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Microsoft Studios' creative director has some choice words about always-online

J

Joe Shlabotnik

Banned
Also, "speak with your wallet" only works when there's a big enough shitstorm that people actually listen and take action (or negative action by not purchasing). Otherwise you're advocating for everyone to shut up and hope that ten million individual people arbitrarily decide not to buy something.

The actual wallet-hurting for the company in question is a consequence of the shitstorm, not the other way around.
 
D

Dead Man

Member
yZXd0cY.png


Can we call him a clown yet?
 
N

Neuromancer

Member
Fancy Corndog said:
I hope I'm not exaggerating too much, but I think I just witnessed one single man completely destroy Microsoft's reputation with the core crowd - the very people who actually are always online.

I guess the third gen curse is real. It feels like Sony and Microsoft swapped places or something in terms of attitude.
Click to expand...
I'd put it more like, Microsoft employee unwittingly poured gasoline on a small fire that was already burning.
 
Boss Man

Boss Man

Member
I can only imagine that this guy is going to be fired inside out. I mean, he couldn't have caused more damage to the Xbox brand if he was trying to.
 
cyberheater

cyberheater

PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 Xbone PS4 PS4
venne said:
It seems like forms of media are moving away from ownership and more to access (think Netflix, Pandora, etc.). I don't see why games will ultimately be any different.
Click to expand...

Agreed.

venne said:
Don't know how it could work exactly, but I do not think it must be the current $60 disc paradigm.
Click to expand...

Yep. I can't see how publishers can expect to sell $60 and still have some form of subscription service.

I do like the Netflix model though All you can eat movies and tv shows for £5.99 a month. If MS did something similar for the same price then I'm in.
 
THE:MILKMAN

THE:MILKMAN

Member
The way I see it a game console doesn't always need to be online to operate. A mobile phone needs a signal to operate. A car needs fuel to operate. They're unavoidable.

On principal, Microsoft (or any company) shouldn't be forcing a requirement/limitation like this onto a product IMO.
 
F

FlyFaster

Member
'I don't know who this guy is kidding, maybe LA or silicon valley is "always connected" or "always online" but that isn't a reflection of the real world.

Way to completely disregard a ton of people who live in the states he mentioned. What are we supposed to take away from that?

Also, I don't vacuum for entertainment you idiot. Stupidest analogy ever.


Anyway, LOL good luck selling those boxes hahahahahaha. I'll be getting a PS4.
 
P

PaulLFC

Member
Chief Icaroc said:
I am talking about PS+.

You get free games with it until your PS+ subscription is over. Once your time runs out you can't play those games anymore.

Sounds a little like an "always on" connection right? People buy this right? It is a thing?

Ok so, (IF) you buy a new Xbox, you choose to "subscribe" to the "always on" connection. How time runs out is currently unknown. If it logs me out when my connection drops, I am going to be pissed because that is going to cause gaming interruptions which no one will like.

One is a Subscription to PS+ the other is a console.
Click to expand...
You're still going with this? It's been explained to you time and time again how the two systems are different yet you refuse to acknowledge it.

It's not an always on connection at all.

Subscribe to Plus. Download game. Disconnect from internet. Play game absolutely fine until subscription runs out (like ANY other subscription service, you can only use the service while you are subscribed to it). Where's the "always online"? Nowhere. You have to be online to purchase PS+ and download the game. That's it. Then you can be offline for as long as you like while subscribed. Subscription runs out? Go online, purchase new subscription, go offline. 5 minutes online does not equal always online.
 
R

RetroStu

Banned
JeTmAn81 said:
Always being online IS good for the consumer. However, requiring them to be online to do things which have no need for an internet connection makes no sense and is very bad for the consumer. I think most of us are in consensus on that.
Click to expand...

How?, i don't think being blasted with constant ads everytime you push a button is good for the consumer imo, choice is, choice of going online when the consumer wants to is though.
 
Z

Zen_Arcade

Banned
Chief Icaroc said:
I am talking about PS+.

You get free games with it until your PS+ subscription is over. Once your time runs out you can't play those games anymore.

Sounds a little like an "always on" connection right? People buy this right? It is a thing?

Ok so, (IF) you buy a new Xbox, you choose
to "subscribe" to the "always on" connection. How time runs out is currently unknown. If it logs me out when my connection drops, I am
going to be pissed because that is going to cause gaming interruptions which no one will like.

One is a Subscription to PS+ the other is a console.
Click to expand...
That portion of PS+ is essentially a rental service. I don't want to rent all of my games.
Plus I'm actually BUYING the games not paying a monthly fee to rent them. If I'm buying them I should be able to play them whenever I damn well want.
 
P

-Pyromaniac-

Member
Dead Man said:
yZXd0cY.png


Can we call him a clown yet?
Click to expand...
What does Arthur not get, jesus.

