Sony’s Trojan Horse Sneaks up on Microsoft

It’s a strategy that was worked well for the company. Family members that don’t like video games can still find plenty of other entertainment options on the console. Now, though, Sony is quickly following suit – and expanding on those features – which could give it an advantage as the industry prepares for a crucial holiday season.

[Omar91]

sony is going to do very well this holiday season.

[MariaHelFutura]

Yeah, between. The Move and them advertising w/ Coca Cola, GT5, LBP2 and Killzone 3 right around the corner. The PS3 is gonna do just fine.

GT5 alone would solidify that, I don`t think the new generation of gamers realise how huge GT is worldwide. GT5 w/ advertising which will be happening soon, is gonna cause a rift in xmas. LOL. Watch.

[brazilianbumpincher]

halo reach will be the biggie for microsoft and the 360s is doing very well (got mine today),kinect i see having a very hyped launch but not sustaining as word gets around how sh*t it is.

[SeanRL]

Sony doesn't seem to advertise their big games enough, it pisses me off. They need to advertise GT5 a lot and make sure everyone knows that it's coming out.

[jaysquared]

I believe that 360 will have sell better in N. America than the PS3 this holiday season...

[RockmanII7]

Both PS3 and 360 will do just fine, its Nintendo I'm worried about. What will happen to the Wii when Kinect and Move release? Also no one is gonna buy a DS either because we know that the 3DS is right around the corner.

[Montrealien]

All I learned from that article was that I should of bought some Netflix shares, they pretty much doubled in the last 7 months, crazy.

[mikeslemonade]

ESPN events free for xbl gold. I'm very happy with that. It's gonna be an exclusive feature that you can't get on the computer for free. Yea, I know you have to pay for xbl gold, but if you're already paying right now than this is a bonus.

I don't really care about the TV shows that hulu offers because i can watch those online in lower definition or pirate them. Live Sports events are different because you get to see them live. There's noway I will watch a sports event anything other than live. There is no alternative online that is free either and that offers that many events.

[sikbeta]

November alone is Huge when it come to PS3, LBP2 + GT5 and more games coming out, GT5 will be The Beast Seller as Usual and LBP2 will capture the heart of the Families, also PlayStation Move with a huge line-up + Coca-Cola advertising Support and Kevin Butler, is going to be Amazingly Huge season for SONY...

[RageAgainstTheMShine]

LOL at the xbotoxes!

They don't even know the meaning of breaking even and being profitable!
what happened to your line of thinking?

Let me explain this fact to you for your own good.
Sony's Networked Devices not only broke even this year with all their investments on PS3 and blu-ray they surpassed that mark and actually making money on every PS3 sold now. And yes they will be also making money on every PS Move hardware sold.
Are you okay with that explanation?

Nothing compares 2 PS3.

[vsr]

.

[RedDragan]

HD Warning

[iPad]

Sony said that this year they would sell 15 million PS3s.

Wouldn't be surprised if they sold 18 million.

[frankymv]

yes they are

[N4PS3Fanboys]

Yes they will. And Microsoft will do very, VERY well.

[adamx]

so your going to buy what your 5th xbox come this holiday? Nothing like reliablilty.

[thedisagreefairy]

stock to be 3 points higher than microsoft.

anyways i like my ps3 alot but im glad that both companies are flourishing at the moment.

competition is what makes us gamers have great games.

[Montrealien]

Did you see Netflix? crazy.

[Jockamo]

So what's the advantage, exactly?

Sony is getting a feature that Live has had for a year. They have Hulu, but there's no user base yet (as said in article), and they're charging for it. But Live is getting it next year anyway.

Those are the advantages over MS? :/

Read on to see how ESPN will be free with Live offering live streaming NBA NCAA Soccer Hockey MLB and Sports Center?

That's gotta be a trump card if I ever saw one if you talking about online third party features.

[rob6021]

Did you forget PS3 has Blu-Ray movie compatibility and a built in internet browser? who cares if the features are 3rd party or built in they're features.

[Jockamo]

because that's what the article is talking about, noob

[Roonie]

ESP, NBA,soccer stream? thats your trump card? how about a FREE web browser that lets you watch and surf what ever you want?

[starchild]

Nah, I already have a PC with a browser that actually works.
I never use that feature on my PS3.

[adamx]

trump my ass, Espn is free on every cable and sat carrier. Dont even say not every one has cable if you can afford live and a internet connection you can afford cable.

[Spawn-KING]

Yup, and if it's true about the PS3 down as $199 this holiday season .
Sky rocket number's of PS3's will be crazy .

