130°

It's Too Early To Judge Microsoft Xbox One And Sony PlayStation 4

Forbes - These days, negative press is what seems to drive the game “journalism” business. And I use that term lightly, as there seems to be a lot of writing without any real reporting — whether that’s “borrowing” quotes from work others have done and regurgitated them for headline grabs or finding multiple negative angles around a story in an attempt to garner hits from fan boys (a term called nerd baiting).

The Internet and social media have literally made everyone a critic and given everyone a voice, both for good and for bad. Unfortunately, the days of editors and ethics in journalism seems like it’s mostly a thing of the past – much like print.

gamerlive4001d ago

At the end of the day, it's the gamers that will win when it comes to next gen consoles.

BadboyCivic4001d ago

Yeh, but one of the console is not intended for gamers

Arai4001d ago (Edited 4001d ago )

When you look at things from a gaming perspective it's rather easy to judge them both.

While they both have a handful of studios, one has more games output than the other:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum...

It's a gaming machine, all that matters is the games. Everything else is an added bonus but not a necessity.

Gildarts4001d ago (Edited 4001d ago )

They are going to invest a billion dollars in games. What do you mean the Xbox One is not "intended" for gamers?

@Arai

Microsoft has a lot more secret projects and studios then that.

23 game studios, while Sony has 15.

Source: Wikipedia

OT, Very well said. We can make our conclusions after E3. And yes we've been saying "Wait for E3" for years. but this is the first time that Microsoft themselves are coming out and saying it. Even going as far as saying "we will kill Sony at E3". And their game studios grew to 23 in total, that is more then enough evidence.

UNGR4000d ago

Really? It has games on it. It has features, and a few negative implementations. Microsoft hasn't even been very clear on them, they change their mind every two seconds. But give them until E3 at least, this behavior is childish. If we're judging it that harshly from a reveal, how on Earth did the PS3 survive it's launch? Because it turned itself around, and succeeded. We don't know near enough to make the slightest bit of an opinion on this console. I wouldn't be surprised if they played "the good guy card" at E3 and ditched DRM, and used game fees entirely.

ThanatosDMC4000d ago

@Gildarts

How much would be wasted on advertising? Remember how much money was wasted on the piece of crap Kinect?

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4000d ago
miyamoto4001d ago

video game consoles of today evolve be it for better or worse

dedicatedtogamers4001d ago

Why is it too early?

I've had since 2005 to see how Microsoft and Sony handled their last consoles. Are people really so naive to think that if we just "wait 'til E3" or "wait 'til launch" or "wait 'til 18 months after launch" that the system will magically contradict the philosophies we've been seeing Sony and Microsoft follow for years?

FlunkinMonkey4000d ago

Well said.. some people are in complete denial. Past E3's have shown MS to almost entirely forget about their consumers with concerns to games.

Look how Sony are treating their PS3 consumer fan-base compared to MS and 360, even in the leading up to next-gen, its absolutely shocking,

"wait for E3, wait for E3", all you guys seem to want to do is wait, how long have you been waiting? If you're revealing a games console, why aren't you revealing games?

Each to their i own i guess, this is just my opinion after all.. you can play what you want.. I used to own a 360, but sold it for these reasons..

ZodTheRipper4000d ago (Edited 4000d ago )

In the end, gamers probably will come back to Playstation anyway. But one must be very short-sighted and naive to make that mistake in the first place. The 360 had the advantage that it was cheaper and earlier available. But those factors can't the save the One this time.

fermcr4000d ago

At this moment... both the PS4 and X1 suck due their restrictions: no backwards compatibility (disk games and XBLA/PSN games), DRM online for both consoles, allways online (for X1).

Seriously... Next gen isn't looking that great to me.

shuuwai4000d ago

welcome to the world of EA, enjoy your stay.
Overall, I'll get the ps4 first, and I will also get the X1, basic on 3 things, not always online, game block isn't in the console, cam CAN be turn OFF without unplugging the console.(F ms kinect!)

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4000d ago
CustardTrout4001d ago

I agree, though I raged like a mofo at the reveal if I'm honest

elhebbo164001d ago

I hope everything gets cleared up at E3, for the sake of gaming.

