And, why can’t I move on?
I really wanted to move on.
I thought three columns about the Xbox One would have been enough. I thought I already stated my course. I thought the fact that Microsoft thought twice about the policies they implemented and how it would destroy their chances in the console race would have been enough. Most of all, I thought there might have been a chance the Xbox One might have a slight chance of success.
But to quote Silvio Dante, channeling his inner Al Pacino…
http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=PZGmeg23ICQ
We all saw what happened last week, how in what I felt was just a result of the E3 aftermath, Sony’s knockout blows that they will allow used games on the PS4, how the PS4 will be $100 cheaper, how it will be more indie gamer friendly, and of course, no mandatory internet connection, it would have meant the end of the Don Mattrick regime. That news came when it was announced that Don Mattrick would leave Microsoft. Now we all would figure that he’d end up going to another business that only cares about making money rather than providing gamers with the best experience possible, namely EA, Activision, or Ubisoft.
http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=McAeQiLmEYU
It turns out in the end that Mattrick is jumping from one sinking ship to another: Zynga! Yes the same Zynga that closed down many studios since October last year, including Draw Something based OMGPOP. It is the same Zynga whose former CEO changed his annual salary to just $1. And now he is being replaced by the same person who told "Mr. Doritos and Mtn Dew" Geoff Keighley that if you don’t have online connectivity to just get an Xbox 360, while insulting those who are on nuclear submarines. Surely a company that is suffering a massive freefall like Zynga would want that type of CEO.
Then again, according to Joystiq, Don Mattrick wanted to acquire Zynga as a Microsoft studio. Looks like he developed some connections after that.
Fair enough, Mattrick is gone, and while we wait to see who takes over for him, I thought I could move on with discussing other industry issues. I was ready to talk about the upcoming holiday season, and even get my hands on the Ouya once it arrives in our testing labs. But just last night I came across a Facebook post with the following video clip that caught my attention. (warning: not safe for work play!!!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=DAyapQayGOw
It turns out that there is are petitions posted through change.org that want Microsoft to return the Xbox One to the way it was announced at E3. That’s right, there are people out there who actually WANT to keep restrictive DRM, who WANT to be forced to connect to the internet once every 24 hours, who WANT to be held to their games without the opportunity to resell them no matter how bad they are, who WANT to see the end of used game sales and rentals, and who WANT to see the Xbox One fail. What is wrong with these people? They even go as far as claiming that removing all the Draconian style DRM has killed the Xbox One?
Time to bring out my Condescending Wonka: please tell me how preorder sales of the Xbox One are so successful in comparison to the PS4 (which sold out its Day One numbers on Amazon and will no longer be preordered at Gamestop.) Yeah, seems legit.
In all efforts, I am hoping that these petitions are just the actions of a few trolls. In fact, some of my friends (shout out to Allie RX Entertainment for coming up with this idea) have trolled back by demanding the REAL Xbox One, and yes I mean the ORIGINAL Xbox that came out in 2001. I’ll gladly sign that petition.
But until then, I’m staying on the PS4 side of the fence.
Currently Playing: NCAA Football 14 (360)
Waiting For: Ouya