open letter to MS -- improvements -- follow on to my initial 360 impression

[kn]

This is not meant to be flamebait so you MS bashers need to find another thread.  I own this and other consoles but really would like to land on JUST ONE SYSTEM.  This thread pertains to my recently purchased premium 360 and is a follow on to my initial thoughts about the system and half a dozen games I picked up.  My premium works fine, it isn't noisy, and it was easy to hook up.  Well done, MS.  I'm playing in SD through the RGB component cables on a SD TV so HDTV for me, at this point, is irrelevant.  There are a few things that I think are really keeping the XBOX 360 from becoming the defacto next-gen standard and I want to offer these up given that, at this point in time, the 360 is in the best possible position to put a nail in the competition's coffin if MS executes.  Keep in mind these suggestions are to "round out" the 360 so it appeals to a broad audience and gives that audience NO REASON to look elesewhere for their entertainment.

1)Do something very publicly and consistently to address all the concerns about quality.  It concerned me greatly before I bought a console.  That will go a long way toward getting people off the fence and into the 360 camp.

2)Create a "lableling law" or something for the back of the boxes that sets and absolutely set in stone process for lableling how games will play. 2P co-op on one game box means online or system link but not local.  2P co-op on another box means split screen while co-op on yet another game means all on the same screen.  It gets worse than that, even, in that games like Kameo are 2 player co-op only after completing the game in 1-player mode.  I have a diverse group of gamers in the house and I'm trying to make everyone happy with game purchases.  Nothing disappoints or irritates me more when I buy something that isn't exactly as described or doesn't perform in the manner it was purchased for.

3)Open up the dang platform hardware!  The controller ports, for example, are a means to access the box.  The whole technical process (i believe it is a chip in the controller itself?) of limiting access to the 360's controller ports is nothing more than a money grab and we users KNOW it.  My family wants to play guitar hero with a wireless guitar.  No dice because there isn't one.  My daughter wants to use her high-end metal dance pad for DDR.  Can't do it.  No way.  No how.  Why you ask? The ports are locked down tight which severely hampers 3rd parties from developing innovative (and cost reasonable) controllers for the 360.  Again, this is nothing more than a money grab.  This means I have to keep my PS2 around for these two games -- just for that purpose.  Guess what?  When the PS3 comes down in price to an affordable level, I'll probably buy one since I'll have backwards compatibility and the ability to use her current metal pad and wireless guitar.  Wake up, MS!  I'd slam the door shut on my PS2 and probably and chance of a PS3 in the future if not for this one major point.  An opportunity to give guitar heroes and dance matters a platform to do EVERYTHING they want seems to be a no-brainer but has escaped the realm of common sense on this platform in the chase for more licensing and peripheral bucks by MS.  Try looking at the BIG picture and think LONG TERM instead of cutting off your nose just to spite your face.

4)Spend some money attracting more family friendly developers to make more games like Viva.  Good first effort, but you have to keep them coming (along with FPS, Sports, racing, etc.).  How about a wii-sports type of game on XBL and other similar "lite" content?  I know people like shooters but you have to keep them balanced with everything else.  I realize MS doesn't decide what third parties will write ultimately, but MS can do a lot to attract family type games by waiving or reducing royalties, assisting with development, marketing, project management, etc....

5)Encourage existing game developers to broaden the appeal of existing games by polishing the game design.  Nintendo, for example, does a great job with most games in walking the user through the key controls on screen so that games are more "approachable" and are essentially turn-on-and-play.  This is usually done by playing through a level with all sorts of help early on.  Gears, for example, would have benefitted greatly from having a tutorial on using cover, aiming, etc.  I know the hardcore gamers jump right in and work it out anyway, but for the average gamer, this would have really helped.

6)Broaden the playability of games by designing some controls into the content of the games.  The 360 has a "family" control -- what not extend that into the games themselves?  It would be cool if developers could design their games in such a way as to allow the family setting to shut off the heavy blood, gore, and language to essentially turn an M title into a Teen title.  Parents would most certainly appreciate it and it would again help the console be "more well rounded" by meeting the needs of more diverse audience.

Since I have just 5 hours on my new premium and haven't hit xbox live yet, I'm not yet fully informed as to all the aspects of the 360 but, in my opinion, these are some major areas to improve and slam the door on the competition...

Please, don't use this as a flame thread or flame bait.  I'm really hoping some folks at microsoft get more comments like this and they act on them in a positive way to better the console over time.  I also posted this on the official xbox forums in hope a MS-type will pick it up and contemplate it amongst some decision makers.