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Edge #256: Why PS4 is your next console (Shots fired, post-DRM 180)

What? I don't have to. That cover is an advertisement for the PS4, and I hope Sony paid them well for it.

No it's not. It's an conversation-provoking headline that's done its job. You can't comment on its worth as an article, or even think it's been paid for (and believe me, it hasn't been paid for) until you've read the article.

Nevertheless, it's a poorly written and barely funny piece they would not care about publishing a few years earlier. It was also just an illustration of how dire things have gotten, there's a lot more uninspired and poorly conceived content in every recent issue I've gotten my hands on (I wouldn't give any more of my money to Future, but I borrow an issue occasionally - thankfully, it's my god-given consumer right - to see if things have gotten better again, since I really miss the old Edge; alas, no, they haven't).

Edge always has external, named columnists. That's Brian Howe's column, just as N'Gai Croal used to have one, or Leigh Alexander does now. You may not agree, or even like, a particular person's column but I don't think it should be an indictment of the publication itself... but regardless, it's all personal opinion. It's find that you don't like Edge, I personally thing it's still good (though I miss the large format design!). :)
 

DC R1D3R

Banned
Man, looking back at old covers just brings home back how unremarkable this is even for EDGE.

EDGEcov151.jpg

Fool me once........
 
With much more exclusives looking better and running at both 1080p and 60 fps.

What? Forza for example can't even match it's predecessors, it doesn't even have full dynamic lighting, no weather effects, reduced other graphical effects like smoke and damage. And this is supposed to be nextgen technology? And what are the other exclusives that "looked and run better"?

What did Sony show? Sub-1080p right out of the gate (The Order), lots of games struggling with even 30 fps (Drive Club, Killzone, Knack).

Framerate will be optimized at the end of development. And if you take a look at the Killzone presentation slides from GG, or the other titles from Sony, you will see that the technology behind this is very ambitious and impressive, much more so than what we have seen for X1 yet.

Considering 180 is 6 months behind in first party development and their tools are worse than Sonys I think the true performance might be different than what Teraflops suggest.

Right. FYI graphics don't only consist of resolution and framerate.

Fool me once........

What? Can you read? Saying "this is the console you need to buy" is not the same as "this reveal is impressive".
 
Went into gamestop today to buy some games and the manager there shared this exact same sentiment as EDGE

OT: Arthur Geis am cry
I looked around the biggest electronics store in my country yesterday. They only had a sign announcing that they were taking pre-orders for the PS4, nothing for the Xbone. At all.
 

Fady K

Member
Even though the PS4 is my preference by far, I think a lot of us who are looking at this as "Pro-Sony/paid advertisement" should read the article before we judge.

The fact that this was written AFTER the DRM turnaround by Microsoft makes me want to read it even more.
 
This thread is getting me really excited to see the threads during launch. No better time than a generation shift!

EDIT: Heh, Yosp retweeted an MCV article on the EDGE cover.
 

Hana-Bi

Member
Seems unlikely, it wouldn't take more than two weeks to print, the editorial deadline was probably just after the announcement, maybe a few days.

My guess is that they will say that the intent to devalue physical games means we can no longer trust MS as being on the side of gamers, they may also have sources who have independently confirmed the 60 min family plan fiasco. I think another point they will raise is that no one at MS has denied or clarified the position going forwards with regard to bringing back the DRM, clearly since it is being patched out it can be patched back in, so that might come up.

Other than that they will probably shit on the exorbitant UK price, Kinect, the TV shit that won't work here anyway and the general lack of focus from the division.

They say why the PS4 is your only option RIGHT NOW. So any future plans shouldn't be considered.

They have to be talking about the launch of the two consoles but games seems not to be important for them
 

Fady K

Member
Gaming journalism in a nutshell.

It's fucking disgusting.

What's disgusting about it?

Maybe, if they mention some of the cons that consumers should be aware of, then this is informative, rather than disgusting.

Still, we need to know what they say before we go to such an extreme and call it "@#!#ing disgusting".
 

Withnail

Member
Even though it's rather hyperbolic, for such a reputable outlet to pin its colours to the mast so clearly just shows how much MS has screwed the pooch. They have lost an awful lot of support and goodwill amongst both gamers and games writers and it's going to take a massive effort to win that support back.

And if anybody still thinks the MS negativity is just forum tittle-tattle, I think you're seriously deluded.
 

