Xbox 720: Why Microsoft Has Nothing to Fear from Sony

"We’ve heard it a million times by now. With Adam Orth’s comments not exactly helping the case for secrecy – and which earned him a ticket out – it seems the next Xbox, codenamed Durango and which will probably be called the Xbox 720, will be always-online."

[dedicatedtogamers]

It's arrogant to claim Company X has nothing to fear from Company Y. Prior to 2006, everyone was anticipating the 360 and PS3 duking it out while the Wii repeated the Gamecube's failure.

Microsoft has everything to lose this gen. They've failed to push XBox Live into the PC realm. They've failed to capture the majority of the Wii audience via Kinect. And by cutting back on exclusives, they're beginning to lose face with the hardcore community as well.

[Yi-Long]

... they've certainly lost me.

I was (still am) a big fan of the original Xbox, and for years, I loved my 360.

Until they stopped focussing on MY needs as a gamer, and focussed on dashboard apps and Kinect instead.

I never had a PS1 or PS2, but the last few years it's been Sony who has picked up the ball that MS dropped, and they ran with it. Big time. With a big focus still on GAMES, and offering a HUGE value-for-money with their PSN+ deal, which just makes XBL Gold seems greedy and poor value.

I buy a console for games first, and everything else just comes second. It seems Microsoft is more interested in trying to conquer the livingroom of non-gamers, and they've neglected the needs of those who just want a console to play games.

XBLA has been absolutely fantastic, especially the last few years, but that's pretty much the only thing that has been great for the 360.

The only way I'll even consider buying a next-gen Xbox, is if it offers backwards compatibility out of the box, so I have a back-up for my 360 and XBLA games. But I doubt it.

PS4 will be pretty much a day 1 buy for me. Sony has really won me over these last few years.

[Droid Control]

Yi-Long said: I agree.... MS has everything to lose...
... they've certainly lost me.

I was (still am) a big fan of the original Xbox, and for years, I loved my 360.

Until they stopped focussing on MY needs as a gamer, and focussed on dashboard apps and Kinect instead.

^ Same here. They lost me and all my friends. We moved back to Sony.

[AsimLeonheart]

MS was on top this gen when it came to hardcore gamers but it soon became complacent. I dont know why this happens to everyone that reaches the top. First it was Sony and now it seems like it is going to be MS. Then again, the one on top has only one way left to go and that is downwards. So it is probably a natural order of things.

[thechosenone]

Well it must have something to fear otherwise you wouldn't have gone to all this trouble.

[gaffyh]

Every time someone says they never had PS2, I feel sad that they didn't experience one of the best consoles of all time.

[koolaid251]

Microsoft has way more money that Sony. The Sony Playstation 3 just started to make money last year.

[CEOSteveBallmer]

So have you played PS3 games? the exclusive ones? you said you dont have a PSone and PS2. both of those era is one of the best in games.

[SDF Repellent]

Of course MS has nothing to worry about, they will have a system that do gaming, Cable TV, Skype, Live Arcade games cross-compatible between xbox, smart phones, tablets, and PCs. It will also have cross-platform gaming with PC (hint, remember a few weeks back on the partnership deal with EA?; cross-platform gaming between next box and PC that will run on EA server, Battlefield..here we come!) Backward compatibility of all xbox 360 retail games and Live arcade gaming tying in with the player's gamer tag. Original xbox TV original programming (rumors of Heroes from NBC being discussed). Lastly, new IPs core games from Black Tusk studios and a few others are currently being developed and Rare has 4 teams working on 4 new projects with at least 2 of them being rumored to be in old favorites from Perfect Dark, Killer Instinct, or Conker. Lastly, MS has the $$$ to make the new Xbox a success and will adopt to changes if necessary. My $600 is in my bank reserved for the launch of the new xbox!

[AlexTheAlex]

i peed my pants

[Psn800]

You can not say that when the product has yet to be revealed your knit picking and very biased , when the product has been revealed you can then comment on the product until then you can only speculate because that is all your doing .

[Freak of Nature]

So you will only consider buying a next-gen Xbox if it offers backwards compatibility out of the box. Does that go for PS4 too?

[sikbeta]

Xbox 360 = 7th Gen Winner!

[thegood33]

I'm proud to say I'm still a fan of the Xbox, and am looking forward to the next system.

[Monkeycan8]

You never had a PS2?? ohh.. My heart... I feel so sorry for you. Not even joking. that hurt.

[majiebeast]

@Koolaid

I think the Koolaid is going to your head. What does any of that have to do with this?

[g2gshow]

only a fool think's this way any competitor is a problem sony thought the same of microsoft to a point (if a kid go's to punches u in the nut's i'm sure you wont be afraid of the kid but you'll be worry about it)

[UnholyLight]

Actually you see this a lot in many different companies outside of games and tech. Car manufacturers are one example, some don't even bother to be worried about their most direct competitors. GM for example didn't do much updating to their trucks over the last 6 years other than expected powertrain upgrades and didn't focus on it's most direct competitor Ford F150 and how the F150 was being created into a much better truck.

^^Seemed to have worked for GM, they still consistently sell the most trucks when Chevy/GMC sales are combined.

