Shuhei Yoshida: Xbox One Negativity Made Sony's Decision Easy

[Karloff]

Shuhei Yoshida: Xbox One Negativity Made Sony's Decision Easy

Customer feedback was a "very useful source" of information, when Sony made its hardware decisions.

"It's not that our hardware policies are decided strictly based on user reaction like this," says Sony's Shuhei Yoshida to Famitsu magazine, "but when we were thinking about what we had to bring across and how to bring it across, it was a very useful source." The furore over Microsoft's apparent restrictions on user rights was bad enough that the Xbox One became the Xbox One Eighty [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/125204-Microsoft-Drops-Xbox-One-DRM-Restrictions-UPDATED], and now Yoshida admits that this same reaction shaped Sony's PS4 policies. After seeing what happened to Microsoft, Sony knew that the best way to appeal to the potential PS4 audience was to do the opposite of the Xbox One, and leave user rights strictly alone.

"For this system, we made a list of what people expected from us," added SCE Japan Asia president Hiroshi Kawano, "debating over each point, with user feedback forming the main basis for the list." It helped that the software makers were firmly on board, telling Sony that some really cool stuff could be made for the PS4. "A new platform always provides the basis for new forms of play," Kawano adds, "so I'd like to see it connect to a revitalization of the marketplace."

Not that long ago Sony's Guy Longworth said that Sony didn't believe gamers wanted digital only purchases "right now [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/125329-Sony-Gamers-Dont-Want-Digital-Right-Now]," a popular move after Microsoft's aggressive support for digital distribution, and now Yoshida's admitting that customer feedback - particularly the Xbox One negativity - shaped the PS4's policy development. A console manufacturer willing to pay attention to the realities of the marketplace, and to customer demand? Intriguing.

Source: Polygon [http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/26/4465674/sce-japan-heads-discuss-the-ps4-e3-and-the-near-future]


Permalink

 

[Terramax]

It takes a group of people to be paid millions and billions of yen every year to figure out you should listen to customer feedback?

How do I apply for their job? XD

Anyways, it remains to be seen whether Sony will continue to listen to feedback once they're [hopefully] back on top. Or whether they'll abuse their power. Exercise caution, people.

 

[Severian]

Hey Listen! Ok.

Sony will win this next gen if they already haven't to be honest. Pretty much neck and neck this gen worldwide. Xbox dominates the US and Sony has the rest of the world but that will change in the near future I think.

 

[tdylan]

This is akin to Indiana Jones allowing the Nazi to run through the temple ahead of him so that they triggered the traps. All he then had to do was NOT do what the Nazis did. It's like playing cards: MS was so sure they had a winning hand that they thought showing it before knowing what Sony was holding could not backfire.

 

[masticina]

Yeah obviously..

As Jim said, [really again?] Sony by doing nothing did the good thing. And yeah those big companies that wanted that type of DRM OBVIOUSLY also had been talking with Sony.

Look at least this generation we might not yet have to deal with DRM on such crazy level.

 

[Jhooud]

So Microsoft made them easyware decisions?
And I NEVER want digital *only* purchases thankyouverymuch.

I like the option of digital purchases. Hell, that's why I put a 500GB hard drive in my PS3. Mandated...well...not so much. Sure, I love Steam, but Valve's done a great job making that an amazingly attractive option. If Microsoft would've have pitched some sort of actual positives ([a href="http://www.edge-online.com/features/microsofts-xbox-one-eighty-a-big-win-for-consumers-not-so-fast/"]rather than lists of potential advantages that seem no more than wishful thinking[/a]) then maybe we'd all be having a different conversation.

As it stands, I'm sure they'll recover...but they didn't have to put themselves in the position that they're in. I'll be curious to see if any enterprising games journalist manages to get the story on how this all came about.

 

[Jamous]

What people want is a PS2 with better online, more storage space and next gen graphics capability. That's it.

 

[HyenaThePirate]

This guy is full of it...
It's been what? Maybe a MONTH since Xbox announced their DRM/Always on policy... That's not something they were going to just add or not add based on what Microsoft's reaction was. At BEST, they had a plan ALREADY in place, saw the reaction, then said, "Yeah we won't do that." That stuff is designed in WELL in advance so that it can be implemented.

Worse, what this means is that Sony is admitting that had people NOT reacted to Microsoft the way they did, THEY were essentially going to do the same EXACT THING. Which means they were only NOT scumbags only because they saw the previous scumbag take the hit.. That's not noble.. they didnt do us any favors. This pretty much erases that glowing praise people have been heaping on them for their part in Microsoft's reversal of policy.

 

[Stealthygamer]

What people want is a PS2 with better online, more storage space and next gen graphics capability. That's it.

What made the PS2 great wasn't hardware though, it was games, and games cost a lot more to make then they did 10 years ago. To get the sheer amount of games the PS2 had would require a near complete domination of the market.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

This guy is full of it...
It's been what? Maybe a MONTH since Xbox announced their DRM/Always on policy... That's not something they were going to just add or not add based on what Microsoft's reaction was. At BEST, they had a plan ALREADY in place, saw the reaction, then said, "Yeah we won't do that." That stuff is designed in WELL in advance so that it can be implemented.

