is built "for the right reasons."

[GeofferyPeterson]

I know other things that would like to personally hurt him too.

[Kingthrash360]

now, now. no violence.
but is it me or is he now the top pr guy?
i mean he's the boss of xbox but he spends most his time talking about how sorry he is and how he was "hurt" about the drm and such policies.
like damage control mixed with sympathy or somethin.
we, know you stood quiet and defended the policies back then. we can see you "feel bad" for it.
but the more you pull the sympathy card the more i begin to think your just saying it to get them customers who's trust you lost back. like you really dont care nor are you "hurt ". sure didn't hurt back then when you cashed your check.
you are the boss now..and a gamer boss at that and thats good...so please enough with the sorry card and bring on the games.

[Ritsujun]

Don't give up, MS!!!!!!!!!

[GarrusVakarian]

Sorry Phil, im liking your new direction for Xbox and you are saying all the right things that gamer wanna hear....but we aren't stupid. You were 110% behind DRM. I find it hard to believe that it hurt you on a personal level.

[Gazondaily]

@Lukas

Maybe he was towing the company line as he is supposed to. It's not like he could say, I think its a bad idea. You think he would be the head of Xbox today if he did that lol?

Phil Spencer actually wasn't all vocal about the whole DRM thing either at the time as much as Larry Hyrb and Don Mattrick were on it.

[GarrusVakarian]

@Septic

Oh yeah, of course, he had no choice but to go along with it, even if he didn't like it. But as other people have mentioned, he surely knew beforehand the backlash that would ensue due to those anti-consumer policies.

This is just PR talk, anyone who really believes that he was hurt on a personal level from DRM backlash needs to re-evaluate their view on a company who is there to make money off of you. Same goes for anyone who is head over heels in love with any of the higher-ups Sony.

[Imalwaysright]

Lukas Do you know him personally? Did you talk with him on this subject? If not how did you arrive to that conclusion? If yes forget what I just said.

Edit All I got from that is that in your mind, Phil or anyone that works for a company isn't allowed to have his/her own values and has to agree with everything the higher ups do or else... Things aren't always black and white.

[Gazondaily]

"This is just PR talk, anyone who really believes that he was hurt on a personal level from DRM backlash needs to re-evaluate their view on a company who is there to make money off of you. "

Oh yeah I always take statements like that with a pinch of salt.

He's has worked hard and clawed his way up MS to the position he is at now. Only now does have the reins on the direction for the Xbox brand. The corporate suits simply didn't get it and maybe, instead of this 'personal hurt', he was thinking 'wtf man...these guys don't get it'.

Phil Spencer gets it, hence why MS have resorted to putting him in charge. Personal hurt or not, I'm sure he was dismayed at MS' earlier policies or at least frustrated at they way the went about dealing with it.

[GarrusVakarian]

@Septic

"instead of this 'personal hurt', he was thinking 'wtf man...these guys don't get it'. "

Definitely. When that whole DRM fiasco was happening, i could definitely tell that MS thought they were in the right.

I dunno...call me cynical, but i just can't believe that an exec for MS could feel hurt on a personal level by the reactions from gamers over those DRM policies. Part of his job right now is to steer the Xbox brand in the right direction, i see quotes like the above as attempts of doing that, not as sincere statements.

@Imalwaysright

"All I got from that is that in your mind, Phil or anyone that works for a company isn't allowed to have his/her own values "

No. Of course higher-ups are just people too.....i'm not calling Phil an empty husk of a man who is *only* interested in my wallet. But as i said above, look at his current job title and the things MS are recovering from in relationship to the things he is saying.

[truefan1]

Gosh dangit Phil, quit sucking up to these ps4 fans it's starting to sound pathetic. I never even had a problem with drm to begin with. Sony released a statement months ago saying over 90% of their users were connected, we'll I would expect it to be even higher for XB1. Stop making MSFT into a pathetic company, I would rather you guys have the bully stigma. Releasing all these updates and improving the console is what is gaining the momentum, not these pathetic apologies. Just let it go and focus on kicking a$$ at E3, that is how you win over the couple of gamers lost. About 16 million consoles in when over 200 million are bought. Over 90% of gamers have no idea what drm is, hell I just learned when i started reading gaming websites. All in all XB1 has been a blast to own and is getting better everyday, focus on that.

PS i like Phil alot, but I hate this sucking up to ps4 fans.

@those below me, who else would he be talking to, XB1 fans bought the console anyway, the Wii U was already out for months, so that leaves ps4 fans and those who switched. One apology was all that was needed, in my world constant apologies make you look weak. This has nothing to do with me being bitter it's truth, focus on the freaking future instead of reminding everyone about a blunder in the past. These are video games no one was hurt, he has apologized like someone was hurt lol.

For the longest time pc games have had a cd-key and no one complains. You guys call yourselves gamers, but then resale games or rent them. Just look at those infamous sales as proof.

@lukas you said so many dumb things I won't try to explain them all.

[DragonKnight]

Phil is the one that said they were 100% committed to the original vision AFTER the DRM was removed, now he's saying that the controversy and backlash over it hurt him personally? Yeah right Phil.

Actions speak louder than words. You say you're about the games, then work to prove it, but if the DRM comes back like you implied it's going to, remember that no one will forget a day like today.

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about.

http://www.theguardian.com/...

