The seemingly continuous run of negative PR for Microsoft continues this evening as the company reveals the limited number of countries that the Xbox One will launch in later this year.
Although the list – below – covers the major selling areas for Microsoft it’s worth noting that Poland is missing, something Polish developers CD Projekt Red weren’t aware of.
“I was surprised, and I really hope that it isn’t final,” said co-founder Marcin Iwinski. “I think Polish gamers will speak out loud. From my perspective, it’s a sad situation.”
Not only does the list signify the launch countries, it’s worth noting that because the console (and games) require online activation, chances are even if a machine is imported to a non-supported country, it probably won’t work.
Here’s the list:
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Canada
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Ireland
- Italy
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Russia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- United States
In related news, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer has said that the activation process eats just bytes, not megabytes, and thus suggests that tethering your phone to the Xbox One might be a solution for those that don’t have an internet connection.
However, he does state that the console does need that connection. “If you have no ability to connect to the Internet,” he said, “the Xbox One is not the console for you.”
Finally, industry vet Peter Molyneux has weighed in with his opinion. “I just think it was very unprofessionally done,” he said. “There was one message from one Phil and then another message from another Phil, and they seemed to be kind of shooting from the hip.”
“Always online is simple for me. As a consumer, just show me why I should be always online and I’ll be happy with it. At the moment, it just means game sale authentication. I don’t want that.”
Xbox One launches (in some places) in November.
bunimomike
I… *sniff*… I… *wells up*… I… *holds back tears*… I… agree with Peter Molyneux! *finally lets go and breaks down*.
I feel so dirty. *finds God and confesses all*
Tuffcub
Dont worry he said lots of bollocks you wouldn’t agree with as well.
BrendanCalls
This can’t be right, surely. No business would ever in their right mind limit themselves so extremely. I’m an Emerging Markets Analyst, but even I don’t need to be that to see there are huge economies missing from that list, even within Europe. Turkey being the one that spring to my foremost attention. OK, they have their troubles, but its a huge, fast growing economy with a massive population. Its a gold mine for anyone with the will power to surpass the rather difficult import/export regulations, saying that compared to somewhere like Russia, its a doddle.
I cant believe that this is a finality, surely its only a preliminary list and the rest of the world will come online at a later date
quinkill
So if you’re a gamer and live in a first world country your fine if not then screw you!
Cybotika
Yep thats really bad as my internet connection back home in the Philippines puts my connection here in the UK too shame. Go figure
Wardy-77-
It just gets better and funnier by the minute :D What’s next! lol
double-o-dave
It ships with American AC power plugs and you have to buy your own adapter. :)
double-o-dave
Phil says “If you can’t get your hands on an adapter, move to the States”.
Airiaen
“Buy a Xbox 360”
Cybotika
It redirects you to Microsoft Labs where they brainwash you into saying “Everything is good go buy Xbox One hail the Chief” LOL
xdarkmagician
I find it funny how lately similar news for Sony and MS gets reported different. MS says 1st party games free but 3rd party will be locked- everyone boo’s… Sony says 1st party games free but 3rd party can be locked if publisher wants- everyone cheers. Sony launching PS4 in select countries- they’re just trying to compete. MS launching Xbox One in select countries- those evil bastards. XBL Gold members getting free game- they’re old game that aren’t really free. PS+ = greatest service ever. …
Also the tethering a mobile device is actually a positive thing, if the authentication is just bytes it can easily be done with 3G and will hardly effect data plans. It may not be as cool as not having online authentication in the first place but it helps if your internet crashes or if youre moving. Its actually a great way for parents that want to restrict game access, if they don’t make that daily call their kid cant play- a very ingenuous way of punishment IMO. As long as a mobile device doesn’t have to be a Windows mobile device that is.
Wardy-77-
I think it’s a similar situation all over the internet the world over people and the majority of the Gaming industry are not happy with how MS have done thing’s and how they have gone about it and the way they are putting thing’s across and coming across, there are people all over the net who i know have only ever been Xbox and slagged off Playstation and even they have said F*** you MS and switching to PS4, the PS4 is very different to the X1 with all it’s implemented restrictions and your right PS+ = greatest service ever ;D
xdarkmagician
But does the media have the right not to be happy? Shouldn’t they just present the information and let the consumer decide? I understand alot of game media if fanbased, that they have the right to express an opinion and alot of their readers appreciate and expect that. But if the One is so terrible does it really need the media’s help to fail?
bunimomike
It’s interpretation of facts and information and even your post is worded interestingly.
Take this, for example. You say “Sony says 1st party games free but 3rd party can be locked if publisher wants- everyone cheers.” but as we all know here, Sony’s stance is basically “nothing’s changed since the PS3 policies” which is why we’re all very, very happy.
