...or the SMD (abbr. Selective Memory Disorder).
The Exclusives Paradox, is a somewhat tech-ish theorem, that me and my group of colleges - that share common interests - have discussed, for almost every single Saturday night, since the summer of 2016. As it proven out, it is a widely accepted term, not in the quantity of the audience - as I said, we are a pretty small party - but in the quality of it, based on the fact that no one (counting in even competitive platform users that occasionally joined our conversation) had any objection whatsoever.
The year was 2013, a time that came to be known on Reddit as The 2nd Dark Ages of Microsoft's History, or The Xbox Fiasco. It was not about some non-existent lack of exclusive titles back then, but with regard to one tragic marketing campaign, one that can be summarized into the following quote: "We have a product for people who aren't able to get some form of (internet) connectivity (to their houses), it's called Xbox 360". That was the genuine response to the press, a slip of the tongue of the former Xbox Chief, Don Mattrick, mere moments after announcing on stage the imminent release of their new console - the Xbox One. What a "skillful" way to promote your product!
Given the fact that the machine was actually being advertised as an entertainment system, with all those TV-related accessories, the strong emphasis on home-cinema n' home-theater specs (rather than as a capable gaming console), the higher price tag, the shoved in your throat Kinect, and that technological restraints and requirements as DRM-protection and always-online were a necessity for someone to even experience the final product (although they were later revoked), it is surprising enough on its own, that the brand managed to survive the hit. SEGA's Dreamcast, with it's pioneering online networking, and it's vastly larger storage due to the use of CDs (as opposed to cartridges that were the norm back then), thus enabling superior graphics, was the last known console found in a similar rough spot in the past, and we all know how badly that ended.
The parallelism has to do with the fact that not only Microsoft managed to overcome all the hitches, but by doing so created a product that is now leading the market in almost every aspect. Ergo: (1) windows-core providing a seamless experience between devices, (2) backwards-compatibility with an ever expanding catalog that goes back to Original Xbox's titles, (3) powerful hardware that truly achieves 4K resolution, even on 60FPS not only in first but in third-party games as well, (4) forward-thinking by abolishing the term generation, having a release plan for 2020, thus promising to always stay ahead, (5) top-notch backing supporting: super-sampling even on non-canonical resolutions (see. 1440p), 120hz refresh-rate, AMD's FreeSync 2 technology, Dolby Atmos for sound and Dolby Vision for image processing, an already released (6) game-subscription service at one low, monthly price, providing the consumer with more than a hundred and twenty games, among which: all upcoming Xbox Exclusives, a forthcoming (7) game-streaming platform with a capable back-end, and an algorithm that will eventually - at some point in time - solve any latency issues by managing core aspects of the game locally. Plus, an (8) extraordinary cloud infrastructures that provide users with a reliable network experience, an unbeatable multiplayer network, high-end download / upload speeds, an integrated streaming platform called Mixer, and (9) top-tier studios as: Ninja Theory after it's dithyrambic 'Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Compulsion Games with it's promising 'We Happy Few', 343 Industries with their shiny new, jaw-dropping 'Slipspace Engine' and 'Halo Infinite', Undead Labs giving them the backing they need to make the 'State of Decay' series what it is supposed to be all along, Turn 10 having won the award for the best racing game of 2018 with 'Forza Motorsport 7', Rare with their condemned for lack of features 'Sea of Thieves', that is now thriving in new content, Playground Games pushing the Horizon series to new extremes with 'Forza Horizon 4', while simultaneously working one a top-secret RPG project, The Coalition taking a more narrative approach on the 'Gears of War' series, and of course The Initiative, the first quadruple 'A' studio in gaming history (meaning that they are the first to be given a blank cheque), led by the famous Darrell Gallagher, the man that is responsible for the most recent 'Tomb Raider' series.
I can go on and on (and on) about every move made by Microsoft over the last couple of years, that it truly was 'For The Players'. From the Play Anywhere program, and cross-platform play, to the Xbox Adaptive Controller and beyond. But in the end, you will always be remembered for your one f@$% mistake, no matter how well you've managed to perform since then. I don't try to overlook the lack of exclusives (by no mean), but that was not the story all along. Xbox One launched in 2013 with three major exclusives (see. Dead Rising 3, Ryse: Son of Rome and Forza: Motorsport 5), while PlayStation 4 had only two mediocre games (see. Killzone: Shadowfall and Knack). 2014 was even better for XONE, with two sequels, three new IPs and a remastered collection (see. Forza: Horizon 2, Sunset Overdrive, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Titanfall, Project Spark and Killer Instinct). While on the other hand, PS4 was releasing a remastered last-gen gem for the current generation, and nothing more but two sequels (see. inFAMOUS: Second Son and Little Big Planet 3). On the horizon there were so many great titles for the platform to come, like: Gears of War 4 and 5, Halo 5: Guardians and Halo: Infinite, Forza: Horizon 3 and 4, Forza Motorsport 6 and 7, State of Decay 2, Scalebound, Crackdown 3, Recore, Quantum Break, Sea of Thieves, Halo Wars 2, Fable Legends and so many more. It is worth noting however, that some of them never found their way to the store selves - Damn you, Scalebound.
The company lost the match shortly afterward, with Sony's first party studios pushing the boundaries of how AAA games look and feel (long answer short: story-driven, cinematic, and utterly immersive). However, you can not predisposition the outcome of the whole war, based on a two-year latent course. Phil Spencer took over as Vice President of the Xbox department in 2018, and since then, he is to Don Mattrick, what Satya Nadella was to Steve Ballmer, the man that almost bankrupt Microsoft, for his lack of a technological vision. Nadella pushed the company to new heights, going from "penniless", to being the third most valuable company on the globe, in just four short years. Mattrick's lack of a gaming vision led Xbox One to be advertised as a $399 locked media player, versus Sony's $299 unlocked gaming console, not some non-existent Spencer's inertia. The choice consumers had in front of them was not an easy task to be overlooked, and like that, PS4's lead in sales was extremely difficult to be eliminated, especially by one point onward. As it's player-base grew, so did it's rate of adoption (from a more aggressive advertising policy, to a more tangible influence by the social circle), regardless of whether the tables have turned shortly thereafter.
The Xbox One is dead, long live the Xbox.
Submitted by argipent | #Specialdealer Special Offer Online Shopping Store 2016
