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Microsoft discusses what features set the Xbox One apart from the PS4

Snap multitasking and video offerings are what separates the Xbox One from the PlayStation 4 in terms of features.

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ABeastNamedTariq3898d ago

Doesn't the PS4 have some sort of multitasking too? That requires a double tap of the home button? I don't know if it works exactly like the Xbone but, I'm just saying.

To me (yes, this is my opinion), the only thing that really separates it is the TV integration. And exclusives and stuff, but that's already implied.

TomShoe3898d ago

Hmm, I'm surprised no one's yelled "TEH CLOUDZORZ" into my ear yet.

Ezz20133898d ago

is it me or MS talk about ps4 more than they talk about xbox1 ?!

every songle article i read about MS they have to bring up ps4

p0tat0stix3898d ago (Edited 3898d ago )

...says the PS4 fan about an XB1 article ...

Pure irony.

-Foxtrot3898d ago

Cloudzorz...sounds like a planet full of sheep people

gamertk4213898d ago (Edited 3898d ago )

Bring up PS4? He was asked directly to compare features of the two. Do you even read the articles???

this was for ezz

YNWA963898d ago

No Tom but you probably hear Dicks head a lot...

crxss3898d ago

I like the 360 in the picture...

JokesOnYou3897d ago (Edited 3897d ago )

Ezz2013, Its just you because like many you comment without reading the article.

He was asked directly what sets them apart in regards to features.

Edit lol guess I should of read all the replies, gamertk421 already covered this.

user55757083897d ago

@Ezz2013

actually the Microsoft rep doesn't mention ps4 at all. if you notice when most reps answer questions they answer about the console they are trying to market and act as if their console is the only one that exists with the features and games they mention

P0werVR3897d ago

Well, I've seen more Sony fanboys mention the cloud than Micro fanboys.

But I'll say it, Azure is going to be an incremental progress once it launches and is taken advantage of.

TV integration and more, using other apps that are always been introduced. If Xbox 360's apps isn't a testament to it's potential, imagine use on it along with snap on Xbox One.

UltimateMaster3897d ago (Edited 3897d ago )

They can both multi-task...
What kind of nonsense is this?

Obviously, both have unique interfaces with unique features.

P0werVR3897d ago

^

We all know that, the difference is Xbox One's snap feature. He stated it clearly.

Xbox One will have a better and seamless UI, IMO so far of what has been shown by either company.

Retroman3897d ago (Edited 3897d ago )

i think SONY and MS was in the same investor meeting
coming out with close multitasking features in consoles. you would think 2 seperate companies would have 2 entirely different features and offers than anything close to offer as it is.

they both have spies working in each companies.

paul-p19883897d ago (Edited 3897d ago )

@GT67 The spy is double agent Phil Harrison! We all knew this, and now the truth is out, he's passing the multi-tasking information between the 2 companies haha

BallsEye3897d ago

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

Nidia cloudlight demo. Same computing MS is advertising. How about that..hmm? 500 ms still looks amazing.

Ritsujun3897d ago (Edited 3897d ago )

Not hard enough, Xbosh, try harder and harder.

Whrz da pAwAA of tEh ClOudz?

come_bom3897d ago (Edited 3897d ago )

@TomShoe
"Hmm, I'm surprised no one's yelled "TEH CLOUDZORZ" into my ear yet. "

Actually, Microsoft hardly talks about the cloud. It's Sony fanboys that are always yelling "TEH CLOUDZORZ". Just take a look at all X1 news in N4G and see for your self, starting with this article (for example you!)... just saying.

HiddenMission3897d ago

@JokesOnYou

I did read it and one of the points he said makes MS stand out from Sony is Blu-Ray...yeah didn't MS and it's fanboys say that it wasn't needed and now it's what helps to have them stand out.

Last time I checked PS4 still plays Blu-Ray disks...

+ Show (15) more repliesLast reply 3897d ago
theWB273898d ago (Edited 3898d ago )

Pretty much yeah. I don't think it's to the extent of the X1..but I think you could be playing a game on PS4...go to the store buy a game and still continue to play the former game while the new one downloads.

It's the snap features that's not known if the PS4 does like...

