Wednesday, November 26, 2008

X-Box Sucks

If you are not a game aficionado, that's alright. All you have to do to be one is repeat after me;

X-Box sucks.

See, now you know pretty much what every other gaming aficionado knows.

Long story short, if you are thinking about buying X-Box for your kids or for that matter any Microsoft product, forget it. The problems are not worth it. The thing overheats, the thing freezes up and then when you get it repaired, THRICE, and call up Microsoft again, "Oh, well it's no longer under warranty so that will cost you $99.00."

So, let me save all of you economists out there a little bit of your finite lives.

It's not worth the time, let alone the money you will have to spend constantly resuscitating your X-Box 360. It's not worth the time having to mail the thing into Microsoft, let alone the hours you're going to spend on the customer service line. Just do yourself a big fat favor and get a Playstation or a Nintendo.

So if that helps anybody make their decision for what to get for Christmas, god bless 'em.

In the meantime I'm getting myself a Mac from hence forth and never a PC.

Oh, and to Sarah, the Microsoft customer "support" person, be happy in knowing I've cost Microsoft way more than the $99 you wanted to charge me to repair something that should have been working properly in the first place.

Enjoy being in a distant 3rd place when the next gaming console generation comes out.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Join us in World of Warcraft, Cap. You can even use your mastery of economics to dominate the Auction House... :)

Anonymous said...

The PS3 adoption rates need to increase. Sony really needs to get out there and sell their console.

(The Wii leads in total hardware sales, but I think the other two face better long-term growth.)

I hear the Red Rings of Death are caused by the choice of "going green" instead of using lead-based solder.

Anonymous said...

Yes, Microsoft does have a REALLY bad habit of selling products that aren't ready for release yet.

On the other hand, good luck with the Macs -- when they work they work, and when they don't you're screwed. And when they don't work, good luck on finding a Mac technician. When I lived in the Portland, Oregon area a friend had a problem with his Mac and could find only 4 or 5 technicians in the whole Portland metro area. And they all charged $75/hr (including travel time) just to drive out and look at it.

As for XBox -- yeah, it has LOTS of problems. If you want to listen to someone else bitch about it, check out Zero Punctuation's Console Rundown episode: "At time of writing, the 360 in my household is bricked because we have the sheer gall to try and play games on it."

Hot Sam said...

OMG! You're buying a Mac? Clear your mind of hate. That's the path that leads to the dark side, Anakin!

Next you'll be drinking lattes, eating tofu, driving a Prius, walking in Birkenstocks, shopping at Traitor Joes and Hole Feuds, and wearing an Obama button on your hemp pajamas every night.

God help us all! (But the new aluminum case and flash memory are pretty cool, aren't they?)

Anonymous said...

Captain, do you really think Sarah gives a damn whether you buy a PC or a Mac?

But hey, if you want to spite her by purchasing the official computer of turtleneck wearing, Starbucks-chugging, Liberal Arts majors, go right ahead. I'm sure she'll lose a lot of sleep over it. :)

As for the X-Box, I've heard they have problems as well. That's why I play my games on the PC like a Big Boy.

Captain Capitalism said...

In being true to market capitalism, I have pissed away enough on an XBox and said video games as well as time repairing the POS that I will from hence forth get a PS4/Wii2 and switch to Mac.

Additionally it is the "Oh, does Sarah care?"

No, Sarah, personally does not. But when I, along with at minimum 20 other cappy cap readers abandon Microsoft's products for others, then Sarah's supervisors will. And when Microsoft no longer has a video gaming division, I (as I currently am now on the housing market, financial markets, preppy-Ambercrombie and Fitch wearing Ivy league preppy Wall Streeters) will be proven right, yet once again and be left, nagging in the minds of corporate executives as to "why, why didn't we hire him when he applied here 10 years ago? He could have saved us billions!"

Thus is the harsh realities of the free market. And capitalists around the world better man the f up and refuse to buy products that don't meet their standards, otherwise, competition, ergo capitalism, ergo society fails.

Just reality folks.

Alex said...

Naw, you don't want to go the Mac route. The things are more expensive, and don't support nearly as much hardware or software as PC's.

