I wrote an article a little while back asking the question, “The PS4 and Xbox One are coming. Does anybody care?”. Well, I would say that people do care…a lot. If the flurry of opinions after yesterday’s E3 conference is any indication, there is no shortage of “care”. I was not impressed with what Microsoft announced with the Xbox One. There were some nice options and flashy features, but that used game issue was the giant pink elephant in the room. They eventually tried to clarify things, but the more they talk the more confusing things get. E3 was their chance to impress me and make me a believer. They did not deliver. After that letdown I wasn’t even going to watch the PS4 announcement because I was confident they were just going to follow Microsoft’s lead and announce the same negative nonsense, if they announced anything at all. I wasn’t looking forward to finishing up my night being even more disappointed, but I felt it was my duty as your loyal tech blogger to at least check things out.
Sony came out weak with some PS Vita and PS3 games, but they knew they had an ace up their sleeve. By the time we got our first look at the PS4 I was dozing off. I shook off the sandman to see just how bad the PS4 was going to look. Honestly, I don’t know if anybody can come up with a design that is going to interest me anymore. If Xbox One looks like an old VCR then the PS4 looks like someone stacked a couple of DVD players together. What really woke me up and caused my jaw to drop, was Sony’s used game policy. They had my undivided attention now. They looked us, and Microsoft, right in the eyes and said that we can do what we want with our games. Share them, sell them or keep them. It was up to us. Microsoft has spent days to clarify their used game policy, Sony summed it up in one awesome video.
Right after they announced this I went to Twitter (@troythegeek) and posted that if they announced the price at $399 then Microsoft would have some serious backpedaling to do. I honestly didn’t expect them to undercut Microsoft, but it seems I was right on target. The price was going to be $399. Sony not only punched Microsoft square in the mouth with the used games announcement, but they basically smacked around their Grandma too when they announced the price. Even though they had the room cheering, Sony did totally gloss over the fact that they are going to require a paid Playstation Plus account for online multiplayer. I wouldn’t be surprised that other perceived negatives come out in the coming months too, but for now, Sony has all the momentum and positive word of mouth.
