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The Elite's Sour Side
Now that the news about Microsoft's Elite has had a chance to set in, there are a few objections being raised by commentators. That 120 gig hard drive (the really expensive one) is going to come pre-loaded with content; all well and good, but the content transfer cable and software is a bit odd. Additionally, there are serious objections being raised over the frustrations of early adopters. Despite the easy dismissal out of hand heard on Major Nelson's Wednesday podcast, it's not as easy for early 360 buyers to roll with the changes. "Current Xbox 360 owners, who can purchase a separate 120-gigabyte hard drive at a cost of $179, appear to be getting a raw deal. Not only are these early adopters stuck with an older model of the console that offers less in the way of high-definition support, but factor in the cost of a current premium Xbox 360 ($399) and the price of the larger hard drive and the figure is close to $600 dollars, far exceeding the Elite's retail price, due to be $479."
So, the system has been out for like 1.5 years... The "Early Adopter" phase has come and gone. I picked one up last April and I wasn't an early adopter -then-. People are just being whiny.
Current Xbox 360 owners, who can purchase a separate 120-gigabyte hard drive at a cost of $179, appear to be getting a raw deal. Not only are these early adopters stuck with an older model of the console
So do the same complaints apply to Apple, when they release a new revision of the ipod every 12 months? What about Dell, when they release a new computer?
Are these people completely unfamiliar with the concept of purchasing goods and services?
Does Ford owe you a coupon because the new Taurus comes with more trunk space, which your year-old model lacks? Give me a break.
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
.. is those bloody Thargoids. I don't want to turn on my console only to find myself transported into witch space surrounded by a billon octgonal spaceships. This stinks of sloppy design.
Like making sure they regret buying your product when they did.
Yeah, because nobody could have predicted electronics to get better/faster/cheaper over the past year and a half.
I am so mad at Microsoft for improving their product. The existing XBox 360 models are now useless. Sure, they play the same games the same way, but they are now 30% less fun because I know I don't have the best SKU.
Slashdot - where whining about luck is the new way to make the world you want.
This strikes me as more about being obsessed with always having the latest and greatest than a real issue, grow up...
Here's what consumers need to learn:
;)
* Products get updated all the time.
The benefits of "buy now" versus "buy later" is the time between now and later in which you will own and enjoy your product. I remember buying Final Fantasy X for $55 and then seeing it in the Greatest Hits bin for $15 a year or two later. If you cry about it and the companies want to make you feel better, they won't do it by releasing something at a medium price like $35 forever, they'll do it by releasing it at the full $55 and never dropping MSRP. (At least those who got the 'tard pack can upgrade to a hard drive for the next difference in the price difference of Core versus Elite. It's not GREAT, but it's not a slap in the face, either.)
* What's top dog now won't be top dog later.
PC gamers have already figured this out. The fact that there are even "generations" of gaming consoles should have taught you this applies in the console world as well.
Here's what console companies need to learn:
* Newer, more premium products need to push existing prices down.
While it makes better sense for your bottom line, your base gets green with envy instead of less green by giving you money. Nintendo figured this one out already.
* Think about upgrade capacity.
Wouldn't it have been neat, instead, if you could take your existing 360 hard drive and piggy-back it to the new hard drive (like a daughterboard) and the drives would automatically move your contents and digital signatures to the new one and restore your old one to factory fresh? When I bought a new cell phone I set my old one to send all my contacts via infra red and set my new one to receive and it was quite nice to get it all done without a whole lot of pain. Nintendo tripped up on this with the WiFi being matched from the DS game to your DS's MAC / serial number, but they got it together on the Wii by using a standard and portable SD card for data transfer.
That said, with the said problems, if the Elite 360 is targeted for holdouts who don't already have a 360, it fails. I don't have a 360 but I've been waiting for lower noise/power consumption 65nm, HD-DVD, bigger HD, and HDMI and Elite represents only 1/2 of that. Oh, plus BLACK. Wee. Here's hoping for a Super Elite come Christmas for $399.
More Twoson than Cupertino
I bought a DS fat when it came out (I sold it a few months later, and I just recently picked up a DS lite). As an early adopter, I know I'm getting things before they're refined. Also, I know I might be getting a raw deal because of its newness. The main reason I do buy things before they're proven is to play with brand new stuff. I bought a PS3 shortly after its release knowing about all the issues they've had, just to check it out... and I had to have it sent in for servicing after it died. I also bought a 360 on the day of its release. I'm stuck with a 360 that sounds like an airplane taking off, but *shrugs*. I don't mind being an early adopter, but at the same time I don't expect a brand-spanking-new product to be as polished and as good as the same product a year or two after its initial release.
