Edge #256: Why PS4 is your next console (Shots fired, post-DRM 180)

Shocking, isn't it :-)

A UK publishing company facing circulations across its whole portfolio that drop every year is trying different tactics in an effort to secure a future for themselves and the thousands of people they employ. It's a tough time as tablet subscription take-ups aren't replacing the loss of print circulation fast enough. Anyone who thinks print mags can survive by parroting the same PR as the online sites that have a fraction of the costs doesn't understand how fucked print publishing is right now. Opinion (and occasionally highly inflammatory covers) sells copies, that's why celebrity newspaper columnists are paid more than the entire subs and news desks. Now is exactly the right time to stop toeing the corporate PR line, as they have nothing left to lose.

Nicely spun.
 
PS4 being the dominant platform next-gen is good for the industry. No more exclusives, no more bad ports, no more divided resources. The advantages far outweight the drawbacks particularly when Sony seem to have learnt from their mistakes. What Microsoft has to offer Sony can't? Absolutely nothing.

Dude.........Have you seen Titanfall?
 
I guess I should have specified: outside of gaming forums.

Does this really look like people 'outside of gaming forums' have forgiven and forgotten?

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lol they should've just kept releasing games at the end of 360's life cycle and not leave it in the dust to be a multiplat machine. They certainly gained market share but the attitude the end of this gen makes it seem like they went in hard just to beat Sony and not try to build on the massive success of the 360. Mind boggling

As far as I can tell Sony and MS have just swapped places this generation. For the first three years as far as I'm concerned 360 was by far the best value proposition. Then over time it became PS3.

Next gen though who knows what the fuck they put in the water at Redmond.
 
So, let's get this straight.

-Microsoft announces a console that locks your games to their online service. They can only be played if you're online.
-They try to kill the used games market.
-They force a camera that most don't want, don't care and that is constantly on.
-They overprice the console a full 100 dollars/euros than it's superior competitor.
-They insult gamers everywhere with every single piece of PR.

They made the most cowardly U-turn after sseing how badly the xbone pre-orders were, remove most of the draconian features, but also remove most of the benefits that it was supposed to have.

And you want to support this company? You want to give money to this company?


When GAME PUBLICATIONS are looking for YOUR RIGHTS, you condemn them?

You want to defend the company that branded their entire userbase a thief?

omg

DRAG HA! yaaasssss!

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Tell it like it is EDGE even if it's not what it was.
While I'm glad MS reversed there insane policies they deserve all the bad press for even thinking of doing what they tried to do.
 
Why are MS fans getting up in a tizzy? The wrote the story because it's their opinion. People aren't obligated to buy what they say to buy or feel the same way they do.
 
With much more exclusives looking better and running at both 1080p and 60 fps. What did Sony show? Sub-1080p right out of the gate (The Order), lots of games struggling with even 30 fps (Drive Club, Killzone, Knack). Considering 180 is 6 months behind in first party development and their tools are worse than Sonys I think the true performance might be different than what Teraflops suggest.

Pfft. Yea man most of the games were running on PCs and games like killer instinct are not as demanding as Infamous. Now Forza is a different story, good looking, 1080p60. That's it.
I think most people would agree that Microsoft decimated Sony's E3 game showing. Barely even a contest.

Their respective console reveals, however...

You should say your opinion, and decimated is very much an overstatement. For example IMO none of the Ms games impressed me (other than Forza) while Killzone, Infamous, The Dark Sorcerer tech demo blew my mind.

And keep in mind that all the Sony games were made on the old dev kit (I.e. before the 8GB Feb 20 supernova)
 
That has nothing to do with being impartial.

I'm only going off what people are talking about.

EDGE is supposed to be neutral or at least that's what they convey.

A neutral position should endorse no platforms, but let people come to their own conclusions after providing facts and putting them in context. Opinion pieces are fine, but should be restricted and clarified, even more so should they be about purchase recommendations.

etc.

They see one of the products as being inferior right?
 
EDGE is supposed to be neutral or at least that's what they convey.
You're right about the fact that we haven't got the article and are commenting on the attention-grabbing headline. But it is important in my opinion. Not only the article matters.


