Ben-DutkaI am not big into handheld gaming and I never will be. I was impressed with the PlayStation Vita and I remain impressed with its capability, but it doesn't play a huge role in my gaming habits.
Therefore, trust me when I say that I have no ulterior motive for telling people to keep their big yaps shut if they want to keep bashing Sony's portable. The headlines are predictable, boring, and almost entirely meaningless given the fact that we've got a long way to go.
Constant negative press is irritating, especially when most of it is baseless. Remember the PSP? That was being called a "failure," which, based on the numbers over the past few years, is beyond inaccurate; it's just an utterly ridiculous label. It was certainly eclipsed by the DS but then again, what the hell wasn't? The PSP was a very popular unit and did quite well in its own right and yet, if you ask the general public, many are going to say it was disappointing. "Failure" is definitely a word you'll hear, as insane as that is.
And it seems the haters are getting a head start on the new portable. I'm sure it could use more software, and I'm sure it could be cheaper. I'm sure Sony could improve on a lot concerning that device. Sales haven't been exactly brisk, either. But tons of opinions and editorials from random sources, all with biting, negative headlines, just isn't doing anyone any good. Gamers are the most impatient humans alive, it seems; if the piece of hardware isn't the greatest thing imaginable out of the gate, it's condemned to months – even years – of bashing.
I know that consumers should say their piece and tell Sony exactly what they want. I get that. But at this point, it has all been said a hundred times over. You can stop now. So if you don't have anything nice to say about the Vita – which almost never happens these days – than just zip it. We're all bored with the "Vita sucks," "Vita is dead," "I hate the Vita" headlines.
Really.
I just never liked the name, I'ma get me one for certain at some point.
I think any Sony portable is just a punching bag for the straggling Xbots that no longer have any factual basis for bashing the PS3.
It's true vita is as powerful as a 2008's top of the line desktop pc and sony spent a lot on its development process, we all have to agree with the fact that its much easier to download and play games on our phone than on vita and 3ds, also its a much cheaper solution too, if there was no ios platform, vita would have been the undisputed king of handheld world, i bought it on day one, and the only game i finished so far is golden abyss, its just life is soo busy and full of events, ps3 and an iphone is more than enough to fill your gaming needs
"It's true vita is as powerful as a 2008's top of the line desktop pc"
*rolls eyes*
World, one thing standing in the way of the Vita for me is all of the cool RPG's I can play on my PSP. Once I'm done with Suikoden I'm moving onto Xenogears. And then after that there's like a bundle more.
LOL! Temji, *rollseyes* is right. I have a pretty decent Vaio that was built for gaming and I can concur that the Vita is NOT on par with top of the line gaming PC's.
It's a great handheld but on par in terms of power with gaming PC's it is on.
"we all have to agree with the fact that its much easier to download and play games on our phone than on vita and 3ds"
No we don't. It's just as easy downloading games to the Vita and 3DS. Better store layout than Apples App store too.
Last edited by Jawknee on 7/6/2012 11:06:26 PM
I know, I've still got plenty of RPGs to go on my PSP before I need an upgrade. If Brave Story: New Traveler isn't on your radar it's more than worth a purchase. Classic style JRPG, turn-based with some nice 3D graphics (3D as in non-sprite based).
ha, yea, jawknee, if it were termed, "the Vita has games that look as good as games I played on a top of the line PC in 2008" that could be accurate. But when we're speaking power compared to each other on the same level. No, not even close. And really, it's apples to oranges, PC's got to worry about much bigger screens and filtering etc., a small handheld can get the job done at the fraction of "power" on a small screen. Totally different worlds in design here. Hence why making a statement like that is so ridiculous to begin with.
World, yea, so many to play really. I'd rather burn out my old school PSP playing old school games and save the pretty stuff for the VIta. Though I'm sure the old school games probably look nicer on OLED. But whatchya' gonna do?
"I think any Sony portable is just a punching bag for the straggling Xbots that no longer have any factual basis for bashing the PS3. "
Eh, I just ignore them. A bunch of people playing Call of Duty and Gears of War for hundreds of hours aren't really intelligent enough to warrant my attention.
