Microsoft says that Xbox One Market, will not turn into an app store

[Showan]

Microsoft Xbox corporate vice president Phil Harrison has addressed the concern that the Xbox One marketplace will be inundated with bad games instead of good ones.

Apple?s popular iOS App Store contains a lot of great apps and games, but there?s also quite a few that are, to put it bluntly, crap. With the Xbox One now making it easier for more people to submit games to Xbox Live, folks are concerned that the Xbox One marketplace will turn into the App Store and be filled with mostly just crappy games instead of good quality ones.

When Engadget?s senior associate editor Ben Gilbert brought up this potential issue in a video interview, Microsoft Xbox corporate vice president Phil Harrison said that ?I think we will measure success by whether new and amazing experiences come to our platform.? He added that Microsoft wants to support all types games from ?super hits? to niches ?so long as great new experiences come to our platform.?

Of course, not all games will be ?great new experiences.? Like the App Store, there will surely be a ton of poorly-made games that will try to make it through the door, however, Harrison says that he?s actually looking forward to hopefully going through thousands of games.

?So in many ways I hope we do have to deal with tens of thousands of games,? said Harrison after pausing to gather his thoughts, ?because that will demonstrate that our platform is a really attractive place for creators to want to build games for. So that?s one of the unattended consequences of success.?

But when Gilbert said that ?you don?t want 9,000 Mojang games either though,? Harrison replied with a smile, ?Well, so long as there?s one or two really excellent Mojang games I?ll be OK.?

Somehow, I still have a feeling Xbox Live will turn into the App Store, but at least Harrison assured that discoverability of games won?t be an issue thanks to features such as recommendations, spotlights, trending, and DVR video sharing.

?We?ve heard loud and clear from developers that they wanted a level playing field,? said Harrison. ?They wanted to be treated equally in the marketplace alongside all games so we have created that leveling playing field.?

- See more at: http://beefjack.com/news/microsoft-explains-how-xbox-one-marketplace-isnt-going-to-turn-into-the-app-store/#sthash.XMawo7nb.dpuf

 

 

http://beefjack.com/news/microsoft-explains-how-xbox-one-marketplace-isnt-going-to-turn-into-the-app-store/

[Showan]

I personally still have that gut feeling that Live will become a "Crap Store".  I do pray that I am wrong though.

 

All I can see is, for every Diamond, there will be a 1,000 turds.

 

A 1:1,000 ratio is not a good thing.  When you got to sift through that much crap, nobody wins.

 

PROVE ME WRONG MICROSOFT.  

[neufuse Veteran]

As long as we don't have 1000 flashlight apps that make no sense on a console....... :rofl:

[Torolol]

as always thats depend on how rigorously MSFT determine which games/craps that allowed to enter the Live.

afterall games in store need to be stamped with Microsoft Certificates before xbox one could play them.

 

Crap games on store is sure sign that Microsoft Q.A doesn't do their job.

[George P Global Moderator]

This is why the new developer program has an application process. While it has no fees as such you have to apply and you can be denied the ability to enter if all you've done so far is make crap apps.  This is key to it actually, so at the start they'll only be letting in developers who have made good stuff in the past and have good ideas/games in the works now, or just to port over good games from something else etc. 

 

Once they get a good number of developers into the program and a good number of games up on the store they can open it up to lesser known developers and accept their application to the program, but that could be anything from a year from now or 4 years from now, they haven't said.

 

Plus there's the 2nd phase of the program that's coming which lets you basically turn your XB1 into a dev unit and homebrew with the option to put your stuff up on the store later, that's when things really get interesting.  Again though, I don't expect to see that till they've already built a good size Store initially with well known brands.

[trooper11]

Its always a risk when you open up development to more people, but unfortunately MS doesn't have much choice.

 

They know what these developers want, so they are going to give it a try.

 

I think the most important thing is how they filter all of the content.  As long as they have ways for the consumer to find what they want as quickly as possible, it should be alright.  I think a robust review system needs to be in place and it sounds like they want to leverage the game dvr function for that purpose as well. I hope they encourage users to post clips of games as part of a review.

 

 

This is just about games, but I'm still waiting to hear how non gaming apps will be treated.  I still have my fingers crossed that they will allow non gaming apps like the windows store. 

[Osiris]

I don't care really, every app store has this issue but millions of people still manage to find, download and buy a variety of apps that suit their needs.  Once you get the hang of the respective store its usually very easy to alter your searches to avoid the crap.

[BajiRav]

As long as we don't have 1000 flashlight apps that make no sense on a console....... :rofl:

 

Hey that will be useful when someone needs to use Xbox on a vacation, in a remote cabin, without internet  and power. I heard a lot of people do that on their vacation.

