Ben-DutkaOver the years, we've often seen Microsoft outstrip Sony in the marketing and promotion department.
It has been awfully frustrating to see the lack of exposure for some of Sony's most important first-party franchises, while at the same time, you often couldn't walk through a GameStop without bumping into another giant Halo stand-up.
Sony has definitely gotten better over time, though, and it'll be interesting to see if they can keep it up this holiday season. In all honesty, it seems that Microsoft has the head start, what with the recent Xbox One price drop announcement and plenty of advertising for the system's newest exclusive, Sunset Overdrive . On top of which, without a high-profile PlayStation 4 exclusive this holiday season, it's all the more likely that Xbox One will steal the limelight.
It's difficult to promote a piece of hardware when there isn't much to crow about (at least, not for the time being). There's no price cut and no new exclusive software that's going to turn heads, so what do you do? I understand the complications but it's imperative that Sony keep up with Microsoft over the next couple of months. Here's hoping they pull out all the marketing stops 'cuz they're going to need a little help until the days of Bloodborne , The Order: 1886 and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End .
Perhaps the most important event will be the PlayStation Experience in December. That might be just what Sony needs. Sure, whatever is announced probably won't come out for a while but they can still use such announcements for holiday hype purposes. So, who knows? Maybe we'll see more PS4 advertising than we think…
Price doesn't seem to matter much at this point seeing how its common knowledge at this point that the ps4 is the better equipped console. Talks about perma-350$ xbox one. I personally don't think MS is that dumb because even MS knows cheaper parts = faulty console. The last thing they need is another xbox original and 360 launch. Cheap pieces used to make the price low. They don't need anymore bad PR.
They are doing a good job of promoting the xbox one though, but after Titanfall, Forza, and Sunset overdrive being not system sellers, I really don't think they have much to go on other than the stupid day one patch Halo collection. (its 15gb)
Sony's holiday advertisement is at the moment "Play the superior console version of the holiday games" and I think thats all they'll need. Since its all the 360 needed back during the first years.
If I was just the average guy looking at the holiday season, I would buy the PS4 bundle because the media
has been nuts with GTAV and TLOU. Assassins Creed Unity is not something I see gaining traction as something "incredible and amazing. True next gen" Its just another over hyped Ubisoft game that will meet its maker after everyone gets their hands on it.
Either way, all I care about is the games. Dragon Age, GTAV, LBP3, and Kingdom Hearts 2.5.
Next year is where the war will actually take place. Will Sony's obviously better exclusives continue to lead them in first place in the current 13-6m? Or will Phantom Dust and Rise of the 360/xbox one Tomb Raider destroy Uncharted 4? Find out next year in the console wars!!!!!!
Price does matter. While the xb1 can't go toe to toe with the ps4, there's definitely a market for it being in between the wii-u and ps4 price range.
Microsoft is playing an unusual game. Demanding from the less wealthy developers (indie) while swallowing up an established indie. Calling its hardware compromise something other than that, while demanding it not to be one at all from developers. Trying to rebuild its fan base with a cheaper pricetag, yet not quite producing games for that market.
Microsoft's Xbox division is experiencing an identity crisis at a time of struggle. It's not competition anymore at this point. It's sheer desperation.
That said, I don't see Sony winning the Holiday wars with the available library, but there are great things abound months away from it. The PlayStation experience just might produce enough hype to lessen the blow with many greatly anticipated games (if the rumors are true about the experience event).
Sony shouldn't be worried. Microsoft is doing enough of that for both of them. What Sony DOES need to do is build faith in their current fanbase… The half that aren't fanboy trolls. Give us updates on network expansion and stability. Cold hard facts and details. Give us more PS+ goodness in the form of AAA title freebies/discounts. Word of mouth is the best marketing you can buy, especially when the price tag doesn't sting either ends of the table.
ps4 will do better. The Destiny push is irreversible.
Next year it's an easy win for ps4 again.
i wouldn't be surprised to see M$ take a big crawl back this holiday for several reasons.
1 $onys f*cking pathetic with software updates and people are really starting to get sick of it!
almost been 2 years since the ps4s announcement, and it STILL does not have many features announced on that fateful day.
and might i add one of those features, a feature the competition had ON DAY ONE!
not to mention the competitions added external HDD support for watching movies and such, and backing up games for when your internal HDD is full which won't take long with those petty 500GB HDDs.
not to mention every update they release ends up f*cking something up, the recent 2.0 update and the constant lockups utilising rest mode for instance.
nice to see $ony still has not learned their lessons from the ps3 debacles of constant FW updates getting stuck in restart loops.
2 wheres the games?
if you said to me this time last year M$ would have more and better exclusives releasing for holiday 14 id be emitting you to the closest psychiatric ward quicity split!
little big planet 3 is all well and good, but where are the creative imaginative new IPs?
wheres the sequels to well known playstation icons?
yes this is only the second year the systems out, but come on this is just pathetic!
the only notable worthwhile ps4 exclusive thats released this year is infamous second son, i mean one exclusive, one for the company who owns THE largest first party studio lineup in the INDUSTRY!
RIDCLIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3 price.
$599 for the one, controller, kinect and 4 games.
$599 for the ps4, controller, and 3 games.
so your paying the same price, but getting 1 less game and miss out on the camera, so add another 100 for that.
not to mention the offering less system is also the inferior system with PSN being crap compared to live being so much faster and more reliable, the ones OS being better and offering more features, more and better exclusives available now to enjoy.
good old $ony, only they have mastered the art of charging their loyal fans more for less so well!
if $ony opened up a car dealership they would have the ford focus the same price as a bugatti veyron!
Last edited by ___________ on 11/8/2014 2:48:33 AM
Wow this line name guy is pathetic n apparently terrible at math lmfao
He's like our "special" 3rd cousin around here.
In England the Gamestop website has reduced a the white PS4 to under 300 pounds… which is really quite a catch. Sadly I am low on money right now and cant fork out for it, but I imagine hat deal will sell like hotcakes. The PS4 still hasn't got anything I am urgent for this year, but the line up has improved this fall dramatically! I will be getting on in 2015 for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain for certain though.
The only game I am getting this fall is Kingdom Hearts 2.5 and I am very content with that 🙂
Although I'm here to read a lot I never weigh in much so here goes. The problem with Sony right now is that they're treating games like exclusives when they aren't. Destiny, MKX, GTAV & even Metal Gear.
Sony should have never lost the Metal Gear franchise. They should've wrapped their fingers around it as Microsoft did to Halo. Metal Gear has always been one of the top names in gaming. When I first heard it would come to Xbox I died a little. If Phantom Pain was exclusive…well…
No hype need for me. I aready have my nex-gen system. As tempting as the price drop is on the Xbox1 i see no real must buy games.
Sunset Overdrive looks like a cross between infamous and the sillyness of Saints Row. The Halo Collection dont count for me because i played every single halo in its original form. Tomb Raider is a timed excluive so i can wait on that.
A friend of mine posted his thoughts about the xbox price drop on facebook. I should say the guy is a very accomplished sales strategist in Toronto. Basically, anytime he writes something about marketing/sales/trends etc. I read it with great interest. Here's what he wrote:
"After previously doing a price cut and adjusting a hardware bundle item before that, working in sales myself, all this tells me is that Microsoft does not back the "value" of their product as much as Sony does. True value doesn't come down to price. If I am going to be undercut by a competitor in my business and it becomes an issue, the first question I ask is; "how much can they value their product if they don't stand behind the pricing of it?" You're supposed to build value, not hand out rebates.
Even when they raised the price of the PS4 with the Destiny bundle, it still sold an amazing amount of units. That is because the value of the product is upheld. If you'll recall, they only lowered the price of the PS3 AFTER they created the slim version, when they removed the backward compatibility and server features.
*Shakes head at Microsoft*"
Last edited by Underdog15 on 11/8/2014 7:17:14 AM
No. Sony lowered the price of the PS3 100 dollars and they added hard drive space, MGS4, and the Dualshock 3. It was still a Phatboy, still had backwards compatibility (emulated) and all of the inputs..
Last edited by n/a on 11/8/2014 10:08:55 AM
Lol YES. You can't just list everything that happened over a large span of time and say it was the same action.
You didn't even miss his point… you were just completely incapable of understanding it… Very discouraging.
They removed the 20 GB option. Not add more space. When they removed the option, you can't just take away the 499 price point, so they matched it. They DID add the 80GB model, yes, but that cost $599. (Added value, added price) The only time they reduced the cost of the PS3 without adding anything was when the cheaper version was made no longer available. You can't go from having a 499 model then take it away 1-2 years in and say "Sorry, now you have to buy the 599 model"
What my friend is saying send the exact message he is suggesting in line with when things happened. He didn't outline specific detail because, quite frankly, he doesn't have friends on his friend list that are incapable of filling in the blanks….
Here is the exact time-line of the price drops….
http://vgsales.wikia.com/wiki/Price_cuts
Last edited by Underdog15 on 11/8/2014 3:21:16 PM
Not disputing the point. It's an extrememely valid, well thought out one. In fact, a friend asked me what was wrong with the Xbox One since it's now 350. He wanted to know if it was somehow less powerful than the 400 dollar version, not knowing they were the same. So again, he is spot on in how the price cut can do unintended harm in the consumers view of the product.
What is in dispute is that Sony only dropped the price of the PS3 after removing features and that is untrue. Sony dropped all hardware 100 dollars the same day they launched the 80 gig, DualShock 3, MGS4 PS3 bundle at 499. It wasnt done over time, it was all released the same day. I know this because I know gaming and it's my livelihood. And while that's notmuch to hang a hat on in the real world, in this current space you and I are engaged in, you aren't in my league.So, please stop lurking around here like the kid who can't make the cut in a pick up basketball game but wants to put in his two cent, buy a current gen system, play a few games, and then we'll talk
Edit: you're quoting a wiki? You are hopeless. lol. The 80 gig launched at 499 not 599. .
