Microsoft and the great Xbox One disaster

"What Microsoft has done with the Xbox One is an episode that deserves to be featured in communication books under the heading What Not to Do. A disaster from the start that has overshadowed and slowed down a product that could have gone a long way ."

Let's remember the rumors leading up to the launch, especially in reference to the need to always be connected. Before I knew anything about the Xbox One, the impression that users had was bad: many restrictions and few advantages. The official launch was the best opportunity to clear up any doubts.Microsoft missed it. With a small mouth, he announced the restrictions on lending games and the need to connect every 24 hours .

The storm on social networks and forums was impressive. Virtually everyone considered the PlayStation 4 a winner even before the first reservation or sales figures. Normal, after all: Xbox One only offered restrictions.

In the end, Microsoft has not been able to handle so much pressure and yesterday it gave a 180 degree turn in its policy. So far it seems like a story of a company that made a bad product and that has rectified in time , not?

"Not really . Microsoft has failed to sell the console. You have discussed the restrictions but have not been clear about why those restrictions are good (or, at least, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks)."

Microsoft needed a Steve Jobs

With the Xbox One, Microsoft needed a Steve Jobs. Someone totally convinced that they were creating the future and with the ability to convince the rest. Things would have been very different if Microsoft had introduced the Xbox One in a different way: goodbye discs, hello downloads .

There would have been no better way to start than by talking about Steam. A platform that allows access to a huge catalog of games at a good price, with the disadvantage that you can't share them.

Microsoft believed that digital games were the future. Now, the future is… records

Xbox One extended that Steam model. Not only could you buy games and download them into your account to have them available on any console, it also allowed you to share them with friends or even resell them. The same possibilities that a physical disc offers us right now, but with downloaded games and even easier.

Microsoft went one step further by making disks less necessary. Put the CD in the console, install the game and forget about it. And if you ever get tired, you can sell it or pass it on to a friend.

To be able to do all of this, Microsoft had to maintain two constraints. The first, the control of the physical games (basically, that you cannot install the same game on several consoles) and the second, the connection every 24 hours to check that all the licenses are in order.

Those restrictions are gone, but neither are the advantages we had. If you want to lend a game, remember the CD, and wait for it to be returned to you so you can play again. And, of course, no sharing or selling downloaded games.

Could it have been done better? Of course

"Make no doubt that the Xbox One could have been a lot better.Although the main failure has been not knowing how to communicate what the console does, there were also certain absurd or improvable rules. For example, blocking by regions falls within an absurd rule, and I think it&39;s perfect that it has been removed."

The connection every 24 hours could have been done in another way. Since the main purpose is to verify that you haven't loaned or sold your games, if you haven't logged in in the last 2-3 days, you won't be able to loan or sell games. Even if you give your CD to a friend, if you haven't connected to the Internet he won't be able to activate it. For the rest, you can continue playing quietly.

They should have also given more flexibility with physical games, giving the possibility to lend games with just the CD without the need to transfer the license. Simply, your friend can play as long as he has the CD, and when he doesn't have it he forgets about the game

In the end, Microsoft has missed the opportunity to be the first to really jump into digital gaming.He has not explained it well and they have had to back off to avoid losing a lot of sales. The intention was good, yes, but the execution has been a complete disaster .