Major Nelson " We’re really not going to change anything"

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=592016

Major nelson spoke in an interview saying that the PS4 is not going to make them change anything about the xbox one.

The PS4 pretty much beat out the Xbox One in positive press this week with it’s lack of used game DRM, lack of 24-hour check-ins, and price tag. When asked if these announcements by Sony will influence Microsoft and make them change what they’re doing with Xbox One he had this to say:

“I don’t think,… I mean we’re really not going to change anything we’ve done with Xbox One.

We’re very happy,… did you see the games on stage during our briefing? Did you see the exclusives? I mean we’re really really proud of the system and the games that are coming out. When you look at games like TitanFall,… have you gone through Titanfall yet? Enough said. Conversation over.

We’re really happy with what we showed on stage as well as what we’re showing here in the booth so I think it is uh,… i

t’s safe to say that we’re confident where we’re going. We’re also confident that gamers are going to love our vision of the future and what we’re going to offer for gaming”

Nelson seems a bit on the defensive here and I feel sympathy for him. I’ve always liked him personally and his job just got a lot harder with all the controversial policies of the Xbox One.

Of course, even if Microsoft planned to change something about the Xbox One in response to Sony’s PS4 they wouldn’t make that decision so quickly and wouldn’t admit it was Sony that influenced it. Still, they seem very proud of everything they’re doing with the Xbox One and hopefully when the system releases they tweak a few of their policies for the better.

gotta agree with the excerpt here, that IF they were to change anything with the policies, they will never admit that it was due to the backlash

they better act soon IF they change anything

http://www.gamestop.com/browse?nav=28-xu0,135

http://www.amazon.com/best-sellers-video-games/zgbs/videogames/ref=vg_homepage_quicklinks_bestsellers?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-leftnav&pf_rd_r=D0A46B0C35F24CAA8548&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1567748922&pf_rd_i=468642

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/most-wished-for/videogames/300703/ref=s9_ri_bw_clnk?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-4&pf_rd_r=44FA5F8E985447A19F83&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=390490607&pf_rd_i=300703

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olstemplatemapper.jsp?id=pcat17080&type=page&qp=cabcat0700000~~nf415||5072652d4f72646572&list=y&nrp=15&sc=gameToySP&sp=-bestsellingsort+skuid&usc=abcat0700000

data shows that ps4 has a lead.

and this data shows that its not just the usual internet hivemind mob thats supporting ps4

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=562421

also its funny how they are touting titanfall, when Vince Zampella has been coy on twitter with the titanfall IP being solely xbox one exclusive,

Not to mention that it isn't even technically an Xbox One exclusive. It's coming out on the PC, too.

Sounds like a PR dance.

I'm not surprised at his response, if they do change anything (and I would bet they will) it's not gonna be this soon. They have plenty of time to change or alter policies, jumping on it right now would look desperate.

@thesoutherndandy: they have time between now and gamescon then release

And if they do change stuff they won't say it's because of Sony. They will play it off as listening to their customers.

It's going to be exclusive for at least a year, and that will be enough. Tons of people love Halo and they love Call of Duty. If only one console will give them a new Halo and a new futuristic Call of Duty then they just might bite. You must realize the people who only buy a CoD and a Madden title each year aren't that into gaming to know or care about any of this DRM stuff. Once they find out they won't care either.

@humanity: and those are the same people who spend countless hours online anyways playing those games.

@the_laughing_man: Yeah exactly, the last thing they're gonna do is make it look like Sony had an influence on anything they do, even if it's obvious to everyone else.

they better listen soon, sony has a big lead now.

http://www.gamestop.com/browse?nav=28-xu0,135

http://www.amazon.com/best-sellers-video-games/zgbs/videogames/ref=vg_homepage_quicklinks_bestsellers?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-leftnav&pf_rd_r=D0A46B0C35F24CAA8548&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1567748922&pf_rd_i=468642

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/most-wished-for/videogames/300703/ref=s9_ri_bw_clnk?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-4&pf_rd_r=44FA5F8E985447A19F83&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=390490607&pf_rd_i=300703

"Now what's this Internet doodad the youngun's are rattling on about?"

I don't know. maybe they can get away without changing anything and still sell quite a few boxes. I don't expect Titanfall to be anything other than a short-term timed exclusive. The PC version will probably have AI running locally so it will be a bit better anyway.

I think it's the long term where they will be hurting if they stick with their game policies. It will take about a year for the mouth breathers to figure out the PS4 is a better deal and lets them do more with their games.

I read this then immediately thought, "they have to do test groups and market research first". Then they will say, "according to our research, we are altering X feature".

@mrfluke: IGN reports its 3 PS4 for every 2 X1. So the gap is all ready small.

