Bringing up an author's biases is always relevant when discussing the content of an article like this.
The big console releases are the big third party titles. Which is the majority of the games on a system.This is a funmy thing to say with the release of Smash just last week, and the release and critical reception of GoW, Spiderman, Pokemon Let's Go, Detroit and Astrobot this year.
But the console it has done a lot to recover it's image. That can't be put on question.
It is pointing out inconsistentcies and it's doing exactly that.If it's used to point out inconsistencies or highlight how it makes sense to a person's tastes, sure. However people are making it personal by directly attacking the guy.
Doc's article is an extension of the content of his post history, therefore it's pretty relevant to the discussion.
People don't seem to realize that MS enjoyed so much success with the 360 largely because of Sony's blunder. Were Sony priced evenly or affordably relative to the 360, they would've surpassed MS in lifetime sales much sooner. They were riding the momentum of the PS2 and their arrogance occluded their vision and made them underestimate the competition. That won't happen again considering that we've heard continually from PS executives since who've communicated as much. We see the evidence in the expansion of their teams and you'd be foolish to think they're not going to spend many millions in R&D on PS5 and PSVR2. Playstation as a brand is much more valuable to Sony than Xbox is to Microsoft, so to think Sony is expending anything less than MS is faulty logic to me. We'll see the coming generation whose predictions were sound and which were off the mark.
Let alone the red ring of death. Granted the change in leadership with Don Mattrick taking over did ruin Microsoft's 1st party output at the end of the generation and that did lead into this generation with the Xbox One.This is false. Microsoft enjoyed a ton of success because of Halo, Call of Duty, and Kinect in the US/UK.
Ask Phil, he'll tell you they have more work to do with the rest of the world because despite 360 success, it masked large weaknesses in their consumer base in its highs.
yep I agree with this, many of us have known Doc for years between ERA and the forum that will go unnamed, why is the context of his previous posts not relevant? it's not like he's changed any of his views
also this, let Doc defend himself, he's perfectly willing as his posts in this thread prove
banning Nib95 and giving DocSeuss seeming protected status make it feel like ERA isn't all that different from the previous forum where some users were obvious favorites of mods who got away with stuff others couldn't
I feel the same way.This might be the most ridiculous ban I've ever seen. I could see if the author of the article didn't come in the thread and spew more nonsense. It would be nice to see Nib95 unbanned immediately and apologized to.
The big console releases are the big third party titles. Which is the majority of the games on a system.
RDR2
COD
Battlefield
Destiny
Anthem
The Division
Far Cry
Those are all big console releases. They essentially went from a under performing console to "if you want the most bang for your buck on your new 4k tv...you should play here"
And the craziest thing is, they are still the losers of this generation but have a head start on next gen with all the good faith.
Overall, I feel like the article was well written and does cover why I think the Xbox's image has been saved; it's conclusion differs from my own. The brand and hte console are far better off than where I had expected it to be just a few years ago; but I find more value out of the other offerings. PS4 for the games I like to play, Switch for the Nintendo exclusives, and PC for everything else. I will say that had this been the initial release direction, then it would have likely been a far harder choice.
Honestly...you don't have to defend your work man, it's a good article. Don't feed the trolls.This article went through three editors, none of which are die-hard xbox fans. They were happy with it. You're seeing what isn't there.
In nib's case, where I'm most concerned (aside from the stalking, what the fuck?) is that he's like "hey, this article ignores Microsoft's history, like it's lack of games." Having written this thing as a 6,000 word monstrosity before we got it down to a more readable size... I know for a fact I definitely talked about Microsoft's lack of games. It's a big problem. It's in the piece. So nib was clearly lying about the piece.
I would love for people to find specific statements in my piece that don't work. If I'm wrong, I am wrong. But I see a lot of sort of general "this isn't true" without any actual discussion. "oh, doc just doesn't like Sony" is patently absurd, I love my Vitas and will defend them to the death; I'm a PSP stan too. If there are actual inaccuracies in my piece, please, point them out, let me know if I got something wrong. If I got a serious fact wrong, then I will alert my editors and we'll issue a correction. In 5 years of games writing, I've had to issue a few, it's no skin off my nose.
If you want to say "hey, doc, you got this fact wrong" or something, please, by all means, do it. I worked hard with my editors to try to make sure it was factual; I had some great things I wanted to use in the piece that we had to cut because we couldn't find enough evidence to verify it, so I'm of the belief we did a great job on it.
It feels like people aren't really addressing the piece, they're just offended by the suggestion that the console is good hardware.
I want people to argue with me about claims I made in the piece. Surely that's not too hard?
