Microsoft can outdo Sony with Xbox reveal

ArabicGamers writes:"Is Microsoft serious about games or is it turning the next Xbox into a fully-fledged entertainment machine? Will it have to be constantly connected to the internet to work properly? Can I play my old Xbox 360 games on it? What about used games, will they still work or are they being blocked completely? These are just a few of the questions Microsoft needs to answer during the next Xbox reveal in May. Failure to clarify these points would spell trouble for the platform holder, but Microsoft also has the chance to outshine Sony's PlayStation 4 event from February."

[pierce]

We need to find out an official release date and a price tag. Two very important things that Sony was wrong to leave out.

[Godmars290]

Need to find out what the games are like. For the Xbox: how much will Kinect be made to figure and effect games.

[sengoku]

hell i'll be watching to find out..
it's possible but what i find to be of importance might be something totally different than what i'm gonna get.

[Knight_Crawler]

I agree with you GodMars, games will be the deal breaker for me next gen but do you really belive that the 720 and the PS4 will be that much diffrent in terms of graphics?

The 360 and PS3 were pretty much on par this gen when you compare Uncharted and Gears or Alan Wake and Heavy Rain.

[nukeitall]

I think to outdo Sony, MS will need to show more content and substance than specs.

Most people don't care or know what specs are. They are pointless, and we want to know what is in store for the "now" and the future.

I want the next Xbox (or any console for that matter) to be the only thing I need underneath my TV. One box to rule them all!

[thechosenone]

well considering it was just a minor showing I would expect MS to match what Sony showed off in NY...but the main event has yet to occur and that'll happen at E3 so will see if MS has enough product to show off by then.

[Boody-Bandit]

With Nintendo announcing they will not hold a press conference at E3 I think regardless of what MS does or does not show? The real showdown will be at E3. ALL eyes will be focused on those two (Sony & Microsoft) like never before since it's only them 2 going into details of how they plan on approaching and carrying out the next generation game plan.

I just hope MS keeps the door open for used and rental games. I will get one regardless just for Forza 5 but I am big on renting and reselling my games once they have run their course.

I wonder if MS will go into specific details (show the actual unit, release date and pricing) at the 5/21 event. I think they might show the unit but I would think they would save pricing and release date for E3. Either way May 21st can't get here soon enough. I'm ready for next gen!

[Godmars290]

" if they dont make my expitation."

Think you meant, "Don't meet my expectations."

And right now my expectations are that with all this talk of social gaming, nevermind the pre-existing trends towards first-person real-time, neither system will be as diverse as the PS1/PS2 were.

[sikbeta]

Lets be honest here... MS has America and UK on the bag at the least... so the biggest Market in the World + the biggest Market in Europe are MS Land...

[JeffGUNZ]

I don't think we are going to see that many games until E3. I am sure MS will show a blockbuster title with the reveal, but like Sony, I think they are going to leave a lot for E3.

[GuyThatPlaysGames]

@Godmars290 I hate to tell you, but I don't see Kinect evolving at all really. The audience for it just isn't there. It's just a gimmick just like PS3's Move.

@nukeitall Why just limit yourself to one system? That comment you made was just close-minded. Why not get both to experience the exclusives and content that both consoles have to offer? Why pick sides?

[dedicatedtogamers]

It really doesn't matter. Microsoft has the media on their side. If three years of Kinect isn't enough to get the major gaming publications (IGN, Gamespot, Game Informer, etc) to call Microsoft out on their obvious abandonment of their core fanbase, then it would take several more years of blundering with the NextBox before the media finally takes notice.

This isn't surprising. The media was as quiet as possible on the RRoD issue instead of campaigning for consumers' rights like they should have been. They were dead silent when Microsoft suddenly put an end to their "360 is the #1 JRPG system!" campaign. They were silent again when each and every "hardcore" Kinect game ended up being horrible.

