Sony Says PS4 is "First and Foremost" a Game Console

StewShearerOld

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Jan 5, 2013
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Sony Says PS4 is "First and Foremost" a Game Console



Sony CEO Kaz Hirai has affirmed the company's desire to keep the PS4 focused on videogames.

One of the many complaints filed against the <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/124210-The-Baby-Has-A-Name-Xbox-One>Xbox One's reveal was the event's heavy focus on television. While some of the TV-centric features shown off were legitimately nifty, it was easy to get the impression that Microsoft was trying to somewhat distance itself from the idea of Xbox being synonymous with videogames. The name Xbox One itself was meant to brand the new console <a href=http://beta.dawn.com/news/1012980/microsoft-touts-xbox-as-all-in-1-entertainment>as an all-in-one entertainment machine that happens to play games too.

Sony, perhaps sensing <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/7358-Xbox-One-out-of-Ten>some gamers' disappointment over this one-stop-shop strategy, has taken the opportunity to herald the PlayStation 4 as a gaming machine first and foremost. "The most important thing we need to make sure we do at least initially is that we all agree and understand that the PS4 is a great videogame console that appeals to video gamers. If we miss that part then I don't think we get the initial establishment of the console," said Sony CEO Kaz Hirai, speaking at the D11 Conference in California. "We take a look at this first and foremost as a game console."

While Hirai's comments can probably be taken as a jab at Microsoft, Sony's focus on selling the PS4 as a game console first could also originate from past experience. The PS3's early years were pretty rough, and while you could point to its initially high price point as the console's primary roadblock, Sony's attempts to market the PS3 as <a href=http://kotaku.com/5063519/sony-stresses-importance-of-games-games-games>more of multimedia device than a game system, certainly didn't help. While Microsoft now seems content to trod down the path of "it does everything," Sony's already walked that way and didn't much like the view.

Source: <a href=http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2013/05/30/sony-39-s-kaz-hirai-says-playstation-4-is-focused-on-games.aspx>Game Informer


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1337mokro

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Sony is basically screaming as hard as it can. "WE ARE NOT MICROSOFT"

It's a good marketing strategy now that everyone is pissing on M$ so much that the PS4 looks like a fucking dream come true. Not mine of course, I am after all one of the master gaming race.
 

StewShearerOld

Geekdad News Writer
Jan 5, 2013
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1337mokro said:
Sony is basically screaming as hard as it can. "WE ARE NOT MICROSOFT"

It's a good marketing strategy now that everyone is pissing on M$ so much that the PS4 looks like a fucking dream come true. Not mine of course, I am after all one of the master gaming race.
Neo Geo Pocket gamer, huh?
 

MrWunderful

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May 27, 2013
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Of course they are going to say this after all the rage Microsoft has been getting for touting everything about the Xbox One BUT gaming.

Very smart move on Sony's part, from a PR stand point.

I am just curious if in the future, they change their tune to "oh but it does all this other stuff too!" To avoid looking like a 1-trick pony-when in reality, that is what most gamers want. A dedicated gaming only console.

I also bet that at E3, Microsoft will embellish the fact that this is a "gaming console above all else" or something- just to try and save a little bit of face from sony.
 

Insomniac55

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I'm hoping all this stuff from Sony isn't just PR spin... I mean, if they're true to their word, they're basically doing everything right. I won't be buying a console, but I will enjoy watching Sony reap the rewards of Microsoft's failures.
 

Colbster94

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Dont you just love console wars? We didnt get to see alot of it in the final years of the last generation, so it's good to see sony and microsoft have the us versus them ideology again. ROUND 3 DING DING DING!
 

Charli

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StewShearer said:
1337mokro said:
Sony is basically screaming as hard as it can. "WE ARE NOT MICROSOFT"

It's a good marketing strategy now that everyone is pissing on M$ so much that the PS4 looks like a fucking dream come true. Not mine of course, I am after all one of the master gaming race.
Neo Geo Pocket gamer, huh?
Pft those guys are nabs, real master race are gamers who recode their games to work on a fucking tamagotchi!
 

