• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Xbox head Phil Spencer says console tribalism is ‘one of the worst things about our industry’

Kerotan

Member
More PR bullshit from Phil. The writing must be on the wall if this is what he's talking about now. And yes they are directly competing with Sony more then any other gaming company. They are direct rivals. But as usual they'll pretend the Sony ass kicking doesn't matter because they can't spin that in a good way.
 

Kerotan

Member
Phil Spencer is a decent guy but he seems prone to saying whatever is most expedient for his brand. I mean, one Phil's most retweeted/interacted people on social media is Timdog. A vile console warrior who has on podcasts admitted to arguing with children who chose a PS4, about their console purchases, inside gamestop.

He sends early Series X units to Dealer. A guy who has homophobic rants on social media. He deleted a few but the idea that you would send people to his content by giving him an early unit, knowing that they're a click away from homophobia goes against everything he is saying.

Why a division within a trillion dollar conglomerate needs to associate with such individuals is problematic in itself. But having your people within your company associate with such people, despite people calling out how problematic that is for years... Means that despite the fact that Phil's statement is genuine and his sentiment is pure. They end up seeming disingenuous because of the brands wilful association with such individuals.

I heard a dealer homophobic rant that was posted on reddit and it damn near made my ears bleed.
I'll tell you why.

They are struggling hard to get enthusiastic fans with a following who aren't cunts because most people who fall into that category are on playstation, Nintendo and/or pc. They are scraping the bottom of the barrel.
 
"I hate the tribalism/Console Warring" Proceed's to ensure XCloud is refined to the point that 10 years from now consumers at large begin questioning the need/no longer want to purchase consoles, particualrly in leu of Xcloud Pass - 20 dollar's a month for infinite cloud compute/zero lag and 100's of games.


I hear ya Phil, you guy's at MS aren't actually competing. Competing is a bad word and you don't want to infer you're in a situation where market share matters to your investors - so continue to pretend you aren't console warring ... do this until you completely annihilate the competition without even using a console - you have a brilliant infinite compute cloud solution on the way, one which you will have put 20 years of R&D into..... by the time it make's the need for consoles obsolete.

And thus your message will be received - and your cloud services will render the console war obsolete. It makes perfect sense Phil.

We know you aren't purchasing Developer's because you believe in console warring, or because you want Xbox to offer "The Best Games" or because you are pre-obligated to your investor's.

You're purchasing them because they obviously have a record of making some bad games and you want to ensure this trend of making bad game's is obliterated. That is the real purpose of a Microsoft gaming eco-system.

Gaming cohesion through non subversive developer purchases, cloud services that would render the need for consoles in the future... obsolete and inferring Gamepass is nothing like Netflix because unlike Netflix (which allows me to purchase much of what is on offer) you can purchase all titles on Gamepass. So Gamepass is nothing like Netflix. Nothing. Like. Netflix.
 
Last edited:

BeardGawd

Banned
Phil Spencer is a decent guy but he seems prone to saying whatever is most expedient for his brand. I mean, one Phil's most retweeted/interacted people on social media is Timdog. A vile console warrior who has on podcasts admitted to arguing with children who chose a PS4, about their console purchases, inside gamestop.

He sends early Series X units to Dealer. A guy who has homophobic rants on social media. He deleted a few but the idea that you would send people to his content by giving him an early unit, knowing that they're a click away from homophobia goes against everything he is saying.

Why a division within a trillion dollar conglomerate needs to associate with such individuals is problematic in itself. But having your people within your company associate with such people, despite people calling out how problematic that is for years... Means that despite the fact that Phil's statement is genuine and his sentiment is pure. They end up seeming disingenuous because of the brands wilful association with such individuals.

I heard a dealer homophobic rant that was posted on reddit and it damn near made my ears bleed.

What does homophobia and tribalism have to do with each other?

Seems you are just drudging up anything negative you can about Xbox inorder to counter any positives from Phil's message. You're doing exactly what he's talking about and don't even realize it.

BTW there's an entire forum calling CDPR a transphobic company but that doesn't make it true. Just because you don't agree with someone's opinion doesn't make them homophobic, transphobic, etc... these terms have been weaponized to an extent that they're starting to lose any and all impact.
 

Keihart

Member
Quoted for truth. Cringy as it may be, unless people get way overboard with personal attacks and insults, console warring can be one of the funniest things to observe in any gaming community.

Also, the obligatory GIF for this occasion.

Lgdjcr8.gif
Let's be real here, "PC gamers " are like a third monkey trying to fight but nobody gives him enough attention.
 
This is a point that needs to be made and understood more. Too many people run from this fact.

It's not that fact that many run from. It's the staff of the arena in which such arguments are held, that they run from.

