Xbox Game Studios Stupidity Hate Thread Game Pass Edition

[Pissmaster]

My arguement is that everything felt arrogant. I feel like they did not know what they were getting into. Nintendo was an entertainment company before they made video games. After they became a games company, they just kept making entertainment but with code. Sony was a gadget company, making stuff for other people to use. When they became a games company, they made very few games and largely stuck to making a medium to play games in. Both had flavour as to how they approached gaming. I do not get that from Microsoft. To me, it feels like they just dropped in with a machine and expected magic to happen. (...) Microsoft is a software company and they designed XBox Live. That was it. Xbox Live is an impressive service but it needed games to sustain it and it costed money. Overall, Microsoft gives me the impression that they entered the console business because they were chasing trends rather than because they had a great idea about how they would carve an identity. They feel like Sony but lesser.

There are some Xbox documentaries I've been putting off watching for a while. I really should get around to those. Original Xbox was something special, and underappreciated by the masses.

I know there's a thing that goes around about how Microsoft made the Xbox because they wanted to kick Sony around, but I've never learned if that's actually true. What I do know is that the design philosophy of the original Xbox was an interesting thing: it's an x86 computer designed around DirectX, which makes porting your Windows PC game to a console easy. At the time, gaming-capable computers were very expensive and went obsolete quickly, so if you wanted to play something PC-centric like Morrowind or Knights of the Old Republic, Xbox had you covered. It was a great idea! Even though most of its library got a PS2 port anyway, and it never had many exclusives of its own.

That was also a time when hooking your PC up to your TV required special hardware, not just an HDMI cord. And PCs couldn't use just any old controller without bespoke adapters. And everything used DirectInput, which wasn't as standardized as Xinput, so key remapping was essential for every game. If your game even supported controllers, that is, and chances are, it didn't.

Xbox definitely had its place. Steam has replaced the idea by letting you turn any computer into a mostly complete game console. Trust me, I'd love to defend Xbox, but I can't. If Sarah Bond wandered off and Microsoft kicked down my door and immediately made me King of Xbox, I would put out a royal decree to turn all Xbox Series & One consoles into Windows 11 PCs. Software update, day one, add a desktop mode and let it run Windows 11. Advertise it as doubling as a mini-PC that can tie into Microsoft's cloud services, like office, making it great for college students. Allow Windows 11 software to run, so you can install Steam if you'd like. Of course, by default, it'd boot into Xbox mode, where the Microsoft Store is just there, and effectively nothing would change for existing Xbox fans. But, it would greatly extend the usability of the console.

Their market share is total dogshit. They're not taking down anyone as-is. The original ethos of Xbox was to make PC gaming accessible, but PCs have changed dramatically in the last 23 years. There's no solid reason anyone should buy an Xbox over a PlayStation 5, and there already aren't a lot of reasons to buy a PlayStation 5. Maybe opening things up a little bit could help rejuvenate the brand.

 

[Incecticyder]

There are some Xbox documentaries I've been putting off watching for a while. I really should get around to those. Original Xbox was something special, and underappreciated by the masses.

Here is a good start (it has a jokey tone but it goes over the events leading up to the original Xbox rather well):

I know there's a thing that goes around about how Microsoft made the Xbox because they wanted to kick Sony around, but I've never learned if that's actually true. What I do know is that the design philosophy of the original Xbox was an interesting thing: it's an x86 computer designed around DirectX, which makes porting your Windows PC game to a console easy. At the time, gaming-capable computers were very expensive and went obsolete quickly, so if you wanted to play something PC-centric like Morrowind or Knights of the Old Republic, Xbox had you covered. It was a great idea! Even though most of its library got a PS2 port anyway, and it never had many exclusives of its own.

That was also a time when hooking your PC up to your TV required special hardware, not just an HDMI cord. And PCs couldn't use just any old controller without bespoke adapters. And everything used DirectInput, which wasn't as standardized as Xinput, so key remapping was essential for every game. If your game even supported controllers, that is, and chances are, it didn't.

Xbox definitely had its place. Steam has replaced the idea by letting you turn any computer into a mostly complete game console. Trust me, I'd love to defend Xbox, but I can't. If Sarah Bond wandered off and Microsoft kicked down my door and immediately made me King of Xbox, I would put out a royal decree to turn all Xbox Series & One consoles into Windows 11 PCs. Software update, day one, add a desktop mode and let it run Windows 11. Advertise it as doubling as a mini-PC that can tie into Microsoft's cloud services, like office, making it great for college students. Allow Windows 11 software to run, so you can install Steam if you'd like. Of course, by default, it'd boot into Xbox mode, where the Microsoft Store is just there, and effectively nothing would change for existing Xbox fans. But, it would greatly extend the usability of the console.

