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[liquidtmd]

Because it's not "just a $50 cheaper price point" from where I'm standing.

Right now we're talking about a system that is selling for $329 in a huge amount of places with two games, and sometimes extra bonus deals like gift cards depending on what you're looking at. I mean Microsoft store that shit with another free game on top, it just no limit to how low they're willing to go this month.

PS4 for the most part - with ebay exception - has been $399, with TLOU and GTAV. Which isn't a bad deal and I think Sony was right keeping it at that price given their financial situation and the fact the PS4 was already selling quite decently.

So we're actually talking a $70 difference really at minimum, and stores are still throwing the kitchen sink in with it during Black Friday week. When you start adding in the way so many stores are incentivizing the Black Friday Xbox purchase - what a doorbuster really should mean - you're talking gaps that can range from $70-$130.

Couple that with a more compelling AAA exclusive lineup on average for the Holiday season, and I think they definitely have what it takes to match Sony's gap in September

We shall see.

.

I've been a PS4 owner and happy since launch, but if I was shopping this weekend in terms of select Black Friday Deals and didn't own either...I could pick up an Xbone with two multiplats I wanted for more than £90 cheaper than the PS.

Considering the XB1 launched in the UK for £70 odd more here than the PS4, thats INSANE. I would have definitely bit if I were in the market

 

[Servbot24]

For a while it seemed like PS3 was going to end up with higher lifetime sales than 360 but I'm guessing that's no longer the case.

 

[Final Verdict]

Those numbers are from the NPD and not black friday. We would need the numbers from black friday last year to get a correct look.

This is true. PS4 sold over 1M in the USA at launch last year, so it's BF sales were actually quite low, probably less than 100k.

 

[Etnos]

This thread, these posts...

Do I laugh or shake my head in dismay?

Embrace the amusement

 

[Biker19]

Link?

I missed this, one of you don't mind directing me to it. He usually stays composed and what not, im ver surprised.

Right here:

so just asking, Xbox had to do this, because market reasons, Sony is doing this because?

so if MS does or does not outsell Sony, this is now into play.

what is this then? They dropped the price to be nice?

I am, I can't understand some of your guys. Sony is doing what some of you guys are bitching about MS.

 

[Alex_Mexico]

The. King. Is. Back.

The 360 sold a lot, made Microsoft tons of money and was by every definition a resounding success for its company. But it wasn't king. It continues to lag by a wide margin behind the Wii in every territory and currently sits a bit behind the PS3 in global sales. It did finish in second place comfortably in the US and UK markets, though.

The "king", if you really want to name one, in the PS3/360/Wii gen was Nintendo, not the Xbox. It's a mathematical fact.

 

[Amir0x]

Right here:

that's pretty lame by meltdown standards. I thought it'd be something more interesting :/

 

[140.85]

I think MS won BF. Who knows if that means they won the month.

 

[BMO = GOAT]

that's pretty lame by meltdown standards. I thought it'd be something more interesting :/

Yea same here.

 

[Alex_Mexico]

For a while it seemed like PS3 was going to end up with higher lifetime sales than 360 but I'm guessing that's no longer the case.

As far as I know the PS3 did eventually take over the 360 in lifetimes global sales. In two key markets the PS3 never catched the 360 on though: USA and UK. The PS3 consistently outsold the 360 in nearly every other big market besides those two.

Of course neither came close to the Nintendo's success with the Wii.

 

[Rurunaki]

that's pretty lame by meltdown standards. I thought it'd be something more interesting :/

Well considering it's statham, where he's unfazed by normal standards. Seeing him exacerbated by a newegg deal is a bit surprising.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Orochi probably wants to post so bad in this thread.

and Statham too!

Still cannot believe he meltdown over a PS4 Ebay deal. That was a first for me.

Lol, statham is one of the biggest xbox fanboys around these parts. Surprised he stayed so composed for so long.

He is currently banned. He lost his shit over the newegg $329 ps4 deal.

Link?

