Like I said, it was probably the best move for the company. But yes, it did piss a lot of people off. It's a completely subjective issue, when it comes to how early is "too" early for a price drop or a bundle. Some people think three months is enough time to keep people happy, but many do not. If this were a year and a half from now, almost no one would be complaining about this.

So, seeing as you're defending three months, when would a price drop / bundle seem not acceptable to you?

Shit happens. Presumably you bought the console because its price matched your valuation. Now its value has increased while staying the same price. Guess what, as time goes on the price will start to drop and its value will only increase as more decent games are added to it. Are you going to rally against that too? This is how it works, stop being a baby, crying over $60.

This sort of thing will never effect me because the ps3 was the only console I bought at launch and I was young enough to be wowed by anything on the system. From now on I'm giving it atleast 2-3 years before even thinking about getting a new console. I get people want to be early adopters but its inevitable that'll bite you in the ass with things like this.

This isn't a problem. You got the product that you paid for. If they gave you a free copy of Titanfall they would have to give everyone who bought an Xbox One before this bundle was announced a free copy of Titanfall and then they would sell zero copies of Titanfall.

I told you that you were a guinea pig when you bought a console before six-months-to-a-year had passed, and you didn't believe me.

On one hand, Microsoft could earn some much-needed goodwill by giving codes to people who purchased the console within a certain window. On the other, that would only serve to cement the idea that this should be standard procedure, and it shouldn't.

They don't owe us anything. But a limited registration program; "Register you're XBOX ONE console with us between March 11 and March 15th for your free copy of Titanfall!" Would be an excellent gesture and one that wouldn't cost MS anything meaningful. On time critical events like that you can usually expect something like <30% redemption, whereas you get 100% goodwill and good press. It might actually sell more consoles. There is stock on shelves being specifically ignored in lieu of the Titanfall "bundle" coming later this month.

I don't understand why MS has just been sitting in all of it's bad press and not spinning any of it into useful marketing, it's fucking weird to me, but then I'm just a guy on the internet.

I wanted it Day One, and I got it. I'm still very happy. I'm dead set on getting Halo 2 Anniversary at launch

They will. They absolutely will. I can't even count how many times I've done that.

The same thing goes for Amazon as well.

The only reason those two do it is because the publishers are typically the ones deciding the sales themselves, and in turn, they have no control over it. They want to keep you happy. I can name at least 40 games in my collection where this has happened (bought the game, then the next day or the next week it was on sale for waaaaaaaay less).

Call me a prick for it, but I like paying as little as possible to get as many games as possible.

As for this whole debacle, I think it's absolutely STUPID for Microsoft to be releasing a bundle package with a highly anticipated game just months after launching their newest console. Literally, we're only a little over three months since launch, and we're already seeing:

1. Permanent price drop in the UK
2. Titanfall packaged in...AND Killer Instinct is still free to play
3. Better hardware than what was released initially

If I were an Xbox One owner at the moment and I was being told "no Titanfall for you," I'd be FUCKING LIVID!

Nonetheless, there is the whole argument of how early adopters are always going to have that problem, but nonetheless... There was no sign that stuff like this would be happening anytime soon. This is the kind of shit you do around the holidays.

Moreover, when the numbers get released on how many copies of Titanfall were "sold" for the Xbox One, is EA going to include the numbers from these bundles as well? I'm sure they will.

It's shady shit all around, man.

**EDIT**

I get what some people are saying about buying a launch console. I really do. However, there's a difference between something huge like this happening three months after the console launches compared to a year or whatever. If anything, people going in and buying the console when it launches are the early adopters, and in this particular situation, I feel like they SHOULD see a copy of Titanfall coming their way.

It's much the same way that Castle Doctrine worked upon release. It was cheap at first, then he increased the price and then increased it again, and now it's stuck at its permanent price.

Just saying that this is shady shit. Kind of disgraceful honestly.

So, I understand why some people see this request as nonsensical, and while I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it yes, there is historical precedence for early adopter parity with sudden early price cuts.

3DS is one recent example, when Nintendo did a price drop (which still wasn't as early as this price drop is), they gave all early adopters a ton of free games.

For a non recent example, try Microsoft with the Xbox (one/original/etc). When they dropped the price suddenly, and started including free games, they retroactively gave those same free games to early adopters that requested it.

While I've had an XBO since launch, I'm not sure I care about a free copy of Titan Fall. However, those that feel Microsoft took advantage of them for being early adopters aren't /entirely/ in the wrong, nor are those that state that should be an expected result of being an early adopter.

How about a price drop and four games?

