Post by Fickle81 on Jun 16, 2013 5:04:43 GMT -5
Author's Note: As I state in the first paragraph of this post, I actually registered an account to the Bloody-Disgusting Forum just to post the following post due to reading a couple of people actually SUPPORTING the console on the BD board...that's right folks, after all these years, HELL HAS FROZEN OVER! And also like I stated in the first paragraph, I just know that there will be a LEGION of people ready to call me out on hypocrisy for going back on my word to never return...except that they can't due to me saying ON HERE no less that if I WERE to return under an alternate name, I WOULD identify myself as Kefka, and as you can plainly see, I did just that in the post. The reason why I am posting this here is that I have come to discover a new feature to the BD board...MOD APPROVAL FOR POSTS! That's right ladies and gentlemen...I FUCKING CALLED IT all those years ago. What was it I said? I said that my banning, as well as the banning of the other "aggressive regulars" would set a dangerous precedent when it comes to the freedom BD members have on their forum, and low and behold, it has come to this...BD has essentially become no better than Fangoria, a board they at one time MOCKED for similar potential censorship restrictions. Since I've identified myself as the dreaded "he who must not be named" past member of that board, I don't expect for my post to be seen (if it does, I'll be DAMNED surprised), so therefore I am posting it here for the -12 people that are here to enjoy it (or for those from BD who MIGHT ACTUALLY STILL lurk here to see what I'm gonna say about them)...in other words, I'm basically posting it for archival purposes. Enjoy!
Ok…I know I said many years ago that I would never come back here, but this is just too absurd to ignore. For those mods who may not know me and for the ones that do, I’m the internet truth troll formally known as Kefka…for those that DO know my history here and are leaping to their keyboards to rip my asshole apart for going back on my word never to return here, keep in mind that I also said that IF I ever registered under a new name I would identify myself, so no I’m NOT going back on my word. I’m being completely open and honest about registering a new name and posting here…you can feel free to ban me if you so choose, but I implore you to read what I have to say in response to Se7en Sins and oxley defending the Xbox One. I am SO passionate about this disgrace of a console that I am willing to actually come back here and explain WHY this console is probably the most detrimental thing I’ve ever seen when it comes to console gaming to those who would actually defend it.
So why are people like myself up in arms about what I will call the Shitbox One henceforth and why we feel that the console war is already over before it has even begun (with Sony being the clear victor, that is unless the Wii U happens to get its head out of its ass and get some killer exclusives for it)? SEVERAL reasons:
#1: Restricting game lending. It has been confirmed that game discs will basically act like PC install discs, that once you install to the system, it’s linked to your Xbox Live account. That disc pretty much becomes useless after the data has installed onto your console. One of the few MAJOR disadvantages I see in being a PC gamer over a console gamer is the inability to give the game discs you’ve purchased to a friend (unless they have a way to acquire a crack serial key. They may have more open options on digital distribution sites like Steam, but I can’t comment on that due to never using any of those services), which is something console gamers have been able to do since console gaming’s inception.
NOW however, Microsuck has outlined that you can give your game to only ONE person on your Xbox Live friends list that has been on said list for a minimum of 30 days. What Microsuck is basically saying here by adding rules, guidelines, and restrictions to what you can do with the games you’ve purchased is that you don’t own that copy of the game you paid $60 plus dollars for, which is fucking atrocious. Only a mindless Microsuck drone, with their mouth firmly wrapped around the company’s cock, would ever defend something like that that takes away the consumer rights us console gamers have had since the very beginning of console gaming. This is just Microsuck's way of saying "FUCK YOU, GIVE US MONEY!" to us gamers.
#2: Restricting used games sales. For those not in the know, developers and publishers don’t make a dime off of used games sales. To them, it’s essentially piracy that only benefits the consumer and the used games vendor. That’s the main reason why a lot of game developers/publishers have initiated what are called online passes, which allows those who purchased the game brand new to get a key that will allow them to get some of the online components and DLC for free, and those who buy the game used have to pay out of pocket for them so the companies can recoup some of those lost profits. Right before the Shitbox One was announced and revealed, Electronic Arts, who are NOTORIOUS for being against the used games market and using the fuck out of online passes among other shady business practices (they have been voted “Worst Company In America” 2 years in a row), came out and said that they will discontinue the use of online passes. Most gamers thought EA was turning over a new leaf and were gonna straighten their act out…that is until the Shitbox One was revealed. Microsuck has stated that they WILL support used games, but here’s the catch…you can only buy these used games at PARTISAPATING RETAILERS.
