FF:Enhanced_Reality
Member
Edit 11/10/18 @ 22:29 GMT
I think from the responses I've received so far, that my colloquialism may have caused some confusion as to what I actually mean. I know my cousins in North America over the pond and those down under in Oz and NZ might not use the same terms, whilst we're all part of the anglo-sphere when it comes to language.
When I use the term 'too much respect' it is akin to saying that you allow someone to get the better of you, to make themselves look as though they are better, or in a better position, when in truth, you appear to be in a stronger position but as a consequence of allowing that to happen and you do not action it, you get a negative reaction.
It's like when the under dog comes out on top after mistakes made by the bigger entity through lack of acknowledgement of progress or mistakes made. Perfect example, when Leicester City won the Premier League, they were complete under dogs. Nobody would have bet on them to win, because until their excessively good run of form that took them to the top of the highest level of play in England, they were previously fighting relegation to a lower division. The reigning champions Manchester City didn't think too much of it, but they let too many opportunities slip through their fingers and made some poor decisions and silly mistakes. As a result of this and the form of Leicester City, Manchester City suddenly were the under dogs and playing catch up to get to first place. Manchester City had the opportunity to put themselves back in front when they played Leicester at home in 2016 but they didn't turn up to the game, they made costly decisions that allowed Leicester to beat them 3-1, their form continued and they won the premier league, so one could argue that Manchester City showed them 'too much respect.'
Also, through the process of Leicester over throwing Manchester City as league Champions, it also comes with positive news and media. You suddenly see the uprising entity more commonly spoken about and praised over the other entity currently in pole position.
Or in another form of explanation, they didn't consider Leicester a threat until they had to action it as they expected their dominance to continue with little to no effort, they didn't action it and as a result of their negligent decision making, they allowed themselves to lose to the competition by giving them space to take the number one slot, when they could have put them out of sight a long time beforehand.
Maybe football isn't the best way to explain it but I hate both these teams, I'm claret and blue anyway. I hope it makes sense to some people.
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This is a complicated question that I've been thinking about for some time. From the launch of the PlayStation 4 in 2013, we have seen a dramatic turn in fortunes for Sony, going from near complete failure, to direct competitor to market leader from a console stand point. But this big Sony hype train seems to have stopped the engine and is running on cruise control until the next big thing... and I think in a way, they're showing the competition too much respect. Let me explain what I mean.
From used games to old games
Remember the really funny video with Shu and Adam that poked fun at Microsoft not supporting used games? (At the time of announcement that is.) Well, Sony built some pretty strong support from consumers by completely bucking Microsoft with their marketing which showed that Sony would continue to support used games. Which was great, it set them apart from the competition. Until the competition changed their policy and Sony couldn't use that as a selling point any more. But Microsoft would go one extra. As well as offering new and used titles, they opened up a whole back log with some great features. Not only for their previous generation console, but the console that was their initial adventure with their own console product in the original XBOX.
Pretty slick and in a sense, a much more achievable task than Sony have on their plate. Microsoft consoles have traditionally been incredibly close to PC architecture by design, they've all used an adapted version of Windows and the Direct X technology, so not investing into this feature would be a poor show when honestly, it's not easy, because honestly it never is. But if you compare that to Sony having to design a way to emulate the PlayStation 2 as well as the nefariously difficult PlayStation 3, you're talking mountain vs mole hill. The proprietary technology Sony created for their consoles ultimately is their down fall here. While it was new and amazing stuff in it's own unique ways, it's vastly complicated to replicate through software alone.
Consider the original 60GB PlayStation 3 used hardware emulation to run PlayStation 2 games, which meant there was effectively a PlayStation 2 SoC physically built into the PlayStation 3. I still own one of these consoles and it still works great, but even with the PS2 hardware inside it, not every game emulates perfectly. Leading up to Halloween this year, I'm replaying the classic Silent Hill 2, arguably one of the best games of all time and there are some pretty weird graphical glitches. James' left leg keeps disappearing and the fog has issues to name the two that are constant and consistent. So even hardware compatibility isn't 100% fool proof, putting a PS3 and PS2 SoC into a PlayStation console would just increase costs and may not offer a seamless experience. A software solution might be the only answer to this problem, but the PlayStation 4 clearly just doesn't have the raw horsepower to brute force emulate these past systems. Given that so many publishers and developers have come and gone and there are so many great legacy games yet to be played, perhaps Microsoft have tipped the scales here. Effectively it's Microsoft 2 - Sony 1.
