I have a talent, of sorts, that may or not be appreciated, depending on who you ask. You see, I, for many things, have a very good memory, as well as a fairly critical mind. Combining these two features gets you the ability to see things a bit clearer than others. Unfortunately there are a lot of 'others' out there.
Why do I bring this up… the xBox One. So many people have been sending their blood pressure through the roof over it, and so much of that is caused by myths, lies, and misinformation, almost all tied to sensationalism. The two key features about the upcoming console that are being misreported are the used game policy and the 'always-on' requirement. Let's start with the latter, which is simply wrong.
The console does not require that you are always connected to the Internet. It, as of the latest news, will require you connect once every 24 hours. That is, by definition, not an always-on requirement, yet inflating it to that status allows for more expletives, so people describe it like that. Also, that is a software requirement, which means we may see that change at some point. Finally, who does this actually impact? I'm sorry but I want to know just how many people out there that are ever going to get the console do not have a reliable Internet connection? It can't be many because you, for the most part, need that connection to follow gaming news and know what games are coming out when. Okay, so you've got the people in the armed services who are deployed. I have seen a number of people claiming that Microsoft is giving them the shaft with this decision and the 'xBox 360 is an offline device' comment, because these warriors are risking their lives to protect us so we can have those games. That is, largely, a fallacy. Think about it: the supposed gamer warrior wants to play a game on his xBox during his/her off time. To do so requires they are at a location with enough electricity to power the console and a TV. Now, if the military has such locations with enough power for such amenities, do you really think they will not also have an Internet connection? I doubt there are many places you can be deployed that you will have power and no Internet. Of course the connection may not be very good, but that is case-by-case and without knowing what the check-in requires makes the necessary connection-quality hard to guess.
Let's also look at that 'xBox 360 is an offline device' comment. Again we have a fallacy here when people say that is showing a lack of interest in anyone. (We also have an impressively poor comment. The marketing people that manage to overcome that will deserve a bonus.) Microsoft has already stated quite plainly that the 360 will continue to have support for over a year. Hundreds of games will be released for it over the next two years, I believe is what they said, and they just released a new version of it, which is cosmetically similar to the One. Obviously they are not retiring this console, so what is wrong with them saying you can just buy and play on it? It will be considerably cheaper than the One and has a larger library than the One will have for some time. It's still a stupid comment, from a marketing standpoint, but it is not a stupid strategy.
Now let's get to the used game policy, but first some history. Used games have been a growing issue in the video game industry because, within the industry, the only companies to profit from it are the retailers. Publishers and developers never see a cent from a used game sale, and they know it, so they have been trying to think of ways to get some money from used sales. One way to do it is with DLC, which has to be purchased individually. Another way is the so called Season Pass, for multiplayer. Either way, these are new purchases, and cannot be resold.
Microsoft's policy hopes to change that by allowing publishers to set terms with the retailers, such as giving them a percentage of the sale. If used like that, you will see more money going to publishers and likely more data on what games are being played. This will impact the likelihood of games getting sequels and then how much money is spent on them. It will also impact how many people can be employed by the industry, which stretches into other topics.
So, the Microsoft policy will allow more money to go to the publishers and developers who make the games we play and enjoy. This is a good thing, and yet they are being attacked for it. Why? Because of the liars out there trying to sensationalize it by claiming the One does not support used games. It does. They claim it does not support sharing games with friends or family. It does. They claim it will burst into flames when Holy Water is sprinkled on it. Not going to happen, unless the drops short out just the right wires. Perhaps the system will become more complicated for the end user, perhaps, but that is something the Microsoft will try to minimize, and is up to publishers. That really is something important to remember here; the publishers will have control of this, not Microsoft. The publisher decides what the terms are for used games, so if any one publisher does something you do not like, you can boycott them in favor of another publisher. The gamers ultimately have control. What's more, the publishers know this and they are not going to do things to anger gamers, at least not for long.
Well, that's something that's been bothering me for the past few weeks. I could say even more than this if I wanted, but I don't want to. This post is long enough as it is.
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