“Did I forget to mention something?”
This is a face that the world has grown to hate since the initial reveal of the Xbox One. Well, Microsoft did something to answer all of that hate. I was shocked to see that the Xbox One was no longer available for pre-order at GameStop a few days ago. It turns out that the release of the Xbox One will be delayed in order to remove the DRM from the systems. What does that mean? Well, it means that used games will no longer be blocked and that you will no longer have to log onto the internet every twenty-four hours in order to play games on your system. Regardless of how you feel about Microsoft, you have to recognize that this was the only move that they could make at this point. Backlash was so strong that anything short of this could have destroyed Microsoft’s gaming division. This is a company that is doing poorly in most divisions, so losing this battle could have been disastrous. Will this news lead to more sales. Of course it will, but I think that the bad taste left in the mouths of fans will keep the system in third place for quite some time. The scary thing is the possibility of a price increase due to the labor costs of handling the DRM situation. Even if we don’t get the financial backlash, Microsoft will. This is looking very bad for the company in this economy.
That is sad.
I had a video saved that showed our favorite asshole from the featured image telling people to buy the Xbox 360 if they did not have access to the internet. Oh well, the company was going to cover its ass. If there is anything positive about the Xbox One, it is the fact that there are promised games. This chart is provided by GenGame and it shows what you can expect to play on your Xbox One.
| Game Title | Developer | Release | Exclusive? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag | Ubisoft Montreal | TBA Launch | No |
| Battlefield 4 | DICE | TBA Launch | No |
| Below | Capybara | TBA | ? |
| Call of Duty: Ghosts | Infinity Ward | Launch | No |
| The Crew | Ubisoft Reflections | TBA | No |
| Crimson Dragon | Grounding | TBA | Yes |
| D4 | Swery | TBA | Yes |
| Dead Rising 3 | Capcom | Holiday 2013 | Yes |
| Destiny | Bungie | TBA 2014 | No |
| The Division | Massive | TBA | No |
| Dragon Age Inquisition | BioWare | Fall 2014 | No |
| Dying Light | Techland | TBA | No |
| The Elder Scrolls Online | ZeniMax | Spring 2014 | No |
| Fantasia: Music Evolved | Harmonix | TBA | Also on Xbox 360 |
| FIFA Soccer 14 | EA Sports | Fall 2013 | No |
| Forza Motorsport 5 | Turn 10 | TBA Launch | Yes |
| Halo | 343 Industries | 2014 | Yes |
| Just Dance 2014 | Ubisoft | 2014 | No |
| Killer Instinct | Double Helix | TBA | Yes |
| Kinect Sports Rivals | Rare | TBA | Yes |
| LocoCycle | Twisted Pixel | Launch | Also on Xbox 360 |
| Madden 25 | EA Sports | Fall 2013 | No |
| Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain | Kojima Productions | TBA | No |
| Minecraft | 4J Studios | TBA | Also on Xbox 360 and PC |
| Mirror’s Edge 2 | DICE | TBA | No |
| NBA 2K14 | EA Sports | Fall 2013 | No |
| NBA Live 14 | EA Tiburon | TBA 2013 | No |
| Need for Speed: Rivals | Ghost | November 2013 | No |
| Peggle 2 | PopCap | TBA | ? |
| Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare | PopCap | TBA | Also on Xbox 360 |
| Project Spark | Microsoft Studios | TBA | Also on Windows 8 |
| Quantum Break | Remedy Entertainment | TBA | Yes |
| Rabbids Invasion | Ubisoft | TBA | Yes |
| Ryse | Crytek | TBA Launch | Yes |
| Skylanders Swap Force | Vicarious Visions | Fall 2013 | No |
| Star Wars Battlefront | EA | TBA | No |
| Sunset Overdrive | Insomniac Games | TBA | Yes |
| Thief | Eidos Montreal | 2014 | No |
| Titanfall | Respawn Entertainment | Spring 2014 | Yes |
| Trials Fusion | Ubisoft | TBA | No |
| UFC | EA | TBA | No |
| Watch_Dogs | Ubisoft | Holiday 2013 | No |
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | CD Projekt Red | 2014 | No |
| Wolfenstein: The New Order | MachineGames | TBA | No |
| Zoo Tycoon | Blue Fang | TBA | Also on Xbox 360 |
| Zumba Fitness World Party | Majesco | TBA | No |
There are only a handful of launch titles, but every system seems to be struggling with that. I remember the days when systems and games came out at launch together. I won’t have a need to buy this system until Halo and a few other things come out because I have a 3DS and Wii U to occupy me. Oh, and my mom is buying a PS4. Overall, this move helps Microsoft, although no one should be happy in that meeting room. I refuse to give Microsoft any credit for this move because they were clearly backed into a wall. This was not a move to give fans what they want. This was a do or die move that forced the executives to swallow their pride in order to stave off extinction in the gaming industry. I just hope that the Kinect isn’t the thing that will further cripple the Xbox One because there are still questions surrounding that thing.
Mahou Tofu 