170°

Pressurecast Ep. 50: Sony Should Fear the $350 Xbox One

This week on the Pressurecast, Microsoft gets serious with a $50 Xbox One price cut for this holiday season. Should Sony be afraid? Absolutely.

And Sony remains in the red, the Wii U picks up steam, a slim Xbox One could be coming, Prey 2 is officially cancelled, OnLive expands, Capcom continues to struggle, Valkyria Chronicles hits PC, PS4 Update 2.0 continues to cause issues, Driveclub is still in the ditch, and much more!

Plus, Colin and Brian give their impressions of the week’s newest games, including Sunset Overdrive, Lords of the Fallen, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Danger of the Ooze, NBA Live ’15, and MX vs. ATV: Supercross.

Everything happening in the world of gaming is here, now, on this week’s PRESSURECAST!

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gamesunderpressure.com
stonecold33462d ago

ps4 is selling well at it price point i dont see sony has to fear anything it got the games exclusives and mulitplatform to back it all up .

Lightning Mr Bubbles3462d ago

Yeah, as a Playstation fanboy, I don't like this one bit. PS4 should also be at $350.00, take the loss, who cares just keep knocking the XBOX One out of the water.

XBOX One is taking the cheap way of trying to get back into the race, by selling their console for less than PS4. I say don't let them get away that.

Xbox One launched at $499 and now it's selling for $349, so obviously things haven't been going their way.

xHeavYx3462d ago

Uh, first of all, the $350 is a price cut for the holidays only, second, there is no reason for Sony to cut the price of the PS4, as they are dominating the One in sales everywhere

DigitalHope3462d ago

Biggest online retailer is selling ps4 at 350 is it not?

FITgamer3462d ago

I don't think they should do a price cut. If anything offer a $399 bundle. It's highly unlikely Microsoft will make up the million + gap in U.S. in the next two months. Also the PS4 is still dominating the rest of the world. Price cut is unnecessary.

ger23963462d ago

Why? It's selling just fine at it's current price. The $350 price for Xbox 1 is for the holidays. Although if it doesn't sell well during the holidays, it might be a permanent price cut. If that happens, Sony will have to evaluate their pricing strategy.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3462d ago
TheWatercooler3462d ago

Sony doesn't have to fear anything with the word xbox in it.

They just need to do what they are doing because they are killing it

breakpad3462d ago (Edited 3462d ago )

the only thing that Sony has to fear is themselves...they must correct ASAP firm2.0 and Driveclub

Blashted3462d ago

no because anyone with a brain isnt gonna buy a console just cuz its cheaper theyre gonna buy the more powerful one

qwerty6763462d ago

not really, most average consumers dont care about that stuff.

Spotie3462d ago (Edited 3461d ago )

You got something to back up that claim?

Last I checked, whenever something with measurable power is being advertised, the advantage in power over its competitors is noted.

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

Let's not pretend this isn't happening with pretty much every applicable product. And "average" consumers hear these things quite frequently.

Oh, and they care. They want the most towing, the most horsepower, the fastest RAM, the most suction, the most efficient cleaning time. Whatever it is, the average consumer still wants the best. Even if they can't necessarily afford it.

Saying they don't care is just a convenient excuse.

Edit: Also, not seeing why Sony should fear the XB1 at all, currently. Except maybe as an example of how NOT to launch a console. IF the price gains the XB1 a significant amount of traction- and it'd have to be A LOT, given how far behind it is right now- Sony can rather easily drop the price. They're already making a profit on each console, or are very close to it. And their software sales are pretty good, to boot.

People keep talking about all the money Microsoft has that Sony doesn't have; in their daydreaming, I guess they forgot that all that money isn't at the Xbox division's disposal. Xbox is limited in the losses it can take in a way that PlayStation is not.

And yes, while Xbox MAY be making more money than PlayStation(though I doubt this highly), it's not nearly as important to Microsoft as a whole as PlayStation is to Sony. So it would be easier from a business standpoint to let go of Xbox than the PS brand.

Edit: I'd say not to be stupid, Death, but I don't want you to push yourself.

