Xbox One

[DragonStryk72]

Microsoft's reveal of the Xbox One was so good that it raised Sony's (Creator of the Playstation) stock by 8% in under 24 hours, and raised sales of the WiiU. How do you so badly fuck the reveal of a new game system up that you only manage to make your opponents stronger? Let me count the ways:

It's not primarily a game system- Microsoft put a huge amount into showing off the Xbox One as an all in one entertainment system, where you watch live TV, movies, listen to music, and everything else, while having no games to show for their game system in development. The closest they came was the announcement of a Halo animated series. Both the WiiU and PS4 came to the table with games to show for their systems.

Online watchdogging- Or better known as "Screw you, Child's Play Charity gaming tournaments." Okay, here's a brand new kind of fuckery: You must, to use your Xbox One for anything, be online at least once every 24 hours so it can verify your system. So basically, Xbox One decided that the military should not be able to access their games while underway. Military who, btw, have the highest degree of disposable income for video games and systems.

Yes, this includes single-player games that do not use online for their content. You would need online access to play pong by yourself.

It's not your game- You will no longer "own" your video games for the Xbox One. Instead, you'll pay $60+ to get the game, put in the disc, and enter a single-use passcode that attaches the game to your Xbox Live account. You cannot take Madden over to your buddies house so you can play out Steeler's versus Giants, unless your buddy is willing to payout $60+ to get the code himself, or if you set up your Xbox Live account on his console.

Both PS4 and WiiU are still having you own your games that you bought from them.

Fuck you, Indy Devs- While the WiiU and PS4 have been working to make themselves more easy to work with for Indy developers, Microsoft has gone the opposite direction, requiring any Indy developer to put their game under Microsoft Game Studios, or through another larger developer. Meanwhile, their competitors have both made it easier for Indies, granting them direct use of their online stores for selling their games, and even making so that they can patch the games online without cost.

It should be noted that the most rapidly expanding market in video games to day is the Indy market, making this all the more insane for Xbox to do.

Kinect 2 is not innovation- So Microsoft has decided to double down on the Kinect interface, making it the main way to navigate the Xbox One's menus and such, and it does not ever turn off. The problem with this is that, since it is voice-controlled, you can easily end up turning on or off your Xbox in simple conversation. Both PS4 and WiiU are avoiding this, with the WiiU's tablet interface, and the PS4 using a touchpad that is hardwired into the controller. So yes, even trying to work the menu on the Xbox One is now retarded.

Fuck you, GameStop- In order to try and kill the used game market, Xbox One started that passcode nonsense mentioned earlier. Gone are the days when you could go into GameStop, buy a game used, and go home to play it. Even if you get the game from a friend, or buy it from GameStop, you must then also buy it from Microsoft to get the code to allow it to play on your system. And oh yeah, you do have to pay for that code as though it was a brand new game, period, as confirmed by Microsoft.

Online Market- Apparently, Xbox One is going to somehow do an online market through them where you can trade or transfer your games online, but they have no real details on the matter, not even whether it'll be in real world money, or Microsoft Points. Because we should all trust Microsoft, who have specifically designed their system to trust us to the lowest degree possible.

[Marcus Aurelius]

If THAT doesn't define FUBAR, I don't know what does.

[Noir]

*Simpsons comic book guy voice*
Worst product launch ever.

Honestly, Microsoft would of struggled to make it any worse.
Although all the details that have since transpired , DRM fee codes, internet clocking, always on Kinect camera/mic...but hey atleast we get to play CoD as a puppy =D

[cadet]

http://thechive.com/2013/05/24/the-xbox-one-reveal-in-2-minutes-video/


http://thechive.com/2013/05/24/the-xbox-one-reveal-in-2-minutes-video/

I hope that works.

[Marcus Aurelius]

5045

[DragonStryk72]

*Simpsons comic book guy voice*
Worst product launch ever.

Honestly, Microsoft would of struggled to make it any worse.
Although all the details that have since transpired , DRM fee codes, internet clocking, always on Kinect camera/mic...but hey atleast we get to play CoD as a puppy =D

What gets me is that both of Microsoft's major competitors have gone in the opposite direction on these things, meaning that the Xbox will be alone in these restrictions. I imagine there are a lot of developers who won't be wanting to deal with the crap that is Microsoft's new policies.

