Recently Phil Spencer of Xbox gave an interview with Gamespot and a piece about it can be found at www.exlgaming.com
Most of what he had to say is true - too much time is spent by gamers who argue about which console (or piece of plastic) is better rather than discussing the games themselves.
As Phil Spencer says console wars have raged since the time consoles began - but this is about expensive pieces of plastic. His job is to make the gamer proud of what the Xbox has to offer and give them an enjoyable experience.
To my mind the Xbox One was rushed out to beat Sony's Playstation 4 and with it came a bunch of defects that have yet to be fixed. I can play certain online games if I change the settings but if I do that then I lose out on other games and have to change those settings back again.
Also the Xbox One has no save data on the hard drive - so that is wandering lonely in a cloud somewhere. I have two games that just sit and 'sync' all the time but never load. Xbox customer care do not have a solution to this.
In fact Xbox customer care know about both the cloud and server issues so I am not alone in this. So, Phil Spencer, who wants gamers to have an enjoyable experience, needs to take a look at the problems and iron out the defects to make gamers proud.
In a recent survey I stated that I would never recommend the Xbox One to anyone is based on my experiences that one year on have yet to be resolved.
And, yes I know that many Xbox One owners will say that they don't have problems with their console but customer care does say something different. Loyalty to a brand is great just the same as we all do with a certain type of game. They say that a particular long running game is dead because it no longer delivers in the way it began. The developers continue in a certain direction because that is what is best for business - it is the same with consoles - even if they get it wrong they are all reliant on that loyal fan. Why? Because they know that their product will sell despite the naysayers.
Now the very experience that Phil Spencer would like me to have I do get from the Playstaion 4 and my Xbox 360.
The 360 is one of the first black Xbox consoles (the one before those with the in-built wi-fi) and is fitted with a wi-fi attachment. Never had a problem with it - never had the need to upgrade it. So I expected the same with the Xbox One. I still play on the 360 - quite a lot - because it is an excellent machine even though there is online lag from time to time. Let's face it no console is perfect - if it was then we wouldn't have anything to complain about.
So, yes, games are important as well.
As gamers we do dwell on what is wrong with a console. Last time around it was the Playstation 3 that was getting it in the next. All the rumours of the 'ring of death' and blu-ray problems but they got there, eventually.
I do not agree though with exclusivity. I find that it takes away my right to choose. If I want to play Forza titles or Gears Of War - or the new 'Rise Of The Tomb Raider' I have to have an Xbox One (though Tomb Raider will be on the 360 so that is not a problem). At the same time I might want to play 'Uncharted' series for which I would need a PS4 or Bayonetta 2 which can only be played on the Wii. But the Xbox and the PS4 are rivals and competitors who play out the game of my console is bigger and better than your console - and expect gamers like me to choose sides - then blame the gamers for doing the same.
I'm not so sure that I would want to wait for 'Backward Compatability' as I do not want to lose my 360 save data to disappear into some distant cloud.
To conclude I am not a 'fan' and way beyond being a 'boy' but I do enjoy a good gaming experience and that is one with good connectivity and a memory that can be accessed from the hard drive. I have two that does what it says on the tin and another that is close but still a wannabe. I know someone, though, who has the power to make me want to feel proud that I own that third console.
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