[fsfsxii]

Its really sad, i don't trust IGN or gamespot anymore since the RRoD fiasco.

[SpringHeeledJack]

Well said.

They also ignore the fact ps3 came out 12months later in america and 18months later in Europe and still have come second place this gen. Would it kill them to give a campaign of congrats to the ps3 like they do with xbox for the last 6years.

[Maddens Raiders]

What is RRoD?

[wquach]

Oh lordy.

It doesn't just stop at those, add in Joystiq (Ludwig Kietzmann), Polygon, and even the non-gaming but gadget-focused sites like Engadget. You should've seen their podcasts nitpicking the PS4 announcement to shreds. Laughed at the entire thing really (the console not being shown was emphasized ad nauseam): http://www.polygon.com/2013...

Engadget also shat their pants when they unveiled the Kinect in that fake promo video of the "possibilities" with the device.

Destructoid (including Jim Sterling) and Penny Arcade have called out Microsoft's trends before, including XBL's descent into an advertisement funland: http://www.penny-arcade.com...

http://www.destructoid.com/...

Ars Technica, I've found, also consistently reports well on both sides. Eurogamer, despite the flack it gets on here for their ratings, reports well with their Digital Foundry team: http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

But yea, we all have our preferences when it comes to gaming publications to read, and even certain authors.

With the PS4, it'll come down to its price and its launch to how the media will portray it, just as it did for the PS3 (remember those doom articles from the lack of games, high price tag, and poor launch? Those impressions echoed for years after).

If MS offers a subsidized, subscription-based pricing that will have the Next Box cheaper than the PS4, I feel like it'll be portrayed much more favorably to the press (they'll likely equate it to just another device you buy with a 2-year contract like your smartphone), even though the total price tag over that 1-2 year span would easily amount to more than paying higher from the start.

All of this is speculation though, so it'll be interesting to see what MS unveils. But the point is, MS knows how to work the media just as much as they know how to advertise their games (they're the best in the video game industry at it). Their conferences and showings have usually been given more slack and promise than what Sony shows.

[SpitFireAce85]

You will find out the prices and release dates for
both consoles at E3...

[kingmushroom]

@Pierce
Wrong!.it was actually a excellent idea because it creates interest, also if Ms releases price and date all eyes will be on sony for its Ps4 reveal and price.

i doubt we will get any date or price until E3 ( ill be there first hand to find out)

but what can i say fanboy have their own bias opinion.

[Jdoki]

I agree kingmushroom. Keeping quiet on the launch and price is a good move.

If anyone remembers the classic 1995 E3 where Sega went in full of hype having already announced that the Saturn was going to rock the world at $399

And Steve Race of Sony basically took to the stage at their keynote, said something like "$299 bitches", dropped the mic on the floor, punched a Sega fanboy in the face, threw up a gansta sign, and walked off leaving the crowd stunned.

(That last part might not be 100% accurate).

[kayoss]

@jDOKI
Actually that was a true story. I can see that happening.

If Sony reveal everything during the announcement then they pretty much leave themself vulnerable to Microsoft. Smart move by not putting "all their eggs in one basket".

[extermin8or]

plus then sony could go and undercut it or if sony had given us that info in feb, microsoft could have undercut it/released beforehand....

[OrbitalBT]

sony already stated the console is aimed to be affordable in development and for consumers to purchase. it wouldn't make sense for sony to make it expensive at the last minute.

they already stated the amount of total Tflops, cores, and memory architecture the console will have. IF there's anything "price altering" it would be the HDD space they left out, a 500 GB model and a 1 TB model.

[Adva]

Right.....
Because when Wii, wiiu, 3ds, Xbox, 360, Ps1,2,3,psp were revealed for the first time they were all given a release date with price.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

So from a business perspective, you know because Sony is in the business of making money, if Microsoft gives a price at their event, which Sony can now counter since they never gave PS4 a price, you're saying that's something they did wrong? Why are so many people treating these reveals like the end all be all of either console's information to be given? Are you really going to ignore E3 like that? Like there isn't several months before these things actually launch?