PS- This article title implies it was another interview of Micro comparing the two when it's not the case at all.

mithril3898d ago

PS3 and Xbox 360 already do multitasking. receive message text while playing is multitasking. The only difference between Xbox One and PS4 in multitasking is: Xbox one use 3 OS instead of one. but it's not rely an advantage because more resources is used to doing this king of multitasking.

xxV0rschlaghammer3897d ago

That's why MS is using 3.5GB RAM for their non-game OS and Sony is using 4GB? lol?

LoydX-mas3897d ago

mithril,

The X1 has an additional 8 gigs of flash memory.
Remember 8gb of ddr3 AND 8gb of flash.

Sarick3897d ago

Having these capabilities can be both good or bad it all depends on how "YOU" want to use "YOUR" system. How much are we willing to sacrifice in performance to get these added toys.

Think of it like a paycheck. You get paid and it's your money to manage. Think of that money as CPU. How you spend it is dependent on needs and luxuries. With a console having a bunch of background features do take resources.

If this amounts to a lot of overhead then it can affect performance. When I buy a console the investment is for games. I'm not interested in the cable TV hookup, twitter. Yes, I want an entertainment device but it shouldn't sacrifice the core reason for buying the console IE:gaming.

3898d ago Replies(17)
n4rc3898d ago

As I understand it... Both will do multitasking.

But x1 is essentially multiple systems.. Running a game and you can open a video and not lose any performance in the game... Whereas ps4 i think has to share resources between tasks...

Tv integration is huge for me..

strickers3897d ago

Oh dear. TV integration is huge for you? I feel a bit sad that you NEED all the junk , meaning you HAVE to buy XB :-)

PiTCHBLaCK3897d ago

PS4 can Multitask, but the way Sony sees it is if you're playing a game you won't be watching a movie and in a way that's so true. Besides I have a DVR.

ShinMaster3897d ago

Cable TV, something that you already have and pay for, is huge?

Kryptonite42O3897d ago

I was looking forward to the TV integration as a nice perk. im a bit dissappointed that it won't be available in Canada at launch..

"Q: With the Xbox One’s TV features, I’ve heard a lot about what’s going to be available in the U.S., but what about Canada? What kinds of apps and services will we be getting?

Jeff Rivait: We haven’t specified our complete app line up but HDMI TV out will work, they’ll just be those Xbox interactive layers on top of that. We continue to be focused on making sure that the best and most used apps on the Xbox 360 are going to come over first and the rest will make their way over time"

Well you would sure hope the HDMI OUT works at launch..

n4rc3897d ago

I still don't get how people cant understand this...

Yes I already have cable.. What's your point?
I like the idea of watching TV while still having access to everything on my Xbox.. I can watch TV in the snapped screen, perfect for when I want to watch a hockey game but friends want to play..

And how exactly is it not going to work? Its hdmi-in... Your location doesn't affect that... Some things will be us only at first, yes... But not the core feature..

It integrates, not replaces...

Shake_Zula3897d ago

I think too much weight gets put into the current generation in regards to future predictions and influence on next-gen hardware and software features. Too often do we gamers neglect the fundamental concepts powering gaming technology.

Here's the key word: Virtualization

The Xbone (forgive the laziness; I actually like the name) is obviously a HEAVILY modified core version of Windows 8 running a specialized implementation of Hyper-V. On the PS4 side of things, we have a custom FreeBSD Linux OS running an optimized hypervisor with a shared database backend that is contained within the OS.

Now, if you look at virtualization technologies in the IT world between Linux's VMware and MS's Hyper-V, VMware wins out everytime with respect to performance. MS has been playing the catch up game for quite awhile. But, these are server-grade technologies where you might have dozens of virtual machines simultaneously at a time. The PS4 and Xbone may be running 5 simultaneously at the most. So, UI switching or ambient feature sets will likely be the same with maybe a slight edge to the Xbone in terms of app closing times.

Aside from the APU difference in favor of the PS4, the real dealbreaker in preference lies in the difference in RAM usage. Both systems have it's pros and cons.

The eSRAM chip in the Xbone will act as a fast lane for textures, and it is faster than GDDR5. The drawback is that it is only 32MB, which means that while the "in your face" textures will load up quickly and smoothly from eSRAM cache, long draw distances will probably victim of texture pop loading from DDR3 cache flushes and migrations. Think graphical nearsightedness; DirectX with draw distance integrated is probably what makes it all look good after all is said and done.

The PS4's unified GDDR5 setup will load the same "in your face" textures marginally slower and less smoothly, but the large memory pool allows for higher definition textures and better quality high draw distance. So, no murky horizons, and quite a bit more development flexibility.