Of course, if all you want is a simple solution that works out of the box and just sits on your desk and lets you write on your blog, then a mac might be a good solution. As long as you don't mind paying extra for it. But if you really want to get away from Microsoft products, I'd suggest giving Linux a shot first. The new versions of Ubuntu are very easy to install, support a wide variety of hardware, are extremely stable, and come linked to an online repository of something like 25,000 free and open applications which you can install with just a click of the mouse. Best of all, you don't need to buy a new computer and you don't even have to uninstall windows.

Personally I use a combination of Linux and a stripped-down version of XP. I'd like to switch entirely to linux one of these days, but I still need XP for gaming and some specialty programs. I could never entirely switch to Macs for the same reason.

I'd say give Ubuntu a shot and see how you like it. At least it'll give you some exposure to a *nix-based OS, and give you an idea of what to expect if you do end up switching to a mac. And who knows, you may find you love it as much as I do :)

Anonymous said...

I've got a from the first round of original 360s. Never had a problem although it sounds like a jet engine when it really gets going.

I'm starting to look into the Mac thing too. I'm getting pretty sick of Windows and OSX seems like the closest thing I'll get to the spiritual successor of the Amiga I used to love.

Anonymous said...

Ryan Fuller:
As for the X-Box, I've heard they have problems as well. That's why I play my games on the PC like a Big Boy.

That's the way to go. Myself is a big auto racing fan, and only on PC you can play "simulations" instead of the unrealistic "games" on the Playstations and X-Boxes and whatever else.

Chris said...

Well if it helps when I can scrape a few bucks together I'm going to get a PS3. I've heard of some of the reliability issues with the xbox and truthfully I've always hated their controls. The play station controllers have always felt more natural and intuitive to me

As for the Mac versus pc debate, I'll never buy a Mac. Their OS is weird and foreign. I supose their is some advantage in avoiding viruses but at what cost? The basic compatibility issue that causes the computer to avoid the plague of online mischief also makes it unnatural to use and difficult to syncronize with various programs. Not to mention the fact that Macs have their own well documented hardware issues and being only approximately 10% of the computer market they are more difficult to find technicians for.

While general annoyance with microsoft is understandable as since others have taken over a greater role in the company while Bill Gates has devoted himself to charity it appears at least to me that there has been a decline in the quality of the company's products. None the less its operating system is still the easiest to use of the available options. Additionally, utilizing it allows for a far greater range of comparison among providers of desktops or laptops.

When dealing with the computer world, you're far more likely to get a better product at a better price by avoiding Macs and entering the more competitive market of PCs. Macs are a niche product that have some advantage in video editing, artistic design and music recording but given that as an economist its doubtful those applications are of great utility. Making that assumption the principle appeal of the Mac is its "Hipster" image which generally runs contrary to everything you believe in.

While punishing bad products is a laudible goal, I have to question the reasonableness of a decision to fail to make a distinction between differing products and rushing from the arms of one bad product to another.

While the appropriate market signal to send at the moment may be to avoid buying Microsoft's video gaming programs, purchasing a Mac doesn't logically follow. Microsoft firstly only provides the operating system for PCs not the hardware and neglects a consideration of the merits of various manufacturers of PCs which could after all be run on Linux.(not that I'd recommend running Linux)

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you got the red ring of death multiple times, that sucks but if its any consolation Microsoft has lost a great deal of money because of that problem. I love my wii, moving the wiimote every which way while playing Force Unleashed is way more fun than statically taping at a regular control pad. But why switch to Mac if you're a gamer? I love my consoles but the best games are still for computers and it is necessary to run windows in order to play many of those games.

Anonymous said...

Satanam, WoW economics is for simpletons. Play EVE for hardcore economic simulation. :)

"No, Sarah, personally does not. But when I, along with at minimum 20 other cappy cap readers abandon Microsoft's products for others, then Sarah's supervisors will."

Since tech support is what *I* do, let me tell you a little about how it works.

Sarah is not the property of Microsoft. In fact, she's probably worked for a number of different companies doing phone tech support. The majority of people answering phones doing entry level tech support have worked for at least two and often more different companies. Hell, she might not even be a Microsoft employee; outsourcing tech support is really easy, cheap, and far more efficient than doing it all yourself for just about anybody. In fact, the company I work for provides tech support for Microsoft employees. Yes, that's right, MS doesn't even do their own tech support for their own employees; what makes you think you're talking to a MS employee when you call in about your X-Box?

"But when I, along with at minimum 20 other cappy cap readers abandon Microsoft's products for others, then Sarah's supervisors will."

