How Sony Could Beat Microsoft At Its Own Game And Win The Living Room War

The PS4 has social apps, video streaming, and all the other bells and whistles the competition has, but first and foremost it’s a machine designed to play games. Or at least that’s the message.

[NatureOfLogic]

MS is too busy doing damage control to actually explain how Xbox One plans to take over the living room. I personally don't see Kinect being reason enough to spend $100 more on a console that places you behind a pay wall for key features and apps. MS need causals to take over the living room, and I don't see that happening with their premium price.

[GarrusVakarian]

Exactly, the casual gamer is going to see the PS4 and Xbox One next to each other in the store and be more inclined to buy the PS4 purely based on price. Casuals don't care about specs, they see the cheaper console and choose that one.

[black0o]

and not a confusing name like ''Wii U'' where most of the casuals are like it's just a new controller for the wii

i can see some confusing about the xboxone

[XB1_PS4]

I disagree, I think the way that MS is portraying the XB1 to the mainstream audience is going to sway the casuals to it. The PS4 is built for hardcore gamers, with casuals in mind. The XB1 was always meant to be an entertainment box for the family.

Also, most people in the world have no idea about all the bullsh*t MS has put gamers through. They will be inclined to buy what they see in advertising. Recently MS had been advertising all the casual aspect during NFL games. That's an enormous market.

[GarrusVakarian]

@XB1 PS4

"The PS4 is built for hardcore gamers, with casuals in mind. The XB1 was always meant to be an entertainment box for the family. "

I agree, but $100 difference would be very tempting to a casual with no interest in specs or the industry goings on.

[XB1_PS4]

Double post. Whoops.

[XB1_PS4]

This is the casual market, they don't think of it the same way we do. It's not PS4 vs XB1. It's "that thing I saw on TV that I can video call from my television and have my fantasy scores on screen, all with voice commands." Most probably won't even know there is an alternative to compare prices with.

They will see PS4, marketing for games, and only games. Not even knowing the rest of the package. That's appealing to us, but not for a parent that doesn't play games.

Basically the casual market is won with advertising, and Microsoft is an advertising machine.

[XB1_PS4]

For the people disagreeing, I don't mind. Yet I still would like a few replies telling me why you disagree. I'm curious.

[infamousinfolite]

@XB1_PS4

That is true but there could be some who just want a pure gaming console and not all that Microsoft offers with its console.

[XB1_PS4]

@infamousinfolite Yes, you're right, the hardcore gaming community does want that. I'm talking about the casual/non-gaming community. The parents buying a console for their kids are going find it very attractive that they can use this box without picking up a controller.

No matter which way anyone spins it, MS made the right choices regarding the mainstream market. I know if I set an XB1 and a PS4 up at my parents house, and explained all the features. They would want the XB1 over PS4. Mostly because they see controllers like this:
http://wallchips.com/wp-con...

[Brix90]

Why would casuals spend more money on a console when they play every now and then an wont be required to pay subscription for all it's features. The X1 is appealing to the 360 crowd and the gamers that enjoy to have both consoles. Last gen the Xbox had more hardcore gamers and the fact that there flocking over to Ps4 not all but a good sum makes it seem that Next gen PS4 will cater hardcore gamers. So with some of the hardcore community more split all that's left is casual gamers which PS4 having the lower price tag, more exclusive and free features it's the obvious choice.

[NateCole]

XB1. The problem is casuals don't really care much about the features you mentioned.

[ZHZ90]

There're more reasons about PS4 than just cheaper and more powerful.

Like this past history of Sony with their PS games and MS with their Xbox games during era of PS3 Vs X360
http://www.gamepur.com/news...

[Drasill]

That graphic is extremely biased. Notice how they include only exclusives for the Xbox 360 side, but on the PS3 side they include games that are also on PC/PS Vita.

[ZHZ90]

So? Even if they included Vita games, problem?

Lets then add games that are on PS3 that are also n PC and PS4 like Yakuza:Ishin and DC Universe Online, and for X360 side lets add its games that are also on PC and Xbone like Titanfall and Alan Wake.

PS3 still wins.

I am not biased, you and anyone who agrees with you are the biased.