So then are you then claiming that the 360 and PS4 did not in fact enjoy as much success as they did because of the blunders of their respective competition? It's silly to claim they didn't, that is a direct factor as to why they were as successful as they were.
It is pointing out inconsistentcies and it's doing exactly that.
Conversely, Sony only succeeded with PS4 to this degree because the WiiU was completely dead in the water and Microsoft bungled their launch and marketing so badly. Complete dominance isn't necessarily their default state - we've never seen what it looks like when all 3 players are firing on all cylinders. It's going to be an exciting generation, imo.
There's a strong difference between dissecting what you find incorrect or correct about an article and digging through someone's online history.
As stated by Kage Maru, "debate the content of the article and see where the opinions stem from, not attack the person in question directly."
I'm sorry but you're wrong. PC is one of the worst places to play some of those games due to the tiny size of the communities.Other than RDR2 the best place to play every single one of those is PC. And don't give me "not everyone can afford a PC" if your argument is predicated on a $450 console and a 4K TV. The Xbox One X is an enthusiast machine, and a damned impressive one, but if most bang for your buck is the argument an S w/ gamepass is a better one. If best place to play third party is your argument, PC is the winner. If console exclusives are your argument, Xbox was never in the conversation. The #1 selling point of an X to me, and the reason I've almost bought one several times, is BC upscaling.
His history is exactly part of why because he is known. It's the same if jason scheier, arthur gies or ben kuchera posted an article. There previous history is exactly what I would be highlighting. Talking about the writer and his histroy is extremely relevant to what he wrote and the prospective on what he's writing about. Not to mention his posts in this very thread.I don't see people pointing out inconsistencies, I see people dismissing him or attacking his character because of his history.
The same can be said though in regards to those attacking him.His history is exactly part of why because he is known. It's the same if jason scheier, arthur gies or ben kuchera posted an article. There previous history is exactly what I would be highlighting. Talking about the writer and his histroy is extremely relevant to what he wrote and the prospective on what he's writing about. Not to mention his posts in this very thread.
There's a strong difference between dissecting what you find incorrect or correct about an article and digging through someone's online history.
As stated by Kage Maru, "debate the content of the article and see where the opinions stem from, not attack the person in question directly."
As for the article itself; I find that the PlayStation still has the console games that I want to play. As far as the online platforms, I'll concede that Live is great; but as a PC gamer it wouldn't be enough to sway to me, nor do I find backwards compatibility to be a particularly big issue for me. I found the history of it all to be a nice inclusion in the piece (granted none of it unknown to me). I do feel that the Xbox One reveal was somewhat hand-waved past around (but was indeed covered).
Overall, I feel like the article was well written and does cover why I think the Xbox's image has been saved; it's conclusion differs from my own. The brand and hte console are far better off than where I had expected it to be just a few years ago; but I find more value out of the other offerings. PS4 for the games I like to play, Switch for the Nintendo exclusives, and PC for everything else. I will say that had this been the initial release direction, then it would have likely been a far harder choice.
As for the questions in the OP:
What y'all think of where Xbox One has come since launch?
Going to be honest, it's been an incredible turn around. It's in a solid position right now, no doubt.
What stands out?
Big fan of the game pass from what I've heard about it
What needs more work?
Hard to say at the moment. With where we are in the cycle, my focus is on future hardware; and so should Microsoft's.
This is also false.
Sony has succeeded due to smart partnerships (Destiny, Rocket League, Fortnite, Spider-Man, etc.), a string of hit exclusive titles (Infamous, Uncharted, Horizon, God of War, et.), a better inherited economy around the world, and the PS4 establishing itself as a place for all games from indie to big budget early on attracting a wider selection of games. It also helps they have had much better Japanese relationships.
Business isn't something that means someone else fucking up means success. They both could have failed to launch.
I'm sorry but you're wrong. PC is one of the worst places to play some of those games due to the tiny size of the communities.
Yes of course but it's all related and all relevant.The same can be said though in regards to those attacking him.
This might be the most ridiculous ban I've ever seen. I could see if the author of the article didn't come in the thread and spew more nonsense. It would be nice to see Nib95 unbanned immediately and apologized to.
His history is exactly part of why because he is known. It's the same if jason scheier, arthur gies or ben kuchera posted an article. There previous history is exactly what I would be highlighting. Talking about the writer and his histroy is extremely relevant to what he wrote and the prospective on what he's writing about. Not to mention his posts in this very thread.
The same can be said though in regards to those attacking him.
I'm hoping that I can convince someone to let me write about how bad the Microsoft Store is in the future.
