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Phil Spencer on the ‘console war’ mentality, and Xbox’s shift away from the box

sircaw

Banned
I am struggling to understand how fanboys on gaf and twitter are keeping games from reaching their potential. I'd like to think cross gen games are responsible for games not reaching their full potential but what do i know.

I like him addressing the toxicity and harmful communities on the internet, but he has no qualms tweeting back guys like XcloudTimdog who is probably the most prolific warrior on twitter with 16k followers, and has trashed gaf and gaf mods on twitter before and after getting permabanned here.

Lastly, I did not see a single Sony exec even acknowledge the xbox series x, let alone start any console wars. I am really not sure what he's going on about with the movie executive analogy. Him, Greenberg and Jason Ronald are the ones who cant keep talking about the PS5. He literally just took a shot at Sony introducing a new controller earlier this morning in his blogpost.

I like everything he says, I just dont know if he himself is preaching it. The bit about how other companies must fail is quite apt because I have seen several bans recently for users who desperately want the PS5 to be 8-9 tflops. Surely he should be saying this to Timdog instead of the Washington Post, no?

Full article here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/vide...r-console-war-mentality-xboxs-shift-away-box/

Update: Thou shalt not console war. But this is ok.







Credit: @Bolivar687



Timdog, crappy channels like eastwood and dealer, that ridiculous Dee tweet remark the other day.
Top brass being seen on their podcasts, Green berg bla bla bla PS5. Its a constant circle of revolving sewerage going round and round.

Sure Phil sure.
sleep with dogs you get fleas.

Anyone with half a brain can see this for what is it.
 

Nikana

Go Go Neo Rangers!
It's amazing to see how many people fall so hard for media leading a reader though a story.
 

pawel86ck

Banned
Quite funny considering the initial launch hype of the PS4 was built around Xbox's failings.





Yet, Phil is a monster because he said he "felt good" after seeing his competitions reveal. Such a bad guy for being excited about his own product under his name :messenger_tears_of_joy:

Your argument is on point, but please stop making such fair observations. Because of your post OP looks like a hypocrite now. Please have mercy for him next time, being cruel is nothing to be proud of 😅😈
 

Dory16

Banned
I'll ignored the triggered and reactive fanboys who's day got ruined because Phil Spencer made a statement about the industry he partakes in. Phil could say the XSX has a large fan and those people would accuse him of hypocrisy because he said previously that we will hear the games before the console. "I don't have the console but how can it be quiet if it has a fan Phil? You're a hypocrite and Microsoft is a satanist society".

Now in the interest of the sane minds of the forums, here's what I found most interesting about Phil's waPo interview:
“It’s a transition for many of us that come from the traditional console business,” Spencer said. “All of the business proposition was centered around how we sell one device. … Every other form of media is ubiquitously around them. They can listen to Spotify on an Xbox and watch 'Game of Thrones’ on a phone. In order for gaming to realize its full potential, we need to build the experience around the player, not around the device.”

This finally summarizes Microsoft's new strategy in a few words. With stadia around, you can play any game, even AAA on your phone while in the train. You can also never beat the fidelity that the most advanced PCs can provide. In a world like that, you have to propose more than just a good box (and Microsoft still does). You have to go get players where they are, because sitting on the sofa in their living room with their hands on their lap is decreasingly the most common location to find them most of the time.
 
"Working very hard on their exclusive lineup" and yet not able to make Series X games until "a couple of years" down the line.

Worse, instead of acknowledging that their games are not ready, they are trying to claim they deliberately did not have Series X games available to make people who didn't upgrade, feel better.

I would give them props for trying if they were not so disgusting. No, Xbox 360 does not love you and neither does PS4. Xbox is not anybody's friend, and especially not anyone's friend just because they couldn't get their act together and release next gen games on time.
From my understanding, they meant games that wouldn't support the Xbox One anymore.

None of these companies love us, but they deserve credit when due.
 

Eliciel

Member
so many things about this thread are pure gold:
Here is small a selection:


I believe Phil caught the virus of Twitter. He is seeing an abundance of conflict and console warring thanks to the Twitter recommendation system. Only a minority of fans engage in console wars, but his perception of the landscape is already clouded.

