Tag: Microsoft - Page 8
Weirdness Sony's Latest Xbox One Dig Is Actually Really Rather Amusing
Lighthearted banter
Remember at E3 when Microsoft executive Phil Spencer kept switching his shirts? He started the company’s press conference donning a State of Decay tee, but went through more costume changes than Lady GaGa during the firm’s hour-long keynote in Los Angeles. Never one to miss an opportunity to turn the knife, Sony’s own
News Skype Eager to Arrange a Video Conference with PS4
Microsoft committed to cross-platform
Skype may be one of the Xbox One’s most prominent features, but that’s not stopping Microsoft from considering a PlayStation 4 version of the popular application. Chatting with the BBC as part of the video conferencing tool’s tenth anniversary, corporate vice president Mark Gillett explained that the...
Reaction Xbox One's FIFA 14 Giveaway Is Smart, But Sony Should Stick to Its Game Plan
Swapping sides?
In an announcement that’s been compared to the introduction of Lionel Messi in the dying minutes of a cup final, Microsoft has revealed that all Xbox One pre-orders will ship with a copy of FIFA 14 in Europe. It’s a game changer for some, as it effectively reduces the p
Reaction Xbox One Delay Leaves the Door Ajar for PS4
Windows of opportunity
There will have been one of two reactions to Microsoft’s sizeable Xbox One delay within Sony’s colossal European headquarters today: cheers or mopped brows. At almost every turn, the North American company has been playing into the PlayStation maker’s hands, and this latest setback is just another example of that. It’s...
FAQ What Are the Differences Between the PS4 and Xbox One?
For and against
Console clashes don’t get much more competitive than the upcoming conflict between the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Not since the days of derogatory SEGA commercials has a system showdown promised so much drama. But with two formats vying for your finances this fall, which device is the best choice for you? The following text...
News Sony's Loaning PS4 Development Kits to Indie Studios for Free
Keeping costs down
Microsoft’s latest Xbox One-Eighty has changed the conversation yet again. Overnight, the firm confirmed that it will allow self-publishing on its next generation platform within the system’s first year on the market. That puts the console in line with the PlayStation 4, but the Redmond-based organisation’s trump card is...
Reaction Microsoft's Stopped the Xbox One Rot, But PS4 Is a Step Ahead
Manufacturer is still clutching at straws
Vision is a word that Microsoft likes to use a lot. "Our vision is that every person can be a creator," said corporate vice president Marc Whitten earlier today, following the platform holder’s second massive Xbox One-Eighty in as many months. After a unanimous panning from pretty much the entirety of the...
News Analyst: There'll Be More Xbox Ones Available at Launch Than PS4
Oh, really?
While it’s widely rumoured that Microsoft may be having some manufacturing issues with the Xbox One, Robert W. Baird analyst Colin Sebastian stated in a recent investor’s note that he believes that the Redmond-based manufacturer’s system will be readily available this Christmas. In fact, the financial forecaster stressed that the...
News Xbox One Developer Concedes That PS4 Is More Powerful
Specifications show superiority
As part of a question and answer session on Reddit, an Xbox One developer has admitted that the PlayStation 4 is more powerful than Microsoft’s machine. Despite this, the operating system engineer noted that the size of the gulf in performance is still up for debate, and that the games on the Redmond-based...
Reaction Microsoft May Have Reacted, But PS4 Is in Control
Follow the leader
Sony has been heavily criticised for being reactionary throughout the course of this generation. The platform holder that so confidently set the tone of the gaming landscape with the PSone and the PlayStation 2 was caught off guard by the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii, an oversight that prompted it to play catch-up in almost every...
News Analysts Believe That PS4 Is Still in the Driver's Seat
Microsoft's adapted policies won't change system showdown
The immediate question after Microsoft’s dramatic DRM u-turn last night revolved around what impact the reversal will have on the PlayStation 4. Sony milked its pro-consumer policies during E3 2013 last week, but now that the Redmond-based firm has responded, does that put the Japanese...
News Pre-order Allocations for PS4 Far Outstrip Xbox One
GameStop ceases accepting deposits for Microsoft's machine
Microsoft may have moseyed back into the console battlefield with last night’s announcements, but it could still struggle to satisfy demand at launch. Polygon reports that mega retailer GameStop has already fulfilled its allocation of pre-orders for the Xbox One, and has ceased accepting...
Talking Point What Does Microsoft's Massive Xbox One-Eighty Mean for PS4?
