Microsoft has admitted feeling a sense of ‘shame’ over its inability to properly communicate the benefits of some of the new digital features it had introduced with the Xbox One console.
The company was forced into an embarrassing climbdown over its plans to restrict used games on the console and force users to be connected to the internet at least once a day in order to use the console.
Although hugely unpopular amid vast sections of its fanbase and potential customer base, the restrictions were put in place to enable, rather than disable gamers according to Microsoft. For example, the ability for up to 10 family members to share downloaded games that one member of the clan had purchased has now been dropped.
Now Xbox One’s chief product officer Marc Whitten believes blame loss of those forward-thinking features lies on Microsoft’s doorstep, for failing to explain the real benefits to gamers and hence calming the uprising before it began.
Whitten told IGN: “I think it’s pretty simple. We’ve got to just talk more, get people understanding what our system is.
“The thing that’s really gratifying is that people are excited about the types of features that are possible, and it’s sort of shame on us that we haven’t done as good of a job as we can to make people feel like that’s where we’re headed.”
Whitten did say it may be possible for Microsoft to resurrect the Family Sharing feature if enough users demand its return, but would not be drawn on when that may happen.
He added: “If it’s something that people are really excited about and want, we’re going to make sure that we find the right way to bring it back. We believe really strongly in how you build a great experience on Xbox One for me as an individual, but also for my family. Family Sharing is a great example of how you do that with content.”
Despite the initial clamour for the changes, a petition emerged online last week, campaigning for the Xbox One to be returned to its original guise.
The Change.org petition, entitled, “Microsoft: Give us back the Xbox One we were promised at E3” has already reached 25,000 signees.
“This was to be the future of entertainment,” it reads. “A new wave of gaming where you could buy games digitally, then trade, share or sell those digital licenses. Essentially, it was Steam for Xbox. But consumers were uninformed, and railed against it, and it was taken away because Sony took advantage of consumers uncertainty.”
While Microsoft is unlikely to perform another Xbox 180, those who supported the digital future of console gaming will be glad to know Microsoft is already plotting a path back for some of the advantageous features.
Via The Verge
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
