Support NeoGAF

[Lunatic_Gamer]

Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s CEO of gaming, is the latest tech exec to take a shot at Meta’s vision of the metaverse. When asked his definition of the metaverse, Spencer described it as “a poorly built video game” at the WSJ Tech Live conference today, as seen at about the 1:12 mark of the video above

“Video game creators have an amazing ability to build compelling worlds that we want to go spend time in,” he said at the conference. “For me, building a metaverse that looks like a meeting room... I just find that’s not where I want to spend most of my time.”

Xbox’s Phil Spencer says the metaverse is a “poorly built video game”

He’s not the only exec to push back on the metaverse this week.

www.theverge.com

 

[Ansphn]

Phil saying poorly built game is hilarious after what he allowed to happen to Halo. Keep rubbing salt in the wounds of Halo fans, Phil.

 

[SlimySnake]

This is probably the first time ive agreed with Phil Spencer in years. I cant believe Zuckerberg is trying to make this a thing without any video game devs.

 

[Jaybe]

And it’s not surprising that he’s open to the term — whatever it actually means — given that Microsoft has already started discussing the metaverse for its own ends. The company said that its pending Activision Blizzard acquisition would provide “building blocks for the metaverse,”

 

[feynoob]

GHG This is your time to shine. You deserve your crown, since Phil is supporting you.

 

[adamsapple]

Phil saying poorly built game is hilarious after what he allowed to happen to Halo. Keep running salt in the woods of Halo fans, Phil.

GHG This is your time to shine. You deserve your crown, since Phil is supporting you.

GHG:

 

[feynoob]

Jaybe​

They have AR. So they arent rushing on this market anytime soon. Even with COD, they are still behind with the system. It would take them years to join the race. By that time, the service might be in good condition.

 

[GhostOfTsu]

Remember when Satya said buying Activision was all about the Metaverse? I remember!

Phil scammed him good

Add it to the BS list like the bogeyman Google and Amazon.

 

[GHG]

GHG This is your time to shine. You deserve your crown, since Phil is supporting you.

You don't have to ask me twice.

This guy is hilarious. Just a few years ago he was talking about
"premiere VR experiences without sacrificing performance" :




And then after flip flopping for a bit:

Spencer told CNET on Tuesday that the Xbox One X fully supports virtual reality and that their commitment to it hasn't changed. While Spencer didn't mention VR on stage during Xbox's Sunday presentation, he said he stands by what he said a year ago at the same event. When Microsoft teased the console at E3 last year, then known as Project Scorpio, it gave the impression that it would support virtual reality.

Phil Spencer: Xbox One X supports virtual reality

The head of Microsoft's video game unit tells CNET the new console is VR-capable.

www.cnet.com

And now because he's fully flopped and they have a decided to not support it he wants to shit on it?

 

[dugdug]

Well, he definitely knows a thing or two about poorly built video games, so, checks out.

 

[bender]

Phil is probably just trying to rope Zuck into purchasing 343i.

 

[Stuart360]

 

[LordCBH]

I mean. He’s right lol.

 

[ComputerBlue]

Phil’s an expert on the subject.

 

[adamsapple]

Either agreeing with Phil or defending Metaverse has to be the toughest decision many Gaffers will make.

 

[Stuart360]

Either agreeing with Phil or defending Metaverse has to be the toughest decision many Gaffers will make.

Not surprised this is a slow thread, seen many people on here say the exact same thing as Phil lol.

 

[3liteDragon]

 

[MarkMe2525]

You don't have to ask me twice.

This guy is hilarious. Just a few years ago he was talking about
"premiere VR experiences without sacrificing performance" :




And then after flip flopping for a bit:

Phil Spencer: Xbox One X supports virtual reality

The head of Microsoft's video game unit tells CNET the new console is VR-capable.

www.cnet.com

And now because he's fully flopped and they have a decided to not support it he wants to shit on it?

??? VR and metaverse are not mutually exclusive terms.

 

[ByWatterson]

He is now based for all time. Giga-Chad. Chairman of the Chest. Man of Many Pecs.

 

[01011001]

GHG:

Thumbs up in this context means "kill" btw... it symbolizes a raised sword.
I always hate seeing this scene knowing how historically inaccurate it is and the role it played in popularizing this historical inaccuracy.

