Trade PS4 for Xbox 1

[Elberik]

http://gamerant.com/xbox-one-trade-ps3-credit-offer/

Apparently Microsoft will pay you for your PS4 with store credit (presumably towards an Xbox1. I love that Microsoft has resorted to such dirty tactics. I like to imagine that Microsoft smashes the consoles then sends what's left to Sony in a nondescript brown box.

 

[krazykidd]

You know... They could have just dropped the price by 100$ ( before launch)for a better result without any backlash.

 

[tippy2k2]

Why is that a dirty tactic?

All sorts of businesses do the exact same thing.

Just about any business will try to get you to do business with them by offering you discounts. Many do the "price match" setup and many will do a "price match plus" where if they sold you something higher than a competitors, they will price match AND give you extra money too. Part of business is giving your customers a reason to shop with you rather than your competitors.

It's kind of genius if I had to be honest. Console manufacturers make most of their money off the software. By getting a customer to invest in your system early like this, you're building up goodwill AND getting a person who will buy software on your system versus your competitors system.

 

[Elberik]

Why is that a dirty tactic?

Mainly because this has never been done before & Sony hit low last year by basically saying "Microsoft is stupid, but we're not." It's one thing to offer a discount if your upgrading phones (& even then it's usually the store rather than the manufacturer offering the discount). But Microsoft is literally paying consumers to stop using PS4. & all of this after paying to keep Titanfall off the PS4.

It's like watching a foot race where the competitors are also trying to trip each other.

 

[Elberik]

You know... They could have just dropped the price by 100$ ( before launch)for a better result without any backlash.

& rob me of the mental image of Sony opening a box to see smashed PS4 like in the movie Seven? Nah, I'm sure there's a business/accounting reason for Microsoft's behavior. The launch was bad because Microsoft didn't have a tight game plan. Spokesmen didn't have scripts ready or were flat unprepared for questions.

 

[TehCookie]

The article says PS3, not 4.

Though the only way I'd get an xbone is if Microsoft payed me $100 to take it. Or it gets good games and a better controller, but the first option is more realistic.

 

[FalloutJack]

A ridiculous idea, that swapping deal. Frankly, I wouldn't even do it for a 360.

 

[Jamash]

Why is that a dirty tactic?

Mainly because this has never been done before & Sony hit low last year by basically saying "Microsoft is stupid, but we're not." It's one thing to offer a discount if your upgrading phones (& even then it's usually the store rather than the manufacturer offering the discount). But Microsoft is literally paying consumers to stop using PS4. & all of this after paying to keep Titanfall off the PS4.

It's like watching a foot race where the competitors are also trying to trip each other.

Read the article, hell even just read the link you posted.

The offer is to trade in a PS3, not a PS4. They aren't literary paying people to stop using the PS4 (in fact they're literally not doing that), they're just trying to persuade PS3 owners to upgrade to an Xbox One.

It's only a dirty tactic if you think it's something it isn't, which doesn't matter since it's not true and doesn't exist.

 

[Zeh Don]

Heh. This feels relevant to the matter at hand:

Microsoft are clearly not enjoying the success of the Xbone, which failed to even ship as many consoles as the PS4 sold. Microsoft are demonstrably exceeding market demand in their key territories, while trying to push the image that they're unable to keep up with demand. This is, mostly, to save face against the PS4, which is perpetually sold out in virtually every country it is available in. The only place Microsoft seems to be leading the pack is Australia, and that might be because the PS4 shipments were pretty small down under.

This campaign reeks of something a suit thought was "cool" - offering to buy a competitors console might get people talking. Which, technically, it has - so maybe there is a method in their madness. I doubt people will take them up on the offer; the Xbone is the most hated console on the market, and PS4 is a superior console for a lower price. The Xbone has an uphill battle just to keep up.

 

[Elijin]

The only place Microsoft seems to be leading the pack is Australia, and that might be because the PS4 shipments were pretty small down under.

If you're going to be critical, be critical of both. Maybe the lack of supply did affect Australian sales. Or maybe the fact Sony upped the price in Australia had an impact. The price difference Americans constantly quote as the reason the PS4 is the biggest winner? $50 difference in Australia. Which I will point out, cost of living, our median wages and typical cost of electronics means $50 between two high end consumer luxuries is negligible. Though I question even the supply thing. While there were supply issues constantly talked about, they're on the shelves now.

Sony might bend over backwards to cater to the American crowd, but they treat Australia pretty poorly, and the lack of a clear lead like elsewhere is probably affected by that.

 

[Zeh Don]

...Or maybe the fact Sony upped the price in Australia had an impact. The price difference Americans constantly quote as the reason the PS4 is the biggest winner? $50 difference in Australia. Which I will point out, cost of living, our median wages and typical cost of electronics means $50 between two high end consumer luxuries is negligible.

You might have a point here, if it weren't for our infamous "Australian Tax" that is applied to every new electronics product in the country, and just about everything else. In comparison to previous hardware releases, such as the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3, the PS4 is actually pretty cheap. And $50.00 cheaper is still $50.00 cheaper. Australians aren't converging on the internet, angry about only getting a $50.00 price difference; go back and look at what Australians were saying on the price reveal day; they were surprised the PS4 was as cheap as it was.

Though I question even the supply thing. While there were supply issues constantly talked about, they're on the shelves now.

EB Games, JB Hi Fi, Target, Big W, Dick Smiths Electronics and Harvey Norman - the largest electronics suppliers in the country - are all still asking patrons to pre-order their consoles to get in for the February shipment of PS4's. As I mentioned in my post, this is most likely exacerbated by the limited initial supply Australia received, but the Xbone is currently in stock everywhere.

...but they treat Australia pretty poorly, and the lack of a clear lead like elsewhere is probably affected by that.

They certainly have in the past, which is why the Xbox 360 was Australian's platform of choice. The Xbone sitting on shelves while PS4's remaining sold out, however, demonstrate a shift in the market. Whether or not this shift continues across the whole generation, however, is anyone's guess. Microsoft shot themselves in the foot right off the bat in a big way with the Xbone, and having a weaker, more expensive console during a global recession is not a position anyone wants to be in.

Interesting times ahead!