How Microsoft Will Respond to the PlayStation Experience

Richard Bailey Jr. of The Koalition writes:
This past weekend, gamers from around the world received an onslaught of industry news from both the The Game Awards show and Sony’s impressive PlayStation Experience event in Las Vegas. Brand new gameplay footage from Uncharted 4 and the official confirmation that Street Fighter V will be a PlayStation 4 console exclusive easily overshadowed everything and had diehard Sony supporters on cloud nine. Shortly after all this news was revealed, many analysts and fanboys turned their attention to Microsoft and begin to question if the Xbox One was still capable of competing with both the PS4 and Wii U. I personally think the console is more than capable of doing so and wanted to express my candid thoughts on what Microsoft will do now to reach this goal.

[Romudeth]

This is a really good editorial. I agree. Microsoft needs to focus on getting their pre-existing IPs rebooted as well as launching completely new IPs that rival those of Sony's.

[mikeslemonade]

..with more spun news.

[Ezz2013]

No more buying exclusives games from both sides
this has to stop

Microsoft can start working on making their own games and revive some of it old games
Going by PSX alone
Sony is making tons of amazing exclusives for Ps4/Ps3
and Microsoft should do the same

[Unspoken]

Considering there was practically no good news to come from the $ony Play$tation Experience, Microsoft needs to continue their focus on the games library they are building.

I was under the impression gamers were over the hype train? Are you guys finally feeling the burn of yet another remake? Final Fantasy VII?! And it isn't even remastered... it the same exact game from before!

This isn't acceptable from $ony. My PS4 collects dust because their are barely any games to play. I'll play the occasional indie game but I seriously did not need a PS4 to do so.

What happen to the days of the PS1 and PS2? I remember playing G Police, Parasite Eve, Intelligent Qube, Xenosaga, Star Ocean, Tactics...

Why not take Knights of Sidonia and turn that into a PS4 exclusive action-adventure-rpg-space sim? I'd be first in line to buy it.

[LonDonE]

@Ezz2013
Agreed! Just look at the stupidity of Microsoft! they spent $60 million on 60 minutes worth of cgi cut scenes in the Halo 2 anniversary on the Halo master chief collection compilation! Just what were they thinking? $60 million could of given us a new ip's for xbox, why waste that sort of money on cgi cut scenes? cgi never impresses me, render that in game in real time and that will be impressive!

Or better yet they should of spent some of that $60 million on beta testing the online portion of the master chief collection.
Maybe then the game wouldn't have been such a broken mess.

And then we have the $2 billion they spent on minecraft, hey i love the game too, my 8year old is a complete addict but $2 BILLION is ludicrous!!!!

Just think of the amount of new ips we could of gotten with that sort of money.
Microsoft needs to sort out their priorities and fast.
I love my xbox one but i want more varied franchises which are true system exclusives! not timed third party, not shared with pc but true system exclusives which can only be played on xbox.

That's one area Nintendo and Sony have absolutely nailed! If you want to play Sony First party games you have no choice but to buy a playstation system, and its the same for Nintendo if you want to play the new zelda/mario/metroid etc you have no choice but to buy a nintendo platform!

True system exclusives add value to the brand and platform and give people a reason to buy said platform! they need to stop with the shared games with pc and no people stop with the ms owns windows yadda yadda nonsense! while true that ms has allot invested in pc, its their console they need to strengthen compared to their competition Sony and nintendo.

And with regards to wasting money on third party timed temporary exclusives, what more can i say? at least if it needs to be done then all three companies (Sony/Microsoft and Nintendo)need to ensure said third party is giving them a life time exclusive or its worthless! and the timed dlc first is just a complete joke.

[miyamoto]

Release the Kra$hken!!!!!!

That seems to be in order.
Release more cash! Billions of cash!

M$ seems to always bank on what is the "in thing" what is "hot", what is selling today.

They have never been seen as creative people like the PlayStation camp. Buying is always their answer to anything.

Buy! Buy! Buy!

Instead of using their brains and actually creating something new they chose the easy route...buy.

Like Nintendo, M$ thinks new IPs are too risky and costly.

[darthv72]

you make it sound like they HAVE to do what the other companies do.

what works for one company does not mean it must be adhered to by the rest.

with that in mind...if shelling out $$ is what they do, and it works for them, then so be it. All these companies that just get paid to make games for xbox arent complaining. they are getting paid regardless.

[Charybdis]

they should buy more instead of investing in ips. with this beeing their third console they could use more of their own exclusive ips. Hope they will also revive some of the old ips from the original xbox.

[gangsta_red]

It seems $ony is taking the BUY! BUY! BUY! route also.