The original Xbox was a solid foundation. Sure, Japan had not been interested yet but that could have been growing pains (they were not). 360 was the where they dropped the ball. They wanted to launch as soon as possible and ended up with a console that lived less than a neglected pet. That killed the brand in the eyes of many. The PS3 launched with an horrible price, terrible marketing and was hard to develop games for. There is no way Microsoft knew that but had they launched a better functioning 360 after delaying it a year or two, they could have crushed Sony and, perhaps even Nintendo,, but alas it did not happen. The Xbone hurt the brand even more and the Series X/S just cannot do anything to turn the ship around.

Their market share is total dogshit. They're not taking down anyone as-is. The original ethos of Xbox was to make PC gaming accessible, but PCs have changed dramatically in the last 23 years. There's no solid reason anyone should buy an Xbox over a PlayStation 5, and there already aren't a lot of reasons to buy a PlayStation 5. Maybe opening things up a little bit could help rejuvenate the brand.

The problem is that we live in a very risk prone era of gaming. Every company puts all their money and time on every game and every failure comes with a huge price. If the current era of gaming was a gambler, it would be the guy that goes all in always no matter the hand. Sure he won the first few times but we all know that he is one loss away from being bankrupt. The only one that does not do that is Nintendo. They always put money aside incase of hardship and they make sure that graphics do not balloon the budget too much either. That is how they were able to tank the failure of the Wii U.

 

[TheHarbinger]

The original ethos of Xbox was to make PC gaming accessible

The original reason MS got into consoles was because SEGA's decline opened up another spot. And the original big push for Xbox was that they had a bunch of exclusive games like Halo. Many of which were outright stolen from PC gaming enthusiasts by being artificially restricted to the Xbox when they were originally envisioned as PC games in the first place. They were selling people a machine that would be built on its own library of exclusive and in house made titles.

The problem is that we live in a very risk prone era of gaming.

It's all self inflicted by these idiot CEOs. People do not want all digital consoles, always online, game and seasonal passes, no backwards compatibility, abandoned digital storefronts, abandoned hardware, drift prone controllers, forced motion control or Kinect nonsense. They just want a simple device to play games on that plugs into their televisions. Console game players are not really fussy. They want the easiest to use gaming machine that is plug and play right out of the box.

 

[Baraka Obama]

The original reason MS got into consoles was because SEGA's decline opened up another spot. And the original big push for Xbox was that they had a bunch of exclusive games like Halo. Many of which were outright stolen from PC gaming enthusiasts by being artificially restricted to the Xbox when they were originally envisioned as PC games in the first place. They were selling people a machine that would be built on its own library of exclusive and in house made titles.

Sega's decline was after Microsoft decided to enter the market.

Their reason was to get a foothold in the living room. This has been repeated many times, they saw Sony as a threat to their PC business via PlayStation becoming more like a computer. MS needed to counter that and do better than Sony, so they leveraged DirectX, Windows APIs, PC developers, and their lead in internet connectivity. It wasn't enough but they really hit it out of the park with Xbox 360.

Halo was originally a Mac OS game.

 

[The Last Stand]

The only not-completely-generic term I see in the list (as part of an acronym, of course) is "Odyssey," which actually would have been a pretty good name for a brand new console. "Microsoft Odyssey" versus "Microsoft X-box." Got a decent ring to it, which explains why they didn't use it.

There was already a console named the Odyssey.

 

[Pepe Cortisona]

Microsoft tried to enter the console business somehow with Windows CE on the Dreamcast, if you can remember that.



50 games used Windows CE, Sega Rally 2 included. The reat used Sega's own development tools.

Halo was originally a Mac OS game.

And Steve Jobs was furious when Microsoft bought Bungie.

 

[Get the rope Macaulay!]

Xbox only did so well because of Halo, that and live gave them an insane leg up on the competition.

Xbox definitely had its place. Steam has replaced the idea by letting you turn any computer into a mostly complete game console.

i mean in terms of marketshare, Xbox did start losing hard once Steam took off and gaming in general. I still remember hearing about Nvidia and their "hardware accelerators" in 06. I honestly didn't look into but but i assume unlikes the Xbone era, it was probably a lot more costly to make a "gaming PC" back in 2005 that could play the same games you could play on ps3/360 rather than just buying the consoles. Also the ports to PC were extremely shit for a lot of games in the ps2 era, if they even had them.

. They wanted to launch as soon as possible and ended up with a console that lived less than a neglected pet.

the RROD was a regulations thing, it never would have worked right unless they delayed shit to 2009, in which case they were fucked anyway.

