The many problems of Xbox (not a comprehensive list)

I was a second wave Xbox Live beta tester. I've been a Gold subscriber every single year it's been offered. I'm an Ambassador. I've owned multiple consoles of every version of the Xbox Microsoft has released (not every single edition, to clarify). I've seen this thing from day one and watched the service and its hardware grow every step of the way. I have to say, the current Xbox and the condition of Live as a service is disappointing. I'm going to list some things that need to be addressed (in my opinion).

Context-aware bug reports - when we have an issue and use "Report a problem" why do we have to navigate, or as sometimes is the case attempt to navigate to what we need to report? This wastes time and is often confusing because sometimes we don't know what category an item falls under. Why does it not automatically select whatever we are already reporting the problem from? You could simply make the option, "Report something else" so a user could THEN use the current navigation system to try and find the appropriate category if for some really odd reason they were not trying to report something from the immediate environment they decided to select Report a problem. This is contextual and relevant. Having to navigate the entire menu of options is not. This would be a notable quality of life improvement and better streamline error reporting.

Being able to submit bug reports directly within a game or app - Right when a glitch happens, right immediately from the game or app you can submit a bug report with screenshots and/or video, and it not only goes to Microsoft but straight to the developer. It should include the gamertag, account-specific information including the email address associated with the account, build version of the game, console software version being run, any file and or system dumps relevant to the issue - in short, it should go straight to a developer and include ALL RELEVANT INFORMATION that might need to be provided. A method of making it easier to report problems to the companies responsible for the software they have released is of near paramount importance as games across the board are being released too early, and ridiculously laden with bugs and glitches. This would be a massive quality of life improvement for gamers and directly help hardware and software developers on a level I can not overstate the importance of. Trying to set up and manage accounts with every game and hardware company, trying to get files off of your machine and provide all the myriad details often demanded by companies when you have issues is a huge massive ridiculous mess and wastes incredible amounts of time and effort when it could (and should) be streamlined right from within the very environment where and when it happens. Again, I have no way to overstate the returns this would provide anyone and everyone who games, or produces games and apps on an Xbox.

Trim doesn't work - This has been a day one issue. We're nearly at End of Life for this console (as the next Xbox is actively being developed) and Trim still fails at least as often as it works. Do you see those two things listed above concerning bug reports? Companies increasingly ask for video. Getting files off your machine and into a world viewable space is increasingly important for basic bug reports and technical support. I literally can not account for the hours I've wasted just trying to get files to some company so I can provide the information they are requesting to help with a problem. Also, many companies have file size limitations (even if they never list anyplace on their support websites that there are strict file size limitations). Being able to provide trimmed, concise, and relevant video saves bandwidth, time, and might even allow you to actually upload the file. And if Microsoft isn't interested in providing usable apps, don't lock out third party companies who would be more than happy to fill this void. I'm hoping I don't really need to point out how much this would help people.

Don't lock us out from providing screenshots and video for bug reporting purposes - You can't take a screenshot of the Microsoft rewards app. You can't take a screenshot or video capture of any video app. Those apps and services in fact (frequently) have problems, and we can't provide the information they request because we can't capture it. This is just flat out dumb. My inability to take a screenshot or a video clip strictly for bug reporting purposes exclusively has cost me untold hours. I provide feedback to companies to help them rectify issues for myself, and for the betterment of others who use Xbox and its services. You make it hard to provide the information Microsoft needs and requests when the rewards quests fail to unlock, and I have that happen at least once every month. There's literally no good reason to prohibit this and only places a burden on customers and customer service people trying to resolve issues.

The entire Dashboard and overall UI is slow and sometimes unresponsive - This console often moves like cold molasses. Doing anything. Get out an old console, ANY console. Get a stopwatch. Start timing things. Anything. Is the Xbox faster? Is it even as fast? I still own consoles over 20 years old that perform better at doing anything. Outside of graphic and sound quality, how can this possibly be Next Gen?

The Blu-ray player is atrocious - The provided app for playing Blu-ray and DVDs stinks, badly. It does not conform to the same controls and UI utilized by almost every video app available on the Xbox. It lacks features and is painful to use. And, Microsoft prohibits any third party company from making any competing apps available. ANY. This is bad for customers. I suspect it might even be considered anti-competitive by FTC standards and Consumer Protection Agencies. If you aren't going to give us serviceable apps, allow third parties a chance at it. Thre are plenty who would be very happy to provide us what you will not.

You can't use your Xbox without an always-on internet connection - I paid for my machine. I paid for my games. I paid for my Blu-ray discs, DVDs and other physical media. I should be able to use it when I want, where I want. But I can't if my Internet goes down, and I am not sure that is lawful. Even if it is, it is seriously, egregiously super bad form Microsoft. Why does this happen? Because I want to share my Gold subscription with another second console physically located in my house. So the main console I use located in my bedroom is not the Home device. Because I want to share Gold with my second console located in the living room and it is set as Home. When the Internet goes down, my main console is effectively bricked preventing me from playing games and even using literal physical media such as Blu-ray discs and DVDs. This Is A Known And Real Problem and has been reported for years now. Do a search. I think there's even some right here on Reddit. My use might be a little different than the most common of scenarios, but I've run into many other people who have had similar problems. This is not acceptable. If the problem was more frequent for me I would have already filed complaints with my State Attorney General and possibly the Federal Trade Commission as being unlawful under Consumer Protection acts both state and federal.

This is not a comprehensive list. It is those things I feel are currently the biggest issues and are my limited personal experience and observation as a long time customer of Microsoft, Xbox, and Xbox Live. (I may add more things later because I'm pretty sure I didn't get all of the things I am currently aware of posted in this one post.)

submitted by /u/GrfxGawd
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