Sony CEO Kaz Hirai: PS4 is first and foremost a game console
- Thread starter DieH@rd
- Start date
Delicious Waffles
Member
Telling everyone what they want to hear before they drop the bomb.
It's amazing how many people in this forum like to play with words
Third party wise the XBOX1 and PS4 will play all of the same games (minus exclusive stupidities). They will each have their first party titles to distinguish themselves
They both have cameras and as much as Kinect is hated I will fucking bet you Sony is going after that crowd with their camera so their will be family friendly "anti hardcore" games from first party studios. It was a market they could not touch with the PS3
Sony has been quiet on their DRM policies
Sony has been quiet on their paid online structure
So outside of the difference in hardware (to which we don't have any prices)
At this momemnt in time with what we know what is the difference in relation to the gaming "focus"?
Impeccable
Member
Bish needs to drop some bombs now.
Knux-Future
Banned
It's almost as if people WANT them to have DRM just so they can go "SEE I TOLD YOU SOOOOO"
darn
Because that's exactly what it is
boredandlazy
Member
It's not people per se, that's too general a term. I think you're looking for the smaller subset, called 'Idiots'.
Oop.
First up, the PS4 looks like it will be host to a ton more 3rd party games than the Xbone, due to the way Sony have embraced indies and MS haven't. So it's not just 1st party games that will be exclusive, and not all 3rd party games will be on both.
As far as we know, the PS4's camera is optional, where as Kinect needs to be plugged in a working for the Xbone to even turn on. As such, Kinect controls will be at best be more common, and worst mandated, where as the PS4's camera functions won't.
Then you have the hardware, which again shows the PS4 in far better light for gaming than the Xbone. And finally, you have the PR line coming from both. MS have championed entertainment over games, Sony have explicitly talked about gaming only.
There is nothing controversial about the statement that the Xbone, or MS, is not focused on gaming. It might be a hard pill to swallow for some, but that doesn't mean it isn't true.
lastflowers
Banned
drop dem bombs over Baghdad.
Manmademan
Member
doit.gif
I asked about what we know, not what we interpret. We don't have hard fact on either side yet a ton of posts are written like we do
Here is a link from an e-mail I receive today from MS
http://www.xbox.com/en-CA/xboxone/how-it-games
I posted somewhere else, but they seem to be getting the message out to a lot more people than Sony. My Live account is expired, I am a PS+ member and haven't received squat from them about the PS4
Both boxes have games and additonal services, the bigger differentiator between the 2 will be the additional services which is what MS is banking on
Feel free to fight the good fight for me. That's why you're here.
I'm going to buy the next gen consoles. 2 Xbox One, a WiiU, and a ps4. How their policies are, I leave up to you.
Fight on, my soldier!!!
TacticalFox88
Banned
And this is despite the fact that there is no evidence to support that they will do what MS will do. I mean goddamn son.
See You Next Wednesday
Banned
YES its a game console.
perfect
God damn it. I already spend too much time on gaf, now I will be waiting for this to break for the next *indefinite amount of time*
digoutyoursoul
Member
BlastProcessing
Member
Microsoft had to drop a lot of games due to needing to find profitability within the division
RROD forced their hands
Remember... Xbox 360 was selling decent but not really good when all this went down
Game projects require ~2+ years so when they sit there and axe projects in late 2007, early 2008... It's hitting upwards of 2010/2011 release timeframe, sometimes later when you consider that some take over 3 years
It wasn't a strategic decision for positioning, it was focusing on profitability... It's why there was a lot of people being canned... because they weren't righting the ship
Then 360S and kinect outright saved the division
All in one entertainment box. Too bad its the size of a 1962 VW Beetle.
lastflowers
Banned
I want them to have DRM, but only if they implement a auctionhouse and other digital marketplace features.
If I never had to put a disk in a drive again, I'd be a happy, happy man.
If I could do a co-op loan of games to my friends through a digital means...give them a 3 day pass and we go all-out on a weekend, heck yeah.
If I'm done with Ni No Kuni, and want my Ghibli-loving brother to experience it, I'd love to be able to just go 'hey man, take my digital copy from me for 7 days' and not have to mail him a disc.
I'd love to never have to deal with my cousin tripping over a controller wire, or kicking the system and scratching my disk, making it unusable.