1) You won't fully own your games. MS shuts any server down and you're done. You're playing on the console you bought, using a game that you bought, but on their terms. Where is that ever not a bad thing.

2) Alienate people who don't have access to reliable broadband (or any at all)

3) Even if you have a reliable and great internet connection, there's 2 sides to the coin. Something might happen on their end. And it will happen. Every time a big game is released. This has been shown in the past. Diablo 3 and sim city being the most recent examples. These never go well, ever.

4) Then there's the obvious slippery slope they'd be getting on.
 
Q

quest

Not Banned from OT
PaulLFC said:
You're still going with this? It's been explained to you time and time again how the two systems are different yet you refuse to acknowledge it.

It's not an always on connection at all.

Subscribe to Plus. Download game. Disconnect from internet. Play game absolutely fine until subscription runs out (like ANY other subscription service, you can only use the service while you are subscribed to it). Where's the "always online"? Nowhere. You have to be online to purchase PS+ and download the game. That's it. Then you can be offline for as long as you like while subscribed. Subscription runs out? Go online, purchase new subscription, go offline. 5 minutes online does not equal always online.
Click to expand...

Exactly I have a lot of PS+ vita games and use the system in airplane mode a lot. It is a good way to get a little extra battery life. Those PS+ games still work just fine when I am not online.
 
W

watership

Member
Fancy Corndog said:
I can only imagine that this guy is going to be fired inside out. I mean, he couldn't have caused more damage to the Xbox brand if he was trying to.
Click to expand...

Could anyone? I can't imagine a worse set of circumstances or information in the past 6 months that has actually damaged the brand more. And yet, there is still not one iota of actually official information. Whomever is in charge of "the message" over at Microsoft is either clueless or dead.
 
S

spekkeh

Banned
Fancy Corndog said:
I hope I'm not exaggerating too much, but I think I just witnessed one single man completely destroy Microsoft's reputation with the core crowd - the very people who actually are always online.

I guess the third gen curse is real. It feels like Sony and Microsoft swapped places or something in terms of attitude.
Click to expand...

You're exaggerating. There's a couple of people that can't take a snarky joke, but the real problem is the confirmation of the always online part, which is simply MS its own policy.
 
G

Game Guru

Member
Beer Monkey said:
No, it takes one publisher to do it and Sony and Microsoft to allow it. They might not certify the game. You don't know that they would.
Click to expand...

And you think Sony and Microsoft wouldn't allow EA to do it and risk losing their games? Or Activision with Call of Duty? Isn't that the whole argument on why Microsoft is rumored to be doing this whole always online thing? Namely that they could get exclusive content out of big name publishers if they did it. Why couldn't that happen right now? PS3 and 360 already have MMOs so even an always online server wouldn't be out of the question.

I mean, maybe I'm not seeing it. However, if MS is just bowing to the publishers with always online DRM, then what's preventing them from doing that right now with the 360?
 
Lactose_Intolerant

Lactose_Intolerant

Member
Evolved1 said:
That twitter comment doesn't exist in a vacuum... there is precedent. Context, that you are ignoring.
Click to expand...

I just think you want to get upset at him again. I know about his other twitter stuff that has been posted on neogaf in the past. Again, I see nothing wrong with what he wrote.


I'm not sure why he thinks it is ok for pc games and not for consoles though.

edit: latest tweets of his are dumb. Proceed with the bashing. Guy can't shut up.
 
T

Tripp Daily

Member
Joe Shlabotnik said:
That's possible! Although offhand I can't think of one and would be curious to hear an example that is wholly beneficial to consumers (which includes being worth the trade-off of losing the ability to play offline).

But yes, I may not be thinking of other possibilities! It sure seems like something worth talking about doesn't it
Click to expand...

I'm not nearly smart enough to forecast that. If it does not directly contribute to the consumers experience then it will be labeled a bad decision. It indirectly could help consumers by helping developers/publishers directly in some way, but we as the consumer would still cry foul. IMO
 
E

evangd007

Member
watership said:
Come on. COME ON. Has gaf gone superstuipd? He had that twitter account long before VOX media even existed, and looong before Polygon.

"Aegies joined Twitter on Jun 27th, 2007 (2109 days ago)."

And look.. RIGHT IN HIS PROFILE.

"Tweets do not represent my employers."

This is not a defense of him or anything he's said. This is just me defending the fact that twitter posts are rarely official representations of anything but the person writing them.
Click to expand...

If you are in a customer-facing position, anything you say in the public domain can and will be attributed to your employer. It's something my CEO reminds us of at least once a month.


btkadams said:
it's a contributor..
Click to expand...

We discount contributors when they try to shill their stupid opinions on bigger websites rather than on their blog where such things belong. This guy is bringing a story to a larger audience.
 
P

Palette Swap

Member
I've been following this for 13 hours and it's amazing how a single clueless guy can cause what could amount to millions in marketing damage with a few hundred characters.

THE POWER OF ONLINE.
 
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