[RonRico]

I believe the dicfor have sell better in N America. Huh? What do u think?

[Spenok]

Both systems will do well this hiliday season. I just wonder which one will come out on top. For me personally it will be Sony for there games alone.

[dustgavin]

Sony is in it for the long haul. I expect PS3 to be supported much longer than Playstation 2.

[Pootangpie]

so in other words don't count on it

[Roonie]

Xbox division just posted a loss and still havn't recovered the losses from Xbox1 and RROD.

So by your logic Xbox won't last long in this gen? right?

[360Defender]

The Xbox division did not post a loss, it has been profitable for years. Essentially since Halo 3 came out. Learn to read a P&L.

And you do know that Sony has lost much more money this generation right? As a company on a whole they have struggled to post profits. MS posted a 4.1 billion profit last quarter alone.

[ArchangelMike]

@Poontangpie - it is exactly because Sony has spent soo much of their of the PS2 profits on the PS3 that they will support it for a longer time. Sony has already said that their competitors will release their next gen consoles before we see a PS4, Sony are probably already investing in PS$ R&D, but until the PS3 starts raking it in, there won't be a PS4. They are definately in it for the long haul, which frankly makes me happyt that I don't have to start think of a new gen station console for a long while.

[Pootangpie]

and there still losing more money on the PS3 then ms is on the 360

[BiggCMan]

why the hell do u care what sony loses on the ps3, or that they are losing more than microsoft??? why the fuck does anyone care. play the damn games!!!

[Weaksauce1138]

Because they start shutting down servers and cutting online for games no longer deamed profitable, that's why

[dustgavin]

Since you seem to be out of the loop, Sony is currently making a profit off PS3.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsS...

[SeanRL]

They still need to earn back what they've lost.

[Heisenberg]

my bad..

[shoddy]

They will have 7 years of profit and the ps2 profit.

I can tell you're a kid base on your lack of knowledge comment and I think your mom pay for your games instead of you.

[moparful99]

They technically haven't lost anything. They made billions off of the ps2 and ps1 that buffered the cost of development of the ps3.. They just haven't been making profit off the hardware until recently.. Everything else has been very profitable, blu-ray sales, game sales, accessory sales etc..

[CWMR]

I am sure the PS3 will be supported for a long time, but I am sure the 360 will also be supported for a long time. The 360 has done very well this generation and MS controls the manufacturing of the console (unlike the situation with nvidia last generation). They have stated their plan to support the 360 for many years to come. It will sell as the cheaper alternative to the next Xbox. It will be a great value for budget minded gamers and casual gamers.

[DevastationEve]

PS3 is going to get cut short. They can't afford to be second again next gen, even though they've already said that they'll be launching after the other consoles.

PS2 rode a tidal wave of success off of DVD. Things are different now, and the same is going to happen next gen. Sony needs to start innovating, all they've done for the 3rd straight gen is try to win through a disc format. What's next, tera-pixel resolution and 500 GB discs? Not if it means 5+ year development cycles! (I'm looking at you Gran Turismo)

To me PS3 didn't get it right and still fails to get it right. The games are great, but waiting THIS long to see ONE FRIGGIN proper GT is luda. I've played 2 Forza's and 4 NFS games in the time its been since Prologue.

Quality over quantity, but I didn't spend $600 at launch for a PS3 just to have one or two GREAT games.

[Sheikh Yerbouti]

Whatever.

PS3 isn't second yet anyway, but I'm sure they will be since they'll keep doing what they've always have done...what you erroneously believe they don't...

INNOVATE...worry about Microsoft catching up to Sony, not the other way around. If their first party studios only can manage lackluster titles AFTER THEIR OWN LONG DEVELOPMENT TIMES and they have to rely on third parties, paid enormous sums, to produce the best games on it system...they have their own issues.

And while you are complaining about GT5, why don't you play all the other exclusives...QUANTITY AND QUALITY...! One or two games...? YOU FAIL. FAIL HARD.

