Sony Damages Future PS4 Sales By Downplaying PlayStation Eye

Hardcore Gamer: Sony has downplayed the importance of its new hardware on multiple occasions, and has likely damaged future sales of their device by not establishing the 100% install base that Microsoft has already nabbed.

[theBAWSE]

how many of those people that bought kinect still play it? how many thought it didn't live up to the wild promises made by Microsoft?

I think Sony have gone the right route not forcing the ps eye... its there if you need it but this console is mainly about gaming not useless gimmicks..

[Xsilver]

you're totally right i No one uses their kinect or the pseye unless a game requires it i'm only buying the PSeye for the PS4 for live streaming and paying $60 dollars isn't big deal so yeah Sony did the right thing.

[shoddy]

I'll get pseye for video chat

[JoGam]

@ Shoddy,.....Me too!

[darthv72]

I think it was reported a few days ago that the upper management at sony canned the idea to make the camera a pack-in. otherwise it would have been included.

which, if you think about it, was more than likely the intention from the get-go. Meaning they had cameras for the ps2 and ps3 but those were released as add-ons....afterthoughts if you will.

the Ps4 was built to incorporate the camera from the beginning. By not including it is a missed opportunity but they will likely still make use of the camera in the majority of the games/system apps.

Its up to them if they really want to support it (which is very likely) and create the demand for it. by making subtle inclusions in games and apps would be bonus for those who have one. thus making others who dont just a bit curious about those extra features and could be enticing enough to promote them to picking it up.

then from there....who knows.

[thrust]

Loads of people play kinect mate family's and kids love it!

Get out of your stupid little bubble, gaming is for everyone, EVERYONE!!!

[4Sh0w]

theBawse is so wrong not only do plenty of people play it, Dance Central and Kinect Sports is a hit every time I have a get together but I also use it for basic dashboard stuff. Also last gen was last gen, now we're talking about consoles that will do even more this gen in regards to games and social features. Sony even admits it was a price decision and the suits on the board won. They even also said they will try to beef up the adoption with bundles once the install base is bigger. Unfortunately that same lack of committment at the start is going to make it an uphill battle later to get support just like with ps move.

[ohiostatesman]

Sony's future has already been damaged not from gaming but other parts of their company dragging it down. Last fiscal quarter Sony only eeked out a profit by selling buildings and insurance. True story.

[nukeitall]

Sony might nab the very early adopters and extreme hardcore gamers, but I think MS strategy is widening their market.

In the end, core gamers play games and MS seems to have a huge lineup of AAA games for both launch and into 2014 compared to the competition.

Right now everybody is selling out of their allocation of launch console, but the real console war starts next year, when they both are commonly available in store.

[minimur12]

@darth

Really, sony are being very clever on this one;
because kinect is packed in with Xbox, dev's may make use of the kinect, and being as the PS Camera is essentially the same thing (motion tracking, voice recognition) they will just port over the kinect implementations to the camera :)

[lastofgen]

what are you talking about?
our family nights = a game of monopoly and kinect sports/dance central.

[guitarded77]

I have PS Move and Kinect, and rarely use either. I like having both, and each have a purpose. I will buy a PS Camera for the PS4 (maybe even at launch... haven't decided yet), but I like the fact that it's not required. That extra $60 is going toward an extra controller right now, because I know I'll need it more.

As far as I can tell, the requirement of Kinect is hurting initial sales more than the lack of the PS Camera in next-gen sales. Most of my gamer friends who want an XBOX One do not care about Kinect, and if Xbone came in a $400 package without Kinect, I know more would buy it.

Cameras and motion controls are not system sellers for the majority of early adopters. Sony has said that maybe in the future they will bundle PS Camera with PS4's, but they know the day one people will see it more as a novelty than a daily use peripheral.

[ShinMaster]

Does anyone really believe that not including the PS Eye could cause any major harm to PS4 sales?
Demand for the PS4 itself is already higher worldwide.

@ nukeitall

So basically, the real console war doesn't start until XB1 (hopefully)starts doing better than the PS4? lol got it.
And "extreme hardcore gamers" buy a lot more games than casual gamers, making Sony more money.