Round like a record
We didn’t expect Microsoft to stick with its digital rights management policies after the mauling that it faced from consumers and the media at E3 2013 last week, but even we’re a little stunned by the swiftness and scale of its turnaround. If you’ve been living under a rock, the Redmond-based firm has just revealed that...
Reaction PS4 Price Advantage Will Prove Pivotal in the Battle Against Xbox One
Every little helps
While much of the next generation narrative has been pointed purposefully at digital rights management and used games, arguably the biggest discussion thus far has been left untouched like the awful pizza at a Chinese buffet. SCEA executive Jack Tretton may have revelled in revealing the PlayStation 4’s pro-consumer plans during...
News You Won't Be Able to Pre-order a PS4 from This Particular Branch of GAME
Only people wearing green may enter
Much like GameStop in North America, GAME is the biggest specialist video game retailer in the UK, stocking a diverse range of software for all of the major consoles. However, you won’t be able to purchase PlayStation content at the giant’s latest branch in Shoreditch, London – because it will only stock...
Reaction There Is One Thing That Sony Could Learn from Microsoft at E3 2013
Taking notes
This year’s E3 was very special for PlayStation. Despite dominating the industry with the PSone and the PlayStation 2, the company has assumed the role of an underdog at times during this generation. While the PlayStation 3 has played host to some phenomenal games – and posted some impressive sales figures in the process –...
Talking Point Has Microsoft's E3 2013 Showing Lessened Your Interest in the PS4?
Xbox One steps out of the shadows
It was imperative that the Xbox One had a strong showing at E3 2013. Last month, the backlash to the platform’s initial unveiling was undeniably negative, with a whopping 84 per cent of you noting that the system had done nothing to quell your anticipation for the PlayStation 4. But today’s press conference was...
News PS4 Pre-Orders Just Behind Xbox One at Amazon UK
The battle begins
It looks like Microsoft’s confusing DRM policies have done nothing to deter the casual consumer, as Amazon.co.uk has confirmed that the Xbox One is currently winning the battle for platform pre-orders – but only just. According to the online retailer, the next generation system has been added to 2.3 per cent more baskets than...
Talking Point Will You Still Buy the PS4 If It Treats Game Ownership Like the Xbox One?
Going through changes
For a company that’s made copious communication blunders over the course of the current generation, Sony’s handled the subject of used games in an unexpectedly cunning manner – primarily by shutting its mouth. While its closest competitor Microsoft has been hung, drawn, and quartered since the Xbox One’s unveiling, the...
News Microsoft Praises Sony's Efforts in the Digital Domain
Phil Spencer's fond of Journey
The console war isn’t all about competition. The likes of Sony and Microsoft can also learn from each other, and in a refreshingly complimentary comment, Microsoft Studios’ corporate vice president Phil Spencer has revealed that he feels that the PlayStation maker is doing a “nice job” of building content for...
News PS4 Pre-Orders Lagging Behind Xbox One in Some UK Stores
Bloodied nose
The response to the Xbox One’s unveiling may have been predominantly negative thus far, but data bubbling out of a handful of UK stores shows that Sony’s still going to have its work cut out if it intends to win the impending console war. MCV reports that pre-orders for Microsoft’s next generation machine eclipsed
News PlayStation 4 Has a Significant Power Advantage Over Xbox One
Sony's system leading the charge
It seems that there was a reason behind the hazy specifications that Microsoft released for the Xbox One – it’s not quite up to snuff compared to the PlayStation 4. The ever reliable technology gurus over at Digital Foundry have stripped back both consoles and come up with some fascinating conclusions – namely...
News PlayStation 4 Stomps Xbox One in Online Twitter Poll
Absolute bloodbath
With new consoles on the horizon, brave system warriors are marching onto online battlefields across the globe – but the outlook’s not looking particularly positive for the Xbox One following last night’s reveal. GameSpot has been running a somewhat childish – but fascinating – poll on Twitter, encouraging readers to...
News Sony's Share Prices Soar Following the Xbox One Reveal
Microsoft stocks consequently decline
It seems that many investors were left feeling a little cold after the recent Xbox One reveal, causing a shift in company shares shortly after Microsoft's conference had ended. The event had attempted to usher in a new generation of gaming with brand new hardware, a redesigned controller, updated Kinect camera,...
Reaction PS4 vs. Xbox One - Moving in Different Directions
Apples and oranges
Thirty minutes. That’s the length of time it took Microsoft to actually bring out a game developer to discuss games during its Xbox One games console reveal. Prior to that point, the manufacturer had gabbled on about television, music, and more. It wasn’t necessarily out of character – the Redmond-based company has been...
News How Do Xbox One's Hardware Specifications Compare to PS4?