Timed DLC for Destiny, timed exclusive games, porting high rated old PC titles, porting over a PS3 title that was only a year old, buying a well established sequel to a popular IP as well as releasing sequels for old titles for their launch line up. Unlike MS who went with more new AAA IP's in it's first year.

I think a lot of people were mistaken about how broke $ony actually was because they seem to be throwing their money around a lot and at anything with a pulse.

[blackout]

And as a business model, how has that worked out for Sony. Not good. I'll take the # two business and business model in the US over anything Sony has ever done in there entire life span. Sony is hardware and nothing else. They don't make money and continously try to mock the competition. How do you continue to support anything that CAN'T GET RIGHT. I don't want to here anything from any Sony fan until they at least post a profit. Sony is supposed to be a beats of a company. Talk about washed up, Sony fans check the figures.

[FriedGoat]

@blackout, Are you referring to the Microsoft who have been last in the console industry every generation?

Oh right yeah, I forgot, according to you Windows profits mean their console business is the best.

[christocolus]

i agree. very good article. great points and very straight forward. Phil definitely knows what has to be done,he has achieved alot in such a short time.i must say the future of the console is in very safe hands. They just need to keep making the right decisions and Nadella needs to keep giving Phil his full support.

2015 will be a grande year.

[Romudeth]

Phil Spencer becoming the head of Xbox has been the best thing that has happened for the console. It's seen a big turn around. I predict they will keep this momentum up but they have to be on guard because Sony is making moves too. The Street Fighter V announcement proves this.

[zero_gamer]

Given the quality of Sony's first party PS4 exclusives in 2014, that's not too hard for MS. Sunset Overdrive is a really good rival for inFamous, and Forza Horizon 2 wiped the floor sparkling clean with Driveclub.

[thanhgee]

Because Sony had one bad year that means the quality of all their other games is now bad? Sunset Overdrive isn't even close to selling 1 million units, tell me one game that is actually worth buying an XB1 for..

The first half of 2015, the XB1 has no games that make the XB1 worth owning. Obviously E3 around the corner, Microsoft will reveal some great games like Scalebound, QB, Halo 5, Crackdown, Tomb raider but those don't come out until the freakin holiday season.

PSX was Sony's pre-e3, they have at least 8 different first party studios ready to reveal games (some of which have been in development for a 2-3 years). From a business perspective, one would assume that they're saving up their new IPs to compete with Microsoft/Nintendo at E3/Gamescom since MS have a lot to announce.

[PONTIAC08G8GT]

One game worth buying an X1 for? How about 5, which have all received mostly 9's for reviews. Your welcome.

Forza Horizon 2, Forza 5, Titanfall, Halo: Masterchief Collection, and Sunset Overdrive

[blackout]

With what is going on now I say your wrong. Sony not to long ago had a two to one lead, that lead has been chipped into with just one of the three holidays. Things look really good for ms without any reboots.

[MRMagoo123]

they are still more than 2 to 1 lead, they still win world wide every week.

[otherZinc]

@Romudeth,

I disagree. You guys are exaggerating all this.

Sony announced Uncharted 4 for 2015, I think. M$ has a Halo 5 beta for the world to play on December 27th for a game releasing November 2015. I'll take the beta.

Sony gives Knack, Killzone, Drive Club, & LBP3, 2 holiday seasons consecutively.
M$ gives Rise, Killer Instinct, Dead Rising 3, Forza Motorsport 5 (still, the only AAA next gen title running 1080p 60fps Locked!), Sunset Overdrive, Project Spark, Forza Horizon 2, & Halo Master Chief Collection.

M$ clearly has the better exclusives!

2015 The Order 1886 looks to be featureless, just like Drive Club. What does the game do? Nothing. No Campaign Co-op, No Multiplayer, No Horde Mode. That isn't acceptable in 2015 with all those characters in a Wannabe Gears of War game.

[TheMeatPuppet007]

Never underestimate Microsoft and especially not Phil. Look what Phil has accomplished so far! It is quite an amazing turnaround and I believe MS has many more tricks up their sleeve in 2015. I do agree that MS needs some more new IPs. New Ips can never hurt a company and especially not a company that relies on old Ips to continuously carry them through.

[JMyers]

@ Romudeth

What old IPS do MS own?

[stephburdo]

The revival of old franchises and brand new I.Ps is something that the Xbox One definitely needs to succeed. Great editorial.