@truefan1: I've seen a lot of stupid written in comments before, but your comment really takes the cake. The idea you Xbox fanboys have that ONLY Sony fans had a problem with the DRM (and the disturbing reality that you DON'T have a problem with it, like so many Xbox fanboys) is not only wrong, it's laughable. The DRM was a problem for pretty much everyone but the most hardcore of Microsoft fanboys, that's why it was changed. Not because of Sony fans, but because of the overwhelming majority of gamers who do NOT want a corporation telling them what they can do with their games, and do NOT want their single player, offline games ceasing to function if Kinect wasn't connected and a network connection wasn't established.

The DRM was B.S. and even people in a vegetative state were against it.

[GarrusVakarian]

@Truefan1

Wow.

" I would rather you guys have the bully stigma"

" quit sucking up to these ps4 fans it's starting to sound pathetic."

You openly admit to rather having MS be BULLIES?! And your second quote just goes to show that all you care about is getting one-ups over Sony and Sony fans, it doesn't even say anywhere in the article that his statement was directed at PS4 fans, your mind is so jaded. How can you call yourself a gamer? I pity you, truly. You are so bitter and so poisonous about *everything*.

Also, don't try and make out that he is apologising to PS4 fans only, as if it was only PS4 fans who had a problem with the DRM. I was 95% a 360 gamer last gen, i hadn't even made up my mind about which console i was going to get first until i heard about the DRM. It went against everything i believed in as a gamer, so i went with PS4 first. Only someone as ignorant as you would believe that there weren't gamers from BOTH camps who were strongly against those power hungry, controlling, anti-consumer policies.

"Sony released a statement months ago saying over 90% of their users were connected, we'll I would expect it to be even higher for XB1. "

So what? That same 90% of people now have the option trade, sell, borrow their games at will and can play them offline or online, because gamers stood up for themselves. I am beyond glad that it turned out the way it did. The negatives for the consumer heavily outweighed the positives. The people who had the most to gain from DRM were MS and publishers.

They tricked people like you into thinking that having almost no control over the things you purchase is better than the freedom we have had for decades. And for what?....not having to get up and change discs....the ability to have a nice digital library? Screw that, i want 1000% control over the things i buy, i don't want a multi-billion dollar company telling me when i can and can't play my X1, or that i can't trade my games in for other games or cash.

[morganfell]

Apparently the DRM controversy didn't hurt him as much as his paycheck made him feel good.

He can say what he wishes and some people will swallow it but the fact is the matter wasn't so important that his personal beliefs were not for sale.

[GarrusVakarian]

Also@ Treufan1

" quit sucking up to these ps4 fans it's starting to sound pathetic"

I thought about the above quote further and it doesn't even make sense...think about it, what possible reason would the XBOX HEAD have to "suck up" to PS4 fans? If he was sucking up, it would be to his fanbase.....not to the opposition who don't even own that console.

Your comment just reeks of someone who's is beyond bitter with anything Playstation, to accuse your own head of Xbox of sucking up to the opposition. Spinning Phils comment to create a dig at PS4 fans.....crazy.

[Eonjay]

@truefan1

You get a lot of resistance because your comments come across as manic. I was never the biggest fan of Xbox but I am not in love with Sony. I don't exist to serve them and make them feel happy. I am not their bitch. When Sony makes a mistake we don't give them a free pass (sometimes I think we are too hard on them but whatever... it comes with the job). Just because you fell to your knees before Microsoft told you to bend over doesn't mean that anyone else wants to walk that path of corporate worship.

The only thing that seems to upset you is an admission by Microsoft that striping property rights was a bad idea.

[AceBlazer13]

Phil, your the 1 guy at Xbox I can tolerate but I know bullshit when I see it.Only thing that hurt you personally was what your paycheck would've been.

Looking at truefan's comment, how can anyone say Xbox fanboys aren't the worst.

Damn i reread truefan's comment and it's killing me a bit inside. I've read and made some dumbass comments on here but this guy took the cake and ate it.

[Gekko36]

@lukas

DRM is not the bogeyman!. I do NOT care about selling games, sharing games or buying second hand games.

You may feel that I am being selfish, but I don't care about children wanting to trade either. My 2 boys buy games new and they stay on the shelf until they feel like playing them again.

The benefits of sharing online and running games without the disk were great for us.

So these issues are not what you wanted when you were going to buy your Xbox One and you either chose a PC or the Sony Branded Competitor.

The point is for all of the core fans that squealed and ranted and had tantrums on the floor, there were people like me who couldn't care less.

We buy our games new and don't sell them
We were happy to share games in a Friends list
We weren't interested in trading in
24 Hour Check... We weren't bothered
Kinect spying us while fooling around with my husband (gay marriage...what can you do!) Fine, go for it, we were never interested... We are Welsh.

All of those things that upset people like you, didn't bother us at all.

The fact that is bothered you is irrelevant to us. We don't know you nor do we care what you own.

As a parent, I'll buy what ever my kids want. So when they ask for an Xbox One for the Winter Solstice, we bought it without question and didn't care if there was anti consumerism attached. The boys would be playing games and having a laugh which is the point of a TOY.

[Eonjay]

Gekko36

You make an interesting point. I disagreed though because I also buy new. I believe in supporting developers but I only buy new if its available. However, I still respect the rights of all consumers besides myself. I supported the removal of Microsoft Draconian used game policy because it is my right to trade or sell my property as I see fit. I choose not buy used but I do not relinquish my right to do so and I support other people who choose to sell their property.