Ben, those negative stories will keep coming, just like they did with the PS3. Peo0ple can deride me all they want, but the US tech and gaming media (and to a lesser extent the UK tech/gaming media) have all bought into the Sony hate campaign that mysteriously started just about the same time as the 360 launched and intensified right before the PS3 launched. I'm not accusing Microsoft of anything, but it is a strangely fortuitous coincidence that the tech and gaming media would turn on Sony so thoroughly despite them really doing nothing to earn that hatred. Ah well, I will be accused of being a Sony shill now, or one of the Sony Defense Force. Whatever, I've followed this market since years before PS3/360 were even announced, I know what I have seen and read. There is a broad campaign of negative spin targeted at Sony and has been for 7 years now, it's there, and it's quite pronounced, and it's really without any basis.
Couldn't agree with you more Highlander. It's just odd how much hate Sony has been getting since this generation started. Sure, there were a lot of missteps when the PS3 came out but those were from a distant past that I honestly could not even remember now. If anything, Sony's struggles at the PS3 launch has been a very valuable lesson for them and boy did they try to make right with that.
As for the Vita, I have one and I don't have anything bad to say about it. I use it everyday though not necessarily for gaming. Everyone that I know who got their hands on it were impressed and actually wanted to have one. Those who constantly say negative stuff about it are usually those who have never gotten their hands on it or have completely shut their doors on it just because it's cool to hate. Seriously, it's pathetic.
I've noticed it too and its so childish. Either that or M$ has got to be giving some of these guys present's
@SoulController, I think you may be onto something there.
I heard somewhere that 99/100 journalists actually use Microsoft SOFTWARE to write their hate articles on. No, I am serious! What more proof do we need, really, that they are paid by Microsoft? It's in all practical purposes a smoking gun they got there in their hands!
The free Xbox 360s in the gift bags that they give out at their press conferences probably doesn't hurt though, eh Beamboom? The rather large sources of advertizing revenue that all come from Redmond probably don't hurt either.
Oh please… The theories that are found around here sometimes!
You *really* think there are negative articles about the Vita because they receive promotional material from Microsoft, High? Then why can't Sony come up with the brilliant idea of doing the same, and the effect would be nullified? If it was that simple?
Is this why Ben only write positive articles about Sony and Vita too, cause he received a free Vita in the mail? Cause that's really what you are saying here!
How about… How about they write about the Vita because their editor wants them to write about the latest portable gaming console on the market?
And what if what they report is not too good because, frankly, there's not too much good to report about the Vita right now, unless you lower yourself to become a microphone stand for the Sony marketing department?
How's that wild theory sounding in these quarters?
Last edited by Beamboom on 7/7/2012 8:28:11 AM
Can't help but agree with ya Highlander, although there was some negativity at the start of the PS2 era as well (at one point Gamespy was predicting the PS2 would put Sony out of business, much like they did with the PS3, and presumably will with the PS4 again – while quit while you're behind?)
It's not all one-way, of course, but there are definitely some pretty strong rose-coloured glasses applied to the 360, and grey-cloud coloured glasses applied to the PS3/PSP/PSV. Hell, the PSP's sold more units than the 360, and anyone calling the 360 a failure would be laughed out of the room, while most people start talking about the PSV in the context of Sony's 'failure' with the PSP. Ridonculous. That said, the media (certain sites notwithstanding, and this is most definitely not a comment about the good PSXE) in general tends to mess a lot up, and have cyclical bias. Just people being people (sheep ;)) I'd say.
Way wrong, Beamboom, way wrong.
I don't "only" write positive articles about the Vita. In fact, I haven't ever written one, I don't think. I don't care enough about it; I've only covered it from a news perspective. All I'm saying here is that the negative headlines greatly outnumber the positive ones, and it's both unfair and tedious.
And it's absolutely true that Microsoft advertises to the press and retail. Just trust me on that. If you're a member of either the press or game retail, you will receive all SORTS of freebies from MS on a routine basis. Sony will never give you anything. You may recall when Sony said they'd never "buy" third-platform exclusivity, while MS was having no trouble luring publishers to their side with heavy handfuls of cash.
