Michael Futter writes: One of the things that has bothered me since I was young has been the phenomenon known as “console wars.” The Mario versus Sonic debates of my grammar school playground gave way to bickering over CDs and cartridges when Sony entered the market. Now, we largely have the same games to play with simultaneous day and date releases (with red blood for all!) and people still spend time complaining on message boards rather than actually enjoying the entertainment.
The Xbox brand has done a lot of good over the years, but their various blunders are pretty wild to look back on in their magnitude.
Ironically number 9 can save them at this point (releasing games on multiple platforms)
By “save them” you mean make more profit for Microsoft. Xbox will still be a dying hardware platform.
You could add the naming scheme for the consoles, it just confuses customers. I know they wanted to avoid traditional numbering bc it would always be lower than their competitor, but this whole 360 then One then Series thing is confusing af. Imagine a Soccer Mom trying to figure this stuff out. I still mistakenly call the Series X the One from time to time on accident.
Don't forget about the Xbox One, Xbox One X and Xbox Series X! Good luck to Soccer moms around the world.
They did that on purpose to confuse and direct attention away from the generational numbering.
MS doesn’t like reminding people that they joined the industry after others had already been involved in gaming.
For instance, they called the xbox “360” to combat PlayStation “3” because they wanted to seem like “more” than “3”, so instead of xbox 2, they opted for xbox 360. Also this had the additional benefit of selling consoles to uninformed parents who might purchase a “360” instead of a “3” by mistake, or because they thought 360 was more than 3. Kind of a disingenuous move.
They have been continuing with their confusing naming patterns for pretty much the same reasons. Frankly, it fits with who and what they are as a brand.
Phil Spencer is the worst that has happened to Xbox.
They built a respectable brand up to Xbox one. Then this guy took over and things became a joke
Phil Spencer was also on the team back when 360 was around, alongside Shane Kim, Peter Moore etc. I think the damage that did the most harm was the Don Mattrick "Always Online" console (ahead of its time basically). They handed Sony and Nintendo a free-pass when that was revealed. It went downhill from there. Then the corporate machine went into full swing to try and recover. They have to a degree as a games company for the masses, and less so for the core gamer. Outside USA, the Xbox brand does not sell as well as Japanese based consoles (citation needed).
Want a decision maker. The always online and TV plans was a disaster yes, but they caught up by announcing 1st party games that gamers actually kept the hype going.. until this moron took over and introduced the PC day one release.. e all know where that ended..
I dont think they were ever a respectable brand, not since the beginning, when their goal was never to be involved and share in the gaming space. I think the OG xbox was an exception because MS as a brand was still getting its foot in and so the people behind that were people of the gaming industry.
Really good video.
I remember the days with RRoD was big news on here, N4G.
Microsoft had it turbulence number of years.
Looking at the success of Sea of Thieves despite being 6 years old, time to release Halo, Forza horizon 4 & 5 on PS5. It'll help their revenue
2 of the 4 games they did already sold really well. So it's definitely going down. Idk about halo or forza but I feel those studios they've bought in the last 5 years, their coming
I found this video painful to watch. Can someone list them out?
Top 10 for me from are:
1. 2013 reveal presentation
2. Bundling Kinect 2 with Xbox One
3. RRoD or why rushing to market with hardware is always a bad idea.
4. Buying studios only to close them.
5. Ads on the Home Screen
6. Letting Halo die.
7. Letting Geard of War die.
8. Every console name
9. Charging for Xbox Live on Xbox 360 when Sony let PS3 players play online for free.
10. Cancelling release of OG Xbox games after the Xbox 360 launched.
"AI is not a substitute for human creativity. We position it as a technology that supports creativity. Creativity resides in people. We will continue to contribute to people's creativity through technology," the CEO said.
...not yet but 100% within the next 10 years!
..Then Sony will use it like the drop of a hat. They're no different to the others.