Or how about this:

PS4 - Notice how NOTHING is available right now: http://www.game.co.uk/en/hardware/playstation-4/launch/?cm_sp=TopNav-_-PS4-_-PS4Console

Xbox One - Notice how EVERYTHING is available right now, except the Titanfall console, because they can't sell it yet: http://www.game.co.uk/en/hardware/xbox-one/xbox-one-launch-consoles/?cm_sp=home-_-takeover-_-XB1TitanfallDL

If you bought the console before hearing about this then you must have considered it a fair price. Otherwise, why the hell did you buy it?

@jakob187: To be completely frank - deal with it. This is life, and surprisingly companies aren't always going to cater to your every whim. You bought the console earlier and missed out on a bundle? Thats how it goes, it's not some incredibly clever scam on Microsofts part. Their console sales weren't as high so they made a bundle and are selling it cheaper. This isn't the first time in the history of electronics that this has happened and a company didn't recoup your losses on the transition. This is exactly why people assume the newer generation is a bunch of entitled, whiny babies - not an opinion I share 100% - but man do people complain a lot about everything these days.

@humanity: Oh, don't get me wrong. I didn't buy an Xbox One. I have a gaming PC. What do I even need a console for? LOL

I'm just saying that this is a fairly unique situation that we've never had happen before. Either a console would launch with a game packed in or it would launch without it. However, it was never less than a year (that I can recall, could be wrong about that) when a manufacturer threw a bundle together and sold it. That's the problem I'm seeing. It's a serious burn to early adopters, especially given that Microsoft was back and forth on all kinds of stupid shit.

You know what? With that last sentence I typed, I've flipped to what you are saying. Fuck, Microsoft didn't even know what it wanted to do with its DRM policy. Why WOULDN'T someone expect them to do something fucked up like this?

I'm going back to my gaming PC. It always treats me right.

@spaceinsomniac said:

@jakob187 said:

there is the whole argument of how early adopters are always going to have that problem, but nonetheless... There was no sign that stuff like this would be happening anytime soon. This is the kind of shit you do around the holidays.

...

I get what some people are saying about buying a launch console. I really do. However, there's a difference between something huge like this happening three months after the console launches compared to a year or whatever.

How about a price drop and four games?

Or how about this:

PS4 - Notice how NOTHING is available right now: http://www.game.co.uk/en/hardware/playstation-4/launch/?cm_sp=TopNav-_-PS4-_-PS4Console

Xbox One - Notice how EVERYTHING is available right now, except the Titanfall console, because they can't sell it yet: http://www.game.co.uk/en/hardware/xbox-one/xbox-one-launch-consoles/?cm_sp=home-_-takeover-_-XB1TitanfallDL

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW.

@jakob187: I think they knew exactly what they wanted to do with it but they buckled to consumer pressure. It's a trend that seems to be hurting the industry in my opinion. Companies should listen to their consumers and take criticism, but not let them guide billion dollar projects months from release. Likewise the stories I heard about Thief having an experience system that was taken out because the community backlash was immense. People need to stick to their guns and if it's bad, it's bad, but at least you know what they were doing rather than trying to straddle the fence at the last minute and not knowing what the hell is going on.

I think this situation is similar to console manufacturers releasing slim versions out of the blue. If you bought a brand new PS3 and the slim came out a week later, I'm sure that would be a bummer for some.

One of my favorite quotes of the DRM reversal: Robert Florence via Twitter: "Hey Xbox One. I changed my policy too. I thought you were evil pricks. I now think you are evil cowards."

@humanity: That's the thing, though - when millions and billions of dollars are on the line, you want your consumers to buy what you are selling or you'll see a loss. The bigger problem is that the developers and publishers feel like they need to spend millions on a game...while, ya know, The Walking Dead by Telltale and Bastion by Supergiant and Braid by Jonathan Blow and DayZ by some small guys are all over here, being developed independently...making a killing.

Hell, let's be real about stuff like Call of Duty: the advances to their graphics engine aren't THAT much. They are still running on a Quake III engine that has been heavily modified to no end. There can't be THAT much overhead on the fucking thing.

Gaming depresses me. = /

I bought my console at launch. I have not ill will for any company that adjusts it's marketing after I make my purchase. Bad timing on my part, time to move on.

I bought an Xbox One today knowing full well about the Titanfall bundle.

I'd much rather spend the extra $60 than have to download the whole game, which would probably take at least four hours based my connection.

It would be nice if it was retroactive.

It's now months later (than the OP)...

Turns out nobody plays much Titanfall. The console costs $399 now - and the (in canada) $449 PS4 still sells faster than it can be stocked while Xbox One sits on shelves.

The Halo fan in me wasn't going to let me not buy one, but I hope the field evens out this fall - I don't want another dominant console like PS2 or 360, we get better policies and pricing when they have to compete.