For me, it's #2.
I'm still in the last generation, and each passing misstep makes it more and more unlikely that I'll bother with *any* of the next generation.
"Each time they're creating something new and eventually people will have to upgrade just to stay current, just like with current PC's."
Upgrades are optional. If you like the same PC games, no need to upgrade your hardware. If you can handle lower resolutions and detail, many new PC games are perfectly playable on non-cutting-edge hardware. If you want it all, though, you want it all. And that costs. No different from anything else in the world.
In the interest of calling a spade a spade:
The NES had "optional" upgrades. These Elite features are optional: nothing more. If there was a "penultimate NES", it would include a Zapper, R.O.B., Action Pad, NES Satellite, and maybe other things I'm forgetting. Remember, that system also sold in different level "trims". Hell, the overwhelming majority of NES titles had additional memory banking hardware in each cartridge to enable the game to access more than 64K of memory.
Genesis: Penultimate would have: Genesis, Master System adapter, Sega CD, 32X.
The N64 came the closest to a "required" upgrade, that 8M memory upgrade that sat right there in front of the cartridge port. Even then, most games didn't need it, let alone used it, and those that did were clearly marked.
In the end, upgrades will have value based on applications. If you want downloadable content and want your games to run better by caching content on the HD, then get a 360 with a HD. If you've got more time than money and can live without demos, forget it. If there ever ARE games that require optional equipment, Microsoft would do well to make sure it's VERY obvious they need it.
More Twoson than Cupertino
Of course, the solution is simple: wait a while before buying. Buying a PS2 is a fantastic deal right now, with a cheap price, huge game library, and a console that's mature. Of course, you won't have the new shiny, but you also won't have to worry about a better PS2 coming out. Similarly, the DS Lite is a good buy, and for the same reasons. I bought a Wii, knowing full well that it's right at the beginning of its life and may well be superceded by an more innovative, powerful, or more accurately controlled model within a couple of years. But hell, I'm playing SSX Blur now on it, so I'm okay with that.
P.P.S. I'm doing Science and I'm still alive.
Oh please, this isn't the first time something like this has happend, nor is it something unique to Microsoft.
All of the console makers have changed their hardware during their consoles' lifetime. Sony had already released a new model of the PS2 that came with the bundled ethernet adaptor that was CHEAPER than if you had bought an earlier PS2 and the adaptor separately. The monsters!
Still didn't mean that the older games wouldn't work on the newer hardware, or vice versa. It was still a PS2.
It's the same thing here.
No, I honestly don't see Microsoft or anyone else doing something so stupid like releasing a hardware rev mid-cycle that changes the core performance of the box. You aren't going to see a "360+" that comes with more RAM or a faster processor. That would alienate both consumers and developers alike - spelling doom for the console maker.
Supporting HDMI doesn't change the fact that the console STILL works on a SDTV with composite or s-video. Even a non-HDMI 360 will still do 1080p, assuming your TV/monitor can support 1080p via component video or the VGA input.
A larger HDD won't suddenly make games incompatible with older 360s. In fact, Microsoft *REQUIRES* all 360 games to be playable with - OR WITHOUT - the HDD. Granted, it'll be a little difficult to download demos without a HDD but your games will all still work.
Just think how bad the early adopters of the PS3 must feel when they see that new models got rid of that annoying backward compatibility feature. Man, those people must be steamed.
I have over 2TB of hard drive space on my PC and I am running low on free space, yet the 20GB hard drive on my 360 is more than I will ever need. I download game demos. I picked up the free South Park episode. And I still have 17GB free. 120GB on a 360? Come on. What are you gonna do with that? That's more than the average schmo has on their entire PC.
Does the Elite HDMI connection support the HDMI 1.3 spec (wider bit depth for displays)?
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Yamauchi (paraphrasing) has said, "What many companies do not understand about the video game business is that the software is the product, not the hardware. People buy the hardware only to get to the software." This solves the mystery as to why people moan and complain of new hardware (or buying more expensive hardware) but they were not complaining at all buying $70 games in the 16-bit generation. The amount of money spent on software totally eclipses what is spent on hardware with multiple $50 (and now $60) products. Just buying four games puts you to $200!
The image of the games industry is that the consoles are the main product with software revolving around it. Rather, it is the other way around. It is no coincidence that people always complain about the hardware (since it drains entertainment dollars they would rather pay for games).
Look at the pattern of outcry:
-PS3 announced at $599
-Multiple versions of Nintendo handhelds.
-GBA dongle thing to listen to headphones.
