PS4: Jack hammers it home to leave Microsoft with a bloody nose
The PlayStation 4's biggest selling point is actually a last-gen feature, says Matt Martin
Who would have thought this year's E3 could have been won and lost on the policies of old media? Sony's clear message about digital rights, prices, online connection, reselling and sharing video game content brought the house down at its big PlayStation 4 reveal yesterday. In a day crammed full of new game reveals, it only took a few well-hammered statements from Sony's Jack Tretton - three minutes of bullet points shot at a rival company with a huge target painted on its ass - to become the talking point of this year's event. It's clear to consumers and the media: Sony has been listening to complaints and concerns and it's not going to follow a corporate vision over the interests of consumer taste.
"Three minutes of bullet points shot at a rival company with a huge target painted on its ass"
Microsoft had started the day with a very strong showing too. The streamlined event that just focused on games with quick and clear communication was a success, where the suits stepped back and pushed the developers forward. And the developers for the most part, both first and third party, looked to be enjoying themselves. In demo form, early trailer, concepts or near-complete games, Microsoft's line-up for the first years of the Xbox One is really very strong. New IP and old, it's the dream portfolio for the hardcore gaming audience that won the crowd back from last month's ostracising TV evangelism.
It was doing so well, with genuinely talented developers at its back, the right amount of bombast and none of the celebrity endorsement bollocks that dilutes the gaming message. But then it ripped the sticking plaster off and announced the $499 price and it crashed back to reality. Consoles are always expensive on launch day, the Xbox One will be no different. But even the price isn't what sticks in the craw. Microsoft's flat-out refusal to discuss any of the business decisions behind it's terribly misguided stance on used games, digital rights management and always online connections still remained after a positive 90 minutes. Amplified by clearly being ignored, the elephant in the room is thrashing around, tusks goring the beauty of Quantum Break, Killer Instinct, Sunset Overdrive and Below.
While at times the whooping and hollering of the rent-a-crowd in Sony's conference yesterday felt forced, the reaction to the PlayStation 4's stance on used games, DRM, sharing and online connections was genuine. It's the reaction that E3 moments are made of. The first half of Sony's presentation was slow and meandering, a chunk of the PlayStation 4 portfolio had already been revealed in February, and banging the drum about exclusive DLC snacks for multiformat games is just small fry.
Looking back, Sony's game line-up for the PlayStation 4 doesn't feel as strong although it is more varied than the Xbox One. Sony isn't embarrassed to support families and experimentation alongside it's blockbusters. Phil Harrison's insistence that Microsoft has always loved the independent developers simply didn't sound true, whereas Adam Boyes' love for Octodad, Lorne Lanning, Switchblade Monkeys and chums was genuine.
"Sony won the crowd back and left its biggest rival with a bloody nose for which it can only blame itself. Microsoft honestly looks foolish"
But despite the billions spent on trailers yesterday, the hardwork put in to live demos and the reinvigoration of the video game console market, the real crowd pleaser wasn't one title. It was clear communication that Sony will continue to treat its customers with respect and listen to their concerns. There's still a long way to go and Sony did take away some privileges with one hand (now having to pay for multiplayer gaming on PS4, for example), but Sony won the crowd back and left its biggest rival with a bloody nose for which it can only blame itself. Continuing to blank the bigger questions is just like letting the blood run down on to your new crisp white shirt. Microsoft honestly looks foolish.
And if that wasn't enough, the fact that the PlayStation 4 will launch in the US a whole $100 less than the Xbox One sealed the deal. It's still a lot of money for new hardware but the loyal gamer is used to paying for it and it looks at this point like a much better deal for those looking for their first taste of next generation console gaming.
Microsoft is so focused on the future it's alienated its players over a soulless corporate goal to own the living room. Sony has its eyes on the distance but it understands consumers don't want to give up control of their private space and what they do in it. Sony isn't actually doing anything different when it comes to DRM, second hand sales, sharing and online connections. In many ways the biggest feature of the PlayStation 4 is something that hasn't been tampered with. The PlayStation 4's greatest triumph so far is a distinctly last-gen feature.
Having digital only has never been "the future" any more than VR goggles and Star Trek Holodecks and tactileless feedback surfaces are the future. The future is what the consumer will accept. So in that vein of thought, Sony is actually focused on the future. Microsoft is focused on what it wants the future to be.
When statements like mobile gaming is the future or Digital games is the only way, I think its comes from companies that are very narrow minded. I belive in versitality.