MS and Sony have very different business practices, and it shows.
@Ben:
If Sony send out free Vitas to relatively small sites like PSXE, how can you claim "Sony never give you anything"?
I'd most definitely say your articles on the Vita has been as positive as they *can* be under the current circumstances. Not that there's anything wrong in that, this is a Sony fansite. But you haven't exactly questioned Sonys claims about a "successful launch" and "sales meeting expectations".
However, and this is important: I do *not* claim you avoid those questions because you received a Vita. I try to point out just how silly such a claim is.
The subject is the mythical, ever persistent "Sony hate campaign theories". Do the press write negative about the Vita because they've received stuff from Microsoft? Why on earth would anyone write negatively about Vita because they own a x360? I just miss some basic, rational *logic* here!
Fact is, I've hardly read a word about Vita the last 2-3 months *at all*, with the exception of a few mentions after the E3! So where is this smear campaign taking place?
But I don't read all gaming sites on the net, far from it, so a small collection of links would be welcome, just to see what the fuzz is about!
Who knows, maybe things are worse than I thought.
Last edited by Beamboom on 7/7/2012 11:09:24 AM
I agree highlander. I remember always being confused for all the hate that Sony has gotten over the years. I watched an award show on Reviews on the run and the year that demon souls, uncharted 2 and some other big games came out..I think infamous? They still gave the best console award to the 360….. For having like Limbo and Maybe gears 2? I was completely shocked, not saying they are paid off or anything but man alive.
There is still a lot of hate for the PS3 and I don't know what the catalyst was but its really odd to see. Then you bring up all the red rings(I suffered from 2) and the other problems the Xbox had and the fans just ignore those facts like they are just an opinion or something. When in fact a staggering amount of 360s red ringed in the first year of being released.
Ah well.
Beamboom: If you'd like a collection of Vita hate mongering, you really only have to Google the name. I search sites every day, as you might expect. …you don't really think I'd write an article if the headlines in question didn't exist, do you? Do you really think everyone would be agreeing as well? The negativity is absolutely out of control and as I said, it's most unwarranted.
You're also not getting what I'm saying about Microsoft essentially bribing retailers and the press. Of course I got the Vita from Sony; that's for official coverage purposes. What I'm referring to is the extra stuff; the bonuses, the freebies, etc. When I worked at EB, for instance, and managers went to meetings and conventions for the company and what not, they'd come back with bags LOADED with Microsoft stuff. Sony never handed out a thing.
And unsurprisingly, those managers came back just a little more biased towards Microsoft. I don't know about where you are, but it's painfully obvious here in the US that GameStop caters far more to MS in terms of in-store advertisements.
It's the same way in the press. I know people who have received unbelievable things from MS that have NOTHING to do with covering something new from an official perspective. No, they'd just get random stuff in the mail that has nothing to do with anything…it can only be labeled as a form of bribery, and MS makes no bones about it, either. Sony never does this.
This isn't some illogical, "oh, everyone hates Sony" thing. You're just being completely blind if you're not seeing the rampant hate leveled at the Vita over the past few months. As I said, criticism is expected but this generation, ever since the PS3 launched, just about everyone has accepted that Sony has become the media's not-so-colorful pinata.
It's so obvious that I figured everyone knew this by now.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 7/7/2012 10:22:30 AM
I'd have to agree with Highlander.
Especially how numerous M$ Astroturfer's were exposed, and/or confessed, in the past talking down Sony & the Playstation(along with any other company they deemed as enemies rather than merely competitors), all the while talking up MS & it's own brands on every site they could.
If you don't believe me that M$ is an unethical immoral company that Astroturf's it's competition, then just go Google "Microsoft Astroturfing"!!!!
I know that freebies are thrown after you if your work involves communicating with the end buyer.
But who talks about GameStop employees here?
We talk about the press! Journalists. Published articles. Positive/negative spins on articles. Hidden agendas in the media. Smear campaigns.
