So as many of my fellow gamers today I was watching a live-stream of the Microsoft media briefing, and like a lot of gamers out there I was making snide comments about the presenters and their lack of stage presence.
I wasn't even really mad until the Kinect demos started. I had such high hopes that this peripheral would be some miracle device that bridged the gap for the hardcore and the casual gamers, even though I hate to classify gamers in those two categories the major game companies have forced us to start categorizing ourselves into these ideologies of what kind of gamers we are, and I am rather sick of it, but that is a completely different rant for a different day.
My main problem with Microsoft's media briefing was this massive new Xbox 360 giveaway.
Let's take a look at the receiving end of Microsoft's generosity. It was mainly for industry people. So, we have this audience of people who were probably going to get the new 360s in their offices or in their stores soon enough. I guess it was cool that people got 360s but it just seemed a bit in poor taste to give people new consoles, when many people not in the industry are having to pay for new 360s to continue the hobby they so enjoy.
Some might read this and think I am jealous, know that I am not. I have a four month old elite sitting in my entertainment center and I use it frequently. A nicer gesture from Microsoft would have been a random giveaway of some kind, or giving these away to loyal Xbox customers who have had more than four red rings. I know this is a little unrealistic as many people have had to send in their systems more than four times, but seriously giving them to the industry seems almost a moot gesture to me as Microsoft would have given the journalists at least one or two to try in the office. I guess they just get them for personal use now…
I really don't want to be taken the wrong way and have this be read as some kind of advocacy for a call to arms against people in the industry, because it's not, I enjoy the work that many websites produce and enjoy reading them on the daily.
Feel free to tell me I am wrong about this act being in poor taste, or my views on the industry I would love to have a discussion with all of you on Bitmob about what you thought.