Xbox One: Crucified Unjustly?
Have we burned the Xbox One at the stake prematurely? Why are people reacting so hastily out of the fear of change? Is it because media and gaming companies are latching on to that fear in the same way politicians leech off emotions in order to garner more votes? Or do we have justifiable reasons for condemning the Xbox One to death even before its release? I dont believe we do, but it seems as though I am in the minority. Allow me to explain why the Xbox One, the gaming industry, and we gamers can all succeed with this new systems launch.
A lot of rash negativity has been circulating around the web regarding the Xbox One recently, and I would like to address several of these concerns. In this post, I will talk about the restriction of used game sales, always online gaming, new system features and many other hot topics regarding the Xbox One and PS4. This will be an in-depth, lengthy comprehensive review of a wide variety of subjects, so if youre not willing to read a detailed study then hit your browsers back button and move on. On the other hand, if youre willing to keep an open mind and engage in an intellectual discussion, then please keep reading as I hope to encourage thoughtful, informative, and productive conversation.
I currently own a PS3 as well as an Xbox 360. I wont deny that I favor my Xbox, which can be perceived as fanboyism and thus a biased opinion. However, I have a few justifiable reasons for leaning toward one current system over the other. Nevertheless, today we are talking about new systems. The Xbox One and PS4 have been the center of attention thanks to their system reveals and now E3. The hottest debate has been over used game sales. I believe that the beginning of this conversation should come from a business perspective, so lets get the obvious truth out of the way right now.
Game developers, game publishers, system manufacturers and anyone else involved in the videogame industry are private sector businesses. These are private companies seeking profit. Their objective is to make money. If they dont make money, they will not survive. If they do not survive, men and women lose their jobs. Making money is not evil. Making money is essential. Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Activision, Bungie and Electronic Arts are all businesses seeking to make money. Do not criticize these companies for trying to do what they are supposed to be doing.
The used game market is slowly crippling the gaming industry in the same way that free pirated music downloads via Napster and Limewire crippled the music industry years ago. The simple fact of the matter is if you buy a new game, you support the producers. If you buy a used game or illegally pirate a game, you support the moochers. You reward someone who has created nothing and punish someone who has created something.
Back when Napster and Limewire reigned over the music industry, the market shriveled and there was a lack of production because the producers werent being rewarded for their efforts. Instead, the moochers feeding off free content online were rewarded. Itunes and the governments crackdown on mp3 pirating have both helped re-invigorate the music industry. You can now purchase any mp3 song for a low price and listen to it instantaneously. Itunes verifies that you are the owner of that licensed content and everything runs as it should. Apple makes a commission off your sales, competition such as Amazon mp3 encourages innovation and differentiation, and artists and bands are making more money than ever before because they are being rewarded for their effort. This in turn results in a healthy music industry.
The videogame industry is no different than the music industry or any other entertainment business. They need our support in order to continue producing quality products. However, gamers today arent willing to support game developers and publishers. For many, price is a concern. Paying $65 for a new game is a hefty fee. What people fail to realize is that the price of new games are elevated to compensate for the fact that the used game market is going to leech off their product, not to mention the cost of production has ramped up as technology demands have increased. These companies will continue to increase the price of games if they cant make ends meet.
A great example of the opposite of this trend is the price of albums. I remember when sticker price for a new album on store shelves was $14.99 back when Napster and Limewire were alive and kicking. You can buy a brand new album off Itunes in digital form for as low as $7.99 on the day of release. Why? Because the redistribution of music is less prevalent today as it was years ago. This drives prices down as music companies no longer have to overcompensate for lost business. Additionally, the production cost to create cds and cases has been cut, reducing the cost as well. What if this effect were to happen in the videogame industry also? This is what everyone wants to achieve. The current solution to that is DRM and online distribution.
DRM is no different than the license verification you go through routinely for your smart phone applications and your Itunes music. DRM is a way for a game developer to ensure that you are supporting the producer. The great thing about it is that if we support the producers, they will in turn support their games. If tons of people buy into a companys stock, the stock price increases. If you help grow the game developer and publishers market, they will expand their business. This means more and higher quality games for us and more money for them. Its a win/win scenario. The misconception to this day is that Microsoft is banning used game sales.
Xbox One will not get rid of used games. Microsoft has merely allowed publishers to choose whether or not they want to allow used game sales. Microsoft has announced that they WILL allow used game sales on their first party titles. They have also announced that they will NOT profit off used game sales. That said, I am a huge proponent of online distribution of games. If games are to be distributed online, there will be a massive cost-savings for companies because they wont have to run manufacturing on discs and cases and packaging. Furthermore, companies will be able to ensure that consumers arent redistributing their content and ruining their revenue.
