Microsoft says Xbox One's original vision is still the future of games

The future of video games is online and physical-media free, Microsoft Director of Product Planning Albert Penello believes. But Xbox One was a little too forward thinking for consumers' comfort.

"I think the problem was that people got in their minds that what we were trying to do was somehow evil or anti-customer," Penello told Rev3Games (via Gamasutra), "when in fact we were looking at what Steam does, we were looking at what iOS is doing, we were looking where the customers were going and saying 'I think we can actually give you a better all-digital experience.'"

Penello wasn't surprised some consumers were concerned, but he was surprised just how negative the reaction turned out to be.

You can check out the enlightening interview below--watch the whole thing if you have time, but Xbox One's always-online troubles become the topic of conversation at about 8:40.


Do you think Microsoft's next-gen aspirations were unfairly slighted, or are you glad it bowed to consumer demands?

Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.