The Big Bad Console Thread - Sway your Station with an Xboner !

Soriak_sl

shitlord
783
0
I don't think the $500 price tag is a big deal ($499.96 is rounded to $500 and not truncated to $499 -- same for the PS4 at $399.99). It's rather the price combined with the DRM that is a problem. For having to put up with this shit, games don't appear to be any cheaper and neither is the console. So consumers give up the ability to resell games and get nothing in return. Yeah, that's not going to end well.

But a $100 difference itself over 7 years is negligible. Yes, I know it'll matter for low-information consumers doing Christmas shopping. But the people at E3 should really be smarter about this. The difference is a buck a month over the expected lifetime of the console. You can save more by buying discounted PSN/Xbox Live passes rather than paying full price with your credit card.

edit: in terms of sales figure, the PS4 launch edition outsells the Xbox One launch edition. But the Xbox One standard edition (not guaranteed to ship on release day) makes #5, whereas the PS4 standard edition only just became available and doesn't yet make the best sellers list. Probably in part just because Amazon hasn't updated it yet, but I'm not going to predict an Xbox One flop just yet.
 

Soriak_sl

shitlord
783
0
Dont forget that as of right now the PS4 is a more powerful system
Of course, and the Xbone has the Kinect -- whereas you pay another $60 for the eye on the PS4, where likely no games will incorporate it because it's not a required add-on. So there's little value in buying one.

I wouldn't use the Kinect myself as I don't like waving around with my arms while playing a video game. I'm also glad Sony did the design decisions they made with DDR5 -- which could have lead to a price point closer to $500 as well, if prices hadn't come down a lot recently.

But while the Xbone may be many things, and I don't see myself getting one, I think it being overpriced isn't a valid criticism. A $100 difference for a console that won't be replaced for 7 years is just not something to even factor into the decision. How many people hold on to their cell phone for 7 years? And that often costs more than a gaming console (even if that cost is hidden in monthly fees).
 

Mario Speedwagon

Gold Recognition
<Prior Amod>
19,525
72,216
rrr_img_30434.jpg
rrr_img_30435.jpg


"Premium packaging"
Acheivement
No game
Only one controller
$100 extra

Couldn't fucking believe this was real
 

Fuya_sl

shitlord
84
0
It was edited, lol. There weren't any boos that I remember, there was however a really awkward silence after they announced the price and he did have a nervous stutter (You could see it on his face..like jesus, this sounds insane that I'm asking them to bend over with this DRM horseshit AND asking them for this price.)
When I heard the price I kept waiting for him to say "and". As if to say you can get it cheaper by doing... something. Nope, nothing but silence after the price announcement. He should have just walked out into the audience and personally slapped them in the face one at a time as free sample.

I'm still going to hold out for a subsidized price of some sorts coming from Microsoft and/or Sony. I would not be surprised to hear Microsoft making deals with ISPs to sub the Xbox seeing how it must be connected to the internet for it to work. It basically like saying you will keep your internet for as long as the life of the system. A two or even three hundred dollar sub can end up being into the thousands of dollars in profit just off one person. As much as some can't live without broadband internet, or at least not go crazy, it's still considered a luxury. There are many people that have only cellular internet for their phone/tablet. Or Microsoft will just release it at the 500 dollar price tag and stand alone at the New York Bestbuy on release day wondering why no one showed up.
 

Zodiac

Lord Nagafen Raider
1,200
14
Microsoft should have dropped the optical drive and maybe they could have gotten away with selling it as an always online device/no trading. Tell people that you're going to follow a steam like system of multiple weekly sales and discounts. I think that would have went over better.

Maybe someday the video game industry will go like the music industry. I'd pay a top dollar monthly subscription for an "all access" steam pass like I do for music and movies.
 

Sean_sl

shitlord
4,735
12
But while the Xbone may be many things, and I don't see myself getting one, I think it being overpriced isn't a valid criticism. A $100 difference for a console that won't be replaced for 7 years is just not something to even factor into the decision. How many people hold on to their cell phone for 7 years? And that often costs more than a gaming console (even if that cost is hidden in monthly fees).
It being overpriced is a valid criticism. It's a significantly less powerful machine, it has a ton of anti-consumer features that devalue your purchases, and it has less usability. There's also a subscription pay-wall for doing just about anything on it while the PS4 only has a pay-wall for Online Multiplayer (not any multimedia apps, etc). PS+ is alsoabsurdly betterin value than XBLG if you do get it. There are no benefits to the Xbone that justify a $100 price difference what so ever. I don't know how it being overpriced cannot possibly be a valid criticism when you factor in all the qualities of the system versus its competition.

And that $100 does matter. Pricealwaysmatters and has always had an effect on sales.
 

Sean_sl

shitlord
4,735
12
So, much of Asia is not getting the Xbone until *late*2014:http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/06/...x-one-in-asia/

Asian gamers will have to wait a year longer than their American counterparts to get their hands on Microsoft's Xbox One, which will only be available in the region in late 2014, a year after its U.S. launch this November.

Describing it as a "staged approach" to marketing the new videogame console, Alan Bowman, Microsoft's regional vice president for sales and marketing in Asia, said the company was working on ensuring a "great experience for customers" in the region, including offering localized content.