This is applicable to Microsoft in a way, look at how well they have done for supposedly being so much more inferior to your beloved Sony...Yet Sony barely managed to outsell them this gen according to some sales data. Playstation has all these "amazing exclusives" so you say, yet they all sell at much lower volumes and if they were system movers the Playstation 3 should have much higher sales rates than the Xbox 360.

FACTS IN THE NUMBERS PEOPLE

[MysticStrummer]

"Playstation has all these "amazing exclusives" so you say, yet they all sell at much lower volumes and if they were system movers the Playstation 3 should have much higher sales rates than the Xbox 360.

FACTS IN THE NUMBERS PEOPLE"

PS3 hit 70 million sold a year faster than 360.

The facts are indeed in the numbers, so why do you ignore them?

[loulou]

mystic strummer. the facts are indeed in the numbers.

sony went from selling 20m a year ps2s, to around 12 - 13m a year ps3s.

whereas m$ went from 5 - 6m a year xboxes to around 10 - 12m a year 360s. yep the numbers dont lie.

firstly, who do you think is the most pleased with their perfomance this gen? $ony or m$?

secondly who honestly didn't think that m$ would be crushed within 2 years??

[UnholyLight]

@MysticStrummer

Learn to read!! I just told you that I agreed that the PS3 has outsold the Xbox 360 by a slight margin. If Sony's many exclusives and console were so far superior...this shouldn't even be a conversation. The PS3 should have outsold the Xbox 360 by a very large margin based on those statements.

It hasn't, and when the PS3 first came out it was the cheapest Blu Ray player for over a year and many people buy it for that, as well as to watch Netflix. Obviously not as much the case with the Xbox 360.

FACTS IN THE NUMBERS (Again) PEOPLE.

Microsoft has everyone reason to be extremely pleased with the Xbox 360's sales as @LouLou broke down for you.

[Aceman18]

They lost me as the 360 will be the last console i buy from them. i loved the original xbox, but the need to try and be a cable service when i already have cable.

their focus on apps, apps, apps and charging to play online when im already paying my cable company to do that is just a no go for me. plus they severely lack the variety i look for in my exclusives, and exclusives is the reason i buy consoles.

[Count]

Microsoft has consistently gained foot. I expect this gen to be no different. Stop acting as if they're going to fail when nothing in their past has suggested that shift in direction.

Yes sure, some of the shit they tried to market weren't so successful. But so what. what about the PS Move? Was that successful? No.

I mean, it's not like Sony is any different in this matter. But nobody ever complains about that.

Also, the ''hardcore community''? Again with this stuff? There is no such thing as a ''hardcore'' gamer. Stop being a bunch of pathetic, elitist twats. Seriously. I've been gaming since fucking Genesis and I don't see the need of me going around telling people they're a bunch of consoles kiddies for it.

We're all just gamers. Yes, some have been playing for longer, others for less. Some of us prefer different types of games than others. And yes there are some of us that are so addicted to games that we don't exactly have a social life.

That doesn't mean that we are any more or less of a gamer. In fact, it doesn't even work. Because what defines a hardcore gamer any way? How many games they play? How long they've been playing? What types of games they like?

You ask anyone and the god damn answer will be varied. Do you know why? Because it doesn't exist. It's a silly category you created and put yourself into because you want to believe that you are in a higher class of gamer than other people.

Why do you even need that?

[dedicatedtogamers]

" Stop acting as if they're going to fail when nothing in their past has suggested that shift in direction. "

Zune, Surface, Games for Windows Live, Windows ME and Vista, and PlayForSure are just a few failures. And Microsoft has already made a shift in direction: they're moving away from gaming and focusing on media streaming.

When I say "hardcore community" I simply meant the fanbase that built up the 360's sales in the first place. After all, it is very easy to see the games 360 USED to focus on compared to the games it focuses on nowadays.

[CEOSteveBallmer]

Uhm they lost billions to the original xbox because of the PS2. And PS2 is one of the reasons dreamcast died. But early this gen I admit they are above sony for the first one to have a good online service xbox live, a lot of third party games and their great exclusives. but when 2009 came they lost it. Sony turned the tables. Name me one company that almost lost so much in the first 3 years, bad marketing, very expensive console, few games and yet they got back up again and won many gamers hearts. I guess i dont need any evidence as there are xbox 360 gamers who's comments here suggest that microsoft is losing it. And yes there is a hardcore gamer. all the console games like mass effect, uncharted, gears, COD, JRPGS like tales series, dark souls, even mario, legend of zelda are "Core" games. let your grandpa or grandma play this games and they will say, "Its too complex" for me to play. That defines a core gamer. But if you let your old folks play angry birds, fruit ninja, temple run they will say, hey this is pretty good, I can get the hang of this. That is casual games. Games that are not complex for everyone to play. I tried to let my mom and aunt play todays console games and they dont know what to do. So they play on tablets and smartphones because it has casual games. So now you know

[strickers]

they've been outsold every year but 1 by ps3. Usually by about 2 million . That was with a 12/16:month launch advantage .

[nukeitall]

@dedicatedtogamers:

"Zune, Surface, Games for Windows Live, Windows ME and Vista, and PlayForSure are just a few failures. And Microsoft has already made a shift in direction: they're moving away from gaming and focusing on media streaming."

Yup, every company will have a few bad apples. The bigger the company, the more failed products you will find.

That is no surprise, and obvious. What you should ask are what are the winners?

Xbox is definitely one of the winners, and it might get even bigger soon.

