Quality, Not Quantity, is the Future Plan for Xbox

Terry Olaes

Terry Olaes

I Used to be the [H] News Guy
Joined
Nov 27, 2006
Messages
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A NYT interview with Microsoft’s Xbox strategy head Shane Kim gave some insight on where his team would like to take the Xbox. Video is a given but making it more open is not a priority, according to Kim.

But when Mr. Kim talks about opening Xbox, he isn’t really talking about allowing the device to connect to any content available. There are no plans, he said, to build an Internet browser, such as is available on the Wii, that could help navigate to find video on the Web. “We are about delivering higher-quality experience, not having the most varied experiences,” he said.
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My wife won the xbox 360 over a year ago and about a month ago, the much talked about red ring appeared. I contacted Microsoft and they said the warranty expired and I would have to pay $100 to fix the piece of junk. If a class action lawsuit had not been filed due to this mass problem, one should...
 
RROD repair service was extended by MS for 3 years from date of manufacture. I'd call back and get someone who knows what they're talking about to send you an RMA and return shipping box.
 
DieU said:
My wife won the xbox 360 over a year ago and about a month ago, the much talked about red ring appeared. I contacted Microsoft and they said the warranty expired and I would have to pay $100 to fix the piece of junk. If a class action lawsuit had not been filed due to this mass problem, one should...
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A year and a half?
I thought they warrantied against RROD for 3 years? Correct me if I'm wrong.... I think someone blew smoke at you.
 
Miscommunication said:
Yeah right.
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:rolleyes:

Being we aren't nessesarily talking about hardware here, they've got a point.
Compare the purpose (a multiplayer enthusiast gaming system) to that of a Wii (lacks any decent multiplayer games for the enthusiast with poor video quality) or a PS3 (lacks game backing) for the most part, and you've got a high quality system.

The Xbox 360 fills its job well. Good graphics (I won't say great because they can always be improved on any system), good multiplayer action, good studio backings, and an online community second to none: It's a great system.

I'd rather Microsoft focus on GAMING versus the other minor features like web browsing.
 
TechieSooner said:
and an online community second to none
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...really? Have you played on Live with voice chat enabled...ever? I can think of a ton of things it's easily second to, such as being punched in the face or stabbed.
 
Harb said:
...really? Have you played on Live with voice chat enabled...ever? I can think of a ton of things it's easily second to, such as being punched in the face or stabbed.
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Sorry to tell you this but there's assholes everywhere. Don't be so naive. There's a mute feature for a reason.
 
NeoGohan said:
Sorry to tell you this but there's assholes everywhere. Don't be so naive. There's a mute feature for a reason.
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Yup.

Microsoft can't control jackasses. And there's plenty of them. Since you aren't gaming in person, even a 12 year old feels superior :rolleyes:

I've got a headset that stays securely in a drawer, and a mute checkbox... checked.
 
My fiancee hasn't been able to let go of the 360 controller since she got her hands on ours when we bought it for the release of GTA4. She'll probably be lining up for the next one. I hope the selection of games is just as good.
 
Don't really utilize any of the media features that Xbox provides, short of streaming stuff from my PC.

That being said, Internet browsers on consoles is a novelty at best. The resolution is always god awful, and clicking buttons to enter websites is just plain cumbersome.


Stick with a box that plays games, and add in some pc connectivity for media sake, and I'll be happy.



ps. Add more video format support o_O
 
Id settle for being able to cancel my live account as easily as I set it up. Beyond ridiculous when you can sign up with a cc in under 5 minutes over the interweb but it takes a half hour plus on the phone and you reading the card numbers off to a person to get it canceld. :(
 
hawtrawkr said:
Id settle for being able to cancel my live account as easily as I set it up. Beyond ridiculous when you can sign up with a cc in under 5 minutes over the interweb but it takes a half hour plus on the phone and you reading the card numbers off to a person to get it canceld. :(
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big time agree... most online games and services have web based cancellation. i can sign up and cancel my SOE, WoW, turbine, or any other subscription by clicking on the web. For one of the largest computer companies on the planet why is that so hard.
 
Manaknight said:
big time agree... most online games and services have web based cancellation. i can sign up and cancel my SOE, WoW, turbine, or any other subscription by clicking on the web. For one of the largest computer companies on the planet why is that so hard.
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Its an intentional deterrent so you'll stick with the service and keep paying for it. That and its also a great way to keep other people from being a douche and canceling your service on you.

Alternatively, is it really so hard to go to your local electronics retailer, or hell, a 7-11 now and pick up a Live Gold card? And if you live in a cave with an ethernet jack, can't you just order one off Amazon or Newegg? I think you still get a free bonus month with the 12 month anyway.
 
“The work we are doing now is trying to understand what is of interest to the broader set of customers beyond the traditional game audience that would take advantage of the interactive platform we have,” he said.
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“We are about delivering higher-quality experience, not having the most varied experiences,” he said.
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Those two directly negate each other. They want to see what is in the interest of the broader set of customers, yet they aren't looking to offering the most varied experiences. Um, something doesn't quite make sense here.
 
