Microsoft Studios' future lies in the 'connected audience'

I was going to build a new gaming rig last year. I reformatted my old XP and dropped $200 on GOG instead. Smartest move I made in a while.

One more thing folks, those of you who don't see or realize yet that any and everything requiring always connected is doing things in the background to spy or otherwise profit in ways by seeing what your always doing etc. need to wake-up and demand it stop. Consumer power is huge if you push for better. We're just starting to see the truth behind companies using our devices (IPhone) always on features to watch and see what the consumer is doing etc. To me, it's completely unethical but not to the greedy who want more and larger profit margins. At some point enough is enough. I, like others, look for escapism in gaming and not to be always connected to the real or outside world. For those times I want it to still be my decision if I want to go that direction.

I won't be joining Harrison's community of always, "connected", gaming. For me, I want my products to be able to be played anywhere, anytime, and without a connection requirement. So he can take his model and products to the unemployment line hopefully. That's why I haven't sold any of my games (about 150) and keep them to go back and replay if this trend becomes the only option forcing me to stop buying new stuff. Yeah, I'm sure I'll miss out on some stuff I would like but I'm adamant on this one issue.

I dislike that.

Translation:  We want the games to be always on for DRM, and we're trying to think of ways to get people to submit.

This might work in the future when high speed network connections are as common and dependable as plain old telephone systems, but in our society today, where various ISP's claim bandwidth is always being overused because they refuse to spend the profits they make on enhancing and building out the infrastructure, it can never work. The sad part about it is that you see non ISP companies such as Google stepping up and building out infrastructure in limited areas for testing.

They need connected devices so they can CHARGE FOR THE SERVICE

MS are a bunch of idiots

Makes sense. I wish we could just see another old fashioned Xbox, but they have to join the change to survive.

I miss '90s Microsoft. This noise is just awful. 

What a crock of shit.

Most people play video games for escapism and don't want to be connected all the time with friends and family.

If a wanted to do that i would talk to them IRL.

All i see from this suit is an opportunity to cram in more money for themselves via advertising revenue that would infest any social hub created.

I'm sorry but i can't in good faith pay money for a product i don't own and big brother watching when, where and who i play with.

Looks like TPB is going to be the only popular social hub in this mess that the gaming industry has become because real gamers have had enough of this shit.

Anyone else getting sick and tired of hearing the word 'social' come out of these suits' mouths?

I don't want bloody social media sites on my Live....

TRADER! But atleast he gets where the industry is heading. 

maybe it's just me, but I don't want a camera zoomed in on my bald head.  Just sayin...

Thats Sad. Maybe the end of My Hobby is coming soon. But well i think gaming want the new generations and younger audience. Guys like me, wants ownership on our games

we buy. Maybe we are going to do something else. I hope they dont go that route. Im the gaming Generation since the Nes, and i cant beleive that gaming is transforming now

in all power for developers and publishers nothing for the gamer. Too much DLC too much Extra characters that you have to buy with real money. I mean this is seriously a Rip Off. But well i hope not and if they go that route. Im going to come here and say good bye to all.

I don't understand how this is bad. More social and other connection options are a good thing as long as there are common sense privacy settings to go along with them. Anybody from Rare seems like a good pickup for Microsoft to me. I loved Diddy Kong Racing.

one more game publisher to avoid.  it's really getting easy to cut down on the money i spend on games anymore.

I dunno about these company big wigs but I sure dont want gaming to be digital only where whenever they feel like it they can shut servers down and oops no more of game X for you.

The last thing we need is for the publishers to have complete control. And who the heck wants to have a Facebook-like experience while playing a game?

i hate this man "Phil Harrison"

Look up the "Skulls of the Shogun" game. This is the kind of thing that the article is talking about. You can play the game on any MS device - xbox, windows 8, windows phone, surface...save it and continue on a different device. Matchmaking also works across all devices. Someone on Windows Phone can play against someone playing on the xbox (for example). 

The only thing that's pretty lame is that you have to pay for the game on each platform you play it on. Need more Sony cross play influence here.

Harrison seems rather out of touch with his consumer, I do not want any of this.  I neither am asking for this.  If the intent is to get little to zero future moneys from me, then good job at that.

Next-gen seems all doom and gloom for good reason.  Manufacturers seem to be living in a dream world where reality is no longer accepted.

oh ms made a mistake in hiring phil harrison

I really don't care for all these "social" features added into games. Far Cry 3 had the equivalent of a Facebook wall in it... why would I want that? 

Suppose that titles distrubuted by Microsoft Studios - such as Forza Motorsport - are available for multiple devices/platforms. So you can play Forza in the next Xbox, in the pc(with a windows OS), or in some portable device released by MS. I wonder: are they all going to look alike?

Well, if that's the future, than at least I'll be saving tons of money by leaving gaming.  I'm not gonna give the corporates that much control.

I don't even use the social side of the 360. I just play COD a few hours a month, then again I was gifted a year to LIVE, so didn't have to pay for the service. Rather companies go back to being all about the games.

Consoles will soon be using digital downloads for gaming instead of discs but not at a fast rate they want to due to the limitation of various network speeds around the world, I for one am in favor of DD but I am also in favor of disc based games too,

i would rather them focus on one device for games

The only reason that console gaming is "dying" is because the publishers and manufacturers keep taking it in directions that their core audience don't want. 

Imo Mr Harrison should have stayed at Sony - he brings nothing to MS and Xbox

I love the way there a loads of comments about how this has made people decide to go PS4 next gen when they have no way of knowing if Sony won't be as much, if not more, into pushing a digital and connected agenda too.

"Everything we do will have increasingly deep social and additional features that are reliant on the network, enhanced by the network, and unlocked by the network," Harrison said.

PS4 here I come!

PS4 here I come.

Not interested in constant connectivity. I fear a day when you must be connected to play single player games or must download all your games.

Then they should ask more of their 'microsoft game studios' to make games for PC aswell, like Forza and Gears of War and then have cross play like they tried with Shadowrun, they could easily make it work and if all they care about is money, they'd get loads from PC players buying those games too.

I've always liked the idea of playing across different platforms.

Remeber the Microsoft E3 conference with Trey Parker and Matt Stone?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDPObOG97Ug

Pretty much sums this up.

MS are simply aiming for a completely 'Syncronous' gaming enviroment, which i happen to think is a brilliant idea.

Microsoft's future lies in my "thanks but no thanks" list.

Meh. I've already decided to go PS4 next gen. The crappy hardware turned me off and nobody has said anything yet about how they plan to address that.

My biggest problem with Microsoft is that they are so centered on everything around the XBOX brand except for gaming.  I am a gamer Microsoft, the people who buy consoles are gamers, gamers like.......GAMES and good systems to play them on.  All this other B.S. is not going to convince gamers to buy your system over PS4 and I seriously doubt its going to convince a person who isn't into gaming to get an XBOX.  

I may be completely off base with how the mass public feels but personally Microsoft has been pushing me back towards Sony the past couple years.  In fact except for things like Mass Effect and Borderlands where I've already played the previous entries on my XBOX I get all my multiplatform games for my PS3