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It's Too Early To Judge Microsoft Xbox One And Sony PlayStation 4

This article is more than 10 years old.

These days, negative press is what seems to drive the game journalism business. Writers specialize in finding multiple negative angles around a story in an attempt to garner hits from fan boys (a term called nerd baiting). The Internet and social media have literally made everyone a critic and given everyone a voice, both for good and for bad.

I’ll be the first to admit that Microsoft “underwhelmed” me with their Xbox Reveal and the introduction of the Xbox One. Where were the games? I can’t say that Sony blew me away with PlayStation 4, but at least their presentation featured next gen game demos (and their event became better in hindsight post-May 21). But we haven’t seen either of these consoles truly in action yet. That will come at E3 in June, where we get our first hands-on with the games – the most important aspect of any console transition.

I’m willing to hold my judgments on these two consoles until I’ve actually seen and played the games. Of course, many bloggers and writers never leave their homes, or home towns, so their view of the industry comes from watching from afar, and offering opinions without any true reporting or “work.” Everyone is free to voice their opinions, but let’s actually at least find out the details about the new consoles before calling either Sony or Microsoft the devil incarnate.

When it comes to the third player in the next gen race, Nintendo has been out long enough to judge the Wii U, which is looking more and more like the Sega Dreamcast. I was a big fan of the Dreamcast until Xbox and PlayStation 2 came out, and then Sega’s last console just collected dust in my cabinet. Nintendo is doing some innovative things with its GamePad and its gaming potential, but the system has been plagued by a lot of ports and not enough original key franchises. Even Nintendo will have E3 to roll out some of the big guns that only it has and (perhaps) announce a price cut to spur sales of its hardware. The good news for Nintendo is that it relies on its own original games (which account for roughly 60% of its sales, according to Michael Pachter, video game analyst for Wedbush Securities) much more than either Sony of Microsoft (which only receive about 6 to 8 percent of sales from their exclusive franchises). So I’m not counting Nintendo out.

But the real focus at E3 will obviously be Sony and Microsoft for the battle for not just gaming, but the entire living room experience. Make no mistake about it, both Microsoft and Sony will be offering very similar entertainment offerings in addition to next gen games. Microsoft just opted to save everything until E3 on the gaming side and Sony opted to table its entertainment options until likely its June 10 press conference. Not everyone is upset about the potential of next gen gaming, especially those who have experienced this type of transition in the past and have the intelligence and patience to wait until all the cards are laid out on the table before making a call.

“I’m just not one of these naysayers who’s just going to beat up on Sony and Microsoft,” said industry game veteran Mark Long, CEO of Meteor Entertainment, publisher of HAWKEN. “I think they really are expanding the gap between packaged goods and digital very intelligently. And for journalists and bloggers that want to burn that house down, or just point out how the game industry is basically devastated and is never going to f-ing come back because they were so ineffectual in managing that transition; I don’t want to see that happen to games.”

Long, who’s not making games for either Microsoft or Sony, believes the Xbox One entertainment offerings are well designed. The Xbox One will help Long get rid of multiple boxes that sit under his TV right now, thanks to its Blu-ray support and entertainment functionality. As long as Microsoft doesn’t charge $1,000 for the new console, Long is going to buy the device.

I contacted Cliff Bleszinski, the former Design Director at Epic Games, about the wave of negativity surrounding Microsoft (and to a degree) Sony as we head into E3.

“I'm reading the book The Joy of Hate, which feels very much right wing/conservative leaning (The author, Greg Gutfeld, is a Fox News regular, even),” replied Bleszinski. “I normally lean left, but I think it's important to read the other side of things occasionally to see how that brain thinks. One passage stood out to me in particular:

‘In the modern world of phony outrage and repressive intolerance, it's all about feeling important, and waiting for the next person to screw up so you can do it all over again.’

This applies so very much to the average angry, vocal gamer fan right now. They love creating a storm online, a cause, and rallying behind it before hearing the full story or reasoning as to why things may be the way they are. Let the dust settle at E3 and launch, and then throw your stones.”

Of course, Microsoft didn’t win over any fans by ignoring games and focusing on entertainment when it literally had the world’s attention to itself. They also continue to dig themselves into a hole by not answering specific questions that are core to many gamers – like exactly how used games will play on its box and how it is going to work with retailers and game publishers to potentially take a cut of used games profits. GameStop made over $1 billion in used game sales last year, so this is a big pot and a very important topic for both hardcore and casual gamers.

“I think that the truth is that Microsoft has no intention of disrupting the status quo of used games, and that this is an example of the gaming press running amok,” said Pachter. “They are requiring a download of the DVD file to the hard drive for ‘instant’ access, and that causes problems with verification, in case the disc is copied more than once. They intend to disable the first download if a second download file is created, nothing more sinister than that, but that requires a periodic Internet connection for validation. The press assumes all sorts of sinister things, and they are jumping to conclusions.”

Pachter believes Microsoft should fix this by making a statement, but he doesn’t understand what’s taking them so long.

When I contacted GameStop to further discuss the used games issue, they told me they have to wait for Microsoft to finalize everything before they can comment further – beyond the fact that all three consoles will play used games.

“The rumors out of the UK that retailers have been briefed is complete BS, and is frankly embarrassing,” said Pachter.

E3 is just around the corner, and while there will be plenty of new stories posted by bloggers and writers between now and the June 10 press conferences from Microsoft and Sony; I believe the negative criticism and bashing is the wrong way to head into the most exciting event of the year for gamers. Whether you’re a Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo gamer (or like all three platforms), these are the companies making your console games today. You certainly don’t have to love them, but let’s give these guys until E3 before judging all the facts (or at least as many as they’ll reveal at the show). I know I’m looking forward to seeing what the console future has in store.

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