[jgrigs09]

Issue is, Sony just developed the PS Eye people won't even buy, thus losing money. With the Xbox One it's guaranteed to not loose money, because it comes with the Xbox One. Like it or not, the Xbox One will have tremendous amount of sales. People tend to forget these websites don't make up for the actual amount of it will sell. Some people don't even bother to come on these websites. I never came on these sites, until I read about the Xbox One and Playstation 4 announcement. Sony will lose money for every Playstation sold while Xbox is predicted to break even or even make money off every system sold.

[deep_fried_bum_cake]

Damn I wish I could put bullet points.

The PS Eye has been around for years, yes there will be some R&D costs for the new features but probably nothing huge that can't be made up on sales, otherwise there is no loss real loss. I'm assuming anyway, don't take my word for it.

Onto sales now. Even if it is not being packaged with the console there will still be millions of people who purchase it. Not original kinect numbers but still millions.

As to your last point, yes Sony will be losing money with every console. Where you're wrong however is in thinking that Microsoft won't, they will be making a loss as well. If they weren't then they'd be more than happy to match the Playstation's price.

[brometheos]

Both Sony and Microsoft sell consoles at a loss. C'mon we don't need misinformed people misinforming people.

[JetsFool3500]

Just because the kinect comes with the x1 doesn't guarantee people are gonna buy kinect games

[JetsFool3500]

Sorry x2 post

[darthv72]

@jetsfool...

that is true of the old kinect. Keep in mind that kinect was an afterthought for the 360. so the divide between games made for the kinect and those for the 360 were prevalent.

the new kinect is more incorporated with the xb1 so the likeliness of those buying games are more than just only for kinect.

Lets put it this way. people who buy games for the xb1 are guaranteed to have some level of kinect support. More so if the game is specifically designed to use it as opposed to "in addition to".

This comes from the standardization of the kinect with every unit. Now HOW that support is applied is up to the developers but at the very least, they know everyone will have one.

[Ju]

"Just because the kinect comes with the x1 doesn't guarantee people are gonna buy kinect games"

... or developers will actually make games for it. So far, not much has changed. AAA games don't use it, and what's left is the regular "fitness" games.

Still, I'd like to see the Eye (or/and with PS Move) supported with the new batch of PS4 games but nothing has been announced or shown, yet.

The Cam is part of the dev kits, developers have full access to it. From that perspective, it's no excuse not to support it. I'd love to see it supported more and I am probably getting me one.

[rainslacker]

Everything in the PSEye comes from Sony's camera division. The R&D costs are mostly tied into that. They make more money off games that sell on the device, and while most of us take a dim view of motion controls, despite recent support of it, there are plenty of people that like it for what it's worth. Most money with the PSEye is likely in the marketing department, and maybe software/tools development.

[DARK WITNESS]

for one that bullcrap about ms nabbing 100% of their install base is crap, they have not nabbed me with kinect so thats not 100%

sony are doing the right thing is my opinion. some of us are buying a console so we can play games, not skype chat or fiddle around with the dashboard.

it's great that kinect can do that but by focusing on it so much ms have lost my interest if anything.

[MajorMayhem70]

For every Xbox One sold a Kinect gets sold with it. That means 100% of its user base will have a Kinect. If you don't buy the Xbox one, your not a part of the user base.....

[1OddWorld]

Seeing as the Hype for PS4 is so high I would say it will sell 3 to every 1 XBOne. And I think it would be a reasonable guess that 1 out of 3 people who buy the PS4 will also buy the PSEye. Which means that the install base will be very similar.

[iamnsuperman]

I agree with you. Even though the kinect sold a lot it is still in the minority of sales. I think people would mess around with it for a few minutes then never ouch it again. At least the option is there for those who really want it

[Pl4sm4]

only kinda cool feature is having cross game/video chat .... apart from that, i prefer a stable network, games and game content . not the ps eye

[GuyThatPlaysGames]

Nobody wants the POS PS Eye anyways.

[Infamous298]

Neither the kinect

[GuyThatPlaysGames]

Agreed!

[MightyNoX]

My sister bought an Xbox for her kids. The Kinect was included in the bundle. I'm saddened that Ms and its cheerleaders thinks this proof that Kinect is popular. It just came with the box for them...they just wanted to play games and they never used it.