Yeah it's like Microsoft spent the last few months trying to force anti-consumer DRM down people's throats, completely shitting the bed on their message, and covering up their weaker spec over priced machine with disingenuous PR buzz words about clouds or something.....


Fuck any video game magazine, or journalist trying to be "neutral" on Microsoft bullshit. FUCK THAT SHIT. Every price of shit and negative press the Xbone is and will get was throughly earned. And if Edge coming out and stating an opinion based on the facts of the Xbone reveal, makes you angry?

Then blame yourself, Microsoft or God.
 
Changing gears to address the premise of the article...

Since the whole purpose of a game console is to play games, I hope the article addresses why the Xbox One is NOT an option at all, even if I want to play the games that are exclusively on that platform. I think it would have been a lot more fair to change the language from "only option" to "best option."

While there's no doubt that Microsoft has made titanic errors in policy/messaging/positioning, the fact is that the console is not even out yet so it's a bit premature to say the console is on a "road to ruin." The signs of trouble aren't nearly as clear as they were with the Wii U, which last year at this time we knew had little third party support, was severely underpowered, had little improvement to the online infrastructure, and had no clear appeal to the casual gamer.

It's really smart how Edge can straddle both lines by having such an incendiary cover (and I presume article) that is sure to draw a ton of attention but will also align with most readers' opinions due to the overwhelming negativity towards Microsoft in the core gaming community. Savvy.
 
I'm 100% with you there, in no way did my post suggest journalists become "faceless drones." Nor is my post suggesting journalists should worry at all about "pissing off PR" this has nothing to do with that. As noted above it has more to do with whether this makes them a Sony house, and thus pushes their Xbox readership to other outlets as they fear reviews being skewed toward the PS4.

Ah, fair enough. To be honest I'm sure it's something they must have considered considering how popular the 360 is here. If it loses them subscribers, I'm sure we'll see a climb down soon enough, but if it gains them awareness or a rep. for interesting articles for actually taking a stance on something occassionally, maybe they might continue. Who knows. It's tough to sell mags in the summer, maybe that was the only reason they did it.
 
No it isn't the same because it wasn't an issue for some people, what are you not getting???

The second X1 pulled something I wasn't happy with, I would have veto'd any purchasing plans. Nothing to do with fanboyism, you're just incredibly closed minded failing to see that for the portion of people that don't lend, buy new and are connected to the net, this wasn't an issue.

I've said in the past there is a myriad of things they could have done that would have them lose me as a consumer, none of what they did affected me though.

Stop being ignorant.



LOL you wanna talk about blind fanboyism, look at this guy. Sony doesn't give a shit about you, they're playing good cop right now and they're capable of pulling shit too.

And again, domestic abuse isn't an issue to some people.

GG well played
 
Admittedly I haven't bought a copy of Edge for quite some time but I do remember them being so impartial that they once gave the Gizmondo and an even more obscure handheld equal billing with the DS and PSP, in fact it was more prominent than the DS on the cover.

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Yeah it's like Microsoft spent the last few months trying to force anti-consumer DRM down people's throats, completely shitting the bed on their message, and covering up their weaker spec over priced machine with disingenuous PR buzz words about clouds or something.....


Fuck any video game magazine, or journalist trying to be "neutral" on Microsoft bullshit. FUCK THAT SHIT. Every price of shit and negative press the Xbone is and will get was throughly earned. And if Edge coming out and stating an opinion based on the facts of the Xbone reveal, makes you angry?

Then blame yourself, Microsoft or God.
But that's the thing, they aren't really taking a crap on Microsoft, just indirectly, they are endorsing the competition which comes off as fanboyish. Why does disliking MS mean that you automatically have to like Sony? The cover would get that point across better if it had shown a burning xb1 and a headline that says "Why MS has already lost" or something like that.
 
Plot twist: PS4 is your next console because Edge has insider info that the XB1 has been delayed into 2014. You guys are fighting over nothing! :p

In all seriousness, this doesn't seem a particularly controversial position to stake out right now. If we don't foist overbearing neutrality on game journalism at the expense of basic objectivity, it's pretty plain that the argument for one console vs the other balances out pretty soundly in favor of the PS4 still, even after the XBO 180. The PS4 will still be cheaper, more powerful, more developer-friendly and more flexible policy-wise. It will certainly have at least a comparable selection of games. It summarily addresses just about every complaint from its predecessor, while the XBO is still trying to dig itself out of the very large hole it dug for itself compared to the 360. The biggest complaints I can see aimed at the PS4 are that they'll now be charging for online play and no BC, but these are both a wash, given that XBO is in the same boat. On a simple tally of the merits, it's basic observation to say the PS4 comes out ahead right now, not bias.
 