As for the amazon thing X1 does not have any bundles yet I do not think.

this begs to differ

http://www.gamestop.com/browse?nav=28-xu0,135

http://www.amazon.com/best-sellers-video-games/zgbs/videogames/ref=vg_homepage_quicklinks_bestsellers?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-leftnav&pf_rd_r=D0A46B0C35F24CAA8548&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1567748922&pf_rd_i=468642

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/most-wished-for/videogames/300703/ref=s9_ri_bw_clnk?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-4&pf_rd_r=44FA5F8E985447A19F83&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=390490607&pf_rd_i=300703

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olstemplatemapper.jsp?id=pcat17080&type=page&qp=cabcat0700000~~nf415||5072652d4f72646572&list=y&nrp=15&sc=gameToySP&sp=-bestsellingsort+skuid&usc=abcat0700000

and look at this gaf thread,

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=562421&page=17

i m not saying that there arent people like what you're describing, but im also not gonna generalize and say the "dudebro" crowd wont notice and not care about the xbox one policies.

It's grand experiment. (We have choices.) Let's see how it all turns out.

(I like digital copies fine if they aren't a hassle.)

@the_laughing_man: and then a few local gamestops are reporting they have 50 ps4 preorders to 20 xbox one preorders ( i wish i could find the link to show you).

I feel for the dude, his whole career for the Xbox brand has been riding high on the enjoyment and loyalty of fans, he's likely never been asked questions framed like this, by press, until this year.

It will take some getting used to.

That is of course granted this is even an accurate representation of the audio. I'd sooner pay attention to an actual recording.

Yeezus. Get over it.

Heh heh yeah pretty much. I think the best thing for them to do is try to rebuild some goodwill. Get Major Nelson or somebody to essentially come out and say 'Look, we kinda screwed up. We made some decisions to try to keep everyone happy but it backfired on us. We've been listening to the community and all the feedback and decided to make some changes to try to show we want all those gamers that put us where we are to be happy'. Or something to that effect. That'll never happen but yeah.

I'm not as down on the system as most people seem to be, I like the games and I still wanna pick one up but you look at their messaging and you look at Sony's messaging where they have Adam Boyes up front and talking about how much they care about gamers and it feels totally different. I don't buy into all of it, Sony still wants your money but at least they're trying. MS needs to reconnect with gamers somehow.

@mrfluke: it's the other way here. Local place has 50 X1 orders and 30 Ps4. But it seems both of their ore orders have been cut off.

Well said.

"Choo choo" says the Xbox-digital-express. Soon Mr Gerstmann will be living the dream.

Female digital voice: Your digital downloads are ready... Mr. Gerstmann

I hope the Xbone implodes upon microsoft this generation. It seems like they are doing everything they can to control their system but with really no benefit to the consumers.

@the_laughing_man: yea locally it seems all over the place

https://twitter.com/unstoptheday/status/344500210480857088

https://twitter.com/dperschonok/status/344502109695262721

@mrfluke: wanna add my local GameStop won't take any more per orders for Ghost for ANY system. That's amusing.

I don't think amazon bestseller lists mean a damn thing if I'm totally honest, without numbers there could be 1000 pre-orders differentiating the two, and maybe even only a few thousand each in total. Hardly translates to a "big lead."

@the_laughing_man: no shit? guess call of duty is still a thing for people. more power to those folks,

same for the people that still dig battlefield, as gametrailers had this social media thing, and battlefield has consistently stayed in the top 10

http://www.gametrailers.com/gdex

No matter what either of you state it really doesn't matter. Online Polls, forums, and really anything else on the web can be easily manipulated, so all the evidence on the internet apart from actual sales when it comes out won't prove anything. I don't think titanfall will be as much of a deciding factor for the call of duty crowd as Microsoft thinks it will. Saying it's from the guys who made you call of duty doesn't really work in the video game world. That's what EA tried to do with Bioware (by changing all their studios to Bioware). Not to mention I don't think the call of duty crowd are the ones that will be getting a X1 in the first year. But who knows if word of mouth is great and their friends play it, too, then maybe it will. I don't know.

So his response was "Play the game!"?

I think its funny how oblivious anyone at Microsoft seems to act about any of this DRM stuff, to the point where they sound like they have no clue why anyone would be upset over their policies. When asked a really good question like this, the fact that Major Nelson immediately went "HEY DIDN'T YOU SEE THE COOL GAMES? GAMES!!!!" tells me that marketing people really thought people were dumb enough to be distracted away from the DRM. I also like the fact that they continue to tell us how much we are going to love what their restrictive policies do for gaming without telling us what those benefits are.

