ralphdibny

ralphdibny

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Re: Xbox Attracts Controversy Over New McDonald's Ad On The Dashboard

ralphdibny

I don't like the ads in general considering I paid full price for the Xbox and they snuck the bulk of em in with a forced system update a year or two after launch.

Typically I wouldn't have batted an eye at a McDonald's advert but currently having a bit of a moment in my battle against food addiction, I feel this is a pretty lame advert for a moderately unhealthy and addictive food.

If I could, I would be fairly in favour of a ban on adverts for junk/fast food as well as alcohol and f2p games. I am 100% in favour of a ban on adverts for gambling. They've banned smoking adverts so I'd like to see the same applied for other industries that rely on addiction for custom.

To be clear, I do not support the banning of the thing itself because it's up to individuals to decide what they do with their health, money and life. By the same token, I would be in favour of legalising certain recreational drugs.

However, I don't think people need to be bombarded with encouragement in the form of adverts that have been specially designed from years of experience and research in how to best liberate people of their money. I would be in favour of the opposite though, i.e. educational resources on diet, addiction etc.

Re: Talking Point: Almost A Year On, What Do You Think Of The Current Xbox Dashboard?

ralphdibny

Absolute bollo**s

It already needed more customisation options. The limit of home screen groups was frustrating but I could live with it.

But that got nerfed even further down to 2 groups and a bunch of ads for stuff I've already bought and paid for. What a waste.

Can't believe they are legally allowed to remotely nerf your console a year after you've bought and paid for it.

Re: Time Is Running Out For Hundreds Of Games On The Xbox 360 Store

ralphdibny

@P3nguinprisM cheers I think those are 2 of them, I have Daytona but not sure about the other one. I thought there were more games like that though but I know sega went on a delisting spree already. I just thought there were more either that sega missed or from other publishers.

I know one other that's FC but wasn't available on modern store last time I checked and that was 50 Cent Blood on the Sand but I have that on disc, not sure if it's on the 360 marketplace

Re: Time Is Running Out For Hundreds Of Games On The Xbox 360 Store

ralphdibny

Is there an updated list of games that are forwards compatible with One/Series consoles but can't be purchased on the modern store front so they will get lost with the 360 store shut down?

I know there were a few I had to buy on 360 marketplace in the past to play on One/Series because they weren't available on the current store.

Re: Talking Point: Which Apps Do You Use The Most On Your Xbox?

ralphdibny

Streaming:

  • YouTube
  • Disney+ (until my sub runs out in March, not renewing at the ridiculous new price)
  • iPlayer (currently watching Not Going Out, I also watch Would I Lie to You and Have I Got News For You when their on, sometimes Graham Norton too!)

Non streaming:

  • Rewards
  • Bing and Edge (for Rewards purposes)
  • Store
  • Game Pass
  • Other system apps like Controller, Accessibility etc

Re: Reaction: We're Conflicted About Xbox Exclusives Potentially Going To PS5

ralphdibny

Beyond their inception and the high point of the 360 era, Xbox had a brief resurgence toward the end of the Xbox One and leading into the Series generation. These few "golden years" really worked to re-establish faith and interest in the brand ailing from it's Xbox One launch. At least in my opinion anyway.

But these golden years were too short. They did so much to repair their relationship with customers and generate new custom. Ridiculously cheap Game Pass deals, an unbelievably generous Reward Point system and a fairly extensive customisable system and a feeling that Xbox was a more free platform than it's competitors. And all that on top of the promise of good and exclusive titles to come. Sure they may have bought those titles through industry shaking acquisitions but the console exclusive traditionally valued by brand loyalists in combination with their already rising reputation would have propelled them even further. Especially against a complacent Sony aspiring to be the next Apple.

But they dropped the ball. So many anti consumer decisions, reeling back years of promise and winding down good will and now they have much fewer customers willing to go to bat for them. Not the "Xbox is sooo much better than PS" crowd, just the "you know what? Xbox is much better than it used to be and is actually good value" people. Because it's no longer good value.

Dropping the Gold to Game pass deal and nerfing the reward points devalued it from a consumer perspective. Dropping home screen customisation and forcing adverts into a console already purchased by consumers, after the fact is anti consumer. Also the latest one of remotely disabling a purchased consoles ability to work with 3rd party controllers. All of this means that a reasonable person that saw the good in something, has now been forced into a corner. And reasonable people don't double down and excuse a company they came to like even though functionality and value has been reduced. Reasonable people get the heck out of Dodge.

And it's not like they have anywhere to go, value for the consumer has dropped across the industry. If Xbox had managed to ride it's burgeoning success to the top and become legitimate competition for Sony then prices would have dropped everywhere and both companies would have increased functionality in order to compete for their customers.

As it stands though, Xbox dropped what made them an attractive proposition too early. They just never quite made it back to the top and these rumours make it seem like they are already giving up.

I hope they don't and I hope they can increase competition. It's not about which company "wins", it's about having two or more companies competing for our money so we get better value as consumers.

Re: Another Xbox Console Exclusive Makes Its Way To PS5 Later This Month

ralphdibny

@FraserG just to add some contrarian feedback - this article seems completely fine to me!

Funny tag line, factual and not entirely irrelevant in my opinion. It's just about a timed exclusive expiring. Probably worth highlighting both for the tag line and the review score alone.

I'm normally hyper sensitive to click bait and I have detected none (or very little) here.

Re: The UK's Best Tea Brand Has Created A New Xbox Controller

ralphdibny

Yorkshire Tea is the best brand of tea for it's price, hands down. It's got a decent strength to it.

Tetley and PG Tips are both shockingly weak teas, I will never drink them.

Twinings English Breakfast and Assam Teas are also very good but way over priced.

Stick to Yorkshire for a strong cheap cup of tea. Head to Twinings for your Earl Grey kick.