but MS went bold, they wanted to move it closer to the digital, steam type setup.
Which is possible on current consoles. The prices tend to be outrageous though. I don't see Sony or Microsoft's digital prices being anywhere near as good as steam prices while they still have retailers to consider.
They also wanted to move things along with motion controls in gaming by including and forcing use of one.
Firstly, motion controls already exist, so it's hardly a new concept. Secondly, motion controls are mostly inaccurate compared to a controller and most don't want to use them. Regardless of how well Kinect 2.0 works or how much Microsoft "try to move things along" by using existing technology.
it's backpeddling to match it because that's what consumers think they want and MS felt the best decision was to give them that.
It's backpedaling because MS realized they were taking a hammering. Had they secured the sales they expected, they wouldn't have changed a thing even if there was still an outcry. Sure, other companies would have acted the same but that doesn't mean it's not backpedaling.
For good or for worse, the original Xbox One was going to move the console world onwards in terms of how it operated. Now it's not, MS will have to wait for the next gen when more people might accept it.
By using existing technology, forcing Drm on honest customers and making gamers jump through a ridiculous amount of hurdles? If that's moving forward, I'm staying still.
So let me get this straight;
MS says Kinect is mandatory.
People (here especially) bitch and moan.
MS changes decision based on feedback; makes Kinect no longer needed.
People (here especially) bitch and moan.
And this is why I don't come in this thread, much.
Did you check if it was the same people both times? Because... Y'know, people can have an opinion. Microsoft have backed down on Kinect, making the console a potential purchase from me at some point. However, I'm not buying a Kinect at all. If the rrod doesn't repeat itself and they eventually launch a Kinect free version at a reasonable price, I may pick one up. Except for the fact that I live in Japan. But that's a problem based on my geographical location rather than the Xbox itself.
I've been thinking recently about what makes Microsoft so successful. In my opinion, the answer is that they are excellent at selling bs to people. For example, "the power of the cloud". You have no idea how many times I've read about how the cloud is going to make the xbone ridiculously powerful over time, which is just a flat out lie. In theory, it's possible (assuming they genuinely have enough servers), however the kind of Internet connection you'd need to have to make it work just doesn't exist. An xbone will be able to process far more data per second than you'll ever be able to receive via your Internet connection. It's basically going to amount to Drm. They lock a feature to the servers (drivatar, for example) which probably takes up minimal processing power. If Microsoft aren't satisfied that you bought a new copy, bye bye drivatar.
Then there's the good old "every Xbox one is a dev kit". Again, in theory, that's true. But only if you have the required permissions from Microsoft, which they aren't going to hand out as it would make piracy ridiculously easy. Good news for developers, inconsequential news for you and I.
Lastly, as mentioned earlier in the post, there's the idea of Microsoft's bold vision for the future, which included crippling Drm, digital games, (which are possible on current consoles and will still be possible on ps4 and Xbox one.) which will no doubt be ridiculously priced and motion controls which have been done before. Oh. And don't forget the family sharing. Many assumed that they and nine friends would simultaneously be able to play the same game after buying a single copy. Not going to happen. Larry hyrb confirmed that only one person would be able to play at a time.
There are quite a few nice features, such as the instant game swapping (assuming that is still possible after the 180). However, I ordered a ps4 and will stick with it. I'm glad that those who buy an xbone will get a more user friendly experience, but it's because of aforementioned Internet rage. Don't thank Microsoft. Thank the people who pointed out how stupid they were being in the first place.