[tailfins]

With so many PC based games and entertainment; why fool with this? Also, a decent desktop computer is about $500, supposedly the price of an Xbox One. It appears to me Microsoft became so obsessed with piracy as to make the system unusable. I hear bootleg movies are no longer a problem in the BetaMax format.

[tailfins]

http://thechive.com/2013/05/24/the-xbox-one-reveal-in-2-minutes-video/


http://thechive.com/2013/05/24/the-xbox-one-reveal-in-2-minutes-video/

I hope that works.


Call-a-doody? :laugh:

[cadet]

With so many PC based games and entertainment; why fool with this? Also, a decent desktop computer is about $500, supposedly the price of an Xbox One. It appears to me Microsoft became so obsessed with piracy as to make the system unusable. I hear bootleg movies are no longer a problem in the BetaMax format.

Here ya go.
http://www.ouya.tv/

Basically works as an Emulator (program that lets you play different game systems on a computer, like gamecube or N64 or PS) that connects to your TV. Can connect flashdrives into it to download anything you want (including music and movies). Made to be taken apart and messed with.

Made for piracy, I like it a lot.

[gabosaurus]

Why are guys so obsessed with video games?

[tailfins]

Why are guys so obsessed with video games?

Why are women so obsessed with gossip?

"You'll never hear one of us repeating gossip, so you'd better be sure to listen close the first time."


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2Xvqo491Fg

[Noir]

Why are guys so obsessed with video games?

2/5 (and rising) of the gaming market are women.

[DragonStryk72]

Why are guys so obsessed with video games?

Like Noir said, plus they're fun, and engaging. I grew up playing video games with my brother and sister, and I don't see it as an obsession. I enjoy playing video games, just like some guys and girls like football, baseball, or cars. You might as well ask, "Why do people like things that they enjoy doing?"

[gabosaurus]

Like Noir said, plus they're fun, and engaging. I grew up playing video games with my brother and sister, and I don't see it as an obsession. I enjoy playing video games, just like some guys and girls like football, baseball, or cars. You might as well ask, "Why do people like things that they enjoy doing?"

Wasn't a slam against people who play video games. I was just wondering. My daughter came home from school one day an said "you can't talk to boys! All the want to do is play their games!"

[jimnyc]

I'm thinking of getting my son an xbox, perhaps over the summer break. Can I get him an older one and still be fine? Should I look at the Sony instead? He loves 'Left for Dead 2' and the original, both PC versions though. He plays Black Ops with his cousins when we go to NJ.

[tailfins]

I'm thinking of getting my son an xbox, perhaps over the summer break. Can I get him an older one and still be fine? Should I look at the Sony instead? He loves 'Left for Dead 2' and the original, both PC versions though. He plays Black Ops with his cousins when we go to NJ.

My best guess this one for $199 would be iXtreme compatable:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=A4049258

If you don't want to pay for games, I'm pretty sure any, even the most recently manufactured Xbox 360s are iXtreme Lite Touch compatible.

See the iXtreme forum to make sure.

http://www.ixtreme.net/


You should be able to get most games at http://thepiratebay.sx/

Yep, Left For Dead 2 is available: http://thepiratebay.sx/search/Left%20for%20Dead%202/0/99/0







(http://www.ixtreme.net/)

[cadet]

I'm thinking of getting my son an xbox, perhaps over the summer break. Can I get him an older one and still be fine? Should I look at the Sony instead? He loves 'Left for Dead 2' and the original, both PC versions though. He plays Black Ops with his cousins when we go to NJ.

Get a playstation, free online play.

And xbox is never backward compatable. (can't play older games on it) I mean, even the Wii can play gamecube games.

[jimnyc]

My best guess this one for $199 would be iXtreme compatable:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=A4049258

If you don't want to pay for games, I'm pretty sure any, even the most recently manufactured Xbox 360s are iXtreme Lite Touch compatible.

See the iXtreme forum to make sure.

http://www.ixtreme.net/


You should be able to get most games at http://thepiratebay.sx/

Yep, Left For Dead 2 is available: http://thepiratebay.sx/search/Left%20for%20Dead%202/0/99/0







(http://www.ixtreme.net/)


Get a playstation, free online play.

And xbox is never backward compatable. (can't play older games on it) I mean, even the Wii can play gamecube games.