I think Statham's alright. He's unapologetically a fanboy, but aside from some occasional quips and jabs at Sony, he's more a fanboy than a warrior.

However, him coming over to the Ebay thread, and basically 'melting down' over the drop and being all bothered and rustled that MS was apparently 'called names' for doing something that (it wasn't even Sony) that did it was really poor form.

He's a cool dude most of the time though. Way better than Hindle.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=940495&page=2

I missed this, one of you don't mind directing me to it. He usually stays composed and what not, im ver surprised.

Right here:

Why so hung up on banned posters? You're derailing this thread as much as Statham did in the thread he was banned in.

 

[justsomeguy]

I would imagine MS "won" in terms of units sold, but I shudder to think just how much they've lost selling for peanuts...

But does it matter, assuming they are making a loss per unit (which seems a reasonable assumption)? Add in ancillary sales such as xbox live for the next 5 years, movie downloads, digital marketplace cut, etc. and it's probably more a "break even" deal at the moment. Still not ideal obviously. Balance that against allowing Sony's momentum to go unchallenged through black Friday and into Xmas, and the "cost" of getting even further behind in market share, and it obviously makes sense to the accountants at Microsoft.

 

[AniHawk]

i honestly think next gen will still be fine, because wait until people try Oculus Rift/Morpheus and probably Fortaleza. I was a doubter, I hate almost all 3D, and I was king skeptic.

After playing it?

If they get it at a consumer friendly price - $399.99 - it will explode at market. Hell, it's so remarkable I'm almost willing to say they could even come in at $499.99. There's no way to articulate just how amazing it is without experiencing it. I walked away with a weird giddy smile on my face thinking 'holy fuck what did I just play', and feeling dizzy and my mind racing with the possibilities. It was some next tier shit.

So I think next-gen is actually prime for a bit of a renaissance of sort, if these VR companies play their card right with price/marketing. They're going to need some very clever marketing techniques to convey precisely how astonishing the Oculus/Morpheus experience is, but if they do it right... I'm tellin' you, man. Sky's the limit.

i have my doubts about facebook spending $2 billion so they could get into a shrinking traditional video game enthusiast market. they'll use vr for a lot more than that.

sony can make it their gimmick for the next console. i think it would be a good one to have. i doubt it significantly grows the market though. it would be especially rough if oculus takes off before ps5 does. it would be like tablets getting big a year before the wii u launched.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

the 3ds doesn't even do well enough to cover the loss of the psp market.

i don't think the market will retract as badly as that this gen either. i'm thinking that for next it might though, because there doesn't seem to be anything driving growth in this sector. all i'm seeing is contraction wherever there's a shift, whether it's japan, the handheld market, or the casual gaming market on traditional platforms.

I'm Mr Doom and Gloom on this subject and I don't think it's going to be massive contraction among the subset of gamer that bought PS3 or 360 last gen. 20 million units or so.

I think both PS4/One will have a truncated lifespan in comparison to PS3/360. Which will lower potential unit totals for the generation. But by only 20-30 million units. Though if their nonholiday month sales stay so dreadful through next year I may have to revise that downward.

Contraction of the market is the name of the game this generation, but it really depends on what you mean by "badly". I think any contraction when software dev budgets have seen another massive increase will lead to very very bad things.

 

[TechnicPuppet]

The 360 sold a lot, made Microsoft tons of money and was by every definition a resounding success for its company. But it wasn't king. It continues to lag by a wide margin behind the Wii in every territory and currently sits a bit behind the PS3 in global sales. It did finish in second place comfortably in the US and UK markets, though.

The "king", if you really want to name one, in the PS3/360/Wii gen was Nintendo, not the Xbox. It's a mathematical fact.

Who was the 360 second to in the UK?

 

[Etnos]

As far as I know the PS3 did eventually take over the 360 in lifetimes global sales. In two key markets the PS3 never catched the 360 on though: USA and UK. The PS3 consistently outsold the 360 in nearly every other big market besides those two.

Of course neither came close to the Nintendo's success with the Wii.

