Microsoft to Military Gamers: Thanks for Playing, Now You’re SOL

Microsoft has unveiled its follow-on to the Xbox 360 – the Xbox One.  Some of its new “features” are nothing short of a swift kick in the “package” for military gamers.

• Stationed somewhere with spotty Internet connectivity?  Well, you can still use your Xbox One – for all of 24 hours.  After that, you’ll need to wait until you can reconnect to the Internet to use it again.
• Stationed overseas and get a new game mailed to you from someone in CONUS?  Sorry.  Games will be region-locked, and can only be activated in the region in which they’re designated.  You’ll have to wait until you get back to the US to play that one.
• Stationed in Japan, Kuwait, or Afghanistan?  Again – sorry.  You can only use that new Xbox  One in the 21 countries included in Microsoft’s Xbox server network.  If you’re elsewhere, that’s just too bad.
• Oh, and the built-in microphone?  It cannot be turned off.  Security folks shipboard are gonna just love that one!

Microsoft says they “empathize”.  And they do have a work around for those in the military who, you know, deploy.  According to Don Mattrick, President of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Division, “Fortunately we have a product for people who aren’t able to get some form of connectivity, it’s called Xbox 360.”

That’s right, folks:  Microsoft’s “military friendly” solution is to continue to use their older, soon-to-be-obsolete-and-unsupported product.

I wish I was kidding above – but I’m not.

I’m not a gamer.  But many soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are.  And this action by Microsoft – and their truly crappy attitude here – is a slap in the fact to all military gamers.

Mattrick’s e-mail address appears to be  “ donm@microsoft.com “.   His boss is Steve Ballmer; his e-mail address appears to be “ SteveB@microsoft.com “.  Perhaps they’d like to hear from military gamers what they think about the new Microsoft Xbox One.

Added by Sporkmaster:

Oh and it seems that it is getting worse for Microsoft when it turns out that the Demos for the Xbox One at the E3 convention were being run on high end PCs.

Category: Who knows