14 DAY TRIAL // The next generation of consoles is almost here and many gaming fans around the world are excited about the fact that, in a few days, they will be able to pick up a PlayStation 4 from Sony or an Xbox One from Microsoft.
But the excitement tends to hide the fact that both companies, even if their devices are not yet available, have disrespected gamers for the past year and that we should all take a more critical stance when it comes to their initiatives.
The list of problems is pretty long and it starts with the announcements for the coming devices, which were curiously devoid of official information and focused more on hyped features, some of which would not even make it to launch.
Microsoft then proceeded to change position on a number of issues: ranging from the way DRM worked on the Xbox One to how players would be able to hook up a set of headphones to the device.
Sony was a little more stable at first, but then it delayed one of its launched titles, DriveClub, failing to take into account how this would affect players who pre-ordered the device.
In a perfect world, such changes of policy and delays would be a trivial matter because gamers simply have the option of no longer buying a device.
But we live in an information crowded society where it’s hard to keep up with what’s important and many gamers, especially the more enthusiastic but casual ones, will find that the devices they pick up on launch might not be exactly what they were sold months earlier.
Both Microsoft and Sony have made a lot of progress in the way they interact with gamers compared to five or ten years ago, but consumers need to demand even more respect because the money we pay on the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 is keeping these companies afloat.