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Xbox One reveal: Microsoft was like 'elephant in a china shop', says Chimielarz

Xbox One's reveal was poorly communicated, and the fact that Microsoft has still not concretely explained the intended purpose of its 24-hour online authentication likened it to an 'elephant in a china shop', founder of the Astronauts Adrian Chmielarz has said.

You may remember that yesterday, Chmielarz penned a blog for Edge where he stated that the $60 retail price-point for boxed code and the used market should both die, and that Microsoft's since-repealed decision to try and curb second-hand sales was a positive step before it was nuked.

In the same piece Chmielarz has backed up the notion of a digital-only landscape, and saw Microsoft's policies a step towards that future. However, he has stated that the company went about it all wrong.

"So, a company named Microsoft had this really great idea: let's accelerate the death of the box. The box is a mortally wounded animal in the need of the mercy kill, and Microsoft seemed to be ready to pull the trigger.

"But, as we all know, Microsoft went about it like an elephant in a china shop. Never able to explain what that 'once per 24 hours' check is for. Never able to explain how the used game sales work. Never able to communicate with clarity and brutal honesty.

"There was a great vision hidden somewhere behind it all, but all that people remembered was that waving your hands or speaking loud would change a TV channel."

Chmielarz's quotes come after Microsoft u-turned on its 24-hour authentication, DRM and anti-used policies, but the developer fears that the decision will prove hurtful to the industry, given the money lost through second-hand sales at retail giants like GameStop.

What do you make of the above? Was Microsoft on the right track in some parts, or was it out-right incorrect in its actions? Let us know below.

Thanks Polygon.

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Dave Cook

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Dave worked on VG247 for an extended period manging much of the site's news output. As well as his experience in games media, he writes for comics, and now specializes in books about gaming history.

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