It is principal. Its yours, You bought it. Companies are always looking at ways to take your property away from you. Because there are rights you have as an individual to your property. The threat of shutting down a game console for not checking in means that the Xbox wouldn't be yours either. I might have been okay with keeping mine always online, but I refuse to do so under threat. Its mine. I paid for it. Its my property.

[christocolus]

@septic

I totally agree. Phil was a lot more quiet during that whole issue. I dont blame those who supported it back then either cos Don was the boss and they had no option than to go with it.

There is no doubt about this. MS has seen the error of their ways and have recognised Phils genuine commitment and positive efforts to the brand. Julie liarson worked with him briefly too and i guess she had great things to say about the guy to the new CEO. Phil is a great guy and all he says isnt always about pr imo if people will accuse him of that then let it be same for all the beloved sony and nintendo execs too.

[MeLoveRamen]

yea I think that phi is now the new top pr guy and thats a smart move from a business stand point. he is probably the only guy that talks to xboys about they things they want to talk about. But for me it doesn't really matter how much pr they do i probably will never buy the xbox1 until Microsoft can show me that they can support their platform for a whole generation, so maybe the next xbox if Microsoft hits all the right notes with it.

[-Foxtrot]

@christocolus

Quiet? Phil has been making his mouth go the most SINCE the Xbox One reveal. If you look before the reveal you hardly ever saw Phil go on as much as this.

I highly doubt he was hurt by it, just something he wants to say so guliable gamers will be like

"Oh man Phil was really hurt by the Xbox Ones old vision, god I'm so glad he's in charge of the Xbox division now, since he's relating to me as a gamer I might trust MS now"

It's basically the reason why he was picked to be the head of Xbox....trust. Microsoft needed someone to front their "For the gamers" strategy after the "Kinect, TV, Sports, all in one device" wasn't working so they got the only guy in the Xbox branch gamers would listen to the most...Phil Spencer. That is why he's the head now, to front a turn around campaign, telling us what we want to hear. What he's just said is a perfect example of that.

Just think of everything Phil has said over the past month, do you really think all this would of worked as well if they got another suit like Don Mattrick?

@Imalwaysright

"Lukas Do you know him personally? Did you talk with him on this subject?"

lol...can't you say the exact same for people actually believing 100% into his PR talk?

[maniacmayhem]

I watch a lot of House of Cards and other type of shows of that nature. I wouldn't be surprised of these guys (the Phil's) let Mattrick go ahead with the DRM vision knowing full well it wouldn't work just to push that guy out and get them in a better place.

Yea, I know, huge stretch.

Anyways, what hurt them the most wasn't the DRM it's that none of these guys had a clear precise answer when asked about DRM. Nobody knew the details. Harrison was saying one thing about trade-ins while Larry Hyrb was saying another. Then you had Mattrick being a complete dick by saying "get a 360", Adam Orth fired, and everyone in between skirting the subject.

Console gamers are not ready for this type of DRM. For MS to force it on their user base all at once and especially coming off of the Sim City ordeal should have been a huge hint for them. In Fact having to get rid of Orth should have had alarms going off.

Well anyways Phil needs to put this behind him and move forward. He admitted it was a mistake, so there should be no need for him to dwell on it.

[gaffyh]

What I've noticed with Phil recently, he is commenting on anything in order to come out as "looking good", and is promising things, even if by hinting, that are probably nowhere near to happening.

[kreate]

He was hurt by the outcry.
Not becuz he thinks the original policy was annoying.

[HonestDragon]

We will have to see what Phil Spencer does, but he still has a long way to go before everyone can consider his statements to be genuine. Cautious reservation is key here.

@ truefan1

I know you don't make any effort to hide your Microsoft fanboyism or hatred for Sony, but your comments here are beyond asinine.

"...quit sucking up to these ps4 fans it's starting to sound pathetic."

I highly doubt Spencer is trying to accommodate PS4 owners. At this point in time, I'm sure anyone who has bought a new generation console has already made their choice. What I believe Spencer is trying to do is tell gamers that he will take Xbox One in a more favorable direction so gamers don't feel isolated. Granted, it still sounds like a positive PR quote, but it's something.

"Stop making MSFT into a pathetic company, I would rather you guys have the bully stigma."

I agree with Lukas on this. You WANT Microsoft to be BULLIES?! The hell is wrong with you?

"Over 90% of gamers have no idea what drm is, hell I just learned when i started reading gaming websites."

Ninety percent, huh? Any source to prove that? Instead of pulling fictional facts out of your rear end, why don't you admit that in the internet age it's impossible for gamers to not know what DRM is. Sim City, Diablo III, World of Warcraft, League of Legends, Steam, and the original Xbox One DRM have all been covered from top to bottom. I find it difficult to believe that ninety percent of gamers don't know what DRM is.

"For the longest time pc games have had a cd-key and no one complains. You guys call yourselves gamers, but then resale games or rent them."

That is because computers are practically used for anything and everything involving the internet. It took awhile for games to be sold digitally and have DRM on PC, but it eventually got there because everyone is online anyway. These are consoles we are talking about. I grew up in the age of when sharing games and bringing over consoles was commonplace and it still is to this day.

I don't want to be told when and where I can play my games. I don't want pointless peripherals bundled with my system. I don't want companies telling me what to do with the products I buy. I want my consumer rights intact. But apparently you are content with being told what to do and how to think. All for what? To be able to control your entertainment system with your voice and buy things digitally? Grown out of using a remote control or swapping physical discs have we?