-Pyromaniac-
Member
doooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo it or buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust
Iacobellis
Junior Member
They should just rename the PS4 to the PS2².
GillianSeed79
Member
I think Sony is doing a really good job at messaging and I think they honestly realize that, when it comes to new hardware, the core got-to-have-it-day-one gamers and the people that are going to camp out and line up launch day are the ones that are going to build your initial install base. Once you build the install base, then you can transition to a more broader audience of consumers and pivot to promoting more media-hub related benefits of a device.
I have no delusions that the PS4 won't also have a focus on media-hub related features, but they seem to be employing a specific marketing strategy to target the core audience that seemed, at least in NA, to move toward Microsoft this gen in the wake of the bungling of the PS3 launch.
I find it quite ironic, however, that shareholders, certain business analysts and, yes, even some of those in the gaming press, were basically calling PS4 dead on arrival or seemed to be declaring a minor shareholder mutiny after the PS4 reveal press conference, specifically because it focused so much on gaming. It's funny, because the press conference really played well to me because Sony basically admitted that they fucked up with the PS3 and made it explicit that the PS4 was developer friendly.
In the grand scheme of things, I honestly think specs aren't going to mean a whole lot. First-party Sony games will take full advantage of the PS4's specs, but, especially since the One and PS4 are both so similar architecture-wise, I think third parties, especially larger ones like EA and Activision, aren't going to spend the extra resources to make either platform's third-party games look vastly different. That's unless MS takes an absolute drubbing sales-wise.
Besides, historically, the machine with the better specs almost always hasn't equalled automatic better sales. Install bases and market penetration will determine which hardware's specs get taken advantage of or not. (See PS2's utter domination)
I think the problem with Microsoft is that the higher ups wanted to put the cart before the horse when announcing the system. The Xbox 360 has been proven to be a hugely strong brand in NA, but I'm sure the execs and shareholders look at the fact that Gold, the dashboard adverstising and media apps have been extremely profitable while console gaming sales seem to have been a case of diminishing returns in the last few years. They probably look at the original Xbox, a system focused soley at gamers, in a vaccum and don't realize that the console's failure to ignite sales wasn't because it focused on gamers, but because of market conditions at the time, i.e. a new platform, late launch, and Sony's dominance at that the point.
So while Sony's shareholders were po-pooing the PS4 reveal while gamers were celebrating, MS shareholders probably were happy with the One's reveal while gamers hated it. It's going to be really hard for MS to recover their image with early adopters, unless they have a strong E3. Brand awareness and loyalty will guarantee sales out of the gate, but initial long-term install base growth depends on gamers. Once you have 10 million units sold, you can position yourself to be the all-in-one entertainment device. Out of the gate you have to appeal to gamers. The people that are going to buy a $400 to $500 console day one aren't going to be the people that want a media-hub device. Those people are going to pick it up once the price drops. MS better hope that they have a price advantage over the PS4. Part of the reason 360 was so successful at the start was because it was much cheaper than the PS3 for a long time, had better running third party games and enjoyed an abundance of support of from western PC developers who, up until that point, had mostly focused on PC game development instead of consoles.
I have no delusions that the PS4 won't also have a focus on media-hub related features, but they seem to be employing a specific marketing strategy to target the core audience that seemed, at least in NA, to move toward Microsoft this gen in the wake of the bungling of the PS3 launch.
I find it quite ironic, however, that shareholders, certain business analysts and, yes, even some of those in the gaming press, were basically calling PS4 dead on arrival or seemed to be declaring a minor shareholder mutiny after the PS4 reveal press conference, specifically because it focused so much on gaming. It's funny, because the press conference really played well to me because Sony basically admitted that they fucked up with the PS3 and made it explicit that the PS4 was developer friendly.
In the grand scheme of things, I honestly think specs aren't going to mean a whole lot. First-party Sony games will take full advantage of the PS4's specs, but, especially since the One and PS4 are both so similar architecture-wise, I think third parties, especially larger ones like EA and Activision, aren't going to spend the extra resources to make either platform's third-party games look vastly different. That's unless MS takes an absolute drubbing sales-wise.