[squallheart]

i rather wait 5 years for gt than play any mundane lackluster game thats been released. Im not a big racing fan but gt is the only one i play because non other comes close. Sorry but your logic on shorter developmental cycles being compared to longer is just plain fail. In that sense its no better than releasing an incomplete game with insane dlc prices

[moparful99]

Sony will continue too support the ps3 long after the ps4 is released because it will be pure profit by then which will help them weather storms like they have done this gen. If you don't think that indtroducing cd then dvd and now blu-ray to gaming isn't innovation then I sure would like to know what your idea of innovation is. Cause kinect isn't innovation it's taking existing technologies and adapting them. You and I both know that sony dabbled with the exact tech thats in kinect but because of it's limitations they turned it down.. You want to point out 5 year dev cycles what about the god awful Too Human? 10 years and it sucked. Next we have allen wake 6 years and it was meh. Gran turismo has always been the gold standard of racing games and those long dev cycles are well worth it.. It's on your shoulders if you're too impatient to wait like the rest of us. Lol "To me PS3 didn't get it right and still fails to get it right." SO a console with a near 50% failure rate, lacking features the competition has only to add them 5 years later, overpriced acc. and a pay to play online model is right? Wow you must have alot of broken products in your house with that kind of mentality... There are far more the 2 great games on the ps3.. Stop exagerating to add weight to your argument b/c frankly you dont have one...

[wenaldy]

You can't spell "entertainment" without SONY..

[wazzim]

In weeaboo world maybe, there are alot of great American, European and Korean companies too you know..

[militant07]

yes I can...

[writersblock]

That doesnt work since entertainment doesnt have and S, O, or Y

You cant spell Sony without SOY. And vegetarians love soy. So thats good I guess

[Godmars290]

That ignores the PS3's browser, Grooveshark, Pandora and probably Youtube for that matter.

[Christopher]

Trojan Horse? Perhaps in the U.S., but it's been doing this for years in Europe and Asia. That's the problem, though, it doesn't matter unless it happens in the U.S. mentality pervades the journalism world, all of it.

And even then, I love how this is big news but having a built-in browser, Blu-ray, and a digital video service isn't at all recognized. Only when it gets Netflix w/o a disc is it finally sneaking up on Microsoft. Yeah, doesn't make a lick of sense.

[squallheart]

very well said cgoo bubble for you.

[Knightofelemia]

It would be nice if Sony were to team up with Sirius XM radio. I am still trying to figure out wtf Last FM is since its not avalible in Canada.

[Bigpappy]

But seem to be easier to customize. You can have it play by artist. It will play those sounds and recommend simular artist. I find it to be a great app, but when I go on 360, it is usually not to surf through music.

[dcbronco]

I like Last FM. But I never use it. It's good for introducing you to new musicians. But when I start my 360 it's almost always for the games.

[MuleKick]

So Last FM is pretty much like Pandora? Except not free with a bit more features?

[The Lazy One]

Last FM is free. It's pretty much just like pandora.

[ranmafandude]

sony owns 2010,2011,2012.....

[Weaksauce1138]

Wouldn't that be Nintendo?

[WLPowell]

You play games or sales?

[The Lazy One]

Nintendo has some sweet games coming up.

[the_bebop]

So is this service coming out in Australia or what?

[dcbronco]

It doesn't really say anything. Sony's Trojan horse is the same horse Microsoft has been riding for a while now? Yes Netflix is the game changer in Sony's favor. No Hulu is because both will have it. Both companies are adding new services. No one has made any new gains on the other.

But the real gem in that article was the link at the bottom about digital downloads.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/3836...

[Kalowest]

NetFilx sucks on the PS3, everything else seems good.

[Dave1351]

yea i agree i go on my xbox to use netflix since u dont need a disc. but soon that will change! :D

[jaysquared]

Its just not about the Disc dave.. The 360 has better and faster interface, it loads faster as well, you can have a party watch on the 360.. The only thing the PS3 has going for it is that its free on the PS3!

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

[Mmmkay]

and you obviously don't thing the ps3 interface will change when its not on the disc anymore but on the xmb...

btw.. is free really that bad of a deal?

[Sheikh Yerbouti]

FREE is GOOD enough for me. I have absolutely no problems with Netflix streaming by the way. Even on my buddy's 360, I see little difference except for the interface. I do like the 360's interface, though.

Still having the disc is less of a deal than having two discs for Final Fantasy. You'd put in a disc for Blu-Ray. Stuff we nitpick about as fanboys is silly.

[frankymv]

Sony is definitely on a role with non gaming PS3 functionality.

[ArchangelMike]

It is the gamers who invest their time and money in their respective game consoles. If either of the consoles did not offer any games, but we're loaded with various multimedia capabilities, they would both flop so hard - why? Because between the PC and the various media service providers (Sky, Virgin, etc etc) there is no need for another set-top box. That is precisely why no multi-media set-top boxes have been really succesfull.