Worse, what this means is that Sony is admitting that had people NOT reacted to Microsoft the way they did, THEY were essentially going to do the same EXACT THING. Which means they were only NOT scumbags only because they saw the previous scumbag take the hit.. That's not noble.. they didnt do us any favors. This pretty much erases that glowing praise people have been heaping on them for their part in Microsoft's reversal of policy.

On the other hand, it would have been just as easy for Sony to just not say anything, maybe put something on the box, and then let people only discover the DRM when they'd already bought the console. Hey, so long as they didn't say there was no DRM, they could get away with it.

Instead, they are choosing to learn from their competitor's mistakes, and in the process support the customer. It may be inadvertent, but you can't call a company a douche for contemplating adding DRM if they don't actually do it. That's almost going into thought police levels, punishing corporations for considering something even if they don't act on it.

Finally, I do agree that this is more of a coincidence than anything else. Sony's just that guy who, after doing something unintentionally cool, says "I meant to do that." Off-topic, love your avatar.

 

[Jamous]

What people want is a PS2 with better online, more storage space and next gen graphics capability. That's it.

What made the PS2 great wasn't hardware though, it was games, and games cost a lot more to make then they did 10 years ago. To get the sheer amount of games the PS2 had would require a near complete domination of the market.

I kind of include the library with that. But also ease of use. I mean come on, you put the disk in and turned it on. The only issue was net access and memory.

 

[shiajun]

It does sound like Sony had considered doing all the things the Xbox One had to backtrack on. That doesn't garner much sympathy from me, and much less trust. The desire to strip user rights is firmly in place, they just didn't act on it to avoid the initial user backlash and let Microsoft test those waters.

 

[Tanakh]

That's not noble.. they didnt do us any favors.

WTF? You think they were out to do you favours? Why?

They are a modern company, the main question that drives the decisions they make is "How can we make money the most efficient way?". The only difference might be that since MS is from US they ask "How can we make the most money efficiently and freaking quickly?" while Sony being Japanese would traditionally go with "How can we make the most money efficiently and on the long run?".

But I know what you mean, it's astounding how people think of corporations or the economy as people that care for them/hate them/have morals. They are akin to the way old gods for ancient farmers, and equally stupid to think of them as more than service/product providers.

 

[HyenaThePirate]

On the other hand, it would have been just as easy for Sony to just not say anything, maybe put something on the box, and then let people only discover the DRM when they'd already bought the console. Hey, so long as they didn't say there was no DRM, they could get away with it.

Instead, they are choosing to learn from their competitor's mistakes, and in the process support the customer. It may be inadvertent, but you can't call a company a douche for contemplating adding DRM if they don't actually do it. That's almost going into thought police levels, punishing corporations for considering something even if they don't act on it.

Finally, I do agree that this is more of a coincidence than anything else. Sony's just that guy who, after doing something unintentionally cool, says "I meant to do that." Off-topic, love your avatar.

Thank you for the compliment

To the point, you're right. I just don't agree with the sentiment that Sony did this because of the consumer or that they were smart enough to know better or any other positive spin they might want to market out of it.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

On the other hand, it would have been just as easy for Sony to just not say anything, maybe put something on the box, and then let people only discover the DRM when they'd already bought the console. Hey, so long as they didn't say there was no DRM, they could get away with it.

Instead, they are choosing to learn from their competitor's mistakes, and in the process support the customer. It may be inadvertent, but you can't call a company a douche for contemplating adding DRM if they don't actually do it. That's almost going into thought police levels, punishing corporations for considering something even if they don't act on it.

Finally, I do agree that this is more of a coincidence than anything else. Sony's just that guy who, after doing something unintentionally cool, says "I meant to do that." Off-topic, love your avatar.

Thank you for the compliment

To the point, you're right. I just don't agree with the sentiment that Sony did this because of the consumer or that they were smart enough to know better or any other positive spin they might want to market out of it.

Of course they didn't do it for those reasons. But they can't just say that. That's PR for you: put the best spin possible on something. Or, if you are Microsoft/EA, put your foot in your mouth.

 

[DaWaffledude]

This guy is full of it...
It's been what? Maybe a MONTH since Xbox announced their DRM/Always on policy... That's not something they were going to just add or not add based on what Microsoft's reaction was. At BEST, they had a plan ALREADY in place, saw the reaction, then said, "Yeah we won't do that." That stuff is designed in WELL in advance so that it can be implemented.

Worse, what this means is that Sony is admitting that had people NOT reacted to Microsoft the way they did, THEY were essentially going to do the same EXACT THING. Which means they were only NOT scumbags only because they saw the previous scumbag take the hit.. That's not noble.. they didnt do us any favors. This pretty much erases that glowing praise people have been heaping on them for their part in Microsoft's reversal of policy.

Well... Yeah. I thought that was common knowledge.