Business Approach Comparison Sony PS4 and Microsoft Xbox

[RancidLunchmeat]

The MS executives themselves didn't seem to know what's happening, and how to explain their mess when confronted earlier. This caused even more rage amongst their fans.

My best guess is that all of this confusion is because the One wasn't designed or spec'd to have optical media. If you take optical media out of the equation, then MS's policies are actually Pro-Consumer.

I think this entire dust-up is due to the fact that they added the BR player late in the game, and then had to figure out a way so that physical media could act just like digitally downloaded media. They don't want the One to be checking the optical drive to see if the disc is there and if its authentic. They want everything to be installed to the cloud so that they can switch seemlessly between different media sources. Be it games, or TV or movies or music, or whatever. They want you not to be only to switch.. errrr.. ."snap", between these things but also be able to view them all at the same time on the screen without switching inputs.

If MS had just revealed the One without any optical drive or ability to play physical media, all this DRM discussion wouldn't have happened. But there would have been an equally large revolt over the fact that everything needs to be downloaded and people don't have the bandwidth to do that. So pick your poison. I fully expect that within 5 years, we'll see a One refresh that doesn't include a BR player and is strictly a DD only console.

 

[wco81]

No it's not confusion. MS has been tone-deaf at best and arrogant at worst.

Go play the 360 if you don't have Internet?

No rentals, used games will be allowed with approved retailers, etc. Tough shit if you don't like it.

 

[blakjedi]

No it's not confusion. MS has been tone-deaf at best and arrogant at worst.

Go play the 360 if you don't have Internet?

No rentals, used games will be allowed with approved retailers, etc. Tough shit if you don't like it.

The things is is that the consumer market already supports this same market condition - in the billions of devices. iPods, tablets and phones are download only. You HAVE to have a connection to do anything at all with these devices. Third world nations are wireless by default and everyone still has either a smart or dumbphone and most likely with an internet connection.

LTE speeds are on the order of most home broadband systems... I see where MS is going and i understand. I don't mind the 24 hr check-in as much as i despise the idea that if my machine doesn't check-in, my game doesn't work.. thats bullshyt. my game should work all the time. My other privileges can be internet dependent but not my game.

 

[patsu]

No it's not confusion. MS has been tone-deaf at best and arrogant at worst.

Go play the 360 if you don't have Internet?

No rentals, used games will be allowed with approved retailers, etc. Tough shit if you don't like it.

Well, some of the MS execs were sending different messages about cloud gaming too.

 

[warb]

Don't see how telling people not to buy it if it doesn't suit them is such a bad message.

 

[patsu]

Steam games are still $60 at launch. Also, even with the really great Steam summer sales model, Steam doesn't go around telling you "Don't buy this $60 now, wait until its really cheap in a sale later!" They aren't idiots.

And Microsoft doesn't set the floor or ceiling of its games, publishers do.

Yes but no used game is a strong bargaining chip.

Steam games appeal to PC gamers in a market where piracy was and is rampant. PS360 consoles are different. Different market different rules.

The things is is that the consumer market already supports this same market condition - in the billions of devices. iPods, tablets and phones are download only. You HAVE to have a connection to do anything at all with these devices. Third world nations are wireless by default and everyone still has either a smart or dumbphone and most likely with an internet connection.

LTE speeds are on the order of most home broadband systems... I see where MS is going and i understand. I don't mind the 24 hr check-in as much as i despise the idea that if my machine doesn't check-in, my game doesn't work.. thats bullshyt. my game should work all the time. My other privileges can be internet dependent but not my game.

For the iDevices and Android market, the price of the games are free or way cheap. You can also load them on multiple devices without limit. The consumers there just see these games as simple, throwaway entertainment, albeit unexpectedly addictive.

 

[wco81]

You can't compare $60 console games sold as downloads to free (ad-supported, free-mium) or cheap games on mobile.

People don't care about re-selling 99 cent games. They finish it and onto the next cheap game. There's also little incentive to pirate it, even if it was easy to pirate mobile games or apps.

If there were no physical media of console games, people will still balk at paying $60 for games at release or not having a rental option at release.

 

[warb]

There are positives to going all DD and future proofing your content as MS have. The entire Xbox library starting from One might be available in the cloud to future hardware updates.

If in 10 years time I have access to my whole game library on new hardware, and all those games are still for sale online at bargain prices, that wouldn't suck for me. It might for used game sellers.

The 24h offline limit is still a massive downer even though I would likely never notice it.

 

[patsu]

Technically speaking, you can future proof disc games too. MS sees the disc as just a delivery mechanism.

 

[warb]

Xbox 2020 does not have a disc drive.

Do PS4 games become available to download when you install/register the disc?

 

[patsu]

No idea but Sony has suitable patents for it.

 

[eastmen]

No idea but Sony has suitable patents for it.

yea how did that work out for the psp go. Or ps3 to ps4 ?

 

[expletive]

No it's not confusion. MS has been tone-deaf at best and arrogant at worst.