They used to be 😞 sure it was always a business, and money's always the priority, but they used to have a very strong stance on supporting artists and creativity. "Dont f#@k with the artist" was a phrase they touted a few times back in the ps1-ps3 era, a philosophy carried over from their music branch PlayStation was created from. It's not COMPLETELY gone, but it's barely there compared to what it was back then, i just want them to return to that.
I am highly encouraged by their statement about human creativity. "Dont f#@k with the artist" is exactly what they are saying. But at the same time, I don't think people understand that Sony is a corporation. If they don't realize growth, they don't get to exist. When you say 'Sony', you are talking about a bunch of investors. To speak about them any other way is a illogical and incorrect. They haven't changed. They have been a group of investors since they became a public business.
Ugh, i really wish people would stop gambling people's livelihoods by turning a project/game into their political soapbox. Im all for statements and having your own opinion, but there's more people working on this than just druckman, ham fisting your political beliefs onto just seems inconsiderate for everyone elses job security when it can result in a failure due to people avoiding it for that reason.
I play games for escape, im so tired of nearly every AAA game blatantly dragging real world issues to shove in my face when I'm trying to take a break from it all. They don't even bother to be subtle about it, quite the opposite, it's blasted and force fed to you and it's just getting exhausting
People are taking a whole interview and cutting it down to clips that make him look bad and take what he actually was saying out of context. For example he also said things like this AI has "ethical issues we need to address"
@Einhander
Why defend him at this point?
It’s not taking things out of context, he said what he said.
Old ND would never talk about soulless AI taking over so many creative things they are well known for. The whole “ethical issues” is just a good PR spin people who push this crap fall back on to make their statements not seem as bad. So many AI lovers do this.
AI has no place is so many creative based things.
Well yeah, because everyone else is using it so they need to stay competitive. It's the same as paid online, they didn't want to go that route but their competition was making so much money they needed to add paid online just to keep up.
AI will never replace humans in game development in terms of conceptualizing new games. Humans still need to come up with the ideas and what they want to implement. However much of the day to day menial coding could be AI driven to reduce production time and team size. I could also see AI being used for bug testing/optimization that could lead to better quality games at launch. I'm actually very optimistic about how AI can positively impact game development.
People that aren't software developers just don't understand the benefits of AI. People who's only exposure to A.I is the Terminator movie and other related sci fi films won't understand the benefits it provides.
It's not about replacing human labor. It's about making human labor easier.
Many years ago, I had laser eye surgery done. It was performed by a robot. The doctor took my measurements and calibrated the machine to make sure it would do what needed be done. And then the robot corrected my vision in 10 seconds.
15 years later and I still have 20/20 vision.
AI in and of itself is not a 'bad'. Money is bad. Money is evil, and corporations will do whatever they can to get more of it. They will find ways to implement AI to replace as may jobs as possible. This isn't even up for debate. It is the charge of the corporation to maximize returns for the investors. They have no choice. I'm a developer and I know that my job will absolutely be replaced. Therefore, I have decided to become an AI dev. AI has a lot of potential to help us solve problem on a scale most can't even imagine. The issue, as ever is that our monetary system only ever allows us to focus on greed and fiscal growth.
But I am a pragmatist. Perhaps an AI model can be built to help protect us from our most dangerous instincts and habits. And perhaps Congress can pass laws to protect us from people who would use AI to manipulate and control us (spoiler: they wont).
Progress is inevitable. Nobody driving cars today is complaining that the horse and buggy is no longer around. Yes, some jobs will be lost but guess what? With innovation comes new job opportunities. It's how the cycle of the job market works.
Ubisoft recently shared more details about Assassin's Creed Shadows protagonists, confirming that both of them will romantically attract and be attracted to different types of people.
Feudal Japan DEI LGBTQ+ Samurai, sounds very accurate for the time period. Surely a decision made only with historical accuracy in mind.
You have no idea what you are talking about, bet you didn’t know nobunaga was bi-sexual. Or ran maru his is often depicted as androgynous was a “beautiful boy”.