I didnt know seeing gameplay of a game and making an opinion about the product not being my cup of tea meant nothing. I've been doing it all wrong all this time?

When your opinion goes against the consensus, you might be asked to back it up when you go so far as to say the game actually diminishes the appeal of the console it's on.
 
PS4 being the dominant platform next-gen is good for the industry. No more exclusives, no more bad ports, no more divided resources. The advantages far outweight the drawbacks particularly when Sony seem to have learnt from their mistakes. What Microsoft has to offer Sony can't? Absolutely nothing.

well only if you're a fan of their brand and wish to see a drive to marginalise other formats inc pc again.

them dominating will mean more stuff only on ps again like last gen and not on other formats and less choice.

That's a crap situation and I can't support it. This media push has helped me decide to buy neither console now.
 
Wow, relax, I was merely presenting something that can and will crop up in the minds of readers. Recommending the PS4 over the One is fine, but taking such a strong side as they have seems interesting as you honestly do have to wonder if it will affect review scores per system. I'll check out the full article for sure to see the tone, but the cover comes off in such a way that makes you wonder if Xbox One reviews will even show up in their magazine anymore.

The bolded part is silly (if they haven't completely abandoned the WiiU by now they certainly won't ditch the Xbox One) but I understand your concern at the heart of it.

You should put your "Mr. Rational" hat on and try to imagine just how they would reverse these policies mid-generation. It would be nearly impossible and even then, it would only be enabled by drawing a line in the sand and saying "from this moment forward, our new policies will be in effect only for this version of the console, this version of the software, and these future games."

Do you honestly think that's going to happen?

I don't think most people believe it will happen this generation. Microsoft has created a deficit of trust between themselves and parts of their consumer base which can only be rectified by proving themselves out over time. Given that this generation will likely be shorter, 5-6 years, we should still be concerned about what their policies will be when that time comes. Throughout the next few years people taking a 'wait and see' approach will likely purchase the Xbox One if Microsoft can prove consistent in appealing to their interests.
 
Better yet, people should learn to seek out multiple sources instead of trusting and asking for sources to spoon feed them "un-biased sugar"
Yeah, today people get their information from all kinds of sources, I'd imagine the number of readers that only read Edge features in isolation to be very small. The contrast between the coverage of the Xbox One in the news section of the magazine and the feature should be interesting, my copy should turn up later this week.

There's a place for total neutrality and sticking to the facts, it's in news reporting.
 
Oh god people here freaking out over nothing. It a headline designed to pull people in, probably with a bunch of good arguments why you should buy the console that is cheaper, more powerful and will get mostly the same games like the competitor, only with better exclusives, except for Forza and Halo. So if you can live without these 2 games there is no reason to buy the Xbone 180.
 
No we got

[IMG ]http://media.edge-online.com/wp-content/uploads/edgeonline/2012/09/EDGEcov151.jpg[/IMG]

and

[IMG ]http://media.edge-online.com/wp-content/uploads/edgeonline/2012/09/EDGEcov159.jpg[/IMG]

Edge does this sometimes but I doubt the article is anywhere near as 'tabloid' as the front cover. I think people should read it before losing their shit.

AHHH do you people even read this thread, do any research? That was after the 2005 E3 where PS3 dazzled. Not 2006. We already went over all this. Why do people think PS3 only had one E3 showing? there were two!

Well this explains a lot then. Have they ever done an Xbox cover?
no it explains nothing. Look through the thread there's plenty of other similar covers for all 3
 
well only if you're a fan of their brand and wish to see a drive to marginalise other formats inc pc again.

them dominating will mean more stuff only on ps again like last gen and not on other formats and less choice.

That's a crap situation and I can't support it. This media push has helped me decide to buy neither console now.

you let the media's opinion dictate what you buy?
 
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