In a move that surely shocks only the executives who tried to make these limitations part of the Xbox One, the gaming console maker has decided to remove the need for an internet connection to play video games and also allows you to trade and sell your games. It seems the massive backlash against the Xbox One and its requirements only increased with PlayStation 4’s own announcement during an E3 press conference that it would have no restriction on used games, not demand an always-0n connection, and cost a $100 less.
Yesterday, the President of Interactive Entertainment Business Don Mattrick made the news public on Xbox Wire, including this bit of common sense rhetoric.
You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world.
Then, Mattrick goes on to say that you’ll be able to do exactly that when the Xbox One does come out, but why would Xbox need to have an uproar of negative response to know this? Isn’t this basic knowledge in the gaming world? Were the people in charge actually not expecting the kind of social media and press reaction that happened from such a landscape-altering decision?
Meanwhile, PS4 continues to pick up the pieces to put them back into quite the attractive picture with its own many announcements during E3, including a lower price tag and an exhaustive list of upcoming games.
What the video game console war is boiling down to is which one sees itself as a video game console above everything else. The people behind the Xbox One are trying to create an overall entertainment center that also plays amazing video games, while the people behind the PS4 are opting to focus on promoting an impressive video game console that can also be used as an entertainment center. We’ll see which one demands more attention to get your dollars in a few months when both consoles officially go on sale.
Awesome news, though the whole thing’s got everyone so soured on the Xbone that I bet they’re lost a ton of customers regardless. If it’s a quality product with quality games folks will trickle back I’m sure, but I’m not expecting a stellar launch period for old Moneysoft.
It’s probably the sheer weight of negative reaction that swayed them, but I like to think the ultimate deciding factor was not wanting to go down in history as the console that hates the troops. :D