Apple views the life of everyone on the planet interacting with digital content through a touch screen. I think all this is just crazy. I think companies should have a broader mentality... not everyone likes digital only, alot of gamers prefer consoles. And I think a company is good when they can cater to everyones needs, versus telling them how to do things because they are to lazy to do anything about it. Apple seems bent on eliminating optical discs from there hardware and cable ports such as USB. they want everything to be digital download only and wireless. I have most of my media on optical discs and Im not always connected to the internet.
I think when a company hears its consumers and listens to them and caters around their needs, it bolds well for them in the form of $$$. You gain consumer good will. I doubt hackers will go after them like they did last time. But both Microsoft and Apple seem to be hugely arrogant. They think they know what the consumer wants.
SONY however, from there last 2 conferences, I feel they have been listening to consumers. Yes they will have a digital media delivery system, but they will also support retail. Yes they are making a console, but it will also support indie and mobile platforms integration.
Perhaps ironically, the real meat of Sony's conference--the software--was not as strong as Microsoft's showing, and while Microsoft nailed down a release window and a provisional twelve month line up that looks to end on Halo, PS4's first year remains sketchy. As it is, though, it can't be denied Microsoft's content controls and high price are two mighty sticking points even after an excellent 90 minute showcase of software. I have the feeling that if Microsoft were inclined not to dictate stringent terms of use to their fanbase with Xbox One, the high price wouldn't be such a sticking point on the back of the strong software reveals, and the conversation would be very different.
As it is, Sony have played the PR game exactly right, and Microsoft have been wrong-footed at every step. The real question is, how much will this matter when the consoles and the games are on shelves? Will consumers be outright turned off Microsoft and go to Sony, or will consumers be willing to sacrifice some control over their content in order to access Microsoft's exclusive content?
I also disagree about the price not being a sticking point. Sure, to the core Xbox "fan", the price will never be that much of a sticking point... but to the main consumer of consoles? Time and time again you see analysts (both professional and amateur) saying that the magic point is between $299-399. PS3 ignored this and didn't sell well until cheaper SKUs with bundled games were on the shelves. $499 is a difficult purchase to make even without the DRM restrictions. Especially for the majority of the world outside the US where there's no or very little entertainment content that we're paying for... plus, anyone who wants a Blu Ray player already has one so that's not much of a selling point for the consoles either.
Perhaps a bit overconfident after dominating this generation with Xbox 360, Microsoft charged out of the gate with this new world order as something good for the gamer. When it looked back, there was Sony with a changed tune and a marketing gift made possible by the benefit of being second in line on the final reveal.
Both companies are guilty of bouts with hubris.
That said, the PlayStation 4's lower price is going to be pretty attractive compared to the Xbox One. Strange that the more locally powerful hardware is cheaper, but I think a lot of Xbox One's cost comes at the insistence of Microsoft to include Kinect technology in the package. Based on the core Xbox One console, itself, the machine could have sold at equal or even slightly less than the $399 Sony is charging for PS4. I suspect that sold-separate PS4 camera is going to become more integral to future titles, but by leaving it out of the initial package helps Sony avoid the creepy factor of simply wanting to set a camera in your living room for no apparent reason.
It was a masterful stroke by Sony to quietly introduce the mandate that online play on PS4 will require a PlayStation Plus subscription wrapped in the no-DRM-and-you-can-sell-and-share-used-games paper. Then again, PlayStation Plus is an incredible (and cheaper) program to stay in compared to Xbox Live.
Hey, I like my Wiimote and Move and yeah, some Kinect stuff functions fine, but does it really add anything unless a developer gets it right that anything used with these wagglers has to be pure fun and not a set of learning curves that still don't do much other than frustrate anyone who's not able to hold a hand straight for longer than 2 seconds?
Developers: Just MAKE GOOD GAMES - the gimmicks can (and will) always wait. And besides, SOME of them shut people out, not let them in! As it is, the graphics leap in the coming gen isn't all that different than this gen other than more detailed dors you still can't open and more stuff that can fall on you and kill your character if the developer adds that into the physics...
I had forgotten that for many video gaming has become a surrogate hobby or past-time - and that the challenge of taking away control, the ownership, of this hobby into the coffers of big corporation - it is like if LEGO totally changed the design of their blocks and then charged for the models created using them, while trying to stop the use of the older sets.