[Rimeskeem]

Im honestly getting because of the features it has like voice recognition and the splitscreen stuff and all and only for 60$ now that awesome

[kewlkat007]

"Sony Damages Future PS4 Sales By Downplaying PlayStation Eye"

So true, that "toy" will be an after thought..I hope they get rid of it cause surely they on't believe in it and neither will devs.

Put money into some new studios for the PS4's future.

[BoriboyShoGUN]

Im buying the PS camera at launch! Mostly due to the fact that the original move controllers will work with it.

[Bathyj]

Sony improved future/initial sales by not forcing you to buy a camera. That will likely become all to obvious after about a year and MS release a Kinectless Xbone.

Sony is asking you want you want.
MS is telling you.

[dale_denton]

dumb article

[obelix01]

But if Sony was "forcing" the eye on everyone, it would be the coolest thing Eva!

[rainslacker]

As a Sony fan, I can safely say that I do not want a PS camera. I may get one if they open up development for it since I currently develop for Kinect on the PC, but otherwise, I would use it for nothing worthwhile. In that vein, the only reason I have a Kinect now is that I develop for it, and it's likely the reason I will get the X1 if I can't purchase the camera separately.

[lnvisibleMan]

The reality is the majority of consumers dont listen to pr surounding a console. For most consumers the price, one of the greatest factors when comes to buying hardware.

[shoddy]

Price yes.

I would pay more for quality and if it's reasonable.

Overprice no thanks

[Kingthrash360]

lol... sony has made the right choice...minus xbox exclusives the same 3rd party kinect enabled games will be on ps4...think tiger woods or 2k both have kinect/eyetoy features.
also arm movment gaming is not the future....kinect/eyetoy games are gimmicks anyway. not one great game among them.

[paul-p1988]

the ONLY game that was any good with motion controls was Resident Evil 5, i could spin round and shoot zombies faster than most people who were using a standard controller as the PS Move could aim where ever i wanted it to in a split second.

Other than that, my PS eye/move have collected dust for about a year now...

A few people i know who couldnt stop praising the kinect have barely used it since it came out, so MS is just looking at the hardware sales of it and assuming everyone loves it, when in reality not many people actually did...

[Kingthrash360]

agreed....i never used it for re5...gunna dust it off and try it out.

[Nitrowolf2]

Eh, giving us the option not to have it is what's driving the sales, and it will continue to drive sales till the end. Sony will eventually bundle to eye if needed. I am glad they didn't include it, because I hate motion gimmicks and prefer the a controller with buttons.

[DJMarty]

Simple Sony just bundles PSEYE with a game that uses PSEYE well and it will sell tons.

I'm buying at launch as it doubles a mic array.

[Mr_Luke]

I'm thankful to Sony. Cheaper console with better specs. I wouldn't want to get a forced camera that i won't use. If they make good games for it, i don't think the players will ignore it. I prefer when they give me the choice, instead of eating my money with useless hardware.

[Kayant]

Kinect for MS is more to do with their experience they going for than it is to do with gaming. With IR & voice commands you can control a lot of things with your voice. With XB1 it's more about UI navigation(Voice/gestures) than games as evident by the kinect features in games. PS camera is more pure motion gaming than UI stuff which is why it's better optional.

Motion cameras in gaming will always be meh to me. They haven't done anything substantial yet to make me ditch a controller.

[JetsFool3500]

Using the controller for the UI is still faster then talking to it considering that you have to enunciate everything

[captain_slow82]

"Sony Damages Future PS4 Sales By Downplaying PlayStation Eye"

the above makes me laugh so hard

imo the reason its there with the xbox one is because MS hope skype takes off big time on there console from a gaming stand point its useless thats why sony dont force the cam on customers.

[HugoDrax]

"from a gaming stand point its useless thats why sony dont force the cam on customers."

Is it now? So tell me when Shuhei Yoshida is browsing the PS4 UI, what's in the top right corner of the video at the 00:50 second mark? Seems to be a live stream of a gamer playing KILLZONE.

Doesn't seem all that pointless to me, but then again that's my personal opinion. Considering when you are watching live streams on TWITCH, you will be able to see who is actually playing the game at hand if they have an eye connected. I find it enjoyable watching gamers reactions to events occurring during gameplay lol.

