StingerNLG
Well-Known Member
Aha, I found my post from TeamXbox. So I am going to put it here. I warn you, it's a long read. But I still stand 100% behind it:
When we get down to the DRM issue itself, everyone flinched. EVERYONE flinched. Sony, Microsoft, and the publishers. They all flinched. The Sony fans want us to believe that they "listened to the customers" and "fought for the gamer". No, they were headed down the same path. They just happened to jump off at a very strategic point to make themselves look good. But they don't put in patents for RFID technology if they were never intending on using it. They don't use online pass THEMSELVES if they had no intention of taking it farther. They just flinched first.
It's also wrong thinking that Microsoft flinches and those same people are "oh, it's just about the money" like it wasn't for Sony. It's as simple as this. Microsoft pushed ahead believing they had the right strategy. Their delivery was horrible, and they allowed Sony and their fans on the internet to define their policies for them. That caused hardcore gamers to complain out loud, and Microsoft flinched. There is an old saying in politics, "one of the best ways to beat your opponent is to define them before he can define themselves". Jack Tretton was a master politician that evening, and Don Mattrick and company never fought back.
The publishers flinched, we just don't know when. Again, the Sony fans and their anonymous internet heroes on NeoGAF and Pastebin will have you believe that Microsoft did all this on their own in a vacuum with no input from anyone and they were just going to shove it down everyone's throats whether they liked it or not. That these publishers who were trying on their own to curb the used game market, or at least get some control over it, with things like online passes were all of a sudden completely ok with unfettered used game sales where they got no additional piece of the pie while GameStop made billions off of them. No. I'm betting they were completely onboard with Microsoft on this until they started to hear the same rumblings and backed away. I love Peter Moore. One of my all-time favorite industry people. I've had many real conversations with him and even lunch once. I don't believe him for a second when he said he never spoke about this stuff with Microsoft. The company that started the whole online pass thing all of a sudden has no problem with used games? Don't get me wrong, Peter HAD to say that. Or people who claim they will "never forget Microsoft tried to do this to them" could claim the same against EA. Bottom line? Publishers flinched. Which BTW had a direct effect on Microsoft flinching.
Everyone flinched. Everyone did this for their own preservation. No one had the balls to stand on their own principle. Not Microsoft. Not publishers. Not Sony.
The difference is gamers fell for Sony's PR and claim they listened to the gamers while Microsoft changes it's policy and those same gamers somehow continue to call Microsoft out for it even to this day.
When we get down to the DRM issue itself, everyone flinched. EVERYONE flinched. Sony, Microsoft, and the publishers. They all flinched. The Sony fans want us to believe that they "listened to the customers" and "fought for the gamer". No, they were headed down the same path. They just happened to jump off at a very strategic point to make themselves look good. But they don't put in patents for RFID technology if they were never intending on using it. They don't use online pass THEMSELVES if they had no intention of taking it farther. They just flinched first.
It's also wrong thinking that Microsoft flinches and those same people are "oh, it's just about the money" like it wasn't for Sony. It's as simple as this. Microsoft pushed ahead believing they had the right strategy. Their delivery was horrible, and they allowed Sony and their fans on the internet to define their policies for them. That caused hardcore gamers to complain out loud, and Microsoft flinched. There is an old saying in politics, "one of the best ways to beat your opponent is to define them before he can define themselves". Jack Tretton was a master politician that evening, and Don Mattrick and company never fought back.
The publishers flinched, we just don't know when. Again, the Sony fans and their anonymous internet heroes on NeoGAF and Pastebin will have you believe that Microsoft did all this on their own in a vacuum with no input from anyone and they were just going to shove it down everyone's throats whether they liked it or not. That these publishers who were trying on their own to curb the used game market, or at least get some control over it, with things like online passes were all of a sudden completely ok with unfettered used game sales where they got no additional piece of the pie while GameStop made billions off of them. No. I'm betting they were completely onboard with Microsoft on this until they started to hear the same rumblings and backed away. I love Peter Moore. One of my all-time favorite industry people. I've had many real conversations with him and even lunch once. I don't believe him for a second when he said he never spoke about this stuff with Microsoft. The company that started the whole online pass thing all of a sudden has no problem with used games? Don't get me wrong, Peter HAD to say that. Or people who claim they will "never forget Microsoft tried to do this to them" could claim the same against EA. Bottom line? Publishers flinched. Which BTW had a direct effect on Microsoft flinching.
Everyone flinched. Everyone did this for their own preservation. No one had the balls to stand on their own principle. Not Microsoft. Not publishers. Not Sony.
The difference is gamers fell for Sony's PR and claim they listened to the gamers while Microsoft changes it's policy and those same gamers somehow continue to call Microsoft out for it even to this day.