True_Samurai4001d ago

They're both are gonna be freaking awesome!

Show all comments (36)
130°

Microsoft's Absurd Antics Have Me Scared For Dishonored And Arkane Lyon's Future

With Arkane Austin no more and Lyon living for who knows how long, the superb Dishonored is in serious danger; Microsoft cannot be trusted.

Relientk771d 2h ago

I love the Dishonored series so much and really want Dishonored 3. Microsoft better not screw this up.

JEECE23h ago

I mean, I think the fans will probably kill Arkane Lyon by cooking up reasons to hate whatever they do next without playing it. I've never seen a game so artificially disliked as Deathloop.

thesoftware73023h ago

Lol, why don't we just say, we are worried about all studios owned by MS now. They will keep closing studios until they have none left ...🙄

Skuletor20h ago

Just merge them all into a single studio, have it churn out a single Call of Duty every year and call it a day, lol.

Barlos20h ago

Don't be scared, you'll be fine.

Skuletor20h ago

It's exputer, fine is one word I would not associate with them.

Profchaos19h ago

I think it's becoming clear based on matt bootys comments there's no future for any IP that can't sell above 10 million within the launch window. But is also a small game that gives them prestige

/S it's beyond a joke right now

Show all comments (10)
290°

Rumored PlayStation May 2024 showcase could happen this week per industry insider

A renowned industry insider has suggested the rumored PlayStation May 2024 showcase featuring Silent Hill 2 could happen this week.

Read Full Story >>
videogamer.com
Petebloodyonion1d 1h ago

Bogus!
Why would Sony do that and how would this benefit them?
1) It would piss off their media partners (IGN, Gamespot, Edge, etc.) since they would have to allocate resources fast to cover the event.
2) Risk of not having great coverage or proper coverage from the various source
3) It could give the impression that they are not confident in their own stuff.
4) They would miss the chance to hype the event losing viewers and losing free marketing time.

Again I'm calling it bogus unless it's a small showcase before the big one or because they want to announce that Hellbalde 2 is also coming on PS5.

SlothLordPootus1d 1h ago

As far as I can remember, they typically give a week heads up for these sorts of things.

Lightning771d ago

I was about to say Sony always gives a week in advance for their show.

VersusDMC1d ago (Edited 1d ago )

Last year it was a weeks notice.

https://blog.playstation.co...

May 17th announcement for may 24th show.

VersusDMC1d ago

Nintendo always tweets that a direct is happening tomorrow but no one cares.

Sony gives a week or days of notice and we get anti sony type fake outrage like this.

But good luck trying trying to get some Sony hate going...

Petebloodyonion23h ago

You just mention it!
Sony gives a week in advance NOT just a couple of days.
So I fail to see what Sony's hate movement I'm trying to start when it's a basic business strategy to not piss off your partners (ask Sega).
And I doubt it's hate to ask how it would benefit Sony in doing so.

thesoftware73023h ago(Edited 23h ago)

@Versus
Huh? What?

Bro you really should relax, if what you read was some kinda negative against Sony.... seriously, is that what you got from the comments?

Bro, he was debunking the rumor, and gave perfectly good reasons why it would be unlikely, and your Nintendo Direct comparison is different, as this is supposed to be a BIG Sony showcase, not a surprise 20 min direct, and Sony 's pattern has been one week.

Slow down warmonger.

VersusDMC22h ago(Edited 22h ago)

@thesoftware730

"1) It would piss off their media partners (IGN, Gamespot, Edge, etc.) since they would have to allocate resources fast to cover the event."

That is implying Sony is preventing them from doing their job properly therefore negatively affecting their business...but i guess that's a reach in your mind?

And it's not like they need that many resources to cover the stream. They just need 3 people to react to the stream live and make some easy articles made up mostly of summaries of Sony provided press releases. They would have enough time to "prepare" if it was announced with one days notice.

Petebloodyonion21h ago

@Versus
" That is implying Sony is preventing them from doing their job properly therefore negatively affecting their business...but i guess that's a reach in your mind"

No, it simply implies that some media all over the world might (keyword MIGHT) not properly cover the event like having proper articles for each game announced, or having a proper preshow. maybe some popular YouTubers won't have time to prepare or simply your local newspaper doing an article on tech and game.