-Purchasing link cables and additional GBAs to play 'linked' Gamecube games.
-Xbox 360 failure rates
-Purchasing all the Wii controllers (and there are many!).
-16-bit (and earlier) gamers complaining how today's consoles don't come with a bundled game like they used to.
No one likes spending entertainment dollars on hardware (since you cannot play the hardware). Judging from sales results, no one is buying a PS3 or Xbox 360 based on its non-game functions of the hardware. The hardware sales revolve around the software sales instead of the other way around. Video games are about the software experience, not the hardware experience.
Anyone remember the very popular IBM mainframe called the 360? It was released in multiple versions and was structured that someone would buy a cheaper version and upgrade if their needs warranted it. This appears to be exactly what Microsoft intends. But why on Earth is Microsoft following the IBM mainframe model for their living room top box?
(Also, when the Wii launched everyone said it would have multiple versions especially a HD capable Wii in the near future. Yet, ironically, the consoles coming out with multiple versions are the Xbox 360 and the PS3 [who is rumored to have its own elite model coming soon as well].)
Me too.. I hate things that improve. More of the same for me, please!
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
That's why people buy consoles instead of computers. These things are supposed to be a constant. Microsoft more than Sony or Nintendo (but Sony has it's multi-SKUs as well) are trying to warp the console business into an evolving world like PC gaming. The reason console games are as bug free (mostly) is that they are in a controlled environment. They don't have to worry about branch code for different hardware. Evolving your console is possibly the worst thing you could do. Developers than have to determine the correct system and plan for it. Even a difference like the Core/Premium XBox360 and one version not having a hard drive is a BIG mistake in terms of consoles. Twenty vs. Sixty Gig drives doesn't really matter all that much. You likely not going to use all that space, but you don't have to check if the hard drive exists and run different caching code.
Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
It is unclear but before the Sony fanbots pile on- the PS3 doesn't have a 1.3 HDMI port either. It's actually a 1.2A that Sony says will be "just as good" sometime in the future (maybe) with a firmware update. I mean, it's not like Sony hasn't downgraded their announced specs before (e.g. dual hdmi, dual ethernet ports, rumble, FULL backwards compatability, 1080P on games more graphically impressive than Sodoku...).
Huh? It's HDMI 1.3 and even HDMI Licensing, LLC states PS3 is the first product to feature HDMI 1.3. Stop stupid FUD.
http://www.hdmi.org/press/pr/pr_20061026.asp
HDMI LICENSING LAUNCHES HDMI 1.3 WORLD TOUR, AS FIRST PRODUCTS WITH HDMI 1.3 FEATURES HIT THE MARKET
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 26, 2006 -- HDMI Licensing, LLC, the agent responsible for licensing the High-Definition Multimedia Interface(TM) (HDMI(TM)) specification, next week will kick off a series of briefings and technology demonstrations for media in Asia, the United States and Europe, previewing key technologies enabled by HDMI 1.3.
The demonstrations will preview high-definition (HD) video and audio technology that will begin hitting the consumer market in November and continue rolling out in 2007. According to announcements by manufacturers, among the first consumer products with HDMI 1.3 features to reach the market will be the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3) from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. in November, the HD-XA2 HD DVD player from Toshiba America Consumer Products, LLC in December, and the EMP-TW1000, a 3LCD 1080p projector from Epson in December.
"Reports from manufacturers indicate that most Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD players, and a substantial proportion of conventional DVD players, will include HDMI 1.3 capabilities in 2007," said Leslie Chard, president of HDMI Licensing, LLC. "During the first half of 2007 we expect to see HDTVs with HDMI 1.3 functionality, allowing them to display Deep Color(TM)TM content. We also expect the introduction during 2007 of HDMI 1.3 technology for PCs, audio-visual receivers and a range of other source and display devices."
In June 2006, the HDMI Founders announced the HDMI 1.3 specification, the most significant upgrade yet in the interface that has become the de facto standard interface for high-definition devices. HDMI 1.3 more than doubles HDMI's bandwidth and adds support for Deep Color(TM) technology, a broader color space, new digital audio formats, automatic audio/video synching capability ("lip sync"), and an optional smaller connector for use with portable devices such as digital still cameras and camcorders.
HDMI specifications include both mandatory and optional components. As a result, HDMI Licensing encourages consumers to look for the functionality they want the device to support (Deep Color(TM), specific audio formats, etc.), referring to the manufacturer's product information.
The HDMI 1.3 World Tour will offer the first glimpse of key HDMI 1.3 technologies, including Deep Color(TM) and support for new lossless audio formats.