Judging by the response from the other readers so far, I don't think you're going to get 20 other people to follow you over to Macs. Besides, a Mac has about the same gaming ability as an X-Box that doesn't turn on, so where's the improvement?

There are two kinds of people who use Macs: first, there are serious professionals for whom multimedia editing is the core of their job. Second, there are pretentious, ignorant little asshats who don't realize that for the cost of a Mac, you can get a PC that will absolutely blow it away in performance and actually has some flexibility in upgrades and customization. Heaven help you if you need to find a tech for a Mac. I'm pretty sure the troubleshooting process for Macs is to just throw the damn thing away and start thinking about what color you want your next one to be.

"And capitalists around the world better man the f up and refuse to buy products that don't meet their standards, otherwise, competition, ergo capitalism, ergo society fails."

That's why I, and the vast majority of other tech savvy individuals, refuse to waste money on Macs.

Nathan Giesbrecht said...

You're not thinking like an economist Cap'n. Sure, the Xbox's have had some problems, but don't be rash. The Xbox's cost HALF of what the PS3s do, and the PS3's have had - from my experience in retail-electronics - to be equally problem-prone. Personal experience is that my Xbox Elite has been 100% from day 1, though I do know a who's experiences have been more like yours.

But back to the economics. The Mac also costs twice as much for much less computing power. Mac's have Intel processors, and dual-boot with Windows (for any kind of gaming you want to attempt). When buying a Mac, you're basically paying $1000 for your PC to be shiny, white, and green.

I think the Cap'n should post some charts to back up his opinion, as that is his modus operandi, not just emotions.

Unknown said...

Captain, I think you are making the right decision to get a Mac. I own three of them, and they have been trouble-free. Consumer Reports says Apple's customer service tops the ratings for computer manufacturers.

And no, Macs are not just for liberals. Rush Limbaugh uses them, for example.

Todd said...

I've seen my neighbor's xbox 360 chew up more discs - MS used substandard disc mechanisms which don't have bumpers on the reading lens, which gouges the hell out of discs...

Todd said...

I've seen my neighbor's xbox 360 chew up more discs - MS used substandard disc mechanisms which don't have bumpers on the reading lens, which gouges the hell out of discs...

majgross said...

I'm on my third X-box, but I enjoy the games so much I don't care to much about the replacement rate. I've replaced my X-Box almost on the year mark each time and each time I had the Best Buy warranty which costs about $50. Each time I got a new one, I also upgraded for the same price. To me, it is like renting the X-Box for $50 a year after the initial investment. Of course that doesn't help since I'm downrange this year and my game is gathering dust at home!

Anonymous said...

historianI'm on my 3rd x-box 360. Can anyone say Nintendo Wii? I am done with the x-box too. Sure they have great games, but all of the time I have spent not playing has taught me there is something called the "outside" and "exercise"... so maybe I owe x-box a thanks?

Anonymous said...

Refusing to buy a Mac because one believes that only liberals use them or that, God help us, their OS is "weird and foreign" is about as anti-economic as one can get.

Anonymous said...

Cap,

I got my kid a Wii a few months ago so he would exercise something besides his thumbs. (I even got a mention on Jane Wells CNBC blog for the pro-wii letter I wrote her. I'm the guy that plays Blazing Angles with his son.) I really like the boxing myself... nothing relieves stress like just beating the living heck out of something.

Bottom line though, my son, God bless him, has been hooked on Sid Meyers CIV. (I got hooked on CIV III when I was deployed to Qatar with the CENTCOM HQ...all us Headquarters Weenies would play it when we wern't on duty, and I hooked my son. ) Sid Meyer has taught him more about trade, history, and politics than any of his teachers, so far.

So I'd have to say you are smart to go with a P.C. for your games...best move possible. The Wii is nice, but at least yet it isn't up there with Microsoft Fligth Simulator or Civ.

However, if you really want to get into the first person shooter thing, I hear the Army Reserve offers an experience much superior to anything Call of Duty 15 or World of Warcraft offers.

Paul Chappell said...

:-) Well, I can't comment on the X-box thing... Playing games on my laptop, the X-box (old one) is in the basement for the kids... But I CAN comment on the sMac stuff... I'm a network administrator sentenced to have Macs in several of my labs. Perhaps viruses are not a major problem, but the complete and total lack of real security does make for some interesting times when entire classroom labs get hijacked in a matter of moments... Decent individually, but the higher cost, shorter and worse warranty and then there's the lack of software thing... Mind, most of the basics are the same, but... 'course, just my opinion and experiences as always, YMMV

Chris said...

