9 Crucial Ways Microsoft Can Save The Xbox One At E3 2017

6. Bring Back Xbox Live Arcade & Mandatory Demos For Every Game

There was a time, way back when, when we actually got to play the games we were about to spend £50 on. I know, it seems crazy, it feels too good to be true, but I assure you it was the case...

Right now, the state of consumer interest in consoles and overall game quality hangs by a thread. It's literally a case-by-case basis as to whether what you're buying is A) Worth the money in a qualitative sense, and B) Actually functional. Yet, on Xbox 360 especially, every single Xbox Live Arcade release (the umbrella term used for smaller games and HD re-releases of things like Beyond Good & Evil) were mandated to come with a demo.

Not only that, but almost every game, triple-A or not, had something put out there for you to try. Microsoft (and Sony too) need to put up the walls and force publishers to ready a playable demo or their games won't get listed. Simple as.

Somewhere along the way, the notion of 'blind faith purchases' extended beyond publisher whims and to the console manufacturers themselves, yet there'd be a far more consistent level of engagement with any given console if it showcased a demo for each game. Microsoft had this in place with the Xbox Live Arcade - on multi-platform games you could always guarantee a demo on 360 - and we need them to re-implement this very consumer-friendly policy.