[HonestDragon]

@ Gekko36

Reading your comments, it's clear to me that you are an Xbox fanboy and possibly even a racist. The things you say about the Japanese are undeniably offensive. Go ahead and look at his comment history. It's ripe with forced bigotry.

"I do NOT care about selling games, sharing games or buying second hand games."

Yet, later on in your comment, you mention about the benefits of sharing games online. So...you DO care in some capacity.

"The point is for all of the core fans that squealed and ranted and had tantrums on the floor, there were people like me who couldn't care less."

And that is why people like you scare me. So blindingly willing to let companies step all over you. So long as you can get your precious products, you don't care how it affects the video game market or careers.

"As a parent, I'll buy what ever my kids want. So when they ask for an Xbox One for the Winter Solstice, we bought it without question and didn't care if there was anti consumerism attached."

Then you clearly need to do more research when buying your children something. If you simply buy them whatever they want, I highly question your parenting skills just as much as I question your judgments on buying products without any thought or care. This is also why the ESRB is so adamant that parents educate themselves.

[Giul_Xainx]

This is a mixed up feeling article. Still not interested in even reading it.

[Charybdis]

Can't even imagine the amount of personal threats the guy received after microsoft DRM policy reveal. Fan boys can push it too far.

He has been at his new position as head of the xbox devision for a week I am glad to see that his focus is on games and listening to gamers. Since he has been in his new position for a week I hope to see some more changes soon. Pretty sure that there are people already expecting major changes of policies and reveals after one week but it might take a few more weeks before show and tell and any changes might be implemented.

[Eonjay]

Well, to be honest, as head of Xbox his job is to run a profitable business. This means managing their studios, hardware, partnerships, customer relations, promotions, and the budget that they all must exist within.

[Utalkin2me]

He new the feedback that he and MS was going to get from that. It was speculated and rumored all of long, prior to the showing of Xbox1. But did phil or MS change it? No they did not, not until more people spoke out about not getting the machine and Sony was in the drivers seat.

[OldGirl]

So well said. Everyone knew it was coming long before the Xbox One was even released or even announced for that matter. The uproar was just as big but did Microsoft care then or only when they saw the direct feedback would impact sales when they actually revealed the console?

Clearly the latter of the two.

[ceedubya9]

In Phil's defense, he wasn't exactly in a position to change anything. Now he is, and we will see how things go from here.

[esemce]

Yep they saw the PS4 pre order and thought 'we dun f**cked up' That's what made everyone at Microsoft feel personally hurt.

MS show their true colours and they proved they were all about the profit/greed and not the gamers or the games industry.

[k3rn3ll]

Sony changed their stance on the issue following the xbox keynote. Simple as that. They were going to introduce the same policies as well but had the good fortune of being one day later on schedule. Simple as that

[Magnes]

It's called growing a pair, people stand up for what they believe in all the time. How many times have you heard about people with creative differences leaving a company, must not have hurt him to bad.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Growing a pair said person with "a user name" on the internet. LOL

[k3rn3ll]

If anything you just backed the dude by saying he believes in xbox. As he has said all along and immediately following e3 uproar said he didn't care the way xbox unveiled policies as they didn't do a good job explaining positives. Dude is the real deal. Its not like he couldn't go elsewhere and make money. The fact that he stuck around shows he's a good guy

[kenshiro100]

truefan...learn something called paragraphs. And seriously, that's a really dumb comment.

[Blaze929]

honestly I still don't know why we can have some of the DRM features like Game Share returning.

I had no issues with the original Xbox plan. Just funny how people who never even intended to buy it - cried so loud and made them change.

Not everyone had a problem with it...but hey, keep holding technology advancements back for "personal" values

[rainslacker]

What's even funnier is all those Xbox fans out there that probably would have brought it that weren't pre-ordering the system that made MS change as well. I bet the people at MS were laughing hysterically over how hilarious that way.

[SoulSercher620]

Is that why the preorder numbers were so lopsided in PS4's favor because of ONLY people who were never gonna buy the Xbox One?

You seem to forget that MS didn't take down the DRM policies after E3 even after the huge outcry from gamers including Xbox loyalists, so they repaid their ignorance by preordering the PS4 instead. The only people that DIDN'T have a problem with DRM were the diehard Xbox fanboys who supported the policies simply because it was MS. After MS saw that huge difference they had no choice but to change them or risk being phased out.

DRM policies like that are a cancer to gaming and shouldn't be supported by anyone. Ever.

[randomass171]

"I know other things that would like to personally hurt him too."

Ouch dude. Really?

[Eonjay]

There seemed to be a huge disconnect between what Don Mattrick's vision for Xbox was versus consumer interest period. That being said, I believe that EA was looking to Microsoft to lead the charge. What I find curious is that Microsoft wasn't better prepared in light of hate that was flung at EA for their DRM debacles. EA knows it can't go it alone because Activision would eat them alive, so they sacrificed Microsoft up to Sony. And Microsoft fell for it.

So, lets hope Microsoft got a good deal for Titanfall because I believe that EA is the real culprit here. At the time of the E3 reveal, the DRM was still a go and that is where EA wanted Titanfall.

[Volkama]

EA had their controversies, but I'd say the best case study MS could have followed was Activision's Diablo 3. The internet blew a gasket over the online requirement on that one.

EA, Activision, Ubisoft and any other publisher stood to benefit from an always online console, which is pretty much the reason you know it is still only a matter of time.