And we talk about Sonys marketing, and eventual fail in doing so, and how that *eventually* makes media biased against Sony.
Not the stupid teeenagers working at GameStop! Geez, don't get me started on those.
Last edited by Beamboom on 7/7/2012 11:22:13 AM
@Ben:
Quoting,
"you don't really think I'd write an article if the headlines in question didn't exist, do you?"
No I didn't. I just said that I would like to read them too, and asked for a few links so that I could read the background for this article, to maybe understand better.
"If you'd like a collection of Vita hate mongering, you really only have to Google the name. I search sites every day, as you might expect. … "
So I had to do that, then. This is my search query:
"sony vita -playstation.com -playstation.net"
And this is what I found:
An article from a Norwegian site with the headliner, "Sony does not fear Vita flop", an exclusive interview with Jim Ryan, Sonys Playstation-boss in Europe.
Engadgets old article, "Sony's PlayStation Vita: first hands-on impressions" – a very positive article.
A third article, "Sony announces white PS Vita bundle with Assassin's Creed III: Liberation". Guess you can guess what that was about.
Other than that it was a host of "best prices of Vita" and so forth. I didn't bother to browse many pages of search result, but so far I can't say I've found this outrage!
"The negativity is absolutely out of control and as I said, it's most unwarranted."
… And here is where I reply with, "I don't see this. Please show me". Not to doubt or to think this or that, but because I want to see it too!
Cause if I do, then maybe I better understand what you guys talk about.
Beam, you can't be this naive . MS has a well known history of dishonest and monopolistic business practices. They have been sued and lost because of it by many organizations and governments.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Microsoft
They ruined Linux with their FUD campaign and tried to do it to Sony and Nintendo. You ask why Sony just doesn't do what MS does? Maybe because they care more about ethics and playing by the rules. If you don't think MS engages in bribes and fluffering of the gaming media to gain favor over their competitors, you only need to look at the evidence.
Beamboom, are you being obtuse on purpose? Those are NEWS articles. Of course they're not going to be negative; they're just reporting what's happening with the Vita. We do those, too. Everyone does.
I'm talking about general opinion. Op-eds. Editorials. You'll find a dozen in a minute that demand Sony should drop the price of the Vita. You'll find another ten that say the Vita doesn't have any software. You'll find more complaining about how it doesn't support this or that.
I'm just wondering why you think everyone here is on some sort of hallucinatory drug. All of these people are agreeing with what I've said and what other people are saying in the Comments. You don't honestly believe that you're the lone voice of reason and we're all just making crap up…do you?
You can't really. I suppose the PS3 hate was just imaginary, too? You admit to not reading everything out there. I pretty much do. You can either take my word for it – and everyone ELSE'S word for it who is posting here – or you can go find the evidence yourself.
But please, Ben, please try to see what I am asking for here: I am asking for examples so I can see for myself! If I *should* find a dozen in a minute, why don't I? What do I search? Or what sites do I head over to?
Think of me as a new born baby. I know *nothing*. Now, please, show me the world. I do not accuse you or anyone else of anything, not drugs, no nothing. At least, not yet. 😉
All I say is that I've not seen much editorial space used on the Vita *at all*. Not negative, not positive. That is my honest to God perception of the reality.
Don't TELL me that I am wrong. SHOW ME that I am wrong!
@Jawk: Oh I think I know Microsoft. They are most definitely not the good guys in class. They are exceptionally professional, and ruthless to the extreme. But that's not the topic here!
I mean, everyone talks about the media being corrupt. *Especially* when they write something you don't like to read. The easiest thing in the world to get "thumbs up" on, and acceptance for, is claims like that.
But Lord knows Microsoft get hammered by accusations and critics too, on a daily basis, in the media! Much more so – In My Personal Experience – than Sony do. that is *my* personal gripe with the gaming media: I think there's far too little talk about Sony, positive AND negative!
And especially when we see how the Vita launch went… Well, I gotta say, I don't see "biased media" as the source of the problem here. Not at all.