, they saw Sony as a threat to their PC business via PlayStation becoming more like a computer. MS needed to counter that and do better than Sony, so they leveraged DirectX, Windows APIs, PC developers, and their lead in internet connectivity. It wasn't enough but they really hit it out of the park with Xbox 360.

That was very forward thinking on their part, even if it was bad to market, the 360 really was a "media center" for most people. before people just watched shit on their phones, they just streamed their shit on their 360/ps3 or if able on their ps2/xbox

I know i used the ps2 as a media center basically all the time. if it wasn't a dvd it was a game.

Microsoft getting fucked so hard in the phone market has really fucked them more than anything. i'd be surprised if any generation past zoomers will use a desktop computer outside of a work function.

 

[Baraka Obama]

Microsoft getting fucked so hard in the phone market has really fucked them more than anything. i'd be surprised if any generation past zoomers will use a desktop computer outside of a work function.

Anecdotal but my kids are in elementary school and nobody just hands kids their "old iphone" like zoomer's retarded GenX parents did back in the day. Instead they're growing up learning to use a Chromebook in class, and already my son is asking about using a real OS to play games on his personal Chromebook.

Guess I'll see in a few years if that sticks.

 

[Incecticyder]

the RROD was a regulations thing, it never would have worked right unless they delayed shit to 2009, in which case they were fucked anyway.

If they brought down the failure rate significantly by a year delay it would be better. 2009 is indeed too late in my opinion but if they releashed in 2006 some of the kinks might have been fixed. The point stands though: The RROD destroyed the reliability of the brand and brought the 360 down to PS3 level of total sales despite the head start.

 

[FieldPiece]

I don't know if this has been posted but I thought this was a really good video on why Xbox is such a clusterfuck. This lady worked at MS from the 90s to around 2008 on stuff like Gears Of War 1/2, Crimson Skies, Xbox Live, and ATG. If Phil Spencer had a functioning neuron in his skull he probably would have moved heaven and earth to hire her on as the new head of Xbox instead of Sarah Bond. Her other videos are great too, it's crazy rare to see an executive speak in an honest way like this.

 

[Ibanez RG 350EX]

I don't know if this has been posted but I thought this was a really good video on why Xbox is such a clusterfuck. This lady worked at MS from the 90s to around 2008 on stuff like Gears Of War 1/2, Crimson Skies, Xbox Live, and ATG. If Phil Spencer had a functioning neuron in his skull he probably would have moved heaven and earth to hire her on as the new head of Xbox instead of Sarah Bond. Her other videos are great too, it's crazy rare to see an executive speak in an honest way like this.

I know this is wildly tangential to the point the video is making, but godDAMN am I glad that I'm not interested in playing the high-powered corporate executive game of thrones like these faggots.

Work can be shitty enough when you're just concerned with being a competent cog in the machine, much less when you're concerned with being outshined by all the other American Psycho-esque faggots jockeying for position and every day is just another step toward the C-suite.

 

[Hermiöne Granger]

If they brought down the failure rate significantly by a year delay it would be better. 2009 is indeed too late in my opinion but if they releashed in 2006 some of the kinks might have been fixed. The point stands though: The RROD destroyed the reliability of the brand and brought the 360 down to PS3 level of total sales despite the head start.

dont forget the xb360 released in 2005 with no hdmi, wifi and hard drive. what prices would a xb360 have had in 2006 with all that without a year on the marked first?.. it sure would not been the price point it had in 2006 when the ps3 released.

 

[#lurker]

My arguement is that everything felt arrogant. I feel like they did not know what they were getting into. Nintendo was an entertainment company before they made video games. After they became a games company, they just kept making entertainment but with code. Sony was a gadget company, making stuff for other people to use. When they became a games company, they made very few games and largely stuck to making a medium to play games in. Both had flavour as to how they approached gaming. I do not get that from Microsoft. To me, it feels like they just dropped in with a machine and expected magic to happen. Sony 's tactic worked because they were at a time when the need for a machine that could fit big games was there and earned a lot of 3rd party studios' loyalty (e.g. Square Enix). Nintendo 's tactic is one that requires more work on their part but builds better value on first party IP, creating a far more loyal fanbase. Microsoft is a software company and they designed XBox Live. That was it. Xbox Live is an impressive service but it needed games to sustain it and it costed money. Overall, Microsoft gives me the impression that they entered the console business because they were chasing trends rather than because they had a great idea about how they would carve an identity. They feel like Sony but lesser.

Microsoft was making top quality games before the original Xbox. If anything Microsoft were the most qualified to enter the console business.