Nothing wrong with arguing on the internet at all, but facts are facts. GAF would be considered internet right? How is arguing or even an honest debate supposed to transpire? There's a long list of bans for "console warring". One side enjoyed a 2 to 1 sales advantage last gen, while the other enjoyed a 2 to 1 ban advantage.

Personally, I'd prefer the arguing to remain on places such as social media and youtube comments, while forums such as this be more for civil topic discussions.
 
Does he know his other interviews are recorded? Does he know the marketing by the team for which he IS responsible for has been console warring at any change they got... and that is recorded too?

He keeps talking out of both sides of his mouth: "exclusives hurt the industry --> signs timed exclusives", "exclusives are bad they exclude gamers --> buys an entire publisher", "we want ALL gamers to play all games regardless on which device they play on --> as long as it is a Windows based PC or a piece of HW we make or it is streamed through our service which will not be available on competing consoles because... reasons...", etc...

MisterXMedia, ColtEastwood, TimDog, etc... all regularly kept in the loop and well fed. Greenber still console warring every chance he gets and he still in his position, etc... Is he so desperate to WIN against PlayStation on everything by any amount that he is racing Jim Ryan for the "STFU Award 2020"?

I like how in this picture the only console I can spot is an Xbox... nice stock photo choice TheVerge... :LOL:.


To be fair...

Sony allows Microsoft to include XBL exactly as it does Activision for CoD for example, and the vast portion of your entire argument would become moot.

Not arguing Phil talks both ways. He hates tribalism.... Except for his tribe. They're awesome. Just the exclusives part. And I can't fault Microsoft for wanting their players to have an XBL account on their games when that's become the industry standard.
 
I think he is referring to those nut job fanboys that send death threats to devs and media outlets.
Imagine how many tweets and messages Phil gets from Sony fanboys calling him out as well the Xbox.
I imagine after the Zenimax purchase there were tons of unhinged messages sent to both MS and Bethesda about it.

We probably don't see half of the shit that companies like Sony and MS have to put up with.

That's my suspicion as well. People like him, as well as development heads or others prominent the industry get to see the real dark side of brand fanatics. I'm pretty sure they all get plenty of emails/messages with death threats and all sorts of unhinged shit.

People here thinking that he's referring to them have no idea. They think he's placing them into that toxic fanboy category, when it's really the ones that send him pics of themselves in the woods..... repeatedly stabbing an Xbox.... Encircled by the heads of several stray dogs..... While wearing pants made from the skins of several kittens that he's really talking about.
 

Rolla

Banned
What does homophobia and tribalism have to do with each other?

Seems you are just drudging up anything negative you can about Xbox inorder to counter any positives from Phil's message. You're doing exactly what he's talking about and don't even realize it.

BTW there's an entire forum calling CDPR a transphobic company but that doesn't make it true. Just because you don't agree with someone's opinion doesn't make them homophobic, transphobic, etc... these terms have been weaponized to an extent that they're starting to lose any and all impact.

I take it you're fortunate enough to have never heard these rants from these individuals. Obviously I can't post them here but these rants are basically about how one last gen console box is better than the other and if you don't agree with said opinion, then, you're a homophonic slur on repeat. I honestly don't think it gets worse than that. My point is XBOX should not associate with people who do that. I don't want anyone to run into that type of hatred. Least of all through or because of this hobby that I love. So the idea that Phil and other XBOX leadership frequently interact with those types of individuals... Despite a torrent of people calling them out for that type of behaviour, is problematic.

I'll tell you why.

They are struggling hard to get enthusiastic fans with a following who aren't cunts because most people who fall into that category are on playstation, Nintendo and/or pc. They are scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Sad if true.
 
Last edited:
So basically, Phil is sad that the new Xbox launch isn't a runaway hit. You know, he talks a great game but it's been years with him at the helm and we have yet to see anything good come of it. The fact that they launched their next gen console with ZERO new games is just insane. Halo Infinite was the single first-party game that the Series X was supposed to launch with, but it got delayed so they put out a new console with nothing to offer for it. They keep buying up big studios but are failing to deliver where it counts.

Obviously they felt the need to release it alongside the PS5 because if they waited a year, they would be left in the dust. How many diehard Xboxers are there though that felt the need to upgrade at launch when there are literally no games at all that require it?
 
So basically, Phil is sad that the new Xbox launch isn't a runaway hit. You know, he talks a great game but it's been years with him at the helm and we have yet to see anything good come of it. The fact that they launched their next gen console with ZERO new games is just insane. Halo Infinite was the single first-party game that the Series X was supposed to launch with, but it got delayed so they put out a new console with nothing to offer for it. They keep buying up big studios but are failing to deliver where it counts.

Obviously they felt the need to release it alongside the PS5 because if they waited a year, they would be left in the dust. How many diehard Xboxers are there though that felt the need to upgrade at launch when there are literally no games at all that require it?

