Lack of Exclusives
Acting as one of the Xbox One’s biggest issues, Microsoft still struggles with outputting a healthy number of old and new IPs for players to enjoy. Yes, they have had some stellar titles come out in 2016 like Forza Horizon 3 and Gears of War 4, however, these were few and far between. While Microsoft did branch out with games like Quantum Break and ReCore, they just didn’t make enough of a mark to be truly relevant in a year stacked with amazing titles.
One of the biggest problems is that certain titles, that could have been exclusives and system sellers, are simply timed and will eventually release on the PS4. Both Dead Rising 4 and Rise of the Tomb Raider, titles that could warrant buying an Xbox One, have or are set to release on the PlayStation 4.
It’s also possible that when they do release for Sony’s platform they’ll just be packaged with all the DLC, which seems like a far better deal if you’re willing to wait. While 2017 looks more promising in terms of exclusives, 2016 was just a footnote year for games on the Xbox One.
Their Dashboard is Still a Mess
As someone who’s spent a lot of time on Xbox One, it’s still amazing how none of the issues with their dashboard have been addressed. While Microsoft has always been a company that’s attempted to streamline everything, the archaic and chaotic design for the dashboard’s different pages still presents a problem. Given during their E3 press conference they remarked on adding new and exciting features like communities to their system, one would hope this meant a major dashboard overhaul.
Nope, here we are months later with page layouts that look awful and feel as if Microsoft just slapped together a bunch of square based photos and icons and called it a day. Navigating the online store feels like a chore at times and it doesn’t help that the menu system itself is unresponsive at times. While the Xbox 360 menu wasn’t perfect, it was still quite easy to navigate and use. It’s been 3 years since the consoles release and still, somehow, Microsoft has yet to fix it.
The Scorpio Problem
This year saw a variety of different consoles announced and subsequently released, however, one of the biggest to come out in 2016 was Sony’s PS4 Pro. Given that Sony only had a two-month turnaround period between the Pro’s announcement and launch, this only served to emphasize the excruciatingly long wait fans would have to endure in order to use the Scorpio.
Since it wasn’t going to be available until next year’s holiday season this slightly diluted the announcement. With so few details known about Microsoft’s Project Scorpio, the wait until fans can find out more is going to be a painfully long one, especially when looking at Sony fans already enjoying the PS4 Pro.
The Dead Rising 4 Email
A few weeks back Microsoft sent out a promotional email that upset a number of people due to a spelled out zombie groan sounding phonetically like a racial slur. While we aren’t looking to argue whether this was offensive or not, there is little doubting that this didn’t help Microsoft’s public look. For a game that was already suffering from fan backlash following its reveal, having to backtrack on some awkward promotional material didn’t help.
Today we sent a DR4 email where a zombie roar was interpreted by many as a racial slur. We apologize and promise to do better next time.
— Larry Hryb, Gamer Emeritus 📱⌨️🖱️🎮 (@majornelson) November 22, 2016
The fact that Microsoft had to come out and publicly apologize for the email only put more of a spotlight on the marketing material. That all being said, however, it’s important to reflect on the good things this company has done as well. This was an awkward year for the Xbox One, so hopefully 2017 will be their time to shine thanks to new exclusives and the Scorpio.
Published: Dec 9, 2016 01:36 pm