[VoiceMale]

its rather hard for to grasp ur opinion when it contradicts itself....u calim Ms has everything to lose but u go on to say how they really have nothing cause they fail to get xbox live into pc realm dont have the casual market from the wii audience and is losing their hardcore market for lack of exclusive!!!!

that opinion lacks logic cause ur premises dont follow ur conclusion , i cant really extract anything from it that makes it solid or valid...cause i would assume u would mean that a company that doesn't have much like ur comment suggest then they wouldn't have much to lose or have more to gain!!!!

either way in terms of most to lose it has to be the WIIu and who has the most to gain would be SONY based on their financial position last gen...the wild card is MS, they have the most to prove majorly because of all the negative clouds caused by rumors and scrutiny of the media...

with the author suggesting that MS has nothing to fear is just his opinion based on judgement...until what Ms has to offer is revealed ,then the poker game has not yet begun for the final player isnt at the table as yet,MS.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

Your first pargraph made sense but you second one had no relation to your first paragraph?

"Microsoft has everything to lose this gen"

Sure they do. But they are at a high advantage this gen and the Most profitable when compared to Sony this gen. gather 77million sales WW.

"They've failed to push XBox Live into the PC realm."

What does that have to do with anything? Nothing, nothing at all. 46million members strong and MS still has PC indie ports releasing on its console.

"They've failed to capture the majority of the Wii audience via Kinect."

Now your just making excuses. MS did what they said they were gonna do and have capture none gamers with Kinect. You, nor I know if MS was successful in "capturing the Wii audience." But they have capture a new none gaming audience. Besides they've outsold Wii in the UK.

"And by cutting back on exclusives, they're beginning to lose face with the hardcore community as well."

I have no idea how many times I have to explain this to people.

Its what I've been preaching for months now. MS has waaay more teams/support working on the 720. its unfortunate 360 got caught in the middle of MS internal development and growth going into next gen therefor MS couldn't "multitasks" as well with the 360 near the end of its cycle.

MS is trying to releasing apps, while making casual games and developing hardcore titles. Now Obviously that last one wasn't possible with MS because allot of the devs were hard at work with the 720 the past 2 or 3 of years.

To keep this short and sweet MS has more teams and support with the 720 then they ever did with the 360. Hardcore exclusive titles will be at E3 supporting the 720.

I liked your first paragraph but your second paragraph was just the usual complaints and the usual excuses.

I'm not speaking on behalf of this article but your comment.

EDIT: Im a go ahead and just say this. In the real world, when the internet is off, Sony has WAAY more to lose than MS.

[UnholyLight]

Well just think, maybe they're saying they have nothing to fear because, they too, have a similar vision of the future of gaming. These consoles are supposedly gonna be a lot more alike this time around than they ever were.

Maybe that's why. Microsoft knows they took it easy the last couple years and I believe this was to focus all resources towards the launch and post launch (lets say 1-1.5years post launch). That's why I think we haven't seen many exclusives late in this gen, aside from the typical exclusives, I think Microsoft wanted to make sure they didn't start new IP's and have them on #4 by the time theyre only 3 years through the consoles life cycle.

Just my take on it though. We'll see what actually happens.

[OrbitalBT]

I can recall there was an article a while back in which sony had said the same, http://www.lazygamer.net/xb...

and nobody had a problem with them saying that. but when Microsoft says it the comments they receive is "ARROGANCE!".... just for feeling confident.

you know what's true arrogance, 200 articles of anti xbox 720 material and believing in all of it expecting the company has nothing to show.

there's too much negativity towards the xbox brand and towards Microsoft.

[kenshiro100]

I think both companies shouldn't underestimate each other.

[Godz Kastro]

U are shooting from the hip. Give us numbers and sources to back them up :/

[sinjonezp]

When they released reports showing that more people were entertaining themselves with apps over games, that is when the problem started. Yes they had halo 4, yes they had 2 forza releases, and the last GOW, but that is pretty much it; not developing exclusive game content while promoting Kinect and applications. Xbox lost me because of the lack of original game content. Microsoft want to implement a box that is for multimedia first and gaming second. While that is there strategy, I am a gamer and want new IP's and if the reveal only shows the next iteration a halo, gow, and forza, and a big segment on Kinect and apps are only in display, I may have to pass on the nextbox. We all here hope that Microsoft come out swinging with games, a service that can match sony's playatation plus; if not, they should be very concerned as this new generation moves forward. Thoughts from a true gamer.

[showtimefolks]

dedicatedtogamers

unless i see a lot of games MS has already lost me, bought xbox360 at launch(no RROD for me personally) and for firsat 3-4 years everything was about core gamers and their slogans were we are the system for gamers

than wii happened and than kinect happened to a point where all we got were same 2-3 game franchises while we got plenty of crappy kinect titles

so like last ge MS has to earn my business and if they show a app to order pizza than best of luck talk about games

i hate the fact a lot of these newer systems people want these systems to do everything but play games, exclusives matter now more than ever before. Era of 3rd party exclusives are Dead so now most 3rd party games will be out on all systems and look about the same so the difference make has t be the exclusive offering of a system

last gen came in with a lot of arrogance and they struggled i hope MS learned something from how sony fell to how they reached the top again, and guess what made the comeback possible for sony? GREAT EXCLUSIVE GAMES

[TBONEJF]

if MS next XBOX CONSOLE gets delayed NOW THEY WILL HAVE something too FEAR against the PS4.

