It's not so surprising. Netflix doesn't require an additional subscription charge on the PS3.
(plus, the PS3 app's not so bad -- translation: I like it)
PS4 vs XBox 1... I think Sony has won me over
(plus, the PS3 app's not so bad -- translation: I like it)
As an exageration, everybody with an internet connection and an xbox has a Gold subscription.
That exageration is really the crux of the whole matter. Everybody with a Gold sub (probably a majority of 360 owners) is inherently on the internet and is using it for all this good non-gaming stuff. The ability to play good games is expected and implied. Therefore, it is a non-interesting feature. What else can it do for me is the real question.
This is where the PS3 failed. Its interfaces were clunkier and behind the times for the non-gaming part of the show.
MS thinks the online-crowd drives the market and so they have catered to that. I would hope that they used their actual sales figures and actual stats for 360's online (every xbox has a unique id, and every online xbox signs in, so they get that info for free). If the majority of 360's sold are used online, then it's a no brainer that this is where to focus on.
As usual, we'll see. Given that the PS3's setbacks for sales in the first half of its life had been overcome such that now they apparently beat 360 for Netflix hits, it will all probably be a wash.
Xbone will stumble for a bit, PS4 will get more early sales, and then Xbone will catch up. Technically, one will be ahead of the other, but both will make butt loads of cash.
What I doubt will ever happen is for the Nintendo to regain its place as a serious gaming machine. Their line of titles has long been polluted with crap, and their boxes have failed to keep up technologically with everybody else. Something dramatic will have to happen, and the Wii U was their most recent shot that missed.
Orius
Legend
Microsoft certainly seems to be stumbling around with this console. Will gamers like a system that needs frequent internet access to use? What about the privacy concerns with the Kinect? And that $500 price tag doesn't help either, especially when Sony announced a $400 price for the PS4. Still, I have to say, if this end up being better for Sony, it'll be because Microsoft goofed, not because Sony did anything well. From what I've been reading here and there, Sony's got a lot of serious underlying financial problems, this could help them, but they're on very shaky ground from what I understand.
It might not be a failure. Some people think Microsoft's trying to beat Apple to the smart TV with this machine, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's part of their strategy. Microsoft's track record vs. Apple is decidedly mixed though. It also depends on how many consumers are interested in this approach.
Still, this brings me to yet another of my sarcastic observations:
Does every company in the industry have to stumble like an idiot when they hit their third console?
Sega: Let's release this machine early so none of the games will be ready for it! We'll beat Sony that way!
Nintendo: Screw discs! Carts are a much better storage medium!
Sony: Let's jack up the price on this baby so we can win the latest format war! Our fans will buy anything!
Microsoft: Everyone loves restrictive DRM measures! And I'm sure they won't mind a camera that's on all the time recording everything they're doing!
...
Atari: THIRD console?! Let's not wait that long to
up royally! And let's drag down the whole industry with us!
(Yes, there's some oversimplifications and exagerations for effect there.)
It might not be a failure. Some people think Microsoft's trying to beat Apple to the smart TV with this machine, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's part of their strategy. Microsoft's track record vs. Apple is decidedly mixed though. It also depends on how many consumers are interested in this approach.
Still, this brings me to yet another of my sarcastic observations:
Does every company in the industry have to stumble like an idiot when they hit their third console?
Sega: Let's release this machine early so none of the games will be ready for it! We'll beat Sony that way!
Nintendo: Screw discs! Carts are a much better storage medium!
Sony: Let's jack up the price on this baby so we can win the latest format war! Our fans will buy anything!
Microsoft: Everyone loves restrictive DRM measures! And I'm sure they won't mind a camera that's on all the time recording everything they're doing!
...
Atari: THIRD console?! Let's not wait that long to
up royally! And let's drag down the whole industry with us!(Yes, there's some oversimplifications and exagerations for effect there.)
I agree -- but I have to wonder how big the market really is now for premium living room game consoles and $60+ games (at launch). Combine the recession, the rise of mobile/tablet, mobile acclimating consumers to games at a much lower price point (albeit for simpler games), the rise of indie, indie doing the same thing to prices, and the staggering development costs of AAA games on full-fledged consoles and you get... interesting times for the video game industry.
There's areal sustainability issue here. And both MS and Sony are sailing into the middle of it.
Me too, though I read an article touting Nintendo's opportunity to gain back ground after the awful Wii U debut. The gist of it was a $200-250 Wii U vs. a $399 Playstation and $499 Xbone (that's its official name now, isn't it?) will be a very attractive to more budget conscious shoppers in Christmas 2013.
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I think this touches on a part of the perception problem. For a serious gamer (non-PC), they own a PS3 or 360. They have internet that is always on. They can afford $60 games.
tablets, mobile phones, Wii's just aren't in the picture of consideration. they may own these devices, but that's not what they turn to for a marathon session of talking smack and killing their friends on COD.
By all means, the market for Ps4/Xbone will be shrinking a bit by the loss of the "less dedicated" to these lesser alternatives.
In any case, the Xbone/PS4 (or even PS3/360) wasn't built for the less dedicated anyway.
Folks who have to penny-pinch to get a Xbone/Ps4 should be buying an Ouya or Wii or prior-gen console. Same for folks who fret about a $7/month cost for a Live Gold subscription. Or if they have to cancel their internet connection sometimes to pay other bills.