So yeah, feudal Japan had tons of lgbtq and kawaii enough… A BLACK SAMURAI! All without the need of offending a Caucasian because the world is diverse.
This story has cracked me up so much! Bravo Ubisoft, bravo! 🤣. So last week everyone was upset that in the long-awaited first Assassin’s Creed: Japan game the protagonist is black. But NOW he is also LGBTQ+ ! It’s like the Ubisoft creative team sat around a table and said “How can we best impress our Kotaku/IGN/Polygon friends and antagonise gamers? Let’s make it woke x 100!’ And then they all silent clapped!
Just you wait until the Star Wars: Outlaws details come out, there better not be anybody complaining about Kay Vess’ dating preferences and the gay droid armies.
Lexreborn2 is right
Go read up on Japan's feudal era homosexuality and bisexuality was a very common thing in that time.
I just have to laugh because the same people complaining about this are the same ones crying about wanting "historical accuracy". When it's clear most of the whiners don't even know history themselves.
Facts don't care about downvotes, btw. You either claim to understand historical accuracy or you just admit you don't like the stuff people did throughout history.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...
Japan had no Christian stupidity about sexuality.
That's where your nonsensical puritanical view comes from: the Abraham's faiths.
It's feudal Japan, they don't believe in your religion's made up nonsense.
I mean, if you're going to embrace a particular viewpoint, you should at least be aware of where it comes from. Most of the world doesn't care about your ideals.
In those days, they certainly didn't care about your religion.
Get over yourself.
All of you guys missed the point, I even said I'm very sure they did it ONLY because they wanted to be historically accurate. Stop defending this, we all know why they did it and who they want to pander, it's not out newfound respect for history.
@RpgSama
Nobody is defending anything.
People are just pointing out the fact that after they just cried about the game not being historically accurate, when they SHOW they're accurate, they cry about it because they don't like certain parts of history
Not to mention you contradicted yourself RPGSama. You just pointed out you said they "ONLY because they wanted to be historically accurate". Then turn around and accuse them of pandering and/or having an agenda. Those two things are opposing statements
Dumbest decision ever.. always online was a pass for me but now not even for free I’ll try it..
It's made by Ubisoft Montreal.
Obviously we'll be allowed to bang anything that moves.
People actually telling you that Japan had sexual deviancy which is correct however what's hilarious is that they will act as if it holds the same moral value that the LGBT community holds today, oh the things men used to say about themselves when they are attracted to other men, it's not empowering in the least bit
You are completely lost on Japanese history. Japan was one of the most liberal places in the world, and in many ways still is. You can slice and dice it from your western hubris and whatever point of view, but the reality is that history tells great stories about freedom of choice and people not being judgemental on this island. Also one of the reasons I want to raise my family here, no need to have those whatever Western woke bullshit here, because everyone just respects each other without using all that nonsense.
Oh yeah!!!! What about being inclusive???
I'm sorry
..please replace the word inclusive with stupid.
I thought you crybabies wanted "historical accuracy." Now that your going to get it, you're going to cry more.
It's past the point of retarded, everyone seems forced to do this bullshit now in games. 😑
Hell no. A good game or film is secondary now to the agenda and the 'message'.
It's not enough to be simply entertained these days, there has to be an overarching real world narrative. I mean look at Dr Who as a recent example. Disney have completely destroyed it all in the name of 'diversity'.
It's the only thing that explains the incel crap. They can't simply be angry virgins who don't get any, so then a lack of a sex life i.e. a dad of three or something, is also a good additional explanation. They're either lonely and don't get any or too busy to get any. There's a horrible news for sexual control with incels, and they're angry because they simply aren't the right people to achieve that control. They're weaker animals.
dude’s too busy commenting on other people’s sex life to actually stay on topic.
That or he’s angry but didn’t have half the brain needed to refute back so he went for the classic ad hominem fallacy.
Notachance
It's a fact that remains true. The only way it can't be true is if humans were not greedy and heavily reliant on procreation.