[Blues Cowboy]

I think they'd be mad to announce release date and pricing now. It'd give Sony and even Nintendo chance to undercut them or offer more features.pack-ins, or tweak their marketing campaigns.

They will probably show us what it looks like, though. I don't mind that Sony didn't show the PS4, but it does mean that we don't have something specific to think about when we hear "PlayStation 4," instead we just have a jumble of buzzwords.

[3-4-5]

The thing is though, Sony has had months of positive support now building to E3 and it's release date.

There will be less time to gain suppport for Microsoft.....They are a known name outside of gaming in the US so it shouldn't be too hard as long as they keep the controller 95% the same and introduce actual good games people want to play..

COD + Halo 5 can't be their only "good" reveals

[punisher99]

Nope. You are wrong. That was way too early for Sony to start talking about prices and solid release dates. That would have given microsoft too much leverage.

[princejb134]

hardware is one thing but MS needs software something sony has always provided
hardware doesn't play itself after all

[Mounce]

No, it means that if Microsoft show the price first in their 'May teaser', then Sony can CRUSH them if it's too high by showing the console itself, MORE games, a price tag for PS4 and more features that weren't shown.

Microsoft CAN Outdo Sony....maybe.....but the chance of it? Slim.

[extermin8or]

more than likely they'll about match each other- i think the next xbox will have similar video/sharing features, which is probably something sony anticipated hence the february reveal of that stuff that way they can't be accused of copying :P

[showtimefolks]

pierce

i will bet you anything that MS also won't announce a release date or price tag, also i don't think MS will show the actual box

for all the hate sony gotten for not showing the box or price, those things will get more attention at E3 from media.

sony showed games
MS needs to show games and not gears,halo,fable,forza something else

I really don't think both systems will be very different specs wise so games will be the deciding factor for many gamers

[chaos-lockheart]

Words don't mean anything, actions do.

[Gaming_Guru]

At: pierce

Why was Sony wrong for not telling people about the price tag and official release date at the beginning of 2013 if they could just easily tell everyone at E3?

All Sony did was tell people that the PS4 is real, here is a taste of what it can do, and what it will do, just about what an announcement should be like.

[BABY-JEDI]

Need to find out how many apps & tv channels available, & how much is the monthly subscription will be for these services & all other hidden costs. Oh yeah, & the GAMES...

[sherimae2413]

i want to see what the next gen consoles will look like and their price tags ^_^

[Snookies12]

Yeah, I'm quite interested in seeing what they'll look like as well... The price tag not so much, because I'm not looking forward to paying it lol.

[kayoss]

Are you planning to steal it? If you're not going to pay for it, then how are you going to get it?
Anyways, When i first bought my PS3 (60gb) model i thought it was expensive at first but now that I think about it. It was well worth the price given what came with the PS3. I hope its the same true story with the PS4.
I cant say the same for the xbox 360. I thought it was cheap, until i bought the wifi adapter and HD dvd (i though HD dvd would win, damn was i wrong). It ended costing me more then the PS3. I will hold off on getting the nextbox until I see what they have to offer. But PS4 will be day one for me.

[sway_z]

I sold my Xbox 360 slim for £160 with 2 whack games, 1 controller on Amazon. Sold the other controller and all 25 games separately.

I made approx £350, which should totally lessen the cost of my PS4.

I still have my PS3 (ain't goin nowhere) and have The Last of Us, GTAV and Beyond to keep me going until PS4 drops!!!

The 360 is dropping to £99 @E3 so I guess I sold at the right time!!

