5 Reasons Why YOU Should Be Excited for Sony's Meeting

Love Sony or hate them, their meeting which is set to take place on February 20th @ 6 PM EST/3 PM PST has large implications on the gaming market. Here are five reasons why YOU should be excited and/or intrigued for Sony's meeting.

[GalacticEmpire]

Next gen is here and Sony are making all the noise. Come on MS get your finger out and give us something to get excited about. It seems like they're just giving Sony all the buzz.

[LOGICWINS]

Microsoft doesn't have to do anything until they damn well please. Just like Sony. In fact now they have the advantage of knowing what their up against after the 20th.

[dgonza40]

Even if they do know, they can't change much hardware wise unless they plan on delaying the release or announcement which wold do more harm than good.

[BanBrother]

Logic

At MOST, MS could change some of the software/features of their console. In no way would they be able to change their hardware, not unless they want a mid-year at the earliest release.

So, Sony have nothing to fear. Also, I won both the PS3 and Xbox 360. Even some of my friends on Xbox are getting sick to death of MS. They are very ready to jump ship next-gen, and some have moved onto PS3.

I like many games on PS3 and Xbox, but the fact is there are not enough unique experiences on the Xbox, no way. I'm not trolling, as I said, own both.

I just hope that people will open their eyes. All you have to do is ask yourself this;
Do you want a Kinect and 'app' oriented console, or do you want a console for the core? Easy. Just ask yourself that. At the end of the day, it is YOUR hundreds of dollars being used to purchase either console.

[guitarded77]

I agree, MS doesn't have to make a move on next gen until they want, but they could at least make a move for this gen while we wait. MS is too quiet... at least give us something to enjoy while we wait. Sure, there's Gears Judgement, but that's about it... and it's a spin-off from the main series at that, focusing on support characters.

[LOGICWINS]

What about features, exclusives, online integration, value etc.? There are many other ways besides hardware changes that Microsoft can make to improve upon whatever Sony does on the 20th...if they CHOOSE to that is. Hardware isn't the end all be all of a consoles success(hence the Wii).

"I just hope that people will open their eyes. All you have to do is ask yourself this;
Do you want a Kinect and 'app' oriented console, or do you want a console for the core?"

I don't...but that doesn't mean other people feel the same way.

Kinect sales are at 24 million. Just because we don't like it doesn't mean that there isn't an audience for it out there.

[GalacticEmpire]

I never said they HAD to do anything I just thought that, with Sony hogging the limelight and all the buzz around PS4, MS might want to grab a piece of the action. Seems to me like they're just twidling their thumbs and hoping people don't get too caught up in the excitement.

Is it so surprising to expect something from MS? These are the guys who sailed a giant barge ad past the PS3 launch.

Edit: @below

"You make it sound like some L.A Blood/Crip gang war where both parties MUST immediately react to every grievance the other side has imposed lol."

I'm British and have absolutely no idea what you're on about here :S

Only fanboys would scream "they are just copying or following" or whatever, the fact is MS have a good opportunity to steal some thunder and they're letting it pass.

[LOGICWINS]

"Seems to me like they're just twidling their thumbs and hoping people don't get too caught up in the excitement."

Or maybe their refusing to react because they don't want to put across that everything they do is a counter move against Sony. Thats called being a follower. Why would Microsoft put themselves in that position? They'd look stupid.

You make it sound like some L.A Blood/Crip gang war where both parties MUST immediately react to every grievance the other side has imposed lol.

[MikeMyers]

Microsoft might not change much in the way of design of the hardware but they can change the way they market it. You can bet they are going to be looking closely to what Sony shows on the 20th just like how both Sony and Microsoft looked closely at what the Wii U was going to be and what Nintendo plans on doing going forward.

Some people on here may disagree but all 3 of them actually respect each other. The problem is many of us get caught up in the daily drama from all the headlines, misquotes and interviews taken out of context. Of course some people like to cheer on their team like a sports fan. That's fine but some take it too far.

I'm always excited whenever we get to see new hardware, regardless of who's putting it out there. I like to see them push each other and innovate and come out with new ideas.

[guitarded77]

@ MikeMyers

If by "respect" you mean the relationship a zebra and a lion have, I agree. They definitely observe each other, but even more so, they observe how the market responds to one another.

This can have a negative effect on us gamers when sales trends point toward less core AAA and more casual fluff. I agree with everything you said, and I cannot stand gamers who are more about brand loyalty than gaming in general.

Regardless of what Sony's long term plan is with the PS4, the 20th will be focused on the core gamer because Sony knows that is the early adopter market. We saw Nintendo attempt to focus on the core market when introducing the Wii U, because they know the same thing.

Sony will also show their ease of accessibility by (rumor) moving to an x86 architecture (even though the cell is a better architecture... it just hasn't had the time the x86 has had to build a library of instructions).

For MS, we can pretty much figure the NeXBOX will also have an x86 architecture, so it should get the same third party support as PS4 and vice/versa. So what is going to distinguish them from each other will be marketing, exclusives and features. And each will be watching the other seeing what needs to be done next.

[jocomat9]

i dont think there gonna release the tech specs on the 20th. atleast i wouldn't just yet.

