The so-called console clash is still very much ongoing, but some commentators are already starting to award the PlayStation 4 with victory. John Riccitiello, who's currently a chief at game engine Unity but previously was the big boss at Electronic Arts, is one such pundit, telling an audience at the GamesBeat Summit that the Japanese giant "f***ing nailed it" and "deserves the victory".
"There was a clash of ideas that really separated Sony and Microsoft," the ever candid executive explained. "They actually had very similar architecture that they were trying to bring to the table. But Microsoft focused a lot on entertainment beyond gaming."
According to the suit, the Redmond-based organisation allowed a more focused Sony to steal its thunder. "Microsoft was focused on the shot after the one that they needed to make, putting the 7-ball in the corner pocket, but they missed the first shot and didn't get another shot after it. Sony focused on the shot that they needed to make, which was win the hearts and minds of the gamer."
He concluded: "The broader scope of entertainment might be a bigger idea, but not with an unfocused execution. A tight execution on the 50 million people that matter, which are the people currently lapping up consoles... Sony fucking nailed it, and they deserve the victory." To be fair, there's still a long way to go yet – but we're sure that the firm will appreciate the recognition.
The irony here, of course, is that Riccitiello and crew expected the Japanese giant to get stomped. "He thought that Microsoft was going to eat Sony's lunch – but we all thought so," industry analyst Michael Pachter said of the ex-EA boss last year. "We thought that Xbox 360 had a large loyal install base on multiplayer and we thought that Sony would price about the same as the Xbox One."
What a difference a couple of years can make, eh? Of course, one could also argue that the lack of foresight demonstrated above could be linked to the fact that Riccitiello is, er, no longer in charge of EA. What? Someone had to say it...
[source venturebeat.com]
Comments 22
Gaming consoles should be gamer focus. You goofed up Microsoft... You goofed up...
To this day I can't believe how badly MS dropped the ball. They alienated me with their policies to the extent I still feel a bit angry about it now.
Ultimately they paid the price as I'm now a happy PS gamer, not Xbox...
I have been with Sony since the psx. But yeah Microsoft messed up really bad with being an all in one entertainment system "media focused" which put games secondary. Both systems have media options but the PS4 is so driven on games to the point where you have to live under a rock to not notice the companies true intention (games). Microsoft can only satisfy the people who bought into the Xbone and just ride it out.
Microsoft focused a lot on entertainment beyond gaming.
This is so true, not to include "Game's" when you announce a new game's console is just nuts. And then go on to say things like, if you've not got an internet connection we've got a console for you, the 360. Microsoft was totally out of touch with there user base, and it showed.
You should never count Microsoft out. They are the one's with extra deep pockets wereas Sony have been loosing money for a longtime.
Microsoft also said that this E3 they're going to focus on first party games.
I own both but to be honest the first party games Im looking forward to this year are Halo 5 Guardians, Quantum Break and Rise of the Tomb Raider and yes I know Tomb Raider is a timed exclusive, but by the time it comes to PlayStation I'll probably have moved on to Uncharted 4.
People need to remember what happened at the beginning of the 7th generation. Sony priced themselves out of the market, had little to no games and alot of the games they did have early on were weak. It wasn't until later on that Sony managed to turn the PS3 around.
I agree that Microsoft had a horrible start but they're ready to loose big money to ensure the XB1 sells. I personally love both my PS4 and XB1.
As an avid owner of an xbox and a 360 they lost me and my 200 games a generation profits. Tv tv tv, drm licensing and online only. Its good to be back, please Sony dont screw it up.
@WARDIE While I totally agree with the sentiment of your message, I think one thing the Internet hivemind has always overlooked is that Xbox really isn't that popular outside of America and the UK. It's going to be really difficult for them to get a foot in the door in territories like Spain and Portugal.
I agree with what you're saying, though - I'm sure they've got lots of cool stuff in the pipeline.
Even two years later the whole turn of events still blows my mind lol
I still find it weird that Ms would go down the path they did, especially after seeing what happened with the ps3 at the start of last gen. I do however still believe the ps3 represented great value, to make a 360 have all the features the ps3 had at launch cost an extra 2-300$. The parallel with kinect, the focus on media, of being the heart of the entertainment center (which mine most definitely is, but my ps4 gets the grunt work), the relatively high price tag, the announcement, it all just felt like ms was copying Sony ps3 launch. Sony meanwhile focused on gaming, was clear and concise, MS is catching up, but very slowly.