*Price I pay for Shoes/Clothing etc...the PS4 will probably be an absolute bargain!! lol

[Anzil]

WHOOOO CARES WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[extermin8or]

Correct i mean put it out of immediate view if you want- it needs to play your games not look amazing- that said how many sony products don't look pretty damn pretty and expensive anyway? :p even when they use cheap materials thay have a habit of making their products look good-credit where credit is due. PS3 wasn't best looking device but it could've been worse and the slim versions have all looked nice, vita looks really pretty :)

[BABY-JEDI]

If it was a big pink day-glo box with furry attachments, I think you might cry!
Me, I think this would be quite butch LoL

[Anzil]

@ BABY-JEDI hahahaha prolly a lil but people are making it out to be a bad thing! Sony will show it at e3 after microsoft shows theres on the 21st. Microsoft will show it cause there listening to what people said about sonys but could be a downfall because sony makes their products look really nice (except the OG ps3) and it will steal from microsoft!! I want ps4 the most but people are dumb to think microsoft doesn't have shit up there sleeves!!!ps got a hot pink controller pal and im straight as a nail hahahah

[kickerz]

i think $500 will be a reasonable price. compared to some smart phones these days which cost alot more.

[IRetrouk]

I just want some solid details, bring the games and my money will follow

[refocusedman]

Of course they can outdo sonys reveal, they've had too 3 months to prepare. Its not about some silly reveal its abt product implementation whenvthe systems are released.

[StrongMan]

In my opinion the only way MS can compete with the PS4 is to finally stop charging for free features. There are tons of ads on XBL which generates billions of dollars yet they still charge their customers for free features.

And to those uneducated people that say that you pay MS to use their servers, go put in COD in your Xbox and play online and it will say "signing into ACTIVISION servers" not MS servers. This disproves that lie. Youtube has a far bigger server farm than MS for XBL yet they don't charge me to use Youtube because those ads on Youtube more than pays for everything. But MS charges people to use Youtube on Xbox. So now some of you are going to tell me that MS charges for Youtube because it's on MS's servers?

Anyway, that's what I think will give MS a chance in competing with Sony. After that they will have to bring the games. Not just the same 3 games but new core IPs. Then they have to show that they won't abandon the hardcore like they did with the 360. Go to any forum on any site and you will see that MANY Xbox fans have expressed disappointment in MS abandoning them for the casuals. MS has a long road ahead of them if they want to outdo Sony.

@MasterCornholio

They are not happy to pay. If they want to play the online portion of their games they paid $60 for then they HAVE to pay MS to do so. MS locks out half of all games on Xbox unless you pay them. If they want to access their Netflix account that they already pay $8 a month for then they HAVE to pay MS to do so. Just like companies have to pay MS to plaster they ads on XBL. Don't let them fool you. They don't pay because they want to they pay because they have to pay to play online with friends.

[MasterCornholio]

What's even more pathetic is when Microsoft hiked the price of Gold instead of losing subscribers they gained more. Anyways as long as Xbox users are happy paying for free features then Microsoft will continue to charge them.

Motorola RAZR i

[Blackdeath_663]

yes but i will never pay for the privilege of using my own internet connection to play games i already paid full price for which is the reason i will never buy an xbox. i just borrow my friends one when i feel the need to play xbox but that hasn't happened much if im honest

[Mustang300C2012]

Dumbest advice I have ever heard. Company finds revenue and succes with consumers who buy Live and have done so for the last 12 years and finds revenue in ad sales which generates additional billions in revenue for the same company. So because we make billions here we should no longer charge and make billions here.

W
T
F

What company would would even think of cutting off something that is a success. These are a reason you don't run a business and being a armchair analyst on a website that most gamers don't even know about makes. You sound even more of an idiot.

[Jek_Porkins]

They just use that argument because it's one of the few they have left. If you are a gamer, you realize it's a hobby, and Microsoft is synonymous with a quality online service, no matter what the competition does, people will always look to Microsoft and what they are doing. That isn't to say the competitions online is terrible, but people just associate quality online with Xbox Live.