I said they care. I didn't say it was the ONLY thing consumers care about. I didn't even say it was the MAIN thing they care about. Obviously, if a potential customer has certain games in mind, or certain people they want to play with, that will have an effect on which console they decide to buy. But you're a lying sack of horse poop if you're actually sitting there intimating that Xbox fans wouldn't rather have a more powerful console right along with the games they want most; the same for Wii U fans.

If I had my pick, a Lotus Elise 111R would be right near the top of my list of most wanted cars; that doesn't mean I don't wish it had even better performance.

That would be stupid.

Death3462d ago

@Spotie,

What if someone wants the best racing game out? What if they want the biggest exclusive FPS in a nice collection? What if they want a more refined and robust online service? What if they want the console their friends have? What if they want the best price? The best is different for everyone.

If you want the fastest RAM and the most expensive console, the PS4 is definitely the way to go. The biggest indie selection is another thing the PS4 can boast. Most sales too. It really depends on what you are looking for out of a console.

If you want to play Sunset Overdrive, the Master Chief Collection, either Forza, and the biggest multiplatforms out there you can only do that on Xbox.

If Little Big Planet, Killzone, Infamous, and the upcoming GT and Uncharted releases are your thing along with the same multiplats, the PS4 is the way to go.

Thinking "power" trumps these things is silly.

miyamoto3462d ago

Aww...PS4 market and players are not average consumers nor casual gamers. The core gamer market, dude.

Nice try but Xbox One is targeted at the same market yet they don't buy M$' console. This is why M$ is hiding XBone's sales figures behind the Xbox 360's skirt. FYI

Ju3462d ago

"and the biggest multiplatforms out there you can only do that on Xbox. " o'rly?

DigitalRaptor3462d ago

I'll agree. History has shown the direct opposite to be true about power vs. popularity.

Sony have played this gen remarkably smart so far. They marketed the PS4 as "the world's most powerful console", and #resolutiongate has a really big Internet presence, so there will always be an element of Sony's marketing and brand perception going forward about them having the most powerful console and the better looking and performing games, but it's really their brand's global strength that means it will continue to sell the most.

Having the most games, more power, and more diversity in their lineup of games will really only add to the strength of the brand.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3462d ago
Death3462d ago (Edited 3462d ago )

I have both an Xbox One and PS4. Both have their pros and cons. People will buy the console that plays the most games they want to play. If they see the same games on both systems that interest them, price will come next.

Think about your price point position for a moment. PC GPU's range between $50 to $1000. You can play the Sims 4 with any of the cards in this range. People with a brain buy these GPU's all across the pricing spectrum. Currently you can trade in any PS3 or Xbox 360 and get an Xbox One for $250 at the Microsoft store. You can get free games too. For $150 more you can buy a PS4 with no games. Let's say you are one of those waiting for the holidays, if you are one of the lucky few that live on a budget, what is your brain going to tell you?

DrKarateChop3462d ago

I'm less concerned with our thoughts, after all we're pretty educated when it comes to video games.

Now the family member Christmas shopping at toys r us is a different story. 50 bucks more than a Wii U and 50 less than a PS4 places the Xbox right in the middle. That’s pretty compelling to the clueless parent.

This only matters because of the holiday season. The sales for each system will be the biggest so far.

Darrius Cole3462d ago

The key phrase is "with a brain". Most people simply are not smart. Most of the ones who are smart don't put much thought into which video game console is the most powerful. Most people go on hearsay, and most people will buy the cheaper one if the hearsay says that the two are similar.

Death3462d ago (Edited 3462d ago )

To some, games are more important than power. I'm not saying the PS4 doesn't have games, but the line up on the PS4 doesn't scream "more powerful hardware". I own Driveclub, it is a very pretty game. I've shown it to and let my friends play it when they stopped over. None of my friends with a brain felt the superficial "looks" of the game outweighed the lack of features or limited AI. This is without trying the online play which has been very inconsistent for many. Killzone is the other game I pop in to show what the PS4 can do. It's an incredibly nice visual showcase of what the system is capable of. Once again though it was eye-porn more than anything. Last up in my limited PS4 library is Destiny. It looks exactly the same on both my PS4 and Xbox One.

