Emedan
Member
How Microsoft isn’t getting its deserved credit.
I understand that after the debacle that was the Xbox One reveal we’ve all been a bit hesitant to cut MS some slack (and believe me I was part of the band wagon back then - and it was deserved). But come on, today, they should get more credit for what they’ve done to the industry (in regards to history and since Spencers take over)
Microsoft have been investing huge amounts of money, time and thought in projects that are beneficial for us as gamers. Let’s just take a few examples.
GamePass.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone complaining about this but big picture wise I don’t think people give it the credit that it is due. It’s a great affordable service. I work in IT so I understand why MS is pushing it but in this instance its a positive for their business (long term) and the consumer.
Backwards compatibility.
I am amazed at how MS have introduced all generation Backwards Compatibility for so many games (not all). I’ts really a great feature. An anecdote from my own life. I bought and XSX instead of buying a new PC (I’ve mainly been a PC game for the past 20 years) because with age I couldn’t really justify spending 2000 dollars on a new PC instead of 600 for a console - I don’t play as much anymore since I don’t have the time. Why an XSX then? Well disregarding GamePass when I understood that I could put a disc in the console from any generation and be fairly certain I would be able to play the game i was astonished (that is how it’s been on PC always). My favorite console game franchise has been MGS since I watched my brother play it in the late 90s and myself playing MGS 2 and MGS 3 on his PS2. I was astonished that I now could buy the Xbox 360 MGS HD Collection and just put it in my console and play (and I have), what joy. These games I haven’t played for 15 years.
Messaging.
I think MS and the Xbox division has been great these past years when it comes to trying to deliver a product that is most enjoyable and available to the most amount of customers. Platform agnosticism, GP, BC what have you. It really shows that they understand. I know some will say that this is a detriment to the development of games (like MS wanting games to be available on as many platforms as possible), and it might be but in the end that’s cause we’re enthusiasts, but I’ve been thinking and for especially many younger people this is giving them an in to the entertainment we enjoy so much. I think the hammer hit the nail with the documentary MS released on youtube this spring ”Power On”, they were humble and admitted to their mistakes (Don’t know how few times I’ve seen that since the 90s)
There’s probably more to say about this, I think for instance that the RROD debacle was handled properly in the end and that there’s multiple companies that would’ve done way worse. MS is willing to look to consumer satisfaction to build a stable business model and I think that is the best we can hope for of any large company as consumers ourselves (and believe me last gen Sony did absolutely the same, but they’re not receiving the same hate).
So this is not a Console War thread, I don’t care about that, I just wanted to share some revelations I’ve had the past years - like I said I've been mainly a PC game and the last console I bought before the XSX was a PS4, and before that the original Xbox - and before that GC. What you all think, have I perhaps left out some scummy behavior or do they indeed deserve some credit?
I understand that after the debacle that was the Xbox One reveal we’ve all been a bit hesitant to cut MS some slack (and believe me I was part of the band wagon back then - and it was deserved). But come on, today, they should get more credit for what they’ve done to the industry (in regards to history and since Spencers take over)
Microsoft have been investing huge amounts of money, time and thought in projects that are beneficial for us as gamers. Let’s just take a few examples.
GamePass.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone complaining about this but big picture wise I don’t think people give it the credit that it is due. It’s a great affordable service. I work in IT so I understand why MS is pushing it but in this instance its a positive for their business (long term) and the consumer.
Backwards compatibility.
I am amazed at how MS have introduced all generation Backwards Compatibility for so many games (not all). I’ts really a great feature. An anecdote from my own life. I bought and XSX instead of buying a new PC (I’ve mainly been a PC game for the past 20 years) because with age I couldn’t really justify spending 2000 dollars on a new PC instead of 600 for a console - I don’t play as much anymore since I don’t have the time. Why an XSX then? Well disregarding GamePass when I understood that I could put a disc in the console from any generation and be fairly certain I would be able to play the game i was astonished (that is how it’s been on PC always). My favorite console game franchise has been MGS since I watched my brother play it in the late 90s and myself playing MGS 2 and MGS 3 on his PS2. I was astonished that I now could buy the Xbox 360 MGS HD Collection and just put it in my console and play (and I have), what joy. These games I haven’t played for 15 years.
Messaging.
I think MS and the Xbox division has been great these past years when it comes to trying to deliver a product that is most enjoyable and available to the most amount of customers. Platform agnosticism, GP, BC what have you. It really shows that they understand. I know some will say that this is a detriment to the development of games (like MS wanting games to be available on as many platforms as possible), and it might be but in the end that’s cause we’re enthusiasts, but I’ve been thinking and for especially many younger people this is giving them an in to the entertainment we enjoy so much. I think the hammer hit the nail with the documentary MS released on youtube this spring ”Power On”, they were humble and admitted to their mistakes (Don’t know how few times I’ve seen that since the 90s)
There’s probably more to say about this, I think for instance that the RROD debacle was handled properly in the end and that there’s multiple companies that would’ve done way worse. MS is willing to look to consumer satisfaction to build a stable business model and I think that is the best we can hope for of any large company as consumers ourselves (and believe me last gen Sony did absolutely the same, but they’re not receiving the same hate).
So this is not a Console War thread, I don’t care about that, I just wanted to share some revelations I’ve had the past years - like I said I've been mainly a PC game and the last console I bought before the XSX was a PS4, and before that the original Xbox - and before that GC. What you all think, have I perhaps left out some scummy behavior or do they indeed deserve some credit?