Scanna

Member
Very unprofessional. This could have been a column somewhere inside the magazine, but like this it's only going to enrage a lot of people.
EVEN if they were right, this is too much.
 
The Xbone has been a PR disaster, so this doesn't surprise me. Even the reversal on DRM seemed like a pretty big humiliation, and the consoles are still not on parity.

I am not exactly neutral when it comes to MS though, and xbone is the least of it in my opinion.
 

libregkd

Member
Very unprofessional. This could have been a column somewhere inside the magazine, but like this it's only going to enrage a lot of people.
EVEN if they were right, this is too much.
I'm still unsure as to why stating an opinion is now considered unprofessional. Because until we read the article, that's all we have to go on right now. I'm saving judgement until I have something to read besides a headline, seems silly to jump to conclusions about the piece before then.
 
As usual here on NeoGaf, people adopts a meme and continues to repeat it obsessively. Now it is time for "mandatory kinect". Which, at some point, sounds like "mandatory gamepad" or "mandatory wiimote".

If Microsoft decided to add a Kinect in every Xbox One box it is because it is making this peripheral a distinctive feature of the console. Xbox One comes with a Kinect. That's it.

Requesting them to remove the new Kinect sensor to lower the price of the console is just plain stupid and does not take into account their will to differentiate the console through the addition of the Kinect itself. Maybe they are aware of the discussions about "two almost identical consoles" which were quite frequent in the last years?

Xbox One is not a more powerful Xbox 360. It is a more powerful Xbox 360 with a Kinect (your "mandatory Kinect"), and that's it.

If the peripheral is included in every console and the console sells well, then developers may always rely on it because every console owner has one. They can integrate it in every game and so on. More on, they could actually create Kinect-based games without being worried about the fact that the Kinect owners are just a fraction of the user base for Xbox One.

That's not a wrong choice. It is a bet, and an important one.

Maybe this will crush Xbox One sales. Maybe the "mandatory Kinect" will be an important selling point of the console. Right now I don't know. What I know is that I'd rather have PlayStation 4 and Xbox One with two different base philosophies instead of two similar console with just a bunch of exclusives to differentiate them.

This man speaks truth. The Wii was successful and caught on partly because it was a very simple concept. You buy the box and you get everything you need in the box to play. Everybody immediately saw what was different about the console. Compared to Sony's PS move which barely anyone knew or cared existed, I'm sure half the reason for this was because not even Sony truly believed in it. Microsoft are thinking about doing what's best long term and that's making sure that everybody that buys a new Xbox will have access to all the same features that come with the Kinect. In other words I think Microsoft would rather have their "Wiimote" than their "PS Move". A gutsy move by them, but if they don't look to show they believe 100% in their Kinect, how can consumers expect to believe in it too?

Having said that, I don't give a shit about Kinect or the consoles themselves. I'm after the games and at the moment it just so happens Microsoft showed me more that interest me. Crimson Dragon, Sunset Overdrive and Dead Rising 3 etc.
 

Busty

Banned
Gaming journalism in a nutshell.

It's fucking disgusting.

Worry not, I'm sure your multinational corporation will be just fine after such a magazine cover. The corporate behemoth that doesn't even know your name let alone give a fuck about you will be just fine.

I don't want you pacing up and down your Mother's hallway like an expectant Father, wringing your hands anxiously waiting for someone to post a retort that happens to reflect your own, emotionally invested stance, on the product.




You're entirely too sensitive to be allowed on the Internet.
 
The fact that this was written AFTER the DRM turnaround by Microsoft makes me want to read it even more.

It wouldn't surprise me if they're in the camp that feels that they can no longer trust MS because they showed their end goal, and it's something that will turn a lot of gamers off.
 

Tobor

Member
Good for Edge. Microsoft has become a blight on this industry. It's great to see Journalists recognize it for once instead of rolling over.
 

sflufan

Banned
How is this any different than The Economist putting a picture of Barack Obama on its cover in November 2008 with the caption "It's Time"?

It's an editorial endorsement. Get over it.
 

Fady K

Member
Very unprofessional. This could have been a column somewhere inside the magazine, but like this it's only going to enrage a lot of people.
EVEN if they were right, this is too much.

We still don't know what the article states, what their argument is, etc. Maybe it will make more sense once we do.

The good side about this statement by EDGE is that it a meaningful, albeit very very small, reminder for console developers not to mess with consumer interests again. Even though different companies will continue to screw us, one way or another, overtly or covertly.
 

twobear

sputum-flecked apoplexy
To be fair, Sony did have good E3 showing for PS3....