So why would Sony take a chance?
What benefit would that give them?

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 21h ago
Petebloodyonion23h ago

Before I get tons of replies for Sony given a week in advance, my initial comments are related to the notion that the Show could happen this week as the title mentions.
Now to be fair the complete article mentions that Jeff said the Show could happen later in May giving time for Sony to give the normal 7-day notice.

Again not trying to start a negative thing here just thinking that it's bogus that Sony will have a show this week

notachance22h ago

Yeah as much as I’d like to hear what sony’s 1st parties have cooked, it’s not their style to shadow drop a showcase.

Still waiting for ghost of tsushima 2, I’m ready whenever man..

KwietStorm_BLM19h ago

You're assuming media outlets don't know about it.

gold_drake15h ago

i can tell you that no one cares if ign is pissed or not.

watching a livestream and writing stuff aint the world. many habe done that before your god ign.

fr0sty10h ago(Edited 10h ago)

As a former gaming journalist that covered Sony & Nintendo's E3 conferences 3 separate times and was flown out to multiple press events for THQ, Square, and EA, let me inform you of this thing called an "embargo" that journalists are put under... it's very possible that details of this event have been given to the gaming press, but they are not yet allowed to discuss it. In fact, that may be where our leaker got their info...

Petebloodyonion9h ago

Tks for sharing this info :) but let's be honest I doubt that Jeff Grubb would left in the dark due to his notoriety while the rest of Gamespot ppl are in the knowing.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 9h ago
23h ago
Hofstaderman22h ago

Going in with no expectations but likely will see something that resonates with me.

FinalFantasyFanatic12h ago

I hope there's something impressive in there.

DeadlyFire17h ago

Nah they will announce it probably, but it won't happen right away soon though yes.

Show all comments (23)
290°

More Job Losses At Xbox, “There’s More To Come”: Paul Thurrott

Paul Thurrott in a recent episode commented on the on-going Microsoft fiasco hinting at more job losses and that "there's more to come".

Read Full Story >>
spieltimes.com
Sonic18813d ago (Edited 3d ago )

There won't be no more acquiring game publishers from Microsoft in the future . Xbox has to pay Microsoft back. It might take two decades to do that.

sagapo3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

I don’t understand what you’re saying. Xbox IS microsoft so there’s no “paying back “.
And MS gross profit in 2023 was over 140 billion dollars so forget your 2 decades.

Unless you mean the money MS invested in Xbox (acquisitions included) and the time it will take for xbox as a brand to gain that money back on it’s own, then yeah, that could take a while.

romulus232d ago

The better term to use might be return on investment, xbox is simply a division of Microsoft one that MS can easily do away with if profit margins are not met. So in that regard he's right, if xbox isn't showing the expected return on investment the higher ups are expecting than it's unlikely Microsoft will acquire any other studios any time soon, especially if they are spending billions buying developers just to shut them down in the end.

MrBaskerville2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Xbox is a division that they discussed shutting down but doubled down on after Gamepass was pitched.

It needs to make money at some point. Big money.

rokos2d ago

According to Statista the net income of Microsoft is about $72.4 billion dollars which is a bit lower than last year profit. That is almost as much as Activision's acquisition but I assume that would be a one off since it costs so much plus I see how their focus has been shifted to AI, thus any major future investments will probably be in that area.

Markusb332d ago

i think you are really missing the point

VariantAEC1d 22h ago

@romulus23
That is not why MS buys studios. They might continue to buy because it's about taking that sweet sweet IP out of the corporate husks of their acquisitions.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 1d 22h ago
SonyStyled2d ago

“There won't be no more acquiring game publishers from Microsoft in the future”

No bro, there do be is for Microsoft not acquiring for what is now if not what it be is 😂

2d ago Replies(2)
ChasterMies2d ago

Xbox isn’t a separate company from Microsoft. It’s all Microsoft.

Abear212d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Let’s be real, this is the media spinning all the acquisitions and liquidations of said developers and spinning it to make M$ the villain.

