There are 18 video game consoles connected to my television. They represent industry growth, industry mistakes, and personal dedication. I am loyal. Rather, I was.
Instead of springing out of my chair when Master Chief was revealed during Microsoft’s E3 2013 press conference, the Halo fan – the one who plays every night – died a little. I know I won’t be playing this latest Halo entry.
Microsoft has taken one of its most dedicated consumers, someone who not only purchases their software but promotes via written word, and shattered them. I’m not disappointed; I’m furious.
It seems silly, doesn’t it? There are other problems in the world that deserve our attention. But, few are this personal and ingrained into my life. That’s what makes Microsoft’s decision to lock out their consumer base so infuriating. All Microsoft needed was to be open, honest, and tell me WHY I need their console amongst the others. They didn’t.
What they did was deceptive. They cancelled post-keynote media interviews. They didn’t tell a nationwide audience how limited in choice they would be once they purchased Xbox One. It was so… False. Empty. Corporate. They’re hiding behind a shawl of guns, promotional frame rates, and words like “Drivatar.” None of that will sell me on $500 video game hardware which has become the anti-console.
Few people seem to realize how ferociously ugly Microsoft’s policies are. On the surface, it is about used games. Maybe your internet connection. Deeper, the the wringing hands of control and blatant disregard for preservation become inevitable clusters of hidden information. They are destructive brutes who have broken down the simplicity of the console into a confusing mess of intertwined policies that shift from software to software. Microsoft has allowed the control of where, when, and how you play. They have designed a console to control media access, since smaller sites will struggle to maintain exposure. Funny how they left all of that off their brightly lit E3 stage complete with calculated clapping.
The result is end user loss. I lose. We all lose. That’s not important enough to discuss on the exposed stages of E3 apparently.