Although, agreed about territories. People forget that there is no worldwide launch (in the sense of them approaching all countries). Sony will do the same again, I don’t doubt. Launch to the major territories where they can get as fast a return on their investment and then look after everyone else as stocks replenish. Same for MS.
xdarkmagician
Until we hear from publishers about what they have planned its a little early to be poppin’ champagne and assume nothing is going to change just because Sony says we’re not changing how WE do it. And maybe nothing will, maybe people will boycott the more outrageous DRM strategies and publishers will find a balance. But I don’t understand how Sony can say two opposite sentences in the same statement and people choose to ignore one. Is it going to be the same or are publishers going to be allowed to change it?
Radboud
The problem here is that MS implemented a restriction in the machine and said to publishers they can use that.
Sony did not and said that publishers are free to dig their own grave if they want.
EA still gets lots of flak about having implemented the online pass and I think they have learned from that and will not implement it again.
The most positive outcome in the future will be a) that MS showed their moneygrabbing intentions and b) that they researched, designed, built and implemented a needless piece of tech which made the console more expensive than it had to be.
Radboud
sorry for the double post:
Forgot to mention that I think that MS said they would not implement the used game fee for first party games after the total outbreak about it in the media.
Why implement a piece of (costly) tech if you do not want to use it?
My guess is they changed their minds
Radboud
The difference between releasing in selected countries for MS and Sony is that you could get the PS4 from another country and play on it, as with the Xbox One you can’t, because it is regionlocked and works only in countries where the Xbox Live is Xbox One ready (and that is the list they published).
hazelam
but even when third party publishers allow preowned on x1, there are still hoops to jump through.
you either have to go to a participating retailer, which in the US will no doubt be the “evil” gamestop.
and if you want to sell or give the game away privately, you’re pretty much screwed there.
want to sell on ebay?
tell the buyer, that once they’ve paid you’ll add them to your friends list, send out the game, and in thirty days they can play it.
oh and by the by, they then can’t resell the game, it’s their forever, or at least until the servers go down.
MuggleMind
You have clearly missed the bigger picture here. If I buy an Xbox One at launch, along with a load of games here in the UK, I can play them happily (as long as my internet doesn’t go down). However, if the company I work for then decide that I need to spend time abroad, in Japan or Poland or India or Saudi Arabia or anywhere in Africa, for example, and I take my nice new Xbox One with me, the games will not work. Remember, the Xbox One dials home every day, and the list above is the list of Xbox One Live countries. Anywhere else just will not work.
Currently, the situation is: http://i.imgur.com/tvXzEGE.png
Hopefully, for the sake of their customers, MS will fix this urgently.
xdarkmagician
You guys are missing my original point. Its not about the policies, its about how they get reported. Similar policies, services, business models get reported and perceived completely different. Yes. Sony’s and MS’s stand on DRM has differences, but If Sony isn’t going to limit DRM every 3rd party game on PS4 could be authenticated the same as on the Xbox One. Something nobody cares to mention when describing the PS4 DRM situation.
Then look at Xbox One, its no big deal to have a friend for 30 days, you can gameshare with 10 accounts, so if you have 9 friends you only need to buy 1 out of 10 games. Granted, theres setbacks, but if youre a fan of single player games its a great feature.. But whenever anybody mentions the Xbox One DRM plan the omit the good idea(s).
I’m not trying to defend or support eithers choice, just how the news stories covering both sound like they’re coming from communist ran media. Nobody wants to question the PS4 and nobody cares about reporting anything positive for the Xbox One.
LycanGav
I guess Phil and his mates are unaware that several networks here in the UK expressly prohibit tethering in their contract under threat of termination of service. I guess Giffgaff customers and the like are free to purchase an Xbox 360 ^_^
AddictedAndy
Literally couldn’t make this stuff up! Something mental is going on at MS, they must be bored of making money
Porcupine_I
“You may want to move to another country” Phil Spencer said in a follow up
hazelam
so you can play if you authenticate with a tethered mobile.
just a few bytes apparently.
so where’s the benefit then?
the machine has to be online to benefit from “the cloud” yet it only needs a few bytes a day.
contradiction much?
or have they got such advanced compression tech that they can squeeze all that cloud computing into a few bytes a day?
Molyneux is absolutely spot on this time.
this is just drm for drm’s sake.
my only hope is that ms will flip flop as much next gen as they did this gen and reverse this travesty.
seriously, look at all the things they said early on in the 360’s life, they’d gone the complete opposite on practically all of them.
force feedback is better than motion controls, you don’t need mandatory installs on our machine, it’s just a games machine, we give you choice.
now every x1 will have the no controller kinect bundled in, and the interface is built around voice commands.
every x1 game will have to be installed.
games are almost an incidental feature on the x1.
and you don’t have a choice about kinect, game installs or what you can do with your own games.
cnutard
It would be interesting to know the average internet speed in all those countries.