My feeling is that Sony had this press conference to loose - as you may have seen from some of my previous comments, the Sony executive team has been playing the game of opposites, doing everything different to what MS has attempted. The final straw being the price point - this is a total re-run of the Gen-7th console battle with the positions reversed! However I wonder if MS is emulating the CD-i more than the PS3 (in design as well as approach)!!
Now all eyes turn to Nintendo, and how they position themselves in this mess!
Is it? Does anything revealed thus far realistically represent the incentive, motivation or justification 70 million 360 owners need to spend $500 for the XBO? Realistically and objectively... no. The best case scenario for Microsoft is a maximum of 30 percent of 360 owners will buy the XBO. And unless the overall AAA development focus radically changes within the next year, the majority of the consumers who purchase the XBO as a game console will stop buying and playing games after the new toy effect wears off.
Microsoft has a very meticulously thought out vision for the next generation. And their vision appeals to me when I think as long and hard about it.
We"ll see how this plays out. Its not really up in the air, my best guess and all rational signs point to Microsoft FTW this generation.
I think people will eventually stop complaining incessantly over Microsoft's corporate, Living room domination objective. They will acknowledge that the Xbox One is an entertainment revolution, with great software, and unparalleled support, plain and simple. I am willing to pay 100 dollars for that difference.
Edited 1 times. Last edit by Aaron Brown on 11th June 2013 6:00pm
"Time and time again you see analysts (both professional and amateur) saying that the magic point is between $299-399."
And what those "experts" consistently ignore is this theoretical ideal price point was based on the consumer's perceived value of the PS3 and 360 based on their experiences with the last generation of consoles. And with how well aligned the game libraries were with their personal preferences and needs. So when consumers purchased the PS3 and 360 for between $299-399, those purchases were largely based on their perception this was price was fair based on their overall experiences with the PS2 or Xbox, or both. But look at what happened after the PS3 and 360 launched. Prior to 2006 - 2007, the core game market had experienced more than 15 years of sustained growth. After the PS3 and 360 were on the market for a full year... this growth ended practically overnight and the core market began losing market share. And as of today, an overwhelming majority of PS3 and 360 owners have stopped buying most games released on both systems.
So consumers will purchase the PS4 and XBO when they perceive the retail price reflects the value based on their overall experiences with the PS3 and 360. And in the absence of a "killer app" for either system, the new idea price point will very likely be somewhere between 200 to 300 dollars for the average consumer.
Sony understand this mentality far better, as yesterday's conference - and the crowd's reaction to Tretton's announcement - shows. They know that digital distribution will likely become widespread for console gamers by the end of this generation, but are willing to accommodate gamers who prefer the older, retail distribution model. So in that respect, yes, they're hanging the PS4's business model on a "last-gen feature" - so are Nintendo - but they're doing it with good intentions, to continue the slow acclimation of console gamers to the digital distribution model.
"Microsoft has a very meticulously thought out vision for the next generation. And this vision appeals to me when I think as long and hard about it."
Please don't take offense, but you are exactly who Microsoft is targeting with their "vision"... the person who wants the future dictated to them. This is Microsoft's vision of the future... not mine, and not the future many are thinking of. Microsoft"s future "vision" is solely about them facilitating easier access into your home and wallets..this is not about gaming. That's all well and good, but they are going to have to do that with a vision that aligns more to what we as consumers want...not what they have decided we should want.
So for me and mine.. we'll definitely be passing on the XBO... they haven't shown us that they deserve to dominate our living rooms.
Edited 1 times. Last edit by Spencer Franklin on 11th June 2013 8:47pm
Perhaps Kinect being available to all will allow developers to implement some New motion Control mechanics that actually adds to the core gameplay experience in a more natural way because it may be potentially relevant to all Xbox One players. Kinect is actually one reason I might choose Xbox One because it does provide something different than a PC (even a pc with a Kinect devkit).
To me, Kinect voice/gesture navigation is not a gimmick. It works for me. Sure, the novelty value may wear off after a while, but the same can be said about using a can opener. I don't think Kinect has to be incredibly fun all the time to be functional. But Microsoft needs to step up and make it stable and consistent and make English Language voice support available worldwide. Many implementations have just sort of half-worked. My Guess is that we will start seeing Kinect features being implemented in a more subtle way without Microsoft making too much of a fuss about it. They really need to deliver on the smaller details before they can start making headlines.
Edited 1 times. Last edit by Petter Solberg on 11th June 2013 10:27pm
I gotta disagree with you. Microsoft won't dominate the living room. Smart TVs will. I can stream music, watch TV on demand, skype and still watch Netflicks and Love Film, all without additional service subs, aka Live. It can even play most video and audio file types, including MKVs. Couple that with your Virgin or Sky box.
