There's a leak that's been floating around the internet over the weekend regarding a new feature for XBox Live which may be announced at E3: Avatars. As you can no doubt see from the above image, they're pretty much a blatant rip-off of the Mii concept with what sounds to be a greater level of customization.
This is not what annoys me about the idea. I enjoyed Miis and I'd like to see the concept transitioned to the 360, provided it's integrated well and regardless of who had the idea first. The bit that's getting sand in my crotch is the suggestion that they might be replacing Gamer Pics.
I like my Gamer Pic, so much that I plopped down money to have it. Now it could very well be eliminated? The very idea is making my blood boil.
Not to mention the microtransaction possibilities that could ensue. Just imagine a world where we're paying 80 MS points for a new shirt to put on our animated caricature.
Now, I don't want to be all alarmist about this. It's entirely possible that Gamer Pics will be kept on the Gamercard but it seems unlikely. Live is all about ease of use and (in theory) seamless integration of its features. Under those guiding principles, allowing for two modes of visual identification would be out of the question if I were designing such a system.
So, in other words, I'm probably fucked.
via Kotaku
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That's lame, you should at least have a choice. They look like the microsoft Weemee's for Windows Live Messenger.
I would only want one if they made a Big Daddy with Rabbit Ears.
But otherwise this is a bad idear.
I think you'll have a choice here. Definitely.
I would hope so, at least. It wouldn't make much sense for MS to alienate the large part of their demographic who absolutely under no circumstances will even touch the Nintendo Wii.
There are plenty out there.
I would put money on there being absolutely no way Microsoft will do away with gamer pics. Reason being exactly what you said, people have paid money for them - they won't replace them.
This doesn't sound good. If they offer the choice between the two that's all fine and good but to just replace the gamer pic altogether to make way for a bastardization of a Mii avatar? What about the pic that only your friends see? Will that be stricken as well to make room for these Mii doll like lookalikes?
It's funny this will offer more customization while taking away the options you already had in place. It's like saying: here you can do more but only with what we GIVE YOU. BTW: we are also taking away what we had in play with no input from you what so ever. Even though I rarely paid for gamer pics, what little points I spent on them are for now irrelevant.
I know things change and evolve but when it comes at the expense of losing something you paid for, it doesn't exactly build confidence in a new model or system..
This doesn't sound good. If they offer the choice between the two that's all fine and good but to just replace the gamer pic altogether to make way for a bastardization of a Mii avatar? What about the pic that only your friends see? Will that be stricken as well to make room for these Mii doll like lookalikes?
It's funny this will offer more customization while taking away the options you already had in place. It's like saying: here you can do more but only with what we GIVE YOU. BTW: we are also taking away what we had in play with no input from you what so ever. Even though I rarely paid for gamer pics, what little points I spent on them are for now irrelevant.
I know things change and evolve but when it comes at the expense of losing something you paid for, it doesn't exactly build confidence in a new model or system..
WHY'S THERE GOTTA BE A FUCKING FURRY UP THERE, HUH?
everytime I see this, it annoys me that Microsoft makes so much money off of everyone else's ideas.
Just like Americans...
Do not want.
I agree with EternalDeathSlayer and Butmac. You will almost definitely have a choice to which one you want to use.
I imagine they will keep the old gamer pics too. If they axed them outright to make way for these things, it would probably impact on people's willingness to shell out for all the accessories that will inevitably flood Live. There would be a lot of people that might have otherwise spent money who would be wary of these things being made obsolete.
Then again, you could also look to support for the original Xbox to support the theory that they would be binned. What's that? "what support"? Exactly.
DO NOT WANT
Don't swear it, there' no way that MS is going to take away our gamerpics that we've paid them for. The resulting PR disaster would NOT be happening at a good time, since they're already losing ground and people DO actually listen to the angry rumblings of the internet these days. I assume the gamercard will continue to exist in its current state and the avatars will be some sort of addition somewhere.
I paid money for my first Gamerpic as well. Before I just took my own picture.
It was Lincoln from Catan.
Wait, I paid money for my second Gamerpic too! It's the Bomberman Destructoid head.
DO NOT WANT!!!
This just in, Microsoft to introduce Microsoft Houseâ„¢ and The Avatar Channel.