re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

Every game I ever tried, custom soundtracks overrode the game music. It was a global OS feature. There were some where the a game could override it in cutscenes, maybe that's what you're thinking of.

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

I know a girl who bought a 360/Kinect specifically for dance games - after about a month, she completely stopped using her 360 and never bought another game for it.

These companies should know by now not to rely too much on the "casual" market.

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

they did learn, that's why they're making in mandatory, because they know no one would buy it otherwise.

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

It seems to me that Microsoft's biggest miscalculation wasn't in how they viewed the customer, but rather that they didn't foresee Sony making a console by core gamers for core gamers that had the right answers to every question and not a bunch of waffling and caveats. When Sony did that, virtually every plan Microsoft had looked asenine in comparison, and no amount of PR spin could change what was patently obvious.

They simply aren't focused on core gamers right now. Rightly or wrongly, they think they have a bigger vision, and they seem to think that their vision will win out in the long run regardless of how big of a sales hit they take early on.

I love watching all of these youtube guys celebrate that they "won" and that Microsoft listened in some way. I'm convinced the only thing they've been listening to is preorder numbers, which were likely disastrous after E3. Gamers will tolerate a lot when they don't have options, but in this case, they had an option. I would bet that MS are watching those preorder numbers closely for movement after the policy changes, and if they continue to lag, I'd be shocked if a $400 SKU didn't materialize proving once again that all of this shit that is so core to their vision really isn't all that important after all.

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

I think also the media's reaction made them change their stance. Jimmy Fallon pointing out that the PS4 is the console that let's you use used games, Fortune and the Wall street journal's articles and people's reaction to them made Microsoft take notice.

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

It seems to me that Microsoft's biggest miscalculation wasn't in how they viewed the customer, but rather that they didn't foresee Sony making a console by core gamers for core gamers that had the right answers to every question and not a bunch of waffling and caveats. When Sony did that, virtually every plan Microsoft had looked asenine in comparison, and no amount of PR spin could change what was patently obvious.


I think you're right. I bet they thought Sony was going to be more "Social Media Focus" with a system and not stay with the current Gamer First concept. Second I think MS really thought gamers overall would welcome a console that did incorporate more Social Media ability and bet they were stunned with the amount of backlash. Just look at their 180 on certain policies shortly after E3.

I've talked more with some online friends and they said they'll hold off for 6-10 months on getting a XO. They and I to believe MS will have to come out with another system minus the Kinect or do something to make the XO more gamer focus. At least two more said it's the PS4 this time simply because of the "Media Center" focus MS has done with the XO along with forcing the Kinect on everyone.

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

It seems like the big thing MS is pushing with the Kinect any more is voice controls, with arm flapping "Minority Report" gestures taking a back seat. With that in mind, why not put out an SKU with "Kinect Lite" that does audio only?

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

Personally, I would want custom soundtracks to be used in place of the game music and stop and start at particular intervals. For instance, in a racing game the custom music would not play during the menu (or better yet, it would play a custom theme for the menu), then it would start when the race starts and stop when the race stops. What's really cool is when you can assign custom tracks to events, like when you hit a home run in a baseball game.

However, some people just want continuous music played no matter what the game is doing.

BTW, I'm not sure I agree with those that say the PS4 is all "gamer first." It seems to me they are pushing social media pretty hard. Look at that ad with all the sharing. Which console has a dedicated "share" button on its controller? It's optional of course, but then so is all the TV stuff in the XO. Sure, Sony has come across as much more consumer-friendly because they never announced a DRM scheme, but let's not pretend there aren't little annoyances with their console.

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

Custom soundtracks on the original Xbox did this. They would simply replace in-game music. I have no idea why they watered it down for the 360 and made them useless.

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

:up:
I think both consoles were made for next-gen gaming first and foremost; just look at the specs. "Entertainment" boxes don't need that much power, games do. All the extra stuff is how they're trying to differentiate from each other, for better or worse.
Agreed. I wouldn't be surprised if Sony has some caveats of their own that they have yet to announce; they're just choosing to be quiet and they'll slip that stuff in when no one's paying attention. I couldn't imagine what that would be, personally, but it's not all wine and roses on their side. ;)

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

But then how could they watch you?

The problem with the consoles is that they know the end is near.

The attack is coming from all fronts. Some are rumors, but no one will say they are baseless.

An incomplete list:

- mobile phones
- tablets
- PCs. LOL! Some people call PC gaming dead almost every year.
- Apple "console"
- Google "console" just rumored.

They don't need a new console just to play games, the current ones are fine for that. Better graphics? PCs will always be better. Always.

If they only go after the hardcore gamer they will fail.

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

I see PC gaming as the hipster way of gaming. It has been pretty much dead for years, with only the hardcore nerds claiming it is amazing. Sure it's fine for MMO's etc, but all they have to do is start putting great MMO's on the consoles and it's over. PC is still around for Steam sales and ease of piracy..oh, and to feel superior by saying that you game on PC :)

Tablet and mobile gaming is a joke and will never replace "real" gaming. Do I play The Simpsons Tapped out on my iPad every day? Sure...for like 10 minutes and spend $0. Will some "running to the right simulator" ever top Bioshock or Gears of War? HAHA nope. People that say mobile and social gaming is going to replace traditional gaming, are not gamers and have no clue.