I believe we haven’t seen peak Phil yet. He is amplifying negative scenarios in his head, and soon will be more vocal about his discontent.

tenor.gif
Xbox Surface X!

giphy.gif
 
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Microsoft is very competitive in their software solutions, yet they've never been so open in their software support for other platforms in history.
It's Microsoft's policy under Nadella. Aditionally, servitization is a big and important trend for tech companies, and one that fits modern lifestyles.
What would you want them do, to first become market leader in unit sales and then shift to a software strategy? Would that make it more genuine to you?




The first link: Phil was asked a direct question.
The second link: He said they want you to hear their games first, not their console. Forum dwellers and owners of both consoles know he might be taking a slight jab a PS4 Pro. The wider audience though, how would they know he means the PS4 Pro?
The third link: Phil was asked a direct question

How insecure must you people be to feel so offended. You can still be an opponent of console war while promoting your own technology.
It's like people like you want Phil to start the answer to each question with: "First of all, there is also the PS5, which is REALLY GOOD, I mean REAAALLY GOOD, you should check that you! And after that, if you could pretty please have the time to check out the Series X that would be great!"

By the way, with console war mentality, he means fanboy/girl, not execs. Companies are doing their job, forum dwellers console warring are not.



Greenberg is getting paid for it, are you?

So if Greenberg's getting paid for it by ms the surely Phill includes him as a fanboy?
That just weird ... Seeing how the whole ethos of ms as a company is getting into every industry in tech with the aim to corner the market and own it monopoly style it just doesn't make sense what Phil's saying because he would absolutely love to be the only rodeo in town .
 

REE Machine

Banned
Ill only applaud games when they are good, I have yet to applaud them this gen because as they say "the gamer is the focus" they clearly havent been because they havent made great games this gen. Make great games and your hardware will fly off the shelves, pretty simple concept phil.
 

PresetError

Neophyte
Same old, same old Phil Spencer. Very Sartre of him: Hell is other people. At this point i'm wondering why bother releasing another Xbox? Why he purchased and wants to keep purchasing new Microsoft studios? Why not become a publisher?

To me, a console is more than a "piece of plastic". And I find worrying when he says that in order for gaming to grow we need to "protect it from the issues that it does have". It sound to me like he has very specific people in mind to discard from that notion of what gaming is that he always talks about.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Quite funny considering the initial launch hype of the PS4 was built around Xbox's failings.





Yet, Phil is a monster because he said he "felt good" after seeing his competitions reveal. Such a bad guy for being excited about his own product under his name :messenger_tears_of_joy:

Your argument is on point, but please stop making such fair observations. Because of your post OP looks like a hypocrite now. Please have mercy for him next time, being cruel is nothing to be proud of 😅😈
I dont remember Sony bemoaning console warriors in interviews, and painting themselves as victims though. This thread isnt about Phil being a monster. You have to have a real persecution complex to think that we are equating him to monsters just because we dare to criticize his statements. This is about him being a hypocrite.

He cries about toxicity then tweets timdog. he cries about execs console warring and then turns around and does exactly that. I dont see a single Sony exec even acknowledging the existence of the XSX. no one has yet to take his bait. And now HE gets to cry about the ps5 after all the digs hes taken against it?
 

Gavon West

Spread's Cheeks for Intrusive Ads
Yap, MS is aiming to hit both targets. Building the best hardware for their fans and continuing to pursue the future of gaming ecosystem without being tied down to specific hardware generations.
Phil is a warrior and a forward lookling sensible one.
Considering the tone of your post I don't think I'm the one who is "triggered" here.

It would be nice if Phil put his money where his mouth is, he's the head of Xbox who will have final say on everything they're doing, including their marketing strategies.

I'm in agreement with what he's saying in the OP but he's not practicing what he's preaching. So what's the point?
Well. Phil has been putting his money where his mouth is. Very much so. And hes also speaking for all gamers. The guy is a great bridge for gamers in general. Why you guys get so triggered when he speaks is bizarre.

And, not sure if you know this or not but Xbox isnt chasing console sales. Thats one slice of a much bigger pie for Microsoft. Maybe Sony as consoles are their bread and butter...
 