Your username is fitting.
dude, let’s be real, you’re on a video game news site going into the comments section and taking time out of your life to go to war with people you think don’t f*ck. You sound as much of a virgin as any incel does.
Let’s be real, bub you’re just as pathetic as the rest of them. Anyone who would look at this who doesn’t waste their time on a video game news site or video games in general probably thinks the only thing you f*ck is your crusty ass pillow.
C’mon, man. Anyone who f*cks doesn’t immediately go into a comment section claiming others have no sex life. It’s just one of those things if you are getting your d*ck wet. It just comes off like you’re projecting in hopes to god nobody figures out you can’t get any, so you try to flex, even though you’re completely full of sh*t.
I mean, that’s the only thing that makes sense to me 😅.
I'm engaged without children - I'm doing just fine.
This is just nerd sites now. Users are just so angry and for basically the same reasons. Most people go through phases with this type of stuff but it's scary seeing the same attitudes being regurgitated over and over again. From what I've seen it's a strange mix of sexual frustration, lack of proper financing and the need to have 100% control over both so that they aren't taken away from the users.
@fartcushion
Look, man, people are allowed to have opinions and show frustration with stuff. It has no bearing on them not getting sex or not making money.
I have no idea how people commenting on being tired of hearing about SJW sh*t being shown in the spotlight like some carnival sideshow where publishers are wanting some pat on the back for means they’re financially unstable and don’t have a sexual relationship.
What, are you on the spectrum? Like how do you come to that conclusion and make multiple responses to the discourse with “virgin alert” or “you need to have sex?” That right there is kind of sus to me.
I don’t know in what world you lived in where this hasn’t been a nerd site, but people are allowed to comment their thoughts on things and still have relationships. You’re just as much of a nerd as everyone in here.
Thanks… I was originally going to write Samu-Bi but then I realized it was right there already so it works better
You have to understand they’re incapable of writing a good story so this is the best they could come up with
Well, after last weeks crying about historical accuracy. Now Ubi days, " Oh, okay, historical accuracy: here you go."
Now you're saying you don't want the accuracy? Can you guys just make up your minds?
It's a genuine click-bait snippet to rile up people like you to push traffic.
The biggest problem with the PC gaming market is the constant need to upgrade. With a console, there is no costly upgrades needing to take place every 6 months because your machine can't handle the newest games. If it wasn't for Steam, I doubt a lot of people would even bother with PCs anymore, save your WoWs and StarCrafts.
Still, I too am sick of console fanboys. :)
PC isn't as bad these days - buy a system once every few years and you are good to go. If the devs would keep taking advantage of the hardware life would be perfect for those of us on the superior system. = P
Consoles do seem to feel more and more like PCs without the kind of ease-of-use that keyboards and mice provide. Of course, 360 and PS3 do have those little keyboards which mount on the controller... those always seemed a little small, but are they practical for this?
At least the Wii Remote makes a decent substitute for a mouse (I'm assuming the PS Move as well, but I've not spent enough time with one to know; the people at the Sony Store couldn't seem to be arsed to even keep the thing charged, much less attempt to actually sell it to me).
Anyway, I don't think the console wars are ever going to end so long as there are games which one machine will play that others won't; if it were like DVD or Blu-ray players, among other electronics which have numerous brands all making machines which still run the same discs, then maybe it would end.
Then again, they tried that with the 3DO, and that didn't quite work out.
What kills me is that in a piece about finding a way to move past the console wars, it seems that many of the people rushing to comment are just fanning the flames.
How about talking about ways we can all play together and enjoy the experiences the way we want to?
The derogatory comments, the flame baiting and the sweeping generalizations aren't helping... they are just sinking the discourse into the quicksand. Step back for a second, read the piece, think about how we can possibly find some common ground and then go back to playing games the way *you* want to play them.
Don't try to convince someone else that they are doing it wrong, you're just going to frustrate everyone.
IMO, life would be so much better for me if I could use my G13 game pad and mouse for Killzone 2. I'm a fan of the PS controller but it needs a slight redsign when it comes to playing FPS.