Whenever a new console is announced, we tend to hear rumors that quickly grow out of control. However, I cannot remember when we last heard more rumors after an official announcement than before the announcement. On the plus side, I guess, the free publicity for the console is overwhelming. I hope it is true that all publicity is good publicity, because the poor Microsoft team is not getting many pats on the back these days.
Overall, I feel that the Xbox One (the gaming side of it) is not a bad console. Sure, there are some negatives, but you will have that with any console. In fact, most of the time, the negatives are more opinion based that factual. However, the Xbox One seems to have quite a few negatives that are making even the most hardcore fanboy scream foul. For example, the always online issue. Sure, the console only has to connect once every 24 hours, but what about those without internet connectivity-especially the troops that are overseas? Although, I am sure that Microsoft will develop a work around for the troops, I am more sure that Sony and Nintendo will step in and ensure the troops are aware that they do not require the connectivity.
Another rumor that I saw yesterday is centering about the console launching in only 21 regions. A parody type site represented the “regions” as states, which simply is not true. In fact, it caused such an uproar, that even more gamers fell off of the Xbox bandwagon. In fact, the 21 Regions are actually the countries that the console will launch in. Anyone that continues to believe the rumor is bound to either be surprised when the console does release in their state, or will skip the purchase all together.
A twitter chat between an Xbox Support rep and a gamer turned to a PR nightmare when it was said that a user banned from Xbox Live would lose the license they purchased to play games, essentially causing the games to become useless. Although Microsoft was quick to debunk the message, many gamers did not see it, afraid to buy games for fear that they could be banned and lose the game that they paid so much for.
And let’s not pass up the cost of games for the Xbox one. It has been reported that the games will retail for $59.99. Somehow, people felt that the games would be less expensive on the Xbox One than on past systems. Although, I believe that games downloaded via Xbox Live should be less expensive (since there is no physical disk, ink for the label, machines used to burn the disk, etc…) However, we do have to keep in mind that production costs are much higher now that they were at the Xbox and Xbox 360 launches, so keeping prices about the same is actually a huge accomplishment.
What we need to keep in mind here is that, regardless of what is reported by the masses, don’t jump to conclusions and follow the negativity. Before sharing a an article, out of anger via Social Media, do some research and become an informed consumer. Too many times, we tend to take what we read as fact. Sadly, too many times what we read is speculative or verified false, especially during these few weeks after E3.
Although there is a lot that I do not particularly care for regarding the Xbox One, it is progress within the gaming industry. Not only is it bringing gaming to the next gen, but it is also incorporating many of the electronics that we already use on a daily basis. It may have a slow start, it may not, but in a “follow the leader” industry such as the gaming world, we may just see Nintendo and Sony attempt to incorporate the same features over time, and many more to stay ahead.
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