Why on earth would I be interested in yet another box claiming to do all the above. That introduces even more restrictions on used gaming. I can't ask Xbox One to "Goto Discovery", because it doesn't know how. It doesn't have a cable or sky tuner to use, or my EPG. The Xbox One is all designed around American sports and TV centric.
Just give me a box that does gaming, rather than trying to poorly replicate other living room devices. You'll find that the Playstation 4 fits that bill.
Great games, subsidized cable*(correct me if I am wrong), and exclusive content for things that I am actually interested in,the NFL, Fantasy Sports, and an exclusive Halo Series all souns great to me, and its all on one console.... sounds like a deal to me.
I would feel completely different if the games were lacking, but they aren't. Titanfall, Forza, and Ryse Son of Rome, are literally all system sellers for me,
I wish Sony showed actual gameplay for The Order, then I might be one their bandwagon. But as of now I am Microsoft all the way, because their "vision" is revolutionary..
Edited 4 times. Last edit by Aaron Brown on 12th June 2013 12:44am
Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't Microsoft planning to offer subsidized cable subscriptions for Comcast through the Xbox One?
Also, I wonder how pivotal Nintendo fans that have moved on from the Wii will be this console cycle. Any Opinions? That's a factor that I hadn't even thought to take into consideration.
Edited 1 times. Last edit by Aaron Brown on 12th June 2013 12:10am
I sort of agree with you. I agree that the sweet spot for console pricing is based on perceived value for the consumer but I disagree that the previous console cycle has any bearing on that purely cost/benefit analysis in the mind of every prospective purchaser. Same as cars from the 90s or early 2000s do not factor into whether I think car of 2013 from company X is worth the price the company is wanting for it.
We compare only to what we can afford within our budget (sometimes perceived budget - but that's another topic! :) ), whether the object is appealing enough to us based on features and what the competition is offering.
Also, I don't know what you were trying to say with "experts". I never mentioned the term! :D
Except it's not even a DVR, it just sits between you and your real DVR/PVR. Well, my PVR talks to my TV+AV amp directly My other TV decoders do the same. New TVs can stream from the house NAS and the Internet, without XBone help. And here in blighty anyone on pay TV already has a bundled PVR and catchup services.
As a TV adjunct the XBone is almost totally redundant and that will only get truer as more smart TVs are bought.
The social media and communication stuff: I have a perfectly good smartphone for that, that doesn't intrude on what I'm watching or playing. My wife has her own smartphone so we don't have to share. As does everyone I know. So another pretty redundant layer of functions.
And as a gaming platform, the PS4 out muscles it.
MS throw in a lot of functionality that no-one really needs and fall short on the 1 thing it needs to do best. That's hard to sell.
Maybe in the USA, but I live in the UK.
All what I see from Microsoft is US centric. Most of the features touted by MS for Xbox One are pretty much useless in the UK.
Its all good saying that this will be the ultimate one device for all your media living room. It just doesn't work that way in the UK.
Most people have Cable (Virgin) or Satellite (Sky) or Free View (different boxes, Smart TVs). Some have external AMPs and dedicated HiFi equipment all hooked up. I don't see MS Xbox One sorting all the different TV sources out here. It may as well just be a games machine.
That's what MS needs to learn. They could have ambitions of grandeur and a good plan to increase profits significantly, but it doesn't seem they understand or even care what Xbox fans want. If die-hard fans won't follow them, what exactly makes them think the rest of the market will?. If they're discontent they will show it and they will tell everybody. They're sending a message to the masses once and again "MS treats us like expendables". Consumers begged to MS, and MS told them if you don't have Internet connection"Xbox 360 is a great option". They have failed the core market, I wonder if they might be able to succeed with anyone else (iTV). This brand is positioned as a gaming platform. MS message is not only inconsistent but fragile because it conflicts with their identity.
MS underestimates consumers feelings and even rencour. What will make fans stick with MS now?, an even better question what will stop them to abandon the boat and switch to Sony?. Respecting consumers is something Coca-cola surprisingly did not care about years ago modifying their original formula, it was America's favourite lemonade, they were arrogant and overconfident. Pepsi nowadays is more relevant in the same region. But MS situation is even worse than Sony or Coca-cola, they're not only being cocky but derogatory to their own clients. Yes, it is alarming.
Edited 1 times. Last edit by heirdt von braun on 13th June 2013 1:46am