This has pretty much been my feeling on the PS4 the entire time. Sony really did nail it. They did pretty much everything right for a modern game console.
It should also be noted that Sony may well just be returning to form. This isn't about people "Microsoft lost," so much as it's people Sony is reclaiming who they lost last generation. Both the PS1 and PS2 were 100-million selling consoles, with the PS2 climbing to an absurd/astounding 155 million. That is a huge number of people familiar with the Playstation brand, but Sony screwed up big time last generation and lost some of them.
This time, they're reclaiming them. The PS4 is another PS2, and it's library of exclusives will continue to grow unabated, as it was on the PS2. This is my first generation with Sony as my primary console. Previously it was N64, GameCube, X360, and now PS4, so it's fascinating to me to finally be on the "winning team," as it were, right from the start (didn't get the X360 until 2008, bought a Wii near launch). For the first time, I won't be looking at the Playstation system's unmatched growth and wishing I could play some of those games--I have the money for the consoles and the games, instead of just one console and a few titles.
All it needs now is to be able to use an external harddrive.
@get2sammyb I think the main reason Xbox360 was so popular in UK was the fact it could be "chipped" very easily and then games cost less than a tenner... No disrespect to the 360 I had one on launch day and owned another 4 since(rrod)
Microsoft lost me as a costumer year ago when they started slowing down the 360 with ads and other BS. Mandatory Kinect and the no used sales thing were the final nails in the coffin for me.
I honestly can't stand them anymore.
@BigDaddyT0101 it would have actually cost much more than that if you include a bluray player, which was still going for ~ $500 when the PS3 launched.
@thedevilsjester yea I remember when the hddvd add on came out arguing with my buddy, yea I paid 600$ for my ps3, but it was all inclusive. The biggest thing to remember, and I think this is why Xbox did so well, was Sony said no, thus is the price, and you don't have a choice, MS said if you want the bare bones then here, if you want more, go ahead and buy this. Then they came out this gen and pulled a Sony. Was just funny watching it happen after spending all of last gen pretty much reading nothing but hate toward the ps3 and their arrogance.
@BigDaddyT0101 Why would Ms surprise you they have been selling a reskinned excel and PowerPoint to people for years.
@WARDIE but there was one big difference the ps3 was more powerful than the 360 only harder to develop for but the first party teams could exploit that advantage the xone does not have that
Having finally used an Xbox One for a continuous period of two weeks, I can say the only good thing about that console is the controller.
Without the kinect, it's a mess and a half.
Going to wait for their Windows 10 hopefully redesigned non-kinect UI, and if they announce a slim for under £250 I'll pick one up for Halo 5 only.
@alsone It has nothing to do with power, if it did the original Xbox would have beaten the PS2. It comes down to software and neither system has won that battle yet. Even though the Xbox 360 had a massive lead at first the PS3 cought up in the end. The next couple of years will be interesting.
The Curse of the Third
Microsoft banked on the new Kinect being a gamechanger, and core gamers don't give a rip about Kinect. Sony tried that with Move on PS3 and it backfired, so they backed off on the motion control stuff with PS4 and started with a lower price point. Once Sony got off to a good start with good buzz, Microsoft's been playing catch-up.
I don't think it was so much that Sony nailed it as it was that everybody at MS just went stupid beyond belief. I never thought I'd see a press conference as disastrous as Sony's E3 2006, but congrats to MS, in 2013 with E3 and the prior reveal event, it managed to top Sony E3 2006 twice in one year. All Sony had to do was look at what MS was doing and do the opposite.
That said, I don't count out the possibility MS could make a massive comeback but there are a few factors that will make it tough. First, and probably most important, the U.S. and UK are the Xbox brand's strongest markets and even there it's a dog fight. Japan still seems to not care and most of Europe is firmly in Sony's corner. Just like last-gen, which is what helped Sony make the comeback. The other is, MS still is behind Sony as far as quality first parties. Aside from Sucker Punch, Sony's teams haven't delivered yet, but it took a while for Sony's studios to get going on PS3 as well. MS' biggest exclusives to this point have been from third parties. It has the money to pay for those deals, but if PS4 continues to increase its lead those third parties (except the clowns at SquareEnix and Crystal Dynamics) are going to smarten up at some point.
The crowd reaction of the PS4's no drm and its price at E3 started the hype rolling.
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