You could be correct, and Xbox is obviously in a dire situation. I'm assuming, under your pretense then, that store shelves are stacked to the ceiling with unsold XSX/S?

Or are you just full of it?
 

Ev1L AuRoN

Member
I don't like those vicious fanboys that make fake news and propagate FUD everywhere. But man, I love to discuss technology and games in forums, its part of the fun and console wars are great, push the companies to do better. But, I don't trust anything he says. He loves to make great promises but always fails to deliver. Xbox is doing great despite him.

I miss the 360 days, powerful machine, great exclusives, exciting catalog and leading the innovation, then Kinect happen and I never bother to buy another Xbox since.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
According to Phil, good natured console ribbing is console tribalism.
If you want to read that into what he said then that's your prerogative I suppose. But if you take the time to actually read what he said it's clear that he's talking about the vitriol of people who are so invested in a plastic box that they actively rooting for people fail and lose their livelihood so that their favorite toy can win some imaginary battle. Good natured teasing is fun and corporations don't have feelings. People who insult others for liking a different company's product or who send death threats to journalists over a perceived slight to their preferred video game console are the people he's talking about. And he's right...they're despicable.

There's literally nothing about that tweet that shows Microsoft rooting for Sony to fail. Using that to call him a hypocrite is a reach. The Xbox marketing team teasing Sony for a silly design decision is not what he's talking about.

I think that PS5 needing a stand for it to be able to lie flat is a rather ridiculous design choice. Having to design storage specifically for the stand's screw is classic over engineering. Me saying these things may be hyperbole, but saying it doesn't mean I want Sony to fail. I'll still buy one when they release some games I want to play. I think Microsoft was dumb to launch Series X with literally no new games. Doesn't mean I want them to fail.
 

MrFunSocks

Banned
Look at this place the last few weeks, he's 100% right. Go look at the absolute embarrassment that is the next gen speculation thread or the DF COD face off thread. Cherry picked screenshots everywhere, excuses, conspiracy theories, calls of shilling, name calling, etc. "GaMeRs" are the absolute worst. I'm a big sports guy and even sports fans aren't as diehard and immature as the people on here are about their plastic toys.

Also ITT: people that don't understand the difference between marketing slogans/ads and toxic fanboys lol.
 
Last edited:

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
To be fair...

Sony allows Microsoft to include XBL exactly as it does Activision for CoD for example, and the vast portion of your entire argument would become moot.

Not arguing Phil talks both ways. He hates tribalism.... Except for his tribe. They're awesome. Just the exclusives part. And I can't fault Microsoft for wanting their players to have an XBL account on their games when that's become the industry standard.

Industry standard, in MS view yes and aside from that it already happens with the Minecraft update where Sony ended up caving right?

The Xbox brand has been built by MS and sold with tribalism and what is ticking me off is how intentionally disingenuous he is being about it and he has always been: he will literally say something and its opposite to try to either show off as the chest beating strong sure apparent market leader to be and the next day play the victim if things did not go his way.
 
Last edited:

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
Look at this place the last few weeks, he's 100% right. Go look at the absolute embarrassment that is the next gen speculation thread or the DF COD face off thread. Cherry picked screenshots everywhere, excuses, conspiracy theories, calls of shilling, name calling, etc. "GaMeRs" are the absolute worst. I'm a big sports guy and even sports fans aren't as diehard and immature as the people on here are about their plastic toys.

Also ITT: people that don't understand the difference between marketing slogans/ads and toxic fanboys lol.

Sure, more playing the victim and stretching the argument to protect the sure intent of the leader. No, he is not just talking about toxic gamers that swat each other. He is just trying to pander to the no console war crowd for extra points. To then console war tomorrow as soon as they have a reason to.
 
Sure, more playing the victim and stretching the argument to protect the sure intent of the leader. No, he is not just talking about toxic gamers that swat each other. He is just trying to pander to the no console war crowd for extra points. To then console war tomorrow as soon as they have a reason to.
This was Xbox back in Xbox 360 days. They especially partake in console wars when they have a lead in any area. If they somehow get a lead in sales this gen, those fucking sales numbers will be up in lights in Times Square.
 

BeardGawd

Banned
Industry standard, in MS view yes and aside from that it already happens with the Minecraft update where Sony ended up caving right?

The Xbox brand has been built by MS and sold with tribalism and what is ticking me off is how intentionally disingenuous he is being about and he has always been: he will literally say something and it’s opposite to try to either show off as the chest beating strong sure apparent market leader to be and the next day play the victim if things did not go his way.
P Panajev2001a you're better than this. Toxic tribalism existed long before MS got in the market. And honestly it appears you have to play somewhat dirty with exclusives and what not to even be successful in the market. That doesn't mean he wouldn't prefer it not to be this way. The market is what it is. Expecting him to somehow change the entire market without Sony and Nintendo joining in is being disingenuous at best. And would more than likely cost them even more marketshare since they are already behind.
 