In my opinion, overall high graphic fidelity at the expense of a few frames per second is better than short range high graphic fidelity with high frames per second.

As for everything else, the Xbone has HDMI In, but Sony practically has it hands in everything production media, so IPTV will likely be on the rise soon, especially wit the push for 4K video support.

The ironic thing is that mechanics-wise, the Xbone resembles the PS3 more than the 360, and the PS4 resembles the 360 more than the PS3. All in all, PC gamers ultimately win in about a year or two with the innovations that these consoles are pioneering, especially with DDR4 right around the corner.

cell9893897d ago

I already have a cable box, the xbone would only add more clutter on my home theater system

UnHoly_One3897d ago

Agreed, N4rc.

The thing that kills me with all the Sony trolls is that it is like they have no idea what kind of advantages these features bring to the table.

They just say "I already have TV" or "I can switch back and forth to TV with 2 button presses on my remote", but they are failing to understand the whole point of the thing.

The fact that it is all integrated together is what makes it great. Yes, I can press 1 button right now on my surround sound receiver's remote and switch from TV to 360 or PS3, but guess what, after I do that, I'm completely blind to what is going on on the input I'm not watching.

Being integrated means you can do and switch between whatever you want without giving up anything. I can watch TV while I'm waiting for my buddy to come online, and I'll know the instant he pops on, without having to keep switching back and forth to look for him, because I'll still get that notification over the top of whatever I'm watching.

THAT is the beauty of it.

Yes I already have TV. Yes I can easily switch between that and a game now. But what I can't do is both at the same time. And that is what XB1 is going to do that is going to be amazing. Everything is going to be integrated into my Xbox experience, and it's going to be sweet.

That's what people don't understand about why we like Xbox so much. The user experience, the ease at which you can do all the little things that make your gaming more intuitive, is MILES ahead of PS. Remember, MS is a company that makes Operating Systems. That's why the 360's OS is MILES ahead of Sony.

Look at how easy it is to send and receive invites on 360 vs. PS3. It's 2 button presses to accept an invite to join both a party and play multiplayer with somebody.

Game updates take 5 seconds instead of 10 - 15 minutes, regardless of how old the game is and how many updates are out for it.

It's night and day difference, guys, and unless you spent a lot of time with both consoles I get why you don't understand that. You quite literally don't know what you are missing out on.

So you can have your "30% power advantage". If it even makes any difference at all in multiplats I'll be surprised, but I'll happily give up a few frames per second to have a much better overall experience.

And I would imagine that just like this gen, I'll play the occasional PS exclusive, be amazed at how great it looks, then go back to my Xbox and thank the gaming gods that I only have to deal with Sony's UI once every six months or so when I want to play a game I can't get on Xbox.

Bolts3897d ago

I'm tempted to get the Xbox One based on these features alone. I'm really sick of how slow and cumbersome my Dish guide is and I wish that there's a seamless way to get to the channels that I want without having to remember what channel Games of Thrones is on.

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 3897d ago
xKugo3898d ago

I think Sony PS4 multi-tasking and streaming are handled with a secondary chip on the main SoC, meant to avoid the restriction of resources from games. Basically, it ensure that games aren't "robbed" by apps, video streaming and other secondary functions to ensure that PlayStation gamers get the maximum performance out of their games.

XB1_PS43897d ago

The question that was asked, had PS4 directly mentioned in it.

trywizardo3897d ago

its more than that you can play game pause it go to internet back to the game pause it watch a video (like a walkthrouh) then continue , same goes to movies
and for the people who says MS talk about PS4 more than X1 obviously you've missed PS4 the early day witch sony was talking and trolling X1 more than talking about PS4 and they forgot even to show games
and if you wanna argue with me just bubble me cause this damn site won't give me nough bubble

boing13897d ago

Yes, PS4 will have multitasking.

TheGrimReaper00113897d ago

Yes, they confirmed this
The big difference between is that with XBox One, you have snap feature, where you see 2 things side by side. For instance 75% of the screen you see the game and 25% of the screen (left or right) you see Skype or something like that. Ever seen Windows 8? It works exactly like that.
PS4 doesn't use a snap feature, but you can run multiple apps on it and you switch between them with the ps button and touchpad. They havent really showed this off, but im gonna take a gues and say it works a bit like the vita, where you can open like 4 different things, press the ps button to go home and use a different app, while the others are still working in the background
Honestly though, I dont know if im gonna use multiple apps at the same time
I just turn on my gaming console to game

cell9893897d ago

Yeah I imagine it will be just like the Vita but more sleek and advanced, turn off system and resume gameplay when boot on again. Open multiple apps and switch in between them, install while playing etc etc

phosphor1123897d ago

"We can't actually think of anything unique, so we'll list of things the PS4 has."