[rbailey]

Microsoft picking up the publishing rights to Rise of the Tomb Raider was crazy overall, but I hope neither side has to resort to this in the long run. Sony of course has a ton of IPs to pull from so they shouldn't be worried about third-parties quite as much. The same goes for Microsoft too if they actually look deeper into what they have and start making new IPs altogether. Either way it def will be interesting to see how this all turns out as the years go by.

[LOL_WUT]

Microsoft is going to make amends by making another multiplat an exclusive. My only concern is I just hope Sony is up for the challenge. Next year is going to be full of surprises especially at E3 that its kinda scary to even think about. ;)

[mkis007]

You misread the tweet. He was talking about making a new conker or banjo...not to say they wont try to throw money at their troubles, but that is not what he meant in that instance.

It is going to be very difficult for ms to find 3Rd party devs willing to go full exclusive with them considering how much they would need to pay to make up for the larger ps4 install base lost sales, including dlc.

[Dudebro90]

@master
Cept its not...

[MasterCornholio]

Actually 56% of copies from last Tomb Raider game sold on the Playstation platform with 37% belonging to the Xbox platform and 4.21% to PC.

In other words the majority of Tombraider 2013 sales were on the PlayStation platform.

Mind you I used VGs but if you have anything better feel free to link it.

[KiwiViper85]

@Mastercornholio

Tomb raider next gen released just as PS4 owners were starving for a decent game to play. I'm not surprised it sold well.

[mkis007]

It's just a business deal hence the "it has a duration". And "they are free to do what they want when it ends".

[MakinBaconXD]

Off topic: Chris,are you ok? Just makin' sure o.o

[HisRoyalFlyness]

Competition always breeds success and it seems like the after the whole Tomb Raider thing, both companies are looking to one up each other.
Hopefully it benefits the gamers

[matthewbatb]

Awesome article.

[Iamnemesis4880]

What ever MS wants they have a Blamload of cash

[DanteVFenris666]

Yea but they can't throw money forever. They threw money at at every exclusive they have(literally not one good exclusive they have is made by one of their studios, not even gears of war is) they have halo which again they didn't even buy the company so some shit team got pulled together to make it. They have cash but after a certain point they will stop. They won't be making money just spending it so they'll eventually stop

[christocolus]

"they didn't even buy the company so some shit team got pulled together to make it"

lmao, kids everywhere..where do you guys keep popping out from?

[mkis007]

Microsoft will not keep an unsustainable department afloat indefinitely. It has to be able to succeed without buying all potential ps4 sales through exclusive deals.

[ger2396]

Yes, but that doesn't always resonate to success.

[KiwiViper85]

I say Dishonored 2 XboxOne exclusive, with packaged dishonoured 1 remaster.

[Dramacydal]

Do they have to? Why do people want them to copy every move Sony makes? They launched the Xbox One from the PS3 launch playbook. Isn't that enough?

[Dudebro90]

So killer instinct, phantom dust, and crackdown all getting/got reboots, but I guess that doesn't count?

Respond to playstation experience??

Respond to what exactly? A gameplay trailer or two and a bunch of indie announcements?

They have their biggest ip next year, along with a beta for that ip in a few weeks.

How will Sony respond to that?

Stop with these stupid articles telling businesses how to run their business. Good grief I hate some gamers.

[realplayer82]

Yah ms has their biggest ip made by a studio that couldn't even release a remaster without issues.

[XiMasterChief]

If you are smart enough, which you are not capable off. Halo MCC was not only made by 343, Saber Interactive, Certain Affinity, Ruffian Games, and United Front Games. Let's count together.1,2,3,4,5. That is FIVE DEVELOPERS! OH MY GOD! YOU FINALLY PASSED THE FIRST GRADE!!!

[Iamnemesis4880]

It is not easy to get games some that are over 9 years old to be compatible with modern hardware

[mkis007]

You did not watch the Psx by your own statement's admission. It had Phil doubting that all the games would release next year.

[Lenrulesdaworld]

Thats not what he said, he said "I didn't see all the release date" not I doubt all those games will release next year. Regardless from his perspective, xbox will have a great year.

[KevWriter]

They will respond with Uncharted 4.

[Inzo]

How will Sony respond to what exactly? I certainly hope you are not referring to Halo, because if that is all MS has, to rely on then they are in some serious trouble.

[Rimeskeem]

"i hate some gamer"

lol

[MasterCornholio]

"How will Sony respond to that?"

You mean Halo?

With Uncharted 4 a game produced by a studio that's known to produce GOTY caliber games.

I dont think Sony is worried about Halo.

P.S I'm not saying that Halo will be bad I'm just saying that it isn't the only big game coming out next year.

[DigitalRaptor]

The article is legit opinion. The victim complex continues from you guys.