[MikeMyers]

guitarded77,

You brought up something interesting. Do you (not you but Sony and also when Microsoft unveils the next Xbox) market the PS4 to the people you already know will buy the machine or do you try to market it to a broader audience as well? We both know gaming is changing but that doesn't mean we won't still see big games like God of War on the PS4.

Perception is key and so is marketing. Sony could have the best tablet on the market but to try and get consumers to buy it in a world dominated by Apple is a tough go. This is why first impressions of the PS4 might go a long ways.

I'm a little concerned at todays market with the Wii U not selling very well or the Vita. So a good launch is very important. There are games on so many devices now that it's hard to know what the future lies and where the market will go. These systems they make cost lots of money from the ground up in research and development to retail outlets and I'm not sure if the old way of doing business will stand up as well as it used to. What I do know is a lot is riding on the success of the PS4 for Sony as the company tries move forward.

[cannon8800]

If MS decides to change the hardware in the last minute and not do any longevity tests to see if it's good, they might as well sell their console as a conventional oven or maybe a heater. That way you could play halo 5 and heat up some cheese sticks at the same time! :D

[BullyMangler]

thats very sad if you think about it. Whats the advantage of waiting for others to go first?

we are supposed to be unique, not copy cats .

[-Falaut-]

A little bird told me there are other events planned for next week that journalists attending are not allowed to talk about. I have a feeling that these might be from the MS camp.

[lolwithtim]

Totally agree. It's interesting that Sony has all the buzz with rumours and the 20th reveal. Just makes me think will Microsoft just sit there or try to ninja their way in with an announcement around the same time.

[GoldPunch-TR]

Because it is Sony.

[Relientk77]

^ Damn good reason

[DigitalSmoke]

Need no reasons, just look at how PS3's blowing everything out of the water at this point.

Same momentum and on the PS4 and nothing can compete within the core gamer scene.

[JohnnyAkiba]

I need to freeze myself just like Eric Cartman . xD

[clrlite]

Or build a time machine.

[ApolloTheBoss]

FEB. 19th will be the longest day ever.

[BanBrother]

Agreed. I'm supposed to be picking up a refrigerator that day, but CBF. I know I'll be yelled at, but hey, these announcements come once every many years.

You know how people say; "*grabs popcorn*"?
Well, I just loaded up on butter and Caramel popcorn yesterday lol. Looks like I will be bringing it.

[lolwithtim]

For me the reveal is late in the evening. the 19th won't be that bad, the majority of the 20th on the other hand ...

[Gamer-40]

My 5 reasons:

1., Ps4
2., Killzone 4
3., Gran Turismo 6
4., New IP
5., MGS

[Relientk77]

This is like MY Super Bowl, Sony's conference. I NEED it, I WANT it, I will be watching.

[chingy1337]

Agreed, especially since E3 isn't until June.

[Relientk77]

^ Can't wait for that too

[Soldierone]

Even if you are not a fan of PlayStation you should be excited for this. It will show you the direction next generation will go, and will push MS to eventually make their announcement.

I think Sony just got sick of waiting and went "fine, we will go, now make your move!"

[araman]

Man I'm so sick of all these fluff pieces - I want details! Wednesday can't come fast enough.

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

I just wanna see PS4 and kool game trailers. As much as I like Sony I probably wont care about Vita even if they produce a new model.

[Half-Mafia]

I only need 1 reason.

1.Next PlayStation console.

Just putting them words together makes me excited.

[ozzywazzy]

Your dirty talk gave me a full on erection.

[MrMayhem28]

Do we honestly need reasons to be excited.

[chingy1337]

This is a good question actually. However, some people who prefer Microsoft consoles currently and PC (like myself) may need some reasons as to why this is exciting after all. This should not be looked at as bad from a fanboy perspective, this is a peek at the next decade of gaming and everyone should be excited!

[MasterCornholio]

I cant wait to see the first real next gen console.

[IAmTheBest35]

there is no way the ps4 can be considered a next gen console, and the wii u is definitely not a next gen console either. the only next gen console there will be is the next xbox. that is a fact!!

[Nacho_Black]

I'm looking forward to Sony's announcement's whatever they may be.

However, if they do announce a new vita then i'm going to be really f****d off as i only got mine a couple of months ago. (Am loving it by the way)

It wouldn't be the best way to treat the people that helped with the sales of the thing in the first place by bringing a new one out, cheaper with an HDMI port!

[JimmyDanger]

Think of it this way...

If they don't bring a new model out with some of the improvements people who held off on buying (and remember, there's 60 million plus people who bought the psp, and haven't yet, for whatever reason, bought a Vita yet) - stick to the same model, sales continue as they have, maybe with some slight improvement - lets say they improve %10 year on year for the next 3 years - you're still looking at 15 million or so sold by 2016. By which time a lot of devs will have packed up and moved on....

Or - they bring out a new model - sales double - and the install base swells - and you, the early adopter - get more quality games from top devs.

There's not been many handhelds released that haven't undergone upgrades to their appearance and functionality, sometimes in minor ways, sometimes dramatically - gameboy, gameboy mini - lynx, lynx 2 - gba, gba sp, gba micro - ds, dslite, dsi - psp1000 , 2000, 3000, 1000e - it's the nature of the portable market.

It's not a matter of IF there'll be a new model Vita -it's just a question of when.