Xbox 360 site WORST EVER

[James Philp]

The obduracy of Microsoft!
Check this (http://www.xbox360.com/home.html?lang=en-gb&langmap=null&charType=latin) website out. It's the Xbox 360 one. You can take the hardware for a "spin" but it is done SO badly.
This kind of thing is calling out for QT like on the apple site, but Microsoft so obviously hate themselves that what we (the punter) get is sub-standard!
Dragging things sideways? What's that about!
It's also about the slowest thing ever!

I had really high hopes for the Xbox 2, but after visiting this site and watching the "event" earlier I am beginning to have real doubts!

Poor Poor Poor.

[JeDiBoYTJ]

wow... thats a pretty cheesy website...

[dotdotdot]

Its not so bad... Its kind of cool. But QuickTime would be better.

Now, to get OS X on this...

[James Philp]

Its not so bad... Its kind of cool. But QuickTime would be better.

Now, to get OS X on this...C'mon! it's about as seamless as a patchwork quilt!

[ScottDodson]

LOL, I wouldn't jump all over the 360 site just yet...
I mean, it's release has been "officially" announced for what...one day yet? I'm sure it's just some sort of placeholder for the time being...

I mean, you can still go to the old xbox site, and that's where you'll find all the info...which is where it should be
XBOX (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/default.htm)

[JeDiBoYTJ]

LOL, I wouldn't jump all over the 360 site just yet...
I mean, it's release has been "officially" announced for what...one day yet? I'm sure it's just some sort of placeholder for the time being...

I mean, you can still go to the old xbox site, and that's where you'll find all the info...which is where it should be
XBOX (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/default.htm)

im sure the xbox 360's design has been finalized for at least a few months now... ample time for them to create a somewhat more intuitive launch website...

[James Philp]

Guys, don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Xbox, but what with recent event, I'm very dismayed! (All that talk of skins and the Xbox 360 being the center of my digital media and stuff, - probably in WM format, grrrrr)
What can't it just be a damn good games machine!

[GFLPraxis]

The obduracy of Microsoft!
Check this (http://www.xbox360.com/home.html?lang=en-gb&langmap=null&charType=latin) website out. It's the Xbox 360 one. You can take the hardware for a "spin" but it is done SO badly.
This kind of thing is calling out for QT like on the apple site, but Microsoft so obviously hate themselves that what we (the punter) get is sub-standard!
Dragging things sideways? What's that about!
It's also about the slowest thing ever!

I had really high hopes for the Xbox 2, but after visiting this site and watching the "event" earlier I am beginning to have real doubts!

Poor Poor Poor.

LOL nice Quicktime VR imitation!

[GFLPraxis]

Its not so bad... Its kind of cool. But QuickTime would be better.

Now, to get OS X on this...

Perhaps Mac-on-Linux will work. Or maybe a special edition that tricks OS X into seeing different hardware.

[James Philp]

For any other product i wouldn't mind so much, but this is the BIGGEST computer-based company ON EARTH! - you think they could do better for their bid for the 6bn market that is the games machine market!
Considering they are supposed to be at the forefront of technology this is SUCH A POOR effort!

[ijimk]

I agree that site needs quicktime very very very badly! lol :rolleyes:

[GFLPraxis]

For any other product i wouldn't mind so much, but this is the BIGGEST computer-based company ON EARTH! - you think they could do better for their bid for the 6bn market that is the games machine market!
Considering they are supposed to be at the forefront of technology this is SUCH A POOR effort!

Actually its a great move on their part. Think about it. You got an XBox. Want to use all the features? You need a Windows PC running Media Center Edition. You can't buy that off the shelves so you need a new PC with it. MS makes a ton of money of MCE. Everyone with an XBox will want a MCE PC.

It's to push Windows and the XBox together.

Guess what MS? I don't want to use Windows.

The XBox was never about gaming for Microsoft- it was about getting developers to use DirectX and make games hard to port, making more Windows-only games, and getting people to upgrade to Windows XP MCE.


I'm not saying the first XBox was bad; the games that came out for it by third parties were great. But MS's goal was never to take over the market with the greatest game machine ever, it was to dump (not like trash, I mean like dumping (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumping) ) the XBox to gain a big market share and use that to tie people to their OS.