Studio Growth and Acquisitions
Let it not be said that Sony have arguably the best first party development in the console business. Numerous game of the year awards, incredible and passionate developers who develop amazing games each year, with a great variety in scope, genre and ambition. However, to my knowledge, Sony have not made a studio acquisition this generation as of this post. They've opened North West Studio and Pixelopus, which is fantastic to see the investment, but they've not acquired studios that perhaps previous Sony management would have looked into. With the rumours that Quantic Dream are looking to move to a multi-platform future after creating three incredible games in Heavy Rain, Beyond Two Souls and Detroit Become Human, it appears as though Sony aren't looking to add this studio to their first party development team.
This I think, is a very odd move, especially considering that David Cage has previously stated that he's open to an acquisition by Sony and they love developing for the PlayStation console. They clearly have a market there. They have a great working relationship and Sony have always given them great support at big trade shows and advertised their products very well, sometimes better than their own produced content. I believe that letting them go would be a huge missed opportunity, but equally as much as not acquiring Supermassive Games. What an un-expected hit Until Dawn was and was incredible support they've shown PlayStation, in supporting PlayStation VR with their Until Dawn franchise, a new IP and a new way to play with Play Link. This is another studio who go far back with Sony to development on PS3 titles such as LittleBigPlanet. This studio clearly had an audience on PlayStation and they've moved onto multi-platform development.
Ready at Dawn, another developer with a long history as a Sony partner, creating two fantastic God of War titles for PSP and whether you loved it or hated it, brought us the visually stunning The Order 1886, which by all accounts was clearly an origin story to a franchise that clearly has been shelved. What a complete waste of talent and IP, especially when the future looked so bright. The limited game play of The Order was enjoyable, the story also and the visuals still wow me now. These guys have had mixed success with Deformers and Lone Echo... but I can't help feeling like they would have benefited the most by joining Sony as a first party developer.
Honestly so many developers have gone that would have been great acquisitions to add talent and depth to the brand. United Front Games who developed LittleBigPlanet Karting and ModNation Racers exclusively for PlayStation showed a relationship that was there but never strong enough to save them from the inevitable. A crying shame really.
However, Sony closed several studios leading up to the release of PlayStation 4 and during it's life span, meaning essentially it's first party line up has actually shrunk and not grown. BigBig Studios, closed. Evolution Studios, closed. Studio Liverpool, closed. Zipper Interactive, closed. Cambridge Studio, closed. And quite honestly, I think Sony Bend are incredibly lucky, because if not for their passion for PlayStation to create a great game, I genuinely believe that they would have been next. Ultimately Sony have trimmed the fat because as much as we love gaming, it is not a charity, it is still a business and it still has to be profitable. Having strength in depth and numbers is a great way to thrive, especially when you put a large focus on first party content. Profitable expansion opportunities seem to be slipping them by, however for Microsoft, it's very different.
This generation, they have acquired Mojang and one of the most successful gaming IP with MineCraft. The Coalition was formed from Black Tusk to focus on creating blockbuster first party games with the acquired Gears of War IP. Microsoft announced at E3 that they had acquired four gaming studios as well as opening a fifth studio called The Initiative, who I can only guess will be the equivalent of Sony Santa Monica studio, with an in-house team comparable to that of Sony's ICE team. Now the rumour is that Microsoft are on the verge of acquiring Obsidian Entertainment and that would bring their first party studio count to 13. Their goal to stand equal to Sony on numbers and quality may soon be a reality in two to three years time and with the amount of money Microsoft have at their disposal, I don't see why they can't invest in games equal in calibre to Uncharted, God of War, Spider Man etc.
Not only this, but it's clear Microsoft aren't afraid to invest in acquiring studios, regardless of their developmental history, as Ninja Theory have previously done lots of business with Sony and so it came as a big surprise seeing them acquired by Microsoft. While Microsoft have closed Lionhead studio, it still feels like 1-0 to Microsoft here as they're definitely building momentum.
