Shuhei Yoshida: Sony's not sure why PS4 is selling so well

Status
Not open for further replies.
PS4 is a nice console, but common!? Great Tech? .... intel haswell is great tech, Apple ARM chips are great tech, I can literary think of like 10 examples of great tech, before the PS4, it is literary a mediocre APU with single core performance comparable to chips done a decade ago. Is that great tech!?

It is a fine console worth getting, but it was dated tech even before launch.

You're really trying to start shit over one guy's use of the word "great?"

Grow up.
 
Come closer, Shu.

Sony didn't win, Nintendo and Microsoft lost.

They tried to innovate, took the risk and failed, while Sony played it safe.

Now you know.
A lot of innovations are terrible. Sony wins because Sony wins. No need to invent false equivalencies to justify your bad perception on the matter.

You could argue that Sony took the risk. A lot of trends were pointing toward all-in-one boxes (not now, but 5 years ago when design began?).

Instead of going all-in-one like they did with PS3, Sony "took the risk" of making their game console a game console. And look what happened.

I would argue that Nintendo and Microsoft took the least risk. Microsoft's entire PLAN was to eliminate risk by eliminating competion, eliminating used games, eliminating other set-top boxes, eliminating everything that stood in their way. With the way DLC has been going, their plan wasn't risky at all. It was just anti-consumer.

Nintendo wasn't risky, either. They saw the rise of tablets and said "let's add a tablet!" There is literally no innovation. It was a concept from the Gamecube era, in fact.
 
It's no difficult, come on, it's a lazy system, for lazy people, and has one of the most low-standards fan bases.... of course is every single dude-bro dream (down to "I'm no playing alone, see, I can SHAAAAAAAAARE!" stuff).

Um, I'm confused, I thought xbox had the stereotype of the "dudebro" fanbase (least that's what I get from all the fanwars on the internet and what each fanbase likes to throw at the other). I mean I keep hearing its the console more known for COD and FPS shooters anyways. Oh, and multiplayer games.

Or are you speaking from a PC fan's POV?
 
Solid hardware
Good price
Great third party support
Excellent first party support
Intriguing elements (Morpheus, F2P, ect)
Lack of restrictive DRM

Sony is doing more than just "not f**king up".
 
that's one lopsided build. you could've spent that PS4 money on a videocard, which would have left you single screamer of a machine which would blister through all those games at a happy 60fps. instead you've decided to wallow in compromised mediocrity.

$2-300 would've done it. you could've spend the change on a nice meal and a t-shirt which says "i make the choices which are right for me".

i hope destiny is worth it.

i7 is a recent upgrade, and I've been holding off on a new GPU until NVIDIA finally gets around to releasing the 800 series. I've several times almost broke down and bought a 780, but I decided it would be worth the extra wait for an 880.

Either way, I desperately need Destiny and I'll definitely want to play Bloodborne, so I bought a PS4. Also the stupid "I want to play games on my couch" argument is vaguely true for me; my TV is more than 100 feet away from my desktop and I don't want to deal with more cables than absolutely necessary.
 
It's no difficult, come on, it's a lazy system, for lazy people, and has one of the most low-standards fan bases.... of course is every single dude-bro dream (down to "I'm no playing alone, see, I can SHAAAAAAAAARE!" stuff).

Huh?

Lazy system for lazy people? As opposed to the High Energy/Active Systems for High Energy/Active People? What video game system is the opposite of what you described? Ray Bradbury's - The Veldt?

And dude-bro dream? For the PS4? That is the first time I have heard that. Generation CHCHCHCHanges.
 
Come closer, Shu.

Sony didn't win, Nintendo and Microsoft lost.

They tried to innovate, took the risk and failed, while Sony played it safe.

Now you know.
And it's up to the market to be ready to adopt "innovation" clearly they weren't this is how it works for good reason. In MS case "innovation" was scaring the shit out of people with their plan for a digital future, it didn't help the thing was more expensive and weaker due in part because they tried to "innovate" with Kinect as well.
 
It's no difficult, come on, it's a lazy system, for lazy people, and has one of the most low-standards fan bases.... of course is every single dude-bro dream (down to "I'm no playing alone, see, I can SHAAAAAAAAARE!" stuff).

I agree.
 
It's like saying MS screwed up so many things with the Xbone that it's hard to know which mistake is the one that really put them behind. Except this is positive.

I dunno, judging from what I saw posted on the net, I think the order of what upset people the most goes from:

1. Used games restriction (this seemed to have the most people upset and the most people listing it as their top reason to be upset)
2. Online requirement restriction
3. Required Kinect

And shoot, I know there were some other things people hated but I can't remember them now, they kinda fell in the lesser problems that a few really cared about and most tacked on cause they were pissed about one or more of above three.
 
Come closer, Shu.

Sony didn't win, Nintendo and Microsoft lost.

They tried to innovate, took the risk and failed, while Sony played it safe.

Now you know.

iI9sTslnyL3dK.gif

Lol. Maybe it's just that when it comes to innovation that's so radical and different from what's already established it will always be a huge gamble. People will either like it or hate it most of the time. That's why it sometimes it's just better to innovate at a pace that will actually let you "test" out market reactions by making small changes instead.

