There was quite the stir of bad news surrounding Microsoft before the reveal of their next-gen console. I read it all and didn't like what I saw. Then the announcement of the Xbox One happened and I was pleasantly surprised. Having forced myself to watch the reveal with an open mind and just care about what was being shown helped me enjoy that hour.

Thoughts about the reveal: If the Kinect interaction going between TV and games and opening Skype are truly as fast as the, I'm pretty certain it was a prerecorded video, demonstration showed, that would be crazy awesome. At first, I thought the fantasy league information popping up on screen in real-time was a great touch. Then I recalled, I don't use ESPN for anything fantasy related or for sports news in general. So that feature is not for me. I understand the reason for having Kinect boxed with the console but I don't like the fact it has to always be running when the console is on. I never owned a Kinect for 360 because that doesn't appeal to me. The only positive is if a developer, most likely a MS owned developer, comes up with an innovative way to have the Kinect interact with a game.

The Xbox One, OK, that name is awful. I understand the meaning behind it but c'mon, how did that pass through the right people as the final choice? But the console looks fine. I, being a designer, am always curious and get excited about new design and the Xbox One looks, again, fine. You can tell it was designed in-house at Microsoft unlike the 360. Really though, if the console looked like true garbage it wouldn't matter because it will be tucked under the majority of people's TVs. The new controller looks better. I never thought MS could really improve upon the 360 controller but they did. Having the 'Home' button higher on the controller and not as likely to be hit during gameplay is a great touch. Rumble in the triggers could be an interesting feature if used right by the developers.

After the reveal, I was excited about what MS did with the Xbox One. Then...

Then the shit hit the fan. After taking questions from every outlet the MS executives "answered" questions about the Xbox One without knowing the answers. How can a large company throw their execs to the sharks and not have one solid answer for any imaginable question. MS has not reminded me of Sony at their PS3 reveal, so arrogant. MS expects people to buy the Xbox One because it's Xbox. From a company standpoint that is horrible and isn't a good way to get people on your side.

Oh great, we get "clarity" about the Xbox One and it's policies. My first reaction, after watching Giant Bomb's DRM Breakdown, was, "What the fuck is Microsoft thinking?" Like the guys said, "This is anti-consumer." It's MS's arrogance at it's highest.

Now I've let all of this information sink in for a few days. Having thought about how much of this bad press affects me, it turns out, not that much. Now, I'm 26, if I was hearing this information when I was ten years younger I would have a difference reaction. Only being able to lend my game to one person doesn't matter to me because my friends buy their own games. Having the option to log onto another Xbox One and playing any game I own, like Steam, is a great feature that a lot more people should be happier about. So the Xbox One needs an internet connection every 24 hours on your home console, not a big deal for me because I have a reliable connection. Don't get me wrong, when I first heard this I was turned off. And if you're playing on a different console, other than your home console, you need a connection once an hour. When I go to a friend's house to play games they have their own games and we normally have a plan on what we're doing. This isn't as popular as it was ten years ago but you could always, you know, take your Xbox One wherever you're going (that has an internet connection) so you can have that 24 hour window.

Having publishers decide if their games can be traded in or even lent is their right but very anti-consumer. I do trade in games. Approximately 95% of the time I buy games from GameStop they're new games. The only time I purchase used games is if the game is over a year old, and lately the game, after I buy it used, has been put up for free on PlayStation Plus for free so I should learn to wait a little while longer. But now if I can't trade in games I will be more select in the games I buy new. I love playing a variety of games but now I'll have to only buy games I know I'll spend awhile with. Second tier games may be hit harder than they are now with people buying less games.

The Kinect can be turned off. Everyone freaking out about it spying on you can settle down. Yes, the process you will have to go through to turn off these options will be long and tedious but it can be done.

I am not as pissed off as I was couple days ago at the Xbox One. The new policies don't affect me as much but that doesn't mean I agree with them or have to like them. The Xbox One will not be a bad console. It has cool features and will have great games. The questions remains, "Will gamers still buy it after spewing all their hate at Microsoft?"

With all that said I still will not be purchasing a Xbox One.

I ASK YOU GAMERS, IF YOU DO NOT LIKE WHAT MICROSOFT IS DOING DO NOT BUY THE XBOX ONE. SPEAK WITH YOUR WALLET. THAT IS THE ONLY WAY LARGE COMPANIES WILL UNDERSTAND THAT THE CONSUMERS DO NOT WANT THEIR PRODUCT.