But another interesting question in the light of this article, is: How can Sony do things different to sway the press too? I mean, they are playing on the same field as Microsoft. What is it about their marketing, or their strategies, that makes them weaker, or less popular amongst the press?
Last edited by Beamboom on 7/7/2012 12:35:12 PM
Sorry for this spamming, but I missed that past part of your post, Jawknee:
Microsoft has fought with all they got against every competitor, being it technology, platforms, patents or standards. That includes Linux. It must be said though, that I don't find Linux to be "ruined" in any way. It's as strong as ever on the server side, Steam is on the way to Linux, and with Android it even completely dominate the smartphone/tablet market. Windows Phone got like… 2-3% market share?
I just wanted to mention it. 🙂
Of course MS has both tried and succeeded in a lot of shady, unethical deals and arrangements over the years. That is, simply put, the business world for you, and MS is all about business. I don't like it one bit, and I don't think I am being naive about it. I don't like Microsoft as a company, at all.
But there's still quite a stretch from that to say the entire western press is dancing by their flute!
Last edited by Beamboom on 7/7/2012 2:53:18 PM
Beamboom, you can't on the one hand accept what people are saying and in the next breath say something like "They are exceptionally professional". Professionalism includes ethics, they have none.
Ad for Linux and Microsoft ruining it, are you simply not aware that MS helped to bankroll the SCO court action against IBM and LINUX that stalled Linux for years? Seriously the lawsuit was frivolous in the extreme, and MS absolutely bankrolled it, there is incontrovertible evidence of them funneling money to SCO to assist with financing the case.
Why does hanging out here make me want to hate MS? =p
Ignorance is bliss
Microsoft makes Halo
anyway I have beef with MS because they decided to market something that is clearly garbage. KINECT. It's like if KINECT has long term success critics everywhere might as well quit their jobs. What would the point be if everyone was to blind to everything but marketing ads.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 7/7/2012 5:45:25 PM
@ Beam – the articles are well and truly out there – not just the articles, but almost any opportunity to get a snide comment in, in articles that are otherwise unrelated. I'll come back to this thread later, happy to put together something of a brief set of examples and analytical piece if requested, but it's pretty obvious atm.
I'm not saying the media is corrupt, just short-sighted and easily manipulated. And I think that's a fairly safe claim to make ;). And MS are _very_ good at emotional manipulation – far better than they are at creating software/hardware, imo! They're in the wrong business!
Last edited by Axe99 on 7/7/2012 5:58:01 PM
I'm sort of getting tired of the wacky silliness of some sites. Sites like Kotaku, destructoid or whatever. Just because I notice those types tend to be the most opinionated and skewed in the presentation of news. It's like I can't read even a news report without it laced with the writer's opinion all through it.
http://kotaku.com/5924021/phew-tekken-tag-tournament-2-will-have-afro-breakdance-kung+fu-and-boxing-dinosaurs-again
Here's a recent one. Tekken naturally attracts my attention so I click into it. By doing so I'm served with a healthy dose of opinionated prefacing and a close that seems to answer a question no one asked. I dunno. It seems harmless. fine, but I'd like news to be news.
Axe99, I'd love it if you made a small collection of links, thank you very much if you take your time to do that.
It may not change my mind on the matter, but then at least I can more understand *why* this is such a popular belief.
I'm pretty sure though, that if I enter a x360 fansite I will find the exact same kind of opinions there, in regards to the media coverage of the x360. Or if I enter a fan site for Mercedes I bet I will find fans claiming the media are favouring BMW.
And so forth.
***
Highlander, I fully, wholeheartedly agree in your stance that business and professionalism *should* include ethics.
But sadly I believe the real life ethics of professional businessmen can be summed up in, "If you can get away with it; do it". Their ethics reference is the calculator.
Regarding the Linux-case you refer to, I don't know much of that case, no. But then again I don't pay much attention to those kind of things, the Linux community is totally unaffected by corporate catfights.
I know there was a sort of a quarrel that included several IT giants and had something to do with IBM donating code to the Linux development, but if this stalled the development of the Linux kernel or GNU software that makes the OS I am unaware of and quite frankly I don't see how that could be done.
