Opinion: Microsoft should never have built the Xbox

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It might sound strange but I actually think they made the right decision back then. Their thoughts were that CD-ROM was not ready (at the time of the N64's release) to be a viable gaming media. We were coming from cartridges with no load times and such. I never actually bought a PS1 b/c watching my friends play made me have violent thoughts. I've always been a big Nintendo whore, so I had to the get the N64 for all the first party titles alone. I remember that Nintendo may have lost the in hardware sales numbers, but killed Sony in software sales (mostly with the first party titles, as per usual). It was even reported that Nintendo made more money than Sony. It amazes me how they do that. Even when they lose, they win.
Gaming is only more expensive since the first price drops (after the switch to optical media). It's only natural that as things get bigger and better, that they also get more expensive. It's like me complaining that my LCD TV costs more than my old tube. I'm actually surprised Sony has kept the prices of their games at the same price point as the 360 when we all know Blu-ray media is more costly than DVD. More subsidies perhaps?

strange?
no not realy.
i bought it at launch for the same reasons as you mention here,the loading times.
but when i came home with it i was really disapointed.
don't get me wrong i enjoyed some games like mario 64 and starfox where alot of fun back then,but the graphix where a big letdown.
it was a step forwerd for ninty,but i felt it was a step back,i was glad that it wasnt too long before the dreamcast surfaced.
playstation had alot of crap and nintendo had a lack of descent(and i found it anoying)graphix.
then sega barged in and those where freaking tight graphix...really,now that was a world of difference.

i forgotten where you where from,but i know the n64 was performing very poorly around here,the only games selling well where pokemon games.

well and it would have seemed sony wanted to raise prices when they first started,but that would have really killed them.

[dsav]

thank god xbox was made, even if the first console wasn't a must have unless u loved halo really, it was a good enough first effort.

now with the 360 it is basically a must have system, rrod aside since it's not much of a issue anymore.

anyway just imagine if there was no 360 this gen an we all had to put up with the crappy ps3, especially at first when the damn thing had no fuking games, hell even now i still don't think the ps3 has many great games, but it's much better than it was of course.

pretty much everyone except ps3 fanboys can agree on all what i said.

[sirxlaughs]

strange?
no not realy.
i bought it at launch for the same reasons as you mention here,the loading times.
but when i came home with it i was really disapointed.
don't get me wrong i enjoyed some games like mario 64 and starfox where alot of fun back then,but the graphix where a big letdown.
it was a step forwerd for ninty,but i felt it was a step back,i was glad that it wasnt too long before the dreamcast surfaced.
playstation had alot of crap and nintendo had a lack of descent(and i found it anoying)graphix.
then sega barged in and those where freaking tight graphix...really,now that was a world of difference.

i forgotten where you where from,but i know the n64 was performing very poorly around here,the only games selling well where pokemon games.

well and it would have seemed sony wanted to raise prices when they first started,but that would have really killed them.

Maybe my timeline is off, but the Dreamcast didn't come for about 2-3 years after the N64, no? Didn't you miss the Saturn? Also, I recall most games on the N64 looking better than the PS1.

edit: I hail from Portugal, but live in NY. I think Nintendo had more million sellers than the PS1. Again, I'm going by memory from all the Gamepro and EGM mags I used to read. The money making stuff, you might actually be able to still find online. I'll search around and post if I find anything.

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Maybe my timeline is off, but the Dreamcast didn't come for about 2-3 years after the N64, no? Didn't you miss the Saturn? Also, I recall most games on the N64 looking better than the PS1.

edit: I hail from Portugal, but live in NY. I think Nintendo had more million sellers than the PS1. Again, I'm going by memory from all the Gamepro and EGM mags I used to read. The money making stuff, you might actually be able to still find online. I'll search around and post if I find anything.

i missed space in ninty's games,backgrounds,details,colours,desent music,talking,...
due to the lack of memory available they had to cut down in in-game stuff.
a pitty really.