The new device will only be available in select Asian markets - Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and India - pegged as high-growth markets for the region's booming gaming industry. This year, the Xbox became the top-selling console in Asia, according to Mr. Bowman, with revenues growing 20% year-on-year.

"We are focusing on delivering games people want to play," said Mr. Bowman in a telephone interview following the E3 trade show in Los Angeles, which would include launching new versions of Fifa football games and the popular Assassin's Creed and Final Fantasy.

Meanwhile, Microsoft will focus on marketing the Xbox 360 in the region, including expanding the offerings of games available for the console. The company hopes that the global media coverage of Xbox One's upcoming launch will create a "halo effect" for Microsoft's consoles generally, ideally enough to keep the Xbox 360's sales strong until the launch of the newest device.

Asian gamers can look forward to upgrades in the Xbox One made specifically with them in mind, even if they can't get their hands on the console just yet. For example, the Kinect motion sensor - which will come standard with Xbox One - can work within "dramatically reduced" room sizes, particularly useful for many across cities like Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong, where flats tend to be smaller.

"We listened to the feedback, not everyone in Asia has living rooms," said Mr. Bowman. "The field of vision required for Kinect is much smaller."

Microsoft, though, admits that it will face some challenges in licensing issues with content, particularly when it comes to the Xbox One, which justifies a higher price point by the ability to watch live and on-demand television. In Asia, television programs and standards are different, with restrictions differing across the markets.

"The perimeters around licensing apply globally," Mr. Bowman said, adding that the key is to find the appropriate balance between global content and local licensing.

The company hopes to leverage its relationship with Japanese and Korean game makers, crucial to the success of the console's devices in these markets.

"We have deepened our relationship with Japanese publishers," Mr. Bowman said. "This is absolutely key to our business."
 

Cantatus

Lord Nagafen Raider
1,437
79
When I heard the price I kept waiting for him to say "and". As if to say you can get it cheaper by doing... something. Nope, nothing but silence after the price announcement. He should have just walked out into the audience and personally slapped them in the face one at a time as free sample.
Heh, I was sort of waiting for the same thing with the PS4. Prior to the press conference, the rumor was that Sony was going to release two or three tiers of systems. The $399 price tag really didn't even impress me at first, because I figured it was just a lead-in to a $499 system with a bigger HDD or something.

http://au.ign.com/articles/2013/06/1...-isnt-a-sprint

Microsft "This isn't a sprint"

The admittance of being owned at E3 is priceless.
The Giantbomb guys were discussing that tonight. One of them made the point that Microsoft is probably gambling on that anybody they lose over the DRM will be offset by the increase in revenue they'll get from having it.

I would also suspect that they're viewing the reaction right now as being from a vocal minority. Time will tell whether that is actually the case. There are a lot of demographics that don't keep up with things like E3, and once the advertising blitz begins for the holidays, I'm sure Microsoft will do everything in their power to minimize the aspects of the system people are reacting negatively towards. If Sony is smart, their ads will make sure to draw some attention back to these things. I just hope the PS4's ads are more like the Kevin Butler generation and less the creepy baby doll trapped in a white cube.
 

Faith

Useless lazy bastard.
1,178
857
Apparently Microsoft is hellbent on pissing off people.

Don Mattrick, President of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft (sorry for the swedish and the rough translation!);

"- Vi har en produkt f?r m?nniskor som inte har tillg?ng till n?gon form av uppkoppling; den kallas Xbox 360."

(http://www.fz.se/artiklar/nyheter/20...t-for-xbox-one)

"- We have a product for people who does not have access to the internet, its called an Xbox 360".

Good job!
 

Antarius

Lord Nagafen Raider
1,828
15
The sheep follow the herd. Most people whichever is the most popular. The early adopters buy what the hardcore gamer's tell them is the better system. My non-nerdy friends have already started to ask me about what my opinion is on the next gen consoles. Early success breeds future success. Sony is going to enjoy PS2 levels of market dominance this generation.
 

DMK_sl

shitlord
1,600
0
Also most non-core gamers with disposable income grew up in the generation when PS2 dominated. Playstation will simply make sure everyone knows the shortfalls of an xbox. Also it's funny they mention it's not a sprint race. As of now the PS 3 has sold more then the Xbox. All that hard work by Microsoft down the drain.

To be honest not one product that has launched with always online DRM has been seen in a positive light. One of the most beloved hardcore franchises in gaming history is loathed upon partly because of it. Diablo.
 

Caliane

Avatar of War Slayer
15,943
12,593
Also most non-core gamers with disposable income grew up in the generation when PS2 dominated. Playstation will simply make sure everyone knows the shortfalls of an xbox. Also it's funny they mention it's not a sprint race. As of now the PS 3 has sold more then the Xbox. All that hard work by Microsoft down the drain.

To be honest not one product that has launched with always online DRM has been seen in a positive light. One of the most beloved hardcore franchises in gaming history is loathed upon partly because of it. Diablo.
well... world of warcraft, league of legends, words, etc.. Destiny, the division, the crew, etc... wonder if Titanfall even has an offline single player..