[Ps4Console]

How do you know ? Because you read it on the net give me a break you don't , you won't now until launch & we see the hardware running .
I think Ps4 will win because it is vastly cheaper than the Xbox One & that is vital & it has great launch titles to running on the Ps4 console , I have pre-ordered mine .

[gaelic_laoch]

There will will be a majority of living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, basements....... With PS4's in them as it is! PS4 ownership is going to go off like a mushROOM cloud!

[MASTER_RAIDEN]

The only thing i would recommend sony do, if anything is to make sure they keep the firmware updates coming to keep the console up to date. media capabilities are already there. Great price. lots of gaming options. not much more you could ask for out of a console.

[skydragoonity]

Sony has won everything this next gen... Living room wars included.

[My_Outer_Heaven]

Unequivocally and absolutely yes. Microsoft's push for cable box support through HDMI-IN is going to be the downfall of Xbox One. Sure it might seem like a great thing on paper but with today's harsh times a lot of people will prefer to cut the cord and avoid overpriced cable subscriptions completely and stream things instead with online services such as Hulu, Netflix,iPlayer,YouTube etc... Internet is the only thing I feel worth while to pay for and now house phones are becoming a thing of the past because these days mobile phones are ever so popular.

We don't need cable when we have smart TV with intergrated Freeview or Freesat in HD.

My parents back home have already cut the cord. Freeview is all they need. If people really need to watch, record and rewind live TV there are a lot of TVs, PCs and other devices have DVR capabilities.

[MysticStrummer]

Exactly. Traditional TV is on the way out. It's odd that people who talk about the "all digital future" of the XB1 don't see that.

[NoLongerHereCBA]

That is probably much more the case in America than in the EU. Which is why I hope the TV stuff actually also works in EU countries.

At least for me TV isn't on the way out as you say it. Netflix was just released here in The Netherlands and TV is mostly included when you pay for an Internet subscription.

[mhunterjr]

Traditional tv is going nowhere. Not as long as sports and the news is televised. Sure digital is growing, and will continue to do so. But TV should not be ignored. Microsoft is actually blurring the experience between live TV and on-demand, which is an approach plenty of people will gravitate to.

[MysticStrummer]

@mhunter - You can watch sports and news through the internet also.

[beerzombie]

There 3 hundred million people in America and most if not high percentage have cable TV of some type. Even though I cut my cable and so have most of my friends, most people have not. cutting cable is not consumer friendly yet.

[infamousinfolite]

And can the Xbox record TV shows and movies via the console?

[Groo]

I couldn't agree with you more. Also having to pay a XBL sub just to use Hulu, Netflix, YouTube etc.. doesn't help either

[kingmushroom]

by some how making NOV 15 come soon enough

[SoulSercher620]

Keeping their apps free is how Sony could win or you could say how they WILL win. You simply cannot justify putting apps like Skype, Netflix, Youtube, etc. behind a paywall. And stuff like new ways to watch NFL and movies will NOT grab a casual's attention either if they find other ways to do it for free.

[Groo]

Agreed, Also how much HD space will be used with a 500GB non upgradeable HD like the XBone has? Scary

[jaredhart]

Microsoft has been so thoroughly out maneuvered by Sony leading up to the system launch in this console war that it is laughable.

[Belking]

Not gonna happen. Sony wont beat ms in this area. Ms has secured exclusive deals with the nfl and Disney already to show how serious they are. . Sony cant compete with ms in this area. Ms has the os to support more features and kinect gives them even more room to do stuff that Sony cant. Ms was smart to make Xbox one more versatile than ps4 by adding hdmi in and snap features. Out of the gate they already have the edge with those great features. Sony made a huge mistake not putting enough focus on their os. Ms added in 8gb of flash in addition to the 8 gb of ddr3 to ensure no hiccups in this area. Sony will never outdo ms when it comes to features. Xbox has always lead with its features and Xbox one will continue that tradition.sony doesn't have the tech nor the money to compete there. They are still playing catchup while ms has been innovating making their os even better.

