Sony must be wary of where Microsoft is taking Xbox

Ben looks at why the advances Microsoft is making with hardware and services could provide problems for Sony and PlayStation going forward.

[FallenAngel1984]

Author is so wrong on so many levels with this article

[UltraNova]

I'd like to focus on one point here. Everyone seems to conviniently forget that it was Sony who released the first working cloud streaming service out there. Sony did not make it their mission to advertise PS Now like the second coming because they knew it wasn't ready for world wide reliable adoption. If anyone believes they are not working on it and improving it because they dont do 1000 interviews a year mentioning it every single time they are fooling themselves. They've just signed an agreement with MS regarding cloud and AI solutions that should have been enough to prove Sony is on it and that they will react and announce something themselves when they feel they have something substantial to say. This policy (talk when ready) was seen in action by skipping E3 2019.

As for the article in general, why would Sony worry about where MS is headed with xbox? Sony has content to cater their fans for days, they have VR, they have PS Now that will be beefed up and ready to take on xcloud and Stadia, they have a great online network (PSN), and most importantly they have millions of devoted fans ready to support them.

As long as they give us what we want, Sony has nothing to worry about.

[Rude-ro]

Marketing... Microsoft’s billion dollar focus.
“Do not sell what the people want, make the people buy what you are selling.”
Bill Gates.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

Sales = convincing people they need something.

[Potnoodle999]

Agreed :) this👆

[porkChop]

"conviniently forget that it was Sony who released the first working cloud streaming service out there"

That's not exactly true. OnLive launched in 2010. Gaikai launched in 2012, and was later purchased by Sony.

Sony re-launched Gaikai as PSNow, which was the first cloud streaming service on consoles.

"As long as they give us what we want, Sony has nothing to worry about."

Agreed. As long as Sony continues like they have with PS4 they'll be in a great position for next gen.

[gamer7804]

Sony was not first, onlive was.

[DaDrunkenJester]

First off, Sony was NOT the first one to have working cloud streaming.

Secondly, they basically just bought out OnLive and Gaikai which were the two biggest companies for streaming games. Essentially wiping out all competition for themselves.

Thirdly, they likely didn't market it much because their entire approach with the PS4 vs. Xbox was that it all local play and focused on physical game sharing.

Fourthly, they likely didn't market it to be big because they new the Gaikai servers were trash (still are) and no one would buy into it that much because they already knew Gaikai was not that great.

What Xcloud and Stadia are doing is bringing streaming to a new and better level, in theory. Will it work better since there is newer and better servers? Most likely. Do they have a benefit over PSNow offering newer games that are first and 3rd party? Absolutely. Will the general audience accept it and make it boom? That is something we just don't know yet.

[Silly gameAr]

@DaDrunkenJester

Sony was the first to actually bring a game streaming service to consoles and PC that worked. You guys should stop splitting hairs. You know what he meant.

[slapedurmomsace]

Sega Channel did a version of streaming decades before Sony. Should be fun watching people turn to streaming games while ISPs turn to data overages and tier'd pricing to get more money out of you. Between Prime, Netflix, YouTube and now game streaming I can't wait for the day I end up spending more money streaming that latest 4k game than I would have buying a hard copy of it.

[Silly gameAr]

@slap

And the Ninpretendo did it 3,000 years before Sega. Give me a break.

[StormSnooper]

Soon MS will offer you the option to upgrade to the premium package, and if you want sports, there is an additional bundle for you.

[Segata]

Small correction but cloud gaming existed on Genesis and SNES. They had games streamed to them. Not downloaded. Streamed. So it's been around a long time.

[darthv72]

Sony didnt do that... Gaikai and On-live did. Sony simply bought up what they could and put their name on it. And on top of that, they chose to narrow the field of view by eliminating the service from other devices that still have value in the market.

Reducing the footprint and availability is not how you attract people to your product. You win them over by expanding the scope and scale of its reach.

[Godmars290]

@Rude-ro:
Which has really done MS how much good with things like Kinect and the XB1 launch policies? The XBX versus PS4 sales?

Oldboy has it partly right: Sales = shows you've convinced people needed something.