Now you might think that that’s not so bad as practically every used games vendor will be a “participating vendor.” This is incorrect. Sure, a big company like Gamestop could very well be, but those home grown mom and pop vendors who won’t or can’t agree to Microsuck’s terms will be shit out of luck…and yes you read right, Microsuck WILL have terms in which the “participating vendors” will abide to in order to be a “participating vendor.” Granted, Microsuck nor any of these retailers have come out and said this, which TECHNICALLY makes this speculation, but if you put 2 and 2 together and know the history of the companies involved in this, you KNOW they will do this. I’d bet large sums of money that the major term that Microsuck will impose on these retailers will be to force said retailers to give Microsuck and/or the game developers/publishers a cut of the used games sales…a rather HANDSOME cut I might add. You know what’s gonna happen because of this? A company like Gamestop will increase the price of used games to the point that there really won’t be any incentive to purchasing the used copy over the new one (they’ll probably have the new copy be $60 and the used being something like $55…which is actually something that Gamestop ALREADY DOES with some used games).
#3: Kiss game rentals goodbye, at least for the Shitbox One. Remember what I said about game discs becoming practically useless once they are installed onto your console/Xbox Live account? What do you think that’s gonna do to the prospects of renting a Shitbox One title from a game rental service like Gamefly? With the “participating retailers” that sell used games, they will probably give you a separate key in order to install the data to your console/Xbox Live account. Like I said before, the game becomes permanently linked to your Xbox Live account once it’s installed. This is the way Microsuck has designed it. They’re not gonna let somebody who rents one of the console’s game essentially have it without having to pay the designated price for the game…at least not without applying rules and restrictions to the game rental services/retailers. If they do something like that, there will be no point to ever renting Shitbox One games from ANYWHERE.
#4: Kinnect is REQUIRED for the console to work. For the Xbox 360, Kinnect has shown itself to be an unreliable gimmick…so what does Microsuck do in response to the people who hate it and have come to this conclusion? “NO IT ISN’T DAMNIT! YOU KNOW WHAT?! IT’S NOW REQUIRED TO ALLOW YOUR SHITBOX ONE TO FUNCTION! YOU WILL SUBMIT TO THE KINNECT!!” This in it of itself is bad enough, however the Kinnect being attached to the system has actually raised the issue of user privacy. The Data Protection Commissioner of Germany, Peter Schaar, has expressed concern that the Kinnect on the Shitbox One can and will be used to spy on people. Here are a few quotes from the man regarding the issue:
“The Xbox continuously records all sorts of personal information about me, reaction rates, my learning or emotional states. They are then processed on an external server, and possibly even passed on to third parties. Whether it be deleted ever, the person concerned cannot influence."
While Microsuck has said that users need not worry about their privacy, as the device is ONLY listening to the phrase “Xbox Turn On” when the system is off, that doesn’t mean they won’t use the device for this purpose IN THE FUTURE. From the Microsuck Shitbox One press release:
"As we move into this new generation of games and entertainment, from time to time, Microsoft may change its policies, terms, products and services to reflect modifications and improvements to our services, feedback from customers and our business partners or changes in our business priorities and business models or for other reasons. We may also cease to offer certain services or products for similar reasons."
Not only could this blanket statement apply to all the other aspects of the console, it could very well apply to their current policy regarding the Kinnect and user privacy. They made this statement to be able to use as a defense in case they DO change their policy on this issue to cover their ass.
#5: Shitbox One is basically a DRM machine…and this is the MAJOR issue (as if the other ones weren’t major enough). While the initial reports and rumors about the system always being online 24/7 were proven to be bullshit, what HAS been proven to NOT be bullshit is that an internet connection IS required as you will only be allowed to game offline for 24 hours before the console needs to connect to the internet to perform a “check in”, or else the console will not work until this is performed. A check in? Really? Fucking really? I’m not a fucking child, Microsuck. I’m not gonna have a fucking curfew on how long I can play my console online. As if THAT wasn’t bad enough, you CAN play your games on a friend’s console…but only for one single fucking hour! What kind of stupid fucking bullshit is this?! If I wanna take a game and play it on a friend’s system, I can do that for as long as I damn well please, as I’ve been able to do so since the very fucking beginning of console gaming.
Now I’ve heard people defend all this bullshit by saying “BUT IF YOU’RE BUYING A SHITBOX ONE, YOU LIKELY HAVE AN INTERNET CONNECTION!” Yeah, but what about if my internet goes down, even for days on end? I can still plug in my PS4, PS3, or ANY OTHER FUCKING CONSOLE EVER FUCKING MADE and play it. Can you do that with the Shitbox One? Nope. What about people who have poor internet or no internet at all? As of 2010, roughly 30% of Americans STILL DON’T HAVE internet. I guess those people are shit out of luck? As for poor internet, with Microsuck talking and hyping up this dedicated cloud shit, that's gonna require a pretty powerful connection, and guess what? The U.S. actually has some of the worst internet connection rates IN THE WORLD. So basically, they're providing this cloud shit SPECIFICALLY for a country that around only 1% of the people in it will have the internet capable of handling it…Fail. What is Microsuck’s “solution” for the poor internet/no internet connection?