Gavon West

Spread's Cheeks for Intrusive Ads
I highlighted the following statement:

not ‘my piece of plastic is better than your piece of plastic.’

Sounds great on paper but the reality is that's exactly what his marketing team are going out there and doing.

You'd be correct in saying that's their job, but then in that case he shouldn't be out here saying things that are contradictory to a large part of their marketing strategy that has played heavily on the whole "my piece of plastic is better than yours" thing.

This is what happens at the start of every console generation, it's actually standard practice in the industry. Whoever has the most powerful box will shout about it, whoever has certain features the competition lacks will shout about it, so I have no idea why he's trying to promote this "good guy Xbox, we don't do competition/console wars" facade when everyone understands why they do it when they have the opportunity. He's trying to rewrite what doesn't need to be rewritten, nobody is going to pop off at them for saying their console is more powerful or "better" in certain aspects when it factually is.

Regarding "console wars", if someone created a post that read exactly like the following tweet... :



What do you think the result would be? Do you not think they would be called out for being a console warrior?

Bruh....their literally telling the truth! What kind of world do we live in when the truth is offensive? Holy shit!
 
I dont remember Sony bemoaning console warriors in interviews, and painting themselves as victims though. This thread isnt about Phil being a monster. You have to have a real persecution complex to think that we are equating him to monsters just because we dare to criticize his statements. This is about him being a hypocrite.

He cries about toxicity then tweets timdog. he cries about execs console warring and then turns around and does exactly that. I dont see a single Sony exec even acknowledging the existence of the XSX. no one has yet to take his bait. And now HE gets to cry about the ps5 after all the digs hes taken against it?

Dude is marketing a "next-gen" console when the Series X is by all intents and purposes a mid-gen refresh of an already discontinued and poorly supported Xbox One X. Gamers across the aboard are having cognitive dissonance as Phil and company try to ram their ideology as a snake-oil salesman to sell you the goods. People have expectations of what a next-gen leap is.

Same OS, same controller, and to top it off software still tied to 2013 hardware is not next-gen. Where is Next-Gen coming from Xbox? A few trailers on the 23rd showing pretty graphics is only going to alleviate the hardcore Xbox gamer looking for any reason to continue to support a company that gave them crap support for 6 years (while they sat by, watched, and demanded nothing). The ones who were going to flee already did. So they're a given and will go down with the ship. Those on the fence however.... good luck.

Where is next-gen from Xbox is not only a valid question, it should be the only question. He's lucky the gaming press are a bunch of bootlickers.
 
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Darklor01

Might need to stop sniffing glue
I'm not an expert on differences in International cultures. In Japan, would it be common, even in business, to slam competition? In America, it is certainly common practice to take shots at the competition. It's also common practice to contradict statements made from time to time. I'm not saying it's right.. far from it, but it could be one reason Sony doesn't take nearly as many shots at MS.

I can't recall how Sony behaved towards MS in 2013, however, I do think I recall MS being far less of a braggart back then. Probably for obvious reasons. Now that MS has the upper hand in terms of raw power, and certain features, they're all about talking smack. It is what it is. Personally, I don't think it's a good look, but there are enough execs in America that feel even bad publicity is good publicity if it keeps people talking about your prduct.
 

Gavon West

Spread's Cheeks for Intrusive Ads
"Working very hard on their exclusive lineup" and yet not able to make Series X games until "a couple of years" down the line.

Worse, instead of acknowledging that their games are not ready, they are trying to claim they deliberately did not have Series X games available to make people who didn't upgrade, feel better.

I would give them props for trying if they were not so disgusting. No, Xbox 360 does not love you and neither does PS4. Xbox is not anybody's friend, and especially not anyone's friend just because they couldn't get their act together and release next gen games on time.
You know the reaaon their doing the cross gen stuff is because it keeps the $10 million plus subs in tact and Xcloud is coming this year for free bundled in GPU, right? Its about the ecosystem.
 

DeaDPo0L84

Member
Phil is officially the Joe Biden of video game exec's. Dude is all over the place with no real clear message and will just conjure up whatever bullshit statement sounds good in the moment.
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
I am struggling to understand how fanboys on gaf and twitter are keeping games from reaching their potential. I'd like to think cross gen games are responsible for games not reaching their full potential but what do i know.