Microsoft doesnt have what it takes to create a "quality" service.
 
they had the chance eight years ago to change the way we experienced everything, yet here we still are...

that's why I always keep my XBMC up to date :cool:
 
stop!theradio said:
Those two directly negate each other. They want to see what is in the interest of the broader set of customers, yet they aren't looking to offering the most varied experiences. Um, something doesn't quite make sense here.
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Exactly my point, which is why I said what I said before. I doubt they're going to have some radical redirection in management. Business (talk) as usual IMO. :rolleyes:
 
Manaknight said:
big time agree... most online games and services have web based cancellation. i can sign up and cancel my SOE, WoW, turbine, or any other subscription by clicking on the web. For one of the largest computer companies on the planet why is that so hard.
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There's an easy fix for that. Buy a 12+1 Month card from a retailer. Don't ever EVER tie your credit card information to your Live account. This way, if you don't like it, you can just let your credits expire and non-renew.
 
I agreed with you up until the last statement on the online community.

Live is overrated and it's community is easily tied with Counter Strike as one of the worst online communities I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with.
 
Live is a service, it's really the best online gaming service out there. The community around the service is crap because it's popular. The more popular a service is the more often times you get idiots who follow around the latest trends. Microsoft can't just ban these people or add in any sort of prevention, that would be illegal on many levels and realistic on another set of levels.

It really is sad but often times the quality of a community is higher when it's smaller.
 
SamuraiInBlack said:
Halo players don't count. :D
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Really. I play Rock Band online quite often, and to be honest, I've never run into any folks like that there. Just in Halo. Which suits me just find; FPS is the PC's job. I can't do them without a keyboard+mouse. (Too many years of it.)
 
MS can talk about their system being a "quality experience" the day it stops being a fucking brick.

The only thing the 360 is good for is a doorstop. When the power adapter isn't overheating and burning down your house, the system is showing red to say "LOL I'M BRICKED AND WE PLANNED FOR THIS BECAUSE WE KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN WITH OUR FAULTY GARBAGE", and when it's not doing that it's chewing up your game discs.
 
NeoGohan said:
Sorry to tell you this but there's assholes everywhere. Don't be so naive. There's a mute feature for a reason.
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So now I have to mute everyone I come across? Geez, couldn't have laid that one on any thicker :rolleyes:

But more on topic. It's about time they actually start thinking about quality instead of how to get every last dime from everyone that they cheap out on. These new 360's are being owned after a single week of use, you'd think they would improve the quality of the hardware after that RROD deal. No, they just find more ways to cheap out, like cheaper DVDROMs that start to throw disc unreadable errors. Good job Microsoft, shaft those customers!

Proprietary piece of shit.
 
TechieSooner said:
Millions would disagree :rolleyes:
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Millions are consumerist sheep who put up with poorly-made products because the products are popular. If you buy something, and that something breaks inside of a year under normal use, you don't send it to get repaired -- you demand a refund for shoddy workmanship and take your business elsewhere.
 
KaiserWarrior said:
Millions are consumerist sheep who put up with poorly-made products because the products are popular. If you buy something, and that something breaks inside of a year under normal use, you don't send it to get repaired -- you demand a refund for shoddy workmanship and take your business elsewhere.
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Exactly. Product A (360) is cheaper than Product B (PS3) and is more popular so lets go with that. Disregard the plague of hardware failures and other quirks associated with Microsofts proprietarianism and shoddy marketing techniques.

An 80GB PS3 is the same price as an Elite system, yet the PS3 has Wi-fi, substantially better hardware, better graphics pretty much across the board, Blu-Ray, makes use of a truckload of non-proprietary equipment (Bluetooth, etc), can support 7 players on a single system at once. There's a really big list, but that doesn't stop people from buying the crappier of the two.
 
Consoles are used to play games for the vast majority of it's lifetime. Guess who has the better games according consensus? Microsoft's system. Microsoft has fixed the RROD issue and extended the warranty for that particular issue. They didn't do it on purpose, they simply cut corners and it bit them in the ass. Where were you all when PS2s were constantly failing? Doubtful you were whining about that. Oh well, life goes on. Most of us like a place called reality where favoring a company is just retarded because we know they all have one goal; our money.
 
KaiserWarrior said:
Millions are consumerist sheep who put up with poorly-made products because the products are popular. If you buy something, and that something breaks inside of a year under normal use, you don't send it to get repaired -- you demand a refund for shoddy workmanship and take your business elsewhere.
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baaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!

sure, i'll be a sheep in this case because after my initial launch console got the RROD i got a new replacement with the new heatsink and never missed a lick since, and i havent simply played it a little.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2on_gXziJk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOJqqgGsybs

ive had the entire thing apart multiple times, hard drive many times during modding, box itself many times during modding, soldered to the motherboard on more than one spot, added led's (12 of them to be exact), added connections that were not used originally, used it vertically and horizontally, had the dvd drive apart more than once, adjusted the pot on the dvd laser to increase its power(which solves your dirty disc errors btw), even hacked up the dvd drive case to make a clear cover out of acrylic..........