I was actually looking at the Xbox 360 I think it was, with a 250gb hard drive, 2 controllers and a free game. I think it was a sale I saw, for like $250, but would be willing to pay a little more. But now with the extra info, I might just look harder at the Playstation.

Which is the latest Sony and which do you guys recommend? It can handle all the latest and greatest games?

[tailfins]

I was actually looking at the Xbox 360 I think it was, with a 250gb hard drive, 2 controllers and a free game. I think it was a sale I saw, for like $250, but would be willing to pay a little more. But now with the extra info, I might just look harder at the Playstation.

Which is the latest Sony and which do you guys recommend? It can handle all the latest and greatest games?

There's less of a knowledge base on hacking a PS3 because the price of blank Blueray media in the past made it not worth the bother. With the drop in price of the media, people are now trying it.


Here's a thread on the topic.
http://www.ixtreme.net/open-forum/22121-ps3-flashing.html

Here's a Youtube video on the topic for unlocking a PS3


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LVSmYPcXds

[DragonStryk72]

Wasn't a slam against people who play video games. I was just wondering. My daughter came home from school one day an said "you can't talk to boys! All the want to do is play their games!"

That's like women complaining about men who ignore them during their football games. Boys tend to have more of a hunter mentality, and this requires an ability to shut out the outside distractions to focus on what we're doing. This means that the worst possible time to try and get our attention is when we're knee-deep in something that has our focus.

Seriously, Fantasy Football is Dungeons & Dragons for jocks.

[DragonStryk72]

I was actually looking at the Xbox 360 I think it was, with a 250gb hard drive, 2 controllers and a free game. I think it was a sale I saw, for like $250, but would be willing to pay a little more. But now with the extra info, I might just look harder at the Playstation.

Which is the latest Sony and which do you guys recommend? It can handle all the latest and greatest games?

PS3 is the current run, and the price has come down a ways. I'll also jump on the "get him the PS3" bandwagon that's cropped up.

Graphics on the PS3 are noticeably superior to the Xbox 360, the user interface isn't just a huge run of ads for other things like the 360, and you get a blu-ray player in the mix as well. The PS3s big problem starting out was its initial price point, which has come down noticeably.

Here's a console recap I particularly loved:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Wxr89gxP9Dg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[DragonStryk72]

The PS3s game library has increased quite handily, as well.

[cadet]

That's like women complaining about men who ignore them during their football games. Boys tend to have more of a hunter mentality, and this requires an ability to shut out the outside distractions to focus on what we're doing. This means that the worst possible time to try and get our attention is when we're knee-deep in something that has our focus.

Seriously, Fantasy Football is Dungeons & Dragons for jocks.

I hope this doesn't damage my rep here, but D&D is awesome.

A few of the ROTC nerds have talked me into playing with them. Most of it is us insulting eachother, killing eachother, and being total dickheads.
I like to compare it to sitting around the campfire drinking, and having a good time.

They don't play like you'd expect them to, it's a whole lot of backstabbing and insulting.
Reminds me of this quote
"Men insult eachother, but don't mean it. Women complement eachother, and don't mean it either."

[DragonStryk72]

I hope this doesn't damage my rep here, but D&D is awesome.

A few of the ROTC nerds have talked me into playing with them. Most of it is us insulting eachother, killing eachother, and being total dickheads.
I like to compare it to sitting around the campfire drinking, and having a good time.

They don't play like you'd expect them to, it's a whole lot of backstabbing and insulting.
Reminds me of this quote
"Men insult eachother, but don't mean it. Women complement eachother, and don't mean it either."

Nah, I'm a long time tabletop role player myself. I start with old red box d&d, but veered off to pathfinder when fourth edition came out.

[tailfins]

The PS3s game library has increased quite handily, as well.

Is that a FREE game library? No one wants to fork over $800 for a dozen or so games.

[cadet]

Is that a FREE game library? No one wants to fork over $800 for a dozen or so games.

Huh, never looked at the prices of the PS3's games.
If your kid is kinda young, I'd suggest getting the Wii 2. Xbox and Ps are more blood and gore, where Nintendo has always been comedy and child friendly. (I don't mean boring)

[DragonStryk72]

Is that a FREE game library? No one wants to fork over $800 for a dozen or so games.

Bah, just hit up Gamestop for used games. Then there are some cheap or even free games on the Playstation Store.

