With the announcement of XBOX One yesterday, I can’t help but think “What the f@#! is Microsoft thinking?!”.
Disabling disc sharing between consumers? Look, if I buy a game, am done playing it, and want to pass it off to my little brother, I should have that right. Charging him $60 isn’t going to get you $60, it’s going to get one less player. Honestly, how much money does Microsoft plan on making with a scheme like that VS the amount of steady gamers they are going to lose. Bootlegging isn’t that rampant in XBOX. Since an XBOX Live account can not be used in most rooted XBOX systems, the bootlegging is left to a small proportion of the gaming community. All they have done is alienate their consumers from using their publishers product. What about stores like “Game Stop” or services like “Game Fly”?
I have played enough crappy games in my life, to know that not every game is worth $60. I have also played enough demo’s/rentals to know a good game when I see one.
I forsee this being the beginning of the end for Microsoft and its vast market-share of the gaming community. More people will decide to stick with their mobile phone, Sony Playstations, or PC gaming. Sure you’ll have a few hardcore fans, and some great titles may attract a few buyers, but I predict insanely different numbers in comparison to the XBOX 360 launch.
Garrett S. Y. Hampton 