Mathematically? you just letting out Gold Subscriptions, Actually First and Third Party, Sales, revenues and licensing earns. Overall playtime, influence, cultural impact, digital sales, etc.. etc..

Like sure yeah, that "Mathematical' fact makes for a very misleading statement, but sure go ahead with it: Nintendo is true king you guys, we go it wrong.

Don't get me wrong I like nintendo and if I had to choose the Wii U would be my only console besides a Gaming PC, but lets be real here... I'll be surprised if you can find a Wii-U at retailers in a couple of years by now.

 

[justsomeguy]

i honestly think next gen will still be fine, because wait until people try Oculus Rift/Morpheus and probably Fortaleza. I was a doubter, I hate almost all 3D, and I was king skeptic.

After playing it?

If they get it at a consumer friendly price - $399.99 - it will explode at market. Hell, it's so remarkable I'm almost willing to say they could even come in at $499.99. There's no way to articulate just how amazing it is without experiencing it. I walked away with a weird giddy smile on my face thinking 'holy fuck what did I just play', and feeling dizzy and my mind racing with the possibilities. It was some next tier shit.

Ami, which ones have you tried? My worry

Spoiler

(concern, lol)

with Morpheus is that the ps4 won't have the power to make the kind of immersive game experience I want to play - basing this on what spec PC I'm planning to buy to cope with Occulus for a top experience (90fps etc.)

 

[Thunder Monkey]

Like sure yeah, that "Mathematical' fact makes for a very misleading statement, but sure go ahead with it: Nintendo is true king you guys, we go it wrong.

Well...

Nintendo made more money off of Wii in 2008 than Sony made over the entire span of PS1/PS2 dominance. Can't get much more mathematical a victory than that.

 

[Amir0x]

i have my doubts about facebook spending $2 billion so they could get into a shrinking traditional video game enthusiast market. they'll use vr for a lot more than that.

sony can make it their gimmick for the next console. i think it would be a good one to have. i doubt it significantly grows the market though. it would be especially rough if oculus takes off before ps5 does. it would be like tablets getting big a year before the wii u launched.

I don't know who will be first to successfully do it, and I'm sure any VR system would by definition have tons more applications than "just" games (imagine using it to be able to 'virtually sit' in a live sporting event?), but that'd also be part of the insane potential it has.

I cannot stress this enough. The second you put it on (if you have a good demo), it changes everything. I don't know how to properly articulate how insane it is. I was getting literal physical sensations and reactions playing it. I mean much respect if you played it and disagree, but I was literally floored and so was the group I was with. We were making fun of the thing the entire time we were lined up waiting to try it and then we left in stunned silence before we exploded at dinner with a flood of thoughts about how there is now a million new possibilities before us.

It is unlike anything I can compare it to. I consider myself a hardcore gamer, and upon leaving the Oculus demo one of the thoughts I had was that I could actually get lost playing a game that was designed well enough. Like, lose hours, days, absorbed into it. And absorbed in the true sense - absolute immersion the way everyone keeps saying it but really is only partially true. Now it would be TRUE, capital letters.

I think it absolutely changes everything and would keep the market healthy for a gen or two at least.

 

[btrboyev]

The 360 sold a lot, made Microsoft tons of money and was by every definition a resounding success for its company. But it wasn't king. It continues to lag by a wide margin behind the Wii in every territory and currently sits a bit behind the PS3 in global sales. It did finish in second place comfortably in the US and UK markets, though.

The "king", if you really want to name one, in the PS3/360/Wii gen was Nintendo, not the Xbox. It's a mathematical fact.

They did sell a lot, and maybe made some money, but it was my understanding that both MS and Sony took major losses on that gen. Microsoft especially with the RROD.

 

[justsomeguy]

It is unlike anything I can compare it to. I consider myself a hardcore gamer, and upon leaving the Oculus demo one of the thoughts I had was that I could actually get lost playing a game that was designed well enough. Like, lose hours, days, absorbed into it. And absorbed in the true sense - absolute immersion the way everyone keeps saying it but really is only partially true. Now it would be TRUE, capital letters
.