This was bound to happen, a bigger slice of pie and cut costs, when the games come they stand to make more and that’s their agenda—it was the writing on the wall when the sales went through and legally all those who approved the sale and mergers knew this would happen.

Snowflakes need to realize business is ugly and you can cry all you want but this is how capitalism works. And it works.

That said, M$ needs to steer the narrative and grab hold of all this, make their plans known, hype the hell out of all those dead IP’s they plan to revive, and be honest about the timeline. This is likely to involve mobile and IP on other consoles, and most people realize that.

The problem is this company is incapable of being transparent and seems to often want to dissuade and confuse is customer base. The lack of E3 has hurt Microsoft and I don’t think they know how to properly or effectively market their brand anymore.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1d 22h ago
jwillj2k43d ago

There really needs to be a class action lawsuit here. You buy these companies just to put people out of jobs. And it’s not like something happened to derail their plans this WAS the plan. Microsoft has no business in this space at all.

franwex3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Microsoft has been doing this for years. They simply want the IPs. Look at Nokia. Look at Skype. This time it simply expanded to games. Gaming is not as important to Microsoft’s executives as it was to the founders too. Bill Gates was willing to sell the og Xbox at a loss. Steve Balmer approved the red ring of death fiasco. This CEO isn’t really a gamer.

-Foxtrot3d ago

Maybe it's time though to put a stop to it and use a big giant like Microsoft as a huge example to the rest of these big companies.

There has to be a line drawn somewhere.

People like the FTC and the like went against Microsoft yet their Actvision deal was still allowed to go through yet look what's happened...it's not even Acitivisions studios aswell, it's Bethesdas.

VariantAEC1d 22h ago

Years?

Try several decades, and in the gaming space 2.3 decades.

Jon615862d ago

You do realize this happens in ALL industries? Or are you just saying this because it is Microsoft? In any case I feel for those that are being let go but the trch industry is suffering right now.

jwillj2k42d ago (Edited 2d ago )

This absolutely does NOT happen all the time. Let me know the last time 1 company with a terrible product track record spent 100 billion onto acquire MULTIPLE successful companies in under a year only to shut them down and stop making their products regardless of how successful they were. Not merge them, completely shut them down.

And you can’t use Microsoft in your example.

Notellin2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Class action lawsuit? The law is on their side and protects them at all costs. There are no rules to protect the people at the bottom.

jwillj2k42d ago

Not true when it comes to mass layoff do your research.

RNTody3d ago

Ninja Theory, Perfect Dark, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Wolfenstein 3, Dishonored, Prey, Doom, Quake... something tells me that bad things are going to happen to these entities under Microsoft.

MrDead2d ago

ID software, the makers of Doom and Wolfenstein that have been with us since 1991 could be gone and MS will keep the IPs.

I hope some of these studios can buy their freedom from MS otherwise this is going to be even more devastating for the industry and gamers.

Yui_Suzumiya2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

That's exactly what I'm worried about. I've been a fan of id since Wolfenstein 3D and I'm honestly afraid.

lodossrage2d ago

Toys for Bob saw the writing on the wall and bought themselves out.

Wouldn't be the first time a company did that under MS either. Bungie and Twisted Pixel did the same. Considering what just happened, I can see some other devs trying to buy themselves out too.

anast3d ago

Good thing the bosses of all those small studios made their money.

glenn19793d ago

they cant do it right now they will get burned

XiNatsuDragnel2d ago

Phil and his team need to be gone

lodossrage2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Won't make a difference.

The whole structure needs to be overhauled. Anyone that replaces Phil will be no different than him, Mattrick, or anyone else.

Until the company changes how they go about business, nothing will change

glenn19792d ago

I just don't have any idea what they would do , they have done sooo much damage on their xbox brand, they have a show at July or June I think, but will it even matter even they show amazing games, idkn

lodossrage2d ago

True,

But they may as well get it over with. Whether it happens now or later, the burning is going to hit the same.

Reality is the ONE move that can alleviate a lot of this is the one move they can't make. Remove day 1 from gamepass.

Show all comments (68)