[UltraNova]

Darth,

"Sony didnt do that... Gaikai and On-live did. Sony simply bought up what they could and put their name on it. And on top of that, they chose to narrow the field of view by eliminating the service from other devices that still have value in the market. "

You, porkchop, gamer and DaDrunk know full well what I meant but here let me clarify it for you: Sony did not invent cloud streaming for games, the bought Gaikai and created the first, still working and alive, console version.

As for buying their way in and slapping their name of it...man thats rich coming from a MS diehard supporter!

"Reducing the footprint and availability is not how you attract people to your product. You win them over by expanding the scope and scale of its reach"

How did Sony reduce their footprint, by skipping E3? You must have missed their Days of Play streams and the whole discussion dominating E3 on how much Sony was missed from the show and how E3 was lesser by that. One could argue that the exact opposite happened by skipping E3, they actually increased their "footprint".

[rainslacker]

I think people that want to reference Sony as being first, just so they don't have to go through the semantic gymnastics which ignore context, yet don't actually do anything to support MS is doing something new and noteworthy, is they say, "Sony is the first company to have a successful for the long term game streaming service".

The less room you leave for fan boys to spin things and be dismissive of what is actually trying to be said, the less replies you get which don't bother to address any other argument you may be making. Or at least one would hope...since they'll ignore anything they can't directly refute anyways.:)

Let's take Darth's reply for example.

"Sony didnt do that... Gaikai and On-live did"

So, he refutes that Sony wasn't the first, but offers up nothing on why MS is getting so much credit for now getting into the game as if they are somehow revolutionizing the future of gaming....which is what most of these articles like this boil down to.

[Edito]

You said it all thanks.

I'm looking forward to the day when people will realize that Sony was right all along and with the games it will make the competition irrelevant.

[madpuppy]

Adding to Ultranova's point,
Almost all of Microsoft's products or "technologies" have been purchased, From Dos to directX as well as Office were developed by other companies and later purchased by MS and rebranded.

MS is LITERALLY a company that stood on the shoulders of giants to get where they are today!
To belittle Sony for doing anything remotely similar is pretty ironic, to say the least.

[derektweed1]

Late to the party but from reading the comments it seems like Sony did what Microsoft has done for years; buy the competition, they then restricted the service so much that the consumer is forced to buy what you are selling.

Someone mentioned reducing the footprint or something, I assumed they meant when they removed PSNow from all other devices except PS4 and PC. They also don't put very attractive games on the service meaning your more likely to buy a PS4.

[DJStotty]

I think you may find that OnLive (2010) were one of the 1st cloud streaming services, which Sony purchased in 2015.

Then they modified it along with Gaikai (which they bought) to what is Playstation Now. they didnt pioneer the technology, they bought it.

[TheHan]

@Ultranova. Sony never believed in its cloud computing that’s probably why Microsoft boasts about it more than sony. On the other hand Microsoft has always had the better online than Sony as well just a few years back Sony decided to charge people for their online services to compete with Microsoft and now Nintendo does the same thing, knowing there is money to be made off of said service which by now has helped stabilize Sony’s online ecosystem, same goes for Nintendo which will improve over time. Those so called Loyal Sony fans that are brainwashed and can’t remember a thing from the past, yeah Sony So has your back 😂🤣 their hands in your wallets.

[Dragonscale]

Well its from xboxenthusiast so say no more lol.

[TheHan]

@Dragonscale Oh but we just take Playstation nation or other bullshit opinions as facts? Give me a break. I love Sony but the shit people stick up for, for them is down right hysterical 😂🤣

[TheHan]

Lol don’t get but hurt cause of what he talks about, everything he said in this opinion is true when he talks about the differences between the two Xbox and PS. I’m sorry to burst your safe bubble. Now don’t be a snowflake and melt under pressure 😊

[Atanasrikard]

Snowflakes don't melt under pressure, they melt because of temperature.

[trooper_]

Ah yes, the truth that Microsoft's 'me too' approach will backfire eventually.

[Godmars290]

Since when is an opinion "true" as in factual? An opinion is just an opinion when the "facts" are is that throughout their histories the PS band has sold better than the Xbox brand. That the one time Xbox did outsell PS, the gap in sales between then shrank instead of widened and MS stopped recording/announcing sales before PS outsold Xbox. Again.