your timeline isnt off i think,and yeah i enjoyed the saturn alot!games where even cheaper on that and more fun.
but again somthing in those graphik(s) timeline(s) was really off you know,it was a lame time for the graphixwhores ,like i used to be.
it was a very clunky time for 3d.

and i loved those magazines as well m8,but its a long time ago,i had to buy them import,there really wasnt anything else to do back then as internet was to expensive.

but talk of the dreamcast came very quick within 2 years i think(and thats what i meant with quick),i was sold instantly when i saw games like sonic and house of the dead 2,followingwithin some desent timeframe i was drooling over that mighty fine games like zombie revenge and resident evil code veronica(wich was the 1st ever games that really felt like playing in a big movie,a masterpiece)

but it went downhill from then for me and i cannot really remember much from 1999 till 2004 as drugs took over my life...but ive been back and clean as ever since 05

no need to proof it unless you want to...
if there is someone on this site who i almost blindly believe then its you wiseman.

[sirxlaughs]

i missed space in ninty's games,backgrounds,details,colours,desent music,talking,...
due to the lack of memory available they had to cut down in in-game stuff.
a pitty really.

your timeline isnt off i think,and yeah i enjoyed the saturn alot!games where even cheaper on that and more fun.
but again somthing in those graphik(s) timeline(s) was really off you know,it was a lame time for the graphixwhores ,like i used to be.
it was a very clunky time for 3d.

and i loved those magazines as well m8,but its a long time ago,i had to buy them import,there really wasnt anything else to do back then as internet was to expensive.

but talk of the dreamcast came very quick within 2 years i think(and thats what i meant with quick),i was sold instantly when i saw games like sonic and house of the dead 2,followingwithin some desent timeframe i was drooling over that mighty fine games like zombie revenge and resident evil code veronica(wich was the 1st ever games that really felt like playing in a big movie,a masterpiece)

but it went downhill from then for me and i cannot really remember much from 1999 till 2004 as drugs took over my life...but ive been back and clean as ever since 05

no need to proof it unless you want to...
if there is someone on this site who i almost blindly believe then its you wiseman.

Congratulations on your return to sobriety. You didn't really miss much. Sony almost, single-handedly took over the console industry, and things were pretty stale for a while. The current generation is definitely kicking butt. Developers are taking chances on old attempts at new/blended genre styles. Each console maker keeps trying to one up the other. As a gamer, can't complain as long as they keep rolling out the hits. Gamers also seem to be getting more of a voice. The internet has really given the community power. When a developer does stuff like sell you disc content as DLC, they get torn apart. One of the latest examples of gamer power is Heavy Rain. People complained about the box art so much, that an alternate version was made as a downloadable JPG you can download and print.

I also wouldn't call myself "wise" if not directly followed by "ass." I'm no stranger to foibles and brain farts.

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Congratulations on your return to sobriety. You didn't really miss much. Sony almost, single-handedly took over the console industry, and things were pretty stale for a while. The current generation is definitely kicking butt. Developers are taking chances on old attempts at new/blended genre styles. Each console maker keeps trying to one up the other. As a gamer, can't complain as long as they keep rolling out the hits. Gamers also seem to be getting more of a voice. The internet has really given the community power. When a developer does stuff like sell you disc content as DLC, they get torn apart. One of the latest examples of gamer power is Heavy Rain. People complained about the box art so much, that an alternate version was made as a downloadable JPG you can download and print.

I also wouldn't call myself "wise" if not directly followed by "ass." I'm no stranger to foibles and brain farts.

hahahahaha...lol
hey man ive been back for 5 years now...so in know what internet does these days.

see ya

[Signa]

Halo was not on just "par." It set FPS trends. It wasn't perfect, but it was above par (especially for a console FPS). There was finally multiplayer in a console, two gun - two grenade system so you pick your weapons carefully, good graphics (for the time), soundtrack, open environments, etc. It's hard to compare it to PC FPSs since it wasn't meant for the PC market.

