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The Microsoft Keynote In Depth
Microsoft, of course, is going to usher in this new age. Take what you will from that part of the message, but his overall vision was compelling. Micropayments in the 2.0 version of Xbox live will allow for content sellable to end-users for very small amounts, seamlessly executed from the users end and not even a consideration on the designer's end. Essentially, all the designer would have to do is decide what assets were available for sale and what price as the the Live 2.0 system handles the rest.
Microsoft's role as a developer's aid behind the scenes seemed to be his secondary talking point. XNA Studio was mentioned again, and Allard discussed a future point where design teams are much larger and completely integrated across the globe. The most barbed commentary came when he was discussing the Xbox Next system, and how the system's design was intended to be as easy to develop on as possible while still being powerful and balanced. He referred to a "Science Fair Approach" to console design where these were not the objectives, probably referring to Nintendo's Revolution system.
The crunchy parts of the talk included details about the next Live system, where players will have online "gamer cards", personalized baseball cards showing their stats and accomplishments while playing Live games. The ability to customize the music experience for every Xbox game was mentioned (ala Burnout 3 and some other titles), as was a ubiquitous and standardized user interface for all games that use the Live service. In many ways it sounds as if Live 2.0 will be taking many cues from Bungie's work on Halo 2. The extendable XML and RSS technology used in the game was mentioned during a video presentation in the talk.
The thinly veiled slam against Nintendo was the low point of the talk, which overall kept to an upbeat and high minded ideal. Ignoring the part where Microsoft is the backbone of game development for a moment, their ideas have definite merit. As a MMOG player in particular, the discussion of a need for commonality in UI choices seemed on target. His pithy statement "Bruce Lee, not Brute Force" seems a laudable goal for design choices, and a future where gaming is as ubiquitous and as popular as movies or television is certainly not one I would be sad to see.
While selling us on his vision, Allard managed to do a little bit of pure selling as well. But really, who can blame him? Microsoft Game Studios is in an excellent position right now, the next Xbox console is due out this year, and they have announced an intention as a company to specifically support game development from a developer's perspective. If there's anything that the folks in Redmond are talented at it's combining high minded ideas with marketing, and the Wednesday Keynote was very effective in combined both.
Update: 03/10 17:29 GMT by Z :Added back in the paragraph I managed to delete.
Why the submitter didn't actually mention the cool parts of the presentation is beyond me.
In terms of the new XBox Live stuff, the most interesting parts are in reference to the Gamer Cards and Costom Playlists, which are to be available across ALL games, and not just some feature a sassy developer tacked on. Being able to compare yourself directly against another player, even across games, check someone's stats across all games, which games they own and play, which on'es they're good at, and how much time they spend playing are all cool features.Then, add on top of that the fact that you'll be able to manage all your music from within any game, creating custom playlists and whatnot, and you've got the cool things that the Xbox does now taken up quite a few notches.
than Bill Gates at CES.
So if Zonk wrote up this commentary about they keynote...did he/she win one of the 1000 HDTV's they surprised everyone with???
Or, Mr. Troll, you could encourage everyone to buy Xboxes and not purchase any software, mod them, and run Linux on them, or pirate games like all other Microsoft haters do. Which, of course, really just ends up costing more for those who don't give a shit about your personal agenda and just want to play some damn games. Some people have the same hatred of Sony's stranglehold on the gaming business that you have on Microsoft's, so maybe you can just look at it as one 'Monopoly' trying to battle against another 'Monopoly', which is...um, wait a minute!!...a competitive marketplace!
I've got a better idea, why not shun all consoles since they are evil in the way these big companies control the content that can and can not be put on them. Support the PC, which is completely open, no big-company restrictions.
/.'ers if they way they will bitch bitch bitch about something, but will never make any hard choices that might cause them an ounce of inconvenience of lack of fun.
Do you really think you're going to see anything other then big-budget games on XBox/PS3,GameTriangle, Nope. Because these big companies will only allow games on the machines that like.
The problem with
Hypocrites.