It should be obvious from the piece that I love the console as it is. I think it's a pretty box, it's objectively powerful, and like... last night, a friend of mine was going "holy shit how does ninja gaiden black look this good?" As someone who loved a lot of games like Conker and Crimson Skies, the Xbox One X is in this amazing place where it appeals to me in a huge way. It's so close to perfect... it just doesn't have the games. But I mean, I have weird tastes. No bones about it. I don't care about any Nintendo games out there right now so my switch only gets turned on if I need it for work. I don't really care about most Sony exclusives either, so again, a problem. I don't care about most Microsoft exclusives either right now. So for me... this is entirely a hardware and "what old games can i play?" discussion. I realize that's different for other people. Like, if you're really big into open-world action adventure games, the Playstation is the best choice. If you love Nintendo games, yeah, get you that Mario/Smash box. But for me, someone whose favorite games this year are almost entirely PC exclusives... all I really care about is hardware and ecosystem, and the Xbox hardware/software is the most interesting to me right now.
I think if Microsoft forges ahead, and they're like "okay, our ecosystem is good, now it's time to bring the games," that's awesome.
But... look, I'll be honest... Crackdown 3 isn't inspiring me. I like Ninja Theory but they're a very 7/10 studio imo. I am not a big fan of how Wasteland 2 plays and Torment didn't get great reviews. I like Obsidian, but the shooting in Outer Worlds isn't really getting my attention. I linked my take here on 343i's work on Halo. It bums me out a lot. I love the Halo games; they are some of the finest crafted games of all time. I don't think 343i has made one as good as Bungie has.
I'm honestly a bit concerned that even with all these acquisitions, a lot of which are super appealing to people in the niche--these are all very INTERESTING developers--Microsoft isn't bringing the "event" games yet. It's their biggest weakness. The Microsoft Store is another big one (during edits on this piece, I had to clarify that I love the fact that I can play Forza Motorsport 4 on my Xbox or PC with crossbuy/cross save, but I hate the store I have to download it from). I think as much as Microsoft has done to turn this ship around...
I mean... is it enough?
This is where I'm personally struggling. I like the device. I'm geeking out over it. But I also want to buy a June oven ($500, lmfao, no can do). I would buy myself a 3DO if I could. I love tech. I love surrounding myself with tech. My friends send me their old electronics when they don't want them. I have 12 Playstation-branded consoles in my house right now because I love this beautiful old hardware that people have sent to me. The Xbox One X is the most alluring tech on the market right now, and the way I can stream shit flawlessly or seamlessly jump between my PC and my TV is amazing. It's like a more robust version of Steam's whole in-home streaming setup. This tech is WONDERFUL. I would love to buy a 4K TV so I could see what HDR is like.
But... I don't know if they're bringing the Event Games. I bet Outer Wilds will be a cult classic, but you take a game like God of War, with its really in-depth cinematics and emphasis on its awe-inspiring art direction, and like... I dunno, can Obsidian compete with Santa Monica Studio? Obsidian is a studio with a history of releasing the most broken games in years. Sure, I gave Pillars of Eternity 2 a 4.5 out of 5. I loved it. One of the best games of the year. Sold like ass.
I don't know if Microsoft can make people go "I need to spend money on this." Halo's ENTIRE philosophy is one I don't want to be a part of. Bungie's Halo is how you're this noble, badass warrior with great lines. 343's Halo is like "u are a war crime. ur best friend is INSANE." Who wants to live out that fantasy?
How can Microsoft overcome this? I think it has to be a conscious change.
That's a summary of the article; I think it refers to my stuff about the console being the best console in terms of like functionality/ecosystem/customer support and stuff, even though it doesn't have the games, which is its achilles' heel.
Nib's not a fanboy but I do agree that post history is relevant to both the posters and the writer.in what way? I don't think I've ever seen someone accuse Nib of being a fanboy
I'm sorry but you're wrong. PC is one of the worst places to play some of those games due to the tiny size of the communities.
How can Microsoft overcome this? I think it has to be a conscious change.
His history is exactly part of why because he is known. It's the same if jason scheier, arthur gies or ben kuchera posted an article. There previous history is exactly what I would be highlighting. Talking about the writer and his histroy is extremely relevant to what he wrote and the prospective on what he's writing about. Not to mention his posts in this very thread.
Hmmm this is definitely an interesting take and I would like some clarification from the mods on this one. Would like to know where we draw the line.Where is the consistency though? Why Pacther's history get dragged here without the same moderation qualification? If outlets allowed Twitter fanboys to write articles for them then are we not supposed to bring it up either? if I made a thread about Crapgamer's video should we just discuss its content and ignore the person history? This hasn't been the case on Era before or at least it isn't consistent enough that the only reason that this is being enforced here is that the user is also a member and favoritism is being applied.
I know I'm rehashing my earlier post but I didn't get a response. If you don't wish to respond I would understand and I won't bring it up again.