 

[BadBurger]

I mean he does have a point. The Zucc is so blinded by his billionaire, tech CEO version of reality that he thought people would want to pay hundreds of dollars for a VR headset just to virtually meet with their coworkers or go shopping in shitty-looking fake stores. Even PlayStation Home was better realized and more entertaining and that was on a console from 2007.

 

[thismeinteil]

Definitely agree with him. But, Phil should hardly be the one delivering that message. Stones and glass houses and all.

 

[March Climber]

Phil saying poorly built game is hilarious after what he allowed to happen to Halo. Keep rubbing salt in the wounds of Halo fans, Phil.

If Halo Infinite was a building, the building's foundation itself is strong(the core gameplay). It's everything else that's the problem.

Metaverse has a seemingly terrible foundation, so there's nothing for it to fall back on.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Unless a company shows me metaverse is some great life changing way to work or play, everything I've seen looks idiotic.

One of these years when it's ready, someone at work will get hyped up by MS's corporate metaverse asking everyone to strap on demo goggles an MS rep handed out so we can pretend to walk around virtual hallways to sit in a virtual meeting staring at Bob's avatar as he presents his 2026 annual financials.

Somehow this will replace just doing Teams meetings with audio and video feeds.

Cant wait.

 

[Robb]

I still don’t understand what the ‘Metaverse’ is for, if it is indeed some big innovation I feel they’ve done a horrible job marketing it to people.

 

[SportsFan581]

Need to add a third option about coming to unusual conclusions. Spencer doesn't even take any real shots at VR here, he just takes some shots at the "metaverse" and what they've done so far. I'm glad I'm not the only who doesn't know what this whole thing is supposed to accomplish, three quarters of the people in the clip don't either. At least I know I'm not alone.

 

[MarkMe2525]

Thumbs up in this context means "kill" btw... it symbolizes a raised sword.
I always hate seeing this scene knowing how historically inaccurate it is and the role it played in popularizing this historical inaccuracy.

This isn't known as fact and is still up for debate, contrary to what many website headlines will tell you. While yes, many scholars draw the association that thumbs up means 'swords up" and vise versa, truth is we do not have any written description of the gestures meaning. It could very well mean the same as the contemporary gesture. Source: I'm a big history nerd.

Edit: as always with this kind of stuff, new information will always be found and if you know of any new sources, please share.

 

[March Climber]

Unless a company shows me metaverse is some great life changing way to work or play, everything I've seen looks idiotic.

One of these years when it's ready, someone at work will get hyped up by MS's corporate metaverse asking everyone to strap on demo goggles an MS rep handed out so we can pretend to walk around virtual hallways to sit in a virtual meeting staring at Bob's avatar as he presents his 2026 annual financials.

Somehow this will replace just doing Teams meetings with audio and video feeds.

Cant wait.

Their AR glasses were set to do this and way more. They still aren't released yet.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Metaverse is just The Zucko wet dream/PR/Marketing shit.

The Zucko thinks he is creating something never before seen...When is just an MMO where there are representation of real stuff.

 

[semiconscious]

Metaverse is just The Zucko wet dream/PR/Marketing shit.

The Zucko thinks he is creating something never before seen...When is just an MMO where there are representation of real stuff.

yep. just like both musk & bezos invented going to mars. so much for our 'visionary' billionaires...

i mean, at least gates sticks with down to earth stuff, like dystopian social tracking software...

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I totally understand what metaverse supporters are trying to get at. Doing stuff on social media clicking a mouse or swiping on their phone is old school. You cant always meet friends and fam or random Twitter followers in real life (assuming you even want to meet random people that closely), so the next best thing is everyone putting on VR goggles and you can pretend to chat and sit beside them in virtual worlds like it's Second Life but in a 3D VR kind of envirnoment. Or those vids I saw where instead of getting off your ass to shop at the mall or browse Amazon, you walk around a digital store buying things off a fake shelf. Add it all up, and FB, MS and tech companies can make shit loads of money on ads plastered everywhere and commercial leases where GAP pays FB a ton of money so people can buy khakis wearing goggles instead of at the mall.

Who knows. Maybe lots of people are itching to buy Oculus, lie on their couch and pretend to be sitting beside their buddy at a virtual bar drinking a digital beer.

