Support NeoGAF

[Banjo64]

Lmao I can't believe we're into bribing territory. Unreal.

Well I mean, they had that MP grilling the CMA 2 days ago (and leading the regulatory scrutiny group) who hadn't declared that he was being paid £2k a month by a lobbying group. Microsoft are trying to bribe their way in.

 

[adamsapple]

Lmao I can't believe we're into bribing territory. Unreal.

Are we ?

 

[Topher]

Well I mean, they had that MP grilling the CMA 2 days ago (and leading the regulatory scrutiny group) who hadn't declared that he was being paid £2k a month by a lobbying group. Microsoft are trying to bribe their way in.

What is a MP?

 

[envyzeal]

Are we ?

I don't know, are we?

 

[Banjo64]

What is a MP?

Member of Parliament.

Revealed: senior Tory MP was paid £2,000 a month by lobbying firm

Bim Afolami ran a group calling for Rishi Sunak to overhaul the UK’s regulatory system

amp.theguardian.com

 

[Ansphn]

Well I mean, they had that MP grilling the CMA 2 days ago (and leading the regulatory scrutiny group) who hadn't declared that he was being paid £2k a month by a lobbying group. Microsoft are trying to bribe their way in.

Only 2k? Microsoft is low balling with bribery money.

 

[Ansphn]

Are we ?

Ask Phil

 

[Topher]

Member of Parliament.

Revealed: senior Tory MP was paid £2,000 a month by lobbying firm

Bim Afolami ran a group calling for Rishi Sunak to overhaul the UK’s regulatory system

amp.theguardian.com

Ya'll should call them Mops

 

[Banjo64]

Only 2k? Microsoft is low balling with bribery money.

You're doing well for yourself if you could turn down £2k a month for a side gig.

The company Microsoft paid to bribe the man:

WPI Strategy

WPI Strategy provide specialist advice and services through an elite team with a diverse range of political, media and policy backgrounds.

www.wpi-strategy.com

WPI is a specialist corporate advisory and communications agency that helps you navigate today's fast-changing, complex regulatory and political environments.

 

[adamsapple]

Ask Phil

Disappointing. Thought you knew something for a change.

 

[NickFire]

Honest question - What's the benefit for this arrangement for consumers?

Does it allow access to cheaper prices? Have a higher quality stream than whatever MS offers? Allow native downloads or something? What am I missing?

 

[SoloKingRobert]

There's going to be alot of upset gamers once Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard this year.

 

[Edmund]

I originally became attached to Xbox when I witnessed the behavior of Sony zealots around 2001. I was indifferent before, but at that moment I realized that I wanted to become what they hate most.

So 23 years later and you're still behaving like a kid? Lmao.

 

[sainraja]

Mate, MS bundles xcloud with ultimate plan. It's their fault for doing that.
Plus making xcloud as standalone won't work, as people won't subscribe to that service. It will be like PSnow before the merge.

It's like they don't understand that MS actually wants to promote both their cloud offering along with Game Pass.

 

[demigod]

Because they didn't say no,

The doublespeak and mental gymnastics are a sight to behold, but not unexpected.

Who is this chick? Asking for a friend.

 

[Ansphn]

Disappointing. Thought you knew something for a change.

These guys who regularly frequent this thread know way more than I do. Also, you should know more than anyone. You're telling me Phil don't pillow talk when he's with you?

 

[demigod]

CMA 'Overstated' Microsoft's Cloud Gaming Share in Activision Blizzard Decision, EU Says

https://gamerant.com/cma-overstated-microsoft-cloud-gaming-share/

CMA counted every GamePass subscriber as a cloud user? What a clown show if true.

Who was bragging they had passed 20mil users? They must be clowns.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Who is this chick? Asking for a friend.

Amanda Seyfried - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Played the cutest damned character in Mean Girls.

 

[Topher]

There's going to be alot of upset gamers once Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard this year.