“Get an Xbox 360”
Yes, you read that right. Don Mattrick, Microsuck's President of Interactive Entertainment Business himself, stated that those who are unable to fulfill the online demands of the Xbox One should stick with the Xbox 360, a console that will be DEAD, as in no longer supported, within a few years time:
Yeah, cause it's not like Microsoft is gonna pretty much abandon the console in the early portion of the Shitbox One's life cycle, like they did with the original Xbox early into the 360's life cycle...try playing any of your original Xbox games online right now...go on, go do it now...can't do it, can you? That's cause the servers for those games are no longer active cause they were shut down due to them not being "needed" anymore due to people moving onto the 360. You don’t need to be a brain surgeon to realize that Microsuck will do the same thing with the 360. That video has actually become a little bit hard to find due to Microsuck turning to Viacom (the owner of several of the gaming journalist sites that covered E3, INCLUDING the one the interviewer in the video works for) to take down any videos that have this footage for a copyright violation cause it has made Microsuck look fucking stupid.
Now we come to the MAJOR flaw in this setup. Let’s look into the future, when all of the companies are releasing their next console after this current generation, INCLUDING Microsuck (that is if they’re even gonna be in the home console game after this mess). What typically happens to an old console when the successor is released? The support for that console from the game developers/publishers, as well company who created the console themselves, dies a slow death. With the “internet heavy” generation of consoles, starting with the Sega Dreamcast, guess what happens to any online functionality of the games (like online multiplayer)? It dies as the servers get shut down. As I elaborated with the original Xbox, you cannot play any online multiplayer with those games on that system cause the online servers for those games have long been discontinued…however, with the Shitbox One REQUIRING an internet check in to the console’s servers, a new shitty element is added. Despite the original Xbox not having any online components to their games anymore, I can STILL play the games THEMSELVES offline (unless of course the game is ENTIRELY online, like an MMORPG). Guess what’s gonna happen when Microsuck shuts down the servers for the Shitbox One once they release their next console after that? You won’t be able to play ANY of your games on it, whether it be online OR offline…you won’t be playing ANY of those games AT ALL because the console will no longer work due to there being no servers to perform the internet check in. At least with all the older consoles, despite having no support via new games, I can STILL plug them in and play them no matter how old they are.
Now you might say “BUT THEY COULD JUST FIX THAT ISSUE VIA AN ONLINE SYSTEM PATCH!” Negative…something like that CANNOT just be patched in. The only thing I see that Microsuck can do about this is release a modified version of the console that DOESN’T require all the internet check in bullshit towards the end of the Shitbox One’s life cycle. Problem THERE is that they will essentially expect people to REBUY the console over again (discounted price or not, it’s STILL money they don’t deserve to get).
So, anybody that has all this information would be a damn fool to still buy a Shitbox One…but the real scary thing is that this could have become the standard for ALL of console gaming had Sony decided to do the very same thing. Fortunately, they listened to all the negative feedback that was rightfully leveled towards Microsuck and did the smart thing…no required DRMs, used games support, and as this awesome video shows, allowing consumers to share games with friends:
None of the stuff I’ve laid out on the table is “senseless whining.” These are all legit deal breaking issues this piece of shit console has. I’ve been gaming regularly since the original NES, and I’ve seen a lot of consoles come and go, but this fucking thing needs to fail…and it needs to fail hard. I’ve NEVER said that about ANY other console system, whether it be home or handheld…I may have said something to the extent of “That console sucks and I’m not buying it.” However, I’ve never once outright have wanted a console to crash and burn to the point of telling other people not to even think about buying it. That’s how bad this thing is. It NEEDS to fail…it not only needs to fail for how bad the console itself is and how detrimental it is to gaming, but it needs to fail to send Microsuck and other companies a message…a message that we the consumers, we the gamers, and we whose money keeps these companies in business will not stand for this restrictive bullshit. WE will not be told what we can and cannot do with our purchased copies of games (with the exception of piracy). WE will not be dictated to as to how long we can play our console offline. Most importantly…WE…are the ones who run the show.
To those that will STILL support Microsuck by buying this hunk of shit of a console after all this information…YOU are part of the problem, YOU are the ones responsible for causing companies like Microsuck to do this kind of bullshit (the 360, while nowhere near as restrictive as this will be, had some pretty shady restrictions on it, yet people defended it and even purchased MULTIPLE 360s due to their previous ones dying due to the RROD), YOU are the cancer that is killing console gaming, and YOU are all FACTUALLY idiots. End of discussion.
Sources:
www.gamepolitics.com/2013/05/28/german-commissioner-expresses-concern-over-xbox-ones-always-kinect#.Ub115Pm-ky4
news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10454133-94.html
news.xbox.com/2013/06/main
UPDATE: Just as I predicted, over 12 hours later, my post was never posted in the BD thread I was replying to. The mod(s) in question probably saw that I identified myself as Kefka and didn't even bother to continue reading. Oddly enough, I can still log into my new account, so I'm assuming I haven't been outright banned yet. I will update this thread with any further developments on the matter.