Is America Heading Towards Casual Gaming on All Fronts??

There’s no doubt that the Xbox One garnered some major interest in the gaming industry. There’s also no doubt that Xbox One received MAJOR criticism over what one would consider to be MAJOR drawbacks to the system.  Microsoft announced that Xbox One owners would be required to be online in order to use the system.  They also made it clear that second-hand gaming would be disallowed.  This came as a huge shock and infuriated almost the entire video gaming community.  Sure, maybe one day second-hand gaming will be nonexistent and sure, maybe one day everyone will have to be online to use their TVs, Blu-Ray players, tablets, etc. But America made it known that time is not now!

My fear is that Microsoft is taking the Xbox into a direction very similar to the original Wii.  Microsoft’s focus with the Xbox One is to have a system in everyone’s household.  The Wii wanted this same thing, and they virtually achieved it.  Hell, the retirement home I work at has scheduled Wii Bowling nights (just ask StarSpangledEggs! He’s seen it!)!  But do I necessarily want to talk to my Xbox One just to turn the TV on or change the channel?  I feel goofy speaking to nobody in my living room with people around.  It’s awkward!

Is this a bad thing for Microsoft? Hell no. They’re going to make hundreds of millions of dollars (dare I say billions?) with this strategy!

Is this a bad thing for hardcore gamers? Hell yes.  Xbox One owners will find themselves overwhelmed with a barrage of games disguised for “core” gamers only to learn they’re stuck using Kinect voice commands to control players, menu options, and more.  It’s not fair to the hardcore gamers out there.  Sony is the only group that seems to be doing something right.  They are sticking to their guns and aiming for hardcore gamers on a level that Microsoft is slowly slipping away from.

Xbox One will still have some solid games, but I’m concerned about Microsoft Exclusive games… Will those end up in a pile of novelty games such as Kinect Adventures and Donkey Konga?  Or will they go the route of the Nintendo Wii?  Nintendo used to be my favorite system-developer but they have fallen by the wayside with mostly everything they’ve done post-GameCube (with the exception of Super Smash Bros Brawl).

C’mon Microsoft… Don’t try to go down that road.  I wouldn’t go down that road.  Let’s keep it real and make some solid games that use the wonderfully ergonomic Xbox controller and not make games that make me have to stand in front of the TV to kick a soccer ball and wave my hand to swing a golf club.  If I wanted to exercise I’d go outside.  If I want to play video games, I don’t want to sweat.

Reporting the exclusive news here at Nerd Bacon, I’m NerdBerry.