Kinect, Kinect, Hello Kinect? Just use the button.

[Tsukiyumi]

I'll note without much surprise that they didn't say anything about the Kinect being on no matter what.

So, you still have a camera and microphone in your house, connected to the internet, if you want to play games.

[stitch626]

I'll note without much surprise that they didn't say anything about the Kinect being on no matter what.

So, you still have a camera and microphone in your house, connected to the internet, if you want to play games.

If the Xbox is off, the Kinect can't connect to the internet, as the connection goes through the Xbox. They would have to completely redesign the Kinect, including its processing system.

[Tsukiyumi]

If the Xbox is off, the Kinect can't connect to the internet, as the connection goes through the Xbox. They would have to completely redesign the Kinect, including its processing system.

So, you still have a camera and microphone in your house, connected to the internet, if you want to play games.

[Mikey]

No, the CNet article just quoted the MS exec as saying that no connection was required, whether playing games or not.

[Tyyr]

The Kinect still has to be connected but an internet connection isn't required.

I seriously doubt this is JUST in relation to public opinion. Remember how long they tried to ride out Vista? How they're still riding out Windows 8? Hell, they were ready with an army of trolls to try and fight back against the negative opinion. They knew it was coming.

Here's what I think happened, they got side swiped. After Sony's DRM patents they felt pretty good that they were going to be just fine. Both new systems would have DRM features and theirs was going to have 8 gigs of RAM. DRM would be a wash and they'd be positioned as the more powerful system. People would bitch and moan but re: EA. Ignore them and move on.

Then the PS4 came out. Not only did it have 8gigs of RAM, and a slimmer OS giving it a 2gig useable advantage over the Bone, it also had none of the DRM Microsoft was expecting. So now they're sitting out on the end of the limb with a less powerful system and DRM all by their selves. They took the entirety of the internet's loathing over their DRM policies. Still, they were going to ride it out. The sweet siren song of total control of the used games and digital market was singing to them. They'd ride it out, hoping that Sony would reveal its own DRM before too long or the furor would die down.

Then E3 happened. The Furor only picked up and then Sony came out and bitchslapped Microsoft. They publicly, and brutally kicked Microsoft in the balls. If they had DRM plans they sidelined them for now looking to press their advantage. Nintendo, usually the smiling happy cousin who stays out of these spats took a dig at Microsoft. "If you're worried about used games why don't you just make better ones?" Microsoft is going into panic mode as evidenced by really stupid comments like, "Well if you don't have an internet connection we have a console for you. The 360." And then it all came to a head as preorders for the PS4 began to outstrip the Bone's by a significant margin.

The writing was on the wall. Sony had completely outmaneuvered them, the internet was actually moving on the rage and lining up for the PS4. They could either double down on their DRM scheme and potentially lose this console generation or they could drop it and hope they can salvage things between here and launch. They took the second option because in the end their DRM deal is code so switching it on is as easy as switching it off. They can wait.

[Teaos]

They wil bounce back a little, from what I have been reading people are happy with the back down, although still calling them out for it.

But i is still $100 more expencive, still has Kinect, but honestly i dont think to many people mind that sadly. Infact quite a few seem to like it.

People are ragin on the removal of the sharing feature thought. They basically took their ball and went home with that one.

[Tyyr]

They shouldn't get let off the hook. They tried to screw their customers, hard, and should not get a free pass because they were forced not to. They'll try it again.

The sharing thing isn't that interesting to me. If you want to play co-op or multiplayer your friends are still going to have to buy a copy of the game. With more and more games having online components, co-op, and multiplay, letting you share games like that is growing more and more meaningless. There is applicability and use for the system but things like Destiny, the Division, the Crew, etc. are all games you are going to want to play WITH your friends or are games you're not going to want to be loaning out because you're busy playing them.

[Teaos]

There are still quite a few solo playing games that people would have had a ball with the file sharing on.

They are fighting a hard PR battle now and having to DRASTICALLY redesign ALL their promo material mere months before its on the shelves. Not only will they loose some market share with this, but it is going to cost them big in terms of pure marketing dollars. MS already spends 3 times more than Sony and Nintendo combined on PR and all that right now is going...

[Tyyr]

I'm not saying it doesn't have value, there is some use to the service. However I'd point to the games that are getting pushed hard. Most have significant multiplayer elements if not entirely multiplayer focused. Madden, Call of Doggy, The Crew, The Division, Defiance, and so on. They are gambling on their big tentpole releases being the type of game that the sharing service just won't work with it. So the sharing service sounds good, it sounds like a significant value adder, but in the end the kind of games that will get shared are not the ones that they're expecting to sell millions of.

If they're smart, they'll come to gamers hat in hand and say something along the lines of, "Ok, we get it. We were wrong and we apologize." And do it sincerely. Blowing it off, or trying to put a positive spin on it, or just ignoring it is not going to win them customers back. Some honest humility and admitting that they just got spanked and will learn their lesson will work much better.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

*Sigh* one more reason I'm glad I mostly stopped playing video games. Come on, all we need is a joystick and big red button.

[Tsukiyumi]

[Captain Picard's Hair]

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[RK_Striker_JK_5]

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Yup. That was all I needed.

[McAvoy]

*Sigh* one more reason I'm glad I mostly stopped playing video games. Come on, all we need is a joystick and big red button.

I always find it funny that you can squeeze all of games of an Atari and the system into the joystick controller now.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

*Sigh* one more reason I'm glad I mostly stopped playing video games. Come on, all we need is a joystick and big red button.

I always find it funny that you can squeeze all of games of an Atari and the system into the joystick controller now.

Same here, actually. A definite sign of how far we've come.