[Kavorklestein]

Even still, an entire console having DRM makes more sense than one dungeon-crawling title does.
I am not for DRM, but it makes sense why people were mad about something like Diablo 3 having drm Lol like it really needed it when despite how heavily pirated Diablo 2 was, it has always been considered a game that sold very well. They really didn't need to be worried about the long awaited sequel to D2 selling like hotcakes.

[Volkama]

Honestly I don't think Bliz were doing it purely as a DRM measure. I think their ploy is more in-line with Activision's philosophy. People need to be connected if they are going to continue spending money after buying the game. It was all done for that real money auction house, which happily was not a success story.

I am very curious indeed (and kinda scared) to see how Activision plan to monetise Destiny beyond the initial box price....

[Godmars290]

Wasn't he right in the thick of the DRM mess? Promoting and defending it right along with Nelson?

For the little it means to the coming disagrees I'm really not trying to knock the guy, but given how MS went into the issue seemingly so strongly and so self-assured, its going nigh impossible to turn things around overnight. Not when they looking for solutions from the old guard who were behind everything. And that's exactly how the Xbox camp seems to be acting.

[MightyNoX]

Indeed, he was. You have to understand though, MS' suits are more akin to politicians than actual gamers (some of Sony or Nintendo's have a history of programming), so when a politician gets caught in a scandal, he lies and pretends he had nothing to do with it.

[miyamoto]

Oh yeah hurt my arse!

More like " I am too stupid to hurt myself."

This dude just said like
The Top 10 Political Lies of All Time
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Wasn't he with Don Mattress when they did the whole thing!?

He is acting like he had no knowledge of what Xbox One is before launch. Such hypocrisy.

Now Spencer is playing Pontius Pilate.
Spencer's hands were stained with all these anti-consumer shenanigans.

[stuna1]

Mighty, you could not have put it any better! In the gaming community there are 2 types of people who influence it from the onset, those who politicize it, and those who actually have a background in it and enjoy it! Although they can have the same end goals of profiting from it in the long run, I think it all comes down to priority.

[B-radical]

You can't work for a company and speak against a console you are trying to sell.

don matrick was the biggest douche when it came too dmr

[Godmars290]

Taking about the policies surrounding the console. Ones which were not only painfully obvious in their pro-corporatist/anti-consumeri sm, but had plenty of examples for how the key gamer market would react to them.Sure it still would have taken a lot of balls to speak out against something MS as a whole seems to favor, to be that one decanting voice, and by all counts Spencer gives no example that he tried to be one except in hindsight.

And now well after the fact he after being steeped well into the mentality he supposedly fully understands and will solve the problem? Not just say what needs to be said to move product?

[rainslacker]

I agree. They really need to keep bringing it up. I know the Sony fan boys will always bring it up even into the next generation. However, it's not helping that he keeps bringing it up as a talking point. Phil's mentioned it several times in the past month. And the same arguments keep being made on why MS was wrong for what they did.

[Hicken]

It'll keep being brought up, anyway, as long as there are people like some in here who even say they were fine with the drm. As long as folks like that populate gaming forums, hell bent on defending stupid practices, people will keep bringing the subject up.

And Microsoft will be the ones to suffer.

[KingPin]

Xbox One DRM/online controversy "hurt me personally" says Phil Spencer

Thats after he borrowed a friends game and realised he wasn't one of the ten "friends and family" that could share the game.

[AfterThought]

Haha.

[HappyWithOneBubble]

Oh please who you think you fooling jive turkey.

[SixtyNine]

lol..

[PsychOff]

Lol jive turkey always makes laugh, honestly just the word turkey does. Always makes me think of them gobbling. Gobble, gobble, gobble!

Sounds so funny when they do it.

[Crystallis]

"Jive turkey" LOL!

[randomass171]

Jive turkey... I think I have my new life slogan. XDDD

[Xdone]

Cry your crocodile tears somewhere else phil!
You are not fooling anyone except some ....... Yep, you got it.

[No_Limit]

Welcome to N4G, the Phil Spencer news station 24/7. Com on guys, do we really need to quote anything he say and turn it into an article every chance we get? He can literally fart, and you'll find an article here.

[Baka-akaB]

True but they did it with Yoshida , cerny , Iwata etc ... no reasons they would stop for Spencer

[TitanUp]

that was very annoying, couldnt go a day without some type of spin on cernys keynotes.

[Buzz7S]

You think this is bad? Try having a look through the articles on Dual Shockers. One paragraph from a developer gets dissected and turned into multiple articles. Not to mention the amount of articles which come from random forum posts on NeoGAF.

[B-radical]

He's been saying alot of things lately that are making people happy but I agree there is to many Phil articles. I think it is because he actually answers people on twitter and stuff.

[mezati99]

aren't you a precious ?!..

[PsychOff]

What about the consumers? I guess we don't have feelings right? We just love getting raped left and right by companies trying to take way too much control over us and everything we already pay a pretty penny for. As if they don't have enough control and money already.

You guys should be praying to whatever gods you believe in that fiasco even happened, that people actually finally cared enough to do something about it. I can promise you the Xbox One would be in way worse shape if they stuck with that route.

I thank everyone who fought against a DRM only future, I don't even want to know how things would have turned out if Microsoft got away with that crap.

Hell a lot of us are not rich as hell and can just go kick back in a mansion when the shit hits the fan, poor Phil. I really don't feel bad at all for you Phil, no doubt you are the best guy at Microsoft but I remember you were right there along with the rest of them, straight up lying to your consumers. How the Xbox One could not be changed, you remember?