You mean the CGI companies that Sony outsourced all their 'in-game' footage to had a good E3 showing?

I don't even remember what MS did that E3 though, so I guess there's that.
 

Ushae

Banned
Gemüsepizza;67661196 said:
Why? I think it is not unlikely that the PS4 can be the next PS2. It's cheaper than the competition. It has much better hardware than the competition. It has very strong first party titles and every possible third party support including indie titles. It has improvements in all important areas (controller, online, development ease, ...). The PS4 will be a big success for Sony and certainly much more successful than the PS3.

It doesn't matter, taking a one sided approach is really risky, and stupid especially if other companies make a huge turnaround (which isn't impossible for the billion dollar giant software company...).
 
Yeah, we all have biases. I wouldn't ask them to discard theirs because that's impossible. I might ask them not to be so blatant though. I think the possible perception the cover provides is that EDGE is taking sides and that's one of the main things a good journalist doesn't do.

I suppose that like of thinking is only worth something to you if you believe the gaming industry is capable of good journalism. (I do.)
I don't....the games that make the most money are still tailored for a young audience. Until you can goto work and tell co-workers about the titles you were playing last night, and it's not completely foreign to them, journalism will likely remain the same IMO...articles like this gets hits and flow with the general consensus on the web.

Dunno, nothing Sony has done so far game-wise looks that appealing. Can see how people would be put off by some of the decisions Microsoft made (and Nintendo at this point is a non-factor)... but none of that makes the PS4 look good.

If you want power you'll join us in PC land. If you're after the games then I don't see any metric by which you'd consistently opt for PS4 over XB1.
Sony has really only showed there launch titles. Yoshida has came outright and said 20 titles in it's first year. It wasn't b/s when MS said it and it's certainly not for Sony. There efforts on PS3 is another testament to WWS, TLOU/GT6/Beyond releasing this late in the cycle gives people enough confidence and Sony doesn't have to show everything right away.

Time to get out of the console business for me. The fanboyism is just out of control. Edge should be very happy with a balanced future.... a one console future is the end.

PC all the way.
That's kinda a contradiction isn't it? I was right there went you until you stated PC all the way. Same thing different boat, we're all biased in some way and prefer a console or platform, might as well own up to it.
 

pa22word

Member
No it's not. It's an conversation-provoking headline that's done its job. You can't comment on its worth as an article, or even think it's been paid for (and believe me, it hasn't been paid for) until you've read the article.

Yes it is. Crop out all edge references from the image and all you have left is a caption telling you that your next console WILL be the PS4, and the only option is the PS4. It's an advertisement by definition: you are quite literally telling people to buy a PS4. Your article's content is meaningless given the context of the headline. Also, if sony didn't pay you for this (assuming you work for edge in some aspect, otherwise your comment has no foundation) then they took you guys for a ride, and honestly it's pretty fucking pathetic that you don't even realize it..
 

Busty

Banned
How is this any different than The Economist putting a picture of Barack Obama on its cover in November 2008 with the caption "It's Time"?

Comparing the console wars to partisan politics?

How depressingly apt.

Gemüsepizza;67662036 said:
You haven't even read the goddamn article. But I guess you don't care about facts...

*roll eyes*

You know they don't.
 

mocoworm

Member
Man, looking back at old covers just brings home back how unremarkable this is even for EDGE.

EDGEcov151.jpg

THIS ^^ is from E3 2005 where SONY clearly did NOT have a good showing. It just shows how biased EDGE have been towards SONY. The article reads, 'SONY shows MS how to launch a console at E3'

- $599 console
- terrible dev support
- nightmare to program for
- 'we want ppl to work 2 jobs to afford it'
- RIIIIIIIIIIIIIDGE RACER
 

Fady K

Member
It wouldn't surprise me if they're in the camp that feels that they can no longer trust MS because they showed their end goal, and it's something that will turn a lot of gamers off.

That's a very good point, Solid. I was thinking along those lines as well. While it is noble of Microsoft to turn things around before they released their console, the fact that they were this passionate and confident of their so called vision just a few weeks earlier is not trustworthy or promising at all. If there is a backlash despite the DRM turnaround, then so be it. If anything this should drive home a good lesson for them to rethink their strategies next time, make sure they know what they're doing.
 
In this topic, some people learn that magazines do not have to be impartial. Jeez guys calm down.

In the UK (where EDGE is mainly sold remember) this is very much the prevailing opinion.
 
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