Where Microsoft Went Wrong with the Xbox One?

I’ve always been a Microsoft guy when it comes to computing & even for the smartphones, their products have always attracted me,. Although they never became my top choice. In game consoles, however, the scenario is a bit different. My favourite consoles have been Sony’s and I even developed a liking for Nintendo’s products but never did I get such feelings for the Xbox, mainly due to the high price and exclusive game library which apart from Forza and a few others I never really liked that much but that’s a strict matter of personal taste, I agree.

So when Microsoft was on the verge of announcing its next-generation game console, I thought it might all change this time. This excitement, however, evaporated as soon as the console was announced, and even more so in the next few days.

Just compare the console launches and even the features of the PS4 & Xbox One and you’ll see that Sony’s package has trumped the Microsoft package in almost every possible way. It won’t be changing, at all, this time.

Lack of quality console exclusive titles

Microsoft’s Xbox One launch was mostly a hit-or-miss affair. They tried to show that the console was as much of an entertainment centre as it was a game console. That move hit them back, hard, as gamers didn’t got much know-how of the capability and compatibility of the console.

At E3 however they did demonstrate the console’s powers where it really showed its power. The console exclusives looked and played amazingly but PS4’s console exclusives did outnumbered them. And also looked better. The Xbox One will get their own list of exclusive titles too, including the all famous Halo and Forza (which is my favorite racing game of all time), but that’s again a matter of personal choice.

According to Sony, over 140 titles are in pipeline for the new PS4 (including the newly announced The Order: 1886, Killzone: Shadow Fall and Gran Turismo 6), with 100 games coming this year. This will certainly be a worrying issue for Microsoft.

Lots of restrictions

Restrictions are the Xbox One’s Achilles Heels. Microsoft’s self-imposed limitations have themselves created certain question marks over the console’s success.

To start off, there’s the issue of used games where the user will have to pay a small amount of money to install a game from a used CD which I find totally absurd. Also it will have to be connected to the internet (atleast once every 24 hours) for cloud and other services. Connection with the Kinect accessory is also mandatory.

To play games in the Xbox One, the game will have to be installed from the CD to the console hard drive. The problem is that it can’t be replaced with one with a higher capacity unlike the PS4.

If you thought those were big issues, then probably you should think again because both the Xbox One and its games are region-locked. That might prove to be the real deal-breaker for countless people all over the globe.

Price and availability

The Xbox One will be available for $499. Compared to that the Nintendo Wii U’s base model costs $299 while the Sony PlayStation 4, its archrival costs an aggressive $399, a whole $100 cheaper. It won’t be coming with the PlayStation Eye though, unlike the One which comes with Kinect.

But its price, coupled with the fact that it carries more power under the hood makes it an obvious winner. Now obviously, sometime is still left before the launch of both consoles (which is sometime in the fall season) and Microsoft should definitely address these issues in that time.

The success also depends upon the launch date. If the launch date of the One is before the PS4, then it might gain a huge advantage over its nemesis. In the opposite case though, a tough competition is expected.

The One is marketed as being as much of an ‘entertainment center’ as a game console. But why will you buy the thing in a country where Xbox Live, the online hub of the console isn’t accessible and most of the services unavailable, along with the substantially higher price? The answer to the question of the game console being better here seems a no-brainer.

Microsoft can atleast learn some lessons from Sony. It launched its PS3 with an inflated price tag and garnered loads of criticism. It did, however, got some serious acclaim after a redesigned, more competitively-priced second iteration. Microsoft is in a similar, if not exactly the same situation right now. All eyes are on them. If they want to succeed they must act quickly.

Smartphone Makers Pushed to Add Kill Switch for Stolen Phones

Smartphone makers are pushed by American officials to come up with a mechanism which will ideally make smartphones useless and just a piece of plastic if it is stolen.

Move is aimed at discouraging the smartphone theft and making it almost useless to steal a smartphone.

Officials driving the campaign have met Samsung, Apple and Microsoft – who account for 90 percent of smartphone market share – to convince them for adding a kill switch in smartphones, trigging which should disable the smartphone for any use in any case.

Ideally, if kill switch is activated, the smartphone will become a paperweight with not performing any functionality in any case. The mechanism on how this kill switch should get activated is still being argued and is likely to meet a consensus after deliberation.

If such a mechanism is worked out and put in practice, this will help Asian and especially South Asian markets to a greater extent. Since these regions are heavily burdened with phone theft cases and especially when smartphones are too expensive compared with usual commodities, such a kill switch can add further value for the consumers.

Spirituality and Technology - Finding the Balance

By Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

We live in a time where ‘google’ happens to be amongst the first 100 words a child learns – a time where we do not have to extend our hand to make a friend, just the tap of our finger is enough.

Today, a  whole universe of information is available at our fingertips and an entire network of people, known and  unknown,  seem to be apparently connected and there e for each other, yet not really there in the true sense. Families separated by thousands of miles can see and talk to each other with the help of technology. Children from remote villages get a glimpse of the world outside through a host of technological instruments. In the field of medicine, medical diagnosis greatly relies on the accuracy of the medical technology that it uses.

As creators and users of technology, we have been greatly empowered. Yet this power often comes at the cost of complete reliance on this very technology. Our enthusiasm to explore and  know  about is often limited to Internet searches.

We do not go out and explore nature. While it is of great help to have information available at the touch of a  button, nothing can replace the experience of touching the snow or feeling the coolness of the flowing river – the majesty of the Colorado Rockies or the tranquility of the Missisipi river.

While it is much easier to learn more about anything by connecting to the world-wide-web, the enthusiasm of discovering and learning first-hand is vanishing at a rapid pace and only the virtual experience remains. This by no means  is the real thing.

We need to  discover ways in which technology can help facilitate our spirit of enquiry. What is the middle-path in the use of technology and how do we find it? It is a fine line that  balances knowing how much to depend on information and when to rely on intuition. It is a skill, to deepen our knowledge with information yet broaden our vision with the real experience. This skill and balance are essential to avoid the risk of overexposure and fatigue, to keep the creativity flowing and the enthusiasm rising. This is where spirituality becomes a big asset.

Spirituality is not a dogmatic rule. It is dynamic action, continuously accommodating and adapting to changes in circumstances and the environment. It makes you ever accepting of change. This ability to adapt is essential in a technological environment where the need to upgrade and update oneself is imperative to staying ahead. In the race to keep up with technology, we should not forget the mind that created it. We are used to charging our phones and laptops.  But what can we do to re-charge ourselves? For the human mind to be more effective, it needs to be charged through meditation.

Meditation – The Technology for Mind Management

Meditation brings centeredness. It is the subtler technology for mind management. It calms the agitated mind. It connects us to our source and brings us back home to ourselves. It is important that we connect to the inner-net and not just the inter-net.

A mother knows intuitively what her child needs even before the child begins to speak. She is a master of the language of the heart. This ability to connect with life around us is innate and needs to be nurtured. Spirituality is the key to this cosmic connection.

When we know that we are the source, that we are ever connected to the supreme intelligence, we can move ahead with a sense of belongingness and responsibility for the transformation we bring about with the technologies that are available to us. The same finger that can unleash a nuclear bomb can also spread peace. Walking this line of balance with effortless grace is the skill that meditation brings in us so naturally.

Living the values of caring and sharing, of seeking the highest truth and ultimate joy, of giving love and wisdom, are the signs of an individual blossoming to his or her full potential through spirituality and technology should be an aide in this journey to make life a celebration.

Join Face 2 Face with Sri Sri Live on Facebook June 23rd 2013 7:30 p.m IST here:www.facebook.com/HHSriSriRaviShankar