This past week a 100-question FAQ on the Xbox One, purportedly official communications guidance from Microsoft, landed on Pastebin. It’s not the usual laundry list of wishful thinking you get in most video game fakes. That said, there’s no way to know if this is true or total B.S.
Oh, we’ve asked Microsoft. Their representatives, asked if the Pastebin doc was authentic, declined to comment. But if it’s true, the Q&A does contain some good news. Advertisements would no longer be a part of your home screen on Xbox One. An entire family with multiple Xbox Live Gold accounts could all log in on the same machine at once. And I’m delighted to hear anything tell me that no-good S.O.B. capacitive eject button — the thing that drove me crazy on the Xbox 360 Slim — is not a feature of the new console.
But can we trust this document? We have no idea where this thing came from, whether it was an email, an internal company blog, or hand-typed off of a brochure. Absent any handwriting to analyse, all we have to go on is the language. I mean, consider this simple question and answer.
Q: How much will standard retail games for Xbox One cost?
A: Microsoft Studios games on Xbox One will be $US59.99 (MSRP).
OK, that seems clear enough. Now, how about this?
Q: How much will standard retail games for Xbox One cost?
A: We are excited to share more over the coming months, but we don’t have anything further to share at this time.
Now, do those sound like answers (to the same question, mind you) that the external communications bureaucracy of a multi-billion-dollar corporation would approve as an official statement?
OK, what about these questions and answers?
Q: The last time you launched a console you were plagued with hardware problems such as the red ring. What assurances should consumers have that you have fixed your manufacturing problems?
A: There’s no doubt we had some challenges at the launch of Xbox 360. We couldn’t be more proud of the consoles we’ve been building for years. Our track record is proof of the culmination of years of continuous innovation in design, testing and learning. We are confident we are building a high quality product.
Q: Why is Xbox One so expensive?
A: We feel Xbox One is competitively priced to support our full line-up of blockbuster games that we showcased here at E3, as well as the amazing, new possibilities the Xbox One platform opens up in the living room.
Q: How can you fix your reputation if you’re flagged with a negative reputation?
A: The easiest way to avoid a negative reputation score is be a positive and healthy member of Xbox Live. Xbox Live members will receive infraction warnings if their reputation is flagged as unsportsmanlike or derogatory. These members may be able to reverse their negative reputation by following the Xbox Live guidelines.
Q: What is the expected battery life of my controller?
A: We are still hard at work product testing and will have more to share at a later time.
If you want to read the whole thing, it’s over here, but I warn you, there are at least two dozen instances in which someone is excited to share more, or is looking forward to being excited to share more with you at a later date.
Still, if you think this is legit, does it — no Xbox Live ads on the home screen, unlimited Xbox Live Gold logins — make a difference in how you view the Xbox One?
Comments
20 responses to “Real Answers, Or Fake Questions, In This Xbox One Document?”
Okay, firstly, Microsoft needs a new PR department regardless of the veracity of this post.
Secondly, I would take any of this with a grain of salt as long as it isn’t on a Microsoft website or sent out from a Microsoft email address as a press release.
Thirdly, there is no way in hell they would mention the red ring which has since been fixed (read: damage control) and bring that can of worms out on their shiny new console. Absolutely not. No matter how bad their PR department is at present. Right? Right…?
It looks like a list of responses to questions, not necessarily something intended to be released. So the RROD mention would be what to say when a journalist used it as an example of console reliability
A quick scan of the document gives me the impression it is (or is faked to look like) briefing notes for Microsoft’s E3 representatives. These are predicted questions they will need to answer, not a document for public consumption, so it does make sense that way.
all i read was just utter lies and bullshit
It’s from PasteBin… So it’s “bullshit till proven otherwise”
It’s disgusting what you can find in Pastebin… google your email address sometime.
I found mine, weresmurf@hotmail.com, my OLD password (dont use it for anything any more, nor a combination of it so I can now mention it here) was warhammer1, when I found my email address and warhamm*** in Pastebin with an offer to sell it to people in amongst thousands of other email addresses? I shat bricks. Caused me to start changing everything regularly (every six weeks). So yeah… just sayin’.
Checked mine. Nothing came up but a bunch of links to my scanning work with DCP. Same with a direct search at the pastebin site. Good thing my scans are worth more to the Internet than anything else with that name lol
Imagine my face when I found my email and password on there :O
Bricks were shat?
Walls were built from the bricks that were shat.
Walls. Seriously. Big, stinky walls.
Sweet Jehovah, now I have to look…
Even if not official – most of the information in here, going on what they’ve officially stated, seems accurate.
Still waiting for some kind of announcement regarding hdmi pass through/usb 3.0 attachment of either the new Stingray 360 (or indeed older models) enabling a basic “piggyback” BC. This would be great to retain current 360 owner loyalty – and also instill public confidence in the permanence/long term value of their digital library, both last Gen – and moving forward. Surely it’s not too technically difficult.
They’d get another Stingray (360e) sale from me. Even if they did drop the toslink audio out port (really?) surely it would work through the XBO’s digital audio output.
Make this piggyback BC happen MS! And retain loyalty while instilling confidence in digital delivery.
Who know’s, maybe it’s a PR cheat sheet, for answering questions at E3.
They still have plenty of time until launch. It’ll be interesting to see how they claw back support.
A backflip on this used games / 24 hour check in / region locking nonsense would be a good start.
If it were that easy, I really think that by now they probably would have. I remember reading a ‘clarification’ after Major Nelson’s mention of the 24hrs post-reveal, where they said something along the lines of, ‘That’s just one possible scenario of many, which we are considering.’ If it was something they could walk back from, to say… once a week or once a month or similar, they probably would have by now.
I’m pretty confident souls have been sold already, all sales are final, ink has dried. Someone got some pieces of silver somewhere, and can’t give them back.
Give up on MS already, they remind me of the friend in high school who used to pretend to have some unreleased game and kept promising to bring it in and lend it out.. but of course that never happened, or the other guy that had some version of mortal kombat with sexalities in it, but their father wouldn’t let them lend it out but they were doing their best to get it for me. This is the adult version of that somehow… they’re just douches, they don’t have anything great, they don’t have any good news, “oh yeah drm well my dad wont let me talk about it, but I’m excited to talk about it later, I’m dying to, it’ll be soon I promise, I’m really trying to help you I just can’t atm cause you know my dad hides all the porn”
“How can you fix your reputation if you’re flagged with a negative reputation?”
I honestly thought that question was directly aimed at Microsoft, not talking about the users 😛
Wow your questions could not have had more of an agenda.. Or at least a clearly negative attitude. Show some journalistic integrity. Ask neutral questions and let the audience make up their own minds.
Not actually Kotaku’s questions – just a document found somewhere while trawling. Seems like if anything, the original document was something possibly circulated internally as a way for E3 reps to safely handle expected hostile questions.