One could argue they also lost a massive boon with the recent Square Enix announcement of all the Final Fantasy games set to go multi-platform. The best Square have will no longer be available on limited platforms. Excellent news for Square, one less string for the bow for Sony. And while I don't want to make it sound as though I'm against the decision the developers have made to pursue multi-platform development, I'm not looking at it from that point of view, I'm looking at it from an opportunity lost from Sony, from a position where they could have gained.
Drop in Quality at Trade Shows
The E3 held by Sony from 2013 to 2016 were magical and have brought about some amazing memories and fantastic games that have helped launch Sony into the market leader position. For Microsoft it seemed like damage control throughout those years, building back the good will bit by bit and re-building XBOX with a real focus on gaming. E3 2017 for Sony was overall, disappointing for Sony and very much felt like a filler arc in an anime series. PSX of 2017 was forgettable also and you can forgive Sony because they did try their best to manage expectations by informing people beforehand that the event would be very different and what to expect but the only real noteworthy development was the announcement of MediEvil remastered with the promise that 'more news coming soon.' It's been ten months and we haven't heard a damn thing, so I guess that was another game announced way too early or possibly silently shelved.
E3 2018 was different again for Sony and whilst it was still enjoyable, it didn't really feel like it had that magic present in previous conferences. The Last of Us Part II looks nice but I don't know if I like the direction that we're heading in here. Ghost of Tsushima looks great, as do Death Stranding and Spider Man is now with us. The Resident Evil 2, Kingdom Hearts 3 and Ni-Oh 2 also look great but it just didn't really blow us away. Microsoft, while most of their games were also coming to other platforms, built a really good feel to their show and just made it feel like they were continuing to up the ante and deliver a great console experience. With no PSX confirmed this year and no show at PGW or GamesCom with Layden confirming himself that there is not enough to form a show to meet expectations, it does kind of feel like that hype train that's been powering ahead on all engines running has now run out of steam and is gliding along the line. Microsoft are having an end of year show and it looks as though they're looking to sprint towards the end of the marathon to run shoulder to shoulder with Sony, must like Sony did building the PS3 back up to compete with Microsoft at the end of the previous generation. Once again, it feels like Microsoft 1, Sony 0.
So what am I getting at?
You're still here? Wow. It's difficult to explain in a single sentence why I think the way I do, but also it wouldn't make sense without my reasoning behind it. I'm not looking at starting a console war, I'm not interested in which console is better but rather looking at the opportunities Sony have had to further dominate the console market and cement their position as market leader. As a passionate and enthusiastic PlayStation fan, it will always be my console of choice and my favourite place to play. However you can't argue that Microsoft have taken this lying down and that Phil Spencer hasn't done anything less than miracles to get Microsoft and the XBOX brand to where it is today.
The outlook of PlayStation over the coming year and into 2020 seems bleak in some regards, very possibly because it feels as though we are being left in the dark. We're seeing through the last of our promises but... what then? Sony have had their fair share of controversy this generation with things such as Cross Play, Backward Compatibility and you can't forget that Sony were still being fired at for the allegations about Quantic Dream and content within Detroit. Naughty Dog has the sexual harassment scandal... although this too has surprisingly faded into obscurity without our friends on another well known forum digging it out and providing a definitive answer as to whether it was the truth or not and generally doing their thing.
And why am I not talking about Nintendo? Well I guess you could say the reason is that Nintendo don't see themselves as competitors to Sony anymore. They have a great device that doesn't directly compete with a Sony product as the Vita is as good as dead and they're happy doing their own thing. Nintendo don't mind you owning a Switch as well as other consoles and they're cool with that. For Sony and Microsoft however, it's a more direct competition and they're always striving to be the market leader. This does add pressure though and means that you'll be very closely scrutinised, more than ever for any decision you make that is deemed anti-consumer or just unpopular amongst gamers.
If you've read this post so far, I just want to say thank you. I know that's odd but it's a lot to take in. My brain is firing a lot of different things to me right now and I feel as though if I don't properly explain my reasoning that the topic will fall on deaf ears and just become a joke thread.
All things considered I think Sony have begun to slow down, they've shown their competition too much respect and given them a chance to get a foothold in the market when honestly, they've had plenty of opportunities to ensure that it would be incredibly difficult to catch up. Would you say that this is a fair statement? Or do Sony present a different image that you're interpreting right now? A proper discussion would be welcomed.