Have you read Ready Player One? You should. Hell put it on an amazon wish list and I'll buy it for ya.

 

[Etnos]

Well...

Nintendo made more money off of Wii in 2008 than Sony made over the entire span of PS1/PS2 dominance. Can't get much more mathematical a victory than that.

Sales can be misleading, Kinect was the fastest selling devices the year it came out... Now look at it.

If so the fact its called a Wii-U its been more detrimental to Wii U sales that anything else. Wonder why? Successful short term strategies, doesn't necessarily turn into long term ones.

Plus yeah, not gonna argue with you about the PS3, with the raising popularity of SONY lots of people are forgetting the massive fuck up the PS3 was. It was truly a nonsensical product from an engineering point of view.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

I think it absolutely changes everything and would keep the market healthy for a gen or two at least.

That's if they can sell it.

It has some pretty glaring factors running against it in the exorbitant costs associated, and the fact that the most competent solutions require a head mounted display. Factors that don't play well with the mass market.

I see the potential, but very skeptical about its prospects in the mass market.

 

[Kosma]

If MS cant win a month after dropping the price 170 bucks within a year then I dunno what to say.

Unless the gap is huge (500k) I doubt Sony will even react unless it carries over to January.

 

[Putty]

But does it matter, assuming they are making a loss per unit (which seems a reasonable assumption)? Add in ancillary sales such as xbox live for the next 5 years, movie downloads, digital marketplace cut, etc. and it's probably more a "break even" deal at the moment. Still not ideal obviously. Balance that against allowing Sony's momentum to go unchallenged through black Friday and into Xmas, and the "cost" of getting even further behind in market share, and it obviously makes sense to the accountants at Microsoft.

I get that sure, but I just think after this, unless they do something permanent with pricing, the situation will likely revert back to how it's been all year.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

Sales can be misleading, Kinect was the fastest selling devices the year it came out... Now look at it.

If so the fact its called a Wii-U its been more detrimental to Wii U sales that anything else. Wonder why? Successful short term strategies, doesn't necessarily turn into long term ones.

Sales are what they are.

There was nothing misleading about Wii or Kinects mass market acceptance. There was a fleeting nature to that market when not fed well, but that is another factor entirely. Has little to do with the very real sales made. Nintendo made more money that one year than any other company has in videogaming. I mean in that one generation among both handhelds and consoles Nintendo made more money than Sony and MS have lost with six platforms.

Lightning in a bottle for a reason. Hard to maintain or copy, but so ungodly profitable while it's a hit.

 

[PhatSaqs]

If MS cant win a month after dropping the price 170 bucks within a year then I dunno what to say.

Pulling kinect wasnt a price drop. IJS…

 

[BladeoftheImmortal]

Why so hung up on banned posters? You're derailing this thread as much as Statham did in the thread he was banned in.

Because it's fun.

 

[Amir0x]

That's if they can sell it.

It has some pretty glaring factors running against it in the exorbitant costs associated, and the fact that the most competent solutions require a head mounted display. Factors that don't play well with the mass market.

I see the potential, but very skeptical about its prospects in the mass market.

All things I said too in past life. Then I played it and I was practically crying I couldn't go out and buy a final retail unit.

As for 'exorbitant costs", that's the real stickler. But it's speculation from both you and I, because we really have no way of knowing where the price would end up. I'm guessing high, you're guessing high... but if it's not high, if it's $500 or less, I'm telling you man.

Wait until the demos start coming everywhere, in stores. This is something that is arresting. When you play it, you are practically immediately recruited to proselytize its merits to your close friends and relatives. It's a dinner conversation starter. It's an experience with no peers. It's just something that people will play at some Best Buy and immediately realize there's nothing else out there that can offer this experience, not mobile phone games, not handheld games, not past console games. This is the future.