Microsoft's Xbox Live grew 15% and makes a billion a year, which has helped them not enable Online Passes, gets their users a ton of content and early DLC, Demo's ect..

If you don't want Live, go with the competition, but paying for Xbox Live every year isn't a reason not to get an Xbox in my opinion, it's like $4 a month, you can always find deals on it, which is what I do. I'm a gamer, it's my hobby, hobby's can be expensive, but let me say my hair cut every month costs more than a full year of Xbox Live.

[yesmynameissumo]

I really hate the "$4 a month" bullshit. Is it billed $4 a month? Why is a month by month subscription $15? XBL is the perfect reason to NOT game on Xbox. I'm not going to get frisked for my wallet every time I press power.

[Darrius Cole]

Microsoft is going to change when the market forces it to change. As long as people are paying for Xbox live, Microsoft will charge for Xbox Live. It would be stupid for Microsoft to voluntary stop charging for Xbox Live when all of the evidence says that their customers will pay for it. Microsoft rarely does stupid things.

While we are on the topic of what's stupid, paying for something that the competition gives you for free is stupid.

There is no way that Microsoft would pay for something that they could get for free somewhere else. Microsoft rarely does stupid things.

Eventually the marketplace will catch up to Xbox Live and realize that there is no point in paying for Xbox live because it can get the same service for free elsewhere. That is probably what StrongMan is referring to.

What I suspect is that Microsoft is going to change the service somehow in attempts to add value to XBL so that its customers do indeed get something that they can't get anywhere else for free. That is probably what all this "TV Tuner" and "always online" business is about, Microsoft trying to add value to Xbox Live, in effort to justify it.

[GamerGT]

If this "TV tuner" deal is true and some type of overlay system is displayed, I'm curious if that would need an internet connection to work. And if that's a feature you need to pay through Xbox Live to unlock.

[Hicken]

"Company finds revenue" by doing something that, honestly speaking, they shouldn't be doing. But because they're Microsoft, people are perfectly willing to give them a pass?

Sure, it was acceptable at first, as they were the only ones on the market with any kind of competent online. Now, though? Sorry, but there's NO excuse for charging people to use applications or services that are free LITERALLY EVERYWHERE else.

I don't give a damn about them being profitable. I give a damn about me. As a consumer, I don't want to pay for these things, and according to other players in the market, I SHOULDN'T.

Jek, are you for real? Not wanting an extra bill so I can completely play my games isn't a reason not to get an Xbox? According to who? You? Let's see this $4 bill of yours. Oh, wait; they don't charge you $4 a month.

By the way, gaming being a hobby is no excuse. Even hobbyists don't want to pay more than they HAVE to.

Your excuses are getting weaker and weaker.

[extermin8or]

@jek well seeign as all evidence is pointing towards it becoming $10 a month, and the guy that gave that info out, has been right about everything else so far- including the reveal date BEFORE microsoft were even admitting the thing existed lol so he's pretty trustworty...

[Imalwaysright]

@ jek porkins I am a gamer but I'm not a "drug addict". I know what is best for me as a consumer and paying for something that is free in all the other gaming platforms is just idiotic. I would feel like a moron if I did that. What I don't understand, is that you acknowledge that paying for live is a negative thing and 1 second later you start defending a business practice that only benefits MS.

"Microsoft's Xbox Live grew 15% and makes a billion a year, which has helped them not enable Online Passes ,gets their users a ton of content and early DLC, Demo's ect.."

I hope you're joking! Live IS an online pass. All the other online services have demos and unless its an exclusive DLC, all the other services sooner or later will make it available to all their costumers.

[creeping judas]

Wow, I never realized I can't access Youtube or Netflix in anyother way other than thru my Xbox. Crap now according to Strong, that is the only way I can access these features. No longer am I able to access these sites thru my PC, my tablet, or even thru my SmartTV because I have a XBL account. Damn you MS and XBL account!!