See, although you are right and I won't argue that, I never bought that line personally. Being a PC and N64 gamer at the time, I found there to be no significant advantage to playing Halo over Perfect Dark. PD did almost all the same stuff as Halo, while also allowing bots. Yet people grabbed onto it like it was the second coming of Doom, and now I feel that games suck for it. The soundtrack WAS nice though. There was something really attractive about it to me even though I didn't find the game to be great.

I didn't focus on soundtracks as much back then though, but Halo once again wasn't a first. Already you had those Squaresoft guys have some amazing tracks on Chrono Trigger and FF2 and 3 (to be re-released as 4 and 6, properly), and Jeremy Soule had some epic tracks out from Total Annihilation and Secret of Evermore. The only thing that Halo had for it was the DVD based game that allowed for much higher fidelity music than the Midi of the SNES or the CD tracks that were squeezed onto the TA disks.

[unreal maniac]

hahahahahaha,

so you liked,

-short cables
-having to get from you fat ass to turn your system on or off
-pulling xtra cables trough your living room to watch your pc movies or .adding other extenders.
-listening to crap in-game music because you have to.
-having to get of you fat ass to reset your game instead of an easy in game menu to leave
-...

guys like you make me laugh,you just don't know how easy they made it all for you.

i liked the shot cables because i didnt have to get up to change the batteries every 10 minutes
i remember microsoft made you buy and addon to watch standard dvd's on your xbox.
how can you put the game in the drive without getting off your arse? wouldnt you put it in then turn the console on at the same time?
not all in game music is crap, like uncharteds music it actualy is quite good, suits the game and is enjoyable.
for your last point i cant complain but you still have to get up to change the disks to another game.

[sirxlaughs]

i liked the shot cables because i didnt have to get up to change the batteries every 10 minutes
i remember microsoft made you buy and addon to watch standard dvd's on your xbox.
how can you put the game in the drive without getting off your arse? wouldnt you put it in then turn the console on at the same time?
not all in game music is crap, like uncharteds music it actualy is quite good, suits the game and is enjoyable.
for your last point i cant complain but you still have to get up to change the disks to another game.

There were no batteries in the original Xbox controllers or the S controller. They were wired like everyone else. They were just extraordinarily long and had an easy break away section. Microsoft were the first to do that as well. Ever have someone step on the controller cable only to have to rip out of your console, or worse, have your console go down with it? Why are you mentioning Uncharted. That didn't exist when the PS2 and Xbox were out. Not to mention that the PS3 still can't do custom soundtracks within the system (I think some games are capable of it.) Microsoft didn't "make" you buy the dvd add-on. It was one of those necessary evils. They didn't feel like paying the licensing fee to Sony and dvd commission to allow the Xbox to play DVDs. Instead, they released the license as an add-on for anyone who wanted to play DVD movies on their Xbox.

[beterweter]

i liked the shot cables because i didnt have to get up to change the batteries every 10 minutes
i remember microsoft made you buy and addon to watch standard dvd's on your xbox.
how can you put the game in the drive without getting off your arse? wouldnt you put it in then turn the console on at the same time?
not all in game music is crap, like uncharteds music it actualy is quite good, suits the game and is enjoyable.
for your last point i cant complain but you still have to get up to change the disks to another game.

no,i actually don't have to get up and change the disc anymore,neither did i have to with the 1st xbox(exept the 1st months)
1tb hdd and xbr3 rocks.

but thats just me

thats your opinion that the music is quite good,but i don't like it and i'm shure i'm not alone,we can change every gamemusic on the 360,and i like it cuase i like music with some power.

no i still don't need to get up...

There were no batteries in the original Xbox controllers or the S controller. They were wired like everyone else. They were just extraordinarily long and had an easy break away section. Microsoft were the first to do that as well. Ever have someone step on the controller cable only to have to rip out of your console, or worse, have your console go down with it? Why are you mentioning Uncharted. That didn't exist when the PS2 and Xbox were out. Not to mention that the PS3 still can't do custom soundtracks within the system (I think some games are capable of it.) Microsoft didn't "make" you buy the dvd add-on. It was one of those necessary evils. They didn't feel like paying the licensing fee to Sony and dvd commission to allow the Xbox to play DVDs. Instead, they released the license as an add-on for anyone who wanted to play DVD movies on their Xbox.

