 |
Hot Stories
Losing Faith in the Zune HD
Troy Benedict
April 28, 2010
When it comes to technology, I generally find myself rooting for the underdog. I supported the Dreamcast over the PlayStation 2. I bought into every piece of hype that Microsoft fed us about the original Xbox. I even purchased one on launch day and quietly endured the gargantuan, dinner plate sized controllers. I chose the BlackBerry Storm over the iPhone. I invested in the Zune HD over Apple's iPod Touch.
Not all of these choices have been bad, or resulted in bad experiences--but some have. Obviously, at some point, I was forced to abandon the Dreamcast once Sega officially called it quits. It was either jump ship or live in denial--sustaining myself on nothing but an existing catalog of games--all the while trying to avoid the scoffs and jeers of PlayStation 2 enthusiasts and all of their new releases. Thankfully, I was a multi-console supporter, and owned a PlayStation 2, but I really wanted the Dreamcast to deliver.
Microsoft and the original Xbox, was a hit and miss depending on the "whens" and "wheres". The short story with the original Xbox was that it gave the gaming industry a taste of a worthy American video game console and made way for the juggernaut that is the Xbox 360.
I don't need to explain where I stand right now with my distaste of the BlackBerry Storm. My only excuse/justification: I'm not leaving Verizon. Needless, to say, if the iPhone comes to Verizon later this year, Apple can probably add me to their list.
I don't regret my choices. I like technology and I understand that just because one device is preferred by the majority, doesn't mean it's necessarily the best choice. However, it becomes quite obvious at some point when the choice I've made has become the wrong choice.
I think I'm reaching that point with the Zune HD.
There are a lot of things to love about the Zune HD. It's small, it's light, it has ample amounts of storage for photos, videos, and music. I even like the way the Zune service is set up and how I can purchase content on the Xbox 360 and then transfer it over quite easily to the Zune HD. I even love the unique user interface.
My problem with the Zune HD essentially lies with the apps. When the device was first announced, whether it was a lost in translation media hype, enthusiast over-excitement and speculation, or just product vs product generalizations, the impressions made in early previews were that this would be Microsoft's iPod Touch killer. It was a beautiful touchscreen device with a powerful nVidia Tegra video chip. These facts did nothing but imply that it would be a great device for more than just music, video, and photos. Of course it had to be a game/application device, like the iPod Touch, too. Right? Right??
Right???
Microsoft was certainly hush-hush when it came to sharing any information about the availablity and details of apps and games on the Zune HD. Only a short time prior to the Zune HD's release in September 2009 did screen captures and video clips show an apps selection on the menu.
Even on launch date, there was no word about if day-one Zune adopters would see any sort of app support, until the new Zune software was launched. A handful of free apps and games were included to the early adopter's satisfaction.
Things started off slow, but two months later in November, Microsoft unleashed a slew of new games and apps all at once, including a few games that really took advantage of the game's video chip, like Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition, Vans Sk8: Pool Service, and Audiosurf Tilt. The Zune community was excited and alive with renewed hope! It was a long wait in those first two months but it was exciting to see some new apps with some rather impressive Zune HD technology.
It is almost May of 2010, and since that massive batch of games in November 2009, Microsoft has released two apps in that 6-month window: Twitter and Facebook. Yeah. And get this, the Twitter app, while nice-looking and easy to use, doesn't have a retweet option. Not at all! [Update: 3 new apps were released just before publication of this article. See addendum below for more details]
In February 2010, the Windows Phone 7 Series was announced, which essentially was the rumored "Zune Phone." The new Windows Phone would run on a brand new operating system built around the Zune HD's interface. It would also include apps and games. Fantastic! Surely this means that Zune HD supporters would get that support, correct?
Not exactly. The XNA Game Studio 4.0, which will be the platform for developers to make software for the new Windows Phone -- which also supports development for Xbox 360 and Windows -- curiously lacks any sort of inclusion for Zune HD development. Instead, Zune HD development continues to be regulated to XNA Game Studio 3.1, and it appears that is where it is going to stay at least for the foreseeable future.
To me, this is rather disappointing. I sit here and see the potential the device has and the utter lack of new or interesting apps outside of the XNA development community.
Microsoft got it right with the Indie Games on the Xbox 360, but is really dropping the ball with the Zune HD, in my opinion.
The reason I supported the Zune in the first place was because of one future-proofing update that said to me, Microsoft cares about this device, even the old models. In September of 2008, Microsoft released a software update for both new and older Zune models. This update gave the exact same new functionality to the older models that the newer models had. Microsoft had essentially proven to me that they future-proofed the Zune. I was sold.
I'm really hoping that this is the case with Zune HD. It's an amazing device, and it really pains me to see the lack of more official support for first and third-party development.
I'm really, really hoping that Microsoft steps it up a notch in the coming months as excitement and promotion builds around the Windows Phone 7, and I really hope that Zune HD starts getting the love and respect that it deserves.
Otherwise, this guy, who has been rooting for the underdog, is going to join the iPod Touch family.
UPDATE: Just before publication of this article, it was announced that three new Zune HD apps were available: Stopwatch, Solitaire, and Labyrinth. I'd like to take credit for pressuring Microsoft to release the new apps, but unless they have some time travelers over there who went into the future and read this article and then came back and addressed things (which is possible - have you seen the Microsoft Skinput video??), I'll somewhat reluctantly give Microsoft a gold star. But keep it up, Microsoft. Don't make me wait months (or weeks) for the next new content. There's enough third-party development interest out there. Take advantage of it. And seriously, update the Twitter app. It doesn't even have the ability to retweet. That's a total fail.