Last edited by n/a on 11/8/2014 4:00:58 PM
You know what? I was wrong. The price drop happened way before MGS4. It was in November of 07 only a year after the system was released, they cut the 80 gig by 100.. Man, the only time I'm wrong is when I'm more right. lol.
Except you aren't more right. You're consistently wrong, yet even when you saw your incorrectness, you remained ignorant to the facts staring you right in the face…
The point remains. The price came down alongside the removal of a cheaper option. You cant, a year after release, take away the inexpensive option and force new-comers to purchase it at a forced 599 pricetag. The pricepoint for a PS3 was 499. You could spend more to get one of greater value. When they took away the cheaper options, the pricepoint a ps3 was available for remained at 499.
You're proving his point. The pricepoint of the PS3 remained at $499 until they could announce a reason for the reduced values. Every time. In fact, that link I gave you outlines the feature changes with the price changes.
I still don't get how you don't see that. It's literally spelled right out… The facts can't be any more obvious, man! It's not even opinion. It's literally right there on paper.
I bought an 80GB PS3 in December 2007 for $399, so KidPresentable is probably right about the price cut being in November.
Actually it was a 40GB that I bought. I was wrong saying it was an 80.
Well, what I can glean from your attempt to piece together your friend's decimated argument is that the near featureless 20 gig PS3 was the true PS3 and the feature-laden 60 gig PS3 was just PS3 Extra. lol. The fact that you twiddled your fingers and came up with an argument so devoid of logic is staggering. Truly. They cut both systems available by 100 dollars. That is fact. In 2007, they released two skus, 40 gig at 399 and an 80 gig at 499 as opposed to the previous year's skus of 20 gig at 499 and a 60 at 599. Somehow, to you and your clueless pal that doesn't constitute a price drop? Get real, man. Im okay with the argument being the detriment of the X1's price cut but if the sidebar is some ridiculous notion that somehow Sony was a better steward over the PS3 than MS is over the Xbox One simply because they never dropped the price after the intitial cut after the first year then your friend, success and all, is just wrong. Sony was losing billions. Their inability to budge was because of financial reasons and they needed to find ways to manufature a cheaper PS3, not because they "believed" in the product. .
Last edited by n/a on 11/8/2014 6:20:17 PM
Sony sure took a gamble back then.. Still recouping?, but I think it's gotten under control now.
Kid, your mouth is running faster than your legs about this. Must be a grueling battle to face defeat, eh? And by defeat, I'm simply implying continuously being corrected. Check your emergency aid kit for some sting relief and swallow an IBU or 3 to numb your ego. You're making a donkey of yourself.
I've seen or received by text so many deals, bundles, incentives, and general finagles to buy an Xbox One that all I feel is a sense of desperation from MS.
I've seen the Sunset Overdrive commercial so many times I'm almost certain the marketing budget exceeds the cost of development of the game.
MS is in some trouble. However, the folks who don't know much, especially here in america, will still fall for the advertising and get Xbox this Christmas. Probably enough to keep the console from being the next Wii U.
Sony will likely underspend and hope that PS4's popularity carries the day. MY recommendation is to do an ad blitz Japanese style, simple show the console and some games while a voiceover explains all of the console's features. People will be really surprised that you can play your friend's games over the internet even if you don't own the game.
Sony's got word of mouth so that's more valuable than a ton of commercials. MS and Nintendo have their work cut out for them, but they are delivering on the games front, so hopefully it will pay off for them. I'm hoping that this upcoming PS Experience can show their first party could step up to the plate. Last gen was a pretty weak outing for them (with the exception of Naughty Dog) and the games this gen have not shown any innovation, whatsoever.
Last edited by n/a on 11/8/2014 9:58:51 AM
Would it not be a coup if Sony used the PlayStation Experience to announce a AAA Exclusive or two which would actually release THIS Holiday Season!!? Pulling and Entwined type announcement where they say download "RIGHT NOW" on the PlayStation Store would probably create an internet and sales frenzy.
And another thing, I am surpised that no one is mentioning the fact that Sony can actually SharePlay anything they want to gamers all over the world during the PlayStation Experience! Or any other event for that matter. Announce new game! Show New Demos! SHARE with any and ALL PlayStation 4 owners. Revolutionary!
Last edited by FatherSun on 11/8/2014 12:19:17 PM
If they're announcing an exclusive for the holidays, then I would imagine that the event would occur in a matter of time allowing more purchases. That's a very narrow window for purchases considering most are trying to buy earlier to get better prices/manage to buy all the gifts on their list.
Still very disappointed in PS4 holiday exclusive lineup compared to Xbox One. Combined with the price drop, Xbox One will sell a lot of units this holiday but still be way behind Sony in overall units sold.
yeah they defintely need to bring something to the table so they go something to use for the christmas season advertising world wide so they don't fall behind in visibility
happy gaming