[TheHan]

@Atanasrikard, High amounts of pressure creates heat, You just made yourself look foolish.

[trooper_]

Journalist is out of touch with reality.
Journalist needs to come back down to reality.

[TheGuitarist]

They have taken major strides to please fans. If only Phil Spencer had been in charge when they were developing the Xbox One instead of Don Mattrick

[Vames]

They are all corporate shills. Phil is making these moves because of past failures, not because it was his intention all along.

[windblowsagain]

Phil still works for Sony.

[rainslacker]

Well...as much criticism as I lob at Spencer, if something isn't working, then it is right to analyze why, and endeavour to fix it. Even most criticizing say that's what he should be doing.

Now it's just more the attitude of pretentiousness which surrounds him to continuously talk like they're doing great, when they havent proven that they have changed by delivering in the way people said he needs to. Hes refocusing what the xbox brand is about, which is also fine, but its causing this divide between those who aren't looking for those things, and want ms to just remedy what they've failed at most this gen, which is a steady supply of good high quality games.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

Mattrick was a dictator? No one was allowed a vote to decide what was best for xbox? It was all up to Mattrick? See how silly that sounds.

[Atom666]

Haha, sure, there was a lot of voting going on back then at MS...

Mattrick was Ballmer's little pet ferret who thought Kinect, media, and COD marketing contracts were more important than building your own studio infrastructure, actually owning IP, and focusing on the core fans that you built that division on the decade prior.

The corporate structure there was infamously toxic and ego-driven, and its impact on the Xbox side is well documented.

The current employees and execs have been pretty transparent about how things were back then. Even casual observers and xbox fanboys recognized how shitty things were in that magical era.

It always sounds silly to me to see people defend any part of that time period. E3 2013 was the rotten fruit of that labor.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

It was Steve Ballmer and Don Mattrick dynamic duo and everyone had to follow suit weather you liked it or not including Phil. You really think Rare wanted to make dumb little Kinect games forever? Now Rae is busy with a new Ip under Phil. Trust me if Mattrick was still around he would find some way to ruin Rare and Xbox's other studios for something nobody wants.

[rainslacker]

Matt Ricks vision was different in some ways. Phil's efforts are leading xbox more towards what mattrick wanted to achieve. Phil came in when ms was starting its shift to cloud based services as a whole, and a lot if the changes to xbox seem geared towards that.

This isn't stated as a clear vision, and for Phil's part, hes trying to keep the traditionalist on board because they're going to be the ones that can help support the brand during the transition. Mattrick on the other hand wasn't worried about that. His vision was clear enough, he was just ignored the bases needs. For whatever mattrick may have done wrong though, he did have a plan, and we knew what it was. Mattrick seemed to have more of an understanding that it was games that matter though. Even when he cut back on the 360 twilight years, he did so knowing that the x1 would need good games, and he did set in motion a lot of games to come out for several years after the launch. Most of the games delivered under Spencer started with mattrick.

Spencer wasted a lot of time not starting games, and putting a game plan together. That led to people going without, which is one big reason people question if he'll deliver in the future, despite the moves hes making now. This is particularly true with high profile AAA games, because Spencer has been open about wanted smaller games, which most see as a means to drive game pass subs. They'll have more AAA games, but they're still far behind, and with 2 of them still making multiplat games, it means a long while before we see the results for xbox exclusives.

In the end, it just means that this gen is really a bust in terms of the console war, although ms is making money in gaming otherwise

[Dragonscale]

It was a joint effort tbh. Mattrick was the fall guy.

[yomfweeee]

People always seem to forget that Phil Spencer was GM of Microsoft Game Studios starting in 2008, became the VP in 2009. He was in charge of their games. He is to blame just as much as anyone else for their lack of IP.

[lazyboyblue]

You shouldn't praise anybody at Microsoft here. This is place is practically a Sony love forum.

[Silly gameAr]

Boo hoo, they don't love what i love. This is a forum full of a bunch of meanie heads.