That future will still have a price tag limitation, so they gotta get it priced right. But man when I played it, suddenly every shred of skepticism I had about its market potential evaporated. I couldn't even begin to remember why I had doubted it for a while there

 

[GarciaHotspur]

I thought this source was not reliable wo why is there 9 pages ?

 

[justsomeguy]

I get that sure, but I just think after this, unless they do something permanent with pricing, the situation will likely revert back to how it's been all year.

Yup, tend to agree.

 

[Mrbob]

That's if they can sell it.

It has some pretty glaring factors running against it in the exorbitant costs associated, and the fact that the most competent solutions require a head mounted display. Factors that don't play well with the mass market.

I see the potential, but very skeptical about its prospects in the mass market.

Yeah I think VR still has a lot of road blocks in the way. It is awesome technology but it won't fully take off until it becomes the default format to consume video content. Since every person needs their own VR headset I can see this taking awhile.

 

[Neuromancer]

I thought this source was not reliable wo why is there 9 pages ?

We got nowhere else to go

 

[Etnos]

Sales are what they are.

. Nintendo made more money that one year than any other company has in videogaming..

I have no numbers to say this is true or false. But as far as I know console makers profit A LOT from licensing, not to mention monthly subscriptions. Just think about all those years millions of people have been paying for Gold and Plus? Don't you think that makes for massive earnings? Digital distribution cuts? Massive sellers like COD?

I don't know man, not even sure if you can find that info... but again, if you think of videogames like a static industry that hasn't evolve its business model since the 80s... maybe yeah, Nintendo is king.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Yup, tend to agree.

399 with 1tb hdd, and 349 500gb witcher 3 or evolve bundles are pretty much necessary imo.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

All things I said too in past life. Then I played it and I was practically crying I couldn't go out and buy a final retail unit.

As for 'exorbitant costs", that's the real stickler. But it's speculation from both you and I, because we really have no way of knowing where the price would end up. I'm guessing high, you're guessing high... but if it's not high, if it's $500 or less, I'm telling you man.

Wait until the demos start coming everywhere, in stores. This is something that is arresting. When you play it, you are practically immediately recruited to proselytize its merits to your close friends and relatives. It's a dinner conversation starter. It's an experience with no peers. It's just something that people will play at some Best Buy and immediately realize there's nothing else out there that can offer this experience, not mobile phone games, not handheld games, not past console games. This is the future.

That future will still have a price tag limitation, so they gotta get it priced right. But man when I played it, suddenly every shred of skepticism I had about its market potential evaporated. I couldn't even begin to remember why I had doubted it for a while there

Depends on what you mean by $500 or less.

$500 or less for an entire VR capable platform? All it will take is competent marketing and the product in peoples hands to be a success. It can't be $500 alone for the VR solution. That's just a nonstarter.

 

[scsa]

With a massive price cut, isn't it more or less confirmed that MS have sold more?

 

[Amir0x]

Depends on what you mean by $500 or less.

$500 or less for an entire VR capable platform? All it will take is competent marketing and the product in peoples hands to be a success. It can't be $500 alone for the VR solution. That's just a nonstarter.

yes, for an entire VR capable platform.

It won't work if it's $500 for VR + $200 for system, or $500 for VR + $300 for system. Gotta be $500 for the set.

It's hard to know exactly how it will end up. It's so effective at what it does I really feel I would pay much higher than I normally would for a console. I'm not sure quite how high I'd go, but I am sure I'd let the company charge me more than 400.

 

[yodathesoda]

All things I said too in past life. Then I played it and I was practically crying I couldn't go out and buy a final retail unit.

As for 'exorbitant costs", that's the real stickler. But it's speculation from both you and I, because we really have no way of knowing where the price would end up. I'm guessing high, you're guessing high... but if it's not high, if it's $500 or less, I'm telling you man.

Wait until the demos start coming everywhere, in stores. This is something that is arresting. When you play it, you are practically immediately recruited to proselytize its merits to your close friends and relatives. It's a dinner conversation starter. It's an experience with no peers. It's just something that people will play at some Best Buy and immediately realize there's nothing else out there that can offer this experience, not mobile phone games, not handheld games, not past console games. This is the future.

