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E3: Xbox One, PS4, and What It Will Take to Make Me Upgrade

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Well, I’ve been hesitant to join in on the next-gen console war debate but after loosely following E3 for the past few days, I can’t help but say something:  Microsoft – you’re facing a marketing disaster.  The Xbox One is going to be a hot mess and everyone seems to see the writing on the wall but you!

Without going into details (if that’s what you want, read Kotaku’s comprehensive article here), I am irked by how much of a hassle it sounds like to use the Xbox One.  It just sounds really inconvenient.  I almost died laughing when I saw Sony’s response to Xbox’s sharing system:

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That being said, I think a lot of the Xbox One’s less popular features are a necessary evil.  Cloud-based gaming is the way of the future and game discs will be obsolete in the next 5-10 years IMHO.  The always-on DRM is really only a major drawback for poor people who live in remote areas and can’t afford good internet service (and arguably shouldn’t be spending $500 on a gaming console anyway … there, I said it!  I’m a bitch!).

Microsoft is really failing at creating a positive marketing message to a core gaming audience that is very vocal and naturally resistant to change.  That’s because me, you, and other gamers are no longer its target market.  Microsoft wants the Xbox One to be an entertainment hub and not a gaming console.  This seems like a smart move on Microsoft’s part given the less-than-profitable gaming industry and the consumer shift to mobile casual gaming.  Let’s just hope that the market share of non-gamers they gain is worth the purist gamers that they lose.

An example of this gamer alienation is Microsoft’s poorly chosen response to the always-on DRM problem for deployed soldiers without internet access.  Technically, I’m on Microsoft’s side.  It’s not a huge fiscal concern for them – less than 1% of Americans serve in the Active Duty and even less than that are deployed overseas.  And it’s not like they’re taking away soldiers’ 360s by making the Xbox One available.  When I was in the military, we sometimes played Mario Kart on the N64 to pass time and this was in 2006, way past the N64’s heyday!  But the nonchalant way in which Microsoft dismissed the problem really irked me as a customer and veteran.  Hey, if you’re gonna make all that money off of Call of Duty, Battlefield, and all those other war games out there, you have to at least look like you want to support the troops, right?  Bad on you, Microsoft.

I was a diehard PS2 player back in the day but made the switch to Xbox 360 when upgrading and have been with it ever since 2005.  I love my Xbox.  My old console lasted me years and I only traded up for a new one because the black version matched my home decor better (what, I am a girl, after all!).

But now I’m seriously debating which console to upgrade to (if any) and it’s mainly because of Microsoft’s arrogance and apparent disdain for its core gaming customer.  Let’s face it, my gaming needs are currently satisfied by the Xbox 360 so only a big change will make me pick up a next-gen console this Christmas.  Here’s what actually matters to me:

Will the loading times be shorter?

Nothing breaks through the fourth wall worse than a loading screen.  I mean, you’re killing stuff and then suddenly you get a waiting screen and you lose all your bloodlusting momentum.  Way to kill the mood.  If either console can promise me very short loading times, I might be sold.

Will the games look better?

Obviously, the answer is yes.  But I don’t care about technical specs and figures.  And I don’t want a side-by-side comparison of the 360 vs. Xbox One, either.  I want to get to a romance scene in Mass Effect on the Xbox One and be able to tell immediately that the visual quality of boobies, both in texture and realism, is far superior to what I saw on the 360.  The difference needs to be readily apparent.

Will there be exclusive content?

Microsoft has already announced that Steven Spielberg will be creating a Halo TV show for Xbox One.  That’s a pretty big sell for me but I’m pretty sure it will be available on the 360 as well.  In terms of actual exclusive games announced, PS4 comes out slightly ahead for me, but it’s not enough to make me want to switch over.

Absent a big improvement in these three things, I will not be an early adapter for either the Xbox One or the PS4.  It’s probably best to wait for a year until both companies work the bugs out.  But the PS2-loving kid inside me wants to see a Sony comeback, especially in light of Microsoft’s terrible Xbox One marketing approach.

Which console do you currently use and which one (if any) would you upgrade to?  Let me know in comments!

 

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9 Comments

  1. Funny you should post this, as I’m having the same dilemma! I currently own both PS3 & 360 – with a slightly warmer feeling for my 360. I think it’s going to come down to 2 things: 1 is price (PS4 is $100 cheaper) & 2 is which will let me import games (ie DA) or be backwards compatible (which I don’t think either will be).

  2. The PS4/Xbox1 used game policy is the same, just MS got nail for it. They both are saying it is up the the publisher on how they want to manage it.

    http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/06/11/e3-2013-ps4-used-game-restrictions-up-to-publishers

    Sony has confirmed that the digital rights management of PlayStation 4 software will be up to third-party publishers.

    http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/06/06/microsoft-details-xbox-one-used-games-always-online

    Third party publishers may opt in or out of supporting game resale and may set up business terms or transfer fees with retailers. Microsoft does not receive any compensation as part of this. In addition, third party publishers can enable you to give games to friends.

    This is basically the same policy. I also find it funny people complaining about “always on” Xbox1 when they are receiving their E3 from on on-line source, some even on mobile devices.

  3. I am struggling with this choice myself, I LOVE my xbox alot, but my internet connection is sub-par, and $399 will be hard enough for me to get, let alone $499, so I think price is the major factor for me. Online services will cost the same per year (if LIVE prices don’t change) but if I cannot afford the $60 for a full year, at least ps4 is only $5 a month, so I hate saying this, but I will probably go with ps4…..but not definitely, seeing as how long it would take me to get the required funds, things may change $400 from now xD

  4. I personally think the console war is BS, I mean, they both ARE great systems, BUT from what I have heard from friends (Haven’t looked any of this up to confirm) The Xbox One, sounds like a military test. Reply to this if you have a post that tells me more, but otherwise I have heard that the Xbox One’s camera is always on and so is the microphone, and that you need the camera, AND that It measures pulse and heartbeat. Sounds creepy. But of course all of my friends are die hard PlayStation that’s why I welcome anyone to contradict anything I have mentioned.

  5. im not getting ether they are now both the same and i like my xbox for gaming not (social media) me personally i will never use that xbox command feature or blue-ray player i just want to play the damn games nothing else (thats why i am slowly going to the pc)

    • Yeah I agree – the Xbone has way too many creepy features that I never plan on using … I don’t like the mandatory Kinect watching me all the time – that’s how the robot apocalypse starts!

  6. I love the concern with the realism of boobs. For that alone, you’ve won the interwebs. X3

    As far as the consoles.. I’ll be switching to the X1 for sure. All my friends stick to the Xbox, and frankly, PS4’s exclusives aren’t very appealing to me. I’m not too concerned with the kinect, since the government can really only use it to track people if they believe specific people are involved in terrorism. At least, based on the Constitution and Patriot Act, it should be. Anywhos, I’ll probably buy it straight off, though I’m totes keeping the 360 for things like ME3. :P

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