Gaming One Step Closer (and I'm about to RROD): The Xbox One Discussion

Why would someone go out and buy an expensive console just to use Netflix or listen to Podcasts when they could use a phone, tablet, PC, or Roku? They're devices either aimed at a complete multi-use coverage, or a significantly cheaper alternative that only does the thing they want to do. Every console I have, I bought so I could play games. Any other features were ancillary to that, and Microsofts both lack of exclusive titles and poor PR at launch have really kneecapped them this generation by making the Xbox One an incredibly unattractive proposition to both casual consumers looking for a media center, and more hardcore gamers that want to play the best games.

 

One should not discount the cascade effect. Once you're behind, your behind-ness is enhanced and reinforced by the very fact that you're behind: you're perceived as the underdog, so you don't land exclusivity deals; consumers want to be on the same platform as their friends so they can borrow from each other and/or play online together and so on. Microsoft actually strengthened this effect by making online play such a success on consoles with Xbox Live, because although in the past you would want to have the same console as your friends to swap games with them, that wasn't necessarily a deal breaker for many, but being on the same online network as your friends is crucial.

Consider this: With the PS3, Sony had the benefit of a strong lineup of internal development studios to secure exclusive titles, the fact that the console after the price-cut was an affordable Blu-ray player at a time when those were still relatively expensive and the Xbox didn't have it, that their online service was free and the console had wireless connectivity out of the box without having to buy an accessory, and that Microsoft shot itself so severely in the foot with the "red ring of death". Even with all of these benefits on its side, Sony had to resort to the aforementioned price-cut and cheaper redesign of the console, an aggressive rebranding of their image with the Kevin Butler ad campaign and the eventual launch of the PS Plus "free" monthly games subscription service to turn the ship around, and come out by the end of that generation, after all their efforts, as not more than on an equal footing. They didn't even dare charge for online play until PS4, even though their competitor was doing it since the original Xbox.

Of course, I'm leaving out that Sony also sabotaged a lot of its goodwill at the beginning of that generation with the high price point of the launch models and a weak initial lineup of games. Sony had two generations of absolutely dominating the competition behind it. Microsoft's lead was not solely due to having beat them to the market, but mostly from self-inflicted wounds on Sony's part. But even so, it illustrates the cascade effect. Once the damage is done and you fall behind, you have to run through syrup and it takes a Herculean effort to catch up.

 

I agree that being late to the market tyoitypic hinders a product, but sometimes making the deadline at the expense of quality is worse (Assassin's Creed Unity comes to mind).

However, the Nintendo Switch was notably late to this round but still outsells the Xbox One in some markets.

 

Thanks for all the feedback. I figured that the Xbox One's failure this generation had a lot to do with that awful press release. If I'm not mistaken, the DRM issue would also have made it more difficult for gamers to trade in games and buy pre-owned games, which would have interfered with retailers like Game Stop and with game developers earning additional revenue on the sale of pre-owned games. Am I wrong with that understanding?

 

The one thing that most people can agree on that Microsoft's console has on Sony's is backwards compatibility. That alone, above all else, gives previous Xbox owners a reason to go out and buy the new console. You can buy one of those TV streaming devices for about $30 these days; if you don't already have a Smart TV. Microsoft can't boast about its exclusives the way that Sony can right now. And the online features of PS Plus are just about on par with Microsoft's Gold.

 

Sorta kinda related. Despite the guy's bias towards his favorite franchise, it pretty much lays out what has been discussed in the last page or so:

 

http://kotaku.com/the-xbox-has-quietly-gotten-some-cool-features-1826154994 kind of a neat read about how the Xbox keeps improving despite lack of exclusives.