Sorry to break people's hearts but vita isn't gonna replace things that people use tvs and consoles for. Sony is gonna have to come with something better than that. First thing's first and that is actually getting vita to sell enough to compete . As long as 3ds continues to dominate that leaves even less room for vita to become a part of the battle for the living room. First it has to prove itself as a gaming device that people want and so far it it is failing to do that on a level that makes it a threat to anything else. No one is gonna run out to buy a vita for tv stuff.

[gaelic_laoch]

The PS Vita-TV is enough to compete with the XbonE in the TV department without even bringing the PS4 into the equation!

[Kayant]

What deals with disney?? "Sony cant compete with ms in this area" You seem to forget Sony is also one of the biggest entertainment companies out there. They will probably have more leverage than MS dollars on some occasions with those companies.
And you know everything about Sony's OS.... Yes I agree the snap features do give MS the edge there in terms of convenience but from what we have seen PS4 also does multi-tasking. "Ms added in 8gb of flash". You seem to forget that was all a surprise to everyone how do you know if Sony doesn't have a similar setup. HDMI-IN is useless if you don't have a cable-box and don't live in the US at launch so for now that feature is not really ground-breaking.

"sony doesn't have the tech nor the money to compete there"
Looool Sony breath and live tech what are you on about. Yes MS will have the upper-hand with the OS because they live and breath software like Sony lives and breathes hardware. And from what we have seen Sony are making strives to improve their OS game.

[fpshooter2]

Man it sounds like your telling a really bad joke. Have you ever heard of Sony picture studios? Sony is one of the most powerful force's in the movie industry.

How can you say Sony cant compete with MS with "tech"? Its Sony! They are tech! Sony is responsible for some of the technological product available to the public.
"No one is gonna run out and buy a vita for tv stuff."
Did you see the preorders for Japan for VTV?

[Groo]

Just an example, I don't think Belking realises where the Spider-Man movies come from.. Sony even owns the rights to the character.

[infamousinfolite]

Sony is providing a system (Gaikai) that will allow you to play ps1, ps2, and ps3 games through PS vita. So imagine telling someone they could play games like MGS4 and Heavy Rain on the go... I think PS vita would sell if they knew it had that functionality.

[Groo]

No one is gonna run out and by and XBone for Tv stuff either..

[chrissx]

Sony seems to have done all their assignments spot on. While M$ were being proud e.g "always on deal with it", if u can't afford xbone get 360" and all dat crap, Sony were humble and kept it real and simple. A lot of Casuals are well aware that Ps4 is cheaper and more powerful.That's a major point. Infact the Ps4 is more home-friendly than the xbone. Sony has got it right. M$ now doing 180's and spending their time on damage control

[Soldierone]

I don't think companies like MS or Apple stand a chance when companies like Sony step up and want to exploit the living room. What companies already invaded that space? Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, Vizio, etc....

How did they do it? TV's, Stereos, everything. MS has a game console, but beyond that people want them for computers. Apple is wanted for little handheld gadgets.

That's why MS had to put so much emphasis on changing channels with the Xbox One. Meanwhile Sony could just have their actual TV's link to PS4, or the Vita TV handle things, etc.... They have a full assortment of gadgets while MS has an Xbox and a failed tablet line up.

Overall, MS is a software company, not a hardware company still to this day. The only exception to that is the Xbox, and that could probably be handed to them stepping in at the right time, aka just as Sega fell.

[n4rc]

Lol... Wow..

Without trying to knock the ps4... Please tell me ONE thing the ps4 does that the 360/ps3 cant.. Absolutely nothing... it will play bettet games and be generally faster.. But there is nothing new there.. Thry already did plenty, its not a bad thing

But xbox is adding new features with hdmi-in, kinect and network features.. And now including bluray. They made the push to "own the living room".. Sony hasn't

And doing something doesn't mean it does it better or even as good..

[LordDhampire]

it didn't add any new network features...its still xbox live, if anything the ps4 is adding more network features it didn't feature last gen like party chat, playing games while downloading.

Kinect was on the 360 so that out of the picture, and hdmi in is a joke

[Soldierone]

You failed to say anything the Xbox One does that the others don't. 360 has Kinect, both PS3 and 360 have network features that could be updated, and PS3 has had Blu-ray since day one. It was PS3 that made Blu-ray stick around.

