I think I will skip the Xbox One and why.

The future of gaming is pushing me away.



This is purely a personal opinion piece.

Reading the early press on the new Xbox leaves me very ambivalent. The news about online activation is merely one major point I am not happy about, but it isn't limited to that. Obviously we are all jumping the gun slightly on this matter and more news will emerge to clarify this, but it does seem that we will have significant restrictions on what we are able to with what we 'own'. What appears definite is that a game you 'buy' must be loaded to the hard drive and then you have to go online to activate a once only code. This means that your console is the only console it will play on, or more precisely, your Xbox account, meaning a console assigned to your account. You can't give a game to your mates to play for the weekend, or for that matter, to just give it away. In doing so, they have to pay Microsoft full retail price to get it to work. I am certainly not a fan.

What this all means in the end is that you don't own what you purchased. You are merely leasing it, for as long as YOU want to play it. It is essentially the same as PC and the main reason I don't play many PC games, unless there is no restrictive activation codes (meaning not forcing me onto Steam), or they are exceptionally cheap. The company is controlling you, the consumer. It is the same as buying a car, but not being able to sell it when you wish to change cars, as ultimately, the company owns the car and you purchase the rights to drive it. That is a future I do not look forward to.

Assuming this restriction does apply, it is the final nail in the coffin for an Xbox One purchase. The other nail is the games. When I look back at the Xbox and my 70ish games, I don't care about any of the exclusives other than Forza and PGR. Fast forward to the Xbox 360, where I have about 100 games, if I strip out what I could have played on the PS3, I am left with a small number of exclusives that just make owning it worthwhile. Those games are Tales of Vesperia, Blue Dragon, Forza and Viva Pinata. When I detach myself and look at the cost and the outcome, I can't justify owning another Xbox. I will be better off with a focus on the PS4 and Wii U. The PS4 itself is entirely dependent on them not taking the same route as Xbox One on used games. If they do that as well, it will be very hard to accept, but I don't know that I could miss out on all the potentially great JRPG, but it would certainly have an impact on how many games I purchased and they would all be very price driven.

All of this continual drive to control the consumer, to restrict how and what we do is pushing me away from gaming. It could be the best thing for Nintendo though, if they don't follow the pack. Whatever way it goes, with the 1300ish games I have, plus what the Wii U will provide over the next 6 years, I have more than a lifetime of games to complete.

With you utterly, OS. But then I never owned a 360, or a PS3, because I didn't think either would be worth the amount I paid for them. An entertainment hub for someone who doesn't watch much TV (or play sports games, or CoD) definitely won't be either.

Should this not go in the GNamer Community subforum, though? Given that its subtitle starts with, "Got an opinion piece?"

I have a Battlefield, Gears of War, Halo, Call of Duty and even a Crysis, but what I have discovered is that they are definitely NOT me. Same goes for the sport games, although this generation I have limited myself to Football and Gridiron and they don't do it for me either. I am a Nintendo Fanboy simply because the bulk of what I enjoy comes from Nintendo or is on Nintendo. I am comfortable with that. I don't think I wil miss all that much, plus I can wait to the end of the life of the system and get it really cheap and try the games I wanted, also cheap.

As for the location of this, I thought about where it should be, but I thought in the end, it is about Microsoft. I will try harder in future

Makes sense the article being here, to me at least.

I agreed with just about everything you wrote there, oldschool. In truth, the chances mf me buying another current-gen console to accompany my Wii U is looking less likely with every press release. I've still got my eyes on the PS4, but judging by the amount of time I've spent playing my PS3 in the five or so years I've owned it, I can't currently see a persuasive argument to upgrade.

Stu_the_great wrote:

Makes sense the article being here, to me at least.

I agreed with just about everything you wrote there, oldschool. In truth, the chances mf me buying another current-gen console to accompany my Wii U is looking less likely with every press release. I've still got my eyes on the PS4, but judging by the amount of time I've spent playing my PS3 in the five or so years I've owned it, I can't currently see a persuasive argument to upgrade.

After a few days of digesting the news on the Xbone One Stu, I have gone from 'very probably' won't get one, to 'most certainly' won't get one. The used games is a big problem , but certainly not death. What is the death of the system to me is the fact that it will always need an internet connection and your games are only ever useful whilst you have one. SHould the service ever be removed, such as at the end of the system's useful (read: profitable) life, all your games are GONE.

Also, another 'death' issue for me is Kinect and it always needing to be on. It monitors you, even when you are not playing games and gives that feedback to Microsoft. I know it sounds paranoid, and I should put my tinfoil hat on to say this, but this is Skynet in the making. It isn't like I am doing anything I don't want known, but why would I allow a camera and listening device into my home, that is always on?

Apparently Microsoft have patented a system, that monitors everyone in front of the television, meaning that if you breach the licencing agreement (such as too many people watching a Pay Per View), then it will stop the viewing until people leave. This could lead to a scenario where Microsoft would sell you the licence to a game on an individual level, and if anyone the system detects anyone who hasn't paid the licence will be forced to leave so the game can play, or, will have to pay for the licence as well. This is a horrible slippery slope we are entering into. I won't be part of it. If it is successful, because consumers are too short-sighted to realise where it is leading, it will take full control of what we do.

Tin foil hat off

I've not really paid attention to all the news articles, because it's only 6 months ago I bought a brand-new console. However, I assume I'm going to need another console other than the WiiU to play "other" games, but I'm really not sure which one now. I have a 360, but, from what you're saying, I might jump to Sony this time. Kinect is shit at what it does anyway; I don't trust it to be any better this time, and certainly not to monitor my "usage" with any accuracy.

PREDICTIONS:
Successful motion-controlled games: 0
Pictures of my genitals accidentally sent to Microsoft: 37

Also, half my 360 games are used, as I was late to the party. It's a shame because the controller's the most comfortable.

Are there any mega-downsides to the PS4?

Jimbob, I don't think you need another console if you have a 360 and Wii U, Microsoft have said the 360 will be supported up to 2017 (including a Huge 360 Game at this years E3) okay could just be servers up for xbox live who knows. Same with Sony whom have said there's still great titles to come out on the PS3 eg Gran Turismo 6 is out November and more to come in 2014. And with the 360 & PS3 having such big install bases things are going cross gen eg a watch dogs. So the question is do you want to pay £400 or whatever on a new console PS4 or One just for a better looking Watch Dogs with share options on PS4 and some kinect crap (you would guess ) on the One and a few exclusives that won't be on the prior gen.

masofdas wrote:

Jimbob, I don't think you need another console if you have a 360 and Wii U, Microsoft have said the 360 will be supported up to 2017 (including a Huge 360 Game at this years E3) okay could just be servers up for xbox live who knows.

I hope that's the case. I think it'll depend on global interest, which will depend on common sense... which publishers don't have unfortunately.

Surely being supported til 2017 means that after next year EA will release FIFA every year...

Yeah it be COD and FIFA, Madden etc you would gather. Fifa came out last year for the PS2 still.

I'm doubtful about CoD for more than about a year. They'll want people to upgrade and the CoD crowd is a massive crowd. Plus I don't see Activision putting the time and effort into it.

masofdas wrote:

Yeah it be COD and FIFA, Madden etc you would gather. Fifa came out last year for the PS2 still.

And they would be stupid to keep ignoring the Wii U. I mean, seriousy, how many PS2 games were they selling, yet still made them.

Mind you, none of those game hold even the slightest for me.

In regards to still making FIFA games on ps2, that particular console was still massively popular in brazil & other parts of South America and they just wouldn't not release a football game especially there.