We've already been to the point where most here (including myself) were completely convinced that this was over and the deal would go through after CMA threw out the console side of it. We just turned to talking about things like what games would be Xbox exclusive and stuff like that. No meltdowns. Just continued discussion.

Folks like you keep telling us how we are going to feel, but so far, you are just wrong.

 

[Banjo64]

I originally became attached to Xbox when I witnessed the behavior of Sony zealots around 2001. I was indifferent before, but at that moment I realized that I wanted to become what they hate most.

You watching Sage, Mage, Colt and crew;

 

[Banjo64]

We've already been to the point where most here (including myself) were completely convinced that this was over and the deal would go through after CMA threw out the console side of it. We just turned to talking about things like what games would be Xbox exclusive and stuff like that. No meltdowns. Just continued discussion.

Folks like you keep telling us how we are going to feel, but so far, you are just wrong.

It's funny how when the console SLC was dropped none of us (in the against camp) stopped posting for a month or chimped out and got banned.

 

[demigod]

Microsoft will be acquiring Activision Blizzard in late July to early August.

There's going to be alot of upset gamers once Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard this year.

How long until he adds the years 2024, 25, 26, etc?

 

[PaintTinJr]

Unless both companies stop renewing this deal, I won't write it off. MS is a trillion dollar company. They have yet to use their full resources.

As a Arsenal fan you should have a much better idea of how things work in the UK.

They(Microsoft) have no levers to pull other than corrupting our government to overturn the CAT/CMA and even then, it only takes one of roughly 600 active MPs to put a bill forward to give parliament the option to block such actions.

Look at the European Super league plans that were immediately smashed in the UK in recent years. That isn't the actions of a country that rolls over for wealth when public opinion massively favours intervention.

 

[drganon]

There's going to be alot of upset gamers once Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard this year.

Lay off the copium, it's starting to damage what little brain matter you have left.

 

[jonnyp]

Do you happen to be related to Cathy Newman?
Just asking.

To expand on your question what I care for the most:

I originally became attached to Xbox when I witnessed the behavior of Sony zealots around 2001. I was indifferent before, but at that moment I realized that I wanted to become what they hate most.

In 2006 I came across a game called "Gears of War" which I loved more than anything else in terms of video games, and along with Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey I began to become genuinely fond of Xbox games. This hasn't changed until today, but I know that a successful Microsoft does make their haters suffer. So I guess it's both. Of course I am hoping for a great Gears 6 game (because that's good for myself), but anything that's good for Microsoft is welcome too (because that is driving their haters mad).

Deary me...

 

[DeepEnigma]

I originally became attached to Xbox when I witnessed the behavior of Sony zealots around 2001. I was indifferent before, but at that moment I realized that I wanted to become what they hate most.

On a side note, it's been 20+ years. You got to be a grown ass man by now,

 

[feynoob]

Amanda Seyfried - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Played the cutest damned character in Mean Girls.

You stole my limelight.
I wasted my Google image search for nothing

 

[adamsapple]

Who was bragging they had passed 20mil users? They must be clowns.

They can brag they crossed 200 million, but if the CMA really did include all GP users, not just GPU, as cloud users, they once again fucked up their calculations

 

[Topher]

It's funny how when the console SLC was dropped none of us (in the against camp) stopped posting for a month or chimped out and got banned.

The benefits of not being emotionally involved. If this deal goes through I won't lose to a minute of sleep, just like I didn't when console SLC was cut......

End of my day here....congrats to those who favored this deal. You won. Love all my GAF brothers/sisters regardless.

 

[feynoob]

As a Arsenal fan you should have a much better idea of how things work in the UK.

They(Microsoft) have no levers to pull other than corrupting our government to overturn the CAT/CMA and even then, it only takes one of roughly 600 active MPs to put a bill forward to give parliament the option to block such actions.

Look at the European Super league plans that were immediately smashed in the UK in recent years. That isn't the actions of a country that rolls over for wealth when public opinion massively favours intervention.

