Sony vs. Microsoft (Gaming)

by Kahzgul, Wednesday, June 17, 2015, 13:39 (3533 days ago) @ Kermit

A few thoughts:

Backward compatibility is a big deal. I hope this causes Sony to scrap Playstation Now or at least reinvent it.

Both systems were dicks about backwards compatibility, and I think it hurt them both. I really think PS2 was only so successful because it was a direct upgrade to PS1 without requiring a brand new game library. Same for Xbox 360 upgrading original Xbox. I don't understand both companies scrapping it with the new systems.

Microsoft made a major miscalculation pushing full digital, DRM, and non-gaming features at launch, and Sony took great advantage of that. I think the Xbox One has upped their game. I think Sony is now coming across as less generous to gamers.

100% agreed. I feel like the Xbox One has always offered a lot more than the PS4, but because Microsoft's launch focused almost exclusively on the new stuff and ignored that - at its core - the system is still a gaming platform, it suffered dramatically in the press. They've been changing that story for over a year now, and it really shows during this E3.

I really like my PS4 better than my Xbox in some ways, but man, their promotional content and store is lousy. On the Xbox I was able to quickly see all the E3 stuff from the Xbox keynote with minimal fuss last night. I spent 20 minutes trying to see the equivalent on the PS4. The live content viewer kept flaking out. Gave up finally.

Agreed. Xbox seems much more concerned about user experience than Sony. Personally, I've always liked my Xbone more than my PS4, but until recently, that love was more out of "it has so much potential" than it was out of "this is actually better." Now, though, I think Xbone is pulling into the lead.