--THIS IS NOT AN ANTI-XBOX OR ANTI-MICROSOFT RANT--

I'm merely pointing out what MS's priorities are.

Honestly, if I could stream video from my Mac, and my standard Windows PC (not Media Center), I might consider buying the XBox as a holdover for the Revolution and using it for multimedia.

[James Philp]

The XBox was never about gaming for Microsoft- it was about getting developers to use DirectX and make games hard to port, making more Windows-only games, and getting people to upgrade to Windows XP MCE.

It's a good point, even though the xbox uses PPC architecture.
I really hope I will be able to use the Xbox 360 as a pure gaming machine.

PS - this is a bit off topic, i was talking about the poor quality of the site, not about the xbox itself. - You can't deny that the implementation of the hardware preview is terrible!

EDIT, in fact, GFLPraxis your post is completely off topic, and not anything to do with what i was saying about the website! How does having a bad website for a product lead to all the things you said in your post?

[Les Kern]

It's not ALL that bad... EXCEPT for the wallpaper. I'd fire the guy that approved that abomination.

[James Philp]

It's not ALL that bad... EXCEPT for the wallpaper. I'd fire the guy that approved that abomination.
Oh come on!? Dragging the picture in the window simply drags the picture! - Terrible stuff, but i guess what we come to expect from MS!

Compare to this (http://www.apple.com/hardware/gallery/mac_mini_jan2005_480.html), or even this (http://www.apple.com/hardware/gallery/ipod_oct2004_480.html)!
I don't remember these products having special "Parties" in LA with loads of bands playing etc etc! Yet still they are given the treatment they deserve!

[GFLPraxis]

It's a good point, even though the xbox uses PPC architecture.
I really hope I will be able to use the Xbox 360 as a pure gaming machine.

PS - this is a bit off topic, i was talking about the poor quality of the site, not about the xbox itself. - You can't deny that the implementation of the hardware preview is terrible!

EDIT, in fact, GFLPraxis your post is completely off topic, and not anything to do with what i was saying about the website! How does having a bad website for a product lead to all the things you said in your post?

Weird. I don't really know...
We started talking about the XBox itself instead of the site, you complained that it wasn't a gaming machine, I went on to talking about how MS wants it to be multimedia...


I do have to agree that the XBox looks rather slick. Though they should have gone with a Quicktime VR... :D

[James Philp]

Plus, being called the "360" if would be nice to actually have a 360 view!

[James Philp]

Weird. I don't really know...
We started talking about the XBox itself instead of the site, you complained that it wasn't a gaming machine, I went on to talking about how MS wants it to be multimedia...


I do have to agree that the XBox looks rather slick. Though they should have gone with a Quicktime VR... :D
sorry if i led you up the garden path, bygones :)

[GFLPraxis]

Plus, being called the "360" if would be nice to actually have a 360 view!

LOL! Good point!

[Mr. Anderson]

Plus, being called the "360" if would be nice to actually have a 360 view!

that's exactly it - and I don't think they'd want to do a qtvr of the thing - even though that's the way to do it. But even using flash, it doesn't take much to make enough frames to get a decent 360 view of any object - especially with the resources MS has....

Bleh - lets hope the console out performs the website.

D

[snkTab]

Don't you guys like the single wallpaper. There are monster playing with corded controllers. Wow, I assume this picture is suppose to tie into 360 how?

[Bradley W]

_

[dornoforpyros]

eh I've seen worse. For a product that doesn't have an official release date or price confirmed yet I think that's about all the website needs to be at this point.

[James Philp]

eh I've seen worse. For a product that doesn't have an official release date or price confirmed yet I think that's about all the website needs to be at this point.
but for a product that has had a high visibility multi-national party? And when they made a massive thing over how it looks? and after what it's called?