[malokevi]

Clearly You've never had some good time with Xbox Live. Heres a fun fact: it makes PS Online look like a worthless toy.

Check that.

MS fears nothing. Their Box will rock, and people will buy it because of that. Thats all their is to it.

PS4 will be great as well, doesnt mean Xbox wont be great too. judging by the agrees/disagrees, most of you have got your heads up your ass so far that you can't see the bigger picture.

We're all in for a good time, so who the hell cares? chumps.

Yea, that means you, kid sitting at his computer suffering critical teen angst and slamming his finger on the left cursor every time he sees the word "disagree"

... ;)

[imahustla19]

i cant stand all this bullshit n e more lets all drop this stupid shit and just wait.none of this matters till it happens.

[VoiceMale]

very good point and i totally agree with u but remember these are opinion pieces so have to take it for what it is, an opinion....but yea i do agree that these opinion pieces value is 0 until we actually have all the facts about each console in place.

[Godz Kastro]

I cant believe a call for peace got disagrees. Guys if you want to discuss a particular console just go to a site that covers said console exclusively.

[imahustla19]

Thank you!

[malokevi]

It would be kudos and credit to the N4G community if everyone would agree to kill the flame war.

Nobody stands to lose, regardless of the outcome. Its a win-win!

[SnakeCQC]

gaming bolt is such a crappy site

[gameseveryday]

I know, I am going to probably get a lot of disagrees, but did you even read the article?

It does make one very valid point about sales. Xbox 360 has been the top selling hardware for 27 straight months in the USA.

Microsoft are targeting the American audience this time around and they already know that most of them are online. So atleast, in the USA, they need not fear Sony.

The article is about Microsoft targeting the right market, the one they already know about.

[SnakeCQC]

well i think many feel that sony gives more to their consumers free online is the reason many of my freinds jumped ship and ms charging for something like that shows their mindset.

Ps arent you the admin of gaming bolt?

[noctis_lumia]

USA doesnt meam the whole world
ps3 outsells the 360 worlwide and surpassed the 360

the 360 enjoy the third place now.

[Aceman18]

Im a US citizen and i don't pay to play online so Microsoft is not targeting me.

[grimmweisse]

If you honestly think they have nothing to fear in the states then you're sorely misguided. Just because they are selling more in the states doesn't mean their competitors are far behind. Being complacent is never a good thing!

[koolaid251]

So your friends are broke and can't afford to pay a measly $50 a year? SMH

[Gamer-40]

"Microsoft Has Nothing to Fear from Sony"

Absolutely true, absolutely.

The Xbox brand, and new Xbox very-very strong competition for Ps brand.

Microsoft not Sega and Nintendo.

[cyberninja]

"Microsoft not Sega and Nintendo "

Exactly :Sega and Nintendo are gaming companies at heart.

[fsfsxii]

I wish that sega would comeback and MS would get out of the console manufacture

[DEATHSTROKE-cro-]

PS4 has free online, PS+, more exclusives, Gaikai stuff, bigger dualshock (what some gamers wanted), share button, 8GB fast RAM, great social features, playing all PS4 games on Vita...
and the consoles are releasing at the same time.
there's no 1 year advantage like X360 had.
so, I think it will be interesting to see which sells more.

[IGW_Fobia]

Unless I am missing something, on top of @Aad3rs78's point of Gaikai not being free, we still have no word on the online portion of the PS4 if it will be free or not.

You would hope that Sony would keep a good thing going and keep it free, but they are missing out on a TON of money. Just think...Microsoft revealed that there are 46 million Xbox Live accounts. [Source: http://www.gameinformer.com... Let's just say that half of that number is an Xbox Live subscriber, so 23 million. If everyone of those Xbox Live subscribers has a Gold account, so then 23 million x $50 = $1,000,000,000 - and that is just from the money that Xbox Live users pay to be on there, just think how much additional money they receive from all the companies that have ads on their system as well.

I sure hope that Sony keeps their base online features free on the PS4, just as on the PS3, but I cannot blame them at all for charging something for it either.

Of course my math is a little wrong as not all of those 46mil are within the US and the prices vary from country to country on the membership, but its an idea.

[koolaid251]

You get what you pay for My mother always said that. I don't mind paying $50 a year for a premium service. Who cares that sony has put a Facebook share button on there controller? I don't. The Vita sucks the original PSP has sold more in the first month than the Vita has sold to date. Nintendo is kicking Sony's azz when it comes to handhelds.

[TKCMuzzer]

I'm not sure whether your making a valid point or using it as an opportunity to have a dig at Sony.

You get what you pay for is all well and good as long as you know what your paying for.

[MysticStrummer]

With XBL you get what you pay extra for, since you have to pay extra to use part of a game you already paid for.

Such a deal!

[Knushwood Butt]

r u butthurt?

[AllroundGamer]

Do not fear, Steve Ballmer is here! :)

[Twignberries]

I've got two words:

NAUGHTY DOG.

Microsoft aint got shit.

[grimmweisse]

So true. MS better pull out some new IPs for the Nextbox. I don't think relying on just another Halo, Forza or Gears will be enough. They need more variety! And kinect games don't count if they plan on attracting core gamers!