To me the most interesting part wasn't what he said, but the images. The game mostly used, Forza Motorsport, is a not yet released xbox game. EBgames.com has it to be released in May on xbox. They also show awards from Halo 2 in the gamer card. Were these games published by Microsoft with features that could be used in their next console? Are we seeing backwards compatibility here? Maybe Microsoft is going to publish versions of these games for their next console as well and thats what we are seeing? I'm actually stoked about going to E3 for the first time in about 5 years. Woot.
This is not an attempt to bait for flame, rather a truthful statement. I appreciate your interest in gaming (I too enjoy some games in moderation), however it is important to understand exactly who you're buying from. I hope there are some who are sympathetic with this point of view to reverse the censorship of the parent post.
Michael.
Linux : Mac
PC gaming is where the small budget games are dying. Games like Katamari Demacy are succeeding on consoles, thanks to their huge installed bases. But on the PC, only the blockbuster games like The Sims and Half-Life 2 remain. Niche genres (flight sims, adventure games, etc) are dying left and right.
You may have a point -- on the other hand, if you were actually looking to purchase a gaming console from a company that isn't evil and underhanded, you'd be left with the following options...
1. The Tapwave Zodiac
And frankly, I'm a little suspicious of them, too.
"Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die!"
What? He's advocating a boycott, and you're trying to equate that with advocating software piracy? Feel free to disagree with or outright dismiss his ethical concerns, but don't be a troll about it.
From the Gi.biz article: By contrast, he claimed, the Xenon hardware has been designed so that "the platform is bigger than the processor"
Must... resist... joke....
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
Something I find interesting is how Allard took quite a few shots at Sony's hardware but didn't try to make fun of Nintendo's "we'll change gaming instead of graphics" talk. He even went as far as claiming that HD will have an impact on gameplay (that'd be?) as if he wanted to say "Well, yes, we're all about the graphics but look! We have gameplay, too!". Perhaps he wanted to preempt Iwata who'll speak tomorrow and will definitely take some shots at Microsoft's development goals (aka better graphics) and timing.
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
I think the word you're looking for is oligopoly.
I think my post qualifies more as flamebait than troll, but close enough.
I'm willing to bet the constant release of new graphics cards is actually one of the main things hindering the PC game world right now. Because the big two keep releasing new generations of cards less than a year apart each year, there is a huge push that you need to have a fairly new card in your system. Most of the big name PC games require fairly beefy systems to play well. This may be fine for hardcore gamers and what not but, the average joe doesn't like feeling his system that he just bought last year is already outdated when he tries to play Quake4. This is why people love consoles... you are usually guarenteed at least 5 years between each generation and a console is about the same price as a mid-range PC video card. Your "joe average" gamers don't want to pay any more money than they have to. So...in conclusion, let's spread the new vid card generations out to at least every two, maybe even 3, years and then not have minimum requirements for your games that are less that 5 years old components. Sure, most of the smaller indy developers realize this, but the big name game companies will have to realize this too before the casual gamers take notice.
The other big problem with PC gaming is that all the companies have all but given up on making controllers for them. Try finding a decent gamepad for you PC sometime at a chain store (where Joe Average shops). Mouse and Keyboard may be perfectly fine for playing shooters and MMORPGS, but for everything else...you NEED a gamepad.
*Sorry for any bad grammer, had to write this really quick...
"A truly wise man realizes he knows nothing."
Why did people mark poster a flamebait. These keynotes are huge marketing machines. M$ can finance one every month if they wanted to. The likes of Nintendo consoles are not doing well is because they don't launch these rah-rah marketing campaigns.
Yes, Microsoft is inherently evil...even the MS fanboys kind of realize this (never underestimate the power of denile). The problem is we're talking about game consoles. Sony is just as evil as MS (just like any other global corporation). To tell you the truth, I think I've seen quite a few more products from Sony break than from MS and even worse customer support too... So, since they're equally evil, I'd rather go with MS out of those two. Then your other option is Nintendo...most of us still like Nintendo, and at least they're trying innovate regardless if it succeeds.. But, then you have to remember the way they treated developers back in the NES days. So really, you're gonna be supporting an evil corporation no matter which console you get. Until some people get together and form the "OpenConsole group"....that's pretty much your only options.