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

Back to some Xbox One news:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/di...ction-hardware

Apparently the 32MB of "embedded static RAM" within the Xbox One processor to make up the DDR3 to DDR5 RAM issue is better than expected in the retail units, and now the system is slightly, theoretically, more powerful than the PS4. I really don't know much about all of this, but still sounds like the two systems are pretty much equal, both with pros and cons. Still comes down to features and the games.

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

The problem with that theory is exclusives. Do you see Nintendo allowing Mario and Zelda (legally) to be played on those alternate platforms? What about Sony's stuff like God of War and Gran Turismo? MS did eventually allow ports of the first two Halo games to PC, but the PC isn't really considered a direct competitor to consoles, or at least it wasn't back then.

There may come a point where those companies just can't sell enough consoles (Nintendo going the way of Sega!), but I don't see that happening for a while yet.

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

Oh no it's not "pretty much dead" - that's a silly statement. I don't game on the PC as much as some but Starcraft, Minecraft, Diablo III and a host of other games are doing just fine, along with GREAT sales the consoles will never ever match.


Yes, but even big games like Bioshock and Gears of War have to sell millions and millions of copies to break even. And mid-tier games are all but gone. And those costs are going up with the next generation. So to laugh off the idea that a game made by 5 people in a garage that sells 10 million copies for a dollar could one day usurp a game made by 200 people that sells 2 million at 60 bucks a pop (and cost a hundred million to make) is shockingly short-sighted.

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

Yeah, that's kind of what I said. There is a handful of games that are great on PC, mostly MMO type games. Once those become mainstream on consoles, they won't have much of anything. Almost every PC game is released on consoles first, then delayed for months or years on the PC, if it comes out at all. PC is an afterthought for most devs, due to everyone just pirating it.

As for the mobile thing, yeah I get that you can sell a million games at a buck a piece, which is what I was getting at earlier with XBLA titles being WAY overpriced. If PSN and XBLA can get some of these $1-$2 titles, I think we would see a lot more revenue coming from the arcade. Mobile gaming flat out replacing console gaming is not going to happen though, but existing side by side for a while seems logical. Maybe a lot more cross platform for the same pricing in the future?

"And mid-tier games are all but gone. And those costs are going up with the next generation." Yep, and we are going to see a LOT more studios closing down now, thanks to the stupid backtracking no DRM policy, but that's another argument all together ;)

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

Not to be too harsh, but you're pretty clueless as to the PC gaming scene, Stu.

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

But with the new consoles having the same basic architecture as PCs, porting to/from them is going to be much easier and cost-effective (for the devs that care, of course).

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

At the risk of oversimplification, this generation of consoles (other than Wii U) quite literally are gaming PCs. They will play the same games with the benefit of convenience and some exclusives but at the cost of being in a more controlled environment. Cost between PC and console gaming is probably a wash over the long run.

If you would have told me even 6 months ago that the game I'd be most excited for would be a year old PC port of a free to play MMO, I'd have told you that you were crazy, but here we are, and I'm obsessed with Planetside 2. I'm also still excited for "Steam Box", whatever that means, and as much as this generation is blurring the lines between PC and console, I expect the next generation to be even closer.

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

I'd say that high end PCs are going to outpace both consoles pretty quickly after launch. Most multi-console releases these days are night and day better on a mid-teir gaming PC. The only thing consoles have over PC gaming is exclusives and hardware costs.

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

That's cool, was a little concerned with that, it's good it will be able to compete (133 is a big hike over 102). It doesn't quite compensate for the fewer streams on the GPU. Or the fact only 5 of the 8gb of ram can be used by games. Alas, it's a start.

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

:lol: PC Gaming is FAAAAAAAAAR from dead. I was a console exclusive gamer for 3 decades and switched over to playing games on my laptop and haven't looked back. I am not an elitist by any means, but I had absolutely no idea that PC gaming had so much to offer. Games are far cheaper, there are crap loads of free to play games that i don't have to spend a dime on.

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

While I partially agree with you, as I long abandoned PC gaming, I do still follow it a bit. I stand by Steam having great sales to keep it alive, MMO's and Starcraft etc being the only really huge games, and piracy accounting for probably 50-70% of PC games, if not more. Sure, games like Batman and Tomb Raider come out on the PC, and forum people praise how great and amazing it looks, but I doubt 5-10% of the sales on those games come from the PC version, and that's being generous.

With these new consoles being as powerful or more powerful than most peoples current PC's, I expect to see a lot less PC game ports and lot more console support, as PC will no longer have that "better graphics" edge.

Anyways, this is the Xbox forum, not PC so agree to disagree ;)

re: Xbox One: We said WHAT at E3??
 

I see a lot more PC support this generation tbh. A majority of the games will be developed on high end PCs and ported over.

However, the cost of maintaining a PC easily trumps the cost of buying a PS4 and Xbox One so you have to be pretty determined to jump on that band wagon. And slam MMOs all you want, but it's rare for a console game to sell 10m copies, much less keep people paying $10/month to play it for 9 years. (I don't play them).