[DragonStryk72]

Huh, never looked at the prices of the PS3's games.
If your kid is kinda young, I'd suggest getting the Wii 2. Xbox and Ps are more blood and gore, where Nintendo has always been comedy and child friendly. (I don't mean boring)

Clearly you haven't seen ZombieU then. There are plenty of non-gorey titles for PS3, like the Dynasty Warriors series (Also a somewhat historically based game, based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms stories of Chinese Literature.), Batman Arkham Asylum and the sequel, Arkham City. Then you have the Rockband & Guitar Hero games.

Heck, PS3 still has Skylanders on it, which came out for every platform. The only issue with the WiiU right now is how limited the game library is at this point.

[revelarts]

When Microsoft launched its new Xbox One console last week, rave reviews calling it “awesome” and “stunning” were quickly forgotten when gamers began complaining about how the device doesn’t work with their old favorites (among other things). Now Microsoft has a new Xbox-related headache courtesy of Germany’s privacy chief, who is alarmed by its potential intrusive surveillance capabilities.

The complaint stems from the latest version of the motion-sensing Kinect technology. The Kinect device designed for the Xbox One can monitor users’ movements with a camera that sees in the dark, picks up voice commands with a microphone, and reads your heart rate using infrared cameras that track blood flow underneath the skin. Because the device is connected to the Internet, malicious hackers could potentially hijack the console and use it for spying. In addition, Microsoft has filed a patent that suggests it is interested in using Kinect to count the number of people in a room in order to charge each person for providing pay-per-user content. The patent outlines how a camera could be used with face and gesture recognition as part of a Kinect-style system to enforce “age and identity restrictions” on certain kinds of content, effectively granting copyright holders virtual access to private dwellings, as Wired described it.


Microsoft has attempted to play down the privacy fears, claiming that it is “a leader in the world of privacy” and adding that it is not “using Kinect to snoop on anybody at all.” But this has not convinced officials in Germany. In an interview published Sunday by Der Spiegel, the country’s federal data protection commissioner, Peter Schaar, said he was unsettled by how the Xbox One “records all sorts of personal information” that would be “processed on an external server” and possibly passed on to third parties. "The fact that Microsoft is now spying on my living room is just a twisted nightmare," Schaar told the newspaper.


Some reports have claimed that the microphone and the camera for the Kinect device would be “always on” and “constantly listening and watching.” Microsoft told gaming website Kotaku that this isn’t the case and that “you can turn the system completely off." The company also says that the new Kinect will have “simple, easy methods to customize privacy settings, provide clear notifications and meaningful privacy choices for how data will be used, stored and shared." But you can bet that it will take more than these vague assurances to satisfy Germany’s aggressively privacy-protective officials. And if Microsoft fails to substantively address the privacy concerns, it could well find itself facing legal action in Germany—as Facebook has discovered on more than one occasion.


http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/05/28/germany_privacy_chief_peter_schaar_calls_xbox_one_ a_twisted_nightmare_for.html

.................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ..........

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-11/07/microsoft-patent-snooping
Microsoft files for living room-snooping patent

Technology (http://www.wired.co.uk/broad-topics/technology)

07 November 12 by Olivia Solon (http://www.wired.co.uk/search/author/Olivia+Solon)


<figure style="width: 323px; position: absolute; margin: 0px; left: 582px; top: 664px;" class="imageBlob landscape pullToSide ssrPullToSide" data-asset-id="291905"> <figcaption class="image-caption"> Flickr.com/Cha già José </figcaption>
</figure> Microsoft has filed a patent application (http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220120278904%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20120278904&RS=DN/20120278904) for a Kinect-based system that could be used to monitor the number of people in a room watching a TV with a view to giving content creators accurate viewing figures and a pay-per-user-view model.
The system would use the Kinect camera (http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-06/11/documentary-shot-with-kinect) to check the number of viewers in any room and then prompt the consumer to purchase the appropriate license based on that number. This would mean that you would pay more, for example, for a family of six than if you were watching a piece of content on your own.
The patent filing explains that "delivering audiovisual entertainment has progressed from physical media to digital downloads...In delivering such media, content providers often seek compensation based on the number of times content can be presented on a particular system."
The technology solution that Microsoft has come up with would allow "content providers to regulate the presentation of content on a per-user-view basis. Content is distributed to consuming devices, such as televisions, set-top boxes and digital displays, with an associated license option on the number of individual consumers or viewers allowed to consume the content."
The limitation placed on the content might simply be a fixed number of users views, a number of user views over a certain time period, a number of simultaneous user views or views tide to user identities. This could even allow for age restriction -- i.e. if the Kinect recognises you as being under 18, it won't show 18 movies.
The terrifying thing about this patent is that it would grant copyright holders virtual access to private dwellings. The patent application suggests that the technology could be applied to head-mounted devices, large screens, computers and even mobile phones. While it might make sense to allow the likes of Sky to monitor whether people have bought home-use licenses for use in commercial spaces (something which Sky charges more highly for), it seems that the wording covers a much wider range applications. It would seem that three people crowded round an iPad would be just as susceptible as a pub full of people crowded round a TV to watch the football.
At the slightly less sinister end of the spectrum, the technology could also, presumably, be used by TV channels to generate accurate viewing figures.