Link:

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

Doesn't bother me though, choice is choice. I'll have both consoles at launch,and since Microsoft decided to include a camera for Xbox One, I don't have to buy a camera for my PS4.

Happy gaming, gamers. We have one month to go :-)

[captain_slow82]

and your key word there was choice thanks :D

[ziggurcat]

i don't see how choice damages sales.

they're certainly trying their best to cling onto something lately, aren't they...

first it's pinning foxconn's horrible labour practices on sony, then it's PS fanboys are the worst (despite there being an equal amount of xbox supporters who are equally as awful), then it's xbone supports IPv6 (which doesn't do anything to improve online performance) so it's best, now it's this nonsense?

at any rate, this idiotic article gets no click, and a WTF/no.

[captain_slow82]

@ ziggurcat

i agree MS are trying there up most to bring sony down in anyway they can

and as ive said before and will say again there pissing in the wind.

i was sent a survey from the xbox team and i gave as mush hell as i could and do u know why? not because people may think im a sony fanboy (like MS like us all to think when it comes to any negative comment about xbox one) its because i dont agree with how they treat there customers.

[ceedubya9]

I don't think it damages ps4 sales, but it does possibly damage the potential for the camera.

[Fil101]

Well I'm buying.

[nooneknows]

NO ONE WANTS THE EYE!

WHY DOESN'T ANYONE UNDERSTAND THAT!

That's why I'm not buying an Xbox One, as far as value, it doesn't deliver. The titles aren't that great at all.

[TechMech2]

Your opinion is not fact.

[Akuma2K]

That article is lame, future game sales in trouble because of no inclusion of the PS Eye ??

If it was that important then why has the PS4 continued to sell out since it was revealed at E3, and now with a month away from launch it still hasn't stopped.

[kingdip90]

Actually I think people are not facturing in kinecs role in ps eye sales. If the kinect is successful and takes off and if developers embrace it and come up with cool gaming machanics people will buy the ps eye because must have games ported to the ps4 will require them and adding the price of the camera and a ps4 together is still cheaper than the competition.

Sony played it the right way, let the competition market the camera, if it dunks sony don't lose on making to many cameras people won't use, if it swims it will pull the ps eye along for the ride.

Win win for sony

[cell989]

smart marketing observation, thats exactly what I was thinking too, Sony played their cards very well, free marketing without forcing their customer base, strictly optional

[jmc8888]

That's another thing.

If there are good uses out there (and I'm sure there are some at least), then some similar types of uses in games can be applied to the PS Eye.

If anything, Microsoft forcing the Kinect will help whoever buys a PS EYE. Because if they do it for Kinect, they are likely to do it for the eye.

Gamers have had a Kinect to play around with and use its so called advantages for years now, it's doubtful it will 'take off'. In a sense the kinect already 'took off' and just about everybody ditched it or felt it added things so insignificant, there was little value in them owning one. Again hence the pushback on the inclusion of Kinect2. Many people have been there and done that, and it didn't add enough to warrant the cost.

I believe there is probably some niche segment for it, but it's not that big, and it's not that important for gamers. But it is also tone deaf to announce you are putting this spy device in every box and you are required to use it....just days after the NSA/Snowden reveal and Microsoft complicity with the NSA. I've said since they did the 180 on Kinect being plugged in, that this was finally the right call. Now is the time to show people, via the facts of the Snowden/NSA spy scandal, of why they should never plug it in.

There are some uses for kinect. Some people liked changing their weapons in Ghost Recon Future Soldier. But it's hardly earth shattering. Most of what Kinect does a controller or a tv remote control does better and faster. None of which is worth the privacy concerns.

If you look at how Kinect2 is shaping up, it's looking like more of the same. Lots of promises and underwhelming in practice. Where are the launch Kinect games? Why are they promoting it as a replacement for a remote control? How come the only videos we've seen continue to show a noticeable lag?

The only thing ground breaking has everything to do with your privacy, and most people don't want that.

The last thing they should be doing is promoting it as a remote control, because any remote control is 100x better then using your voice. Especially when voice recognition has shown to be wonky so far, even using American form of English, let alone everyone else.