Sarick3897d ago (Edited 3897d ago )

"Doesn't the PS4 have some sort of multitasking too?"

Yes. You can hook it up to a TV that has multiple HDML connections including a laptop or TV box. Just switch between the TV inputs and it doesn't cost the PS4 a single CPU cycle. I assume it can do multiple things like background downloading while playing a game. This is great! I wouldn't want it running a bunch background services that use up a lot of system resources. I'd rather the developers have more development potential.

As for the feature to watch for "match is ready!" If the controller has a decent speaker and rumble one can watch TV until the controller is notified. I did this ALL the time while mufti-tasking online games. would switch from Netflix, TV, MMO (PC), MMO (PC) and internet using a SINGLE TV.

As far as I can tell most of these multi-tasking features could be done using a decent home media setup. These things are cool and all but I'm a gamer and all this OVERHEAD designed into the console means to utilize the full potential something must be sacrificed.

It's like people who want BC and people who say just hook up the real device and forget BC. The same could be done for consoles. Let the consoles be designed to play the games at full potential. If someone wants to watch TV that's why we have multiple Input devices and picture in picture TVs.

We all know how when you buy a new name brand PC most of the time you need to either reinstall everything fresh or flat out clean house. If we don't want all that BLOATware on our PCs we shouldn't want it running in the background on our consoles either.

+ Show (9) more repliesLast reply 3897d ago
MEGANE3898d ago

$100 and inferior hardward set both apart, enough said!

CrossingEden3898d ago

Inferior hardware yet ps4 has no games that run at 1080p and 30fps while xb1 does. Hmmm.

Gentlemanlygamer19923898d ago (Edited 3898d ago )

Are you stupid? Infamous SS And Killzone SF say Hi.

Edit: Why all the dissagrees? Killzone Shadowfall runs at 30 fps at 1080p for single player and 60fps at 1080p on multiplayer. I believe Indamous is also 30fps at 1080p. I'm not sure at that one.

TKCMuzzer3898d ago (Edited 3898d ago )

@CrossingEden
Considering no games are complete yet it's probably best not to make this kind of comment, wait a couple of months first.

Gentlemanlygamer19923898d ago

Again. Killzone Shadowfall runs at 1080p at 60fps. Name one game on Xbone that runs at 1080p at 60fps. Forza doesn't count because its a racing game with Pre-baked lighting, horrible backgrounds, etc. drive club is 1080p 30+fps and they are still trying to shoot for 60fps locked.

dantesparda3897d ago

How many games run at 1080/60fps on X1? Forza? and dont say Titanfall cuz they said that they are aiming for it (as in not guaranteed yet). Here's an excerpt from a DF article:

Digital Foundry: Will it run at 60 frames per second?

Drew McCoy: We're not talking about it [laughs]. I'll say that the guys who are doing it are really smart and they're doing a good job on it. We're fairly hands-off on it. We're not telling them what to do but we have calls about it, we see it, we sync our Perforces... it's not going to be its own separate crazy off-shoot game with different content. The goal is to have the same gameplay experience.

Digital Foundry: 1080p60 on Xbox One?

Drew McCoy: We'll see how performance goes. Frame-rate is king.

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

And btw, everything you've seen of Titanfall so far has been on the PC not the X1. So thats not a guarantee, so what else? And the only reason Forza does it is because they sacrificing graphic quality for framerate

pyramidshead3897d ago

you better hope nothing happens to forza in development lol. it's the only game left on the XB1 that was touting 1080p60fps.