+1

[BringItSON]

no,i actually don't have to get up and change the disc anymore,neither did i have to with the 1st xbox(exept the 1st months)
1tb hdd and xbr3 rocks.

but thats just me

thats your opinion that the music is quite good,but i don't like it and i'm shure i'm not alone,we can change every gamemusic on the 360,and i like it cuase i like music with some power.

no i still don't need to get up...





+1

i think ur baby is ugly. but nothing a plastic surgery wont fix

and i think xbox serves as great paper weight

[kcvfr400]

The first xbox seemed like a great idea and brought a hdd as standard and for those who like them more pc games ported to console and online done properly, never a pc gamer so no opinion on that. Also custom soundtracks but thats a negative as altering game sound is sacralidge.

The 360 has been a disaster for consumers with hardware issues and everything costs approach just so you can get a deceptive lower price for the console.
They gave us payed dlc on day one of game release, pay to play with xbox live subscription and attempted to give us higher game prices as when it launched retail prices were £50 compared to last gens £40-£45 at launch and budget games initially until the rivals launched of £30 when last gen budget was £20. Add ons have been restricted and expensive like hdd's and the failed hd-dvd player.

Its actually more expensive to own a 360 for the length of the generation than both ps3 and wii if you want to play online and thats comparing launch prices and not factoring multiple live accounts.

Though this gen they have given us the lead on mini arcade downloads which is very much a positive and for those women out there that talk rather than play there is cross game chat.

I had the impression Microsoft got into the industry to expand to try to get under every tv but are the only ones with no web browser and much more limited media capabilities than I would have expected from them. Also the rise of laptop uptake and now netbooks and nettops its maybe a move they didn't need to do considering they have yet to make money on the xbox business at all when you factor in losses on original xbox and rrod warranty set aside to be put back into the figures later on.

So overall no they shouldn't have .

[sirxlaughs]

The first xbox seemed like a great idea and brought a hdd as standard and for those who like them more pc games ported to console and online done properly, never a pc gamer so no opinion on that. Also custom soundtracks but thats a negative as altering game sound is sacralidge.

Why is changing game sound sacrilege? Have you listened to the soundtrack of Warrior Within? It's horrible. Racing games also benefit from custom soundtracks.

The 360 has been a disaster for consumers with hardware issues and everything costs approach just so you can get a deceptive lower price for the console.

The 360 was only a hardware disaster in the beginning. If that's your reasoning, then Sony should never have made the PS2. We should all just be left with Nintendo's offering since it seems they are the only ones capable of building consistently reliable hardware.

They gave us payed dlc on day one of game release, pay to play with xbox live subscription and attempted to give us higher game prices as when it launched retail prices were £50 compared to last gens £40-£45 at launch and budget games initially until the rivals launched of £30 when last gen budget was £20. Add ons have been restricted and expensive like hdd's and the failed hd-dvd player.

The HD-DVD player didn't fail. The format failed. There's a difference. Again, thank Sony for that. Higher prices happen with the advent of every new generation with the exception of the initial move to cheaper, optical media.

Its actually more expensive to own a 360 for the length of the generation than both ps3 and wii if you want to play online and thats comparing launch prices and not factoring multiple live accounts.

This argument never gets old.

Though this gen they have given us the lead on mini arcade downloads which is very much a positive and for those women out there that talk rather than play there is cross game chat.

I had the impression Microsoft got into the industry to expand to try to get under every tv but are the only ones with no web browser and much more limited media capabilities than I would have expected from them. Also the rise of laptop uptake and now netbooks and nettops its maybe a move they didn't need to do considering they have yet to make money on the xbox business at all when you factor in losses on original xbox and rrod warranty set aside to be put back into the figures later on.

