Currently Online 
| soulfly666 said:
It is really just my speculation as they never actually went forward with the plans due to the 180. IMO, there were several things on the table that did not scream ethically sound. The policies for always online and to check in once every 24 hours were basically making the console largely unuseable in countries / areas with terrible and unreliable internet connectivity which is relatively common and something people take for granted, yet they were certainly planning on selling it there anyway. (South America, Eastern Europe, Southern Asia etc.) I also felt the want to limit how previously bought games could be accessed was bad. MS was basically saying that all armed servicepersons would not be able to game on their XBox1 at sea, or deployed to remote locations with no or limited internet, which is hugely popular with 360 and those folks, and let's face it if you live that stressed a life you deserve to play the new consoles just like everyone else. Serious questions about privacy also went unanswered regarding always on Kinect despite ongoing NSA headlines. Also there was the whole paying youtube creators to promote X1 but making them unable to disclose they were being paid or say anything bad about the console which many claim violates FTC rules. None of these things are illegal but I find them leaning towards unethical. All that being said I did buy an X1 after getting a PS4 myself anyways, as I don't hold grudges towards companies or people who make the right decisions going forward. While some may seem like not that big of a deal, it's important to look at them from the mindset of an uninformed average consumer. |
With the original direction MS was going, I higly doubt they could have sold the X1 in countries that do not have decent internet. For a device that wants to be everything to everyone, it was really a stupid move more than unethical. This is what I was saying in a previous post. A lot of decisions were made where you can see the top brass (Don M) vision of the market was way to corporate. Its probably one of the main reasons he left before having to resign because his whole vision was flawed. I would not be surprised if Phill got the position he has now because he was vocal on the issues MS faced and giving the new Top brass a list of directions the division should go for success.
@Bolded: From my understanding that had nothing to do with MS but was the standard clause from Mamachinima. It was detailed that this is an agreement that machinima has made with other companies and youtube bloggers and was not something MS asked them to do. But thats neither here or there. As you stated, your average consumer never digs for detail so when stuff hits the fan, its only the crap that rises up not all the time the truth.