I think from the responses I've received so far, that my colloquialism may have caused some confusion as to what I actually mean. I know my cousins in North America over the pond and those down under in Oz and NZ might not use the same terms, whilst we're all part of the anglo-sphere when it comes to language.
When I use the term 'too much respect' it is akin to saying that you allow someone to get the better of you, to make themselves look as though they are better, or in a better position, when in truth, you appear to be in a stronger position but as a consequence of allowing that to happen and you do not action it, you get a negative reaction.
It's like when the under dog comes out on top after mistakes made by the bigger entity through lack of acknowledgement of progress or mistakes made. Perfect example, when Leicester City won the Premier League, they were complete under dogs. Nobody would have bet on them to win, because until their excessively good run of form that took them to the top of the highest level of play in England, they were previously fighting relegation to a lower division. The reigning champions Manchester City didn't think too much of it, but they let too many opportunities slip through their fingers and made some poor decisions and silly mistakes. As a result of this and the form of Leicester City, Manchester City suddenly were the under dogs and playing catch up to get to first place. Manchester City had the opportunity to put themselves back in front when they played Leicester at home in 2016 but they didn't turn up to the game, they made costly decisions that allowed Leicester to beat them 3-1, their form continued and they won the premier league, so one could argue that Manchester City showed them 'too much respect.'
Also, through the process of Leicester over throwing Manchester City as league Champions, it also comes with positive news and media. You suddenly see the uprising entity more commonly spoken about and praised over the other entity currently in pole position.
Or in another form of explanation, they didn't consider Leicester a threat until they had to action it as they expected their dominance to continue with little to no effort, they didn't action it and as a result of their negligent decision making, they allowed themselves to lose to the competition by giving them space to take the number one slot, when they could have put them out of sight a long time beforehand.
Maybe football isn't the best way to explain it but I hate both these teams, I'm claret and blue anyway. I hope it makes sense to some people.
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This is a complicated question that I've been thinking about for some time. From the launch of the PlayStation 4 in 2013, we have seen a dramatic turn in fortunes for Sony, going from near complete failure, to direct competitor to market leader from a console stand point. But this big Sony hype train seems to have stopped the engine and is running on cruise control until the next big thing... and I think in a way, they're showing the competition too much respect. Let me explain what I mean.
From used games to old games
Remember the really funny video with Shu and Adam that poked fun at Microsoft not supporting used games? (At the time of announcement that is.) Well, Sony built some pretty strong support from consumers by completely bucking Microsoft with their marketing which showed that Sony would continue to support used games. Which was great, it set them apart from the competition. Until the competition changed their policy and Sony couldn't use that as a selling point any more. But Microsoft would go one extra. As well as offering new and used titles, they opened up a whole back log with some great features. Not only for their previous generation console, but the console that was their initial adventure with their own console product in the original XBOX.
Pretty slick and in a sense, a much more achievable task than Sony have on their plate. Microsoft consoles have traditionally been incredibly close to PC architecture by design, they've all used an adapted version of Windows and the Direct X technology, so not investing into this feature would be a poor show when honestly, it's not easy, because honestly it never is. But if you compare that to Sony having to design a way to emulate the PlayStation 2 as well as the nefariously difficult PlayStation 3, you're talking mountain vs mole hill. The proprietary technology Sony created for their consoles ultimately is their down fall here. While it was new and amazing stuff in it's own unique ways, it's vastly complicated to replicate through software alone.
Consider the original 60GB PlayStation 3 used hardware emulation to run PlayStation 2 games, which meant there was effectively a PlayStation 2 SoC physically built into the PlayStation 3. I still own one of these consoles and it still works great, but even with the PS2 hardware inside it, not every game emulates perfectly. Leading up to Halloween this year, I'm replaying the classic Silent Hill 2, arguably one of the best games of all time and there are some pretty weird graphical glitches. James' left leg keeps disappearing and the fog has issues to name the two that are constant and consistent. So even hardware compatibility isn't 100% fool proof, putting a PS3 and PS2 SoC into a PlayStation console would just increase costs and may not offer a seamless experience. A software solution might be the only answer to this problem, but the PlayStation 4 clearly just doesn't have the raw horsepower to brute force emulate these past systems. Given that so many publishers and developers have come and gone and there are so many great legacy games yet to be played, perhaps Microsoft have tipped the scales here. Effectively it's Microsoft 2 - Sony 1.