 

Obviously this is just a rumor; but if it winds up being true one could say that Sony has finally caved in to demands and considered Microsoft's strategy at attempting to maintain decent sales of their new console without having to rely on such an abundance of exclusives. You get the feeling that more third party software companies won't want to be married to a single console moving forward.

http://www.playstationlifestyle.net...ps5-backwards-compatibility-with-ps4-library/

 

Hope that's true. As much as I'd like to play God of War, buying what is now an obsolete piece of hardware was an iffy proposition. If they do that and also sell the new console at a competitive price, I may just consider giving myself a PS5 for X-Mas 2019.

 

What's the "obsolete piece of hardware"? Certainly you're not referring to the PS4 I assume.

 

Well, it and the Xbox One are a bit long in the tooth at this point, regardless of their new X or Pro or whatever relaunches. So, yeah, obsolete. Even Sony pretty much declared that this week that the PS4 is at the end of its life cycle. I wouldn't surprised at all that Sony announces the PS5 this year and postpones some of their high profile first party apps for that launch.

 

Well I don't care about the apps; but I'd be disappointed if the software companies decide to delay the release of follow-up games to some of the most popular titles like Horizon Zero Dawn, GTA V, and of course Final Fantasy VII Remake.

 

I wonder about that. I would love backwards compatibility (ironically Nintendo had for a while but gave it up with the Switch and change to memory cards rather than discs) but we'll see. I sure do see plenty of older titles being remastered for current gen, but backwards compatibility is always welcome, as long as its works. But while its a positive, whether its enough to sell a console depends on a lot of other factors too. I found it a bit strange that Sony admitted the PS4 is going into the "last stage", but guess not much point denying the obvious (well, not with the current state of the console wars).

 

One thing I've read among the comments of articles about backwards compatibility is that it's good for the launch of a console. Most new consoles have a very limited selection of new titles, especially exclusive ones. Having the option of allowing gamers to continue their backlog of the previous gen titles just makes sense. No console has matched the sales of the PS2, right? It had a handful of great titles right off the bat, but the fact that you could play your original PS games on it (along with it being a moderately priced DVD player) sold the console well beyond all expectations. The demand was at a premium and Sony was forced to take backorders.

 

No console to date has come close to PS2 sales figures, I believe.

 

That is correct. It already had record sales figures that have not been beaten since, but it then went on to have an even longer lifespan well into the PS3 generation and beyond in regions with lower purchasing power. The head of Factor 5 recounted in an interview that he was approached to make a Netflix application that could run on the PS2 for the Brazilian market, and they made one.

 

For the record, the PS2 is an amazing console that had an absolutely ridiculous shelf life passing a decade, and if anyone doesn't own one I seriously suggest finding an old unit and getting it. You can get one, complete, for less than 50$, and i've gotten most of my games for it for 5$ or less from Goodwill.

/PS2 Shilling Over

 

And if you're getting one now, absolutely get the slim version. It's amazing how much they were able to shrink it only a few years later. I have a slim one, and it has a delightful form factor if I do say so myself. It's about the size of two stacked DVD cases.

 

...

Get out.

 

You get out. Such elegant simplicity in design, and so small:




Quieter too, and with a built in ethernet port, unlike the fat model. How can you possibly not prefer this over the launch model? It's a triumph of industrial design, released only four years after the launch model.

 

Recently picked up a one and being a PlayStation guy I was wondering if anyone has a recommended list of games I should look at for the one.

At this stage only have state of decay 2

 

One of the original games, which at least IMO was underrated, was The Bouncer. It was by Square Enix (of Final Fantasy fame). I have at least a couple dozen PS2 games at home; I'd have to look at my collection later to refresh what I have.

 

I guess you should go through a list of what the exclusive titles for it are, and go from there? Wasn't there a new Gears of War a while back? Those are considered among the flagship titles on the platform, aren't they? Then there is Ori and the Blind Forest, the Rare Collection that encompasses a large library of Rare's previous output and, finally, that superhero game with the skateboarding lead that I can't remember the name of at the moment, but it was said to be very fun.

Edit: it was Sunset Overdrive.

 

Well I'm just thinking of the games I've played/have.

 

I meant that as a response to bizzbizz; I should probably have made that clearer.