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[PA Comic] Wednesday, June 12, 2013 - Aftermath
Geth
LegionPerseus VeilRegistered User, Moderator, Penny Arcade Staff, Vanilla Staff vanilla
LegionPerseus VeilRegistered User, Moderator, Penny Arcade Staff, Vanilla Staff vanilla
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It's so rare that almost the entire internet agrees on something that I find it especially fascinating to watch the remaining 20% (there's always 20%) dig in hard. And the used games video. That was a riot.
...and then to top it off, this happens:
Well, this does make the WiiU the only console with free online play and backwards compatibility, and they are under the PS4 by $100, so yeah, there is at least the semblance of a decision to be made. PS4's going to be the winner in the end, I think we can all agree on that, but the WiiU at least didn't explode on the launch pad and send metal coated with burning rocket fuel into the next county.
Honestly, for the most part I imagine that people will be getting one of those two on priority with the other as a close-second. At the end of the day both will be had. It'll help out a lot if the Wii U sees a price drop. It was the first to launch this cycle, at any rate.
Well gosh, I suppose I might as well settle in for a nice cuppa ...... this is gonna be good!
I thought I felt sympathy at first, but really it's just astonishment at how much Microsoft screwed up what should have been an easy approach into riding a very comfortable 2nd place at minimum (and a shot at having 1st) (I'm speaking in terms of market share). I've said this over in G&T a few times lately but all they had to do was stick to their guns and not change anything. Improve on the hardware, yes, maybe some new features, that's it. And what we get instead is just some absolute bananas business approach that's meant to cater to business partners over consumers.
I thought they were going to damage control this shit, but then a quote from Don Mattrick on Sunday gets published, saying that the non-internet product people want from Microsoft is the 360. That's their response to the online-centric nature of the XB1. It's so antagonistic toward consumers to say that sort of thing. They're practically inventing a class / prestige issue in playing video games. "Don't have good internet? You're not good enough."
Yeah, if you want the most out of this (home) console generation, Wii U + PS4 seems like the way to go.
I'll be getting a Wii U first since they've got loads of games coming up that appeal to me but somewhere down the line, I'll definitely be getting a PS4.
Also: great comic.
Certainly a step up from the console reveal
It's just that Sony's conference was better in every way
Ya know it is so rare these days that you can actually say 'I remember the exact point that a company truly stopped giving a shit'. Well, I think we just saw one.
Well gosh, I suppose I might as well settle in for a nice cuppa ...... this is gonna be good!
anyway, I like how tycho can't even bring himself to say anything nice. Like, sorry guys, platitudes just ain't in me.
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
I fall into the later category. I almost always buy games new and I have an excellent internet connection that I use judiciously. So while I'm not directly affected by their policies I'm still put off by the XB1 since I know many of my friends won't be interested in the system. Xbox Live created a great social ecosystem and MS seems to be throwing that away in favor of only catering to the users that provide the highest profit margin.
Well gosh, I suppose I might as well settle in for a nice cuppa ...... this is gonna be good!
Never mind the whole cobra gift bag fiasco.
Personally, I'm relieved to have my next gen choice made so easily for me. PS4 ordered on Amazon as soon as they announced the price (and after I picked my jaw up from the floor), and I've had a WiiU for a while now. I was regretting that purchase, but then I saw dat Bayonetta 2 trailer... oh my.
PSN: rlinkmanl
This is a small but stupid part of MS's plan. If the user wants to leave the thing on all the time so that they can tell it to turn on vocally, then that functionality is there. If they want to turn it off, provide an off button. At that point, there is no issue because you are not trying to tell your consumers how they must use your device just because you feel like you know better than them what should concern them.
The bigger problem is all the other ways that they are telling users how they need to use their system. They're telling people that they shouldn't be buying used games, and actively throwing roadblocks in the way of people who do. They're telling people that don't have continuous internet connections that they can't use the device at all.
It seems like Microsoft is confident that with so much catering to large developers they can be successful regardless of the feelings of their consumers- the people who actually pay them.
There's a word for this, and it's been around for an awfully long time... Hubris.
I don't follow a lot of current events. What NSA thing are you talking about?
Also, one snake bite isn't really that bad, all things considered. I mean, at least they didn't give everyone the swine flu or something.
Basically, a former contractor working with the CIA came out and said "uhh...guys. The NSA is basically monitoring the metadata for all your calls, emails, and everything ever." Not like... actually listening (note: they probably can if they want to), but taking note of who you call, how long the call is etc. Google, IBM, AT&T, Verizon etc are all said to be party to this.
When asked, various US congressmen and Senators were like "yeah, we know all about this, it comes up for re-approval once in a while and we okay it."
There's a big hubbub about the NSA collecting internet and phone metadata, basically indiscriminately. I guess some people were surprised.
I'm guessing it's the recent revelation that the NSA has your cell phone records, and have been receiving them for quite some time. Google "Snowden" or "NSA Leak" for more information.
Edit: Unsurprisingly, beaten soundly.
Would you like a tinfoil hat with that crazy statement? Metadata isn't the same as data.
Plenty of reasonable things to hate Microsoft for without people making stuff up.
no, it is literally 2013.
Google "PRISM" and "Edward Snowden," or watch this if you only have 4 minutes to spare:
No, it's liturgically 5773.
I'm glad I'm not the first one to remember that little Twitter fiasco.
Really if all they did was make it so that the internet check was needed for playing games where you don't have the disc in the drive, I'd be fine with the system. That would allow used games, rentals, lending, etc. but also give quite a few of the benefits of digital distribution.
Microsoft has backed down on most of their really big failed concepts in the past, but right now they seem particularly obstinate. There's still no sign of budging on the Windows 8 interface, for example. And with the Xbox One mess, they're taking pains to make sure everybody knows this is on the publishers, not them, to pull the trigger on the loaded gun Microsoft handed them.
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/07/16
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2010/06/16
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2010/03/24
Of course, deserved. But still, if we compare what Microsoft did, even to shit like the "giant enemy crab", I dont think one strip is enough. I want a comic-version of that grin right here:
I'm gonna go and assume the shock has truly set in.
Well gosh, I suppose I might as well settle in for a nice cuppa ...... this is gonna be good!