Actually, Sony's motive eventually became taking over your living room. It was apparent with the PS2 being a CD/DVD player, and glaringly obvious with the PS3. It seems Microsoft got into the games market to make games. Sony eventually tried using the games market to improve its position in other markets. They have yet to make money on the Xbox Gaming Division? If you say so. Again, using that argument, Sony should abandom it's Playstation division. It's already been said that they will not be able to recoup the PS3's losses during its entire lifespan.

So overall no they shouldn't have .

I, respectfully, disagree. I've made a few points earlier in the thread as to why.

[kcvfr400]

Why is changing game sound sacrilege? Have you listened to the soundtrack of Warrior Within? It's horrible. Racing games also benefit from custom soundtracks.



The 360 was only a hardware disaster in the beginning. If that's your reasoning, then Sony should never have made the PS2. We should all just be left with Nintendo's offering since it seems they are the only ones capable of building consistently reliable hardware.



The HD-DVD player didn't fail. The format failed. There's a difference. Again, thank Sony for that. Higher prices happen with the advent of every new generation with the exception of the initial move to cheaper, optical media.



This argument never gets old.



Actually, Sony's motive eventually became taking over your living room. It was apparent with the PS2 being a CD/DVD player, and glaringly obvious with the PS3. It seems Microsoft got into the games market to make games. Sony eventually tried using the games market to improve its position in other markets. They have yet to make money on the Xbox Gaming Division? If you say so. Again, using that argument, Sony should abandom it's Playstation division. It's already been said that they will not be able to recoup the PS3's losses during its entire lifespan.



I, respectfully, disagree. I've made a few points earlier in the thread as to why.

Why have you brought Sony into this we are talking Microsoft so leave that for the same question about Sony in another thread maybe. I would agree Sony want to be under every tv too but thats not the question at hand.

And the rrod was not the main problem to keep costs down on the console too me it was the lack of wifi, no rechargable battery supplied with charge lead and the £200 in five years cost of online gaming for one account and as they get older in my house that could mean two adult and three kids so £200 a year for live subs to play online.

If Microsoft got into gaming to make gaming then why do they have the weakest ever first party division with and poor diversity of those games they do make.

[sirxlaughs]

Why have you brought Sony into this we are talking Microsoft so leave that for the same question about Sony in another thread maybe. I would agree Sony want to be under every tv too but thats not the question at hand.

This isn't about Microsoft. This is about the Xbox, which is a gaming console. You can't cite a negative reason without looking at the other consoles on the market. It's like I said, if hardware reliability were a valid reason to simply strike the Xbox from existence, then the Playstation, too, would be stricken for the same reason.

And the rrod was not the main problem to keep costs down on the console too me it was the lack of wifi, no rechargable battery supplied with charge lead and the £200 in five years cost of online gaming for one account and as they get older in my house that could mean two adult and three kids so £200 a year for live subs to play online.

What's wrong with keeping costs down? No rechargeable battery supplied? Who supplies these things? Oh wait, Are you referring to the PS3's controller with the non-replaceable battery? I don't want to get into a conversation about that. I'll only say this - Both Microsoft and Nintendo decided to offer users controllers that operate on AA batteries. You know you can buy your own rechargeable AA's that will work on more than just the one device, right? How nice is that? Wifi is another subjective thing. I don't use the Wifi in my Wii or PS3. I have an 802.11n (whatever the latest draft is) bridge and router. I don't care that Wifi wasn't built in. I'm more happy that I didn't get charged an extra $50 for a built in transceiver.

If Microsoft got into gaming to make gaming then why do they have the weakest ever first party division with and poor diversity of those games they do make.

What first party divisions did Sony have when they started? Oh yea, nobody. From what I remember, they relied heavily on Namco at launch. I remember lots of hype around Ridge Racer. Microsoft was in gaming before Sony even thought about building sound processors for the SNES. It's not easy to buy out major studios these days. It's a huge risk if they stop producing (like Rare). For now, it's simpler for them to contract independent studios to produce quality work. Outside of Nintendo, Microsoft has the strongest first party line-up. It's a sad truth despite how good Uncharted 2 is.