Lastly, I'm definitely no Microsoft fan, but I'd bet that they treat their employees better than the likes of EA.
"A truly wise man realizes he knows nothing."
Nintendo makes money on their consoles - Microsoft not. Which one is doing well?
it's in my head
How quickly we all forget how last year Nintendo knocked the price of the Gamecube down, and the almost literally flew off the shelves. Lots of sales of hardware = lots more sales of software = $$$ for Nintendo.
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
Am I the only person who looks at "Micro" payments as both a potentially good and also potentially awful system?
It seems to me that the "mod shop" could be useful if it was used to extend an aready complete game; for example, Madden 2006 having a payment of $5 to extend the stats so you could play the 2007 version of the game. My biggest fear with it is that there will be developers who use this feature to sell you half a game and then "nickle and dime" you for the rest of the features; for example imagine Halo 3 comes out and you buy it for $50, then you buy Death Match mode for $5, Capture the Flag for $5, Death Match Map Pack for $5, Capture the Flag Map Pack for $5, Bonus multiplayer models for $5, etc.
By the time you have finished with all the "mods" you could pay $200 for all the content that they would have given you in a previously $50 game. I'm not saying that this will happen, but it is my fear.
Actually, I think it was probably flamebait, but sometimes it just feels good. Regardless, I wonder if anyone is still affected by Microsoft's marketing, because it is so transparent. The only real reason people use Microsoft is applications, and the OS itself is nothing special at all, especially compared to Mac OS X and even recen GNOME/KDE desktops (pretty darn impressive, IMO).
As awareness of OpenOffice.org/StarOffice increases, MS Office looks less and less special, too.
-- Microsoft is the most expensive commodity operating system and office suite vendor in the marketplace.
I couldn't agree more! I used to be a huge PC gamer but I hated having to buy a video card that cost as much as my pc every year, and a processor/motherboard every other year....i've resigned myself to only play games on the consoles, despite the worse graphics, but now i'm loathing the fact that there are 3 consoles that each put out good games so i spend even more money buying console hardware...and now that i've caught up, the next gen ones are coming out....i miss the old days where EVERY game that mattered came out on just the NES.
You can buy PS2 controller -> USB adaptors at any Radio Shack for $12. They work great.
You are doing an excellent job of rationalizing your consumption by showing all console manufacturers in a negative light. However, I feel that Microsoft truly stands alone as company that should not be supported. It's all fun and games now (literally) but what happens when they achieve their next monopoly? No monopoly MS product, such as WinXP, MSIE, or MS Office, come to mind as inexpensive or high quality.
Further, if you feel that all console manufacturers are tainted (which I disagree with) you have another alternative as well. Stop consuming. No one is forcing you to buy any of these products. One could simply take a stand, placing their personal values above their need to consume.
Personally, I chose Nintendo supplemented with gaming on MacOS. It's an excellent combination and provides me with the piece of mind that I'm not paying MS to dismantle the competition and take my choice away.
Michael.
Linux : Mac
It also provides me with peace of mind. *sigh* I should proof read before I hit "submit".
Michael.
Linux : Mac
I said a "good" controller...lol :P
"A truly wise man realizes he knows nothing."
You can't honestly be lauding the playstation. Please... put the freaking thing out to pasture.
Thank you. I love when I hear the voice of sanity on this game forum. It's rare, unfortunately. They'll rail against Microsoft when, in fact, Sony is earth-scorchingly ruthless in its business practices. But, as I believe, these MS-hating comments are thinly-veiled anti-Americansim.
Believing that all global corporations are "inherently evil" is adolescent. Do you believe that all Americans are evil? Or that all Muslims are evil? Or that all women like to cook? Or that all men hunt and like red meat? This is juvenile thinking. Magical thinking. Give me a break. Grow up. Life is intrinsically complex, bristling with contradictions, and not at all black and white.
Okay, I meant PS2. Regardless, it is cheaper to buy an adequate PC (e.g., Pentium III or better) and, then, get a console for gaming. The PC gets upgraded less, and that means less money needlessly going to Microsoft. Hell, a 1GHz PIII would smoke what I have, and I can still do okay with GNOME+apps (512MB RAM helps).
