"OPM - What about tech difference? The Xbox's late arrival gave it better hardware, which made it attractive to devs like Team Ninja.
Allard - In the last gen, we hadn't even started hardware before they shipped. So we did have that advantage, we were willing to spend more and lose more. They're talking about Spring 2006 release - the specs they published are equivalent to the specs we published when you go away from theoretical performance. It's a jump ball. Two companies selling something at Wal-Mart for the same amount of money and coming four months apart. They aren't going to have products that are materially different. Plus they're willing to dump a whole lot of money per unit, and I'll tell you what: As a company with more money than just about anyone, Microsoft isn't willing to do that again because it was really tough for us the first time around. So I'd be surprised if they had a strategy that said they could lose a few billion this gen to make more powerful hardware.
You have to think Sony has learned their lesson about online. If they had XBL, Gran Turismo would be online. And you have to think that hurt them, because Polyphonal always wanted GT online. Sony wouldn't sold more copies, and it would've been better for the PlayStation brand. They diluted a franchise property in a world where you can play Forza online or NFS online on another company's system. Here's the title that defines your companies system, and you can't make it online? That's disappointing. I love the game and own every single one, so I'm hoping as a gamer they get serious about online."
Interesting.
Actually very interesting strategy interviews from both camps.
http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=73491
Allard - In the last gen, we hadn't even started hardware before they shipped. So we did have that advantage, we were willing to spend more and lose more. They're talking about Spring 2006 release - the specs they published are equivalent to the specs we published when you go away from theoretical performance. It's a jump ball. Two companies selling something at Wal-Mart for the same amount of money and coming four months apart. They aren't going to have products that are materially different. Plus they're willing to dump a whole lot of money per unit, and I'll tell you what: As a company with more money than just about anyone, Microsoft isn't willing to do that again because it was really tough for us the first time around. So I'd be surprised if they had a strategy that said they could lose a few billion this gen to make more powerful hardware.
You have to think Sony has learned their lesson about online. If they had XBL, Gran Turismo would be online. And you have to think that hurt them, because Polyphonal always wanted GT online. Sony wouldn't sold more copies, and it would've been better for the PlayStation brand. They diluted a franchise property in a world where you can play Forza online or NFS online on another company's system. Here's the title that defines your companies system, and you can't make it online? That's disappointing. I love the game and own every single one, so I'm hoping as a gamer they get serious about online."
Interesting.
Actually very interesting strategy interviews from both camps.
http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=73491