[titletownrelo]

Its also coming out for x-box. but still, successful Playstation exclusives are far more numerous and creative than most successful xbox exclusives.

[kickerz]

why can you say "microsoft aint got shit" on a microsoft related article and not get marked as trolling? this site is a joke. just like all you microsoft bashes. I got an idea how about we just enjoy gaming?

[Hicken]

The article's title is "Microsoft has nothing to fear," and he responds with "Naughty Dog."

Legitimate response, is it not?

He goes on further to say "Microsoft ain't got shit," implying that they have nothing to counter Naughty Dog.

Is that debatable? Many, MANY people cite the lack of recent first party exclusives as a concern when talking about the Xbox brand. Naughty Dog is arguably one of the best developers this generation(to say nothing of their success in previous gens); who, under Microsoft's umbrella, would be comparable?

[kickerz]

well now that i look at it, Naughty Dog is a Legitmate response... pretty silly article really.
"microsoft aint got shit" is definately debatable though.just a quick wiki seach shows this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...
Black Tusk Studios may very well be comparable. we just have to wait and see at this years E3 :)

[Neko_Mega]

They don't need to fear Sony, because Xbox 720 is a HD cable box. Not a gaming system, at least thats what it sounds like so far. Yeah it might be able to play game, but that might not be their sale point now.

[mrmancs]

microsoft should stick to making tablet/laptop that no one wants,so get real rashid, sony have nothing to fear from microsoft... Especially when it comes to games.

[JeepGamer]

Sure, they've nothing to fear from Sony.

Microsoft only launched a year sooner and then got a huge advantage when Sony screwed up the PS3 launch...

And they still finished this generation last place.

[Jek_Porkins]

Actually they are technically 2nd place according to their own numbers and everywhere else except one source that pulled numbers out of their butt.

I hear what you are saying though, but when you consider that Microsoft had virtually no marketshare with the original Xbox, and they've tripled sales with the Xbox 360 and are number one in England and about to be in the USA, it's quite a feat.

Microsoft and Nintendo both went up in sales from the previous generation, Sony did not.

[Jaqen_Hghar]

Why does everyone bring that up? Previous gen sales have nothing to do with current gen sales. A man doesn't see someone walking in to a store and saying "hmmm this console costs less and has COD which is all I want to play, but this one has a different name. I think I'll get the latter." It doesn't work that way unless you're Apple. The slate is wiped clean each gen. People just seem to think that way now because PS dominated 2 gens in a row. Remember that there was no PS before PS1 and it sold 100m (first console ever to do so). So that throws the "momentum" argument out the window since they had literally NO momentum having 0 sales the previous gen.

[JeepGamer]

Okay we'll say you're right. That simply means that instead of finishing 3rd in spite of having every advantage in the world they finished just barely ahead of 3rd in spite of having every advantage in the world.

That makes it better. Really.

[MysticStrummer]

Previous gen sales and market shares have nothing to do with anything. Just ask Sony.

XBox sold so little, 360 pretty much had nowhere to go but up.

PS2 sold so many, PS3 pretty much had nowhere to go but down.

MS has nothing to fear from Sony next gen, just like Sony had nothing to fear from MS at the start of this gen. How did that lack of fear work out for Sony? MS had better not go into next gen with the same no fear attitude that Sony had at the beginning of this one.

[Jek_Porkins]

I don't think they are afraid, which probably explains why they stayed on course with their reveal on their own terms, but I'm sure they realize Sony is their biggest competition and will try to match and outdue them at every chance they get.

One way would to be showing off the actual console, a lot of Microsoft people from Major Nelson to Aaron Greenberg kind of poked fun of the Sony reveal with no actual console, so if they show their console, that would be one way to one up Sony, it would also kind of show they aren't afraid to show what they have as a design and are actually proud of it.

[Jaqen_Hghar]

Except they moved the date from April to May so they didn't exactly stay on course.

@below
A man believes that was the same rumor that pegged this EXACT date as well. Maybe MS didn't want Sony to counter before E3 so they moved it really close?

[Jek_Porkins]

You mean the rumor that they were originally going to have something in April? There isn't really a way to confirm it, they could have had May as their target all along.

In fact if they did push it back, it proves all the more that they aren't really afraid of what the competition is doing and it makes a statement that they wont be rushed or goaded into making an announcement over false rumors.

It's all a strategy, Sony didn't show the console because they wanted to wait for E3, Microsoft can trump the PS4 reveal by showing the next Xbox itself and showing the interface.

Then it'll be on to E3, and that is where games come into play.

[greenpowerz]

You're talking about a rumored reveal date that was pushed back. In recent rumors it was said MSFT pushed it back because they seen little Sony offered that posed a threat and another one said it was also pushed back because MSFT had some things they had to polish up with the hardware so they could show the console at the reveal.

Most media that had sources that leaked info about always online corrected and updated their info when more was understood about the new xbox hardware with new info. Other sources with the same info that first reported about always online stated the xbox mini is what gave birth to the rumors about online.

Gamingbolt is one of the worst pro Sony sites ever. What they wrote was an excuse to get as many people as possible to see them talk about negative rumors.

They're right about MSFT not fearing Sony in a *console reveal context* that is, because Sony seemed to talk about half baked ideas and services and showed no hardware plus MSFT's offerings and ideas might be light years beyond Sony's.