@humanity said:

I think that's a rather big leap of assumption. I have a coworker that play Call of Duty for 95% of his gaming time, the rest he spends trying out other first person shooters (Borderlands, Far Cry, etc.) but it's pretty much all about CoD. His friend's list is filled with CoD players (some who regularly posts to YouTube, you know the type). He and I had a conversation about this whole thing and he's considering going PS4 based on this whole DRM/24 hour check-in nonsense. And according to him, a majority of his friends list is looking that way too. And much like you make an assumption, all I can offer in return is hearsay. But it's a thing I've been saying for a long time, people underestimate this block of players as some mindless mass of idiots. Plenty of them might be narrow in their game-taste, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are mindless consumers.

There are potentially appealing things they still haven't talked about, that won't qualify as policy changes. Subsidies, for one. $200 plus a subscription package for Xbox One would be pretty attractive for me. But I'm someone who subscribed to the Sega Channel.

Also it's not... I mean it's just not all about the games anymore from a policy perspective, and going on the defensive this way is weaker now. The 3DO couldn't do shit besides a music visualiser, without software. Hawkins couldn't tout it as anything besides something you buy things for. Today's machines can stand alone as devices with features and limitations, beyond just an extra plastic tab that prevents importing from different regions. What I can do with my Xbox One and the software on it matters just as much to me, for my money. I'm not buying a Titanfall device, that's for damn sure.

I have always tried to remain agnostic when it comes to the PS3 and 360 but i have really shifted over to sony since e3, and I thought titianfall looked really good as well until i heard its a MP only game, so maybe the hardcore COD players will gravitate to it but for me with no single player element to the game its just not something i am worried about playing. And maybe its just me but i didn't see anything else that was a must play on the xbone.

Did anyone expect him to say anything else?

I agree with this. I think Titanfall looks great, but you don't build a massive franchise overnight unless you do something truly and obviously revolutionary (as Halo did for Xbox and Gears did for 360), and Titanfall isn't doing that. At a glance it looks like any other team-based FPS except it has mechs. People who follow games closely will care about the pedigree of the team behind it, but I'm not sure it's that big a deal for regular people.

Titanfall is an unknown quantity with no brand recogniton and no single player to boot. If that's their 'conversation over' game, they're gonna struggle I think.

It's a logical assumption but still an assumption I'll grant you that. Since neither of us knows for sure and only time will tell I won't argue the matter. Sorry I don't have a cool gif.

did you see the games on stage during our briefing? Did you see the exclusives?

Yeah, I saw those PC games. Don't see what that has to do with the Xbone though.

@jimbo: Especially since it's coming to the PC also. With good looking actual exclusives it's weird that he'd single out Titanfall. I guess since it's an FPS and not coming to the PS4 it's good enough. Other than that he didn't really say anything surprising. To change things now would be admitting defeat.

@mrfluke: If you're interested in an unsurprising non-US perspective on pre-orders I decided to check out some Finnish retailers. In short the PS4 is in the lead. Some links:

Can't wait to play Titanfall on PC is all I got out of that.

project343:

I'm really not going to give them any money...

I know it's fun to hate on xbone and all, but this is the correct thing for him to say. The worst thing he could do was say "Yeah, looks like we're behind. We may change some things." It would just cause more people to be vocal and just think that they can change the xbone to be a different system than the one microsoft has been creating this whole time. If Microsoft just changed all their shit to look like the ps4, then why would you get a xbone? The ps4 is already a thing, copying it isn't going to really help you. It will certainly make you look weak, and Sony's marketing would exploit the shit out of that.

Microsoft's PR has been really shitty, Major Nelson included, but this is not one of those times.

@davidwitten22: the big sticking point with people is those nasty policies, if they change that or make that super flexible, then they have a fighting chance, but i agree though they cant come off and change things so quickly as they will come off weak,

i dont get the hating on the "hivemind" for favoring the ps4 though (not specifically saying you as you made a sensible argument) as there are very legitimate reasons to hate the xbone.

@chibithor: yep, sony has a good lead. if you find any more data ill post it in the OP.

Xbox One is essentially Steam, but you gain the ability to share your games with 10 people & you can sell your digital licenses to the games you own. As far as exclusives go if you're only getting one of the two consoles, the One seems better at launch. Capy is one of my favourite developers, Forza looks better than anything coming down the pike in racing games & they locked up Swery.

I'm a PC gamer currently, I wasn't planning on getting either of the two consoles unless they really wowed me at E3. They both did, but Xbox One wowed me more for what I care about.

Hardware has never been the deciding mark in consoles, it's all up to the developers in relation to the platform holders & how aggressive that platform holder is to make it easier for developers to develop on their platform.

I'll say one thing, if a pc version of a game is coming out day in date with the console version, I'll buy the PC version 99% of the time. From the sounds of it Titanfall might be one of those few games that I'll buy on console first just because they're farming out the PC version to a third party.

