Welp, Microsoft Just Blew Their Foot Off

[Leynos]

Just went to my local game store they will not be selling the xbox one or any of its games.

Holy shit. I wonder how many retailers will take this stance.

My local shop is doing the same thing.

[techwizard]

i probably won't be buying either at launch. the Wii U was the only system i ever bought day 1, and i have enough systems that don't get much love as it is. i'm sure i'll get one or both of the others eventually, but we'll see. if microsoft's policies don't change then i probably never will for the XB1, because i don't see a system that requires a network connection as collectable. once the infrastructure shuts down, the games won't work, unless they patch it to be more open before shutting down.

[GamingGuru]

Microsoft had a chance to really blow people away with E3 they instead tried to drive the point home that the Xbox one is for gaming. I think they failed because not only did they not show alot of games they did not show alot of features that would make it stand out from the PS4 and it is 100$ more . I am not a real fan of the Xbox exclusives so i have no reason to continue buying Microsoft and i will not i want a gaming console not a damn entertainment hub and for 499$ unless you're a serious fanboy i don't see why anyone would buy a Xbox one But that's my 2 cents.   

[Fleach]

I have to agree with GamingGuru about the XBox exclusives. The only one I liked and cared about was Alan Wake (then Remedy disappointed me with the game's sequel but that's another for another day).

I'm definitely going with Sony for this console generation. Not sure I'll pre-order the system though, because, like techwizard said, its launch line-up doesn't appeal to me all that much. I'd rather wait until there are a good chunk of titles I'd like to play then I'll pick up a PS4. Needless to say I'll still be playing lots of PS3 this holiday season.

@Crabby, did I read your post right? Did you pre-order both consoles?

[bombatomba]

This is awesome.  It's like E3 1995 all over again (although I would have like a $299/$399 versus the $399/$499 price point).  You could almost hear MS collectively suck their breathes in when Sony announced the price.  Great stuff.  Still not sold, though.  I'm thinking 2016 for a purchase.  This will give time for plenty of games to come out and become discounted.

[Shadow Kisuragi]

Just went to my local game store they will not be selling the xbox one or any of its games.

Holy shit. I wonder how many retailers will take this stance.

Probably not too many.  You can't make money if you don't sell something.  As much as I dislike the XBone, I think it would be stupid for retailers to not carry a major game console.  Sure, most gamers and collectors are upset with Microsoft's policies for the console, but I doubt most casual players will care too much.  Granted, they may opt for Sony's console on the basis that it is cheaper (Or even the Wii U, for that matter), but I don't think Microsoft will be sitting on tens of thousands of XBones during launch season.

EDIT: There are also rumors of certain GameStop stores selling out of pre-orders.  After 2 console launches, I think Microsoft knows how to create demand now by limiting pre-orders.  Also, achievement collectors are certainly going to want to buy the console simply because of the Day 1 achievement.

You can get the achievement just for pre-ordering, and cancel your pre-order. It's a 0 point acheivement, just like the Xbox 360 Inner Circle achievement for the launch team.

[Crabmaster2000]

@Crabby, did I read your post right? Did you pre-order both consoles?

How else am I gonna know if they are any good?

[Shadow Kisuragi]

If anything, Crabby can just sell them at his store.

[Fleach]

@Crabby, did I read your post right? Did you pre-order both consoles?

How else am I gonna know if they are any good?

Wow, I would have expected you to be one of the last guys to pre-order one of the systems. Now I see you've reserved both! What alternate reality is this? 

[slackur]

Frustrating thing for me is that while I have no love for Microsoft as a company, I do tend to like their exclusives more than Sony's.  I own most of them for each so far, and I really like Gears, Halo, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Alan Wake, and a few others.  inFamous, Killzone, Resistance, Little Big Planet, and other Sony exclusives just didn't connect with me, and I did give each game in each series some time to grow on me.

Now, Crimson Dragon, Killer Instinct, a new Halo, and new exclusive Titanfall (which looks like it was made just for me) are on a system I have no desire to support because of a business practice that prevents me from collecting or having ownership of the products I pay for.  Sony, on the other hand, told me everything I wanted to hear (except the requirement of Plus for Multiplayer.  I have Plus but most of my friends do not) and a price-point I can get behind, and yet the only games shown for it that I want to play are ones that are not exclusive to PS4 (Battlefield 4 and Destiny.)

It's a disappointing split.  Meanwhile, though Nintendo is playing things almost annoyingly safe, there are at least as many Wii U games that interest me as anything on the horizon for the other two.  A sequel and a remake to two of my favorite Zeldas?  I've enjoyed every Smash Bros, Mario Kart, and Pikmin game thus far and the new ones are looking great.  Not to mention a 'new' Etrian Odyssey, SMT IV, and Project X Zone. 

Come to think of it, if I only picked up the 3DS games I'd like as they come out (and catch up on my backlog for the system), I could completely overlook the big boys for a good year  and probably not miss much.

[Crabmaster2000]

@Crabby, did I read your post right? Did you pre-order both consoles?

How else am I gonna know if they are any good?

Wow, I would have expected you to be one of the last guys to pre-order one of the systems. Now I see you've reserved both! What alternate reality is this? 

Like Shadow guessed its store related and not something I plan to have in my home anytime soon.

[Shadow Kisuragi]

Frustrating thing for me is that while I have no love for Microsoft as a company, I do tend to like their exclusives more than Sony's.  I own most of them for each so far, and I really like Gears, Halo, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Alan Wake, and a few others.  inFamous, Killzone, Resistance, Little Big Planet, and other Sony exclusives just didn't connect with me, and I did give each game in each series some time to grow on me.