"GaMeRs" are the absolute worst. I'm a big sports guy and even sports fans aren't as diehard and immature as the people on here are about their plastic toys.

You are 100% wrong on that. Sports fans will actually fight each other cause riots etc. Console fans only fight through their keyboards. If they ever met in real life nothing would happen because most of them couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag.
 

Vae_Victis

Banned
Phil and all executives of all large companies will love whatever makes their product do well, and will say whatever makes their product sound good. What they actually want to see happening, and what they will say they want or don't want to see happening, are two completely separate things. One is related to economics, the other is related to PR.

Remember when Activision Blizzard was publishing pro-equality messages and going all Kum-ba-ya in general on their Western social media, while they simultaneously banned a Hearthstone player for saying a pro-Hong Kong slogan during an Asian tournament and published a press release in Chinese saying they will always do "whatever is necessary to defend the national honour of PRC"?

Phil saying this now is quite egregious even for his standards of poor press takes, considering that him and all of the Xbox social media promote and foster on a regular basis the absolute worst of toxic Xbox fanboys. If him or anybody there really cared about toning down console wars, they would be looking for more cool-headed and positive people in the community to give the spotlight. But I mean, why would they? It's like having tens of thousands of bots that constantly spam pro-Xbox and anti-Playstation messages everywhere, and they don't even have to pay for them!
 
Last edited:

Tschumi

Member
Okay.. the cynic in me wants to say that this is because his tribe isn't as big as the other, so he wants to disavow the subject...

.. but i choose to take the comment at face value: it's actually a lovely thought. It's been weeks since i sincerely set out to rubbish the console i don't support - partly, sure, because the election distracted me, but mostly i think because the mystery has generally lifted, and there's little scope left for one-upmanship. I'm happy for both PS5 fans and XSX fans, for discreet reasons. For the time being I'm going to be sticking with Sony, Nintendo and my PC. So I've got some stock in every camp.

We no longer need to argue, because all the mysteries have been resolved. Let's just settle in for a generation and look forward to new delights.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
How do you defeat opponent's who intend on supporting hardware for x amount of generations, while you have a streaming platform called XCloud that is undergoing massive R&D in the background in order to supplant the need for new consoles? Start pretending console warring is not in your interest's as a competitor. Start pretending fanboyism make's you sick, remove that language from your publicity - entirely. Wait until your cloud service offer's lag free gaming without the need for console's, and then suddenly the need for fanboyism/console warring is over - and you've won.

I'm an Xbox fan, and if they continue with this message in any seriousness it mean's they fully intend to supplant the industry by offering streaming stick's as a console replacement sometime down the road. Brilliant marketing message in all honesty. "We hate console warring, platform's, and fanboyism in particular" MS then proceeds to release a product that makes both competitor's possible future customer's as they may need a cloud solution of their own if MS is in fact the only player on the field with that technology - in working magnitude.


Completely remove the need and burden for hardware/fanboyism/singular ecosystems and you have pulled the rug out from under the entire industry once your cloud service has matured enough to replace consoles.

And think about how quickly GamePass became a legitimate service, suddenly and without warning, essentially - they announced they were interested in offering such a service, then out of no where - offered the service live to customers with 100 games ready and a competitive 15 a month plan, with 1 dollar offer's all over.

The same thing will happen with XCloud once it passes the litmus of replacing hardware in your own home with hassle free, lagless gameplay - then this message will have circumvented it's competitors.

I hear a lot of the pro's are, even now - that XCloud has relatively small issues compared to what it actually offer's the customer.

And many vouch that the lag is non existent as far as they are concerned...

Once MS are certain of this, the game will change. And they will have a laser focused message stating "Platform favoritism is a folly/barbarism of the past, please enjoy our cloud services and let us show you how wrong you were with your fanboyisms" "Notice that Nintendo and Sony are now using our cloud services to provide their own cloud compute - join us as we lead you all into the future and leave your fanboyism behind"
 
I agree. I think all my consoles (series x, ps5, switch, pc) are awesome in their own ways. As a consumer, I don’t get the sort of crazy defense of a product you had no hand in. But it feels like a bit of a hypocritical statement coming from him, the head of Xbox - he’s said some shit too that keeps it going so...
 

Calverz

Member
Yea he is right and we have plenty in this forum. We got Craig, Bo, Kratos, days gone guy(dont know character name as from irrelevent game), lego batman dude, guy with an avatar holding his penis and me.
 

TJC

Member
Peter Moore era 360 was top tier. Halo 3, Bioshock, mass effect, and modern warfare 4 made 2007 best year of last generation hands down. And I dont even like xbox like that, but that was a great year.
Also doing amazing at Liverpool,worked miracles that man.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom