The Xbox One-Eighty (The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly)

THE XBOX ONE-EIGHTY (THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY)

So: Microsoft is entirely changing their tone on DRM, “always” on internet and generally bad policies? GOOD! Now this console generation won’t be so woefully one-sided.

This is almost entirely positive news for gamers everywhere, but I’m going to go ahead and be a dick and not only give you the obvious reasons why these changes are good, but also the more roundabout reasons why it’s kind of bad, too.

The Good:

Microsoft is listening!

After overwhelmingly negative backlash towards pretty much every policy Microsoft introduced, they decided to change. What this ultimately does is prove that Microsoft is willing to do what it takes to make consumers happy, and if it means losing sales to used games again, then so be it.

You can buy freaking used games!

Must I elaborate? 10, 12, 69 years down the line, if you have an Xbox One, and find a copy of Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare at a hover-car garage sale, you can play that shit. Simple as all that.

You can have a shitty, inconsistent internet connection!

Ever had a shady internet provider? Still do? THEN WE HAVE GOOD NEWS! You can still play Dead Rising 3 all alone, in your underwear, without access to Perezhilton.com.

Thank. God.

The Bad:

Microsoft is listening… because they had to

Don’t kid yourselves – these changes only happened because Sony was winning positive consumer mindshare, and overall console reservation sales. Money is ultimately the only reason Microsoft has done anything in the last decade. Don’t for a second let them pretend they actually care about the consumer – they just care about their money.

You can buy used games… and it still hurts the bottom line

Do I support used games?
Let me answer that question with a question: Does a bear shit in the woods?

YES.

(I think.)

The point is, we should be happy used, physical games are here to stay… but there WAS a reason Microsoft did this in the first place. Huge portions of profit margins are eaten away by used game sales, and while used games can be nice, it also means less funding for developers.

Want another Last of Us? TOO BAD! Too many of you cheap-wads bought it used.

You can still have a shitty, inconsistent internet connection…

This is actually kind of a bad thing. Considering that pervasive, online worlds are all the rage with the next generation, not having good bandwidth, and not ensuring that you always have it ultimately gimps the overall experience of your Destinys or your Forzas. At the very least, Microsoft is making sure EVERY player initially connects to the internet, ensuring that most people will be able to make use of these admittedly awesome aspects of next-gen gaming.

The Ugly:

Lindsay Lohan’s face.