Studio Growth and Acquisitions
Let it not be said that Sony have arguably the best first party development in the console business. Numerous game of the year awards, incredible and passionate developers who develop amazing games each year, with a great variety in scope, genre and ambition. However, to my knowledge, Sony have not made a studio acquisition this generation as of this post. They've opened North West Studio and Pixelopus, which is fantastic to see the investment, but they've not acquired studios that perhaps previous Sony management would have looked into. With the rumours that Quantic Dream are looking to move to a multi-platform future after creating three incredible games in Heavy Rain, Beyond Two Souls and Detroit Become Human, it appears as though Sony aren't looking to add this studio to their first party development team.
This I think, is a very odd move, especially considering that David Cage has previously stated that he's open to an acquisition by Sony and they love developing for the PlayStation console. They clearly have a market there. They have a great working relationship and Sony have always given them great support at big trade shows and advertised their products very well, sometimes better than their own produced content. I believe that letting them go would be a huge missed opportunity, but equally as much as not acquiring Supermassive Games. What an un-expected hit Until Dawn was and was incredible support they've shown PlayStation, in supporting PlayStation VR with their Until Dawn franchise, a new IP and a new way to play with Play Link. This is another studio who go far back with Sony to development on PS3 titles such as LittleBigPlanet. This studio clearly had an audience on PlayStation and they've moved onto multi-platform development.
Ready at Dawn, another developer with a long history as a Sony partner, creating two fantastic God of War titles for PSP and whether you loved it or hated it, brought us the visually stunning The Order 1886, which by all accounts was clearly an origin story to a franchise that clearly has been shelved. What a complete waste of talent and IP, especially when the future looked so bright. The limited game play of The Order was enjoyable, the story also and the visuals still wow me now. These guys have had mixed success with Deformers and Lone Echo... but I can't help feeling like they would have benefited the most by joining Sony as a first party developer.
Honestly so many developers have gone that would have been great acquisitions to add talent and depth to the brand. United Front Games who developed LittleBigPlanet Karting and ModNation Racers exclusively for PlayStation showed a relationship that was there but never strong enough to save them from the inevitable. A crying shame really.
However, Sony closed several studios leading up to the release of PlayStation 4 and during it's life span, meaning essentially it's first party line up has actually shrunk and not grown. BigBig Studios, closed. Evolution Studios, closed. Studio Liverpool, closed. Zipper Interactive, closed. Cambridge Studio, closed. And quite honestly, I think Sony Bend are incredibly lucky, because if not for their passion for PlayStation to create a great game, I genuinely believe that they would have been next. Ultimately Sony have trimmed the fat because as much as we love gaming, it is not a charity, it is still a business and it still has to be profitable. Having strength in depth and numbers is a great way to thrive, especially when you put a large focus on first party content. Profitable expansion opportunities seem to be slipping them by, however for Microsoft, it's very different.
This generation, they have acquired Mojang and one of the most successful gaming IP with MineCraft. The Coalition was formed from Black Tusk to focus on creating blockbuster first party games with the acquired Gears of War IP. Microsoft announced at E3 that they had acquired four gaming studios as well as opening a fifth studio called The Initiative, who I can only guess will be the equivalent of Sony Santa Monica studio, with an in-house team comparable to that of Sony's ICE team. Now the rumour is that Microsoft are on the verge of acquiring Obsidian Entertainment and that would bring their first party studio count to 13. Their goal to stand equal to Sony on numbers and quality may soon be a reality in two to three years time and with the amount of money Microsoft have at their disposal, I don't see why they can't invest in games equal in calibre to Uncharted, God of War, Spider Man etc.
Not only this, but it's clear Microsoft aren't afraid to invest in acquiring studios, regardless of their developmental history, as Ninja Theory have previously done lots of business with Sony and so it came as a big surprise seeing them acquired by Microsoft. While Microsoft have closed Lionhead studio, it still feels like 1-0 to Microsoft here as they're definitely building momentum.