[dornoforpyros]

I dunno. I guess I just don't see that website as being THAT bad. I mean it's got pictures and an attempt at a VR type off thing. Maby I'm just used to seeing even worse (http://thewedgewoods.ca/) websites done by the company I used to work for. Yes I did this site and no I'm not proud of it. But sometimes their are other factor$ at work :rolleyes:

[solvs]

--THIS IS NOT AN ANTI-XBOX OR ANTI-MICROSOFT RANT--
It's ok, you can do that here. We think it's funny cuz they suck.

The site was okay, no worse than I'd expect from them. Controller still looks like crap, but I bet the machine will be fast. I'm still waiting for the PS3.

[GFLPraxis]

It's ok, you can do that here. We think it's funny cuz they suck.

The site was okay, no worse than I'd expect from them. Controller still looks like crap, but I bet the machine will be fast. I'm still waiting for the PS3.

Anti-Microsoft rants are allowed here, Anti-XBox rants are not. Try it, you'll see what I mean when they attack you by the dozen :D

[Nermal]

I dunno. I guess I just don't see that website as being THAT bad.

*ahem*

[snkTab]

I dunno. I guess I just don't see that website as being THAT bad. I mean it's got pictures and an attempt at a VR type off thing. Maby I'm just used to seeing even worse (http://thewedgewoods.ca/) websites done by the company I used to work for. Yes I did this site and no I'm not proud of it. But sometimes their are other factor$ at work :rolleyes:

I've never $een a web$ite be pre$ented like that, and I kinda like it.

[slooksterPSV]

Design is good, but formatting is very bad.

[BKKloppenborg]

I agree that site needs quicktime very very very badly! lol :rolleyes:

wow thats really bad! Of corse Windows don't want to use Quicktime they "never" want to use Apple Products haters!! :D

[cyanide]

Microsoft isn't really a bad company at all. They make a poor OS is all. Other divisions of the company are wonderful. It sickens me every time i use a Windows PC, but every time i fire up my Xbox is better than the last. There are as many creative individuals at MS as there are at Apple, and the fact that certain people on these forums can't see past their noses proves either their ignorance or arrogance. Please, if you want to post mindless banter that isn't even remotely intelligent, do so directly in the Wasteland. And just so this isn't entirely off-topic, I think the 360 site is well implemented. It gives people what they want right now; a few pictures of the system and controller, along with basic info. Who goes to that site? Tech-interested people who need every scrap of info they can get on the latest and greatest. When the system is closer to launch the site will be changed and updated, and probably still not use Quicktime. If you don't like it, make something better and post it here. Oh and make sure to include a QT VR of the 360.

[solvs]

Microsoft isn't really a bad company at all.
Ahem: http://www.microsuck.com/

Yeah, they kinda are.

[GFLPraxis]

Not at all.

You already know about the OS sucking. Thing is, Microsoft uses their OS monopoly to force themselves into other markets and their finantial reserves to undercut opponents.

They were found a legal monopoly but let off by Bush IIRC when he came to power. The EU also found them a monopoly and fined them the maximum legally allowed ($600 million), but couldn't do much more.

Look at the XBox for an example. I'm not trodding on the XBox, just on Microsoft.

Here we have a console that cost $380 to build. Microsoft is a company with NO influence in this market. They waltz in, sell this system for $300 a pop (this is known as illegal dumping), make huge losses that no other company could (over a billion dollars lost so far), and then to get games starts buying any company that looks good including Bungie and Rare for hundreds of millions apeice. They gain a big market share and are releasing a successor. This is, of course, totally illegal and an indicator of monopoly power.



See microsuck.com linked above.

A couple others...
http://jinicomputer.com/noms.php
http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~fine/opinions/msinnovate.html
http://www.2near.com/edge/editorials/ms.html
http://www.vcnet.com/bms/departments/dirtytricks.shtml

Other good references are the official court DOJ findings of how Microsoft hurts consumers.

[James Philp]

Here we have a console that cost $380 to build. Microsoft is a company with NO influence in this market. They waltz in, sell this system for $300 a pop (this is known as illegal dumping), make huge losses that no other company could (over a billion dollars lost so far), and then to get games starts buying any company that looks good including Bungie and Rare for hundreds of millions apeice. They gain a big market share and are releasing a successor. This is, of course, totally illegal and an indicator of monopoly power.
This is not unique to the xbox, and it's low price forced a price war, which is always good for the consumer.
The PS2 is also vastly under price. They can afford to do this because lets say every xbox or PS2 owner buys 20 games over the lifetime, and they make $$ on each game - therefore recouping losses.