That future will still have a price tag limitation, so they gotta get it priced right. But man when I played it, suddenly every shred of skepticism I had about its market potential evaporated. I couldn't even begin to remember why I had doubted it for a while there

I think you severely overestimate how much people want to sit in their living room with their friends and families wearing a big clunky headset. Eventually it might be cool but too early to even predict.

 

[AniHawk]

I don't know who will be first to successfully do it, and I'm sure any VR system would by definition have tons more applications than "just" games (imagine using it to be able to 'virtually sit' in a live sporting event?), but that'd also be part of the insane potential it has.

I cannot stress this enough. The second you put it on (if you have a good demo), it changes everything. I don't know how to properly articulate how insane it is. I was getting literal physical sensations and reactions playing it. I mean much respect if you played it and disagree, but I was literally floored and so was the group I was with. We were making fun of the thing the entire time we were lined up waiting to try it and then we left in stunned silence before we exploded at dinner with a flood of thoughts about how there is now a million new possibilities before us.

It is unlike anything I can compare it to. I consider myself a hardcore gamer, and upon leaving the Oculus demo one of the thoughts I had was that I could actually get lost playing a game that was designed well enough. Like, lose hours, days, absorbed into it. And absorbed in the true sense - absolute immersion the way everyone keeps saying it but really is only partially true. Now it would be TRUE, capital letters.

I think it absolutely changes everything and would keep the market healthy for a gen or two at least.

i've used both oculus and morpheus too. it's definitely the kind of thing the industry needs to rally around - experimenting with things that engage in imagination. it's a bit of a surprise sony's actually trying to be honest. it's just part of where games can go though. it doesn't need to be vr. it could be holograms or some sort of weird alternate reality machine/peripheral that changes video game interaction. the shakeup needs to happen on the conceptual end. that's what made the wii and ds so appealing. engage in imagination and work hard on concepts first, and work on presentation later. the ps4, xb1, 3ds, vita, and wii u are fine systems, but they're iterations on what has come before. their libraries indicate this.

 

[spannicus]

Ive got a feeling the X1 will do just as good or better than the 360 did in lifetime sales. Now that more people actually own them, they will tell their friends what the experience is like, OS, games level. Eventually the 360 will be forgot about and everyone will just move over to the one. The cycle will repeat. What screwed them was that 500 price. Microsofts current beast mode is good for people on a budget and people who love playing games.

 

[liquidtmd]

With a massive price cut, isn't it more or less confirmed that MS have sold more?

Here in the UK, I would be absolutely AMAZED if PS4 still came out on top in terms of the Xbone price cuts here this weekend. Sure £299 PS4 bundles were to be had in select retailers but the Xbone deals were far, far more abundant.

Surely the only really interesting question is by what margin and what (if anything) Sony need to do in response.

 

[Amir0x]

I think you severely overestimate how much people want to sit in their living room with their friends and families wearing a big clunky headset. Eventually it might be cool but too early to even predict.

I had the same argument too before. Then I played it. My sister who hates games played it and was like 'that was just a little scary because after I left it the first thought i had was I could get addicted to that. That's the first time I ever felt that way about a game.'

It's all anecdotes, but I didn't see a single person who left that line not in awe. it's just too amazing. It doesn't necessarily have to be a social platform (in terms of, say, multiplayer) to find major success; it can be a platform that promotes social discussion.

i've used both oculus and morpheus too. it's definitely the kind of thing the industry needs to rally around - experimenting with things that engage in imagination. it's a bit of a surprise sony's actually trying to be honest. it's just part of where games can go though. it doesn't need to be vr. it could be holograms or some sort of weird alternate reality machine/peripheral that changes video game interaction. the shakeup needs to happen on the conceptual end. that's what made the wii and ds so appealing. engage in imagination and work hard on concepts first, and work on presentation later. the ps4, xb1, 3ds, vita, and wii u are fine systems, but they're iterations on what has come before. their libraries indicate this.