Now that attitude that the top-end consoles are for well to do people only goes so far, but there is some merit to it. If you're going to get into top-end gaming, you gotta be able to pay the price of admission.
I think the PS4 did a better job of maintaining the expected price of $400. The PS3 made the mistake of pricing itself beyond what folks would accept paying for a top-end machine, which its competitor was in the "right" range.
At this point, my wife is still sold on the Xbone. I haven't seen any significant materials on the PS4 (I don't care to look at game demos, as that's like one of my old people saying "I need a new computer that can surf the web." No duh!
I kinda disagree with the last part. I'm guessing there are plenty of serious gamers who can't really afford what they spend on the hobby. The un-and-under employed, for starters. And the gaming industry relies on these people.
My point was there are more expensive devices chasing a stagnant/decreasing pot of discretionary spending dollars.
I'd argue they both were. Microsoft clearly wants the new XBox to be a living room appliance; a companion to your TV. Hence they initial media push which emphasized all the non-gaming features. Financially speaking, both companies need wide-scale adoption of their new consoles, or there won't be enough games in their respective ecosystems.
Nobody should buy a Ouya. They don't make any sense
. This gets back to my point about sustainability. Can MS really afford to target the segment of the market willing to play top-end prices for their top-end gaming? Both MS and Sony need broad user-bases for their new hardware, or else false a dwindling number of developers willing to create the AAA titles that justify the said new hardwares cost. There aren't enough affluent, dedicated gamers to support the industry at its current size (without help from the downmarket folks).
Console gaming is expensive, but it's not just for the rich -- which is why restrictions on used games is particularly ridiculous.
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One of the assumptions we may really be disagreeing on is the economy. I live in Houston. It's pretty easy for most of us Houstonians who had good jobs before the recession to say that we still have good jobs. Basically, what recession?
Xbox and PS3 sales have done pretty darn good along the whole lifespan.
I would say, that while plenty of folks are hurting, there are plenty of folks who are not. It seems you either got screwed in the recession, or you're basically doing the same status quo.
As a result, there will be plenty of people to buy these top end gaming systems.
And these alternative "lesser" platforms don't even really detract from the sales pool. Heck, most serious gamers own multiple modern systems.
Basically, there's plenty of people with plenty of money to spend on this top end stuff, and they will. the people cutting corners on cost to buy these alternative boxes were less likely to buy the new top end stuff anyway.
In any event, anybody who drinks the MS koolaid will be plenty happy with their Xbone. it will provide a pretty smooth experience whether they play games seriously, watch movies, or other stuff. Amazon has already sold out on pre-orders for it, so we know that's a lot of koolaid drunken despite all the FUD going about the Xbone.
What I'd like to see is more of how the UI, messaging, voice and group-game setup experience is on the PS4. The PS3 was terrible, because Sony didn't really handle most of that stuff with a solid API and service model. The 360 nailed that and continously improved it throughout the life cycle. I haven't powered up my PS3 lately, but I doubt much has changed. Since it's a total rewrite for the PS4, it's likely they will still be behind the curve on UI/features compared to MS, which can simply recompile and adjust for the Xbone target.
I just picked up some interesting data points from a PS4 article:
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/06/ps4s-used-game-policy-isnt-because-some-other-company-is-doing-something/
I kinda figured that Sony picked $399 for a reason. They appear to have learned their lesson on overpricing.
However, it was a shock to learn that multiplayer now costs $50/year for Playstation Plus. I hadn't used my PS3 in a while since the CD laser died in it. online gaming used to be free. Now, apparently it's not, and most definitely not free on the PS4.
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/06/ps4-owners-will-need-playstation-plus-subscription-for-online-multiplayer/
At this point, what Sony really has as advantages over MS is:
$100 price advantage
used games
Those are still very important, and I think they will slow down MS sales, comparitively. But a lot of the hold arguing points like "free online" are pretty much negated. to get full advantage of either machine, you're going to buy a subscription.
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/06/ps4s-used-game-policy-isnt-because-some-other-company-is-doing-something/
I kinda figured that Sony picked $399 for a reason. They appear to have learned their lesson on overpricing.
However, it was a shock to learn that multiplayer now costs $50/year for Playstation Plus. I hadn't used my PS3 in a while since the CD laser died in it. online gaming used to be free. Now, apparently it's not, and most definitely not free on the PS4.
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/06/ps4-owners-will-need-playstation-plus-subscription-for-online-multiplayer/
At this point, what Sony really has as advantages over MS is:
$100 price advantage
used games
Those are still very important, and I think they will slow down MS sales, comparitively. But a lot of the hold arguing points like "free online" are pretty much negated. to get full advantage of either machine, you're going to buy a subscription.
Argyle King
Legend
I would completely agree that Xbox had the better online interface. Heck, I am actually using my 360 to respond to this now. I never minded paying for Live while my friends had free access to PS Network because I felt my monney was going toward a better product.
I have no doubt that XB1 will stiill be a great machine. However, MS hasnt done a very good job of showing me why their new policies are good for me. I have some idea of why I think they may be, but their stance and rather poor pr has painted them (in my mind) and their model as only being concerned about how they benefit on their end. How does a 24 hour check-in mandate benefit me as the customer?
