Originally Posted by
zaxlor
It's the XBox discussion thread, not the XBox praise thread.
I've owned a 360 back when it still had the "blades" interface, way, WAY before any kind of adverts ever cropped up on the dashboard. I think I started subbing to Live right around the time that they re-did the dashboard or just before, so around 2-3 years ago. I've always moaned and complained to my friends (who also think the same) about how bad the layout is for finding even your own games, the adverts and the way the largest icon on the dashboard is an advert.
My sub used to re-new around September but around Decemeber I think I cancelld it, for exactly those reasons. I didn't see any need to keep paying for the privillage to be shown adverts for Fifa games when I've never even put one inside my machine.
The stupid thing with Microsoft is they had an okay deal (you pay them £40 a year to use their "service"), but it's slowly gotten worse over time. Not only is their console UI a mess (it takes about 10 button presses just to get into the Arcade games section on the store), but you're now forced to view adverts for a service you PAY for. Now Sony did the right thing, had a tottally free service and slowly improoved it over time by allowing you to go online, watch youtube videos, Netflix and play online all for free. When they started to put a cost onto it though, they give you a pretty good deal. As long as you keep subscribing, you get games for your PS3 and Vita, which you keep for as long as you're subbed and they're normally pretty good titles.
Microsoft not only charged from the outset for a feature that didn't need to have a cost associated with it, but when they try to "improove" it, they give you Assassin's Creed 2 and an XBox Live game. Plus you've gotta look at adverts. Plus you'll soon have to have Kinect listening in and performing targetted marketting on you.
If you honestly think you're going to win people over to wanting to pay for XBox live with the state it's in right now, unless they're an avid COD, Fifa or Halo player (who would already be paying for it), then you can't start the argument with those people. You need to be saying to Microsoft "Oi, people don't like your service, how about you make it a better deal?" rather than telling the people that don't enjoy it to buy into something they dislike.
This clearly works, as Microsoft did that whole 180 on changing the XBone's online policies. Telling people to #dealwithit dosn't work. If Microsoft is fine with having a smaller market share then push always online, push adverts for an already paid service, push "spying" on the consumer, push agressive marketing tactics (see that guy who was in the WiiU line).
I just don't get why someone would so ferventy choose to be an un-offical mouth-piece for Microsoft, constantly telling people that the XBOne is the best thing ever, when you're not getting paid for it and ultimately no-one cares. I only care so much as that someone who looks at this thread dosn't just read almost 200 pages of "MICROSOFT IS AWESOME! GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY!" without being able to read why they should be giving them their cash.