But I'm sure SCO or Microsoft (or whoever) made a big deal out of this, to spread fear and uncertainty against a competing OS. Another classic business strategy.
But lawsuits are not in any way genuine for Microsoft! It's just how business works, in particular in the USA. Look at all the lawsuits these days, between Apple, Google and phone manufacturers in the battle of the smart-phone market. Same shit going on there.
It's business! Plain and simple. And that's why I'll never be a business man. I take pride in that.
***
Temjin: I dunno man… I read that text as a "funny remark", a kind of attempt to make something more out of a rather small news item.
Sure, it was perhaps disrespectful towards the characters, maybe, but… Do we want the gaming media to be just one giant press release mill? Personally I don't have anything against some opinionated writing here and there, not in the entertainment press. And gaming is entertainment, the characters are the celebrities in this business.
It was poorly written though, but that's a different discussion.
Last edited by Beamboom on 7/8/2012 4:48:06 AM
Hey Beam, it's actually been a bit quieter over the last couple of weeks – damn Sony purchase of Gaikai seems to have pinched a lot of the headlines (I reckon if I'd have done this a week before the release of Gravity Rush, then I'd have had a good few more, but GR and Gaikai seemed to have distracted people a bit), but here's a collection of recent and a couple less-recent articles. The Gameindustry.biz one is one that particularly irks me, as it's apparently by a 'professional'. Note that this isn't a comprehensive sample – just a search on Google and N4G for 'Playstation Vita', and grabbing the ones that were generally assessing the system – I ignored those with legitimate complaints (even if they were nitpicking, and a few were, but people are allowed to nitpick – hell, it's what the internet is mainly used for ;)) or were talking about specific positive things (game reviews, features like the Youtube app) – and found far more anti than pro-Vita (noting that the recent Vita sales may have 'siphoned off' general pro-Vita articles, as it was a positive thing to talk about).
http://www.modojo.com/features/playstation_vita_time_for_a_price_drop/
http://kotaku.com/5923772/he-says-the-playstation-vita-is-already-dead
http://dvice.com/archives/2012/07/sony-is-underin.php
http://www.gamers-association.com/2012/06/how-can-sony-save-the-vita/
http://www.gamingcapacity.com/sony-are-mishandling-the-playstation-vita/
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-06-01-the-rise-and-fall-of-sony-part-2
It's not all bad though:
http://oxcgn.com/2012/06/29/how-sony-now-listens-and-nintendo-still-doesnt/
I would note that there were a _lot_ of anti-3DS articles early on in the piece as well, and looking at these articles reminds me of another issue that's specific to the Vita – that everyone seems to have ADHD these days, and forgets that games don't appear out of thin air (ie, it takes time to build a library). This is poor journalism, but not specifically anti-Sony.
That said, I'm not sure it is all just Camp A attacking Camp B and vice versa – it just feels like there's an agenda, not unlike the regular "PC gaming is better than console gaming" articles that come up every now and again, as the PC crew seek to speak up for their hobby in the face of being very much in the minority these days (I gamer on PC as well, and I think it's great for certain types of games, but I think these kind of articles make PC gamers look somewhat like overly sensitive basement dwellers that lack faith in their platform).
So, I guess, a bit from column A (fanboys in general) and a bit from column B (an ingrained nervousness amongst 360 owners, combined with competitiveness from 3DS fans, possibly wanting to get their own back for all the '3DS is doomed' articles a year or so ago).
@Axe99: Thank you very much for collecting those URLs in that post. That is much appreciated. I owe you one for that, really. Could I give you ten thumbs, I would.
I've now read all the articles, and tried to gather up a few thoughts to summarize:
First off, the Kotaku article was one of their readers rants after feeling a bit disappointed with his investment. It could just as well have been a forum post, or a comment here in PSXE. It's the same category, so I think it's a bit off in these regards.
The rest of your links however, are indeed editorials. I think the gamesindustry article were a particularly interesting read.
But while reading these, one thought became more and more apparent in the back of my mind: Aren't they all just writing to each their readers, each their audience?
