I got to watch a majority of it live on justin.tv . Which is why I love the internet so much. I wasn't there, but I got to watch it fricking live. Anyway, so Xbox was first up at the week long conference. They spoke for HOURS...and didn't fail. I'm excited about alot of the new games, etc. I don't want to get into that. But I do want to tell you what I personally think would improve the xbox 360. As a user....an Avid User.
1) The new xbox live platform debuted not too long ago, and I really like it. It's smooth as hell and easy to navigate. I'd love to see more of a structured way of presenting information. All xbox users don't use the machine everyday. So when you add new game reviews, videos, etc. they get lost in the shuffle. If you put the time and/or date on the vids, it would be a lot easier to see what you've looked at and what you haven't.
2) Project Natal....can it. I already hate this idea. Unless they start marketing the Xbox for FAMILIES, there is no way this is going to work. The sample games they showed at the conference, the ball thing, it was ridiculous. They had this shit when WebCams first came out. Where you could play basketball with your hands, via webcam. It's a stupid idea. I could care less if I have to push my button controller or use my hands to move the menu. This is dumb and until motion sensors became INSANELY ACCURATE....this will never fly. (Nintendo Power Glove).
3) Get rid of the new Facebook shit. That's lame. Facebook is a dying entity just like Myspace. Its nice to update every once in a while, but its going to be used much less in the next few years. Keep twitter, that might be fairly relevant. But make a nice app that allows your gaming updates to be updated on twitter. Make sure it's in REAL TIME. Otherwise it's pointless. My laptop is two inches from me when im playing xbox. So if I can get twitters faster that way, then I wouldn't bother with twitter on xbox.
4) Game Rentals and full game Purchases. It's absolutely ridiculous to me that you can't rent video games on xbox live. It makes NO SENSE. Do you know how many more games I would rent and then buy, if I could rent them online? And i'm not talking about bs trial games....that is wack. I want to be able to play the game for a good 3 days. Not even a week. 3 days, and if I like it, I can buy the full version minus the rental price. YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THIS. I would have already this year bought Grand Theft Auto, Fable II, Halo Wars, Saints Row II and Oblivion....if I was given the option to rent it then buy it online. I don't care if it takes up space. When you release your new system, just make the space be larger. Then all you have to do is sell us SPACE and a platform to retrieve information (xbox live). Everything should be downloadable, and it should be downloadable RIGHT NOW. That is how you will kill all the rest of the platforms.
5) Massive Multiplayer Games. Fable II is an excellent game. There's quite a bit I would change on it, to make it less extensive but it's still a great game as it is. It's a cross between Zelda: Ocarnia of Time and Sims (two of the most POPULAR video game series in the world). I love this game. However, when me and an xbox live buddy of mine tried to play it via xbox live together, we realized it sucked. There are so many situations where being able to play in real time against real life opponents would be super easy to create. The main "world" should be completely multiplayer . Property should be realistic and conversations and interactions should be "limited" but extensive with another real life player. All you would have to do is create maps. The building and movement would be completely up to the player. It could realistically be infinite, but won't have to be because video gaming is a fairly small amount compared to the entire population of the world.
6) Media Sharing: You should be able to show what music your listening too. There should be an option. Along with which movie. And an immediate rating system so you can influence others on what your watching or listening too. It should be optional and easy to change, because Netflix has porn, so the dudes wouldn't want everyone seeing they are watching porn.
You should be able to link ANY computer to share your music. This is doable with Windows Media Player for free through a PC. It is not available on a Mac without a $20 download. That is bullshit. You need to make this shit compatible or people are going to sway.
7) MOVIES. Netflix and Xbox need to do a little merger. It's stupid to me that I pay for Netflix but don't get the option to see any CURRENTLY RELEASED MOVIES. There are two completely different systems for that. It's unnecessary. You need to join the two, allow for ALL movie rentals, for a monthly price or individual price (you should allow for individual price because otherwise you'll miss a huge market of people who do not buy into a monthly membership too easily).
8) AVATARS. Why you haven't expanded on this is beyond me. People who are gamers, like to have the ability to change shit. That's why everything is customizeable in games. You need to broaden our options, make it a little more realistic. Girls especially like doing this, and you could attract a nice brood of young chick gamers. It doesn't have to be crazy, but at least allow us to change our shirt colors and be able to wear flipflops.
Xbox needs to realize that the Xbox360 is a social network. It's where us gamers go to hang with people who like to game. This isn't possible anywhere else, but while we are gaming in real time. There isn't a forum, website or chatroom that will make it easier than being able to converse directly with people who are playing with you.
That is exactly what you need to improve on. You already have a HUGE leg up on the other platforms. Take Halo as an example of EXCELLENT multiplayer platforming.
You need to be less inventive when it comes to new technologies and focus on the technologies that you have. You need to have a rating system, a place where people can leave comments about games or at the very least, RATE THEM. Real time statistics of how many people are playing a certain game, so you know what is more popular or what you should be playing when it's 4am in the morning.
I could think of a million more things. Easy things. Things that are technologically available to us right now. You need to lay back before you jump forward.
Jamie