Everyone is different. That includes brains. Some people prefer the games on the Xbox One, others like the PS4 exclusives better. Some prefer a much more robust and refined online experience. Some don't mind waiting for greatness or at least see greatness differently. That's what makes us all unique. Let's not assume people that don't share our opinions don't have brains. That makes you look stupid.

Vipre773462d ago

Half of the population is below average...

Darkwatchman3462d ago

I own a ps4 and now with the price cut, I'm getting the Xbox one with the master chief collection and sunset overdrive

Anon19743462d ago

"no because anyone with a brain isnt gonna buy a console just cuz its cheaper theyre gonna buy the more powerful one"

What about the Wii? People didn't snap it up because it was the more powerful console. It had a good gimmick and it was cheaper. It's not always about power.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3462d ago
Christopher3462d ago (Edited 3462d ago )

They should only fear it if MS keeps it at that price. In which case, Sony will then lower the price of their console to match it.

As it is, it's only one month. If MS sells 7m in that one month due to the price cut, well, that would be phenomenal!

Infamous2983462d ago (Edited 3462d ago )

Even the Xbox one with two bundled games and promotional stuff for it couldn't outsell the PS4. Xbox one sales will increase with that price cut but i dont think it will outsell the PS4.

jrshankill3462d ago

Sony can't lower the PS4 any lower at the minute. They can't afford to. If they could, don't you think they would have announced a holiday price drop?

Christopher3462d ago

Sony surely can since the majority of their profit comes from video game sales and they are already making a lot more profit from their console than MS is on theirs. If MS decided to remain at the $350 price tag (no free game, obviously), Sony could easily follow suit to remain competitive and maintain a market share lead, which in turn leads to more games sold for their console, which then means more money.

Death3462d ago

Sony made 200 million in profit the last quarter in video games. This was on 2.8 billion in revenue in the same division.

To put this in perspective, their Imaging division which houses cameras made 184 million on sales of only 1.6 billion.

Devices made 271 million on sales of 2.2 billion.

Financial services made 437 million on 2.4 billion in revenue.

You can check out last quarters results here, http://www.sony.net/SonyInf...

Only fans see Playstation as being the majority of Sony's business. In reality it is a relatively small segment with one of the lowest profit margins.

Christopher3462d ago

***Only fans see Playstation as being the majority of Sony's business. In reality it is a relatively small segment with one of the lowest profit margins.***

And yet it is the fastest building revenue element they have in the last year with the greatest increase in revenue from the same quarter from the year before.

The reason for the low profit is due to investment in the various elements upon which PS4 relies. Investments that are to support the long-life of the device and its features. Meaning you won't be seeing similar profit issues going forward.

Also, just because it's only $200m in profits doesn't mean that they can't lose the profits of the consoles considering the mass majority of profits they do receive are from video games and accessories and not the console itself.

tl;dr I don't disagree with you, but what you presented doesn't change the fact that Sony can do a price drop to match MS and still maintain the profit they have, if not grow it.

V0LT3462d ago

I really wouldn't expect MS to raise the price up $50 when the promo ends. I'm sure it's here to stay.

DualWielding3461d ago

yah but surely lot of people would fall for it and rush to buy an Xbox One out of fear it'll be 50 dollars more if they don't buy it during this holidays

Manic20143462d ago

Actually I belive its for two months.

Sweep143462d ago

and that's exactly what MS will do. They will very probably not re-increase the price after christmas season

DigitalRaptor3462d ago (Edited 3462d ago )

They have nothing to fear PERIOD.

- Years of having a significantly cheaper SKU than PS3's cheapest SKU.
- Several years of multimillion selling Halo games.
- A year's head start over the PS3
- All the negative attention you remember the PS3 being at the receiving end of.