[lazyboyblue]

I love the way people assume I'm a fanboy. I have all the hardware and each one of them.
I prefer the Xbox 1 x. I don't know why I just do, but my favourite games have been on ps4 this gen (but Switch is making a late push for that honour).

[Hardiman]

Ever heard of "you reap what you sow because that's pretty much the case as it pertains to Xbox and the criticism it receives.

It's not hard to look at the catalog that was on Xbox and the early to midpoint of the 360 and see that the Xbox brand is much different now as then.

When you deliver awesome games and get customers to come on board who help build up your brand and then stop delivering awesome games and just talk and push towards services and the like, you will receive criticism!

It's not just fanboys(though they exist on ALL sides) but there's millions of former Xbox fans, myself included who want nothing to do with Xbox as it exists now.

[trooper_]

Oh cry me a freaking river.

[Hardiman]

Says you, meanwhile millions of former Xbox fans are wondering when the "twilight zone" years will end!

Also @rainslacker my sentiments exactly.

[trooper_]

If they were pleasing fans, then they would have taken strides to deliver real exclusives to their consoles.

But here they are, taking L's left and right.

[lelo2play]

You can have the best technology, best hardware, best controller, etc... but for a console, you need the best games (in particular best exclusives).
... take the example of the Switch.

[Kezelpaso]

Yes. The point of the article is that basically if the new studios can deliver great games on a regular basis, Xbox has the full package.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

Well we know that ain't happening, ms already has better studios and look what they've produced the last few gens. Slim pickings.

[leejohnson222]

Not with service based games, low quality game pass titles, microtransactions, and a focus on apps

[trooper_]

But they haven't.

They should be matching what Sony excels at. Instead, they're beating around the bush about services this, and services that.

At least with Mattrick, you had freaking games.

[Potnoodle999]

I like to think of Disney in this situation. Disney is in the position it is in because of maaaaaaaaaaaany decades of quality film creation and production. Sony has been taking the same approach but with games for decades (obviously on a much smaller scale as Jesus, who can compete with Disney now.

I hope they will stay on top as first and foremost they care about quality in their games. Well, of course after money! It is a business after all!

[Lennoxb63]

Nintendo has had the most powerful consoles with some of the most iconic franchises of gaming exclusive to their console.Yet the console didn't sell.

[Hardiman]

They tend to stick with the main IP's though and not really creating new ones that are on that level of quality. They also have the "family friendly " rep and while it doesn't bother me per say I wouldn't mind them funding more mature content.

Multiplats matter but you have to have excellent exclusives to lure people in to buy your console and then hopefully they will buy the multiplats on your console. Sony's done that every gen they've been in the game.

[opc]

Sony is in a similar position to Nintendo. Their fans want to play their games and they'll go wherever those games are.

[lazyboyblue]

True. But some feel the same about Gears and Halo.

[leejohnson222]

Not enough and even die hard fans are getting sick of xb and it's direction.

[averagejoe26]

I'm sure those 12 people could find more games they like on other platforms.

[Lennoxb63]

@leejohnson222

I'd say the fact that those two games are two of the biggest esports games would call you a liar.

[opc]

@Lennoxb63

I don't think you know what eports games are. DOTA2, CSGO, League of Legends, fortnite, pubg, overwatch, hearthstone...

Halo and Gears just aren't that big these days

[Lennoxb63]

Those are definitely esports games as they are streamed on esports channels on Twitch, as well as on TV. You don't know what you're talking about.

[opc]

@Lennoxb63

I mean any game can be an esports game but Halo and Gears just aren't two of the biggest right now. Maybe when the new halo launches on PC it will be big again. The numbers of those other games just dwarf Halo and Gears

[2BlackBelt]

I only care about Games.

[lazyboyblue]

Good for you. Wish everybody was the same.

[trooper_]

I also wish people would stop making excuses for this ignorant company, but here we are.

[marquisray]

so Sony had made the first cloud base, what did they do with it, nothing, and have anyone in here played the games the new studios made, I didn't think so, si before condimin Microsoft let's wait and see what happens what they bring to the table, remember Sony sold millions of ps4's and made a lot of money, but they didn't even come to e3, so to me they took your money and ran lol

[Silly gameAr]

Your comment makes absolutely no sense. I feel like you're trying to spin, but you got caught up in your own spin and got confused about where you were going with your comment.