I think the Xbone with Kinect was actually a great and complete system with great things to offer but MS killed their whole train with the DRM fiasco. Kinect was already tested and proven and was still bringing the casuals in, people are interested in streaming as the ps camera sales have show. All MS had to do was retain their userbase which I'm sure they would of despite the PS4 being more powerful.
 
Seeing how everything seems to be front-loaded, it's not even a matter of how high the ceiling is, but how long until you to hit it. Better start working on that PS5.
 
They didn't do anything great to win except undercut MS at every opportunity (which wasn't hard because MS was the equivalent of a character in a Benny Hill joint - bumping in to everything, falling over at the slightest touch etc.)

There was no real innovation from Sony; just good market positioning.
 
It's no difficult, come on, it's a lazy system, for lazy people, and has one of the most low-standards fan bases.... of course is every single dude-bro dream (down to "I'm no playing alone, see, I can SHAAAAAAAAARE!" stuff).

you seem to hold something against these dude-bro people
 
It doesn't have great games yet though. I think it's selling on principle and promise tbh.

Neither has great games yet. Then again, imho, this year has sucked in general for everything but the Vita. And now I'm hearing the other game I'm excited for coming out for the Vita may be disappointing :(. And last year was the launch day games which never are that good in my experience.

This year has really sucked games wise (yeah, seperate rant really).
 

Well that definitely had something to do with me getting one. I got mine when Infamous came out. I'm not sure that was really the reason but maybe it was an excuse to get it at that point? I was always gonna get a PS4 just cause and Infamous coming out seemed like good timing to get it. Once again hindsight is a bitch. That game wasn't as good as it could have been and I definitely think Infamous 2 is a much better game. It was solid though.
 
The concept of people buying the (at the time) less expensive system to play annual multiplatform franchises is probably lost on him.
 
Are there really people who are just now finding out how fantastic Sony's first party games can be?
That's exactly the reason why I buy every Sony system, not including Vita lol.
 
Nintendo and Xbox so badly wanted to force change. Nintendo with quirky hardware and Xbox's commitment to digital. Suddenly Playstation seemed to be the most familiar and the safest choice. It's a far cry from the PS3 launch. Then it felt like Sony was just using Playstation to force Bluray and to take over households with Cell powered electronics, needlessly driving up cost and pushing games to the side.

None of that means perception can't change over the life of a console.
 
Promises + hype + lots of $$$$ spent on advertising catering to casuals/dudebro + PR bullshit to promote the product as an ultimate premium product with low price + supercharged big numbers to hide the low end hardware + laziness of the competitors = profit.

Don't even need great games. That's how things work in general, not only @ Sony. And Shu and everyone @ Sony knows it very well.
 
Sony made a simple console that plays games well and many people wanted that. The pricing was good, the console was seen as being more powerful than it's rival, it was well marketed and the messaging was clear and concise. The PS4 was Sony sailing a steady ship.

Microsoft meanwhile sailed their ship into a typhoon and dropped torpedoes on the deck for good measure. MS have done really well bringing the xbox one back to looking like a good alternative to PS4 after their dreadful start though. The xbox one of today is a console I wouldn't mind picking up.
 
that's one lopsided build. you could've spent that PS4 money on a videocard, which would have left you single screamer of a machine which would blister through all those games at a happy 60fps. instead you've decided to wallow in compromised mediocrity.

$2-300 would've done it. you could've spend the change on a nice meal and a t-shirt which says "i make the choices which are right for me".

i hope destiny is worth it.

I wonder if you are happy at all if you consider a PS4 a compromised mediocrity tough to swallow.

Did you know MOST of The stuff you buy is probable mediocre, even unacceptably so, in others' point of view?
 
They're doing well because the games. They have the most upcoming console exclusives as well. They are definitely already pacing ahead of XB easily.
 
The concept of people buying the (at the time) less expensive system to play annual multiplatform franchises is probably lost on him.
It is not lost on him. How big is this core audience? 30 million? 40 million? He is worried that if PS4 is only selling to core then soon the sales will completely dry off. Frankly so am I, and I'm yet to buy a PS4.
 
My sarcasm meter is broken. Is this a joke post or was that a genuine post?


It's no difficult, come on, it's a lazy system, for lazy people, and has one of the most low-standards fan bases.... of course is every single dude-bro dream (down to "I'm no playing alone, see, I can SHAAAAAAAAARE!" stuff).
Lazy developers are lazy. Or just plain incapable to handle multiple architectures at once. You can ask such kind of witchery to engineers! If they have any.
Well, if they tough there was the same kind of audience that buys any crappy game just because of "edgy" marketing and over-user of "mature" themes (that appeals mostly to immature teenagers), they where completely wrong.

Not to mention that ZombieU was managed as a sub-B type project, project and product wise.
Lol, reading those statements again, the only thing left to say is "Silly Ubi, Nintendo is not for dude-bros"


What did sony win again?
Stronger sales of software, hardware and services. Continued support.
 