One guy decides to keep spreading the misinformation and pro Sony media and fanboys go crazy like nothing ever new happened

[SatanSki]

Ballmer looks naughty enough ;-)
EDIT: Sorry, wrong place ;-/

[jimbobbeers]

Worth mentioning, the US & UK are the biggest gaming markets in the world, Microsoft are about to become no.1 in the US, and are already no.1 in the UK.

Now ask yourself, why would they fear another company?

[Jaqen_Hghar]

because PS2 dominated US and UK while SNES dominated before then. The slate is wiped clean each gen and a man has seen many people turning against MS the last few years saying they will go Sony next gen. Hasn't run into a single unsatisfied PS gamer either and a man knows a lot of 360 owners (how a man has enjoyed all the Gears and Halos this gen).

@jimbobbeers
Why did you reply to a man like this? A man doesn't disagree with you.

[jimbobbeers]

So, you think Sony went into this gen fearing Microsoft and Nintendo?

Course they didn't. Hence why they were playing catch up for the first few years this gen.

It may be wise to fear the competition, at least that way you won't get left behind.

[IRetrouk]

Who were they playing catch up to? Maybe nintendo? Certanly not microsoft, lets not forget year for year sony sold more consoles than microsoft, at a higher price, a year and a half behind and less games to begin with, like it or not playstation is still a strong name arguably stronger than xbox, even at its worst the playstation has still stayed relevant.

[koolaid251]

The Xbox360 is #1 in the USA!!!

[kingboy]

lol so where's the 8 million lead then,truth is at this point they both fear each other especially when there's heavy stock at play

[jimbobbeers]

Works both ways, you could ask where Sony's 120million lead on Microsoft went this gen?

I'm not getting into that, regardless competition is good and always will be.

[IRetrouk]

There was no lead from last gen, we are talking ps3 v 360, how can you say sony had 120 mill lead think about what you are saying lol

[gigoran]

These fanboy defensive pieces crack me up. They defend the future system tooth and nail, but I am yet to see one say "yes it's always online, and yes the games will stop working when the system is one day forever offline, and that's a good thing". There is no defense against that. Nothing. That is a system killer. Write all the defensive garbage you want, but be a man and admit it. You won't be happy when your games stop working forever. #dealwithit hahahaha

[Jaqen_Hghar]

A man pictures Skeletor saying this and laughs. A man gives you a funny bubble although this was well said as well.

[JetP0619]

A man agrees with you.

[Count]

So, you think they should talk about unconfirmed rumours instead? You know? The very ones you're sick of hearing and whine about in the comment section whenever you see one?

[OC_MurphysLaw]

I stopped reading at "and which will probably be called the Xbox 720".

[BatRastered]

Was going to say the same thing... what a great way to show the ignorance of the article before I even click through. :)

[BlackSharinganX]

arrogance can get you killed, sony have learned from their mistakes and they are hungry, offering the best of different consoles practically, has a great exclusive library, has great features similar to the xbox while adding proper innovative material of their own.
microsoft should be afriad cause if they dont impress they heading heads first to the ground.

[Count]

Sony has barely shown anything. And you're already lauding the next PlayStation as the return of Jesus Christ.

Microsoft isn't afraid because this gen has just started. We'll see a few years down the line how shit is. But even then, I doubt they'd be ''afraid''.

[BlackSharinganX]

"And you're already lauding the next PlayStation as the return of Jesus Christ. "
where am i doing that? you are blind if you think sony's presentation on the ps4 wasnt good and arent playing their cards right, because they are & they have learned. ps4 is offering a lot, which is the reason of the hype.

SO yeah any company should fear others, same thing would of happened if the papers were backwards. Even more their "main" competitor is launching at the same time as they are (if rumors are true), big difference from last gen which they got one year ahead, and still with all the flaws the ps3 has its still selling and its really close to xbox sales if not already passed them.

Its Easy to impress at their conference in may, if they come with good pricing, actual hardcore gaming, new ips instead of milking the trio , it will be pleasing.
But just think if they go full hard on in the kinect department....dear god now that would be a waste of time! just like these last E3 conferences from Microsoft.

at least thats my opinion.

[Max-Zorin]

This pretty much sums up N4G.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[isarai]

They have two massive things to fear actually. For one Sony has built up one hell of a first party team to steadily produce amazing games of fantastic quality, While MS really only has 3-4 exclusive teams left to play. Second MS continues to alienate the Indie crowd and treat them horribly while Sony continues to give them massive support and making it even easier to get their games on the market, the indie market is going to be HUGE next gen, and while Sony has gone above and beyond to open their doors to them, MS has continued to build nothing but a negative track record with these guys.

[Hercules189]

have you seen the indies that are praising microsoft, i think there are more that are happy then disappointed with them

[isarai]

And have you seen the amount of indies saying how much they treated them like shit? not to mention they offer the lowest profit ratio between PC, PS3, and 360.

[dcbronco]

Wash, rinse, repeat.

[Venemox]

I've on been on N4G for a few weeks and I've already started to lose hope in this site.

WHY ARE BIASED, POORLY WRITTEN ARTICLES FEATURED ON THE MAIN PAGE!?

WHY!?

[Count]

The article concerns you? Not the top comments in the article? And like what kind of a community this website has? But the article?

[Venemox]

If I understand you correctly, why the hell would I care about what the community's on that site when the only reason I entered the website in the first place was to read the article..?