Consoles are trying to bridge that gap, but their entry into the consumers home is based on games and what gaming provides. Remove that, and teh consoles will become obsolete. Both Sony and Microsoft need to continue to invest and push the games and the gaming experiences that their consoles offer.

Although I would say Sony has one advantage because of the PS3's Blu-ray player, (which it initially got slated for btw) How many consumes bought a PS3 or Xbox because it offers downloadable or streaming movies etc. That fact is, the PC does alot of these better.

I think both Microsoft and Sony are going the right way by investing in new gaming experience (Move / Kinect), not so much it the other multimedia stuff though.

[Dave1351]

dude pc gaming is dead accept it and quit living a lie

[Shnazzyone]

The last thing it is is dead. It's just noone is screaming like bratty children about what you play on because there are literally thousands of different possible gaming setups with pc gaming.

It's a form of gaming that actually takes knowledge of your gaming platform to be able to play all the games you want.

In my opinion the only hardcore gamers are the pc gamers. If you think abo0ut it... consoles are essentially all casual in nature since they eliminate the need to know anything about your platform to play games on it.

[Shnazzyone]

If what this writer is claiming is that sony adding media options will somehow net it more market share... how come it's in 3rd place still?? I mean the original reason to own a ps3 was it had the next generation of HD video format at lower price then buying a specialised player. That didn't help it gain anything. In fact the system that offered literally no media options at all jumped to number 1.

I do not believe enough people buy consoles to watch media content to make any difference in sales. People who buy the ps3 are usually buying it for ps3 games, same goes for 360 and the wii.

[Non_sequitur]

I'd rather have the ability to be in parties to launch to whatever game and cross game chat on like Xbox Live than random media features. I admit that Netflix is a great service on the PS3, but it doesn't help my gaming experience on my gaming console.

[Zerodin]

Sony fluff articles are so easy to spot.

[comp_ali]

It is always funny to see the comments section with the agrees /disagrees shows clearly the majority of fanboys here. Even when someone isn't stating facts and trolling or bitching about how his platform is superior with no explaininghe/she gets agrees.

[Buckfastman]

You can't beat a good console war. loads of extras keeps the consoles fresh and is win win for the gamers.

[Henry Cain]

It funny that this article states that Sony is following suit by loading the PS3 up in the entertainment area. Everyone knows that from the get go the PS3 was loaded up for entertainment as well as gaming. M$ is the one playing catch up. When the PS3 came out the media said that the PS3 had an identity crises. Is the PS3 for gaming, movies or just for the Internet. Sony reply to that was that the PS3 is the complete entertainment hub. After M$ lost the format war, they who needs movies the 360 is for gaming. So actually it's M$ trying to top Sony in the entertainment department. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

The PS3 sales are steadly rising every year. The 360 sales are starting to flatline

[CWMR]

360 sales are starting to flatline? lol, what planet are you living on?
The gap is only widening right now.

BTW, Sony has been playing catch up all generation in terms of achievements, netflix, and online functionality. I still can't send voice messages on PSN, I still can't cross game voice chat. I still can't enter into a party with friends and stay connected no matter what we are doing. Sony has been playing catch up in most areas.

[theballa113092]

Competition makes wonders! Gamers all win :)

[bviperz]

Just keep innovating to keep us gaming, Sony.

[360Defender]

If by innovating you mean copying everyone else, then yeah they are doing great!

[N4BmpS]

I like both companies and I'm glad Sony is making a come back that started in 2008 and eclipsed in 2009.

[jams_shop]

Isn't CNBC a Microsoft company?

[bakaPX]

Actually, Sony still profits from the PS3. Maybe not from the PS3 itself but they profit from the games they make and things that they offer like PSeye, controllers, PSMove etc.

[360Defender]

Is that why the Sony gaming division hasn't been profitable in like... forever?

[J-Smith]

your such pu$$ies deleting *Sir Ken's* comments mods

[oguzsasi]

Custom soundtracks,
Cross game chat,
Voice messaging,
Record ingame pic/movie for HDD or uploading to youtube software in XMB,
Plug / play my 10 dollar pc webcam on ps3!

Dont start that,

Dont start that Custom soundtracks is inside the PS3. Its up to devs thing! WHY???
Dont start that CGC is lame thing! Because it dosent!
Dont start that voice messaging is allready on PS3 thing! Where is it?
Dont start that this game / that game uses thing! Its up to devs thing again! We needed for all games!
Dont start that "you can use any webcam as a microphone" thing! WTF??? Its a webcam not a mic!

[Prcko]

hahah