So I know hindsight is 20/20 but this is what I would have done to make the Xbox One far more competive with PS4:

-Remove the Blue Ray Player and EDRAM to remove $100, and simplify everything from yield % to programming complexity.

-Remove Kinect from console to bring it down another $100

-Sell the console at $300 in a smaller package with a Kinect 2.0 SKU for $250 with 2 year Xbox live subscription.

This would have brought massive competition to the PS4.  If MS wants to go digital, then DVD's should be fine when you only need to swap discs once to install the game.  Yes the loss of EDRAM would make it even weaker, but honestly at $300 who would care?  Then the $250 SKU is there for the parents that want a really nice media device and next gen gaming for their kids.

So would you guys be more inclined to accept the policies if the system were buit and priced this way?

*NOTE: Now I know the console has not even lauched yet, but with many Game Stop employees saying they can only take around half as many Pre-Orders for Xbox One due to low yields and PS4 outselling it 2:1 on Amazon (Or more Don't quote me):  It is fair to say MS at the very least will not get the launch they were hoping for.  

The EDRAM was the only thing tying the system together.

Without it, their DDR3 ram would bottleneck the entire system with its slow bandwidth.

They should have done one of two things:

1. Delay the system and replace the EDRAM + DDR3 with just GDDR5 ram. Essentially rip off what Sony is doing with the PS4. Lowering the cost of the system to at least $400, and then further subsidizing the machine with their cash reserves to a price of $300 to make up for the delay. Keep DRM and online checks.

2. Remove ALL DRM and online checks. Launch at $500 with no changes to the hardware and advertise the hell out of it banking on their xbox brand in North America and those 46 million+ LIVE users with all their friends accounts and achievements.

What they did in reality was the worst possible decision.

Release an anti consumer device with 90% of the same games as their competitors at $100 more. Total garbage decision all around. Don't think anything will save them from getting thrashed sales wise at this point.

That is why Sony decieved MS into thinking they wouldn't launch this year:  They knew it would completely screw them over.  MS was waiting on DDR4, and given another year, it would have been easily done.  But Sony decided to take no prisoners this time, and I am happy they did!

On another note, the reason I say they should remove the EDRAM is that the low EDRAM yield:

-Are what is uping the initial price

-Complicating the programing

-Causing small initial shipments 

In all honesty I don't really think the small amount of EDRAM will make that much of a difference (Like 10-20% performance difference)

If there was no DRM and the online check-in, a considerable amount of people would be more than willing to spend an extra $100 on a console. There are nearly 80 million Xbox 360 users, without this fucked up policy, you wouldn't see so many of them switching to PS4. THAT'S ALL they had to do.
Although making Kinect mandatory is also a very questionable decision, and making the console some TV-videogame hybrid... I'm not sure it was the best decision either.

Once the price drops the console will sell perfectly fine. Everyone is exaggerating the level of doom. $299 will be the sweet spot but its years away.

The Xbox One is for Online Gamers only...The Xbox One requires an Internet connection to play games...MS only wants buisness from Internet connected gamers with the Xbox One...PS4 outselling the Xbox One is meaningless..I'm pretty sure Ms has a target number of sku's it need to sell to consider it a succsess the first year and so on...