I may have mentioned it before, but I play video games. The primary reason for this is because they're a bit more involving and rewarding than television, which I watch only sparingly. So it stands to reason that I watched with some interest when the new Microsoft console, the XBox One, was revealed. After all, it might have exciting and rewarding games that I would want to purchase, and hopefully a bigger, more powerful box could manage new experiences unlike what I have seen before.
This is not what happened. Instead, they unveiled a cable box. It's a really nice cable box, one which works on voice commands and can integrate with all sorts of entertainment sources. It can even play games, though they didn't announce anything we haven't seen before, just sequels to established series'. They also announced a television show, based on the popular Halo series, which seems counter-intuitive. If I wanted Halo, I could just pop in the disc and play Halo, they have made numerous titles in the series. If I wanted to be a passive consumer of content, there are already a ton of television shows I have not watched, many of which are probably better than a cash-in series based on a popular game franchise. The announcement seemed to be Microsoft wishing they were actually a cable operator.
Which is somehow worse than Sony's earlier announcement of the Playstation 4, where they revealed they actually wanted to be Facebook. Their console launch was filled with words like social and network, and it even has a "share" button so you can send all your friends videos of your gaming accomplishments, just in case you are tired of having friends. However, to their credit, they did actually announce some games, most of which were not exciting, but they were at least present, and acknowledged to be a major part of why this expensive piece of hardware exists. It was not an inspiring presentation, it did not make me tempted to start getting my pennies together, but at least it made sense.
So what's going on here, why is everyone so afraid to put the game before the game console? The problem is that the current hardware is old, so sales are starting to slip. New hardware, however, is not going to be a major advance anymore, so new gimmicks are needed to get people excited and willing to part with their dollars. Unfortunately, nobody actually knows what people want anymore. Nintendo attempted to add a giant extra screen to its Wii U hardware, and it has sold poorly. Sony and Microsoft are hoping that their focus on social networking and things that aren't games are going to be their big tickets, respectively. As someone who buys this stuff, my perspective is that everyone is barking up the wrong trees.
I want fun games, that's it. If you can provide that, I might buy your machine. I don't want to share anything, I don't want a new cable box, I don't want a big cumbersome screen. I just want something that's fun to interact with, and allows me to do something I cannot do in regular life. It doesn't have to be violent, it doesn't have to be realistic, and it would be best if it was neither of those things. I'm looking for a fun, unique and exciting experience. Unfortunately, that seems to be taking a back seat to dull and unnecessary gimmicks.
