Should you keep supporting Microsoft?

The Xbox 1 was finally released Nov. 22, and Xbox fans worldwide are flooding to stores to get their own new console. Will it rival the sales of Sony’s PlayStation 4? Only time will tell, but is it such a good idea to buy an Xbox 1? Perhaps people should hold off on filling Microsoft’s wallet.

Though there is plent of excitement for these systems, there is still some lingering doubt in this gamer’s mind regarding whether we should keep supporting Microsoft. Microsoft is the company responsible for bringing us such games as Halo and the original Xbox, while Sony is the company that created the PlayStation. I admit I prefer Sony products, but my preference has nothing to do with my reasoning to stop supporting Microsoft.

Over the years, Microsoft has lost the trust of both its business partners and its customers in terms of privacy scandals. Microsoft has been caught trying to install spy programs into products. This came to a head in 2012 when they had announced their new Digital Rights Management policy for the Xbox 1. These policies included that your Xbox 1 had to be connected to the Internet in order to play games, games would be registered to your Xbox, meaning buying cheap, used copies of games is no longer possible, and that the Kinect (which is installed in all copies of the Xbox 1) cannot be turned off. This angered several members of their customer base.

Some people asked the question, “What if we can’t get connectivity to the Internet?” to which former president of Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Don Mattrick responded with, “We have a product for people who cannot get connectivity, it’s called the Xbox 360.”

This severely angered their customer base. Why should people be left out on the newest games just because Microsoft is too lazy or greedy to allow users to play without Internet connection? Despite the complaints from customer service, Microsoft refused to change its policies until people started to boycott their products. Suddenly they had a change of heart and decided to give the people what they wanted.

A situation had been avoided, but for how long? How long until Microsoft tries to pull another fast one? All that can be said is that one way to reach a big company like Microsoft is through its wallet.

Richard Atkin is a senior at Colony High and a video game enthusiast.