[josephayal]

i think the next Xbox is going to be very different from the PS4, nothing to fear

[FrigidDARKNESS]

MS has nothing to fear because Sony really didnt show anything that looked like a leap in graphics and gameplay.

[Majin-vegeta]

- http://www.troll.me/images/...

http://youtu.be/PDfu1mYQXEg

[GodsPerfectK7ng]

I love PS4 and Xbox 720, I am buying both:) A lot of testosterone on this page lol!! People can we all have some amazing debates and phenomenal articles here on N4G not all these angry comments. Where is the LOVE & RESPECT we all deserve!!! TILL ALL ARE ONE!!!!

[VoiceMale]

the reality of this whole thing is ppl love to cheer for the under dog everybody likes seeing the champion or the one on top fall by David hands....right now Goliath is Ms and share the same boat as Activision's CALL OF DUTY IP.

no matter how hard u dislike or hate them they are not gonna just go away cause they render a bad taste in your mouth or preference.the truth is ur in a minority because both are very successful at what they are doing because ,wait for it.......ppl other than u like it, simple as that.they remain profitable, and in the real world of economics this is what keeps a businesses alive.

hate or love it the used to be under dog is on top...and this is all just a wait and see situation for the outcome for next gen.

different preference is what makes us humans so what if i like what u don't like or vice versa....ur no more of a gamer than i am nor more of a human...like what u like cause that is what fits u best ,but don't sit there and tell me what i should like!!!

be happy that u have something that fits ur preferences and go forward with that....fanboyism is the new RACISM to gamers
and it is spreading like crazy..

cant we all just get along??????

[solidworm]

MS will concentrate on the U.S. market, everywhere else it will be destroyed if the rumours are true. Even in the U.S. it might stutter and fail.

[Clarence]

They definitely fear Sony. The PS3 sold more consoles in 7yrs than the 360 sold in 8yrs. Fear is healthy it keeps you on your toes. With next gen around the corner, NA is up for grabs. The PS4 and 720 will go toe to toe in the states.

Japan is pretty much Sony land, and the PS3 came from behind in Europe to overtake the 360.
M$ definitely fears Sony. M$ will need more than NA to win next gen.

[Kidmyst]

MSFT has a lot to fear of Sony. I've gamed primarily on my PS3 because I didn't want to renew my XBL gold to just play online with a couple people. When I pay for Plus and get so much with it, it makes me look at XBL differently. I buy a console for games first and foremost and when I buy one game from a franchise on a console, I like to have the others on the same console. IE: Assassins Creed. MSFT HAS to have free online play and a plus like membership with freebies this gen or I won;t consider a 720.

[Orionsangel]

Hmm...

http://youtu.be/Ns8bG9AbfwM...

[Hayabusa 117]

I'll admit, I haven't read the article but judging by the title, it sounds like a MS fanboy quivering from fear after Sony's unveil who's now gained confidence from the fact that MS has now made an official announcement.

Personally, I'm not convinced yet. MS need to confirm the 720 won't require online to play games, plus they need to actually SHOW some decent games. At the moment I'm leaning towards Sony (despite being a die-hard 360 addict) because I know some the games that are coming out and have seen a lot of promise, where as MS have diddly squat for last couple of years. The only thing MS has going for it for me is Halo, Gears, my friend list and the controller.

Let's hope I have enough reason to buy two consoles next gen :D

[ceed911]

Having 16 million more sales in North America is huge - it just has to be decent to retain the average user.

[BOLO]

WOW! An American company outselling foreign competition with an "American" product in America?! -_- USA does not = world.

[alb1899]

Why you cry so much, MG!?
I was happy with my 360 but they forgot about my needs, cry, cry and more baby cry!
Why I have to pay to play on line, more cry, cry, baby cry!
They focus in Kinect so I'm living to PS4, waaaaay, waaaahhaaay, cry, cry and more baby cry!
It is always on whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!
Kids crying

What happen with you guys, why cry so much for the same reasons?
Stop taking shit because you all have to wait and see what Microsoft has to offer before talk so much garbage!

[Haules]

Microsoft never had really unique ip to beginn with, just look at the wiki page 260 games (m-platformer and halo, forza).. they purchased Rare for 500?$ Dollars for notin! 1 or 2 games they made.. are those still alive and kicking? The only IP i was interested was PGR! ... besides being the leading platfrom in the USA, i bet the diffrence actually is a lot smaller than most believe. The PS2 and Vita out sell the 360 in Nippon for years, its a great market and one you want to have.

I dont need a Box 3 for another crappy Cod;Bfff or MOH and im not sure if Bungie has the spare time to make another Halo for the next console... Destiny being their newest baby, requires much attention.

[BladerunnerZX]

"People that want to hear about multimedia applications don't stay up until 4:00 in the morning to see presentations. We know that the people who were watching were gamers. We know that the people that are the primary purchasers of our boxes are gamers, and that is the audience that we cater to first and foremost."

- Jack Tretton, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America

This is why I support Sony and Playstation over Microsoft and Nintendo.

[lema008]

The NextXbox is going to be $499 and worth every penny. Can't wait for November to come and next gen kicks off. It's going to be awesome! Just think, something like this only happens every 8 years or so.