[tailfins]

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/05/28/germany_privacy_chief_peter_schaar_calls_xbox_one_ a_twisted_nightmare_for.html

.................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ..........

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-11/07/microsoft-patent-snooping
Microsoft files for living room-snooping patent

Technology (http://www.wired.co.uk/broad-topics/technology)

07 November 12 by Olivia Solon (http://www.wired.co.uk/search/author/Olivia+Solon)


<figure style="width: 323px; position: absolute; margin: 0px; left: 582px; top: 664px;" class="imageBlob landscape pullToSide ssrPullToSide" data-asset-id="291905"> <figcaption class="image-caption"> Flickr.com/Cha già José </figcaption>
</figure> Microsoft has filed a patent application (http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220120278904%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20120278904&RS=DN/20120278904) for a Kinect-based system that could be used to monitor the number of people in a room watching a TV with a view to giving content creators accurate viewing figures and a pay-per-user-view model.
The system would use the Kinect camera (http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-06/11/documentary-shot-with-kinect) to check the number of viewers in any room and then prompt the consumer to purchase the appropriate license based on that number. This would mean that you would pay more, for example, for a family of six than if you were watching a piece of content on your own.
The patent filing explains that "delivering audiovisual entertainment has progressed from physical media to digital downloads...In delivering such media, content providers often seek compensation based on the number of times content can be presented on a particular system."
The technology solution that Microsoft has come up with would allow "content providers to regulate the presentation of content on a per-user-view basis. Content is distributed to consuming devices, such as televisions, set-top boxes and digital displays, with an associated license option on the number of individual consumers or viewers allowed to consume the content."
The limitation placed on the content might simply be a fixed number of users views, a number of user views over a certain time period, a number of simultaneous user views or views tide to user identities. This could even allow for age restriction -- i.e. if the Kinect recognises you as being under 18, it won't show 18 movies.
The terrifying thing about this patent is that it would grant copyright holders virtual access to private dwellings. The patent application suggests that the technology could be applied to head-mounted devices, large screens, computers and even mobile phones. While it might make sense to allow the likes of Sky to monitor whether people have bought home-use licenses for use in commercial spaces (something which Sky charges more highly for), it seems that the wording covers a much wider range applications. It would seem that three people crowded round an iPad would be just as susceptible as a pub full of people crowded round a TV to watch the football.
At the slightly less sinister end of the spectrum, the technology could also, presumably, be used by TV channels to generate accurate viewing figures.


Mr Haney would have sure been proud!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jte4r1uBT0w/UPm-uCDpZaI/AAAAAAAALmI/R-Sjxz3boIA/s1600/Mr+Haney.gif

[DragonStryk72]

What gets me even more is that, just a few years ago, it was the Xbox 360 that was the front runner for gaming, with the PS3 lagging behind. Now the roles are reversed, with tons of negative feedback for Xbox, while the PS4 learns from their previous errors of hubris.

[Noir]

^Spot on. Which is making me think that the 360 was a one-off hit for MS, and it just happened to coincide with Sony (disastrously) using 'Cell' architecture.

Now that Sony have slapped themselves about and opted for industry standard architecture, they're poised to blow MS outa the water.

[DragonStryk72]

okay, so there's been an update on the xbone, as its becoming called. When asked what about the people who have intermittent or no internet, Microsoft instructed people that there was the 360, their prior console. When further asked about how the millions of military members fit into this, Microsoft simply reiterated their policy, then refused further commentary on the subject.

So, basically, they've looked at the military and said, "We neither need, nor want, your business."