Also now, a small tile with an add running on it, and add that doesnt even have sound until you highlight it, is considered plastering the UI with advertising?

[kayoss]

Well Strong have a point, If xbox 360 is the one system that Microsoft want their consumer to access other media then why charge for them when they can access it free somewhere else. Microsoft want the consumers to use their xbox 360 to access these apps, but yet they are charging them to do so. Isnt that contradictory? Yes Live is bringing in truck loads of money for microsoft but the problem is that some user are having is that if Sony and Nintendo can allow their fans to use the internet for free why cant microsoft? Now with PSN+ you have the excuse to pay for it and its an option for all consumers to buy PSN+. If they dont they still can access all those apps and play online without charge. In addition lots of incentive games to play as long as your a member.
If Live offer those then no one would be complaining, but they dont.

[GusBricker]

Just announce it so I can properly pre-order the damn thing. Thanks.

[Jek_Porkins]

How can they outdo Sony? It's a relative question to be honest, big Sony fans are going to pick Sony and Microsoft fans will pick Microsoft.

In my opinion Microsoft can have a successful show by simply showing off their new console, show it running with the new interface.
Show off some of the features and controller, what type of Kinect integration are we getting? Are they using it mostly as voice command and navigation or are they using it for games?

I also don't want them to blow their wad of launch games at a simple console reveal, show some EA stuff, maybe the next COD, but don't go and ruin surprises that would be better suited for E3.

[Count]

Yes, it's true. Neither of these kinds of people will believe that the opposing one outdid the other.

Well, most of them won't.

But I guess it makes you interested in what's coming. If you like that sort of thing.

[WeAreLegion]

The support of the media makes all the difference.

[OlgerO]

If microsoft manages to outdo sony then it is going to be one super godly machine

[KyriakosShinedown]

First of all yes is possible that Microsoft an overpass the PS4 conference back in February.Second let's be serious ok?Next XBOX isn't going to be just oneother gaming console it's gonna be a multi-device so that means for me that Microsoft will sacrifise a little hardware so she can have all the other services that they want(including gaming) and then from the other side we have Sony with the PS4 Sony the last couple of years has taken the downhill and that has made her to change her ideology and listen to the players and developers what they want out of the PS4 and my personal opinion is that they did this is the right way for Microsoft to go and I personally hope(even I'm a Sony fanboy)to follow the way that sony looks that will open the future of gaming

[inFAMOUS_KRATOS]

if they come on stage with the boys and girls club in mind, then they lost before the party started.......

[FrigidDARKNESS]

I dont know why folks think MS has to out do Sony. Ididnt know this was a contest.
The Sony event was bland just showed a controller and games that marginally better than current gen.

[zebramocha]

@frigid You're kidding right?because the feb 20 reveal was to let gamers know the ps4 exist and if the games look marginally better than current gen on the ps4,there is no way they would look substantially better on the next box.

[Ad3rs78]

Actually the lack of game releases tells me they have not invested into to much for games. It seemed to me that the PS4 event was holding back and really lacked style. The whole event was dry and for 2 hours it could of been planned put better with proper speakers!

[Count]

I thought it wasn't bad. But I didn't think it was as amazing and conclusive as a lot of the people here did.

That Square Enix guy saying he had nothing was probably my highlight of the show.

[JackVagina]

It's sad that all they need to show is next gen COD and it's already GG for Sony

[sway_z]

And now the BS begins...TBH it's the media that blows this all out of proportion, fuelling the fanboy fire! >Most people I know are cross gamers.

@JackVagina (terrible name dude!)

COD needs destructible environments...there is nothing new in the genre. If anything, I hope BF4 kicks COD's ass once and for all.

@KyriakosShinedown

I would rather have powerful tech for gaming. Sony have demonstrated with PS3...other entertainment such as TV, Movies and Music can be improved upon or added at any stage...but you can't go back and make the hardware better for games.