Doesn't need to be VR, but I don't think holograms either can match that experience. There's something unique "there" about the VR experience, a sense of presence that is just unrivaled. I would of course love to see someone try something with holograms (there was some lame hologram game I played when I was a boy with a cowboy. It... was not the best way to try a hologram "game." Probably similar to how awful VR was when I was young), but I just can't imagine how that would replicate the feel I had there.

But it would definitely be something I'd engage in. To me, though, VR is the precise conceptual shakeup that needed to happen. And it's happening.

 

[AniHawk]

Ive got a feeling the X1 will do just as good or better than the 360 did in lifetime sales. Now that more people actually own them, they will tell their friends what the experience is like, OS, games level. Eventually the 360 will be forgot about and everyone will just move over to the one. The cycle will repeat. What screwed them was that 500 price.

the work microsoft has to do to reach 360 numbers is enormous. the system sold as much as the wii in north america, and over 30 million units in europe. the former will probably not happen without the eight years the 360 got, and xbox seems to have faded in europe somewhat.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

Here in the UK, I would be absolutely AMAZED if PS4 still came out on top in terms of the Xbone price cuts here this weekend. Sure £299 PS4 bundles were to be had in select retailers but the Xbone deals were far, far more abundant.

Surely the only really interesting question is by what margin and what (if anything) Sony need to do in response.

£279 PS4 DC bundle was to be had from Tesco. £279 solos X1 as well.

Insane deals on both this year.

 

[BPoole]

The Xbox had better bundles and better exclusives

 

[EatMyFace]

Because it's not "just a $50 cheaper price point" from where I'm standing.

Right now we're talking about a system that is selling for $329 in a huge amount of places with two games, and sometimes extra bonus deals like gift cards depending on what you're looking at. I mean Microsoft store that shit with another free game on top, it just no limit to how low they're willing to go this month.

PS4 for the most part - with ebay exception - has been $399, with TLOU and GTAV. Which isn't a bad deal and I think Sony was right keeping it at that price given their financial situation and the fact the PS4 was already selling quite decently.

So we're actually talking a $70 difference really at minimum, and stores are still throwing the kitchen sink in with it during Black Friday week. When you start adding in the way so many stores are incentivizing the Black Friday Xbox purchase - what a doorbuster really should mean - you're talking gaps that can range from $70-$130.

Couple that with a more compelling AAA exclusive lineup on average for the Holiday season, and I think they definitely have what it takes to match Sony's gap in September

We shall see.

I wish peoplr would stop saying this. There is nothing special about Microsofts lineup.

 

[AniHawk]

Doesn't need to be VR, but I don't think holograms either can match that experience. There's something unique "there" about the VR experience, a sense of presence that is just unrivaled. I would of course love to see someone try something with holograms (there was some lame hologram game I played when I was a boy with a cowboy. It... was not the best way to try a hologram "game." Probably similar to how awful VR was when I was young), but I just can't imagine how that would replicate the feel I had there.

But it would definitely be something I'd engage in. To me, though, VR is the precise conceptual shakeup that needed to happen. And it's happening.

my feeling is that vr will mostly benefit games that are experimental by nature. this means indie developers will be free to do whatever the hell they want and make a lot of cool shit. huge developers will have a hard time making a shift, like they did with the wii, and pretty much just waste it on the barebones experience (everything is first-person now!). for that reason, i think you'll see headsets, especially related to gaming, a lot more popular outside of a creatively bankrupt traditional market. i think to make it really work you'd need to have entire studios working to prove the worth of such a device... not that i'd say no to an oculus-viewed mirror's edge 2, p.t., or tf2.

 

[Alchemy]

I would expect this, but honestly I expected it when TitanFall released. And all the TitanFall bundles started popping up. And then Kincet was removed. And even more bundles popped up. Then the Get A Game Free with the Madden Bundle...

I basically give up trying to predict anything now.