It amazes me how quickly people can forget such twisted business practices such as that. I am still jaded from Microsoft and I won't have any trust in them for a long long time until they thoroughly prove otherwise.

[No_Limit]

"I really don't feel bad at all for you Phil, no doubt you are the best guy at Microsoft but I remember you were right there along with the rest of them, straight up lying to your consumers. How the Xbox One could not be changed, you remember? "

What was he supposed to do? If your boss (Don Mattrick at the time) tells you to do something and speak in part for the company, are you going to say no and the end result might be you loosing your job? This is not the WWE where Stone Cold Steve Austin can tell Vince McMahon the F---k off and pore beer over him and get away with it.

Now he is promoted to the top position in the Xbox division, maybe he has more power now and is willing to open up how he is feeling and have a plan to make the product better in his view now? Is that so hard to believe?

[randomass171]

I don't think Phil Spencer is at all in the right for promoting Xbox One DRM during the controversy, but would you risk losing your job or doing what you could to promote your company's product? He was not in a good position no matter what he said or did. And it seems like he did not have much control over those decisions as he would have liked. Guess we'll see if Spencer can channel all this into a positive future for Xbox.

[Buzz7S]

People acting like he had a choice to say "no, I refuse to go on stage if this is the path you want to take with the Xbox One.".

Sometimes, you have to agree with things for the best interest of your career and family. Had he chucked a tantrum like a lot of "gamers", he would not have the role he has today.

[Baka-akaB]

Except that's not what happened . It's too easy to paint him as the nice guys forced to eat crap by his overlords .

He is a nice guy , and got better ideas for the gaming aspect , but he was definitively onboard with the DRM .

To this day , even when everyone now decided it was a bad idea to bury , he goes on about "explaining it the wrong way" , as if it was actually a good idea , that we didnt get . And as if the few advantages they presented , then removed entirely as some kind of punition , made up for all the incoveniences

[deepio]

Mixed messaging was part of the problem though. MS didn't even mention anything about family & friends sharing. Had they gone out on stage and said our vision is an always online console, but at the same time presented the advantages as a consumer for having it this way, things might have been different. Instead they left it in the background as if it was a dirty little secret that they didn't want anyone to find out about.

[Baka-akaB]

That would be because they themselves probably didnt have a definitive and finalized plan about it . Intel about the friend sharing keep changing along the way , probably based on feedback from the like of EA .

I strongly believe it didnt offset the negative to begin with , and they mostly talked about it when they threatened to remove it , wich they did anyway .

Mixed messageing was bad , but the content was bad too . Instead of acknowledging that , or moving on from the topic once and for all , they keep their heads in the sand about the original PR being the only issue . A stance i i dont expect to change

And Phil still believes in that vision from the look of it , except wrapped in silk gloves

[deepio]

None of us will really know what was planned and what wasn't. But, all this guy is saying is the decisions made were either wrong or communicated badly and it hurt him to see that. What is wrong with that? This guy is passionate about Xbox having been with it for so long. There's nothing to say he didn't have to go along with what the company wanted for Xbox and then get hurt in the inevitable backlash.

"Mixed messageing was bad , but the content was bad too . Instead of acknowledging that , or moving on from the topic once and for all"

Spencer said "We didn't completely communicate it the right way; some of the decisions maybe didn't land or weren't the right decisions" - isn't that acknowledging there were some wrong decisions? You say they aren't moving on, but this guy is just answering questions which were bound to come his way as the new head of Xbox. Perhaps once the dust has settled on his appointment they will finally move on.

[Baka-akaB]

I'm not just talking about this particular interview but past comments and other ones , recent like old ones . So far it's very consistantly blaming the message over the content . Just saying i'm not surprised nor do i believe for a sec he was much against it . He so far mostly expressed wishes the PR and marketing was different . "maybe didnt land and maybe werent right" doesnt register much as an a real acknowledgment , but more PR ambiguity .

Dont get me wrong i quite like the guy actually , except on this particular subject . The current PR might be trying to paint him as an antithesis to their erroneous (all while not being apologetic "what for ? its a new shiny boss , and we didnt do anything wrong anyway!!") , but he was a big part of the older process , even if not in charge obviously

Some will keep believe it was truly the one ig issues , others will believe it was a sum of that and other major issues .

[deepio]

I see what you are saying, but don't forget all past comments were all made whilst Xbox was under a different boss. I've worked for large companies where I've had to promote things I didn't agree with and never had the power to come out and say they were wrong. I'm not saying that's exactly what's happened here, but it is possible.

Personally I don't think DRM was the only issue, but getting games back in focus is the way to go with that in mind and I'm sure this guy will get Xbox back on track.

[Baka-akaB]

Well i guess i'm at least 70% cynical . To make potentially bad analogies , I see it as the equivalent of some politician rising to power . Always claiming to be the new thing and widely different to its predecessor .

While its apparent he was actually part of the previous administrations ... and wholly and publicly agreed , if not voted , stuff he now disavows ambiguously and not clearly

[stuna1]

Although some could argue he was going with Microsoft the company's stance, you also have to look at it in an abstract way as well.

Everyone should have morals and values that dictate their actions in day to day life, and have a natural barometer that tells them what lines they shouldn't cross. That's why so many people get labelled as "Whistleblowers" from different walks of life, because they are confronted with a situation that goes against their morals and values system! I like money like most individuals do, but there are things that money just won't make me do! No matter how much it is.