Besides, historically, the machine with the better specs almost always hasn't equalled automatic better sales. Install bases and market penetration will determine which hardware's specs get taken advantage of or not. (See PS2's utter domination)
I think the problem with Microsoft is that the higher ups wanted to put the cart before the horse when announcing the system. The Xbox 360 has been proven to be a hugely strong brand in NA, but I'm sure the execs and shareholders look at the fact that Gold, the dashboard adverstising and media apps have been extremely profitable while console gaming sales seem to have been a case of diminishing returns in the last few years. They probably look at the original Xbox, a system focused soley at gamers, in a vaccum and don't realize that the console's failure to ignite sales wasn't because it focused on gamers, but because of market conditions at the time, i.e. a new platform, late launch, and Sony's dominance at that the point.
So while Sony's shareholders were po-pooing the PS4 reveal while gamers were celebrating, MS shareholders probably were happy with the One's reveal while gamers hated it. It's going to be really hard for MS to recover their image with early adopters, unless they have a strong E3. Brand awareness and loyalty will guarantee sales out of the gate, but initial long-term install base growth depends on gamers. Once you have 10 million units sold, you can position yourself to be the all-in-one entertainment device. Out of the gate you have to appeal to gamers. The people that are going to buy a $400 to $500 console day one aren't going to be the people that want a media-hub device. Those people are going to pick it up once the price drops. MS better hope that they have a price advantage over the PS4. Part of the reason 360 was so successful at the start was because it was much cheaper than the PS3 for a long time, had better running third party games and enjoyed an abundance of support of from western PC developers who, up until that point, had mostly focused on PC game development instead of consoles.
RustyNails
Member
UnlovedJew
Member
Bu-bu-bu-but It's not a COMPUTER entertainment system.
wait, you are saying MS is getting out gaming message for XO a lot more than Sony with PS4?
really?
hah.
Hi i'm Caleb
Member
Yum yum yum those were some tasty words Kaz...but somehow i'm still starving.
Phonomezer
Banned
Gun Animal
Member
I think the only reason sony is holding off until E3 to clarify on their DRM policies is to make not having any seem incredibly generous and amazing when really it deserves no praise; it's what should be expected! Praising a game publisher for not using DRM is like praising a parent for not beating their children.
dskillzhtown
keep your strippers out of my American football
Xbox is a small part of that NFL deal. Becoming the official technology partner is the main part of it. I can assume we will be seeing surface and MS mobile commercials featuring NFL players, same with office365 as well. Supposedly we will be seeing MS tech on the sidelines (not sure that will actually happen). Not saying your statement isn't valid, but the Xbox is just one part of it.
Both the PS4 and Xbox One will do more than play games, we all know that. The difference is Sony isn't really talking about all that, and MS is. We have a lot of time before the launches, but it is good to see the rivalry being played out right now. But at launch all this rhetoric doesn't matter that much. Heck, to be honest this is going to be a battle that lasts years after launch. I hope both consoles do well, things like consoles are a good way to get the home tech market to grow even more.
MightyHedgehog
Member
Weird that people are as excited about this basic expectation of a gaming device as they seem to be, but I fail to see how it says anything meaningful. I mean, X1 doesn't seem like it's actually going to be any less of a game-playing platform and seems to have a polished interface for the other functions centered on your television as well. What's the excitement about, exactly? Sounds like he's just pointing out the traditional trajectory of a console, where they start with early adopters/enthusiast gamers, and then broaden out to the more mainstream/casual audiences as times goes on. MS' plan seems to be to start appealing to both ends of the spectrum right from the start, with no softening of focus as is usually the case. If MS starts off with a more impressive lineup of games starting with E3, I wonder if Sony won't look worse for being so laser-focused on gamers first as if it's some kind of real advantage to consumers of that console. I mean, it will cost more to do so, but why not do both at the same time? The appeal of attracting mainstream audiences from the start means that more consoles are sold, leading to more software sold, leading to more software and support given to that platform. That's a worthwhile pursuit for everyone of every persuasion.
Oh my god. PLS
Sony is not going to talk about DRM during E3 unless pinned in a corner by "journalists"
Wut wut? I feel like everyone already knows but me!
Puppet Shadow
Member
Awesome post, you made a lot of great points. My favorite being that I can't tell which console you'll be buying first.
Yeah. Expecting either one of them to stand up on stage at E3 and announce details about DRM is farfetched. I dont expect anything beyond "You can play used games."
IHaveCandy
Banned
Sony might if they intend to do no DRM. It would be pretty huge.
ShockingAlberto
Member
Yes please.