I mean, can't we flip this around and say the same about editorials on this site? Aren't Ben just writing for *his* readers, regardless of what other sites may have published before him? If you catch my drift?
What I see from those links is that sites write much the same. It may be a sign, but it isn't really a proof either way.
I see no conspiracies here. It's rather a sign of a lack of creativity behind the desks. They pick ideas on articles from each other. These days we talk about the Vita. Next year it may be the specs for the next Xbox, who knows.
Or… Maybe you guys are right. Maybe there would be less articles like this had Vita come from Microsoft instead. To be honest I do not think so, but we will never know for sure.
Not sure we get much further, but I just want to finish off with a big thanks to you again, Axe99. Now I at least know what kind of articles you guys have in mind.
Last edited by Beamboom on 7/8/2012 7:25:27 PM
No worries at all – and agree about the 'writing for readers' thing. But maybe to provide some kind of (clearly not scientific or directly comparable) contrast, the announcement of the MS 'Surface' has generally got pretty positive press, and anything I've read on it that relates to gaming has been very positive. That, and you'd think the Gameindustry article would relate to the whole of the Game industry (it's not the first GI article with an anti-Sony slant).
Personally, I'm not worried, as there's well enough fans for the Playstation to do well, which is all I need personally :). It'd hardly be the first time the media and many consumers have had some kind of bias (indeed, as any good post-modernist would advise, there is no such thing as an unbiased article – even those that state simple fact contain bias in the selection of the facts stated). The best way to tell will be to see how the next consoles from MS and Sony are received in the press, as we'll likely have them both competing for attention at a similar time. Until then (and even after then to a degree), thar be lots of speculation required.
Good yarnin' with ya Beam :).
Last edited by Axe99 on 7/8/2012 5:33:12 PM
The SCO vs IBM Linus case was a case in which SCO alledged that IBM had incorporated UNIX source code into their Linux products. IBM quickly pointed out that a) they had a perpetual license to use the UNIX source code, and b) they owned all UNIX source code that they themselves produced. SCO tried to encumber IBM's own products with UNIX copyright and patent tainting. However it was eventually pointed out that IBMs irrevocable contract with Bell/AT&T explicitly granted them the ownership of anything they developed. So IBM would be within it's rights to take the entire source code for their AIX Journal Filing System and donate it to Linux (for example), whether or not it had been developed by folks with access to Linux source or UNIX source code.
The case rumbled on for several years with Microsoft at least once funneling tens of millions of dollars through doubtful investments and bogus licensing deals. The whole case was baseless from the start, but it took 4 years for that to finally come to light when Novell pointed out that they in fact own the UNIX copyrights, and not SCO, and that the original terms of IBM's license were not revocable.
The impact of the case was felt less by open source projects and hobbyists than it was by businesses. Linux use in business chilled, and several attempts to build a business friendly standard desktop foundered. Microsoft certainly achieved their goal. The folks in charge of SCO appear to have achieved theirs too since none of them are in the poor house. The legal team that SCO used are the same ones that were used by Oracle in it's attempt to claim that Google had infringed copyright by creating and using functionally identical APIs in Android that emulated the functionality in Java, so that they would not have to use JAVA'a APIs. Google won that case too with the judge ruling that there was no infringement.
Microsoft sat in the background happily rubbing it's hands at the insanely cheap spanner it had thrown in the works of Linux in Business. I'm sure that they were equally happy to see Google's Android in trouble too since they have their own smartphone platform to worry about.
In short, Microsoft have become something of an obstacle to innovation and development in all markets they touch and are little more than a pustule on the face of the Tech industry.
Highlander, thanks for that summary! Funny, I started remembering the case while reading your text.
It didn't affect the development of software on Linux, but I guess you are right in that it may have caused some uncertainty in the market for companies whose services are build on Linux. Sounds plausible.
Regarding your last paragraph: Completely right. They have been an obstacle more than anything. And an utterly annoying one too.
But! That's not to say that ergo are Microsoft being treated "favorable" in the media. That's just one point where I have to disagree.
