Microsoft shouldn't get hate for U-Turns

So there's been yet another U-Turn in Microsoft's decision making for the Xbox One. This time it involves Kinect, and apparently players won't have to have it plugged into the console at all times for it to function. This is a drastic change from the company's stance earlier in the year, when Kinect was apparently central to the console's vision of the future. It's also a very good decision, and one that positions the Xbox One in a better spot as it looks to take on the PlayStation 4 at the end of the year.

Let's be honest, Microsoft has been getting more than enough hate since it unveiled the Xbox One a few months ago. It seems like the plans to have the console always connected to the internet may have come a console generation too soon, as there are still many areas of the world that don't have the infrastructure for fast broadband and many people who just choose not to be online.

But Microsoft listened. It heard the outrage coming from the message boards and social networking sites and it decided to change things. Always-online features were taken out, although that still wasn't enough to satisfy the haters who denounced Microsoft for not showing any backbone in the face of a struggle. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. 

Then there was the decision to go back on what it said earlier about not having a headset come packaged with the console. Now a headset is included and players won't have to buy one separately. Good news! Or not, as critics will tell you, as it just shows that Microsoft doesn't have a clear plan... Or something like that.

And finally we come to the Kinect. "Useless piece of equipment that I don't want," said some. "It's only there so that Microsoft can spy on us," claimed others. Hate for the Kinect and its need to be connected to the console for it to work was unprecedented. So Microsoft took note, and they changed things so that the Xbox One would work without it. A good decision? Definitely, but you can be sure people will still find something bad to say about it.

If anything the changes of heart show that Microsoft is reactive rather than proactive in its approach to next-gen, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. It did have a plan in place, but once it was apparent that the world wasn't receptive to some of the ideas then things were changed up. Surely it's a good thing that a massive company listens to its consumers? Surely it's a good thing that the Xbox One now looks like a more appealing option than it did two months ago? It is a good thing, and now the PS4 will face even stiffer competition at the end of the year, which can only be a good thing for gamers.