Steam is a perfect example of how to successfully run this business model. Games purchased through Steam are often lower in price than those in a brick and mortar store. You save money and the gaming industry makes money. How awesome would it be if you could begin downloading a game and immediately start playing it as it is still downloading? I can begin listening to an audiobook seconds after starting the download, which is great because I dont have to wait. I would love to see a similar service on the next generation of consoles that way we can have instant gaming at lower prices and support our favorite companies.
What I find interesting is that Sony has announced a very similar program, wherein game publishers and developers can choose to enable online passes and other restriction codes. This sounds identical to the current system we have now. What is stopping a game developer or publisher from creating a one-time use code where the game isnt just restricted from online features like an online pass, but is restricted from being played altogether without said activation code? Computer games used to do this all the time because people were redistributing games for free. What happened to the PC gaming market? It took a huge blow and is still recovering to this day. Simply put, there is more money in the console market than the PC market right now, but that is slowly changing due to used game sales. The entire concept of a redemption or activation code is no different than a DRM license verification process.
Additionally, many people are complaining that the Xbox One will require an online subscription. To that I say, Xbox gamers are accustomed to owning an online subscription. They pay for it because Xbox's online service is the best, most streamlined and lively online gaming service available for consoles. It is this very reason that more copies of third-party games are sold on Xbox 360. A great example is Call of Duty. Black Ops II has sold over 12 million copies on Xbox 360 as compared to 10 million on PS3. Both systems are neck-and-neck in terms of platform sales at about 77.5 million each. So why does Xbox 360 sell more games? Its because of their established online service.
Whats surprising is that Sony announced that they will require gamers to have a PlayStation Plus membership in order to play games online. For the longest time, Sony proudly stated that their online service wouldnt cost gamers a penny. They touted this as an advantage over the competition. Then Sony realized two things: their service wasnt as good as Microsofts and they werent making any money to make the service better. This pay-to-play-online service is no different than Microsoft's current strategy. We pay for that service. The price of this service equates to $4.16 per month if you purchase a one year plan at $50. I have undoubtedly gotten my moneys worth for that price, and my experience along the way has been excellent on both my Xboxs. I am willing to pay a nominal monthly fee for a great product or service.
It was also said that Xbox One will be enabled for gamers without Internet connections. The example provided was that military personnel overseas would be able to play Xbox One despite their lack of internet connectivity. Truth is, if my cable provider didnt offer a high-def feed, I wouldnt buy an HDTV. That doesnt mean companies should quit producing HDTVs because some people cant view high-def video on them. An internet connection has become a critical application in devices these days.
Smart phones such as an Iphone or HTC Evo require data packages. You dont have an option in the matter. It is either data package or no phone because cell phone carriers will lose money if they give you an expensive smart phone and dont sign you up for a data package. Therefore, smart phones are always online, yet we dont complain about them being always-online. In home appliances such as computers, smart HDTVs, gaming consoles and many other applications require an online presence if you wish to utilize their full capabilities. Because of this, nearly everyone has a readily available internet connection. If you are reading this, you have an internet connection.
My Xbox has been connected to Xbox live for around ten years now. Ever since Mechassault, I've had a constant connection. However, you don't need a constant connection with Xbox One. You merely need to verify your game licenses once per day. I have connected to Xbox Live once per day for years upon years. It was never required, but I do it everyday anyways because it is automatic for me. This is the same strategy big app developers such as Gameloft use for smart phone games. When you launch the game, a quick license verification occurs to make sure you haven't obtained the application through means other than a legal purchase. The only times I, or the vast majority of the public, would ever be unable to connect to the Internet once in a given day is in the event of a storm or power outage in which case it won't matter because your power will be out anyways. Odds are that 99% of the time, you will easily be able to connect to the Internet at least once in a day.
Our smart phones are constantly connected to the Internet, and they perform routine syncs and license checks all day, much more so than the amount of checks the Xbox One will do per day. Do you complain about Facebook updating every hour or your GPS checking to see where you are? No, because I want my Facebook up-to-date, and I want to be able to instantly see where the nearest FedEx location is to me. If my Xbox can sync updates in the background in the same way my phone does, and if my Kinect can register and turn on my Xbox merely by facial recognition, then I am all for it. These are convenient automatic features that I appreciate in my phone and will accept with my console. Google isnt spying on me maliciously and tracking my every location so that they can pickpocket me as I exit FedEx. Neither is Microsoft with their automatic updates, license verifications, and kinect sensor abilities. If anything, Microsoft is making sure the $10 that I shouldve given to the FedEx location for shipping my package but fell on the floor makes its way into FexEds hands.