A broad look
Games are by far the most important part of any new console, but the hardware is significant too. While Sony spent a lot of time discussing the internals of the PlayStation 4 at its own unveiling conference earlier in the year, Microsoft was decidedly more muted during its presentation. However, following today’s press conference, the...
Feature Five PS4 Announcements That Could Steal the Next Xbox's Thunder
Future combat
Sony knows that it’s got a battle on its hands. It may have hogged the limelight ever since its surprise PlayStation 4 announcement earlier in the year, but Microsoft will not allow that to persist. When the next Xbox is finally revealed on 21st May, the companies will at last lock horns – and it’s the outcome of that tussle that...
Reaction PS4 Looks Poised to Play Second Fiddle in the Call of Duty War
Console combat
Love it or loathe it, Call of Duty is an important cog in any console’s catalogue. The series may have peaked in popularity with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, but last year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 still managed to rake in a cool $1 billion in just 15 days on the market – an impressive sum for a series that’
Opinion Next Xbox Development Woes Could Spell Trouble for the PS4
Modern warfare
Microsoft is supposedly struggling. According to reports coming out of Kotaku overnight, the platform holder is as much as six months behind on producing content for its next generation console. The site’s sources claim that the company recently canned a number of internally developed titles for its impending machine because they...
Feature Xbox Reveal - Microsoft's Biggest Threats to the PS4
Weapons and weaknesses
Microsoft has finally acknowledged its next generation console. After months of silence, rumours, and bad news, Sony’s closest competitor has confirmed that it will reveal a “new generation of games, TV, and entertainment” on 21st May. While some feel that the Redmond-based manufacturer may struggle to usurp the
News Let the Battle Begin: Next Xbox Locks Horns with PS4 in May
Ready, fight
We all knew that it was coming, but somehow Microsoft has managed to shock the industry by finally acknowledging its next generation console. The company sent out invites earlier this evening, confirming that it’s poised to uncover its impending system on 21st May. As you’d expect, the event will be livestreamed through a variety of...
Opinion Microsoft's Always-Online Debacle Is Playing into the PS4's Hands
Xbox manufacturer is in a pickle
No publicity is bad publicity, or so the old adage goes – but Microsoft executives must find themselves staring into a window of brutal GIFs wondering what to do next. The press surrounding the company’s next generation platform has not been rosy for some time, but things escalated overnight when Adam Orth, the...
News Why Is PlayStation More Popular Than Xbox in Japan?
Keiji Inafune puts it down to brand loyalty
While the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are more or less equals in most parts of the world, Microsoft’s machine struggles in Japan. It’s not uncommon to see the green-tinged device sell less than 1,000 units a week in the land of the rising sun, while Sony’s counterpart tends to teeter around the 15,000...
News Pachter: Microsoft Will 'Deliberately Trash' the PlayStation 4
Competitor will attempt to belittle Sony's machine
Controversial industry analyst Michael Pachter believes that Microsoft will "deliberately trash” the PlayStation 4 during its own next generation announcement event in order to give the impression that its console is stronger. With details regarding Sony’s impending machine readily available,...
News Microsoft Takes a Shot at Sony's PlayStation 4 Reveal
Arrogant or nervous?
Sony may cut a more humble figure following the catastrophic mistakes of the PlayStation 3, but it looks like Microsoft’s ready to step into the platform holder’s old shoes. Tweeting shortly after last night’s PlayStation Meeting press event, Xbox talking head Larry Hryb couldn’t resist chiming in on the announcements...
News Microsoft: PlayStation 3 Doesn't Do Entertainment As Well As Xbox 360
Everyone knows it, apparently
Microsoft must be starting to feel threatened. The company has already predicted that mainstream consumers "won't know” about PlayStation’s upcoming next generation console announcement, and now it’s insinuated that the PS3 is a poor choice for entertainment options – despite it being
Talking Point Could the Current Xbox Rumours Work in the PS4's Favour?
Speculation wars
You probably shouldn’t believe everything that you read online. We’re in what’s commonly referred to in other industries as the ‘silly season’ right now, an exciting period of speculation where even the most ridiculous rumours take on heightened meanings. With new next generation platforms looming, everyone wants a piece...
News Ex-Microsoft Executive Details Heated Relationship with Sony
Furrowed brows
Xbox only exists because of Microsoft and Sony’s heated relationship. That’s according to former executive Joachim Kempin, who was vice president of Windows Sales at the firm. Chatting with IGN, the outspoken suit explained that the computing company wanted to tackle PlayStation head-on due to the bad blood between the...