I like him addressing the toxicity and harmful communities on the internet, but he has no qualms tweeting back guys like XcloudTimdog who is probably the most prolific warrior on twitter with 16k followers, and has trashed gaf and gaf mods on twitter before and after getting permabanned here.

Lastly, I did not see a single Sony exec even acknowledge the xbox series x, let alone start any console wars. I am really not sure what he's going on about with the movie executive analogy. Him, Greenberg and Jason Ronald are the ones who cant keep talking about the PS5. He literally just took a shot at Sony introducing a new controller earlier this morning in his blogpost.

I like everything he says, I just dont know if he himself is preaching it. The bit about how other companies must fail is quite apt because I have seen several bans recently for users who desperately want the PS5 to be 8-9 tflops. Surely he should be saying this to Timdog instead of the Washington Post, no?

Full article here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/vide...r-console-war-mentality-xboxs-shift-away-box/

Update: Thou shalt not console war. But this is ok.







Credit: @Bolivar687

So sensitive. It was a tongue in cheek joke. A savage one, but a joke nonetheless. Sony has said way worse and on a larger stage. Need I remind you of "here's how to share your games on PS4"? Also savage, also a joke, but it was at E3 at a time when their competition was at it's weakest. Granted Sony is not saying what Phil is saying here regarding console wars and it's toxicity. Therefore it's not exactly 1:1 in terms of expected decorum in their messages.

In the end, there is healthy, sporting competition and then there is toxic competition. Often times people in this very community take the prior and use it to fuel the latter.
 

GHG

Gold Member
Bruh....their literally telling the truth! What kind of world do we live in when the truth is offensive? Holy shit!

You've missed the point.

I literally said I don't have a problem with these tweets later in the thread and explained why.

These tweets are par for the course, but for whatever reason, in Phil's world they aren't.

Edit: actually I said that in the very same post you quoted. Might help if you read what you are replying to.

It's fine for them to pump out tweets like that it's literally their job. However if you are someone who posts on forum and that's the way you decide to conduct yourself...

Good-Luck-Morgan-Freeman.gif
 
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Absolutely.






It's a business, companies will always use their competitor's mistakes to their advantages whenever possible, so if anyone's to blame, it's Sony for giving MS so many opportunities to do so.


That's probably the only time I've seen it from Sony. And this video changed MS for the good.
 

VFXVeteran

Banned
I am struggling to understand how fanboys on gaf and twitter are keeping games from reaching their potential. I'd like to think cross gen games are responsible for games not reaching their full potential but what do i know.

I like him addressing the toxicity and harmful communities on the internet, but he has no qualms tweeting back guys like XcloudTimdog who is probably the most prolific warrior on twitter with 16k followers, and has trashed gaf and gaf mods on twitter before and after getting permabanned here.

Lastly, I did not see a single Sony exec even acknowledge the xbox series x, let alone start any console wars. I am really not sure what he's going on about with the movie executive analogy. Him, Greenberg and Jason Ronald are the ones who cant keep talking about the PS5. He literally just took a shot at Sony introducing a new controller earlier this morning in his blogpost.

I like everything he says, I just dont know if he himself is preaching it. The bit about how other companies must fail is quite apt because I have seen several bans recently for users who desperately want the PS5 to be 8-9 tflops. Surely he should be saying this to Timdog instead of the Washington Post, no?

Full article here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/vide...r-console-war-mentality-xboxs-shift-away-box/

Update: Thou shalt not console war. But this is ok.







Credit: @Bolivar687


SlimySnake SlimySnake

I think you know what he's really talking about. It's the mentality that only PS owners should get PS exclusives or Xbox owners should only get Xbox exclusives. Or dragging people in the mud about a game they like that's 3rd party but can never measure up to a game that's an exclusive. Or the only real talent is from Sony developers and all the other companies don't have any real talent. It's toxic and brings down the whole ecosystem.

And he's right about the movie industry. Disney folks never make a movie and then hope that a movie from Fox or Dreamworks or Illumination fails so they can be the only company making the big bucks or keeping the best talent.
 
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Dabaus

Banned
I was going to go on a long winded rant about hypocrisy but the more i think about the more this is MS waving the white flag. Despite the boastful rhetoric we see from them at times, they can see the writing on the wall.
 