I was in an airplane this week and couldn't play a game on my phone because I wasn't connected to the Internet. Oh well. I simply listened to an audiobook for a couple hours and as soon as the plane landed, I was good to play that game again. This was an isolated, rare instance. Even still, if my Xbox One had connected previously in the day to the Internet, I could conceivably play it while on the airplane even though there was no Internet connection. Long story short is that people are making a mountain out of a mole hill. As a result, people are overlooking many quality exclusive titles, a plethora of unique and innovative new features, and an excellent online community because they are afraid of a few small, necessary changes.
This is the same thing that happened when the original Xbox required a high speed Internet connection to play online. At that time, many people still had dial-up. What we found was that the online gaming industry drastically changed and adopted Microsoft's high-speed online strategy. I am an example of someone who adapted by adopting. I wanted to play my games online, so I had to get a high-speed internet connection. I am extremely thankful that I did. Because of this necessary change, Xbox live was and is the best online console gaming service available. Microsoft did what they had to do in order to make online gaming flow smoothly. Likewise, Microsoft is doing what they have to do in order for companies to stay afloat and run smoothly.
The changes Xbox One is making are inevitable for the future. Sony is taking knockout shots at Microsoft because people are afraid of change, and Sony realizes they can feed of that fear in order to generate sales while squashing the competition. This is the same tactic they used when they attacked the Xbox 360s online service. Sony wanted people to buy their platform. One way they could do that was by proclaiming their service was free and would stay free.
As we know, free isnt always better. What has happened is Sony has gone back on their word, and they are now going to charge for online gaming. Do you really believe Sony wont go back on their word and begin doing license checks in the future? The first day of E3, Sony boldly protested that their system was for the gamer and they fully supported used game sales. This was only partly true as the reports of their used game restrictions funneled in the very next day. Sony doesnt care about DRM or constant internet connectivity. They care about winning by whatever means necessary.
In terms of product features, the Xbox One took a serious beating when its reveal discussed television and multi-tasking features for the majority of the conference. The same skeptics detesting the Xbox One are now embracing similar television features on PS4. E3 reversed the rolls. Now we find that PS4 has had a showing lacking in gaming content and heavy on all-in-one living room features. Meanwhile, Xbox One has delivered a plethora of exclusives and gameplay demos. What I have to say is that the all-in-one living room device is a beautiful, wonderful concept. I would love to pitch the cable box, pitch the old dvd recorder, pitch the apple tv and whatever other devices I have connected and convert to one streamlined device. Oh and guess what? The system still plays incredible games.
I cant tell you how many times I have connected to the internet and looked at my large friends list only to find that everyone was either watching Netflix or HBO GO or HULU or Amazon Instant Video or MLB.tv or Youtube. I cant tell you how many times Ive been in an Xbox Live party with my closest friends, and we wanted to watch a live sporting event such as the NCAA Basketball National Championship game during March Madness. What we would have to do is sit in a party and switch the input. 30 minutes later, I would be talking and wonder why nobody was replying. I had been disconnected from the party or my controller had automatically turned off. Who knows how long I had been talking to myself for? Because I was on a different input, I was never notified to reconnect my controller or that I was disconnected from the party.
Now, I will be able to be in a group chat and watch a live sporting event without a problem. But we can take this a step further. With the multi-tasking feature, I could conceivably be in a lobby of Condemned 2, which often takes a while for enough players to join, and watching television while I wait. Furthermore, I could flash over to Youtube in a second, search for a helpful walkthrough tutorial of a difficult section of the game Im currently playing, and then flash back and complete the puzzle I couldnt figure out. This will eliminate the need to turn on the computer, wait for it to load, and then watch the video. Or it will eliminate the need to break out the cell phone and watch the tutorial on a tiny screen and pray the quality is good enough to be able to tell what is going on. Or how about checking the release date of a game you and your friends are eagerly anticipating by splitscreening bings search engine while you watch an episode of the League with your friends. These are some unique and interesting features that people are overlooking with the new Xbox One. Plus, why are we complaining about extra features when we already use them on a daily basis? I dont remember anyone moaning and groaning about Netflix when it was first announced for Xbox 360.
When all is said and done, the fears we have regarding the Xbox One are negligible. We are already complying with always-online with our smart phones. We have already been doing license verification with computer games, mp3 downloads, and phone applications. We already pay a membership fee for our online gaming service. We are already limited on how many devices we can share media such as movies, books, music and games with. We already enjoy all-in-one living room features such as Netflix on our consoles.
I believe that Microsoft is prepping for the future. In order to move forward, we have to make changes. Changing set ways is often difficult and frightening. As a result, we resist said change. However, over the course of the years, change has been good for several industries. Change helped the music industry. Change helped the online gaming industry. Change is not your enemy regardless of what Sony and IGN lead you to believe. Your experience with the Xbox One will not be hindered because of these minor changes. Many of them may enhance your experience and many of them will enhance the experience for others such as game developers and publishers. Allow the industry to evolve and improve itself.
I assure you this is not the end of the world. It will all work out.
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