How will Microsoft respond to the fact that PS4 continues to be a third party developer's paradise, where they are selling and will continue to sell tons more software?

How will they respond to the fact that due to their own lack of care, the Xbone is getting less quality games and less diversity for its gamers, and Microsoft is losing out of money from all these indie devs that their parity clause both denies and intimidates. Then there's the reports of Microsoft not paying indie devs their earnings on time. They bring this s**t on themselves.

Bringing up their biggest IP? I thought I'd not even mention how much of a liability 343 is for the Halo franchise after certain reports of Halo 4 and the horrible decisions ( http://www.neogaf.com/forum... and https://www.youtube.com/wat... ) that went into the premature release of MCC, that is still having problems to this day. But I might as well bring it up to offer a dose of reality here.

343 screwed up, and they screwed up bad. If they are still fixing those MCC issues now and into next year, as well as working on another Halo twin-stick shooter that has been delayed into 2015 because of said issues, as well as dedicating resources into 2 live-action Halo TV series at the same time, how can they possibly put their all into Halo 5 and have it match the best Bungie built up for the franchise? It's wise to be skeptical of 343 after this. Will MS have to outsource to other studios again like they did with MCC? We'll see.

And how will Sony respond to Halo 5? Well it's safe to say that they'll have a tremendous year-long lineup without having to cram their best into the holidays. The momentum will continue. They will have a more diverse, content-rich lineup overall, and then Uncharted 4 will blow doors off. You know… it's just that game that is being helmed by Druckley - the ND combo who are behind the 2 most critically acclaimed games in the history of the industry.

[CoTton_MoUtH]

Microsoft well try to own E3 and fail.

[ArtificiallyYours]

This generation altogether fails as of right now.

Stop releasing buggy shit as an excuse to meet fairy tale deadlines.

[IIFloodyII]

Probably by overhyping their E3 Conference. I doubt they'll do their own Xbox event.

[IIFloodyII]

I should note that's not me bashing MS, It's just what they're going to do, if you think otherwise I'd love to know why.

[S2Killinit]

this was the second conference by Sony that Microsoft did not respond to. My guess is that they are holding everything for E3 or another one of the big conferences.

[Illusive_Man]

The Sony Experience is a good idea for fan service but it honestly didn't show anymore games than we've seen already.

So if Xperience is about essentially throwing a big party for Xbox fans than why not. Not sure if they should throw all their hand though...what would be the point of E3 and Gamescon?

[DigitalRaptor]

Yes it did.

There were plenty of brand new announcements for games coming to PS4 that aren't coming to Xbone. The list is ever growing. There were plenty of announcements for fantastic looking games like Killing Floor 2 and The Forest.

There were new games announcements like What Remains of Edith Finch, Street Fighter V, Drawn To Death, Fat Princess Adventures, Kill Strain, Enter the Gungeon, Skytorn, a new God of War, Gang Beasts, Wattam and more that I'm probably forgetting.

But yes you are right, it was also pure fan service and should be a yearly thing to supplement E3, Gamescome etc..

[MasterCornholio]

You forgot Day of the Tentacle.

How could you?

[22CobraKing]

Yea, What is MS gonna do?
Go to E3 and loose again.

[kingbain90]

People are seriously overreacting to PSX, other than SFV exclusivity what was the big surprise we didn't know about?

[22CobraKing]

The surprise is how Microsoft will respond.

[SurgicalMenace]

Why do you guys choose to feud? There is a very simple solution to all of this console warring. Buy them all. They will have games to make you want to play them. We should be spending more time playing our systems instead of fighting about which one's better. If you could only afford to choose one then say that instead of constantly trying to validate that your choice in system was the best. You know what, it was the best, FOR YOU!! Now go play it.

[MultiConsoleGamer]

They won't. For all intents and purposes the PS Experience was a disappointment.

MS will wait until E3. Although you can expect them to rip off the Nintendo Direct approach in the new year. Sony will quickly follow suit because that's what they do.

[urwifeminder]

Laugh at the cost then continue making great games.

[slappy508]

Having Shenmue 3 developed for xbox one would be a great response

[Trekster_Gamer]

Kudos to Sony. I hope MS follows suit!

[Flames76]

It didn't come close to Xbox One so no need to respond

[Ra3030]

Microsoft has around 9/ 10 million Xbox One owners that say there relevant and their adding more everyday.......what's this clown even talking about? If you wanna talk about Xbox just talk about it you don't need to use Sony or anyone or thing else to do that.....clown!

[Revengeance]

Nothing. They've used their cards up. They'll have to wait till E3 2015 to make a move again.