I don't think those articles would have been fewer, or more positive, had it been Microsoft who made Vita. Sorry, but I don't (except, of course, on x360 fansites).
I think there are other mechanics at play as to why they are published, as outlined in my reply to Axe99 above.
Last edited by Beamboom on 7/9/2012 6:20:57 AM
@Axe99:
Remember that the Surface is very, very new still. Back when Vita were launched the overall feedback from the media were pretty positive too – *especially* the reviews. I don't think I've seen a single downright *bad* review of the hardware. Some questioned its place in todays market, but to be frank: I think they were in every right to do so.
We must wait and see, but if it turns out that this Surface thing ends up in a similar fashion as the Vita (however hard they are to compare) I think that will be reflected in the future articles and editorials too. I really do.
Last edited by Beamboom on 7/9/2012 10:02:29 AM
I've owned just about every major handheld since the original Gameboy. The Vita is by far the best I've ever played. Not just from a tech point of view!
And it really dawned on me when I played BlazBlue on it for the first time. Not only did it look amazing, I felt that it played better on the vita then on the PS3.
I feel confidant saying that not since the Saturn has there been a better D-Pad than what I have witnessed on the Vita.
Saturn, Virtua Fighter 2, awesome.
Remember when the Saturn's were on a fire sale for like $50 with ultra cheap everything? I got myself a Saturn with Virtua Fighter/Cop 2, Daytona, Panzer Dragoon, and oodles more. It was actually the second time I owned one. The first time I returned it to Toys R Us for a Playstation. hehe.
I agree big time. Im so sick of it. I think i just saw something over at Kotaku today about the Vita being dead. Like why do I keep reading about it being "dead;? Wouldn't "struggling" or another term be at least a little more realistic? Instead, lets just go to the extreme and claim it as DEAD. I saw WipEout the other day and played it on a KIOSK and I was like oooooh this is cool. I want one. I will have one, just not the right time for me.
I saw that too. It was beyond biased and baseless. The Vita's only been out a few months
Hey Ben,
Even "Barney Fife" agrees with you……
http://youtu.be/de_P2aUZJyA
Ben, you must've seen that random "user submitted" article at Kotaku today? Yea that one pissed me off too.
All the negativity coming at Sony the last few years is just childish. The gaming space is more competitive then its ever been and Sony arguably has the top experience's, yet they still don't get any respect lately.
I've even been seeing mumbles around the net that they'll screw up this new gaikai cloud deal. It just doesnt stop.. People really need to grow up
Last edited by SoulController on 7/6/2012 10:37:34 PM
No, actually, I didn't see it. …I don't make a habit of visiting Kotaku.
Ha! I don't either but I think I got there from a link on VG charts
It is childish. For all the stuff that Sony offers I am blown away that when they slip up, or are targeted by hackers(last years psn issue) People jump right on the hate bandwagon. It is almost like Microsoft has brainwashed a massive amount of people. Even some of my friends who aren't really gamers hate on Sony and I'm like why do you think the PS3 sucks and there response is something usually along the lines of "because it does" or it doesn't have good games. Both literally are completely mind blowing responses.
Likewise when you have Microsoft screw up most people and journalists even try to defend them. Its like wait so Sony releases awesome games has free online gaming and got hacked and you damn them. Microsoft gets hacked, red rings, costs you to play online with service not much if any better than Sonys and launches one of the neatest but most unnecessary motion control peripherals of all time and you defend them like they're your newborn child.
I really don't get it either Soul.
I'm getting a Rodney Dangerfield feel on Sony's situation.
my only "complaint" about the vita is a refuse to pay the same price or more than a ps3 for a "ps3" that can fit in my pocket and has a 9 inch screen when I already got one that works well enough plus can be hooked to a 72inch screen and a surround sound stereo system… drop the price to the 100-200 range then Ill get on board..
of course plenty of ppl will say "people pay more than what a vita costs for cell phone… you know how much an iphone costs?" and to that i say "Yeah youre right they do however I dont have a cellphone, my house phone works just fine and even if i didnt there are MUCH cheaper cell phone options out there."