That tie quells all debate? Damn, where do I get me one of them?
So, slight tangent: Game Informer. That magazine that comes with a platinum GameStop membership.
However futilely, I felt obligated to write into GI this month. You see, a while back, they did an assessment of the PS4 versus the XBox One. Usually, I feel that GI does a fairly good job for a magazine that rides on the back of GS membership, but here, they took a turn for the cowardly and gave both the PS4 and XBox One equal high-mediocre marks, in the process more or less ignoring all the crap that has seen Microsoft spend the last several months back-pedaling.
So in the most recent issue, discussing the E3, they go into detail about the XBox One's setbacks and under-performance... And then they go and give both Sony and Microsoft "C+".
"But Callate," you say, "They were only evaluating the E3 performances, not the systems, this time!" Except they weren't. In the segment on Nintendo, they note that "Many declared Nintendo had 'won' E3", and then give their presentation a "C" on the grounds that "It's important to understand the difference between 'winning' E3 and winning the console battle."
So "winning the console battle" is an important part of the assessment, except when it isn't.
I called the assessment timid, which was a diplomatic hedge on the lines that it was more likely to get my letter printed. In truth, I would be more inclined to call it craven, and if I was truly blunt, to suggest that it smacked of a wing of GameStop not wanting to step on toes. I'm no Sony fanboy- I don't own a PS3 or PS4, as yet- but Sony is clearly winning, right now. The only right steps Microsoft is taking are steps away from its earlier stances. Sunset Overdrive and Titanfall may be great, and all, but No Man's Sky was the game of the show for many, and right now it's looking like a PS4 exclusive.
It's frustrating to see Microsoft winning (or even coming to a draw in) a PR battle they don't deserve.