New Xbox basically kills off used games

[Zelig]

For me the question is, out of the retail box at the reported prices what can the Xbox do that the PS4 cannot do? From the info I have read:

-Xbox comes with kinect, ps4 does not come with the sony equivalent sony eye or whatever its called... not even sure if the eye is as functional as the kinect
-Xbox has skype exclusive and NFL exclusives, what those exclusives mean is not clear though (nfl one sounds like fantasy football integration not exclusive viewing...meh)
-Xbox has HDMI in and can function as a cable receiver

What else am I missing? DRM stuff we all know already. To be honest, Sony is sort of being coy about what they are doing--publishers will still be able to control resale of their games if they want. Don't be too quick to think Sony is going to be the free market console they are hyping to be. (This is Sony remember? They were trying to lock us in to their formats when MS was in diapers.)

-You can share your games with people on your friends list independent of physical (lending disc) restrictions.
-You can play your games on other people's consoles independent of physical (bringing discs) restrictions.
-Best-in-class controller. (Though my support of this depends on how PC compatibility plays out.)

 

[illram]

I predict pc compatibility will remain since ms can still mandate the games for windows thingy. At a friends house I have to download the game to their xbox right? And then sign in presumably?

 

[Zelig]

I predict pc compatibility will remain since ms can still mandate the games for windows thingy. At a friends house I have to download the game to their xbox right? And then sign in presumably?

I assume you sign in first, then you get a list of all the games you've purchased, then you're able to stream/play the game as it downloads.

 

[mrt144]

Yes but that's exactly the problem. When Steam was launched, PC gamers were ready to buy their games digitally since they couldn't sell their used copy at Gamestop anyway. Internet connection was already a given for PC gamers even the most casual one and piracy was much more a problem.

In other words, PC gamers were ready for the digital ages (well, most were, I'm sure many were pissed). I maintained that many potential consumers for Xbox One aren't.

many are still pissed but just accept their lot in life.

 

[tonberry]

many are still pissed but just accept their lot in life.

That's right. And I guess many were pissed enough that they decided to go buy a console. That's exactly what many will do for the next generation, they will buy a PS4 or a WiiU.

 

[azzaman333]

Yes but that's exactly the problem. When Steam was launched, PC gamers were ready to buy their games digitally since they couldn't sell their used copy at Gamestop anyway. Internet connection was already a given for PC gamers even the most casual one and piracy was much more a problem.

In other words, PC gamers were ready for the digital ages (well, most were, I'm sure many were pissed). I maintained that many potential consumers for Xbox One aren't.

Most of the complaints I've seen (not so much here though) have been from self-proclaimed PC gamers who are on record as being fans of Valve/Steam.

 

[tonberry]

Most of the complaints I've seen (not so much here though) have been from self-proclaimed PC gamers who are on record as being fans of Valve/Steam.

Again, sure but, if they complain, maybe that's because they enjoy sharing games between friends and trade games at Gamestop. Maybe that's the reason why they decided to buy a console.

Lastly, Steam may be required to play Civ5 but I still can play it offline. Xbox One won't even allow that.

 

[azzaman333]

Again, sure but, if they complain, maybe that's because they enjoy sharing games between friends and trade games at Gamestop. Maybe that's the reason why they decided to buy a console.

Lastly, Steam may be required to play Civ5 but I still can play it offline. Xbox One won't even allow that.

They can still share games with friends on the Xbox 1.

And Steam's offline mode is arse.

 

[Arakhor]

Most of the complaints I've seen (not so much here though) have been from self-proclaimed PC gamers who are on record as being fans of Valve/Steam.

I've avoided Steam for countless years, but now it's getting to be almost impossible to avoid. Microsoft aren't even anywhere close to that yet.

 

[illram]

Is Sony partnered up with Steam for the PS4 somehow, that would be pretty cool and would give MS a run for their money.

 

[warpus]

Why is the interviewer asking him what people without the internet should do, if they want to use a device that requires the internet?

Because there are a lot of people out there who own an xbox360, are loyal to the brand, and would have upgraded to the next version of the console if they had the option.

The point is that the device was designed to require the internet, when it was possible to not design it that way. Just look at the ps4 for example! So you are right, you can just shut up and get the ps4, or not get anything, and that's pretty much what he's saying in the video. It's silly because it's bad for business. It seems like a middle finger to those xbox 360 owners who don't have access to a reliable internet connection.

 

[Zelig]

If I didn't have a reliable internet connection I'd be far more concerned about my lack of reliable internet than I would be about my lack of xbox.

But yes, the 24-hour check is mostly stupid. The biggest upside I can see is that it's relatively certain that if I go anywhere that has an XB1 console, I'll be able to login and play my games on it.

A more reasonable requirement would be to just require an internet connection to activate any new game purchase to your account.

 

[tonberry]

Also, for the Steam parallel to be valid you need to imagine a world where, for example, the iMac would have been a legitimate gaming computer. So for many years, gamers would be divided almost equally between PC and MAC. Then, one day Steam come up but it’s only on PC. So you can buy Civ5 on PC and have to deal with all the DRM or you can buy it on MAC and you don’t have any of those problems. Is Steam would have been as successful in that situation? I think not.

 

[Mise]

Yes it would have, because Steam had frequent, deep sales on their games. The average price of games on Steam would have been lower than on Mac, so people would use Steam. I think people are entirely happy with DRM as long as it provides a net benefit to customers. Lower prices is a net benefit for all but the most hardcore of FLOSS advocates and gnuts.

 

[Zelig]

Not having discs is a huge benefit.

I think I'm actually going to buy an Xbox 360 for cheap and use it solely to get free/cheap games off XBL that haven't had PC ports.

 

[Mise]

It's not as big as you think it is...

 

[Zelig]

Because people are too attached to physical goods, when they should be striving to own as few physical goods as possible.

 

[Mise]

The only thing that's annoying about a disk is (a) buying it in the first place, and (b) having to swap it in and out each time I want to play a new game. I've ranted a lot about (b), here and IRL, and I seriously hate it, but it's not a huge deal at all... At the end of the day, the benefits are kind of "meh". They prevent one or two minor inconveniences but they're not anywhere near the same league as 20% cheaper games or 75% off old games every now and then. They're not going to make me "okay" with all those added restrictions that didn't exist before.

 

[Zelig]

Also they take up room. My house is super efficient, compact and organized, and has nowhere to put game discs.

 

[Mise]

I like looking at my games collection, like I like looking at my CD collection. It's more satisfying than scrolling through a list on a screen. (Indeed, unboxing a physical product is WAY more satisfying than watching a progress bar tick from 50% to 51%.)