Yeah I don't see what the issue everyone is having with The One. It looks like a great console with great games coming to it, same for the PS4.

I have a very different point of view. I don't want them to change 1 single other than the simultaneous play for 2 people of same game if that's not true. That's all I want. The game sharing thing pretty much fixed the only major issue I had with the console. Because without it, none of the things below mattered.

Their launch line-up and E3 reel was the most varied line-up of genres and video games I have ever seen on an E3 reel. It appeals to any type of gamer out there. I really don't care what the hardcore gamer that watches E3 thinks about it. I'm not that hardheaded and I know that when you give the entire development community those kinds of tools, they will make games with it and will be even excited to see what they can create. Most people dog Call of Duty then rushes out for PS4 when its two main featured titles are Killzone 4 and Drive Club. A FPS and a racing game. Uhm, no thanks.

I've been waiting since the Kinect was launched for proper support for it and by packing it standard it's obvious it's already getting the kind of support I wanted to see on it. Games that use a combination of those features and a controller. Spark looks incredible. Crimson Dragon, Quantum break, Ryse all have potential. And so many others like D4 and Kinect Riders look like games I would at least love to try out.

The Xbox One gives every developer the chance to make a video game that uses all of those features: controller, gestures, voice recognition straight out of the box on one unified user base. And it gives them the opportunity to develop a game that can appeal to the entire user base ranging from casual to the most hardcore gamer. They're all going to be on that one system. The moment a developer makes a huge hit that appeals to that wide a spectrum, everybody's going to want to copy that

If you get past the broadband requirement, then as a gaming machine, it's the most inclusive one ever designed, imo, and when it all comes down to it, that's why I buy consoles for: games. Variety and innovation is a must especially in a generation where the jump in power is slightly aesthetic, not ground breaking. That needs to come from some other area. And I think that area is going to come from how we control our video games.

The Xbox 1 has the games I want. Period. Their launch line-up already looks fantastic. Being able to play games like The Witcher, Forza 5, Ryse, Killer Instinct(F2P to boot which is nice cause I never buy fighting games), Fantasia, Quantum Break, Spark, Crimson Dragon and so many others in the first year that are all so different, is a huge deal to me. There really is something for everybody and enough different gaming experiences to keep me interested. Even waggle fans. I might even try out Kinect Sports Riders. The variety you can do with the Xbox One is insanely awesome.

That's what ultimately drive hardware sales. As such they have nothing to worry about.

And I don't really think Microsoft cares that the Middle East and Eastern Europe can play the PS4 and is going to help drive PS4 sales above the Xbox One. That's pirate land central. That's not going to benefit anyone other than Sony and pirates.

The whole "did you see the games on stage during our briefing? Did you see the exclusives?" line bugs me. It seems like Larry thinks that we're stupid and he can dangle a shiny object or a ball of string in front of us and that will appease us. No matter how much you shine and polish a turd it's still a turd. If they changed their policies then it wouldn't be that bad, but they won't.

I'm still more bothered by their attitude though. Don Mattrick especially. If you're a soldier their option is the 360. Unbelievable. The arbitrary restrictions are bad, but saying something like that is liable to get you punched in the face for being an overly smug sack of shit.

man a bit bitter aren't you? sorry im a bit flashy with my way of saying i agree with the dude.

Microsoft has done a very poor job at controlling their message and at expressing it to people. They pretty much deserve every bit of negativity they are getting at the moment, no matter if it is misinformed or not, because they aren't doing anything to put out the fires. If anything they've just stoked them. I have heard some other people from inside the industry present MS stance much better and much clearer and it gave me a better understanding of the companies actual vision. Contrary to popular belief they aren't doing everything just so they can have all of the money in the world. That is part of it, but not all of it. However, it doesn't matter what anyone else says, because they aren't Microsoft. They aren't the ones who need to get a grasp on and control the message. MS needs to do something and they need to do it fast. This is only going to snowball and it is only going to get worse. Eventually it will be ingrained in everyone's minds and it will be accepted fact that the XBone is an evil piece of shit. Once the debacle gets big enough, the main stream press will start casually covering it and then people who don't really follow this stuff closely will get this same message.

I worry that Microsoft is completely fucked no matter what they do. If they stand their ground, they are fucked. The PR department is incapable of not making them seem like an army of Satan assholes. If they change their minds on their policies, they most likely won't be able to control that message either. The internet has made up its mind and it will view anything with the most cynical of eyes. "They caved in. They lost. They admitted to being dumb and having a bad idea. Obviously Sony was right all along. Why would you back a stupid loser?" Or there is this argument, "The changed their minds, so obviously they aren't too dedicated to their ideas or policies. How do we know they won't change again and go back to what they said originally? How can we trust them to not betray us when they have already shown so much contempt for us and our rights as consumers?"