Rumour Microsoft Looking To Integrate Kinect Into Sony TVs
Take this one with a serious pinch of salt
According to a report on The Daily, Microsoft is looking to integrate its Kinect technology into next-generation televisions from the likes of Vizio and, erm, Sony. The report claims that Microsoft is looking to aggressively push the Kinect into as many living rooms as possible", including those...
News Sony Points The Gun At Microsoft's Content Policy
Last week, Microsoft admitted that it reserved the right to decline the release of XBOX Live Arcade titles if they release on the PlayStation Network first
In an interview with IndustryGamers, Sony's VP of public relations, Rob Dyer, pointed a loaded gun at the policy, accusing Microsoft of "protecting inferior technology". Meow. Dyer went...
News Microsoft Says, 'Nuh-Uh, PS3 Owners Can't Play Skyrim DLC For 30 Days'
An exclusive should stay an exclusive as far as we're concerned
Microsoft disagrees. In a move that's becoming all too familiar, the XBOX 360 platform holder has signed up for timed exclusivity on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's first two DLC packs. The content will be available "exclusively" on Microsoft's platform for a period of 30 days,...
On paper it sounds like a dream scenario: a future where Sony and Microsoft work together to build the ultimate system
Sony's knowledge of hardware architecture coupled with Microsoft's dominance in the software sector. Sony's outstanding first-party output supported by Microsoft's (supposedly) superior networking talents. Combining both Sony and...
News Bizarre: Microsoft Registers Sony Domains
Strange tid-bit coming out of Internet supersleuth Superannuation's Twitter account this morning: Microsoft has registered a slew of Sony-related website domains
The US company owns the URLs for Sony-Microsoft.com and Microsoft-Sony.com. We suspect this has got something to do with a non-video game related collaboration. After all, despite being...
News Microsoft Blocked PlayStation 3 Version Of Tales Of Vesperia In The West
Tales Of Vesperia has never launched outside of Japan on PlayStation 3
That's because Microsoft paid to keep the game exclusive in Europe and North America, according to a Facebook post made by a Namco Bandai community manager. "Microsoft paid for the exclusivity the same way Sony paid for having Heavy Rain only on PS3," said Namco Bandai...
News Cliffy Bleszinski Dashes Gears Of War PS3 Hopes
There's zero chance of Gears Of War coming to PlayStation 3, according to creative lead Cliff Bleszinski
There had been some speculation that Epic would make the franchise multiplatform once its exclusive publishing deal expired with Microsoft. Curiously, Epic retains full rights to the Gears Of War franchise so can feasibly do whatever it wants...
News Homefront DLC To Be A Timed XBOX 360 Exclusive... Whoopee!
Dear Microsoft, We know that you don't bother spending any of your resources developing an identity for your platform and we're cool with that
Honestly, doesn't bother us in the slightest. We just wanted to an extend a word of advice. While timed DLC might be a big deal for Call Of Duty and Grand Theft Auto IV, it's really a total waste of money...
News Sony Go Head-To-Head With Microsoft Over Non-Game Offerings
With the announcement of VUDU for the PlayStation 3 this afternoon, analysts are getting all hot and sweaty over Sony and Microsoft's latest console battle -- the war for non-gaming applications
Gamasutra note that with Netflix, Hulu Plus and Sony's own PlayStation Video Delivery Service already available on the XMB, Sony is making the integration...
News New Data Shows The PlayStation 3 Trailing The XBOX 360 By Just 3 Million Units Worldwide
The PlayStation 3 is seriously closing the gap on the XBOX 360's worldwide sales total, and it doesn't even look like the marketing clout of Kinect is going to stop Sony's resurgence
New worldwide hardware figures shared by both platform holders detail the PlayStation 3 as having shifted 41.6 million units worldwide. The XBOX 360 (which launched...
News XBOX Live Price Hiked To Keep Content Off The PlayStation 3
On the PlayStation 3, you don't have to pay for multiplayer
On the XBOX 360, you do. Many people cite the "greater" experience on XBOX Live as the reason for the cost, but the reality is that the services are roughly comparable, with Live offering a few extra bells and whistles. Microsoft recently increased the price of the XBOX 360's Live...
News Microsoft VP: "I Own a Move, but Kinect is Far More Immersive"
Technologies "fundamentally different"
Move and Kinect are two totally different technologies, offering widely varied gameplay experiences: we know this, you know this. Microsoft Game Studios vice president Phil Spencer knows this too, talking up his company's motion sensor ahead of its US launch next week. Whilst Spencer claims to own a Move...
