Reality is not an option

So Andre Vrignaud of the Xbox Live Platform Strategy Team is asking users how Xbox Live should be done different.

I don't feel like answering the question, but as a mental exercise, I tried to imagine what Xbox Live would have been like if it had been done by other companies or entities.

Apple: Xbox Live would be fully integrated with the iTunes service, in-game music would be easy to set up.   You would be able to download tv shows, movies, and specialty pixar content as well, but the entertainment industry would despise Steve Jobs even more with his licensing demands, as they would be less restrictive for the consumer (download specific episodes of a tv series as opposed to an entire season) with less profit from each specific customer but more profit overall for the industry.   Entertainment industry lawyers would still bitch about lost revenue while pulling make believe numbers out of their asses.    The dashboard would be much more easier to navigate, and would be much cleaner, something other than blades.

Sony: Ken Kutaragi would tell you that you could download the internets into your brain, and that the new and improved Xbox Live would get you laid, all in next next generation high definition.   Ken would tell you that whatever technology the competition is using, Xbox Live's technology would be at least two generations past that.   The product would deliver with online chocobo racing in the latest Final Fantasy and Daihatsu Midget racing in the latest Gran Turismo.  On one track only.   In the pit section.   Xbox Live access would only cost 299.95.   Per month.   Ken would tell you to get a third job.

Nintendo: Profanity would get you an automatic ban.   Gamers would congregate in areas that involved huge pipes, turtles, and walking mushrooms.   You wouldn't need a hi-def tv, you would wear the latest controller/display on your head and it would give you motion sickness.

The Republican party: cameras would be mandatory, and the Xbox would be powered up at all times.   Disconnecting or powering down your Xbox would be an act of treason and means you're against us, as written up in a signing statement.   The reasoning for this is to protect you.   There would be "free" access to Christian based content, and users could get out of attending public school science classes by downloading and viewing content about intelligent design.   You could vote through your Xbox, as long as it was for your friendly neighborhood Republican.   Every game, every dashboard blade, every online message would have a "Donate to the RNC" button on it, managed by Diebold.

Boise State University: background colors would be changed to Orange and Blue.   Sports games would have higher priority bandwidth.   Music downloads would be banned outright.   Xbox Live access fees would raise by 500 dollars every six months.    Setting up your Live account would take forever, accessing your information would take longer, changing/updating your information would be measured with a calendar instead of a stopwatch.    Some support staff would have English as a first language but really wouldn't know what they were talking about.   Oklahoma users would have free unlimited downloads of the 2007 Fiesta bowl footage.