phosphor1123897d ago

-Killer Instinct is running at 720p @ 60fps.
-Titanfall isn't 1080p, but it's also 60fps.
-Forza 5 looks nice and pretty at 1080p @ 60fps... but it features static baked in lighting and no weather, while the competitor GT5 and 6 feature both of those... one generation behind (granted, I'm sure Turn 10 has the power... but they are just rushing this thing out the gate)
-Ryse is 1080p(?) at 30fps and we've all seen footage of that... downgrade from initial reveal is just crazy. Maybe it's just the MP that looks bad, but really the SP looked so much better. It doesn't even make sense.
-We've seen ZERO multiplat games demoed on Xbox1, including BF4, which Xbox fans have attacked Sony for because a preview came out saying it looked rough. Where is the X1 version? Seriously?
-KZSF is 1080p at 30fps in SP and nearing 60fps in MP with plenty of dev time to go...
-Infamous Second Son is 1080p @ 30fps.
-Driveclub is 1080p @ 30fps with goals for 60fps (we have yet to see anything above 30 though) but it features fully dynamic skyboxes and clouds with fully dynamic day/night lighting and dynamic atmospheric effects with the inclusion of weather somewhere down the line.

Seriously dude. You're trying too hard.

cell9893897d ago

Nothing in your xbone looks better than Killzone Shadowfall and that one runs 1080p 60fps in multiplayer, Forza is all smoke n mirrors

Ezz20133897d ago (Edited 3897d ago )

dude you have no idea what your talking about
and what sad is that you believe your self

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 3897d ago
corvusmd3898d ago

You sound like a mindless monkey when you say ignorant crap like that....get your facts straight already. You may have yourself fooled, but anyone that actually pays attention just realizes how foolish you look.

Fireseed3898d ago

So is your studio going to be taking advantage of the "50%" extra power?

abusador3898d ago

Infamous already looks better thn anything nxt gen on either console so I guess thts a start.

ExCest3898d ago

@^

That's very much arguable. Graphical fidelity of exclusives usually depends on the skill of the developers (or a hugely significant difference in specs; and don't say "Oh, 50% moar dat's signifcant." Or both).

We'd have to compare multiplats to "prove" that the PS4 will look better and be "taking advantage of the '50%' extra power".

Omegasyde3898d ago

@Fireseed.

"My studio" (I own Sony stocks so I own .000001% of naughty dog and .000000000001% of Santa Monica Games) will prove you otherwise once their next gen titles release.

PiTCHBLaCK3897d ago (Edited 3897d ago )

@ ExCest

What???, No Exclusives prove the power, not Multiplats.

EDIT: You take a Exclusive from XB1 and compare it to an exclusive from PS4, everyone knows this so no Idea why you made that comment.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3897d ago
NatureOfLogic3898d ago

50% weaker Xbox One performance and Sony quality exclusives is what really sets the the two apart.

corvusmd3898d ago (Edited 3898d ago )

Why would you name yourself nature of logic, when you clearly don't have any. Please, explain to me which game on PS4 looks 50% better than ANY game on XB1....don't worry I'll wait. (and answer honestly, just saying Deep Down or KZ shows that you only see what you want to see)

...you know what...say whatever you want, I've already lost all respect for your clueless opinion....I won't even check what you say.

Ittoryu3898d ago (Edited 3898d ago )

He didn't say they look 50% better he said ps4 has 50% more power. We don't know what the games will look like on either system as M$ was running PC's with Nivida cards at E3 and Sony has shown everything on dev kits. Another thing someone said they will only out put 1080p. Why would they need to out put anything over 1080p unless you're playing on a giant tv ( I mean like 55" or 65") your eye cannot tell the difference between 1080p and a higher resolution unless the screen size is bigger than 42". It's like saying well they don't put out 4k so I don't want it. Who cares? You can't tell the difference anyway.

Belking3898d ago

yea, but ps4 games like killzone and drive clubs are the ones that are struggling with framerate...lol That is what sets them apart. xb1 games aren't struggling. We already seen how battlefield turn out on ps4. 720p 60 fps...it will be 1080p 60fps on xb1.

abusador3898d ago

Lol hahahaha dead rising and crap rysensay hello, dead rising is struggling hard just to get 30 fps lol so stop lying man your embarrasing. Both Drive club and kznsf mp are aiming for 60 fps when inirially tht wasnt the target so thts not struggling.

GiggMan3898d ago

Don't you think Dice would have shown off the Xbox One version if that was the case? Hmmmm....

TheSsus3898d ago

1080p 60 fps? On XB1? Never go full retard... 720p son.

Darkfire3693898d ago

DICE never said X1 was going to look better than PS4. If anything, both versions will have to be close to each other, so if PS4 is worse (apparently to you), the X1 version will have to look like the PS4 version in the end.