[KickSpinFilter]

I'm pretty sure many people who bought Xb1X and feel the lack of highly rated exclusive games on XB1X to show off the power of their new system, feel like MS took their money and ran. Not showing up to E3 looks more like Sony are readying for a big announcement near the end of the year. No need to show yet what is coming for PS5. Do it with showing of PS5. Plus we all ready know whats coming in 2019-early 2020. And don't be a fool, if you think Sony is not expanding their studio line up either, they are... they just don't scream it from the rooftops like someone else does.

[P_Bomb]

@marquis
Gotta disagree. I just bought Days Gone. Judgment comes out next week. Death Stranding November. Nioh 2 Alpha just ended. Dreams is in early access as I type. TLOU2 and GoT still coming.

I don’t even have VR but when I see games like this dropping https://www.metacritic.com/... , to me the market’s healthy.

[Dragonscale]

Well I've had a great 6 years since Sony took my money for PS4 in 2013 and they will be taking it again with PS5. Them skipping e3 for 1 year makes jack difference tbh.

[Hardiman]

What the hell are you talking about?!?!

[P_Bomb]

Maybe a bit too much pedestal for OneX considering the bread and butter install base is still on the OG and OneS. Power advantage tends to swing back and forth, but you still need killer apps and enough of a 4KTV/Atmos install base to take advantage of it all. Cr@p software on the best hardware is still cr@p software.

Price matters. I’m not spending an additional $200 on a controller with extra flippers and more subscriptions (article boasts about EA Access) to move my needle the way the article thinks I should. If EA Access and name changes matter enough to mention, surely an argument can be made for things like VR. Heck, I’ve used shareplay more than I’ve ever changed my name.

[S2Killinit]

Every console player should be wary.

[Poopmist]

I'm sure Sony will keep building more studios too once Obsidian, inXile, and Tim Shafer start adding high caliber games that aren't on ps4. Which is good for the industry. It keeps Sony from getting complacent like when the ps3 launched with no games and no rumble. Next gen is shaping up to maybe being the best yet overall(I guess the Switch counts as the same gen as Scarlett and Ps5?)

[rainslacker]

Sony won't make a big spectacle of it either. Last studio I remember them buying was the one making LBP. They announced they brought the studio rather quietly, and then it became news when they showed off the game. People were excited because the game looked great. Not because they might get a game sometime in the future that maybe was good, or that some mid tier studio may miraculously start making AAA level games.

[NarutoFox]

Wary of what? Microsoft hasn't released anything great over a decade except for Ori

[AngelicIceDiamond]

You must be 10 literally 10 if you think like that.

[Cockney]

And you sound 12 literally 12 if you talk like that

[trooper_]

Diamond's silly response is silly.

[otacon68]

To hell.

[Uglyday]

Are they taking it to Game Stop to trade towards PS5’s with Halo collections bundled in?

[Zerobalance]

The rumour around at the moment is the money Sony would have spent on E3 was set aside for their new movie & TV projects. Sound familiar.

[The_Sage]

So... Sony should be tired of where Microsoft is taking Xbox?

[sin7279]

Xboxenthusiast.com haha haha gtfo !

[SkatterBrain]

i dont see game streaming as a threat with the annoying lag or artifacting when too many particles are moving and the data caps some companys have that will slow down your internet to a crawl after soo much data

[ziggurcat]

No they don't.

[_LarZen_]

Hard to disagree with that article. Xbox is pushing forward in a way PlayStation just isn't. So much that Sony went to Microsoft to get help with their streaming infrastructure. Something Sony as all the major players know will be big business sooner then later.

Thankfully PlayStation have their firstparty studios and the excellent games they make. But they need to up their game in all other departments. Hopefully they are fully aware of this and 2020 will be the start of a new take on PlayStation for the company.

[The-Matrix-has-you]

You make it sound like Sony came crawling to Microsoft for help. It’s called a joint partnership. They are working together to better the advancement of game streaming technology. Sony- Years of experience streaming games + Microsoft- powerful streaming infrastructure = a great opportunity for both companies. I really wish people wouldn’t be so biased and close-minded. And if you really think Sony is just sitting around and not working towards the future then you are going to be very butthurt when Sony shows their cards.