[neoadorable]

Don't forget the compass ones that will ask you to move the console in the air in figure eights. Yeah, we don't really need civilian apps, but so long as they don't dilute the gaming side of things, I don't really mind them.

[trooper11]

My interest in non gaming apps revolves around media apps.  I'm really hoping they allow for them because then you could see some cool local media playback solutions that don't require a pc.

[dead.cell]

I personally still have that gut feeling that Live will become a "Crap Store".  I do pray that I am wrong though.

 

All I can see is, for every Diamond, there will be a 1,000 turds.

 

A 1:1,000 ratio is not a good thing.  When you got to sift through that much crap, nobody wins.

 

PROVE ME WRONG MICROSOFT.  

 

See, I actually don't have a problem with Apple's app store as I can find everything easily, sort the lists out, and get around pretty well.

 

By comparison to searching apps on Windows 8 for instance, typing in "media player" is just dreadful with all the apps showing similar logos and having similar names and having varying pricing. That's why I have big concerns with app stores and the like on the Xbox One, as I just haven't seen evidence of them sorting it out right just yet. :/

[neoadorable]

Windows Store still has a ways to go before it'll match Apple's store, but it keeps getting better.

Trooper, seeing as how much they're highlighting media this generation, id expect plenty of apps for that, depending where you are. Actually wherever you are, there will be apps, tho content will vary.

[George P Global Moderator]

VLC player on Xbox one?

[trooper11]

See, I actually don't have a problem with Apple's app store as I can find everything easily, sort the lists out, and get around pretty well.

 

By comparison to searching apps on Windows 8 for instance, typing in "media player" is just dreadful with all the apps showing similar logos and having similar names and having varying pricing. That's why I have big concerns with app stores and the like on the Xbox One, as I just haven't seen evidence of them sorting it out right just yet. :/

 

 

I agree, the windows 8/rt store is very much a work in progress and they need to smooth it out considering how much its needed for the future.  If you have seen the previews of Windows 8.1, you will see a revamped store interface that looks a lot more attractive and easier to find what you want.  I'm very interested in trying this out myself since it could be a preview of how the X1 store will work. 

 

That is also important to app devs if MS plans to open up the X1 to more non gaming apps by third parties.

 

 

 

VLC player on Xbox one?

 

 

That's one idea.  VLC is currently working on a Win 8/RT app, so in theory, if MS allows a similar app store on the X1, you could see VLC working there. 

 

My main interest at the moment is a program call MediaBrowser 3.  Its a very robust media server/client system with apps that can manage all of the local media you have (such as music, movies, pictures, etc that are stored on a pc somewhere and client apps to access that media on various devices (mobile, tablet, pc, etc).  They are also working on a Win 8/RT app. 

 

If MS allows such apps, the X1 will be the closest thing to 'perfect' media solution for my personal needs.  It would even replace my need for a pc in my home theater.

[vcfan]

I think hand chosen games will be put in a large special spotlight list,which is the default view,and if you want to go and browse through a bunch of games/apps,you can also have that ability.

[neoadorable]

GP, really doubt VLC will make it, tho MS are much more relaxed about media players these days. Who knows.

[George P Global Moderator]

GP, really doubt VLC will make it, tho MS are much more relaxed about media players these days. Who knows.

 

Just the first example that popped in my head.   We don't know how they're going to handle apps yet so we have to wait and see.

[neoadorable]

Prob similar to 360. Can't make it too PC-like as that will impinge on Win 8.

[George P Global Moderator]

Prob similar to 360. Can't make it too PC-like as that will impinge on Win 8.

 

 

It kinda is like the PC though, I mean they said the indie dev program has no fees and stuff, so it's already better than on the PC since you have to pay $99 to get in regardless.  But it's not open to anyone right now, so they can deny you from the start which isn't like it is on the PC.   It's kind of a weird mix but that's for games, who knows how it will be for apps?  I think MS should redo it's dev/store pricing scheme.  I had the idea that since they have 3 stores right now, Windows, Windows Phone and soon Xbox One, they could charge developers a reduced fee if all they want is to put their apps/games on one of the 3 and then a full, higher price for you to release on all 3 of them.  Make the games cross platform between the 3 as well and then we're really talking about some interesting developments. 

[neoadorable]

What you suggest makes sense but remember its a delicate balance. Ultimately all these platforms need to be compatible, maybe even become one (hence the name), but for now equal pressure exists to keep each reasonably unique. Remember there are lots of anti-Windows folks out there who so far didn't mind Xbox, so making it all too similar may backfire. I really do think there won't be a substantial difference between 360and X1 markets for the next couple of years.