Ben-DutkaFirst of all, we'll make this very clear: we are making no statements or comments concerning Kotaku's perceived bias. This is merely a report based on the recent blowup concerning a supposedly doctored Gran Turismo 5 video that has led to Sony fans questioning the major site's objectivity.
It all started with a GT5 video posted at Kotaku that put some extremely long load times on display. Immediately, however, some viewers noticed a few inconsistencies, which in turn raised the first questions concerning the possibility that Kotaku fiddled with the video in order to portray GT5 in a negative light. Then, gamers everywhere began to argue and discuss, which resulted in more articles, like the one at Game Newser that essentially calls out Kotaku for its perceived slant against Sony. The article mentions several recent articles on GT5, including "Europe's GT5 Collector's Edition Is Insanely Expensive" and "So Gran Turismo 5 Isn't Done Yet." We actually saw the latter but as the content of the article didn't appear to mean much of anything, we didn't consider it newsworthy. As for the other headline…well, one could argue for an obvious bias but we have to be fair; Kotaku is often unorthodox when assigning titles to their articles.
The problem is that many gamers around the web are starting to connect this new development with ongoing whispers that Kotaku has always held a bit of a grudge against Sony and the PlayStation 3. Many have posted up examples of this evident slant in forums all over the Internet and we do remember some of our readers making similar claims about Kotaku in the past. But again, we make no accusations and offer no commentary. We'll let you guys handle that.
Kotaku has a long history of being biased towards the PS3.
For example – After E3 the only thing they managed to take away from Sony's show was, "Sony if forcing us to buy 3D TVs."
They must have wrote at least 5 articles based on that single premise alone.
Kotaku has lost all objectivity ages ago.
I know I shouldn't care about this type of stuff due to it being a waste of energy, but man, this stuff irritates me.
Good news is, the list of websites that get my attention is shrinking fast.
I know GT5 probably wont have those drastic long loading sequences, but imagine everyone's reaction f the final game DID have those loading times, or even worse. That would kill the game AND Polyphony.
i just looked on kotaku right now and oh my days they are at it again this time slating the psp. although you can tell they are doing it with caution this time.
Let me guess, they are demonstrating by comparing sales against the DS that the PSP is failing and then claiming – as always – that it has no games? Good god, they've run that story at least twice a year since the PSP launched.
LOL!
I dont really think Kotaku edited the video themselves. If they did would they have updated the story so quick? They read the comments from readers then updated it well before the aggrigate news sites like N4G picked it up. I dont know what the guya few boxes abovethis was talking about with Kotakus Sony E3 coverage it was all equal, well maybe some bias with Nintendo winning E3 supposedly. That being said Kotaku is just like PSX Extreme with a good staff that will actually reply back to emails so shoot them a line. I have several times uuually to complain and cuss at the writers. Take it up with them. They should really have caught the reflections in the TV that made everyone look straight out of the Matrix. I noticed it immediately. If that was not enough the banner going at two speeds is a dead giveaway LOL. Human error plain and simple.
"Update 3: As can be seen in the embed, the creators of the video now say that the clip was slowed down. Scrutinizing the timer that appears in the driving part of the clip, we agree that the video appears to be slowed down and is not running at full speed. We apologize for any confusion or consternation caused by our mistake." – Kotaku
And yet….the article still remains.
Last edited by Mornelithe on 8/11/2010 10:47:32 AM
LOL!
"Scrutinizing the timer that appears in the driving part of the clip, we agree that the video appears to be slowed down and is not running at full speed."
How long did it take for them to do this? They contacted Sony before doing this? They have yet to retract?
Total amateurs.
Man, that is rich. What a joke!!
Christ, they won't even man up and admit it?
'sigh' Whatever.
Wow! That's pretty bad. Retraction totally warranted. There's nothing worse than the reporter who won't admit they screwed up. It's one of the biggest problems with the industry today. Nobody's perfect — just ADMIT you made a mistake! Lame.
They're not journalists
They're just amateurs whose site just happened to be heavily funded when they started their site.
I hope they keep messing up like this, it's good to see them show their true colors 😀 Some eventually not start to take them seriously again.
Next time they should make an article 'bout how The Last Guardian will go to 360
@Scarecrow, didn't they run one of those about Uncharted?
I wonder if the retraction they'll undoubtedly have to print because of this, will hurt any less than this article has to Ashcrofts reputation.
See below. As of this evening the AU site hadn't updated the story on their end. I emailed them and they fixed it, though just as half assed as the US story. I doubt well see a full retraction. I demanded they retract the story and issue a full correction and apology. They ignored my request.
I expect this type of article from Luke Plunkett or Brian Crecente, because their bias idiots. But this being a Brian Ashcraft article is surprising. I would love to make a comment on their site, but I got banned for having some choice words for Luke Plunkett. Oh well,
PSXExtreme is the only site I care to read and comment in anyway.
Last edited by Evil Incarnate on 8/11/2010 12:46:28 PM
i only ever check their site for just breaking headlines, i dont tend to read too heavyily into what their personal thoughts are because its just not psxetreme. For the 4 years i've been coming to this sight i've always had appreciation and repest for arnold and ben because they not influenced by huge marketing dollars or product placement. More so is that every review is thought through and each reviewer backs their points with valid points and are respectful of comments. not creeping or owt just stating why sites like psxetreme are rare and valuable for gamers.
This is an outrage! You mean to tell me that a video game site might be bias?! Unthinkable!
ahem…
Yeah, they're jerks.
This is beyond bias. This is a deliberate attempt to mislead the readers. Bias towards or against something is one thing, an attempt to lie and destroy someone or somethings credibility is another.
Kotaku blows dogs for quarters.
GT5 will speak for itself. Come November 2nd, there will be no dispute what the best racing sim on the planet is. 'Nuff said. 🙂
The first line….was not really necessary was it? Could you maybe have found a better way to dismiss Kotaku than resorting to bestiality?
Last edited by TheHighlander on 8/11/2010 4:30:49 PM
Oh, come ON.
What do you have against animals? Ruff!
Pathetic. Kotaku AU hasn't corrected the story on their end yet. they didn't even bother to post these half assed updates the US site posted.
Truly pathetic.
LOL! i emailed the editors at Kotaku AU and they promptly replied and updated the AU story with the US "corrections."
Still no admission that they either attempted to mislead people or made a mistake but glad to see them respond with haste non the less.