And PS3 still sold faster the the 360 year-on-year and eventually caught up on an 8 million unit lead. PS4 is killing it, and a price cut will not worry them in the slightest, since even with minimal effort, they will still be killing it. But they do need to hold fast, and not simply cruise with it.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 3461d ago
Masterchief_thegoat3462d ago

wii u need to fear xbox one is coming for the number 2 spot

vikingland13462d ago

I don't see PS4 slowing down any time soon. But a $350 XB1 should help MS.

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260°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

Read Full Story >>
theverge.com
darthv7223h ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

solideagle10h ago

you should apply in MS PR team buddy, I think you will do a great job in my humble opinion :)

Sonic18817h ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio7h ago

MS: "Xbox services and content without AB up 1%, with AB up 62%. Hardware down 31%. In total a loss of 350 mill."

darthv72: "Seems about right."

MS: "Excuse m ..."

darthv72: "I don't hardly play on my consoles directly."

MS:

Lightning772h ago

What he said was facts. How he plays games is no concern of you. Don't get too mad about it.

Cacabunga9h ago

I can tell people like you are an absolute minority..

If service is up means their fans and fanboys accepted this model and subscribed to it. The near future you will see a big decline because the service is saturated.

shinoff21838h ago

But that's been ms for years. When things aren't going their way they try to change the way things are said. For instance console sales are down, they stop telling how many sold instead telling us how many hours spent in halo or headshots. So it makes sense console sales down just say people are playing on more devices then previous. What they won't say is how many xbox players jumped ship to ps5.

Cacabunga7h ago

Hardware sales are so bad that Sony and Nintendo are blowing the sales off the water with their hardware.

If Xbox are losers, others aren’t..
Xbox already tried everything with Xbox live then subscriptions went down so much that they had to find something else. Their fans subscribed then reached saturation rather quickly.

Hardware and exclusive games is where it’s at! Keep gamers excited, announce decent software and people will support you

itsmebryan3h ago

@shin
Well keep it simple Sony 's operating income is down 26% and Microsoft's is up 32%. No MS spin there, just facts. 😉
Cheers

romulus232h ago

Odd that a company that touts you dont need the hardware to play is already touting another console in the works.

darthv722h ago

They are not reliant on the HW but still want to maintain a presence (no matter how small) is a good thing. It shows commitment to the craft. It reminds me of SNK and how they made games for their own hardware (Neo Geo) while also making them for others because they knew there was a market to do so. They knew they would sell more to others but also sell to their own niche fan base.

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purple10112h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos11h ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

DOMination-1h ago

In the last two years they've started exiting the consumer market altogether. All of the newest Surface products are business models only. They can't seem to work out what they want to do with it.

XBManiac11h ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad10h ago(Edited 10h ago)

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple10110h ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos10h ago(Edited 10h ago)

Top brass have also wanted to start seeing returns on the 100 billion they have put into various Xbox related moves so seeing more multiplatform games is highly likely especially from abk

It's basically saying that PlayStation is the reason Xbox is afloat right now thinks to Ps5 versions of COD

Kornholic8h ago

So basically PS and PC gamers' money is keeping Xbox on life support.

MrDead1h ago

The only growth MS will get out of the console industry is if it supports it's rivals platforms. Xbox is a pointless machine now. I can see them on a big push for live next, and they won't give up on trying to buy Steam.

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150°

Sony Patents To Prevent You From In-Game Harassment By Reading Your Emotions

A new patent recently published by Sony wants to gather biometric data of gamers to track whether one is being harassed using AI tools.

Profchaos1d 12h ago (Edited 1d 12h ago )

I hope this is one of those patents that never comes to fruition.

I already dislike the fact you can pay a significant amount for a online service buy associated games and content on said service and get banned from that service over potentially a misunderstanding the bans are already handed out for flimsy reasons

I'd rather see money invested in a ban that simply removes the offensive players ability to communicate with unknown players allow them to continue party chats with friends but not with Joe blow on cod.

exputers1d 8h ago

Agreed. Blizzard recently banned a college Overwatch 2 player who's dependent for saying "shit." Pretty harsh.

Profchaos17h ago(Edited 17h ago)

How rediculas really. You can't say a word that's allowed in most PG films and prime time TV but the game is based around killing the enemy team using guns, explosives etc.