One could argue they also lost a massive boon with the recent Square Enix announcement of all the Final Fantasy games set to go multi-platform. The best Square have will no longer be available on limited platforms. Excellent news for Square, one less string for the bow for Sony. And while I don't want to make it sound as though I'm against the decision the developers have made to pursue multi-platform development, I'm not looking at it from that point of view, I'm looking at it from an opportunity lost from Sony, from a position where they could have gained.
Drop in Quality at Trade Shows
The E3 held by Sony from 2013 to 2016 were magical and have brought about some amazing memories and fantastic games that have helped launch Sony into the market leader position. For Microsoft it seemed like damage control throughout those years, building back the good will bit by bit and re-building XBOX with a real focus on gaming. E3 2017 for Sony was overall, disappointing for Sony and very much felt like a filler arc in an anime series. PSX of 2017 was forgettable also and you can forgive Sony because they did try their best to manage expectations by informing people beforehand that the event would be very different and what to expect but the only real noteworthy development was the announcement of MediEvil remastered with the promise that 'more news coming soon.' It's been ten months and we haven't heard a damn thing, so I guess that was another game announced way too early or possibly silently shelved.
E3 2018 was different again for Sony and whilst it was still enjoyable, it didn't really feel like it had that magic present in previous conferences. The Last of Us Part II looks nice but I don't know if I like the direction that we're heading in here. Ghost of Tsushima looks great, as do Death Stranding and Spider Man is now with us. The Resident Evil 2, Kingdom Hearts 3 and Ni-Oh 2 also look great but it just didn't really blow us away. Microsoft, while most of their games were also coming to other platforms, built a really good feel to their show and just made it feel like they were continuing to up the ante and deliver a great console experience. With no PSX confirmed this year and no show at PGW or GamesCom with Layden confirming himself that there is not enough to form a show to meet expectations, it does kind of feel like that hype train that's been powering ahead on all engines running has now run out of steam and is gliding along the line. Microsoft are having an end of year show and it looks as though they're looking to sprint towards the end of the marathon to run shoulder to shoulder with Sony, must like Sony did building the PS3 back up to compete with Microsoft at the end of the previous generation. Once again, it feels like Microsoft 1, Sony 0.
So what am I getting at?
You're still here? Wow. It's difficult to explain in a single sentence why I think the way I do, but also it wouldn't make sense without my reasoning behind it. I'm not looking at starting a console war, I'm not interested in which console is better but rather looking at the opportunities Sony have had to further dominate the console market and cement their position as market leader. As a passionate and enthusiastic PlayStation fan, it will always be my console of choice and my favourite place to play. However you can't argue that Microsoft have taken this lying down and that Phil Spencer hasn't done anything less than miracles to get Microsoft and the XBOX brand to where it is today.
The outlook of PlayStation over the coming year and into 2020 seems bleak in some regards, very possibly because it feels as though we are being left in the dark. We're seeing through the last of our promises but... what then? Sony have had their fair share of controversy this generation with things such as Cross Play, Backward Compatibility and you can't forget that Sony were still being fired at for the allegations about Quantic Dream and content within Detroit. Naughty Dog has the sexual harassment scandal... although this too has surprisingly faded into obscurity without our friends on another well known forum digging it out and providing a definitive answer as to whether it was the truth or not and generally doing their thing.
And why am I not talking about Nintendo? Well I guess you could say the reason is that Nintendo don't see themselves as competitors to Sony anymore. They have a great device that doesn't directly compete with a Sony product as the Vita is as good as dead and they're happy doing their own thing. Nintendo don't mind you owning a Switch as well as other consoles and they're cool with that. For Sony and Microsoft however, it's a more direct competition and they're always striving to be the market leader. This does add pressure though and means that you'll be very closely scrutinised, more than ever for any decision you make that is deemed anti-consumer or just unpopular amongst gamers.
If you've read this post so far, I just want to say thank you. I know that's odd but it's a lot to take in. My brain is firing a lot of different things to me right now and I feel as though if I don't properly explain my reasoning that the topic will fall on deaf ears and just become a joke thread.
All things considered I think Sony have begun to slow down, they've shown their competition too much respect and given them a chance to get a foothold in the market when honestly, they've had plenty of opportunities to ensure that it would be incredibly difficult to catch up. Would you say that this is a fair statement? Or do Sony present a different image that you're interpreting right now? A proper discussion would be welcomed.
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