The End of Innocence: A Fanboy Becomes a Man

It was supposed to be one of those everlasting, "I was there" stories. July 10, 2000, Lance Armstrong charges up Hautacam, putting ten minutes on his rivals in ten miles up the brutally steep, HC climb on a cold, rainy Pyrenees day. He won the yellow jersey that day and kept it through Paris, winning his second Tour de France. And there I was, a witness to history.

Traveling through Europe, I made sure a trip to Lourdes coincided with the Tour's pass through the mountains. A recreational cyclist and an Armstrong fan long before the LIVESTRONG yellow bracelets became popular, I trudged up the mountain with a 30 lb. pack, rain-soaked socks, and no room reservation for the night. I tried to sleep at the bus stop, awaiting the first transport back to Lourdes, but chattering teeth and raisin-wrinkled feet proved too great of obstacles to slumber.

I bought into the myth. Now, I feel foolish, angry and embarrassed. A treasured memory stolen away. Years of pride in Armstrong's accomplishments, a fierce loyalty against the number of accusers, an unknowing accomplice to the sham by parroting the oft-repeated mantra that Armstrong was the most tested athlete in sports with ne'er a positive test (almost). I couldn't bring myself to watch the Oprah special. A straight punch to the gut.

That sums up my Monday too. I confess: I was a Microsoft fanboy. While I was slow to adopt the original Xbox, pretty much waited for Halo 2 before jumping in, I was there Day One for the Xbox 360. In fact, I was there Day Zero, camped out at my local Best Buy the day before the console's release. It was a cold November day, night and morning. I took the afternoon off from work so I could be at the front of the line. I resisted the ebay urge to sell my launch console at triple the price I paid so I could spend time with Project Gotham Racing 3, Geometry Wars, and Perfect Dark Zero. OK, maybe the PDZ did not quite work out but I quickly moved on to Kameo, and I was hooked.

How bad was the addiction? I am on my fourth console. I own the HD-DVD player and a large collection of HD-DVD titles. I have Kinect and bought Child of Eden as soon as it was released. I enjoyed my time as Sergeant Forge as much as Master Chief, drove thousands of miles in Forza 2, 3, 4 and Horizon. I played Skulls of the Shogun on both the 360 and my Windows phone, purchased specifically for that purpose. I am well-versed in Microsoft currency and with it, I downloaded gamer pics for Guitar Hero 2 and Grey's Anatomy, themes, premium themes, avatar clothes and a black cat. I have COG dog tags. And the reward for my loyalty?

XBone. All $500 of it. The forced, always on Kinect 2. The internet required connection/check-in. The draconian DRM policy. Before we even get to the alternatives presented, the biggest issue beyond any of the listed complaints rests in Microsoft's attitude. I have seen it before. Remember Sony's E3 presser announcing the PS3 for $599?

And this:

What does it all mean? Especially for a one-console household? I guess it is time to grow up and out of the fanboy phase and carefully decide which console best suits my gaming needs and habits. While cost plays some role, it is not the dispositive factor. I will look at exclusive titles at launch and in the future. I will look where my friends are and what they are playing. I will look at connectivity between Vita vs. SmartGlass.

Microsoft, if you want me to purchase an Xbox One, you are going to have to sell me on it because at this point, I feel I've been left with no choice but to explore other options.

Posted with Blogsy