It's just backwards.

just_looken19h ago

What your talking about is called block list

In 2006 a spaceship dropped of the playstation 3/xbox 360 i say that that generation was the last great gen with game functions/tech that has yet to comeback

Anyhow the playstation 3 if you block listed a id they could not talk to you in chatroom with either text or voice. But that was pre mind fucked 2018 when people were more human than sheep.

But hey gta 6 is coming out billion dollar budget without a single player custom character creator and without singeplayer coop off/online something saints row 1-3 had on the xbox 360.

z2g1d 4h ago

Take my social security and bank account numbers too! Here’s a picture of my wife and our address.

phoenixwing1d 4h ago

Cmon where's the pictures of your children. Don't hold out on them.

H91d 4h ago

At this rate I feel Sony will eventually sell a room to play games in it where they can monitor your every breath

jambola1d ago

I genuinely get a bit worried sometimes when a friend says something that could be offensive In a party
Because I have no trouble believing some bans would happen when in a private party for saying something wrong

SegaSaturn6691d 3h ago

I want them to censor erotic content by measuring my groin temperature so i dont get too distracted while playing black ops 2.

Popsicle1d 3h ago

Terrible idea. Not only do I not consent to providing my biometric data, the potential for mishandling biometric data is almost a certainty. Positive stress and negative stress can produce similar changes in biometrics. Interpreting the precise emotion a person is feeling is not only invasive but could be easily misconstrued. I hope this never comes to fruition.

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300°

Microsoft Seemingly Closes Bethesda France

As part of its plans to cut 1,900 jobs, Microsoft has reportedly shut down operations at Bethesda France, letting go roughly 15 people

Read Full Story >>
insider-gaming.com
Hereandthere1d 19h ago

Microsoft should have left them stay 3rd party

GamerRN1d 17h ago

If they are let go, they can be whatever they want. They ARE 3rd party now... 🤦

Barlos1d 14h ago

Yeah, they're also jobless.

GamerRN1d 7h ago

They can form a company if they want, they are just as jobless as if "Microsoft had left them as 3rd party".

peppeaccardo1d 9h ago

"MIcrosoft leaves Bethesda do what they know how to do best" ... close! Oh the irony ....
(Citation from a week old article)

ChasterMies1d 5h ago

I think Microsoft and other game publishers are letting people go because they think ai will replace them. Doesn’t matter how much profit they make. They were always going to be let go.

PassNextquestion1d 19h ago (Edited 1d 19h ago )

Bethesda France was made up of roughly 15 people... they couldn't of being doing much

Bethesda France mainly did publishing and marketing within the region

blacktiger1d 17h ago

that's a shame for you to say that, i'm sure Elite loves hearing what you just said.

Mr Logic1d 3h ago

What a stupid thing to say. The elites give 0 fucks what we say on an obscure website in the comments section.

Crows901d 2h ago

You can always reach out and give them jobs at your company man. Don't wait

Profchaos1d 19h ago (Edited 1d 19h ago )

Bethesda France focused on publishing and marketing in the region. And 15 people lost their jobs as part of the closure.

I wonder if this is part of Microsoft's strategy to abandoned physical media or possibly gamepass advertising makes their roles redundant you don't need to market a game as hard when the majority of players get the game as part of a sub which already promoted upcoming games

Tacoboto1d 18h ago

It's France too, there's a high likelihood only 1-2 people on the team even had an Xbox.

Profchaos1d 18h ago

Possibly guven all the leaks we know the Xbox brand is really struggling in the region.

Yi-Long1d 15h ago

Well, if your consoles and games are barely found in any stores any more, of course you're gonna struggle finding consumers ...

XiNatsuDragnel1d 17h ago

Tbh Microsoft I think Bethesda being 3rd party same with Activision would probably more competitive than thus scenario imo

Profchaos1d 16h ago (Edited 1d 16h ago )

I think it would have been better for all parties really especially gamers

TheColbertinator1d 17h ago

The recently purchased Activision French offices might take over all the licensing and marketing for Microsoft in France from now on.

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