not a single problem with mine......it does gaming well, it does media streaming very well with the external hdd, it's out only DVD player on the entertainment system....and does it all in dolby digital surround on my HDTV from the comfort of my couch

so yeah, if they focus more on quality and less on quantity, based on the sales numbers and attach rates, i would have to say this is a good thing...thanks
 
Skrying said:
Consoles are used to play games for the vast majority of it's lifetime. Guess who has the better games according consensus? Microsoft's system. Microsoft has fixed the RROD issue and extended the warranty for that particular issue. They didn't do it on purpose, they simply cut corners and it bit them in the ass. Where were you all when PS2s were constantly failing? Doubtful you were whining about that. Oh well, life goes on. Most of us like a place called reality where favoring a company is just retarded because we know they all have one goal; our money.
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Whos consensus? Since when did cutting corners happen on accident? And since when did PS2s fail on a massive scale? I had a launch unit that lasted me 4 years before I actually had to get a new one, and that was because of accidental damage.
 
Emission said:
Whos consensus? Since when did cutting corners happen on accident? And since when did PS2s fail on a massive scale? I had a launch unit that lasted me 4 years before I actually had to get a new one, and that was because of accidental damage.
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Consumer consensus, if you haven't noticed the Xbox 360 and its games are vastly out selling the PS3. Also, I didn't state cutting corners happened on accident. What I stated is that they cut them a bit too far, they didn't intend for the RROD issue to occur, clearly because you know Microsoft didn't like dishing out the extra billion to cover it. Additionally, your anecdotal evidence means nothing. PS2s were known to have a comparatively high failure rate early on, just like the Xbox 360 (though not as bad as the 360's) did this generation.

Gaming consoles sell based on meeting their markets demands. The Xbox 360 generally meets the demands of the graphics centric and deeper gaming experience market more than the PS3. This is reflected in sales data. I wholeheartedly agree that sometimes consumers are stupid (looking at you iPod) but when a brand completely fails to hold on to its market something is up, that's simply fact.

But at the end of the day people just need to buy what they want based on their own research. Biased sources, and forums are littered with them, are useless for people who could care less about company A or B.
 
Emission said:
Exactly. Product A (360) is cheaper than Product B (PS3) and is more popular so lets go with that. Disregard the plague of hardware failures and other quirks associated with Microsofts proprietarianism and shoddy marketing techniques.

An 80GB PS3 is the same price as an Elite system, yet the PS3 has Wi-fi, substantially better hardware, better graphics pretty much across the board, Blu-Ray, makes use of a truckload of non-proprietary equipment (Bluetooth, etc), can support 7 players on a single system at once. There's a really big list, but that doesn't stop people from buying the crappier of the two.
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I'm not talking about 360 vs. PS3. I'm talking about the 360, wholly on its own and in competition with nothing, being a shoddy piece of crap. "Quality" is not the word to use for Microsoft's console efforts.

Skrying said:
Consoles are used to play games for the vast majority of it's lifetime. Guess who has the better games according consensus? Microsoft's system. Microsoft has fixed the RROD issue and extended the warranty for that particular issue. They didn't do it on purpose, they simply cut corners and it bit them in the ass. Where were you all when PS2s were constantly failing? Doubtful you were whining about that. Oh well, life goes on. Most of us like a place called reality where favoring a company is just retarded because we know they all have one goal; our money.
Click to expand...

The RROD is there because it is a planned failure. There is a special indicator in the system specifically so that it can tell you "lol I'm bricked". This means that they were fully aware that it would break in that way, and break often enough to warrant the red lights on the power ring. And they still released it to market.

Early-model PS2s were also garbage, and also did not deserve to be bought, but not on the scale of the 360. Again, this isn't about console fanboyism, this is about a consumer electronics product being a brick.

nobody_here said:
baaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!

sure, i'll be a sheep in this case because after my initial launch console got the RROD i got a new replacement with the new heatsink and never missed a lick since, and i havent simply played it a little.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2on_gXziJk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOJqqgGsybs

ive had the entire thing apart multiple times, hard drive many times during modding, box itself many times during modding, soldered to the motherboard on more than one spot, added led's (12 of them to be exact), added connections that were not used originally, used it vertically and horizontally, had the dvd drive apart more than once, adjusted the pot on the dvd laser to increase its power(which solves your dirty disc errors btw), even hacked up the dvd drive case to make a clear cover out of acrylic..........

not a single problem with mine......it does gaming well, it does media streaming very well with the external hdd, it's out only DVD player on the entertainment system....and does it all in dolby digital surround on my HDTV from the comfort of my couch

so yeah, if they focus more on quality and less on quantity, based on the sales numbers and attach rates, i would have to say this is a good thing...thanks
Click to expand...

So basically, you had to hardmod the thing to fix its faulty construction. Case modding is cool and all, and more power to you -- but the average consumer doesn't do that, and you should not have to mess with the laser to get it to play discs, which is the one thing it is supposed to do.

My point is that MS talking about "quality" is laughable.
 
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