liiami said:xPut Name Herex said:I like how Microsoft is getting a lot of hate from people here, when it is really an EA/Nokia deal that MS is powerless to stop. You have to remember that without Nokia, these 20 (total released and unreleased games) may not have come to the WP marketplace at all. Maybe two or three of the really big ones, like Madden or FIFA, but that would likely be it. Nokia, who had already taken a gamble on the WP and its OS, decided it was in their best interest to negotiate a deal with EA for 20 timed-exclusive games, with EA giving Nokia (note, NOT Microsoft giving Nokia) their games in return for doing much of the legwork to get the product out there on the markeplace. Nothing stops other phone companies and game companies from doing the same, but only Nokia has bothered to do so currently.
One may then argue that sure, Microsoft couldn't stop the deal, but they could still stop the Xbox Live licensing. But think about it for a second, why would they do that? First off, it would be a slap in the face to Nokia, the only company who have switched entirely over to MS's OS, and who are emerging players in the Chinese and developing world markets (where, if you are in the smartphone business right now, you want to be focusing your resources). You can't do that to such important business partners.
Second, it would break the mold and may scare the other carriers away from carrying WP. Phone exclusives have been a thing pretty much since the birth of the app marketplace, and the only reason these exclusives are being noticed is because their icon carries an "Xbox Live" banner on the tile. If Microsoft were to tell Nokia, "No, you can't have your own exclusives", with Nokia being MS's biggest partner in the WP endeavor, why on Earth would HTC, Samsung, and whoever else carries WP expect to be treated any differently and be allowed to keep their exclusives? They would all instantly drop their WPs from their catalogs (especially Samsung, who don't seem to acknowledge WPs in their lineup over their Android-based Galaxy phones).
So yes, it is possible for an international, multibillion dollar tech giant to be powerless against two smaller companies, especially when it is depending so much on them to become a power-player in an already established market. In a couple years, if the WP keeps heading down the path it seems to be taking (especially in those emerging markets), then maybe it will be a different case. For now, be happy that Nokia was able to bring 20 additional games to the WP marketplace through their own doing, and Microsoft got them to put a time limit of six months on their exclusivity. Without Nokia exclusives, there would be a much larger complaint about the lack of games for Microsoft's OS.
You seem to have forgotten who owns a large stake of Nokia. Microsoft.
The hate is not misplaced and not undeserved. 18 month / 24 month contracts are the norm these days. Whilst apple and android customers get shafted by new phones every year, their marketplace doesn't.
Due to the small nature of the WP marketplace and its lack of non-indie games, if you don't own a Nokia WP you are getting shafted on games to play.
Admittedly, yes, I did forget about Microsoft's stake in Nokia, so they have more control over Nokia, but my other points still stand. Is Microsoft really going to complain about Nokia paying out of pocket for extra games for the WP marketplace, and tell them they can't be exclusive? Company exclusive apps are a fact for smartphones, and I really enjoy some of my HTC ones. If Nokia can't have their exclusives, while would HTC and others expect to have theirs? They could easily leave the WP environment if they thought MS was going to be too restricting on them (I'm not saying that they would leave specifically over exclusive apps, but it sure would make them take a second to think about their partnership).
And lack of non-indie games, well yeah, because most phones are not designed to be gaming devices. They're smartphones, so they have games on the side of their primary features. I don't know anyone outside of this site who bought a smartphone for the games on it. There's a plethora of both free and cheap apps that are just as fun (if not more fun) than many of the XBL tiles for WP users regardless of handset. If getting games was really the biggest concern for you when choosing a smartphone, then you would have gotten/will get a Nokia, which is kinda the point of Nokia going out and getting this contract in the first place.
Besides, they're all timed-exclusives through Nokia's deal with Microsoft anyway (Nokia could easily have kept them entirely to themselves without Microsoft's interference). You can't tell me there's a game you just NEED to play now, and are incapable of waiting six months for a cheap phone game, especially when I could find other copies of the game just without that "Xbox Live" banner across the title. Well, you can, but if you stop and think for a second it should turn into a sad reflection for you.