Go play the 360 if you don't have Internet?

No rentals, used games will be allowed with approved retailers, etc. Tough shit if you don't like it.

If someone told Tretton they didn't want to pay $399 for a console this November, he'd tell them to buy a PS3. I'm not sure what the correct answer would be for MS about internet connectivity, they are building an online platform.

Could it have been worded better? Maybe but i can't think of a nicer way to say "this platform was built for the future and to be online."

 

[patsu]

yea how did that work out for the psp go. Or ps3 to ps4 ?

For PSPGo, they let the main PSP market -- the Japanese gamers -- convert UMD games to digital ones. So technically it's possible. In US, they skipped the services perhaps not worth the effort.

For PS3, we will have to look at their Gaikai service for allegedly PS3 b/c. Technically, future proofing doesn't really matter if it's the digital or disc version of TLoU. It's the run-time, like CPU and GPU, that makes more differences. Business challenges (e.g., licensing, cost factors) may also affect future proofing.

 

[warb]

The disc working anywhere offline would let you sell a game for at least offline use, and keep the game (downloadable)

For future proofing, MS could be in better shape with their VMs.

 

[patsu]

Yes, the VM is suitable not merely for future proofing, but *potentially* cross platform gaming too.

For future proofing, there are other approaches. e.g., One of Sony's patents explore dynamic compilation in a environment where there is a different GPU (or multiple GPU).

For cross platform gaming, Sony is more messy. Mobile games goes to PS Mobile. They are also exploring Gaikai streaming to assorted devices.

 

[Pozer]

Its interesting that the big publishers (EA,Activision, Ubi) are silently backing Xbox One DRM system only behind the scenes and letting MS take all the hits publicly. I wonder if MS execs are oblivious to the fact they are taking all risks and could be hung out to dry with little or no exposure to the publishers. Curious if we will see anything from the publishers or if they're gonna run away. For various reasons, DRM being one, it is feeling like PS4 is going to atleast start out as a more successful console.

A few scenarios of various likelyhood.

1. Xbox One is an average to below average successful console, due to DRM, pricing loss of early momentum, etc.. Publishers move away from any type of exclusive support. Ports are technically half-baked. MS was hung out to dry. The Next-Next gen is mostly digital distro. DRM gets implemented anyway.

2. Xbox One (EA,Activision,Ubi) games are cheaper.

3. Large publisher(s) boycott PS4.

4. Sony loses exclusive content, or some content is free on One.

5. MS dumps DRM before launch.

6. Xbox One gets games first.

 

[patsu]

It's all about the money. If the large publishers don't get their used game revenue, they will look to Sony (and/or others) to compensate them elsewhere.

Frankly, all these used game issues are none of "our" concern. They should have settled this behind the scene anyway.

If the publishers decide to play punk, I am pretty sure they will also get a full load of crap from the consumers.

EDIT:
I attended part of WWDC last week. Sat in the game controller session. If the core gaming industry can't sort things out, there is always iOS/Android/PC.

 

[Persistantthug]

My best guess is that all of this confusion is because the One wasn't designed or spec'd to have optical media. If you take optical media out of the equation, then MS's policies are actually Pro-Consumer.

I think this entire dust-up is due to the fact that they added the BR player late in the game, and then had to figure out a way so that physical media could act just like digitally downloaded media. They don't want the One to be checking the optical drive to see if the disc is there and if its authentic. They want everything to be installed to the cloud so that they can switch seemlessly between different media sources. Be it games, or TV or movies or music, or whatever. They want you not to be only to switch.. errrr.. ."snap", between these things but also be able to view them all at the same time on the screen without switching inputs.

If MS had just revealed the One without any optical drive or ability to play physical media, all this DRM discussion wouldn't have happened. But there would have been an equally large revolt over the fact that everything needs to be downloaded and people don't have the bandwidth to do that. So pick your poison. I fully expect that within 5 years, we'll see a One refresh that doesn't include a BR player and is strictly a DD only console.

You forgot to mention,
that we'd all be looking at an approx $800 XBOX One instead of a $500 One.....possibly even more.

You see, the real revolt would have come from Retail. That's why digital only truly "next gen" video game home consoles can't thrive or even really exist......not yet anyways.

The Razor Blade Business Model isn't quite ready to die yet.

 

[eastmen]

You forgot to mention,
that we'd all be looking at an approx $800 XBOX One instead of a $500 One.....possibly even more.

You see, the real revolt would have come from Retail. That's why digital only truly "next gen" video game home consoles can't thrive or even really exist......not yet anyways.

The Razor Blade Business Model isn't quite ready to die yet.

I think only gamestop really cares in the united states.

Target would be fine selling cardboard and getting $5 bucks a pop for them. Think about how many game cards you can fit in the same space as a single copy of a game. 10 or 15 of them I'd think or very close to it. Then there is no need for the security set ups they have now. Since the cardboard is worthless .

I think towards the end of the generation a lot of big stores will have these for the xbox one while stores like gamestop will still stock discs