I'm all ears if you have examples, but you didn't list anything. And remember when you do, people will simply compare those features to the PS4 so make the choices carefully.

[n4rc]

Theres not much need for care... But since you ask

You missed the included part... Kinect is new, but the point was its included with every system.. HDMI in isn't a joke, its awesome! But again, its new. So is now offering bluray. Its an improvement.

And bumping up XBL to 300k servers and offering free dedicated servers to all 3rd parties may seem trivial to you.. But its huge..

These are things I am refering too.. Sony didn't do anything new from last gen.. Their network improvements are completely unknown and hearsay at this point. Xbox also massively updated the controller by using 300mbs WiFi direct and finally ditching the analog audio plug which was bad back in 2008 let alone today.. Sony stuck with what they had

I can go on and on... But I'm sure you can too... But the point is.. Microsoft is making a push to expand and improve.. To own your living room.. sony added power and fixed past mistakes.. But weren't trying to do anything different.. Just improve what they already had..

But can you answer my question now? Can the ps4 do anything the ps3 can't? Besides party chat.. Which was a given.

[AceofStaves]

The PS4 can play PS4-exclusive games, which the PS3 cannot. There's your answer.

[ErryK]

Microsoft is just making that push, Sony had already made that push and more.

[Ps4Console]

Well said your absolutely right there .

[Ninjamonkey82]

Come back in a few years and do a count on the numbers off how many PS3 vs xbox ones are in peoples living rooms and we will have a proper answer this gen will be Sony's imo.

[n4rc]

Owning your living room isn't about sales AT ALL.

Its about being the center of your living room... You use it to watch your TV.. You use it to play games, to communicate, to listen to music and watch movies..etc

[Hicken]

... if you don't sell any, how do you expect to be in anyone's living room?

[LordDhampire]

Casuals generally only care about brand or price, so either or....they could of owned an xbox before and just get one because its familiar or just get a ps4 because its cheaper I think the casual market will be around 50/50

[mhunterjr]

The silliness here is astounding. Sony won the mindshare at launch, hands down. They'll will control marketshare for at least a little while. But the generation cant be been 'won' at launch . And there probably won't be a major difference in marketshare by the end of the generation.

[arbitor365]

The vita TV will be the knockout punch for the cablebox one. its going to cut right into microsoft's casual audience and will be a tenth as expensive

[urwifeminder]

I hope so will cut the whingers down on this site and can be reborn as gloaters even though they would gloat over a dead goat.

[NotSoSilentBob]

Sadly the only way we are ever going to get 1 console is when either Sony & Nintendo drop out due to Microsoft being a much bigger company and being able to throw their endless amounts of cash at a console and it continues to be "bought". Or if Microsoft ends up buying another console maker and actually beats the other console.

Both ways have to deal with MS and their endless supply of cash. If only Microsoft had been broken into different companies long ago by the anti-trust lawsuit, but instead they are able to throw money at any of their staggering endeavors.

[No_Limit]

LOL. NatureOfLogic and Opinion Pieces submission are like bread and butter, they go together.

I just love these opinion pieces, it brings out the best of the diehards. ;)

[xKugo]

I think alot of causal gamers buying a Xbox One might wander why they have to pay $100 dollars more for Kinect 2.0 when they have a perfectly functioning Kinect at home. That should be something in Microsoft's mind and they should aptly make a well-thought out reply should the question arise.

[Hicken]

Honestly, I don't think it's Microsoft's game just yet. It's different from when Microsoft entered the gaming arena, where you could say that, due to Sony's dominance in the gen before, that truly WAS Sony's game that Microsoft wanted to beat them at.

But Microsoft is still trying to work their way into everyone's living rooms, so it's not their game any more than it is Sony's at the moment(we could argue it's MORE Sony's, since they sell TVs and home entertainment systems and such, but let's not get into it that much). At this point, they're both newcomers.

[jspillen]

This picture says it all...

[jspillen]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum...

[parentoftheyear]

The Xbox brand is kind of like apple. I was talking to my brother who said he wanted a xb1 for Christmas. I said why instead of ps4 and told him to think it thru. He knows the price difference and admitted the ps4 is more appealing but wants an Xbox because all his friends hr plays with. I think we will see this a lot.