Surprising level of honesty in that interview. In terms of why PS4 would do so well with new audiences, here are some possibilities which may individually or collectively account for what's happened:

1) They fluked a surprisingly effective marketing message
2) Record breaking launch led to bandwagon mentality and thus wider media hype beyond what was normal.
3) The success of the Wii primed the mass media to pay attention to gaming and thus PS4 got coverage where previous Sony consoles didn't.
4) As above but applies to Microsoft who grew significantly last gen(including Kinect)
5) People who gave their virginity to mobile/tablet games are now upgrading to a better model for gaming.
6) Diminishing returns meant people who didn't upgrade from PS2 to PS3 are now choosing to upgrade. This may include people who got a second hand PS2 that Sony have no record of(judging by game stores in the UK there is still an active second hand PS2 market).
7) Wider HDTV adoption makes PS4 relevent to a wider market than PS3
8) Microsofts weaker brand and Sonys high price limited both consoles last gen, PS4 at $399 gets audiences that a $399 PS3 may not have done.
9) Social media is transmitting publicity wider than previously possible
10) Economic circumstances may be improving for some people that couldn't afford a console last gen but can do so now.

Of course it's possible he's making something out of nothing and just saying they don't understand what's happening as an attempt to go viral and generate publicity. Does he give a percentage of how many non-gamers they've acquired? But it's definitely not good news if they don't understand what's happening. When you don't understand your audience you're at much higher risk of losing it in future(as happened with Nintendo DS and Wii)
 
Sure. And I'm sure as a company they believed all that. But they didn't expect to have numbers 2x what they were estimating. They are looking at the current numbers/pacing and are bewildered by how quickly this generation has kicked off (in terms of the adoption rate and who is buying into the system).

I think it's fair to be surprised when sales far exceeded what you expected. And strategically, you have to now deliver products to this new user base. So it makes sense to find out why people are buying this to better serve their consumer base. I think people are taking this interview the wrong way.

I think you do bring up valid points as far as delivering products to a new user base for sure. I would look at this from the point of view of a consumer or shareholder and it wouldn't paint a good picture either way thou, PS4 is having a great time with the sales but yoshida is already mentioning exhausting the core gamer userbase when the console is just reaching 10 mil. Not to mention that as a consumer seeing them talk about catering some new crowd they haven't figured out yet isn't so good either!

That's kinda like whats going on the the SONY in general at the moment thou. They let go of PS Mobile a while ago because they couldn't figure out the market, Vita is going to hell in a hand basket because they can't figure out that market either. And let's not even talk about PSNOW which hasn't even released and they still act like they have to clue what to do with it...
 
It is not lost on him. How big is this core audience? 30 million? 40 million? He is worried that if PS4 is only selling to core then soon the sales will completely dry off. Frankly so am I, and I'm yet to buy a PS4.

How is the core audience 30-40 million when the PS3/360 sold 160 million last gen?
 
I can't say this is why the PS4 is selling so well, but I especially like how quick it is to do the installs, or at least have the ability to play while it's installing. In that regard, Sony addressed a problem that plagued the PS3 while the Xbox seemingly adopted it.
 
Anecdotally, just from people I know, they ate a shitload of MS's market share in the US. I know 5 people who went from 360 to ps4 after the unbelievable failure that was the Xbone reveal.
 
Frankly, I'm shocked it has sold 10 million units with such a dearth of appealing software.

I want one, but not until there are 3-4 retail games I'd buy
It has a lot of indies that are fun to play and it's the best console to play some big multiplatform games on. Just because it doesn't have gazillion exclusives like Uncharted, Last of Us etc. doesn't mean it has no games. That's silly talk of console warriors who too easily dismiss the importance of multiplatforms (i.e. a platform's offerings = exclusives only, multiplatforms aren't +1s to the number of games they consider a platform to have), exaggerate the importance of exclusives (i.e. they are the only games that matter when the fact is those are rarely the best-selling titles on any other platform but Nintendo's) and ignore indies (i.e. much like multiplatforms, they don't matter in the game library warz).
 
How is the core audience 30-40 million when the PS3/360 sold 160 million last gen?
In all fairness, we had a fair amount of multi-console ownership last gen as well as multiple 360 purchases due to RRoD (I am specifically talking about purchases made, not returns and refurbs from Microsoft's warranty program).
 
In all fairness, we had a fair amount of multi-console ownership last gen as well as multiple 360 purchases due to RRoD (I am specifically talking about purchases made, not returns and refurbs from Microsoft's warranty program).

We did not have 100 million+ multi-console ownerships and RRoD purchases last gen. The core market is by far the largest part of the console market.
 
Oh I agree, it's partially a different situation.

But the Wii->Wii U transition demonstrates the importance in understanding your audience, because that will help you retain and cater to them, both for the PS4 and for the future.

Nintendo was on track to do well early on but the flagging sales of the 3DS and a rush to stop that put a serious crunch on production of key software releases for the Wii U. This is why there was such a lull in software releases after Holiday 2012 and thus why the Wii U is in its current situation now.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom