PlayStation 4's price and DRM policies not an answer to Xbox One, Sony exec says

The PlayStation 4's price and DRM policies were welcome announcements to those watching Sony's E3 press conference, but they weren't created in response to the same policies for Xbox One, Sony VP of Worldwide Studios Scott Rohde told Polygon in an interview earlier tonight.

"I literally have goosebumps right now, because that was always our plan," Rohde said. "It's something that we believe in. We know gamers come first; we know what they want. I was personally overwhelmed with the massive explosion on Twitter, with everyone essentially begging, 'Please don't do this Sony, please don't do this PlayStation!' It was so hard not to say, right away, 'Well, we never were going to do that, but now let's have a little fun and announce it in a fun way at the PlayStation press conference.'

[Donnieboi]

Sony did it for the REAL gamers. Not because Microsoft was gonna do it. Microsoft's plans were outright evil and controlling.

[ThatCanadianGuy514]

Pretty much.I mean, damn, they said as much back in febuary but people were gobsmacked at MS's audacity and tried to drag Sony into somehow.

Oh well.I hope those people are eating some humble pie.

[blitz0623]

As it shouldn't. This shouldn't even be big news if MS didn't go anti consumer. Now Sony looks like heroes. Not saying they aren't.

I'm glad with the news, but let's be honest. Sony has ALWAYS been about gamers and this should have come as no surprise

[Enemy]

http://www.xboxdone.com

Where are all the butthurts that said Sony would have their own DRM and mandatory online now?

4 > One

[RedHawkX]

i agree ms fanboy chumps said microsoft wont do this wait until the reveal then ms did all the drm crap and such then them same fanboys tried to say sony was gonna do the same. im like you idiots gave ms the benefit of the doubt and they are the most grimy company but you didnt believe me or sony that they didn have the slavery bs drm crap.

[Angeljuice]

The thing is, everyone was talking about 'publishers pressuring Microsoft and Sony for DRM', however that is not what happened.
Microsoft dreamt up the cloud idea and all the DRM and then TOOK THIS MODEL TO THE PUBLISHERS!!!
They wanted to create a paywalled garden where they could lock people in and control their funds more easily. At no time were they under pressure from the publishers and even Activision thought it wasn't a great idea (EA and Ubisoft loved it).

This all came about when Microsoft saw that it's console was doing well and decided the team in charge should be replaced by their 'money men' to maximise profit.

(Thanks go out to cboat and ms employees for this info).

[Starbucks_Fan]

Gotta love this

http://i.imgur.com/vLNmkwF....

[Donnieboi]

Wow lololol. Nice find! Funny bubble for you!

[Snakefist30]

OMG that is Hilarious!!!!

[DrakenSilverwing]

lmao, i was trying to put up something else as well but its not working for some reason... :(

[Insomnia_84]

Lmao!

[Redrever]

you earned a +bubble XD

[NumOnePS3FanBoy]

hahahah very funny here is another one I have spotted that is equally as funny

http://img.gawkerassets.com...

[jc48573]

yea, but that didn't stop Sony from making fun of MS. Like who wouldn't find xboxone's features outrageously absurd? Read the damn facts. The videos won't tell you everything, so that they can trick your wives into buying it.

[EcliPS3]

Let me say that I am a multi console owner. I play both systems. I tend to play my multiplayer games on my Xbox due to my friends mostly gaming on that platform. I've always said that I prefer the Xbox's online functionality over the PS3's in terms of user friendliness, etc.

HOWEVER... This is all going to change now. I am furious at what MS has done regarding their used games policy. To add to it all, the console is going to be priced higher.

The PS4 will be my go to gaming platform from now on, as long as their online is useable and functionable. The only thing I'll need to get used to is the controller.

[Angeljuice]

If anybody out there can convert an Xbox controller into a PS4 controller, go into business now, you will make a fortune ( big issue with touch pad though)!

Same goes to third-party peripheral manufacturers!

[hunggago]

@Donnieboi. Yup, I agree. The moment a software company like Microsoft went into to gaming industry, I felt that one day they were going to apply that same ole 1 OS per PC deal that they have with Windows to console games, just for the $$$. They seem to be leaning towards that non-disc based games for the future of console gaming. I'm glad Sony stayed traditional with theirs.

[Garbanjo001]

Yep. Well said Donnieboi.

[THE-COMMANDER]

Agree.

Thank you Sony.

[Mottsy]

I own a 360, wii u and ps3 and I have to be honest. I was considering buying the Xbox first then PS4 but now I don't think I'm going to buy Xbox at all! What a great show by Sony!!! Hoping the Nintendo one is good. My Wii U needs games damnit!

[GenericNameHere]

So... They admit they.... Had fun... Hmmm
SONY TROLLING MICROSOFT CONFIRMED!!

Lol that crowd reaction sure was the greatest thing ever! I bet even if Tretton farted, everyone would have still cheered and clapped for that small gaseous wind that came out of that brilliant man!

[Manwhoore]

I can tell you one thing for sure that GameStop will be supporting PlayStation for sure; since that's how GameStop's generates a lot of their revenue with used games. Sony this time has really fucked Microsoft. Not even a vaginal rejuvenation will save Microsoft.

[MestreRothN4G]

Nice source. he he he

[mattmatt_]

Haha, good looking out.

[xPhearR3dx]

"PlayStation 4's price and DRM policies not an answer to Xbox One, Sony exec says"

Price probably not, DRM policies, come on. Don't lie, you know damn well that a response to the backlash MS got. You made that clear as day. This was a very good choice to make, but don't act like MS had nothing to do with your choice of words when announcing it.

[Dunpeal]

dude, if you read the quote he says they chose to have a little fun with it at the event, but DRM was never going to be an issue they just chose to address it at E3 because of the shitstorm caused by MS

[greenpowerz]

Not to mention Jack spent a few minutes bad mouthing MSFT at the presser and then Sony released video further talking Sh!T.

They knew they were going to have a bad E3 from their point of view and offerings and MSFT's unexpected stellar E3 presented them with a no brainer. They had 9 hours to go to the back up plan, with MSFT leaving them no choice.

I form this opinion based on Sony not having new IP's or doing stage demos on PS4 hardware with already announced Ips. Sony's presser had a bunch of fluff with no new Ips to show they claimed they had in abundance.

Sony's exclusives didn't match MSFT's graphically most likely the reason they focused on 3rd party games that were most likely shown on PS4 spec PCs again. I read even PS3 fans complaining about Sony only demoing 3rd party games(Unless PSN games)

[wenaldy]

Go back to sleep.

[CGI-Quality]

That has to be the worst explanation and excuse making I've seen in a while.

[M-M]

@CGI-Quality

Sadly, his only purpose here is to make delusional posts.

[Cupid_Viper_3]

Lol, This guys has been running his mouth since the original Leaks about the Xbox One requiring Kinect and online connection and blocking used games. He denied every single one them and said it was just wishful thinking from Sony fanboys

Then Sony did the reveal in February, and he spend his entire time downplaying the specs of the PS4 and claiming that MS will have "Dual GPU"? or some sh!t like that.

Then Microsoft revealed the Xbox one and guess what? Rumors were spot on, Kinect required, so is online, so is DRM for games.

Then he moved on to an even more absurd level as he started telling people that Sony will have the exact same policies as MS with the Xbox One. And that all PlayStation fans are being "so naive"...and guess what?

He's dead wrong! anyone surprised though? Nope.

And now he's basically saying that Sony went back in time to february and re-did all the interviews to make it seem like they've never had any plans to do gamers dirty.

[Hello_World]

You're full of shit and I used to back you up a couple of years ago. Xbox One doesn't look that great man. It looks like you're being treated like a thief that doesn't even own the games he buys. Are people this stupid

[gta2800]

Let it all out. It's okay to cry.

[thereapersson]

Still think it's a good idea to give EVERYONE their bubbles back? There has to be an N4G reputation system implemented.

[GenericNameHere]

I may be biased, but Final Fantasy XV and KHIII were enough to blow my freaking mind off. It's been 7 years since KHII, and Final Fantasy XV (which were rumored to have had help from Sony's first party studios meaning it's more than likely it's a PS4 exclusive) is looking like it will finally saved Square Enix and restore tha Final Fantasy name. That, and oh, you know, the indie support. I'm pretty sure indie devs are highly respected for their creative and unique games, and having them on the PS4 just makes it even better than it already is.

[callahan09]

Sony's exclusives didn't Microsoft's graphically? Are you for real? You gotta be trolling, seriously. There's no way you believe that. Give me comparisons, prove to me that Microsoft's graphics looked better.

Forza 5, Dead Rising 3, and Titanfall all looked like a slight step up from current gen to me. None of them looked as good as Killzone or inFamous.

[madpuppy]

who are you kidding, MS has been bad mouthing their competition, be it Apple, Netscape, Linux or Sony For years. they are a typical arrogant corporation with a monopoly mentality and no tolerance for a healthy market where they don't dominate completely.

[Cupid_Viper_3]

@ xPhearR3dx

Of course you would have been totally correct in your assumption if Sony didn't already say the exact same thing way back in February at the reveal.

[Cupid_Viper_3]

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

For those who are still in that green bubble.

[xPhearR3dx]

I never said they didn't. I said their choice of words. It was very clear it was a response to MS announcements. They could have said "Hey, you can still lend your games and don't need to be online". Instead they said "PS4 won't require a connection every 24 hours or any type of authentication." That's a clear jab at MS.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not defending MS in any way. They deserved what Sony said and I'm glad Sony had the balls to call them out in front of millions of people. But for them to say it wasn't an answer to Xbone, is a bold face lie. I respect them for calling MS out, but I'd respect them more if they said;

"It was a an answer to Xbone, because we actually care about gamers. We want gamers to have the right to do as they wish when they purchase a game, instead of us controlling their use".

Why? Because maybe MS would get their head out their ass and realize they screwed up big time. Obviously the community outcry wasn't enough, so maybe if it came from their direct competitor and the community, they start to see the light.............maybe.

[PSVita]

They never even considered it so they made it a joke. They've stated that there wasn't a used games block back at the reveal.

[badz149]

both the PS4 and XBone were not designed overnight and both have taken a long time in the design department before being unleashed to the public.

the XBone was designed with DRM in mind thus the console is not able to stream games off the bluray disc like the other consoles because it was DESIGNED to run games from it's HDD like a pc for DRM purposes!

Sony on the other hand, didn't have any such plans for DRM thus only designed the PS4 to improve upon the PS3 and address the weaknesses of the PS3 thus what we get is a faster BD drive to improve the reading speed compared to the PS3, an easier to developed for console due to it's x86 architecture, a single pool of an unprecedented 8GB of conventional GDDR5 RAM which most devs are already familiar with on pc and support for indies!

I honestly think that M$'s policy on XBone has caught even Sony by surprise just like any other people out there because what M$ is going to do is unthinkably EVIL! thus Sony didn't address the DRM and used games issues during their Feb 20th event assuming that things will go 'as usual' too this gen around seeing as the Wii U is the way it is! after the M$'s reveal, people started asking Sony about their stance in this issue and not long before May 21st, EA also announced they cancelled their Online Pass policy...people were curious but I think (my assumption, of course) Sony was just starting to come to realization that M$ is shooting themselves in the feet! Yoshida's reaction when asked about the matter kinda proven my theory IMO.

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

man...holding out for the perfect moment to deal the one-two blow to the competition is not easy and Sony has received fair share of criticism for not coming out in the clear regarding the issue but man...I understand! If it's me...I'll definite be doing the same thing! what better than to announce it while the whole world is watching? 1 word to summarize this...OWNAGE! (sorry that's not even a legit word LOL!)

[fardan85]

It's not a 1-2 jab, it's Mortal Kombat fatality.. LOL

[DivineAssault]

They sure took some jabs at em about it though lol.. M$ is trying to change the way ppl use their hobby machines.. U just DONT DO THAT! U cant force change on millions of ppl virtually saying "we're doing this & its best whether u like it or not".. Sorry but i wont support that BS & you cant tell me that i have to connect to the net to play MY GAMES! If i pay for my game & machine, im taking it wherever the hell i want & playing wherever i want... As long as i have a TV & my console im good.. I wont be dependant on an internet connection.. I wont be handicapped if my net goes out or i cancel & switch providers.. EFFF U bra, u wont get a cent from me nx gen..

They think theyre slick trying to get money for xbox live, money from used games, money on storage, (u will run out after a while from installing everything) money on kinect (when i dont want it), etc..

[izumo_lee]

So that Twitter hoopla actually did make a difference in a sense. Really glad to know that all this DRM stuff was never in their plan & that the announcement at the conference was some friendly banter.

I find it so funny that for the past few weeks game journalists were making assumptions that since Microsoft was doing this DRM stuff, so would Sony. Even though ever since they revealed the PS4 that the days after they were crystal clear that they weren't gonna do it.

Today i was proud to be a gamer on the Playstation & they proved to me that i was important in the life of the Playstation brand.

Just like Sony's new slogan....i do feel that Greatness awaits.

[DJMarty]

4>1

[Sharius]

like you drop a bomb and then walk away from and explosion w/o looking back, right?

[Bathyj]

You always look so cool when an explosion goes off behind you.

Jack knows this.

[Majin-vegeta]

Sony=Japanese based company

M$=Greedy American company

Pretty much says something.

[T2]

You could argue that Japanese companies have a higher moral standard , but im sure both need to make money ... Im not thrilled about pay to play online but at 399 entry I can kind of get into plus and free games ... I think it subsidizes a fair price

[Parapraxis]

Pretty much says jack shit.
Sony just played their cards right this time. Sony realized that in the long run a consumer friendly approach is at this time more profitable. I have a feeling they are going to dominate this gen like they did with PS2.
The fact that they are a Japanese company means NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING.
Every company is greedy, they want your money. If you think that companies do things because they care about you...wow, you really are delusional.

[Rusty515]

Nationality has nothing to do with this you prejudice prick.

[Parapraxis]

People agreeing with Majin-vegeta have absolutely no understanding of the Japanese culture and their xenophobic behaviors.
These kids now a days watch Naruto and think they understand Japan. It's hilarious. I respect Japanese culture and traditions, but at least i'm not deluded in thinking they are some epitome of perfection.
Majin-vegeta is a prejudice prick, and people who don't know why are too ignorant to understand nobody and NO culture are perfect.
Saying "M$=Greedy American company" is as about as intelligent as saying "Germany = nazi land"

[majiebeast]

The PS4 used games instruction video is going viral its at 100.000 thumbs up already.

[maniacmayhem]

I'm pretty sure Sony did it in response to MS. Which is why they were so unclear in the beginning and not providing much info. They wanted to see the communities reaction, the sh#t blow up in MS's face and then swoop in as Gray Ghost and save the day.

Of course a humble statement like this will make them seem even more of the good guy.

Well Sony, even if I don't believe you I still applaud for your decision to not implement this tactic.

Good show.

[Parapraxis]

I think it was highly calculated and honestly shrewd and smart.
They played MS like a fiddle, especially if you look at their surprise unveiling and obtuse comments on DRM.
They definitely knew what publishers were pushing for, and I suspect MS thought that Sony was in line with them regarding next gen.
They are playing a huge risk/reward situation here. EA and Ubisoft could potentially pull support, but I think after todays showing they know that if they were to do so, they would lose what will be the larger console market going forward.

[maniacmayhem]

I hear ya, but I don't think EA or Ubisoft would ever pull support from the PS brand.

Playstation is still a major player in the homes of many families across the world and 3rd parties like EA/Ubi need all the exposure they can get with their overblown budgeted games.

[Hicken]

For them to have been so unclear, it's odd how many people saw it clearly.

The only folks who didn't were... imagine that: folks who tend to troll Sony in the first place.

[maniacmayhem]

Not really, the only folks who saw it were the blind that are lead by leashes strapped to companies they claim loyalty too.

But good on them that they were actually right this time.

[00]

just look at Tretton's smile in the video, they're laughing at MS stupidity just like everyone else.

[sashimi]

this >> http://i.imgur.com/uiAGREj....

[tarbis]

oh they're so modest. I'm sure they're smiling from ear to ear right now. XD

[RandomDude655]

The slides used looked like slides from Cerny's presentation. Maybe it was pulled to be used later or the same intern made both.

[Nicaragua]

Or maybe they just have a branded theme they use for all presentations to give things a uniform image.

[asiatico]

They need to have a south park episode about this. Where cartman is pissed of at the xbox one and he goes on a mission to change microsofts plans. LOL

[Jeff257]

The sheer amount of 1st party studios that Sony has held on to or acquired over the years already spoke volumes of their commitment to gamers. But it's great that they had a plan from day one and have stuck to it. Now it isn't so much Sony stabbing Microsoft as it was Microsoft shooting themselves in the foot.

Also Sony really did turn the PS3 around and it truly was a marathon for them. Not just a sprint. But they are taking that momentum and throwing it behind the PS4. Yes they showed a lot of multiplats today but they have all the studios working hard on 1st party exclusives. I am truly excited for the PS4 and will be getting one on day one. Until then I still have some PS3 games to look forward to including The Last Of Us. I can't wait to get it on Friday and really dig into it.

[wenaldy]

Good news, PS4 is a free region folks!!!

[Gildarts]

And why should we care?

[WitWolfy]

It means we can play imported games numbnuts! Wherever it is NTSc or PAL we can play it!

[Campy da Camper]

Jesus, that means you can buy a game from anywhere in the world and it will play on your system!

[hesido]

I had thought Sony bent under publisher pressure and was going to pull a DRM on us... But I should have guessed better: They wouldn't announce such DRM after tweeting things along the lines of "We really like how passionate Playstation fans are"... It would be a big middle finger to the fans after speaking like that.

[Parapraxis]

Yet,MS didn't hesitate to give the finger to their fans.
They really thought Sony was on the same path.
I kinda feel bad for them tbh, surely they didn't come up with all this anti-consumer stuff by themselves?

[bluetoto]

wait, when hasn't MS given the middle finger to it's fans?

They seem to love it, hope they stay the course and continue down this path, current MS fans deserve what they get in the future.

No one is forcing current MS fans to cut off their nose to spite their face, they seem to relish it. Can't wait till they receive their comeuppance...quite petty of me I know it, but after all the BS they've brought to the industry, I just don't care.

[hollabox]

MS is trying to do way too much with Kinect. Their conference was kinda weak filled with technical problems with audio. Decent amount of games shown but not the heavy hitters, and of course Mattrick, he's the American version of Nintendo's Satoru Iwata. Don Mattrick is a grown man with an child's mind running MS gaming division.

As predicted they are copying Nintendo to a T trying to focus on a mobile dominated casual market with slightly overpriced hardware. The hardware is decent from what has been released but by all reports it will be 1 third slower than the PS4 (1.23 TFLOP to 1.86 TFLOP, which is about a third, I know where people get 50 percent from).

If I was MS I would drop the Kinect device, knock $100 and get rid of this ridiculous used games policies. I don't mind always connected, I think of the last time my consoles were not connected to the internet had to be have been in the 90's. MS used games policy and price is going to bury MS in the first year. Bring back Seamus Blackley and Ed Fries, those guys knew how to design hardware and excite gamers.

[Gildarts]

Kinect being bundled is a good thing for developers.

[Angeljuice]

@hollabox

Xbox 1.23 + 50% = PS4 1.86 TFlop

PS4 1.86 - 33% = Xbox 1.23 TFlop

Both figures are correct, it just depends on which machine you start the comparison with.

The PS4 is 50% more powerful than the Xbox, the Xbox is 33% less powerful than PS4.

[cell989]

I still hate Polygon tho

[cell989]

Anyway, thank you Sony for not breaking under pressure, you stood up against DRM just like Nintendo, and took the gamers side, in return we gamers will gladly support your console. Thank you for helping us win this war against publishers, at least for one more generation of consoles, if xbots support the xbone DRM will be more probable for everyone next time around, just like free online play is now gone, all because xbots made it seem like it was perfectly fine to pay for online play.

[Gildarts]

You can't get everything free man there are costs they have to pay. If they would not have charged for online play and keep giving away free games nextgen they'd go bankrupt.

[Bhuahahaha]

ok wheres the guy ("He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Name d") that always says he's possibly sure sony's ps4 will have drm too like xbone"

[Grimhammer00]

Question.....is ps3 mp online still free?
I ask because the wording in the presentation said is free to play.

Not that it matters. Because at this point I'd happily pay to play with Sony. Just due to the DRM beat down.

But I hope it's still free of course.

[Virtual_Reality]

PS3 and PS Vita still is F2P online.

[Grimhammer00]

Lets deduce wtf happen with MS. They are a publisher. They had a hackers dream in 360.
360 was also RROD & jtagged so much that many units sold were replacement units.

So there's motivation.

Add pubs.....surely they were pushing for DRM right?

But this Sony presentation made me wonder - what if Sony got to them first and asked say EA & Actibitch to play along with MS aweful policy. Then Sony got back its place as hero of gamers.

I love the outcome.....but how could MS get it do wrong unless they were assured they had the support of the publishers?

Maybe the pubs after the backlash aborted and Sony either found out or was truly going this way anyways.

I just can't see how MS can get itself out of this without looking like total copy car horrid asshats!

[Gildarts]

Sony copied many things from Xbox too.

[MRMagoo123]

What i want to know is where is Elite24gamer didnt he say he had an insider that told him M$ had some huuuuuuuuuuge news that would blow away the world and that sony where def having DRM, i want to see what he says now

[Parapraxis]

http://n4g.com/user/comment...
He's too busy trying to justify the price difference.
It's really funny actually.

[Gildarts]

Uhm actually Kinect 2 and Smart TV features does justify the price. we get more bang for our buck.

[Angeljuice]

If they had thrown in a hat-stand and a mini-fridge, they could have justified an even higher price /s.

[madjedi]

"Uhm actually Kinect 2 and Smart TV features does justify the price. we get more bang for our buck."

No it justifies it for you for many others it is a waste of resources, that could be better spent on a better gpu ect.

Your competition is more powerful, cheaper and more consumer friendly than you. It shouldn't be possible to screw up a console as badly as this one has turned out.

If the xbone didn't have all these anti-consumer restrictions, you wouldn't see the ms brand being abandon like it currently appears xbox gamers are doing.

I have a smart tv, i don't use the apps, why the fuck would i buy a game console for apps.

When 8-10 yr xbox live members write the console off your in serious trouble.

[OrionNoctis]

MS will always try to make profit from others work...
Hope Sega comes back and that MS Gaming division ends , imagine what gaming and ownership would become in the future if Xbone was to be successful...

[Redrever]

SONY came out swinging the big guns.

http://tinyurl.com/n3msw8c

[hazelamy]

i don't care when they made the right choice, i just care that they made it.

i just hope the PS4 is a huge success and shows that respecting the customer is the best way of being successful.

i'll be doing my bit by buying one.

[WitWolfy]

And the best is at least the PS4 looks slick and sexy!

[InTheLab]

Anyone else bummed they Didn't show off Death Ray Manta for the PS4? Oh well. Another Xbone exclusive, I guess...