This is no different to consumer printers, all sold at a loss and then recouped with ink cartridge sales.

[1macker1]

Site looks good to me. And as far as MS being suck a bad/evil company, Apple is in the same boat.

[Tideswimmer]

I went to the site, and I think it did kind of suck. What IS the point of dragging a picture around in the window? Okay, it moves, and so???

The first thing I clicked on took me to some kind of wallpaper thingie, but there's nothing to indicate what it is all about. Again, the pointless window dragging. Bored now; how do I navigate back? Click, click, click, click... Oh, yeah, finally I notice that pale little X up there in the right corner; my reptile brain remembers back... back... back to a time long ago when I was forced to use something called "Windows." That X used to mean something... Oh, yeah, it was the button I always clicked on by accident, when I really only wanted it to hide something for a second.

The site is not very intuitive; you have to click everything in sight in the hopes that something will happen.

The "VR" views of the products are terrible. Click, click, click: and all you get for your trouble is a slightly different angle on the product.

Site navigation is terrible, too. Click on a main page icon and it moves front and center and sits there, but you are still none the wiser for having moved it front and center; there is still no indication of what you will be looking at once you've clicked it again. And if you are not going to provide this information, then why move the thing front and center and make me click it again? I've already clicked it! Take me to where I've already asked to go! Instead, you have to click it again to make it do anything, and then, when it finally does open, it still is often not apparent what the purpose of the page is.

All of it accompanied by a faux Riven-like spacy music thing to make you think you are solving some highly intricate puzzle with all your clicking, when really you are just clicking your life away, click by click.

Yes, Riven. That's the last game I played, lo those many years ago. I've never been much of a gamer, and I certainly don't like the run-around shoot 'ems in any case. So it is possible this site is just not for me. :)

[JzzTrump22]

It is a pretty crappy site. I would expect better from microsoft.

[Xtremehkr]

Relax, it's not that bad. As long as the console is good, it shouldn't really matter.

Microsoft is cheap, that website is actually on the higher priced side for what they usually do. Xbox.com is crap as well.

Given that my underused Xbox just took a dump and is most likely in need of some expensive repairs, I am seriously considering making the jump to the PS3. Especially since Sony are going to keep their game catalogue playable.

[GFLPraxis]

This is not unique to the xbox, and it's low price forced a price war, which is always good for the consumer.
The PS2 is also vastly under price. They can afford to do this because lets say every xbox or PS2 owner buys 20 games over the lifetime, and they make $$ on each game - therefore recouping losses.

This is no different to consumer printers, all sold at a loss and then recouped with ink cartridge sales.

The PS2 is SLIGHTLY under priced if even. The GameCube is sold at a PROFIT and always has, since launch day.

Sony and Nintendo have both posted huge profits. I can post the 2003-2004 numbers. Microsoft has negative numbers in 7 quarters out of 8, the LOWEST loss was negative $150 million and one quarter had nearly $400 million loss. They've lost well over a billion dollars on the XBox. They didn't come NEAR to making it up in games, even with Halo 2. Obviously Microsoft is selling at a much higher loss.

[James Philp]

The PS2 is SLIGHTLY under priced if even. The GameCube is sold at a PROFIT and always has, since launch day.

Sony and Nintendo have both posted huge profits. I can post the 2003-2004 numbers. Microsoft has negative numbers in 7 quarters out of 8, the LOWEST loss was negative $150 million and one quarter had nearly $400 million loss. They've lost well over a billion dollars on the XBox. They didn't come NEAR to making it up in games, even with Halo 2. Obviously Microsoft is selling at a much higher loss.
That actually kinda makes me feel better about owning an xbox!
Cheers for all the gifts MS!

[GFLPraxis]

I've considered buying an XBox just for Linux and maybe Burnout 3, costing Microsoft a good $50 or so and giving me another desktop PC :D But I have way too many desktops in the house.