[Videogames] XB1 self-service refunds & multi-generational hardware

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/..._Phil_Spencer_looks_to_the_future_of_Xbox.php
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017...me-more-steam-like-with-self-service-refunds/

Lot of cool stuff going on recently with Xbox. Having a clear Steam-style self-service refund system is huge, and really complements their Play Anywhere initiative.

And, Spencer is making some pretty strong statements about an intention to move forward with multi-generational hardware even beyond Scorpio, which to me has a myriad of positive effects. Cutting off to an entirely new console generation means you have that inevitable lag where developers aren't that interested in the platform early because the install base is small and opportunities for it to increase are supply-limited. If you add in an assumption of multi-generation support going back to, say, the previous two generations, developers can release games that take advantage of newer hardware, but which still work with the larger install base of the previous two versions. That will vastly appeal to indie developers as well, that we're targeting top-level graphics in the first place.

And while one could argue the classic console advantage of having only one configuration to develop for is eroded, developing for three configs is still way easier than developing for a near-infinite number of PC configs.

I think Sony has gotten a bit fat and complacent recently due to being the market leader. They have a clear advantage in exclusives at this juncture in my mind, and they don't have ads in their UI to the same extent XB1 does. But that said, I like what Microsoft's been doing lately a lot more. Never been anything but impressed with Phil Spencer. Self-service refunds, a top-quality controller like the Elite, Play Anywhere, superior multimedia capabilities, a focus on providing backwards-compatibility for 360 games, and strong hints towards multi-generational hardware (of which the PS4 Pro could be the beginning, but Sony has remained quiet on whether it's an exception or a trend, unlike Microsoft). They're really doing all the right things and setting themselves up well to claw back some market share from Sony in future.

 

The self-service refunds are referring to digital purchases, which to this point you've been stuck with, since you can't sell a digital game that's tied to your account. You could try selling your entire account, of course, but pretty sure that's against the terms of service, and an entirely different conversation.

I've never used Steam's refund service myself, either, but it's awfully nice to know it's there from a consumer-friendliness perspective. And it encourages giving a game a try that you don't know a lot about... at the end of the day I'd bet there's a net gain between the uptick in digital sales to the risk-averse and games that actually get returned, outside of a small set of repeat-abusers that monitoring could flag anyhow.

 

Yeah, I get it. In general I go out of my way to buy physical anyway in the console space... not really due to potential resale, but because I trust neither Sony nor Microsoft at the moment when it comes to maintaining access to my purchases in, say, 20 years (I love old games). Steam I do trust in that regard, so I've been all-digital on PC for years. I've got a big stack of physical PC game boxes that is likely to never grow taller than it is now.

But Play Anywhere might change the game a little bit even for me. Before there was no real benefit to buying digital over physical, besides just not dealing with discs. Play Anywhere means there's a very real, tangible benefit to buying digitally, because buying one license means you get to play it on XB1 and PC. And now, they're looking to add the returns to eliminate buyer's remorse. Think if after that, they start trying to get competitive with Steam on sales. Microsoft could position itself very well to get competitive with Steam if they wanted, which is something I wouldn't have dreamed of a couple years ago. Widespread adoption of such a system by gamers would likely push me over the edge into finally not buying discs for Xbox anymore.

In short, this is how you do it. This is how you implement what Microsoft was trying to accomplish when the XB1 was first announced! They took an approach of pushing people into all-digital by ditching physical media, when instead they should've been leaving physical media as an option but pulling people over to digital by showing how much better of a value it is.

 

Personally I agree, though I assume they are only thinking forward-looking from XB1 on at this point. I mean I still have Jade Empire, Kingdom Under Fire: Crusaders, and Panzer Dragoon Orta. For PDO alone I would never get rid of my 360. If all of a sudden XB1 supported original Xbox games as well as 360 ones, that would be awesome. I could get rid of my 360 so it wasn't taking up space anymore. But retroactively supporting / emulating a platform is harder than planning to support current games in future generations, so I'll take what I can get.

 

Yeah, I'm in much the same spot. The cancellation of Scalebound was a pretty big disappointment to me. But I'm looking forward to Cuphead, and I'm happy with the direction they're taking the platform, anyway.