-- Microsoft is the most expensive commodity operating system and office suite vendor in the marketplace.
All global corporations take advantage of people. That's bad. Therefore, they are all bad. The world would be better off with more cottage industry and less megacorporations. Obviously that doesn't apply to video game systems which are only affordable to produce in volume, but my point still stands.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Everything is black and white. The rich and the capitalists are evil. The poor and the socialists are good.
I am sure your life is not filled with double standards, right?
Ironically, the word ironically is often used incorrectly.
Who gives a shit? I just want to play Halo 2.
Comment of the year
Obviously the poster is confused, because it was pretty clear to everyone in the room that Allard was referring to Sony when he talked about the 'science fair' approach to platform design. He was contrasting Sony's approach, which he contends is all about theoretically cool hardware that might not be practically usable (i.e. the Cell), versus the MS approach which he contends is more balanced and developer-centric.
In particular, his line about "the only emotion that will evoke is frustration", when referring to the competition's approach, is obviously a reference to the Emotion Engine (remember all the hype surrounding that, and how much of a pig to develop with it turned out to be?).
That's just... simplistic and shallow. And, jesus... oh, so stupid.
FYI, Nintendo's rah-rah keynote was today.
It was actually pretty interesting, showing some new DS "games" their working on. (I say "games", because they were really interactive...things, rather than games in the traditional sense - one was a pet dog simulator, and another was an abstract music play toy.)
They also showed Mario Kart multiplayer wirelessly on the DS, and a preview video of the new Zelda game.
Nintendo's marketing machine is alive and well.
It's idiots like you that make it so hard on everyone else. If only you had the intelligence to see past your own meaningless needs.
But back in the DOS days, it was still a hardware race. In fact, it was sometimes even worse then. The advent of the GPU has made upgrading a case of replacing the video card, instead of the whole guts of the PC. Plus, you can buy a powerful system for a fraction of what it used to cost.
No, I think upgrades, while certainly a nuisance, is at worst only marginally more annoying than it used to be. But when you add in other factors, it becomes an extra straw on the camel's back.
You're pretty on target about gamepads, though. The best gamepads out there are direct ripoffs of Sony's designs, and usually inferior still. Plus, nobody likes having to map all the damn buttons every time they play a new game. There's no decent uniformity.
that's not what I was saying....lol. I'm a firm believer in the greyscale of the world. BUT, corporations are, by law, required to do whatever it takes to keep their investors profits up, which equals inherent evil. When all you are taking into consideration is "the bottom line"...morals are not a consideration anymore. Click the link I had earlier to TheCorporation.com ...it's a very insightful look at why corporations are a problem.
"A truly wise man realizes he knows nothing."
BUT, corporations are, by law, required to do whatever it takes to keep their investors profits up, which equals inherent evil.
...it's a very insightful look at why corporations are a problem.
Corporations are not, by law, required to do whatever it takes to keep their profits up.
If you think you are right, please try to prove this statement with a link to the applicable law. You will not be able to do it.
In addition, I disagree with your thought process that a corporation that does try to maximize profits is doing something inherently "evil." This is such a childish and ignorant viewpoint. It's like listening to teenagers talk about which bands "sold out."
Click the link I had earlier to TheCorporation.com
Corporations are not a problem. Do you think the United States of America would be as successful as it is today without free market capitalism and corporations? Bill Gates, villified on Slashdot, contributes billions of dollars to charity.
Rich DeVos, founder of Amway and also a billionaire, is renowned for his generosity and kindness, even as a CEO. Some of his books:
How to Be Like Rich DeVos: Succeeding with Integrity in Business and Life
and
Compassionate Capitalism: People Helping People Help Themselves
There are some corporations that are run by scumbags, no doubt. And there are many people who equate richness with being evil, these are usually socialists, but also ignorant folks who don't think through anything. Most of the people who complain about corporations and outsourcing are the same folks that would be bitching at paying higher prices on goods and services without outsourcing and without those hated corporations.
Ironically, the word ironically is often used incorrectly.