StewShearerOld

Geekdad News Writer
Jan 5, 2013
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Charli said:
StewShearer said:
1337mokro said:
Sony is basically screaming as hard as it can. "WE ARE NOT MICROSOFT"

It's a good marketing strategy now that everyone is pissing on M$ so much that the PS4 looks like a fucking dream come true. Not mine of course, I am after all one of the master gaming race.
Neo Geo Pocket gamer, huh?
Pft those guys are nabs, real master race are gamers who recode their games to work on a fucking tamagotchi!
Psh... I play turn-based strategy games by doodling on napkins at IHOP. Truly I am the hardcore-est of them all!
 

badgersprite

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Sep 22, 2009
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MrWunderful said:
Of course they are going to say this after all the rage Microsoft has been getting for touting everything about the Xbox One BUT gaming.

Very smart move on Sony's part, from a PR stand point.

I am just curious if in the future, they change their tune to "oh but it does all this other stuff too!" To avoid looking like a 1-trick pony-when in reality, that is what most gamers want. A dedicated gaming only console.

I also bet that at E3, Microsoft will embellish the fact that this is a "gaming console above all else" or something- just to try and save a little bit of face from sony.
I don't think that's necessarily true. I don't think most gamers want a purely gaming-only console, and nobody here thinks the PS4 doesn't also have the ability to play movies and TV and browse the internet and have apps on it and serve other purposes beyond video games (especially since the PS3 already does all of that). But gamers want a gaming console with multimedia features as an addition that supports its primary functionality of playing games - that is, making an already attractive gaming console more functional - and not a multimedia box that also plays games as an afterthought. Sony isn't changing their tune here at all.

Remember when the PS3 came out and they marketed it as a blu-ray player? Lots of gamers use their PS3 to play blu-ray discs and DVDs, including me, but they bought it for the games first, and the added features gave it an additional purpose that we were quite happy to use because it saved us buying a blu-ray player. No non-gamer looked at the PS3, which was way more expensive than any blu-ray player, and decided they were going to buy it. Most non-gamers don't want a gaming console.

So, basically, gamers want a system that is primarily engineered towards gaming. If the console has other additional features that make your life better, that's awesome, but that's just an ornament to the console. Those peripheral functions are not its core, especially when you consider that not all gamers are going to be interested in using those functions, but all gamers are interested in games.

I'm never going to stream TV or movies through my consoles. I have other things I already use for that. Don't sell me on features other devices already provide me with. Sell me a next-generation gaming system, because I don't have one of those yet.
 

Erttheking

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Sony, if you put your money where your mouth is I will shill out a couple hundred bucks for a PS4 with a smile on my face.
 

Fappy

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Now all they have to do is confirm they have no nefarious plans in regards to used games or always-online and they will have sealed the deal. The road to victory has never been so crystal clear for them... we can only hope their executives will see the light!
 

MrWunderful

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May 27, 2013
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badgersprite said:
MrWunderful said:
Of course they are going to say this after all the rage Microsoft has been getting for touting everything about the Xbox One BUT gaming.

Very smart move on Sony's part, from a PR stand point.

I am just curious if in the future, they change their tune to "oh but it does all this other stuff too!" To avoid looking like a 1-trick pony-when in reality, that is what most gamers want. A dedicated gaming only console.

I also bet that at E3, Microsoft will embellish the fact that this is a "gaming console above all else" or something- just to try and save a little bit of face from sony.
I don't think that's necessarily true. I don't think most gamers want a purely gaming-only console, and nobody here thinks the PS4 doesn't also have the ability to play movies and TV and browse the internet and have apps on it and serve other purposes beyond video games (especially since the PS3 already does all of that). But gamers want a gaming console with multimedia features as an addition that supports its primary functionality of playing games - that is, making an already attractive gaming console more functional - and not a multimedia box that also plays games as an afterthought. Sony isn't changing their tune here at all.

Remember when the PS3 came out and they marketed it as a blu-ray player? Lots of gamers use their PS3 to play blu-ray discs and DVDs, including me, but they bought it for the games first, and the added features gave it an additional purpose that we were quite happy to use because it saved us buying a blu-ray player. No non-gamer looked at the PS3, which was way more expensive than any blu-ray player, and decided they were going to buy it. Most non-gamers don't want a gaming console.

So, basically, gamers want a system that is primarily engineered towards gaming. If the console has other additional features that make your life better, that's awesome, but that's just an ornament to the console. Those peripheral functions are not its core, especially when you consider that not all gamers are going to be interested in using those functions, but all gamers are interested in games.