I sure dont.

If I want to interact with people that badly, I'll meet them in real life. If I cant, I'll just text or email them what's going on.

 

[Gudji]

If there's a man that knows a thing or two about poorly built video games it's Phil Spencer. I believe him this time around.

 

[sinnergy]

And he is right .

 

[Thief1987]

So like most of the games developed under him? I will agree with him because seems like he has an expertise in this kind of things.

 

[Dr.D00p]

The sooner that sociopathic, Ivy League trust fund Brat is brought down, the better.

 

[Kumomeme]

those who keep hyping metaverse also probably didnt play much video game especially mmo.

Most of the people who are talking about metaverse have absolutely no idea what they're talking about. And they've apparently never played an MMO. - Gabe Newell

 

[Pelta88]

GHG Be like

Phil calling anyone else's attempts in gaming "Poorly built" should be considered a slap in the face to his own audience. He stood by as his premier and marquee franchise turn into the butt of the joke of video games. First with Craig and then with the eventual release of Halo. A game which went from 20 Million players to their online match making looking like

In just a few short months.

 

[jm89]

 

[begotten]

Poorly built game connoisseur has spoken.

 

[GHG]

??? VR and metaverse are not mutually exclusive terms.

They are used interchagerby in the corporate world, the metaverse is the overall wrapper for all VR experiences. In his full quote he even makes reference to videogames.

What I find particularly strange about this is the fact that Microsoft (and Xbox) themselves have just recently announced a partnership with Meta to provide them with things like xcloud and office applications for the metaverse:

Microsoft and Meta partner to deliver immersive experiences for the future of work and play - The Official Microsoft Blog

As companies and employees settle into new work norms post-pandemic, we’re living through a once-in-a-lifetime shift in work patterns. Whether work happens from home, at the office, in a warehouse or on the go, work is no longer a place, but an experience that transcends place and time. Over the...

blogs.microsoft.com

 

[Haggard]

And Phil knows shitty video games.

 

[mitch1971]

Phil

Spencer.

 

[Helghan]

You don't have to ask me twice.

This guy is hilarious. Just a few years ago he was talking about
"premiere VR experiences without sacrificing performance" :




And then after flip flopping for a bit:

Phil Spencer: Xbox One X supports virtual reality

The head of Microsoft's video game unit tells CNET the new console is VR-capable.

www.cnet.com

And now because he's fully flopped and they have a decided to not support it he wants to shit on it?

How is that flip-flopping? First one is about playing video games in VR, the metaverse is about living and doing everything in a digital world... Just because they use the same tool, VR goggles, doesn't mean he made a 180.

 

[ReBurn]

I mean he does have a point. The Zucc is so blinded by his billionaire, tech CEO version of reality that he thought people would want to pay hundreds of dollars for a VR headset just to virtually meet with their coworkers or go shopping in shitty-looking fake stores. Even PlayStation Home was better realized and more entertaining and that was on a console from 2007.

PlayStation Home actually sucked, too, and for many of the same reasons. People just have their rose-tinted spectacles on when thinking about it. It was boring, slow and clunky and mostly just full of male avatars trying to chat up female avatars because those horndogs thought they were actually women. It's only good quality was the couple of fun games you could play. Other wise it was shopping in shitty-looking fake stores for digital t-shirt's and standing around making speech bubbles.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Palmer Lucky somehow looks fit as hell from the neck down, while his chin looks like it’s never heard of a treadmill.

 

[Zok310]

He ought to know….

 

[Punished Miku]

Looks like Phil said something normal and uncontroversial again.

 

[digoutyoursoul]

I agree with him

 

[NightmareFarm]

Zuckerberg has been watching too many isekais

 

[Topher]

PlayStation Home actually sucked, too, and for many of the same reasons. People just have their rose-tinted spectacles on when thinking about it. It was boring, slow and clunky and mostly just full of male avatars trying to chat up female avatars because those horndogs thought they were actually women. It's only good quality was the couple of fun games you could play. Other wise it was shopping in shitty-looking fake stores for digital t-shirt's and standing around making speech bubbles.

It was horrible. I spent like 10 minutes in Home and realized it wasn't even a game. You were just......there.

They guy who came up with shit probably shouldn't be in the video game industry. I'm not going to name names though.....