As the dust settles on E3, media outlets and gamers alike are seemingly aghast at the price announcement. Certainly it places the Xbox One in the realms of a premium bit of kit and every bit as much of an investment as the PS3 when it launched. Many critics point directly to the new look Kinect as the culprit - the elephant in the room that they suggest is single highhandedly responsible for the high price point.
Just how shock-ing is it?
EA has come under fire for making unexpected changes to its FC 24 Team of the Season unlocks.
Companies, particularly public companies like Microsoft, need to grow.
i mean its pretty simple, they spent close to 30 billion in acquiring activision, they thought they'd make it bk no problem, and that didnt happen.
its just shit that because of MS's miscalculation alot of people lost their jobs.
They are going to use AI for a large portion of the game development process. Upper management need bonuses and the shareholders need more money. So, people will lose their jobs.
They shouldn't have bought any studios. Some is okay...but they went on a shopping spree...stupid
The better question is why did Microsoft buy publishers for a service they were subsidizing they knew couldn't support.
And why are so many websites trying to make people feel sorry for Microsoft instead of truly criticizing the fact they are closing studios and killing jobs that would have been fine if Microsoft themselves hadn't gotten involved.
Quit feeling sorry for Microsoft and start feeling sorry for the industry and the all the gamers who are actually losing out.
THIS IS MICROSOFTS FAULT.
The first thing that happens after any major acquisition or merger is a consolidation of the whole new portfolio, which includes cutting any excess, bloat or portfolios that don't fit the larger MO of the big boy. So far, it's been par for the course with Microsoft and that's why gamers have been so against this acquisition. Tango Gameworks is the beginning. You think Microsoft wants to pay to keep small timers like Ninja Theory in business?
There is absolutely zero evidence to suggest that Microsoft will improve any of these studios, but plenty to suggest that they will get rid of what they don't need and hold onto the IP. The real agenda of the acquisition was always to acquire The Elder Scrolls, Diablo, Fallout, Call of Duty, Candy Crush etc. that will create millions in passive revenue stream for Microsoft regardless of where the games release. Microsoft simply wants their cut.
Because of Games Pass Microsoft has no interest in investing in new IP which is risky and requires creative talent they can neither nurture nor manage. Game Pass has also not grown in the way Microsoft expected it to, even post acquisitions. Therefore the logical thing to do, without serious money makers to release, is to cut as much cost as possible.
It's not the fault of gamers that Microsoft has made it so easy to "bully" the Kinect. They built the Xbox One around a piece of tech in which the previous iteration has "had issues with its sensitivity, lag and how [it] can be successfully integrated into mainstream games" (to quote the article itself). So far, I've seen no indication that this device has greatly improved. Fantasia had lag at the GameTrailers demo space, no mainstream game that was showcased had any great Kinect integration and as for sensitivity...I guess it can recognize a smile.
Add to that serious privacy concerns and the fact it increases the cost of the Xbox One by a significant amount, and I'd say it's perfectly acceptable to be wary of such a device.
The question "Why are we so scared of change?" isn't really applicable to me in this case. More appropriately, I'm afraid of getting ripped off.
"the chances are it won't live up to expectations at first but those problems will no doubt be ironed out pretty fast."
...what
"Chill out people and embrace the motion-controlled future!"
People blindly embracing, and promoting, that which has yet to prove itself as both a concept and functioning piece of hardware. That statement from the article worries me on many levels.
NSA are watching you
People will stop bullying kinect, once its not compulsory. This generation, it was a joke and barely supported. Why would anyone believe its better come xbox one? Its unnecessary for core gaming.
I bought kinetic on day one and I enjoyed it, but it is a novelty item which you do lose interest in after a while. Microsoft would be wise to offer a kinetic free Xbox one for the same price as the PS4, they can then try and prove that the new kinetic is worth getting and give us the choice in wether we want to buy one..
Having a choice will just make it exactly like the last Kinect. Not enough people will have it for developers to justify making an effort with it. Take a look at Sonys Move controller, a good set up but developers totally ignoring it.