It’s all about integrity

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So Microsoft has decided to back track on their DRM and always on ‘functionality’, and even went as far as to turn off region locking.  Here are a few articles:

There is one article that stands out the most for me:

It’s true.  It’s all about integrity.  The only reason Microsoft has backtracked is because the PS4 was outselling the XBox in pre-orders 2 to 1 according to rumors and they want their money back.

Now, at one level, I don’t have a problem with companies making money from relatively kosher means.  But as the article states:

Having integrity proves to the world that you are true to yourself
and to others. It shows that you stand up for what you believe in,
and against all odds, do not lose sight of yourself. Integrity
should be the backbone of all companies and should be what we all
strive for, each and every day.

I liken this to coming out as a gay man.  You don’t see me going back into the closet because it’s popular to be straight, and I’m not gay because it’s popular all of a sudden, it’s what I happen to be.

If Don Mattrick truly believed in the XBox One and the way gaming is going, then why not stick to your guns, and not turn the XBox One into the XBox 180?  Show us what the benefits are of what you are proposing?  Instead, we get an integrity issue.

Okay, okay, fucked if you do, fucked if you don’t.  Yes, the XBox team is probably in a bind here.  If you truly believe in the technology then stick by your guns and do what you can to explain why it’s a benefit.

I have to admit, I was coming around to the way games could be shared, being able to login on any XBox One around the world and having access to my games.  That idea was pretty neat honestly.  And it would allow my friends to be able to explore games that I have.

I had problems with the 24 hour ‘must’ connect to play games.  In short, stupid.  Yes, my PS3 connects to the net every 24 hours because I choose to.  Big difference – choose versus must.  If Microsoft had made this an option – and made it clear – less of an issue.  This was, probably, my biggest issue.

The ‘giving a game once’ wasn’t clear to me either.

Simply too many mixed messages, nothing clear.  EXPLAIN YOURSELF!

Mattrick’s arrogance is clear as seen here over at Engadget: “fortunately, we have a product for people who aren’t able to get some form of connectivity, it’s called Xbox 360.” So you’re going to deny key markets and individuals (see the Navy Times article above) access to the latest and greatest technology?

Take a flying leap.

As one guy, posting on EB Games’ feed promoting the newly updated XBox One said:

Don't be sheep and instantly change your mind...this is the company
that tried to shove it up your ass and make you swallow their 
policies... Don Matrick even said "if you don't want to connect 
every 24 hours we have a console for you...it's called the Xbox 360
"..what an asshole.. that was their stance until their wallets 
seemed lighter now Don has released a statement all of a suddenly 
saying "we heard everyone and are excited to offer a change"? Sorry
but I won't buy this console or even consider it in the slightest 
until that little puke resigns from Microsoft and learns the hard 
way that you can't give the people who are the reason you get a
check every two weeks the finger and then expect them to come back

Especially when you have to pay for an XBox Live Gold membership, and they have all kinds of advertising all over the user interface.  Double dip much?

My response:

You're going to buy a console from arrogant slime that double dips
with advertising and your monthly dollars? I think not! Don needs 
to step down for his arrogant buy a 360 comment. Know what? I'm 
buying a PS4 - that's my 360.

The main reason I have an XBox 360 is to play Forza and to turn that box into an arcade gaming machine.  I LOVE the fact that XBLA has a bunch of classic arcade games for sale, and I’ve got most of them with a handful to buy to complete.  After seeing this crap about the XBox One – I’m turned off big time, and I was already turned off because of my 360 experience.

I don’t buy for a minute that games would drop in price had this functionality remained in place, which was one argument.  Use the Steam argument?  We’re talking about game publishers like EA and Microsoft.

An article at Gizmodo states:

The real fear behind DRM on games is the idea that at some point in
the future, you'll be told that you are no longer allowed to use 
the content you'e paid for. It's that you're "allowed" to use 
anything at all, instead of outright "owning" it. And in the past,
shitty DRM has absolutely worked like that. Walmart MP3s and the 
like have taken their servers offline, stranding file formats and 
leaving them to die, forgotten.

That is not how DRM, by and large, works today. There is very 
little risk of any particular format dying off. The dangers, as 
such, lie in a dropoff of support, or at worst, confiscation. That
for whatever reason, Microsoft would tell us to screw ourselves 
and stop supporting Xbox One games, or kick you, specifically, out.

BULLSHIT.  I’ve already got content on my XBox 360 that I had bought in the cloud that is no longer available, games that I was hoping to buy no longer available for purchase and I know some of the content on both systems will expire.

At some point you know that both Microsoft and Sony will turn off their servers and make games and other downloadables no longer available, so if you lose your drive, You’re SOL.  You better have a back up – which thankfully I do for my PS3 content – and still have to do that for my 360.

In short – Microsoft did a piss poor job of communicating the benefits to the masses and instead of fighting the uphill battle, they threw in the towel and waved a white flag.  A total train wreck and cluster fuck by Microsoft executives.

Why am I so passionate about this?  Because I know something better is out there and had Microsoft scaled back on part of their DRM a little bit to appease things, it would have been pretty cool.

Microsoft, you have an integrity issue.

As someone on my Facebook thread said, there are definitely more pressing and important issues out there in the world.  I agree.  Maybe I should be more passionate about those issues, and should be giving a voice to those as well.