Drewpee

Banned
I am struggling to understand how fanboys on gaf and twitter are keeping games from reaching their potential. I'd like to think cross gen games are responsible for games not reaching their full potential but what do i know.

I like him addressing the toxicity and harmful communities on the internet, but he has no qualms tweeting back guys like XcloudTimdog who is probably the most prolific warrior on twitter with 16k followers, and has trashed gaf and gaf mods on twitter before and after getting permabanned here.

Lastly, I did not see a single Sony exec even acknowledge the xbox series x, let alone start any console wars. I am really not sure what he's going on about with the movie executive analogy. Him, Greenberg and Jason Ronald are the ones who cant keep talking about the PS5. He literally just took a shot at Sony introducing a new controller earlier this morning in his blogpost.

I like everything he says, I just dont know if he himself is preaching it. The bit about how other companies must fail is quite apt because I have seen several bans recently for users who desperately want the PS5 to be 8-9 tflops. Surely he should be saying this to Timdog instead of the Washington Post, no?

Full article here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/vide...r-console-war-mentality-xboxs-shift-away-box/

Update: Thou shalt not console war. But this is ok.







Credit: @Bolivar687


Taking a shot at a competitor is not the same as hoping they fail. I take little shots at Sony all the time but I love the Playstation brand and think it has done wonders for gaming. I would NEVER root for the failure of Sony or Nintendo just because I prefer to play Xbox.

The toxicity he is referring to comes from gamers and I could not agree more. Some gamers are so stuck in the console war mentality that they are unable to enjoy their hobby and it hurts gaming as a whole.
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
Dude is marketing a "next-gen" console when the Series X is by all intents and purposes a mid-gen refresh of an already discontinued and poorly supported Xbox One X. Gamers across the aboard are having cognitive dissonance as Phil and company try to ram their ideology as a snake-oil salesman to sell you the goods. People have expectations of what a next-gen leap is.

Same OS, same controller, and to top it off software still tied to 2013 hardware is not next-gen. Where is Next-Gen coming from Xbox? A few trailers on the 23rd showing pretty graphics is only going to alleviate the hardcore Xbox gamer looking for any reason to continue to support a company that gave them crap support for 6 years (while they sat by, watched, and demanded nothing). The ones who were going to flee already did. So they're a given and will go down with the ship. Those on the fence however.... good luck.

Where is next-gen from Xbox is not only a valid question, it should be the only question. He's lucky the gaming press are a bunch of bootlickers.
Is this not comparable to a 9TF post? Judge? Ref?
 

REE Machine

Banned
It's because when people are successful they dont have time to post borderline childish drive by insults simply looking for a gotcha moment.

All Sony has to do is post sales data and go back to sleep.
Yep sony since late last gen they let their games do the talking, which aby company with success should do. Like fuck even nintendo look at animal crossing, its an anomaly this year but its on fire
 



This is snowflake Twitter-tier if you think these are hostile or antagonistic. These are none other than simple, friendly, somewhat assertive banter. Sony did a good deal more than this in 2013 and people loved it.

And this is NOTHING compared to the type of actual marketing companies like Nintendo, SEGA, SNK etc. did in the late '80s and early to mid '90s. If you want some brutal words against competition, go check out some of that older stuff.

Hell, look at this Panzer Dragoon Saga advert SEGA published pretty much (jokingly) mocking people who couldn't find copies on store shelves because they printed so few of them:

Comb03102018122328.jpg


Snowflake generation, easily triggered over nothing.
 
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Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
My problem with phil is all this man does it talk and doesnt back it up. Its like talking big then getting your ass handed to you. Just be quite and if you're confident, let your showcase coming up do the talking and let us judge

Not even that is the sanctimonious tone he uses and what his company of which he is responsible for and/or himself doing the opposite... time and time again. At least Jim Ryan learned to stfu... such an unbearable director from a customer perspective.
 
The profit per box sold, and lifetime spending per owner, are more significant than how many boxes are sold.

A console that sells huge numbers at a loss with an atrocious attach rate is not a success.
An educated response. All these morons on here think selling more consoles has anything to do with profit.. lol idiots
 
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