I really wish someone would show how fast you can go through the guidebox using a remote control to run through a few hundred channels...and then the time and effort to do the same with ones voice. Xbox Channel Up repeated a few hundred times seems like a piss poor feature to be promoting. Then remember it won't pick up your voice every time, so a few hundred times might be much more in a real world scenario.

Microsoft should promote only the features that work, are truthful, and are superior to other methods. They aren't doing that.

My guess is that there currently isn't many of these, which is flat out inexcusable after the letdown of Kinect, and it's forcible inclusion in Xbox One.

[kingdip90]

I agree with you 100%

In regard to the added tv functionality I recently saw a tv commercial for direct tv and they already have a set top box that has voice functionality.

That makes kinect 2 even less relivant since cable companies seem to be adapting similar tech themselves.

[fOrlOnhOpe57]

I updated to the PS4 bundle from Amazon. I had already preordered the camera - I think its pretty good along with the fact that it's my choice to buy.

[jmc8888]

These are the sort of articles which help create the climate for the fanboy war.

It twists reality, then pretends what they are saying means something. Tries to create a fake and untrue meme that then Xbox fanboys will trot out and create the tension when fans of Sony easily show how false it is, and in the process some of their fans go over the top. But of course there would be situations where both sides fans go over the top, all because of something patently untrue being said at the onset.

You see this article makes the assumption that by being realistic about its camera, instead of overhyping it without any real examples to back it up like Microsoft has done with Kinect2 then that is negative somehow, in this case, with fewer Eye sales. As if that is the penultimate metric Sony should be worried about. The author of this article is pushing the Eye as far more important an issue, and my guess to as why is because they've been listening to Microsoft hype their camera waaaaayyy too much.

We live in a sick and twisted world, when Sony's crime is being truthful about its Eye. These people think Sony should stoop to Microsoft's level and lie about their products. That it might augment or be an overall new experience with some software, but it is hardly necessary to enjoy next gen games. Sony realizes it's a niche product and isn't going to force it.

The author seems to think they should stoop to Microsoft's level by forcing the camera on everyone. Why should Sony give Microsoft cover for their idiotic bundling? Oh I understand that with 100 percent penetration, it's more likely to be used. But the assumption is that somehow this is necessary. That somehow the core experience isn't good enough without it, and that the fuller experience is somehow with a camera, and that this will be showed early and often in games. I think such thinking is a load of crap.

Or maybe Sony is more in touch with the realities of business.

You see you could lie about your hardware and get people hyped up...only to have their disappointment bring a hated for their product....much like what Microsoft is seeing with the millions of formerly Xbox brand purchasers having enough and switching sides.

This article is also entirely tone deaf to the cries of many people who preordered Xbox one's who don't want the camera, and the many people who would have preordered an Xbox One, but the Kinect2 inclusion is keeping them from preordering one.

At least Microsoft made one right call. Allowing people to ditch the camera.

Sony, at least for the time being, is showing it cares more about gamers long term then chasing short term profits that would drag down their brand in the long term. But since these issues are about some big issues, Sony's longer term vision is actually netting them millions of additional sales right now.

I won't guess to how long this will last, or if/when Microsoft might right the ship. All I can do is comment on what is in front of me. Sony is giving them a choice, and I'd have to think that over the course of a console generation that the potential for selling tens of millions more consoles, and doing right by your customer is far more beneficial to Sony then trying to move a few more Eye's and piss off their customers.

[scott182]

I think it is a great piece of hardware and should be marketed, but it's not in any way going to effect them too much regardless. People want it for sure, it was in the top 50 for a while on amazon when the ps4's were in stock.

[JohnS1313]

This is a waste of time to read. If there's a reason to buy an Eye people will buy one. Better to have a cheaper price on the PS4. Cameras aren't something we need for games. Make games that people will want to play so they'll buy a camera.

[MajorMayhem70]

I'm buying both systems. I refuse to buy the Eye for the PS4 though. Every time the Playstation comes out with a camera it's an afterthought, which means game developers rarely support it. This time Playstation had an opportunity to have 100% installed user base that would have an Eye camera and instead "gave the gamers what they wanted". Yet they implanted features to their new DS4 controller that would coincide with the Eye camera. Now once again it won't have 100% installed base and once again developers won't find the need to develop for it. Y'all can say what you want, the difference between the PS Eye and the Kinect is that Sony has turned the Eye into a gimmick by pulling it from being sold with every PS4. Kinect is a part of the Xbox One experience. Those XB1 users that disconnect the Kinect can always reconnect it if at any time.