Ittoryu3898d ago

BF is a shitty game anyway so who cares also your forgetting when you saw it on Xbone at E3 it was running on a Win 7 PC with a Nvidia card and not an Xbone dev kit. What you saw on PS4 was on a dev kit not a gaming PC rig.

Tooly3898d ago

actually killzonz is locked at 1080p 60 fps locked its not struggling lol and driveclub has dynamic weather and it lookin better everytime they present it

ShwankyShpanky3897d ago (Edited 3897d ago )

XB1 games aren't struggling? Is that why Ryse dips to 20fps multiple times, and even 18fps at one point?

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

(yes, I know it's an older build, but it's what's been analyzed at the moment)

ziggurcat3897d ago

"but ps4 games like killzone ... are the ones that are struggling with framerate..."

nope.

http://www.playstationlifes...

pyramidshead3897d ago

@to the guys above me.

know when to spot a troll comment guys, you didn't have to feed him :p

saint_seya3897d ago

Belking its that better 1080p 60fps with the secret dual gpu, i mean i thought u could be delusional a bit, but now saying that an inferior hardware can do more for no reason.. Oh wait maybe an isider told you that the xbox one has a crossfire setup? or is it a new 790 gtx, was it a titan ? maybe its just rocket science..
Kid stop spreading so much BS... I wonder how you dare to show your face here again after all that secret sauce fiasco #I know, panelo doesnt know nothing/its under a dna/ its a sony troll..

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 3897d ago
abusador3898d ago

Ps4 does all tht and more and even has a more robust sharing feature and best of all the real feature tht owns all, remote play of almost all ps4 games on vita!!!!!! Best feature imo out of all nxt gen consoles.

Jyndal3898d ago

It's not the specs that influenced my decision to go with Sony for my next-gen.
It's not the games, because I mostly enjoy the multi-plats anyway.
It was the constant flip-flopping, reversals, and "explanations".
I can't trust MS.
A year from now, when everything MS went back on is re-instituted, and playing a game costs more than your internet bill, I think I'll be glad that I went with Sony over MS.

stuna13898d ago

Don't say that!!!! Unless you want to labeled part of the tin foiled hat brigade! Even though Microsoft have stated that this their plan. I guess it really is true that some people can't see two feet past their nose.

Ittoryu3898d ago

Except they have come out and said the Digital resale and sharing features will return at some point meaning the DRM will come back with it.

Ctiboi20103898d ago (Edited 3898d ago )

@ Jyndal or anyone who'd like to reply

Honest question so please don't think I'm being rude:

It's pretty much a known fact that in the future the current physical forms of media are going to phase out and everything will be digital. When that happens there will need to be some type of way for record labels, film companies, and video game developers to verify where their media is going, who's using it etc.

When this happens what do you think your stance will be about the video game industry in particular? Again I'm not trying to be a jerk, its a simple question. With all the backlash Microsoft has been getting for their previous policies I wonder sometimes if it was all necessary.

In my opinion Microsoft jumped the gun a few years on trying to be the first completely digital console. I didn't agree with their stance on the 24 hour check in and the DRM checks for physical discs. It didn't make sense and their comparison to Steam wasn't exactly correct.

But are they guilty for being anti consumer and evil, or simply acting too soon? I think a lot of the rhetoric about Microsoft has gotten out of hand and this console war is very comparable to the way very liberal and conservative people debate politics lol. What are your thoughts on what the future of the game industry in a completely digital world will be like? Do you think Sony will never go down this path, even the next gen after the PS4 and the Xbox One? What will your opinion on Sony be if that happens?

MicDude3898d ago

I think if both MS and Sony did the whole 'Digital Only' route it would be more accepted. I do agree that the gaming industry will follow this route. It may be a few more years, but it's going to happen. It makes more sense business wise also. What with cutting out all of the manufacturing costs of physical media; also cutting out the middleman aka retailers. This would also ensure that devs receive all of the profit that's deserved for their software.

xxV0rschlaghammer3897d ago

Honestly I think Sony had the same plans to go the same route for digital and DRM and whatever else, but they waited it out til MS came out and said something and then seen the backlash and decided to be the white knight of the gaming industry, I don't think Sony had intentions on not doing it until they seen all the good PR they could get from it.

xxV0rschlaghammer3897d ago

But to answer your question, me personally, I was fine with the original X1 system after I realized that most things are heading that way anyways.

