So we didn't get to see any actual live, in-game footage from the Xbox One's pre-E3 conference yesterday. It was all CG or scripted sequencing and it left a real foul taste in the mouths of gamers. Thankfully, Microsoft's internal executives are well aware of this and they promise that come E3, Xbox One will be games, games and more games.
Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz at the event held on Tuesday, May 21st, Xbox UK's marketing director Harvey Eagle had this to say about the lack of video games showcased for Microsoft's latest, next generation home entertainment media device...
E3 is absolutely all about the games,"... "E3 is gaming, gaming, gaming. We've been very clear about that internally in our planning."But we felt that there was another part, and we didn't want to wait until after E3 to start telling that story. So that's why we went with the plan tonight: to come out of the gate with the overall vision for the box, an all-in-one device with games, TV and entertainment. We didn't want to forget games entirely tonight, because then there's the risk that people think we're forgetting them, and that couldn't be further from the truth. But we tried to be clear that E3 completes the story, and that's where you'll see the games."
No, they weren't clear that E3 completes the story...it was clear that the Xbox One's announcement contained more television, video and media hub content than a week's worth of advertising on the shop-at-home channel. I kid you not.
The hour wasted listening to marketing buzzwords and promotional key phrases was kind of sickening to me both as a gamer and as a general consumer. I hate when companies pander products in the way that Microsoft pimped their latest device, especially when the main goal of the next generation Xbox console was supposed to be about video games but turned into an infomercial for a smart TV for people too lazy to use a remote.
Disappointment aside, we still have to look at the horrifying facts of the situation. The Xbox One has used game fees on top of what you would already have to pay to buy the physical media. It's like a price for the physical disc and then a separate price to purchase a license to use the content on the disc. Some Pro-Corporate White Knights have been defending Microsoft's decision on this but it's a bit sickening to think that the company would go through with this.
Anyway, as much as I would love to see “games, games and more games” at E3 for the Xbox One – especially given that there are supposedly 15 exclusives in the works with 8 of them being new IP – I honestly feel that Microsoft needs to spend the opening segment openly addressing the more controversial aspects of the console before mentioning anything about the gaming line-up. This rings doubly true given their vague and ambiguous responses to the used game fees and always-on.
I think it's safe to say that a large library of games for a console that works as a copyright barrier for interactive digital media is kind of useless.
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