 

[Incecticyder]

dont forget the xb360 released in 2005 with no hdmi, wifi and hard drive. what prices would a xb360 have had in 2006 with all that without a year on the marked first?.. it sure would not been the price point it had in 2006 when the ps3 released.

I think people would be fine with a bit higher price for a non-crashing console. It would be a harder sell and hindsight is 20/20 but the fact that the Wii was a weaker console and the PS3 was an entire salary 's worth in price would have helped them. It is between a rock and a hard place. It would have costed them a lot to release a good console at a low price but it costed them a lot to replace all the bricked consoles too and it came at the added cost of their reputation as a console maker.

Microsoft was making top quality games before the original Xbox. If anything Microsoft were the most qualified to enter the console business.

Certainly. No two ways about it. But success is no one 's birthright. They failed to court the studios and gamers of Japan while going up against established gaming juggernauts. They might have been qualified but their plan and excecution was lacking. Remember that Sega was also qualified. Look where that got them.

 

[King Vidiot]

I don't think anyone else here has mentioned this yet. There was new Xbox hardware released this year, and it is a toaster:

It would be pretty funny if Microsoft counted sales of toasters as part of "hardware units sold" under the Xbox brand to pad their numbers in financial statements.

Trust me, I'd love to defend Xbox, but I can't. If Sarah Bond wandered off and Microsoft kicked down my door and immediately made me King of Xbox, I would put out a royal decree to turn all Xbox Series & One consoles into Windows 11 PCs. Software update, day one, add a desktop mode and let it run Windows 11. Advertise it as doubling as a mini-PC that can tie into Microsoft's cloud services, like office, making it great for college students. Allow Windows 11 software to run, so you can install Steam if you'd like. Of course, by default, it'd boot into Xbox mode, where the Microsoft Store is just there, and effectively nothing would change for existing Xbox fans. But, it would greatly extend the usability of the console.

Their market share is total dogshit. They're not taking down anyone as-is. The original ethos of Xbox was to make PC gaming accessible, but PCs have changed dramatically in the last 23 years. There's no solid reason anyone should buy an Xbox over a PlayStation 5, and there already aren't a lot of reasons to buy a PlayStation 5. Maybe opening things up a little bit could help rejuvenate the brand.

Supporting Windows 11 or some mode that allows more desktop features would big a big plus, even if all they do is make native keyboard + mouse support work right. My guess is Microsoft will never do this due to security/piracy concerns or they don't want a console running Windows to undercut sales of their Surface products. Trying to use an Xbox in its current state like a PC is pretty rough:

(archive1) (archive2)

The hardware is fine, but software support needs to be a lot better for it to be a viable desktop system.

 

[Hermiöne Granger]

‘Indiana Jones And The Great Circle’ Producer Says New Companion Gina Lombardi “Serves As An Intellectual Equal To Indy”

It is sad that we have entered an age where this most likely means that she will be a girlboss character who 'educates' Indy to advance a political agenda.

 

[Pissmaster]

Supporting Windows 11 or some mode that allows more desktop features would big a big plus, even if all they do is make native keyboard + mouse support work right. My guess is Microsoft will never do this due to security/piracy concerns or they don't want a console running Windows to undercut sales of their Surface products. Trying to use an Xbox in its current state like a PC is pretty rough:

The hardware is fine, but software support needs to be a lot better for it to be a viable desktop system.

Yeah, software support would be mandatory. Drivers for the proprietary GPUs for Windows 11, and all. My idea is to position it as a versatile gaming PC that you can comfortably hook up to either a TV, or a computer monitor at a desk, and play however you like. It could be the first gaming PC where you don't need to keep a keyboard and mouse handy for stupid assorted reasons. It's powerful enough to play anything old and new, and it's very compact as far as desktops go. I could imagine the Series S being very attractive to people who want a nice gaming PC, but prefer the aesthetics of something like an Intel NUC over an RGB circus.

 

[DocAwe]

I've said before the best move MS could make is give the option to install Windows on the Xbox.

 

[xXx: State of the Union]

I've said before the best move MS could make is give the option to install Windows on the Xbox.

I just spent about 1000 dollars building a mini itx PC

I'd probably have just bought a Series S instead if I could put Windows on it to do my basic bitch business with it as well as play Steam games. I'm not saying I wouldn't have built a better PC later, but it would have held me out for another couple years.

 

[Caddo Cobgang]

I've said before the best move MS could make is give the option to install Windows on the Xbox.

honestly this, my Series X is just extra hard drive space for games I can't fit on my PC's SSD at this point, would be nice if there was transferable licenses from Steam but I doubt that will happen