[GraveLord]

Sony doesn't care. PS Eye isn't vital to the PS4. Sony has made that clear. It's optional just like any other accessory.

[N4GJD]

It's called the "PlayStation Camera" not the PlayStation Eye! Get it right!

[ElementX]

I'll get the PS4 cam and it'll bring my PS4 purchase price up to $460, only $40 cheaper than Xbox One. The One's camera is 1080p though. I'm getting both systems and I'll see how they compare.

[strickers]

I'll buy a PS4 and get the Eye for an Xmas present for the kids. Win / win. Still cheaper than XB1 too.

[Pancit_Canton]

Sony knows there's not a whole lot of games that supports it during launch. What's the point of keeping a peripherals if you can't fully use it and just collecting dust. Being a mandatory doesn't really makes sense for Sony. If people wants it, they will buy it. Instead of shoving down their troat and forcefully pay for it.

[MightyNoX]

Hey, Sony is giving me and the consumers a CHOICE. I can either buy the PS Eye or I can ignore it. It's a CHOICE and they left it up for everyone...that means to me more than getting a device I don't want to shoved down my throat.

And they're already sold out everywhere, so I'm not sure where you're getting your information from.

Now if they would just announce a PS4+Vita bundle...

[Deltaguy]

Sony playing it smart..they will have a huge marketing push soon for the pseye..2014 most likely right now they just want to get the main machine into homes at a fast pace.

[coolasj]

They'll probably bundle it with all models once the SKU manufacturing price goes down so they can take the hit. Don't forget, they need the camera for VR. And if they do it that way, their install base will grow quickly outside of the 5 Million people that didn't buy it at launch.

[jmac53]

Yeah, it's definetly damaging giving consumers a choice. How many kinect only games for Xbox One have been announced so far? As far I know, none. To me it seems they are moving away from all kinect and using it to augment gameplay and that's it. So Xbox will use kinect sparingly and so will the PS4 camera, so what is the problem?

[ironmonkey]

ps3 has been free for 8 years why wouldnt you mind paying.

[denero1]

Omg I use to say people where just being over dramatic when they said people post articles just to paint sony in a negative light but come onnnnn

this is the best you can do :\ you just made all those n4g users look correct

[Soc5]

They actually gained sales, by not including it. All the people who weren't sure about the xbox and it's higher price, flocked to sony, who by not including the eye had a lower price point. 100 dollar price difference is a big advantage.

[spoonard]

If it was THAT important to gamers, we would have spoke up by now, and Sony would have listened. There will be future bundles with the Eye and without, just like there was with the PS3. But over all, the majority of console gamers don't care about things like Kinect. If they did, the majority would buy an Xbox One, and we can all clearly seer that's NOT the case.

[kwiksilver99]

microsoft by bundling kinect 2.0,have ensured developer support for their peripheral.
the pseye being an add on doesnt.
but thats just one side of the coin.kinect has its own cons,price factor etc.

[Hicken]

No, they haven't. There's nothing stopping developers from ignoring it, even if EVERY XB1 comes with it.

At best, it ensures that developers know that IF they make us of it, every XB1 owner CAN make use of it. But if developers don't want to use it, they won't.

Same goes with the DS4's touchpad: yes, it'll be there. That doesn't mean every developer will have a use for it.

And even those who do may not feel that use is worth the resources.

[kwiksilver99]

+1.
you're right hicken.
and like you said, microsoft have done their part.its up to the developers.
we havnt seen much from kinect and the pseye apart from gimmicks and addons.(excludng dance games etc)
maybe it will change with xbox1.
as much of a sony fan that i am ,i like t see innovation in games.
maybe kinect will showcase something new this gen,maybe it won't.
but we will find out next gen for sure.:)

[BobBelcher]

Sony should just cancel out the PSEye all together... It's wasted effort on their part. Sony nor their fans show any real support for it, nor do they care for the potential of additional tools for gamers.