Actually I'd argue that its perfectly in keeping to refuse to learn the Mac OS unless you actually need to use a mac for the multimedia applications where a Mac is demonstratably superior. Otherwise, you're devoting time to learning a new operating system which is based on hardware with less computer power which is sold at a higher price. This is both inefficient and fails to maximize utility.

Anonymous said...

Capt'n, My stepson has a 360 in his room downstairs. On his 3rd one, if memory serves. We have a PS2, and a Wii in our family room, and the Wii has never had any problems, whatsoever. I can't even remember any lock ups happening. Personally, I am a PC gamer. I cannot get used to a handheld controller after having used a keyboard/mouse for the last 15 years.

Anonymous said...

Refusing to buy a Mac because one believes that only liberals use them or that, God help us, their OS is "weird and foreign" is about as anti-economic as one can get."

There are psychic costs associated with buying something that is strongly associated with groups you'd rather not have anything to do with. Buying a Mac is like buying a Prius. It says something about you whether you like it or not, and maybe it's saying something you'd rather not have said.

And by the way, not wanting to learn a new OS is perfectly rational economic behavior. Learning Windows is a sunk cost for people who are already proficient with Windows. If you already know Windows, you can continue using Windows without any additional learning required. Switching to a new OS requires starting a new learning curve.

If you want to get into some basic cost analysis, look at what a Mac costs vs the cost of a PC with similar hardware. If you think having a pretty case come standard is worth half a grand, well, value is subjective and there's no accounting for taste, but it is a dumb waste of money in the eyes of those of us who know better. :)

Anonymous said...

"There are psychic costs associated with buying something that is strongly associated with groups you'd rather not have anything to do with...And by the way, not wanting to learn a new OS is perfectly rational economic behavior."

I stand by my original comment, Ryan, for the simple reasons that (a) the assumption that "only liberals use Macs" is a FALSE ONE, and (b) refusing to engage with something because it's "weird and foreign" is both ANTI-EMPIRICAL AND A GUARANTOR OF WILLFUL, LIFE-LONG SELF-IGNORANCE.

First, many self-identified non-liberals use Macs, so the "psychic costs" argument is bollocks unless one is so utterly lacking in self-confidence and critical thought that one actually takes Apple's Mac vs. PC marketing campaign at literal face value.

Second, not wanting to learn how to use a new OS would be perfectly rational economic behavior IF one decided that Mac's OS is sufficiently different from PC's that the gains accrued from switching to the former (which, it should be acknowledged, does have its superior aspects, not least in terms of stability, intuitive functionality, etc.; there's a reasons why Windows is becoming more like Mac's OS's, and not the other way around -- and I'm currently writing this from a Windows machine) does not outweigh the new learning curve involved. In order to make THAT decision intelligently, however, one first has to go beyond the head-in-the-sand, knee-jerk "weird and foreign" stage of (anti-)knowledge. Otherwise, why learn anything new ever?

Anonymous said...

My mouse has more than one button. I can play games (as in, more than one) on my PC. I have an extra grand in my bank account since I didn't buy a Mac. Working with PCs has given me a marketable skill and is currently my primary source of income.

But if I bought a Mac I could do... what? Relearn the basic functionality I already know with a PC, blow a bunch of money for no increase in stability (I keep my system stable, and the the process of doing so has taught me more about how my computer works), and end up with a computer with basically no options for upgrades or customization outside of the cosmetic.

Where do I sign up for that steaming shitpile? Until I see Macs do something I can't do on a PC, it's a colossal waste of time to even consider switching. But hey, you think I'm locking myself into a lifelong cycle of ignorance, and I think you're an idiot since that argument applies equally for everything you don't already know how to do. Since I have neither the time nor the inclination to dedicate my entire life to learning absolutely everything, I have to set priorities. Learning to use a Mac ranks somewhere between learning more about the life cycles of dung beetles and learning how many hot dogs I could eat without throwing up. It'd be about as useful.

Alfred T. Mahan said...

Replace the word "Raven" with the words "Captain Capitalism", and you sum up our host's attitude on this perfectly:

The real reason he's thinking about it...