I mean honestly, people can complain about it all they want, but all they did was delay something for a few more years, in the end digital and DRM will be what runs the industry.

Show all comments (164)
120°

Boycott EA trends on X as community savages FC 24

EA has come under fire for making unexpected changes to its FC 24 Team of the Season unlocks.

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anast2h ago

It's like boycotting 'your' local crack dealer. I'm sure it will change everything...

Xzila112h ago

they manipulated the pack weight and admitting it on twitter

Kaozz19791h ago(Edited 1h ago)

Stop buying the fucking game! It is no secret that the game is based around opening packs that need to be bought with real money if you want to be competitive. Yes I know, you have the chance to get the cards without investing real money, but that is a real grind and you still may never get the cards you want. This is not new and it will not change if people keep buying the game/packs.

240°

Why Xbox believes it must cut costs and close studios

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gold_drake9h ago

i mean its pretty simple, they spent close to 30 billion in acquiring activision, they thought they'd make it bk no problem, and that didnt happen.

its just shit that because of MS's miscalculation alot of people lost their jobs.

Jingsing5h ago

This is exactly what many people said would happen including the CMA and FTC. Lies lies and more lies and they allowed a $69 billion buy out to happen.

gold_drake5h ago

oh yeh it was 70 billion. that was my bad haha even worse.

thesoftware7305h ago(Edited 5h ago)

gold,

You can't be serious, right?

Do you think that MS thought they would make 80bill in a year & Half? They haven't even released titles under MS yet, lol.

But in fact, that A/B revenue is already paying off, look at the last earnings call. That $80 billion is long-term money, my guy, no sane person/company would think they would make that back in any short-term situation, it's a long-term investment.

Let's play silly then. If MS's reason for laying off staff and closing studios was due(which it really was not) to the A/B deal, tell me what Sony's reason was for past studio closures, the recent 900-person layoffs, closing Sony London, shutting down Dreams, and closing Japan Studio? Zipper? Psygnosis? cuts at all their internal studios.

Keep in mind, you are claiming MS's reason is because of the A/B deal; please explain Sony's reason.

Hofstaderman5h ago

You actually still defending them? Sheesh.....

gold_drake5h ago

this is not a sony vs MS debate. dont make it something it isnt.

and of course not, but im pretty sure they thought they'd make more money after the deal. they didnt, and closed off some studios.

its pretty insane to think there is any other reason for the closure of studios in this case.

romulus235h ago(Edited 5h ago)

(It really was) due to the Activision Blizzard deal and the loss of physical sales due to gamepass. You keep bringing up Sony in all your posts about this, stop deflecting and trying to change the topic, this is about MS and what they are doing.

BehindTheRows4h ago

Has nothing to do with Sony. Stay on topic.

notachance4h ago

once in a while you see someone too invested in their make-believe console war that everything happened has to be connected to said war…

a bit of banter between fans is normal, this crusade you’re doing now isn’t.

Chevalier4h ago

Wow idiotic. You bring up very old closures not that there haven't been recent ones from Playstations, but, seriously stop deflecting. This has NOTHING to do with Playstation.

Does Playstation got $3 trillion behind them and daddies wallet? No they don't so stop making a fool of yourself.

Xbox has never been profitable really and they just keep losing money so between their worst hardware sales, terrible 3rd party sales and now terrible 1st party sales.

Gamepass numbers that are no longer being announced shows their numbers after 3 years of missed targets has flatlined. Plus their recent gains up to 34 million were ONLY because they folded Gold members in too. Absolutely take your idiotic rhetoric out of here. Keep on topic without deflecting.

S2Killinit4h ago

Ayayayay with these xbox/MS excuses.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4h ago
thesoftware7302h ago(Edited 2h ago)

Drake,

"this is not a sony vs MS debate. dont make it something it isnt."

You are correct that it's not an MS Vs Sony Topic, but when exaggeration and imagination mix from a one-sided social group, similar examples are needed to ground radical thoughts; in this instance, the example was that shutting down 3,4,5, even 6 studios during a restructure/ buyout/acquisition is not some anomaly(it can suck) that has to be dissected or spell doom and gloom.

"But I'm pretty sure they thought they'd make more money after the deal. They didn't, and they closed off some studios."

But they did make more money, a lot, actually; the last earnings call showed a huge growth in profit, almost all due to A/B revenue.

"its pretty insane to think there is any other reason for the closure of studios in this case."