[gamertk421]

Don't you dare attack Jack! For all we know it could be his real name! lol

[dcbronco]

Sway the problem isn't the media. They just feed on dumb minds. Look at the way everyone waited on the next news from N. Korea. Then Boston happens and the fear of a nuclear attack suddenly becomes a non-issue. Why? Because it was hype in the beginning. But people are stupid and feed into the hype.

Now take a feeble mind and add a fanboy mentality and you have the stuff that marketing dreams are made of. When the majority of gamers get a little smarter we will have better stories and fewer repeats of someone else's opinion.

Until then it's...wash, rinse, repeat.

[USMC_POLICE]

Not with kinect 2.0 they won't

[WickedLester]

It will be perceived that way for the simple fact that MS is showing last. The one that goes last ALWAYS has the perceived upper hand. I guarantee you that no matter what they show or promise, Xbox fanboys are going to wet themselves and declare victory right there on the spot.

[Count]

You mean like the Sony fanboys did during the Sony conference? Yeah, I'm sure the same will happen.

[etownone]

I think a big way to outshine the ps4 is to announce backward compatibility.

People can say its not a big deal but being this has been the longest gen to date, im sure many Xbox 360 owners have a big library of games that they would like to keep around.

[jjb1981]

Who cares?! I'm getting boaf of dem sh*ts!

[ThatsGaming]

I laugh at the first question in the article...

"Is Microsoft serious about games or is it turning the next Xbox into a fully-fledged entertainment machine?"

Many of the same attributes that make a good gaming machine are the same attributes that make a great entertainment device. There is no reason that the next xbox cannot be both.

[level 360]

Yes they can with all the *non-gaming related gimmicks up their sleeves with the XBox Infinity.

[Clarence]

All I know is they better bring out usher this time.

[GraveLord]

I'm sure they will. They let Sony make all the mistakes so they'll be sure not to make the same ones.(Which means they're showing the actual console)

There's a 3-month window between PS4 reveal and Xbox 720. Microsoft has a lot of time to secure big names and plan this perfectly.

It may be too late though. There's dozens of negative articles about the always-online Xbox every week. The damage has been done and Microsoft is now in damage control mode.

[jay2]

Sony will strike back

[VonBraunschweigg]

I read the following on a Dutch website (so no link) about the pricing:

2 models, one for 299 and one for 499. Live will be 10 dollar a month, 120 per year. The 499 model comes with a 2 year acces to Live,so about 40 less over 2 years.

The increase in price for Live is justified by a whole bunch of apps and TV related stuff, and you will be able to use the 299 model for SP games without internet.

Sounds like MS, we'll see & hear next month. If true, no Xbox for me, I don't care about television and 120 a year for online gaming is way too much, but I can see this take off in the US market.

The news came from a reliable source from windowsitpro or something.

[DivineAssault]

Thats not going to happen.. MS will need tons of exclusive games for people to turn away from sony & we all know thats their biggest weakness... Apps, tv, & all that other NON-GAMING stuff is cool but wont make the core gamer shift towards MS..

[GusBricker]

We all know MS doesn't have a chance of hell of every winning a console war simply because they have no chance of hell ever being a success in Japan.

[Mustang300C2012]

Uh Japan isn't the main key to succes. He'll Sony is struggling with vita even in Japan and Sony lost to the Wii and Nintendo is dominating in Japan with 3DS but struggling with the Wii U. How is Japan this be all end all

[dcbronco]

Yaaaawwwwnnnnnnnn. Ignore.

[FunkMacNasty]

Wtf is the problem around here.. why cant anyone who enjoys their Playstation just be rational and open minded???????????

I hope the MS conference at least lets us know the hardware specs and shows some games running on the system. I don't care what the actual console looks like. (imo, both consoles this generation were pretty ugly.. the 360 looks like an alien VCR from a sci-fi 80's movie, and the ps3 looked like a pregnant ps2)

[HmongAmerican]

My guess is that MS will show the next COD running on next the gen XBOX like they always do. They will have guys from Activison on stage to demo their next game and show how powerful it is.

[MadLad]

Sure they can.
No one is sure what Microsoft actually has up their sleeves.

[LoneWolf019]

Ha not with all these rumours going on.

[WillM17]

I can't access the source

[smashcrashbash]

People sure are making such general statements.You are so certain that Microsoft will outdo Sony when you have seen nothing about the games, hardware or support Microsoft has for the new Xbox but you are already certain they have outdone everyone. When they could barely outdo anyone this gen even against a weaker company and console. But in everyone's mind somehow Microsoft has won without showing anything. And just imagine i was getting chastised not long ago for being too over confident and excited about the PS4 and believing only the positives things I hear about it but I guess that only applies to us. Fanboy rules only seem to apply to Sony people and not anyone else.

[corrupted_sharingan]

surely without any doubt i.e in terms of motion gaming

[MadMen]

Microsoft (correction) *WILL* outdo Sony with Xbox reveal

[mixelon]

I don't think there will be any objective outdoing here. It'd be impossible for MS not to get a ton of media attention at a new platform announcement, but like always they'll both have different strengths.

I'm suspicious that MS will throw a gimmick into the mix that will get a lot of attention but will at the end of the day make little to no positive difference to the gaming experience.

[TheFamous1]

I'm sure the reveal will be very flashy and over the top - and will likely be better in this regard, but I care about what they have to say: games, system specs etc. and I'm still unsure if they can do as good of a job as Sony did in this department.

[Drainage]

they can and they will. not much to outdo. some guy talking, showing off a mediocre looking game called Knack, generic looking FPS minus the shiny buildings, LBP devs having a Wii music moment, witness the psn quality game, infamous aka not famous IP, concept art UI, etc. Ill be getting a ps4 but its not easy to outdo it

[ceballos77mx]

Well I'm really hoping they try, a good competition between the two will only benefit us the gamers.

[iNFAMOUZ1]

Microsoft doesn't even have to do anything, they already came out as first place this gen and they already have the mass appeal of the whole gaming community without even revealing.
Microsoft is American based, sony is japan based, I go for the USA!!!!

microsoft stabbed them last time, now they are getting ready to rip their heart out >:)

i sure hope they reveal a next gen halo 2 remake
and show way less of kinect crap, like dont even make kinect too much of anything, focus on the hardcore games that's it.

[Kidmyst]

MSFT Can outdo Sony depending what they show and if they Wow! But Sony hasn't said everything. Sony threw out some things but no release date or price so if MSFT comes out to say their date is for example Oct. 31st for $400.00. Sony then could thrown down the rest at E3 to counter. IE: We'll launch the PS4 Oct. 1st for $350.00. It'll be interesting what MSFT shows and says, then the bell rings and it begins.

[tommygunzII]

They just need to do what they did in the early days of the 360. I love my PlayStation but I wanted an Xbox around that time.

[Fakdafakinfakerz]

arrogance...

[H3ADWOUND81]

Yep, that's the American way.. Arrogance..

[ErzaScarlet]

Console War is sparking up!

[memots]

Haaaa yes

We need major Nelson dropping from a military Jet with COD logo "Exclusive DLC". Major Nelson parachuting down with a Flag behind him saying Always on Deal with it. Then he land on Oprah TV set and starts jumping on her couch in front of Kinect 2.0 playing fruit ninja 2.
All the while the crowd is wearing White poncho like in a cult and le cirque du soleil in the background are juggling ballz also Skittles 2.0 appears on a screen getting pet by Milo !!

Can you picture it !!?? Insta buy by soccer mom.

[H3ADWOUND81]

Blah blah blah.. Nothing to see here people... Flat as pancake on killer diet pills.. N4G sucks donkey balls...

[isyourhouseonfire]

The.game.has.changed

Watch the next generation unfold - May 21!!!