[Qwagy UK]

P P P Pussy, what a gimp.

[WhiskyWhiskers]

Really now? You knew it would not be received very well, you all just thought you could get away with it and no one would do anything about it. Sorry your devious little plan failed.

[lfc_4eva]

Its a real shame most people responding here cannot accept an apology and move on with their lives.

I'll let you in on a little secret. Everyone else has.

[Baka-akaB]

Well how do you accept an apology that isnt one ? MS mostly says they could and should have presented it better , thus far .

Most people actually are fine and moved on , but everyone isnt oblivious to ambigueous PR statements . I moved on , and even got their infernal machine , but remain vigilant

[WeAreLegion]

If Microsoft wants to apologize, I'm listening. They haven't apologized yet though.

[iceman06]

Show a quote where MS says the words "we are sorry..." and I think the people would be more accepting. But, the fact is, that there isn't one. They've alluded to being wrong or misguided or even misunderstood. Never have they said "sorry"!

[lfc_4eva]

@above but mostly iceman06.

Where did I say sorry? I said apology.
There is a difference you know.

Next is taken from:

http://www.diffen.com/diffe...

Most people don't realize that there's a subtle difference between saying "I'm sorry." and "I apologize." An apology is a formal admission of doing something that shouldn't have been done. It may or may not be heartfelt i.e. a person may apologize without truly feeling remorse.

On the other hand, saying "I am sorry." is a truer admission of regret. It is what we may call a heartfelt apology. If someone says they are sorry but do not truly feel remorse, then they are said to be lying. However, if someone apologizes but are not truly ruing their actions, they are not lying.

"I'm sorry"' is also used to express sympathy. For example, I'm sorry for your loss. There is no such usage for I apologize. An apology is only for wrongdoing.

So Spencer is firmly in the apology category. Hope that helps you in future.

[Baka-akaB]

Even by playing semantics around , i see neither apology or excuses or sorry there . It mostly amount to "we have changed yet we havent" ... "we did nothing wrong , but we are changing stuff around to please you" . They are posturing to save face for something that clearly failed to be imposed .

And of course we arent buying that the new boss is clean of any involvement in something he clearly strongly defended .

Wich is fine , as long as they know people are watching they'll fear trying the same trick again , however they present it , at least for the current gen . That's the important part ultimately , weither we agree or not .

[BattleTorn]

They don't think their message was wrong, but simply not received well.

I don't get why, with a company with a pyramid of PR spokemen, we would believe they've change simply because they've cut their nose off (don mattrick) and moved the lefthand into the top position (phil spencer)

He was right in the thick of it all, spewing all the bs of how DRM was 'misunderstood'

I can totally forgive them for attempting to push DRM, but I won't roll over on Phil trying to play the sympathy card cause he 'was hurt' -- he should be upset with the script he was handed!

[Edvin1984]

I was very much excited for the digital only future, as it would bolster the game dev community. The 24hr DRM was a bit of a pain, but then again I should we could have managed.

I am in it for the games, and the older I get the less time I have to revisit the oldies. However, being a software developer (not video games guys clinical software) I know how bad piracy hurts and 2nd hand sales are even worse. Again thought I post my biases as well.

[MasterCornholio]

The only thing that I dont understand is why Microsoft assumed that consumers would embrace their DRM policies.

Doing a minimal amount of research would tell them that they wouldn't.

[rainslacker]

One would think. Realistically though never underestimate what the consumer is willing to accept in the name of the next new shiny thing they want. If a company can present something right, then they can get away with almost anything.

MS had a chance to present it right, but failed miserably. They could have easily done it differently and made it so only those that really payed attention were speaking out against it. If they got a foothold it could have changed the future of gaming irrevocably.

If Adam Orth had kept his mouth shut, it's quite possible they could have gotten people excited for the system long before they ever let it out that it required a connection and restricted selling used games.

[MasterCornholio]

"If they got a foothold it could have changed the future of gaming irrevocably."

Glad it didn't happen though otherwise Microsoft would be the ones who decide what I can do or can't do with the software that I buy. This is something I will not accept with physical copies. Because once a firm takes away your right to own property they can do anything that they want with you.

[jairusmonillas]

Hey Phil Spencer it would be good for your image to stop lying. Xbox One fans will soon find out all the stuffs you say are not real and just PR marketing.

[SoulSercher620]

Good, you were behind it and you should've known we wouldn't stand for it. How dare you try to restrict us in so many ways. That's why some people STILL won't buy your console. First impressions are lasting ones.

[InTheLab]

Here we go. Time to burn up the good will we've earned by talking up gaming and how the X1 is for the gamer.

It was a terrible idea built on greed and everything that happened after Fallon's show was a change for the better.

[BX81]

Good to hear him changing his tune.

[Picnic]

What'll hurt them personally is when not enough people give a damn about buying an Xbox One because all their essential needs are catered for by Sony and Nintendo combined.

They get a few exclusives but they just never quite live up to the longevity of the competition. Titanfall excepted of course but to have so much hype about one game to the exclusion of nearly all else is not healthy.

Here's one example from last gen:

Remedy release Alan Wake and Alan Wake American Nightmare.

This was Microsoft's exclusive survival horror offering. Some might say Gears of War is survival horror-ish but then so is Uncharted if you start splitting hairs.

Naughty Dog release The Last of Us and DLC, Quantic Dream release Heavy Rain and DLC and Beyond: Two Souls. All essentially variations on survival horror in different ways.