I don't think that is perfect analogy.
They are the same government that approved man City behaviors and Saudis Arabia purchase for NewCastle United.
Even Man united might become a Qatari club soon.

Also from my arsenal experience, you can't be sure of something. We were ahead of 8 points against man city. And now we are 4 points behind with them having 1 game in hand. Anything can change the landscape.

As long as that 1%-5% exist, I can't be sure about it.

 

[Banjo64]

They can brag they crossed 200 million, but if the CMA really did include all GP users, not just GPU, as cloud users, they once again fucked up their calculations

Again, they didn't.

This has been disproved and can be verified by yourself by just reading the CMA's final report.

They included xCloud MAU count. Not Game Pass (or Game Pass Ultimate).

@Hitchyhero not sure why the EU commissioner is spreading disinformation however the CMA did not just look at total Game Pass Ultimate subscribers for their calculations.

 

[MasterCornholio]

They can brag they crossed 200 million, but if the CMA really did include all GP users, not just GPU, as cloud users, they once again fucked up their calculations

And if they didn't?

Then what will you do?

Honestly it sounds like you should be blaming Microsoft for presenting the data in the first place. Maybe if they choose to show their numbers differently this would be different.

 

[adamsapple]

They included xCloud MAU count. Not Game Pass (or Game Pass Ultimate).

But how would they get an accurate idea of Xcloud MAU only without deriving the data from Game Pass or GPU numbers?

Similarly, how are they getting the 2022 Playstation Cloud data since PS Now is merged with PS+ now.

And if they didn't?

Then what will you do?

Take you by the hand and stroll on the beach.

 

[Ar¢tos]

I'm starting to think GAF should require proof of ID for every account to stop the constant new alts (although many seem to have been created years ago and went dormant waiting for a time of need) that just exist for shilling, astroturfing, etc.

 

[Topher]

But how would they get an accurate idea of Xcloud MAU only without deriving the data from Game Pass or GPU numbers?

Similarly, how are they getting the 2022 Playstation Cloud data since PS Now is merged with PS+ now.




Take you by the hand and stroll on the beach.

 

[Pelta88]

Honest question - What's the benefit for this arrangement for consumers?

Does it allow access to cheaper prices? Have a higher quality stream than whatever MS offers? Allow native downloads or something? What am I missing?

It literally means absolutely nothing. PR, Fluff, and Spin.

 

[Banjo64]

I don't think that is perfect analogy.
They are the same government that approved man City behaviors and Saudis Arabia purchase for NewCastle United.
Even Man united might become a Qatari club soon.

Also from my arsenal experience, you can't be sure of something. We were ahead of 8 points against man city. And now we are 4 points behind with them having 1 game in hand. Anything can change the landscape.

As long as that 1%-5% exist, I can't be sure about it.

Man, this title race has done a number on you mentally.

The UK government have absolutely no issue with foreign investment. No government in the world does. There is nothing wrong with a company receiving capital injections, this is a perfectly normal thing.

It's only the chimps running Man United, Arsenal, Liverpool and laughably Chelsea that have an issue with City or Abu Dhabi.

 

[feynoob]

But how would they get an accurate idea of Xcloud MAU only without deriving the data from Game Pass or GPU numbers?

Because xcloud is rolled with gamepass ultimate. Whether you use it or not is different topic. But the availability makes you a part of that number.

Similarly, how are they getting the 2022 Playstation Cloud data since PS Now is merged with PS+ now.

Psnow was 3m. After the merge, it's not enough as PS users don't really use that service.
It's mostly the normal PS+.

 

[Banjo64]

But how would they get an accurate idea of Xcloud MAU only without deriving the data from Game Pass or GPU numbers?

Similarly, how are they getting the 2022 Playstation Cloud data since PS Now is merged with PS+ now.




Take you by the hand and stroll on the beach.

Sorry Adam, but I could bloody scream.

The CMA had access to Microsoft's INTERNAL DOCUMENTS, which I'm sure you can appreciate feature most likely all of the data regarding xCloud usage.