The fact that they did make money, kinda throws this out the window, and besides, you don't wake up and say, hey let's close a studio, you look at the output, you look at the dev as a whole, the long term and short term, you weigh it against all other studios and goals, you keep key members, ect..then you close if they are the weakest links...which by MS analysis they were.

Again, I will make a small Sony comparison, just so some of you can understand and see past the bias; Insomniac, ND, and Bungie have made some of the best games ever created, yet Sony saw fit to cut jobs in every of these studios, even tho Insomniac & ND are the biggest producers of PS games, leagues ahead better than Tango and Arkane, yet, they saw cuts, mind you, while being the TOP produces of PS first party. They were told to cut costs, and more jobs may be on the line, and Bungie is being threatened by a hostile Sony takeover. Put that in perspective, as I know that layoffs and dev closures are different, but if the best of the best is getting cut off, it is less than surprising, that lesser studios are closing.

@Cheva,
My response fits well with your comments as well. You even went on to prove that the dev closures are not just due to A/B acquisition. Then you point out Sony has less money than MS, inferring that MS should keep devs open that they see as lesser earners, while Sony having less money makes it okay to close them. lol...it doesn't work that way.

gold_drake2h ago

im not reading all of that. u have ur opinion, i have mine.

thats rly it.

but this aint sony vs ms.

ApocalypseShadow2h ago

You're trying to compare a 100 billion company to a company that has 3 TRILLION worth. SIE has to live or die on their own. And in turn, PlayStation has helped the main company again and again. Sony has to balance out what is working and not working in the company.

While Xbox has Daddy Warbucks footing the bill to keep the platform afloat. They have been bleeding money from Nvidia hardware in the OG Xbox, the RROD fiasco, the attempted 2013 DRM nonsense and the lies about being the most powerful console in the world and the losses of paying out millions to prop up a service hoping it catches on with enough subscribers to justify its existence.

They're not comparable if Xbox isn't allowed to live or die by its actions. It's subsidized. Revenue isn't profit. And if they were profiting on their own, they wouldn't be closing developers. If they were profiting, they wouldn't need Daddy Warbucks spending 80 to 100 billion buying up 3rd party publishers to sustain a loss leading platform.

They stopped announcing game sales, stopped announcing hardware sales, stopped announcing game pass subscribers, they are putting games on their competitors platforms but you're telling us that they are doing great even after killing jobs and closing developers at Xbox.

Stop drinking the Kool aid. You're drunk.

anast5h ago

They are going to use AI for a large portion of the game development process. Upper management need bonuses and the shareholders need more money. So, people will lose their jobs.

Skuletor5h ago

Maybe they were already using AI to make business decisions, which would explain why they closed Hi-Fi Rush's studio, then said they need more games like Hi-Fi Rush not long after that announcement.

Crows905h ago(Edited 5h ago)

They shouldn't have bought any studios. Some is okay...but they went on a shopping spree...stupid

Einhander19724h ago

The better question is why did Microsoft buy publishers for a service they were subsidizing they knew couldn't support.

And why are so many websites trying to make people feel sorry for Microsoft instead of truly criticizing the fact they are closing studios and killing jobs that would have been fine if Microsoft themselves hadn't gotten involved.

Quit feeling sorry for Microsoft and start feeling sorry for the industry and the all the gamers who are actually losing out.

THIS IS MICROSOFTS FAULT.

RNTody4h ago

The first thing that happens after any major acquisition or merger is a consolidation of the whole new portfolio, which includes cutting any excess, bloat or portfolios that don't fit the larger MO of the big boy. So far, it's been par for the course with Microsoft and that's why gamers have been so against this acquisition. Tango Gameworks is the beginning. You think Microsoft wants to pay to keep small timers like Ninja Theory in business?

There is absolutely zero evidence to suggest that Microsoft will improve any of these studios, but plenty to suggest that they will get rid of what they don't need and hold onto the IP. The real agenda of the acquisition was always to acquire The Elder Scrolls, Diablo, Fallout, Call of Duty, Candy Crush etc. that will create millions in passive revenue stream for Microsoft regardless of where the games release. Microsoft simply wants their cut.

Because of Games Pass Microsoft has no interest in investing in new IP which is risky and requires creative talent they can neither nurture nor manage. Game Pass has also not grown in the way Microsoft expected it to, even post acquisitions. Therefore the logical thing to do, without serious money makers to release, is to cut as much cost as possible.

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