Sony's survival horror offering was far larger. Not even counting Uncharted : Drake's Fortune which had the scariest survival horror section of all (mutants).

[Master-Tonberry]

How could you not want to hurt him? Such a punchable face.

[Xavy]

Lol =D

[RebelWAC]

It hurt me too Phil! Now make it work and not one single reason seemed "right" to me if you then had to go and change them.

Just admit it was wrong and move on already.

[abstractel]

He's really playing the game isn't he... that's what it comes across as anyway. As soon as he was appointed boss he's went to work at two issues; public perception and proving that the cloud and DX12 are real advantages for XB1.

He may get a few sympathy votes for this comment, but when any CEO says stuff like this I feel it's part of a game.

As for the cloud, the tech demo was very diffuse and while intriguing if it works there are still way too many questions. As for DX12, code is code. Sony's ICE team are working just as hard as MS to make sure developers have what they need to take full advantage of both hardware sets.

As the years, both consoles will continue to produce games that look better with one always being in the lead. Unless they really can pull off the cloud. Offloading the physics would be a big deal but I don't see how this can be reliable in today's reality.

The power gap won't disappear but that doesn't mean XB1 is out of the race yet. Some great exclusives would make me pick one up.

[deepio]

"..went to work at two issues; public perception and proving that the cloud and DX12 are real advantages for XB1."

As far as I can see he's been answering questions on Cloud and DX12 either via interviews or questions on twitter. When has he gone out of his way to provide details on this?

As for public perception, of course that's going to be a focus. It doesn't take a genius to see that its been tarnished in the last year and perception means a hell of a lot.

[iceman06]

I fully agree. MS knew that they had some healing to do with the gaming community. Their PR had been, up to this point, fairly unlikeable by most. Phil comes off as a nice guy with the right attitude. It was a smart move to allow HIM to be the one speaking on behalf of the product. That being said, he's obviously working from a set of talking points as you highlighted. Talk up the cloud, talk up DX12, relate to them as gamers. Everybody knows that, no matter who it is and from what company, that CEO's will toe the company line and preach the gospel of their product. It's just easier for some to swallow coming from a seemingly nicer person.

[Yaay4me]

Are we supposed to feel sorry for him? It was going to hurt our digital rights, we are the victims here not MS or anyone else. Cant we just move on from this?

[AKissFromDaddy]

It's good I'm not the first one to discover Phil and Microsoft doing a PR spring. I've never seen so many articles generally about the same thing from different sources on the news feed. It's overwhelming how many articles are being submitted, voted, then approved, about Phil and Xbox updates.

http://n4g.com/news/1487175...
http://n4g.com/news/1487197...
http://n4g.com/news/1486801...
http://n4g.com/news/1488381...
http://n4g.com/news/1488378...
http://n4g.com/news/1487806...
http://n4g.com/news/1486245...
http://n4g.com/news/1487019...
http://n4g.com/news/1487171...

There isn't even as many articles hanging on every word of Gabe Newell in a span of 5 days.

I mostly see on the news feed are articles about Phil or Microsoft's future potential. You guys don't share,...like "actual"...videogame news anymore? I'm not saying anything, I'm just saying(or writing, you get it).

[kenshiro100]

The least Microsoft could do is admit that they screwed up and apologize.

[Picnic]

To properly do that though they'd have to invest in more exclusive games including properly supporting indies like Sony has been doing for many years. And they'd have to give Xbox Live free for a few years. Just to get them on an even keel with Sony.

All these things cost time and money whereas MS would just prefer the money income part from huge cash cows like Titanfall.

With Microsoft, it's like asking a feudal king to be nice to the peasants. The king plonks down his 'harvest' every so often - usually a generic AAA game which, let's face it, Titanfall is in the region of - and then leaves his people to be spellbound in dumb awestruckness until they realise that the crops are failing. Then, sick and hungry they have to buy the next Xbox.

[feraldrgn]

Nobody will accept it, rightly so.

Don't try to guilt trip us into feeling bad about it, so you can try it again further down the line.
Keep it pro-gamer (pro-consumer).

[cruzngta]

Yeah whatever Phil. At the end of the day he makes more money than any of us and good for him. I don't like when these corporate big wigs suddenly become ashamed of what their company was plotting beforehand. I mean realistically he would not have had much choice or they propably would have shitcanned him. He is just trying to make himself seem like a nice guy now that all of that is behind and he is now taking the helm of xbox. This will help distance himself from that pile of drm garbage. I like you Phil and I am sure you will help my XB1 get some great games but don't go overboard here. We the consumers are smarter than that.

[Xavy]

Awww poor litle baby. Look around you war, poverty, rape, murder those are some of the things that should hurt someone not DRM/online controversy.

[RAAMzilla]

Love how Phil is quickly becoming the Obama of Microsoft.

[cyber_daemonx]

"for the right reasons" yeah to nickel & dime the sh1t out of xbots lol.

[2pacalypsenow]

Really? now he wants to pull the "Victim" card?? lol

[_FantasmA_]

Aww thats too bad Phil, but did you ever think of the gamers you would have hurt with all those restrictions?

[Derekvinyard13]

If no one complained I think he would still be backing it

[Max-Zorin]

I'm assuming he was blackmailed into saying that.

[stumpa]

just like the politicians over the expenses scandal only "sorry" they got caught if no one had kicked up a stink they would have implemented the drm policy with a "clear conscience"