Microsoft received quite a backlash due to its Xbox One when the company first announced its features. Microsoft eventually back tracked and changed the DRM policy as well as the “always online” requirement. A petition eventually surfaced asking Microsoft to bring back the removed features that Microsoft originally promised. Now, Microsoft offers its comments on that petition.
“This was to be the future of entertainment. A new wave of gaming where you could buy games digitally, then trade, share or sell those digital licenses. Essentially, it was Steam for Xbox. But consumers were uninformed, and railed against it, and it was taken away because Sony took advantage of consumers’ uncertainty,” the petition stated. You can check out the petition here. At the time of this post, there has been over 20,000 signatures.
Microosft’s Xbox One boss Marc Whitten has responded to the petition, stating that Microsoft should have done a better job explaining what the company has in store for Xbox. “I think it’s pretty simple. We’ve got to just talk more, get people understanding what our system is. The thing that’s really gratifying is that people are excited about the types of features that are possible, and it’s sort of shame on us that we haven’t done as good of a job as we can to make people feel like that’s where we’re headed,” Whitten explains.
Whitten continues to explain that while many gamers believe Microsoft moved away from digital with the new Xbox One, Whitten believes that Microsoft simply “added on choice” for people. He argues that this was an addition of a feature onto the Xbox One, and not a removal of a feature.
In response to the petition, Whitten believes Microsoft needs to do more work to talk about what the company is planning. He believes Microsoft did something different than what people are perceiving and even hinted at the possibility that some removed features may make a return! He states that if people are excited over a feature and they really want it, the company will make sure they find the right way to bring it back.
“When I read some of the things like that petition, from my perspective we took a lot of the feedback and, while Xbox One is built to be digital native, to have this amazing online experience, we realized people wanted some choice. They wanted what I like to call a bridge, sort of how they think about the world today using more digital stuff. What we did, we added to what the console can do by providing physical and offline modes in the console. It isn’t about moving away from what that digital vision is for the platform. It’s about adding that choice. Frankly, I think we need to just do more to let people see how the console works, what they’re going to be able to do for it. I think a lot of the things they’re wishing for are frankly there,” Whitten explains.
Whitten believes Microsoft didn’t talk enough about the Xbox One, which led to the mass confusion about new features and the subsequent removal of those features. He mentioned that he enjoys seeing feedback about products such as the Xbox One, as it drives engagement and ultimately it helps Microsoft create a better product.
Looks like we may see the original Xbox One features eventually! Head over to the source link to read the entire interview with IGN.