Can't argue with the facts. Microsoft needs to do better in Japan and certain parts of Europe where Sony has strong support or Sony will have the No. 1 spot. Not that No.2 won't be that far behind in sales and any console company certainly be happy as long as they're making money.

[RealtorMDandDC]

RROD has help Microsoft in the sales department. Because how many of those sales are people re-purchasing a 360 2-3 times? Because it failed on them. When my 360 failed, I just transition over to my PS3 many people felt obligated to continue to purchase or replace their faulty 360 versus purchasing a more expensive console like a PS3...

Sales does not make a great experience, with all the sales figure and 20 months being number one in the States in sales....does not really matter cause where are the games?

How many people are actually playing quality games on Xbox 360?

I hear people saying that the 360 will be BC with the Next Xbox.....just as the original Xbox was BC with the 360.....BC is not happening on the Next Xbox.

I just prefer my PS3 experience over the Xbox 360...this generation...the main reason being, I am still playing quality games.

[UnHoly_One]

"which will probably be called the Xbox 720"

Does anyone really believe this?

I don't think there is a chance in Hell they are going to actually name it that.

I mean, it isn't as dumb as "Wii U", but it's pretty damned dumb.

[Urusernamesucks]

Or as fdr might put it"there is nothing to feah...but feah itself... and another great depression..., and another great war...and Oh GOD MY LEGGS! I CANT FEEL MY LEGS!!! WHY GOD WHY! .

[iNFAMOUZ1]

The naive delusional state of mind is strong in these sony fanboys.

[Automatic79]

As an Xbox gamer I admit the Xbox has dropped less exclusive's in the last 2 years but overall I still prefer to play all games on xbox 360. The system has an excellent interface and all around experience. There is no denying that Microsoft has learned from this generation and it will shake things up in the next generation. They have a lot more developers and they are aiming for big blockbuster experiences.

[ninjahunter]

Lol, I wouldnt fear mindless fanboyism either.
If microsoft announced cod as an exclusive, PS4 wouldnt sell a single unit.

[ErzaScarlet]

MS should be threaten. Cause Sony is back and they're going to steal the show this coming E3 2013. With it's developer friendly machine, PS4.

[supergravity]

Nothing to fear?

[MikeyDucati1]

Everybody has their turn at being the big dog. I really think the crown will go back to Sony this generation. Xbox 360 has been mighty quiet and in that time, people have transitioned over to PS3. Only time will tell. In the end, a monopoly is what we don't want.

[ghostrider32]

The only thing to fear is the fanboys of both the Sony and MS fanbase. They're lunatics. You might need a gun just to go to the midnight launch for either new system.

[TheKayle1]

a year ago i did a post talking about how much the console market need a change...and now im seeing ms moving on that road...

is nice to see how for the sony fans.....a console that point to "do everything" is a console that is moving away from the gaming market while that words was the ads for the ps3 itself (fake words coz no ..dosnt do everything)

the truth is the games on devices like phones and tablets opened an entire world to new users interested in what the gaming world is...ms accepted the challenge and with kinect toke intereste from this ppl.........is gimmick? is stupid? bah i dont know..if it is...but it WORK....
to me is totally ok if they give me millions of apps ..kinect10...skype and cable tvs......this stuff at the same time of AAA titles.........
The sad thing is that ppl (following a non sense theory) think that ms will stop to give us ....gears halo forza..watchdog...ac...gta...b f4 and all the AAA titles we used to see....

ms will have always their exclusives.....ms will have always all the 3rd party AAA games...
u prefeeer sony exclusives? ok ..thats another story...but dont come here and say ms is moving away from the gaming ...

Ms is expanding a world that see console a machine that is good ONLY to play games...
i need to rememeber u ..how much embarassing was the browser of the ps3?..or the missing of it till some months ago on the x360?
i need to remember u that any smarttv,tablet,smartphone out there have more apps than our beloved ps3 x360?
i need to remeber that ps3 havent a fuckin xchat?

well for how much i seen ..sony wake up and is moving on the social aspetct a littl ebit...adding feature like the share button...and i hope the xchat....

ms is taking the challenge to a next lvl
they want cable tvs with exclusive show ..as Heroes...they want high social network integration..they wan w8 ecosystem integration..they want that u can REALLY use any device u already have with the x720 with smartglass...they want that kinect change the way how u could control the console from a sofa...(as samsung and sony r doing too) they want that u continue to play hardcore games....they want that u play games maybe from the w8 store........they want hit the market with a machine that like the old fake ps3 ads....it only does everything...

in this i seen sony more more more conservative..and in opposite of what u could think...the hardcore market...is a low % respect what the real gamers market is....
givin a console that is oriented to games in the 2013 IMHO is something pretty much unaceptable..for me...coz at the end we all know that ms is going to play 90% same games of the ps4...less 3 or 4 proprietary exclusives...

if u aske me i would prefeer all this thing and 2 or 3 exclusives less..coz the truth is ...that i could buy a xbox for every tv i got at home if they deliver something that do ALL that things.....and maybe buy just one ps4 to play that 3 - 4 exclusive that sony produce more than ms

Ms know this....they wanna take over ur living room.....r bored to be jailed in the kiddies room....as sony want continue to do

so no if sony continue to concentrate themself to make ppl trust that ps4 can play only games....ms have nothing to fear from sony

[Geomasonic]

Oh my god! You must be heavily medicated to believe this drivel.