Now, Crimson Dragon, Killer Instinct, a new Halo, and new exclusive Titanfall (which looks like it was made just for me) are on a system I have no desire to support because of a business practice that prevents me from collecting or having ownership of the products I pay for.  Sony, on the other hand, told me everything I wanted to hear (except the requirement of Plus for Multiplayer.  I have Plus but most of my friends do not) and a price-point I can get behind, and yet the only games shown for it that I want to play are ones that are not exclusive to PS4 (Battlefield 4 and Destiny.)

It's a disappointing split.  Meanwhile, though Nintendo is playing things almost annoyingly safe, there are at least as many Wii U games that interest me as anything on the horizon for the other two.  A sequel and a remake to two of my favorite Zeldas?  I've enjoyed every Smash Bros, Mario Kart, and Pikmin game thus far and the new ones are looking great.  Not to mention a 'new' Etrian Odyssey, SMT IV, and Project X Zone.  

Come to think of it, if I only picked up the 3DS games I'd like as they come out (and catch up on my backlog for the system), I could completely overlook the big boys for a good year  and probably not miss much.

I'm in the same boat with you - Sony exclusives never really captured me last cycle, and they're not capturing me so far this cycle. I can't say I agree with some of Microsoft's policies, but most of them don't impact me as a gamer (collector, on the other hand...).

I can't wait until someone makes a comparison video with the platforms to compare computing power and overall gameplay for something like Battlefield 4, which would take huge advantage of Microsoft's cloud computing. Curious if there's a major difference.

[slackur]

Frustrating thing for me is that while I have no love for Microsoft as a company, I do tend to like their exclusives more than Sony's.  I own most of them for each so far, and I really like Gears, Halo, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Alan Wake, and a few others.  inFamous, Killzone, Resistance, Little Big Planet, and other Sony exclusives just didn't connect with me, and I did give each game in each series some time to grow on me.

Now, Crimson Dragon, Killer Instinct, a new Halo, and new exclusive Titanfall (which looks like it was made just for me) are on a system I have no desire to support because of a business practice that prevents me from collecting or having ownership of the products I pay for.  Sony, on the other hand, told me everything I wanted to hear (except the requirement of Plus for Multiplayer.  I have Plus but most of my friends do not) and a price-point I can get behind, and yet the only games shown for it that I want to play are ones that are not exclusive to PS4 (Battlefield 4 and Destiny.)

It's a disappointing split.  Meanwhile, though Nintendo is playing things almost annoyingly safe, there are at least as many Wii U games that interest me as anything on the horizon for the other two.  A sequel and a remake to two of my favorite Zeldas?  I've enjoyed every Smash Bros, Mario Kart, and Pikmin game thus far and the new ones are looking great.  Not to mention a 'new' Etrian Odyssey, SMT IV, and Project X Zone. 

Come to think of it, if I only picked up the 3DS games I'd like as they come out (and catch up on my backlog for the system), I could completely overlook the big boys for a good year  and probably not miss much.

I'm in the same boat with you - Sony exclusives never really captured me last cycle, and they're not capturing me so far this cycle. I can't say I agree with some of Microsoft's policies, but most of them don't impact me as a gamer (collector, on the other hand...).

I can't wait until someone makes a comparison video with the platforms to compare computing power and overall gameplay for something like Battlefield 4, which would take huge advantage of Microsoft's cloud computing. Curious if there's a major difference.

I'm assuming it'll be like every console generation; the games custom made for a console's specific hardware will be amazing, (MGS 4, Halo 4) there will be crummy ports, (Bayonetta, FFXIII) and most cross-platform will be close enough that most gamers won't care either way (Call of Duty, Battlefield 3.)

It's here that Nintendo's lack of comparative hardware power is a bonus to me.  I'm not interested in ports on the Wii U; I can get that on other systems.  I want unique experiences on the Wii U that I can't get on the other systems, and the hardware divide can help developers focus on the unique setup the Wii U offers instead of just making the same games across all three.  This is the ideal, of course, and while Nintendo wholeheartedly goes there, third parties notoriously don't.  Good thing that Nintendo is such a talented developer; as much maligned as the Wii often is to 'core' gamers, I sure have had a lot of fun with it.

[Shadow Kisuragi]

If it's one thing Nintendo knows how to do, it's to craft a compelling and unique experience on their consoles. I'd love to own a Wii U and play many of its offerings, but there's just not enough content there yet to justify the purchase. 3DS, on the other hand, keeps slapping me in the face with the awesome titles they've been getting, but I just don't have the time to devote to my 3DS with all of the mobile gaming I already do on my Windows Phone (trying to crack the Top 150 right now in the world).

[slackur]

If it's one thing Nintendo knows how to do, it's to craft a compelling and unique experience on their consoles. I'd love to own a Wii U and play many of its offerings, but there's just not enough content there yet to justify the purchase. 3DS, on the other hand, keeps slapping me in the face with the awesome titles they've been getting, but I just don't have the time to devote to my 3DS with all of the mobile gaming I already do on my Windows Phone (trying to crack the Top 150 right now in the world).

Same deal on the Wii U for me, though that may change by the end of the year.  I've puttered with phone gaming in the past, and Plants Vs Zombies was my first break-though on the platform, but given my feelings on digital and the temporary nature of phone games, I just lost all interest in them.  I had a small collection on my iPhone before it died, and I never was able to recover them.  It just drove home the exact concern I have for the XB1, and keeps me invested in 3DS as opposed to mobile.