[_LarZen_]

I know it's joint partnership. But Sony did it because they are not ready for what is coming and need not just the expertise but the infrastructure that Microsoft have. It is as you say that Sony has years of experience with this. And got some infrastructure when they bought Gaikai. But it's been pretty clear that it hasn't been good enough as the quality of NOW and this new partnership speaks for itself.

I do not think Sony is just sitting around sleeping on the job. But they have not pushed on like Microsoft have on either hardware or software level of their console,services,features or infrastructure.

So it's going to be really interesting to see if Sony will raise the bar higher for PlayStation. I sure hope so. And I dont get butthurt. I use lube.

[The-Matrix-has-you]

@ _Larzen_

You are making a lot of assumptions and false statements. Yes NOW is not that great but what kind of game streaming technology does Microsoft currently have and have had for years? Making a PARTNERship was a good move on both their parts. They have a common enemy now with google.

Sony hasn’t pushed forward with hardware or software? Okay no. PS4 Pro came out a year before the Xbox one X and for $100 less. What did you expect? Sony to release a Pro 2 to combat the X? Pro also sold a lot more and to this day STILL has the best graphics seen on console.

Software? PS4 operating system is miles ahead of Xbox. I have both and I’ll tell you Xbox is sluggish and non-intuitive.

Finally, yes PlayStation will raise the bar and it’s going to blow everyone away. Again.

[rainslacker]

Sony is looking at having azure host psnow. Given the costs to build infrastructure, its probably a lot cheaper to go that route. I'm sure they're exploring if Google or Amazon or any other service provider can host psnow as well. It's just that Ms announced it. The announcement was more about enterprise solutions, which Sony is actually seems to be providing something more tangible, that isnt available from other partners.

But let's ignore all the facts and keep saying that Sony needs MS because they are too far behind, despite Sony having the only successfully released cloud streaming service to date, and holding most of the patents that actually are required to make it work well. Something MS also needs from Sony, or they'd be even further off from their currently undisclosed release date

[Thundercat77]

I have heard that sooooo many times, year over year, and still Xbox is last place

[Tross]

From what we know of both upcoming systems they sound pretty similar hardware-wise, and will probably be pretty similar price-wise too. Services are great for those who are all about that sort of thing, but I prefer games and Xbox just can’t compete with PlayStation on that front. On the bright side with the Stadia on the horizon, Xbox won’t be in last place anymore.

[RDF]

Huh?

[Fluttershy77]

Sure. It will be good for sony, they will up their game

[DVAcme]

Microsoft is changing focus towards streamed gaming, so their competition is Stadia. If anything, Microsoft is leaving the field Sony is in, and Sony will reap the benefits.

[Kuma]

He nailed the noise factor. My XB1s is dead quiet next to my PS4 that sounds like a loud jet engine.

[rainslacker]

The noise of the consoles is nothing that either company needs to concern themselves over in relation to what this article is supposed to be about

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Sony doesn't need to be careful, Sony just needs to do what they do best provide games

[Hardiman]

No they shouldn't and I didn't even need an article to say that!

[averagejoe26]

First they should be scared of Direct

Then they should be scared of da powah of da cloud!1!111

Then they should be scared of the beast!!@ most powerful console everrr!!1!

What made up excuse do you have now in your Xbot brain?

[snkiworld]

To the grave

[derek]

Xbox and their services, the corporate equivalent of "if a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it....."

[Rekkr]

I think Microsoft’s should be “WARY” of where Sony is taking PlayStation. Ps5 is the future of gaming!

[lio_convoy]

No they mustn't. They have more qualified staff working out where the brand is going than the author of this story.

[AK91]

No no they don't

[jaycptza]

Whatevs

[HighPlayer28]

The only way Microsoft will be able to execute their plans for more market share is through high quality sp AAA mature rpgs and jrpgs support. And If they can bring out 3 AAA exclusives a year that gets high ratings their gamepass subscription with Xcloud will put their market share through the clouds literally.