I'm never going to stream TV or movies through my consoles. I have other things I already use for that. Don't sell me on features other devices already provide me with. Sell me a next-generation gaming system, because I don't have one of those yet.
Yeah you pose an excellent point. It really all comes back to microsoft, not stressing that the Xbox one is a gaming console with all this other cool stuff added on. They tried to focus on the superfluous stuff instead- Most likely to garner up more sales from casuals already looking for a media device.
 

Aethren

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Ever since the original Xbox was released, it's felt more like Microsoft is always a gen behind Sony as far as innovation goes. Next gen, (after the Xbone gen) we'll see Microsoft finally saying their new console puts games first, as they learn the lessons Sony did with the PS3. They're always one step behind.
 

Infernal Lawyer

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It's just plain sad that Sony actually has to come out and say this. You know there's something wrong with the competition when saying that your game console is, indeed, actually a game console somehow counts as good PR rather than stating the obvious.

Meanwhile, the guys at Nintendo wave the Wii U around and whine "Oi! What about us? We've already got our console out, you know, and it's got all the BC and none of the DRM, PLUS you can sell your games just fine! Isn't that what you wanted? All we've done to piss anyone off is take YouTube Ad money!"

While I never had any inclination to buy a Xbone, I certainly have plenty now, albeit to keep far, far away from it. And Microsoft thinks that they can somehow sell a Billion of the damn things.
 

Canadamus Prime

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That's good to hear Sony. I'm still not buying your console, but I'm glad to hear you've learned from Microsoft's blunders.
Colbster94 said:
Dont you just love console wars? We didnt get to see alot of it in the final years of the last generation, so it's good to see sony and microsoft have the us versus them ideology again. ROUND 3 DING DING DING!
Yeah about as much as I love having shards of broken glass in my shoes (and in case that's too subtle for you, I'm implying I HATE the console wars).
 

Gezzer

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I kind of think that MS is emphasizing everything the Xbone can do over just gaming for one reason. They want to own every aspect of the users digital life. I think the idea is that with the Xbone, and Win8 on desktop, cell, and tablet a user will have a totally seamless experience. Pretty much trying to out apple Apple I guess. Great idea for the hive minds and iCultists, but a bit much for more informed users who like to make their own choices. I think that MS is so wedded to it's overall "vision" that they have lost the ability to think outside it. Could be their downfall too if their not careful.
 

The_Echo

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Fappy said:
Now all they have to do is confirm they have no nefarious plans in regards to used games or always-online and they will have sealed the deal. The road to victory has never been so crystal clear for them... we can only hope their executives will see the light!
RatherDull said:
If you want to reassure us, just come out and say you aren't blocking used games and won't do always online.
They've already spoken [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123832-PS4-Will-Not-Need-To-Be-Always-Online] on always-online functionality.

And I'm sure they're taking note of the negative feedback regarding the Xbone's relationship with used games.

OT: Glad to see Sony learning from past mistakes, and the mistakes of others. This generation was a bit... well, y'know, both in the industry and in the actual games themselves. I feel like the PS4 and 3DS (and the Wii U and Vita, if they can finally get off the ground) have great potential, and might be able to take us back to the same gaming atmosphere we had in the 6th generation. (At least, I thought it was pretty good back then.)
 

Fappy

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The_Echo said:
Fappy said:
Now all they have to do is confirm they have no nefarious plans in regards to used games or always-online and they will have sealed the deal. The road to victory has never been so crystal clear for them... we can only hope their executives will see the light!
RatherDull said:
If you want to reassure us, just come out and say you aren't blocking used games and won't do always online.
They've already spoken [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123832-PS4-Will-Not-Need-To-Be-Always-Online] on always-online functionality.

And I'm sure they're taking note of the negative feedback regarding the Xbone's relationship with used games.

OT: Glad to see Sony learning from past mistakes, and the mistakes of others. This generation was a bit... well, y'know, both in the industry and in the actual games themselves. I feel like the PS4 and 3DS (and the Wii U and Vita, if they can finally get off the ground) have great potential, and might be able to take us back to the same gaming atmosphere we had in the 6th generation. (At least, I thought it was pretty good back then.)
Technically Xbone isn't supposed to be always-online either, but most sources are reporting it at least needs a connection every 24 hours. As far as I can tell Sony's only shot down the idea of a constant internet connection. They could still do something similar to what Microsoft is doing.

I'm sure we'll know all this stuff by E3, so it's really just guess work at this point.