Jeffro’s reaction to Microsoft’s change to it’s DRM policy

 

 

Well, as I’m sure most of you have heard, Microsoft is changing it’s DRM policy for the Xbone. See the link below if you are not informed yet.

http://www.destructoid.com/microsoft-to-drop-xbox-one-drm-region-locking-256617.phtml

http://kotaku.com/xbox-one-drm-reversal-cuts-features-requires-one-time-514419715

When I first heard about this, I was happy until the facts were more clear.

Now I’ll give props to Don Mattrick. Based on the statement from him that I’ve read, he has clearly discussed his response with Microsoft PR. Despite Don’s gaffes such as recommending the Xbox 360 for those without an internet connection, I feel that he honestly wants to provide a new and compelling experience for gamers. The only problem is that it needs to be done at the expense of consumer rights.

I feel more rational now that my knee jerk reaction phase is now over. It really disappoints me that no one at Microsoft was able to positively position this device.

Positive positioning is a term I hear a lot at my job. I figured that in 2013, being able to positively position features/drawbacks to a product was just the basics of good business acumen. 

For those who don’t work in a corporate environment, positive positioning is exactly what it sounds like: Framing your argument/product/service in a way that accentuates the beneficial  parts over the drawbacks. And Lo, there are benefits to an always online console or even one that needs to check in once a day. 

I feel as though if the services that Microsoft is providing were positioned better, this would not have gotten as big as it has. However that wont stop the spin train from coming through, see the excerpt from the Kotaku article above:

“Microsoft clarifies that the planned day-one Xbox One update, which Whitten told me, will “complete some of the software that won’t be there,” is actually not a result of today’s DRM policy change. Rather, it was always planned and will simply be required for playing off-line, among other things. Not a patch, they say. But, yes, your new Xbox console would have to connect online once in order to do the things Microsoft described today. And then you can keep it offline and play games without re-connecting to the Internet forever.”

Whitten, as mentioned in the article and excerpt above, is Marc Whitten the V.P. of Xbox Live. If this really was an option they were planning all along, they would have said something about it when all the execs were spewing verbal diarrhea all over the place after their press conference.

At this point, I don’t know what to think. I can tell you that I, Jeffro, Will NOT be purchasing an Xboxone.

 

 

Why? For me as an individual, Integrity goes a long way. I have no faith in Microsoft or their Xbox division to stay the course and not welch on this DRM bologna after all the suckers have bought their “Day one” editions. Really? You want to preorder a console that clearly doesn’t even know what it’s doing on a lot of fronts, in exchange for an Xboxone controller with a cheap laser engraving that says “DAY ONE” on it? It takes more than that to sell me on something. 

Not to sound like an apologist but what about the consumers that MS just alienated by taking away features like game sharing, portability of digital content, etc? Some people were ready to embrace their rights free future.

Direct them to Steam? Who really knows? 

I have the feeling that they are expecting that if they make their DRM policies as inconvenient as possible, then people will come crawling back, then finally they will be able to act as a savior, reintroducing all the policies from before but with a positive spin.

 

The only problem is that they are, even then, doing it in a negative way.

Peace

Jeffro 

Jeffro – Off: topic : I made some cool custom Gaming Geek Chuck Taylors

So I love Megaman and I decide to show that love via some custom Chuck Taylors. One of kind. Awesomeness!

Jeffro – Scalpergate: The new idiotic controversy

http://www.destructoid.com/scalping-didn-t-make-the-cut-in-assassin-s-creed-iii-224085.phtml

So, apparently a whole lot of gamers are getting butthurt that Ubisoft has omitted Scalping as an option for the Native American Protagonist in Assassin’s Creed 3.

Really? Really? We are doing this now?

Never mind the fact that the White guilt crowd is calling this “Self-censorship.” Censorship, yeah, except for the fact that after doing about 10 minutes of research, you can find that the tribe that the main protagonist is from did not participate in scalping…….

Yeah, so much for keeping history real….

I knew that the Merica bashers would come out of the woodwork the more we heard about this game, but to ignore real history while donning the mantle of “America is evil,” is not only making these people look like a bunch of misinformed fools but also showing the immaturity of gaming consumers.

As if the ME3 brouhaha didn’t already do that…..

Later,

-Jeffro-

Dr. Suckit or How I Learned to Stop Whining and Love a Narrative

Shepard Thinks you are a Wuss

NO SPOILERS ARE IN THIS ARTICLE

So, as my fellow gamer in arms Locke has brilliantly posted, apparently some people in the gaming community were a little dissatisfied with the ending of Mass Effect 3.

Gamers were quoted as saying: “The ending isn’t happy enough.” and “All my work has been for nothing, all my progress was for nothing.”

My reply to these misguided consumers is: Suck it up Pansy.

Granted, bleak and sad endings are a bit of a rarity in the gaming industry, so it can be a little shocking to have one happen in such a (formerly?) beloved franchise but these people need to sit and think about what they are implying. The fans of Mass Effect that have their panties in a bunch over the ending of this franchise are implying that THEY, not the creators of the world and character, THEY as the gamer, know how the series should end. This is the most arrogant and borderline crazy notion I have ever heard outside of a Star Wars convention in my life.

Tragedy is a fantastic narrative tool and not used enough in games. When it is used effectively it can be quite powerful and thought-provoking. Heavy Rain for the Playstation 3 comes to mind when I think of effective use of tragic elements in a game environment. I mean really, what the hell did these people think was going to happen?

An alien force which is programmed to destroy all life and has done it many times since the beginning of time is coming for us…..

But these gamers, in their jaded little minds, think that some earthling guy or girl (Depending on your choice) and their handful of alien friends and allies are going to stop this force which can only be described as an elemental force in scope? Who has the more disappointing narrative here? I know it’s a video game but really? I personally can only suspend my disbelief so much before I check out of paying attention to a  narrative for being too far-fetched. The plot line resolution that these ingrates want is more far-fetched than Warriors Orochi 3 for crying out loud.

Real life is complicated, often doesn’t end in a neat little bow, and often times does not end well. I believe these gamers are not giving Bioware a fair shake on their choice in narrative. So the story didn’t end the way you wanted, so what? It’s not the end of the world (unlike in Mass Effect) just get over it.

All your accomplishments are wasted? What accomplishments? The ones you made in a fictional world that doesn’t truly exist? Those accomplishments? The ones made by people and aliens that don’t really exist? Those beings?  Do you see how silly you all sound now?

It’s people like these fanatics that hold the game industry back as far as narrative goes. These are the people who make Peter Molyneux say “The industry isn’t ready for Milo, it isn’t sophisticated enough.” Mob style temper tantrums about a bleak ending to a game series communicate to developers that the way to go with narrative is sugary sweet happy endings or COD style fist bumping bro endings to games. Is this what we want for the gaming industry? Do we want the industry we all love to never be taken seriously by the media or the public at large? When non-gamers hear the term video games, do we want them to picture grandma playing Wii Bowling or do we want them to think of  an interactive medium that can explore mature issues and content as well as “Casual” content?

The choice is only ours to decide.

New site!

New site!!! yeah!

 

I decided to switch to wordpress because Blogger.com’s formatting keeps messing up on posts. Over the next few weeks, me and locke will be moving the old content to this new page and deleting the old site.