 

[adamsapple]

They themselves say it may not be a good proxy for the future state of the cloud market.

 

[MasterCornholio]

Take you by the hand and stroll on the beach.

Oh yes I see where your going with this.

Like I said Microsoft gave them the data so thr CMA made their calculations based off it.

 

[Banjo64]

They themselves say it may not be a good proxy for the future state of the cloud market.

Using the parties data being the key line.

Everything the CMA has done is evidence based and any questions you might have can be looked up in 5 seconds because they've published a fully transparent 400 page document with all of their methodology.

 

[Topher]

They themselves say it may not be a good proxy for the future state of the cloud market.

Correct. The numbers you say are miscalculated are for the present, not the future. They are irrelevant. Remember, EC had the exact same concerns for the future of cloud gaming.

 

[feynoob]

Man, this title race has done a number on you mentally.

The UK government have absolutely no issue with foreign investment. No government in the world does. There is nothing wrong with a company receiving capital injections, this is a perfectly normal thing.

It's only the chimps running Man United, Arsenal, Liverpool and laughably Chelsea that have an issue with City or Abu Dhabi.

The issue is having that much money is not good for the league.
Look at PSG and Bayern Munich. When you have the money, you can loot all the top talents from the league to extend your dominance.

You guys have investigation of paying money outside of the ffp and using shell companies to invest on the club, which is unfair advantage. It's impossible that you guys bring more money than real Madrid.

That doesn't mean we are innocent too. It's just that money talks. You guys, Saudis Arabia and Qatar can bring a lot of investment opportunities for UK government, which makes them overlook those unfair advantages.

For example, New Castle owner has networth of $300b. That is way more than all the club owners combined.

 

[Topher]

We are almost there, fellas!

 

[adamsapple]

Using the parties data being the key line.

Everything the CMA has done is evidence based and any questions you might have can be looked up in 5 seconds because they've published a fully transparent 400 page document with all of their methodology.

Right, I don't doubt that you've done a thorough job of the 400 page document, more than pretty much every other poster commenting on it one way or the other.

But even in your picture, it says they've estimated share for 2021 and 2022.

They also, in a separate point, say that their data may not be representative of the future state of the cloud market.

There's a lot of uncertainty here and these are just estimates, there is a lot of wiggle room for this data to be recalculated if/when under appeal.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Honest question - What's the benefit for this arrangement for consumers?

Does it allow access to cheaper prices? Have a higher quality stream than whatever MS offers? Allow native downloads or something? What am I missing?

You get the benefit of renting a computer over the internet. From software you own. That you can just play on the device you bought it on.

In short, hollow PR.

 

[Bernoulli]

Using the parties data being the key line.

Everything the CMA has done is evidence based and any questions you might have can be looked up in 5 seconds because they've published a fully transparent 400 page document with all of their methodology.

but but but our experts insiders said the CMA did the math wrong

EU Official Says CMA Overstated Microsoft's Share in Cloud Gaming Market

An EU official went on record to say that the UK's CMA has overstated Microsoft's supposed cloud gaming market share (60-70%).

wccftech.com

 

[adamsapple]

You get the benefit of renting a computer over the internet. From software you own. That you can just play on the device you bought it on.

In short, hollow PR.

I mean, you can play on a chrome browser as well .. ideally if you're sitting in the same room as your $2000 gaming PC, you won't need GFNow.

It's not primarily for those folks tho ..

 

[Topher]

Right, I don't doubt that you've done a thorough job of the 400 page document, more than pretty much every other poster commenting on it one way or the other.

But even in your picture, it says they've estimated share for 2021 and 2022.

They also, in a separate point, say that their data may not be representative of the future state of the cloud market.

There's a lot of uncertainty here and these are just estimates, there is a lot of wiggle room for this data to be recalculated if/when under appeal.

Recalculating the current market share doesn't change their basis on Microsoft's advantage in the future with Azure, XGS and the addition of ABK.