PS4 about games and XBOX ONE about . . . TV?

I couldn't help but notice, and I can't be the only one, the real difference in tone between these two console reveals. The PS4 event felt more centered around games and more inclusive in the games that were announced. They revealed far more games and included a section about smaller, indie developers.

Game developers like Mark Cerny and others like Jonathan Blow took a center stage at the event.

But with Microsoft today, the event felt dry and sterile to me, talking suits on a stage, hitting bullet points about how amazing the Xbox One will be to control your TV and internet. The whole jumping back and forth between a game, TV, and internet was interesting, but is that going to really improve my gaming experience? It's like one of those things that seems cool, but you really won't be using because don't you just do one thing at a time anyway?

And all the Kinect stuff, I'll believe it when I see it, but even then, what is so damn great about waving your hand to change a menu? Will this Kinect have a high enough fidelity to make it worth using in games? Somehow I doubt it.

Compare these two side by side and I love the attitude of the PS4 event so much more. It showed a far more open and welcoming attitude toward game developers and indie developers and an obvious awareness of the mistakes that Sony has made in the past. On the other hand, the Microsoft was just about grabbing the big names like EA Sports and Call of Duty. This is backed by the rumors of how pissed game devs have been at the way Microsoft has been operating and at the enthusiasm that seems to be there for the inclusiveness of the PS4.

I've owned both systems this gen, but right now, with my funds so limited, the PS4 is looking so much more appealing. But we only know so much right now, so who can say how it will end up.

But what do you think? Am I making any sense here?

wait for the price but if you love games ps4 is the place...i think or pc get a pc instead!!

The Xbox One is about being a man and enjoying the finer things in life. Things such as football, cars, war, and probably drinking Budweiser.

They came out and said that, it is very hard to "blow your load" 19 days out from the biggest video game convention, Sony has already brought the games, but what are they going to talk about at E3, Microsoft is in a good position to bring everything they have in 19 more days.

Xbox, The next generation of Neckbeard.

@monopolized: Not really. Sony has yet to reveal what Santa Monica, Ready at Dawn, and the second teams at Naughty Dog and Guerrilla Games are working on for example. They'll likely have several big game announcements at E3.

I don't watch TV- and the few times I do, sitting on a couch with a remote has NEVER bothered me.

They said that they'd show games at E3. A lot of people seem to have forgotten this...

I'm taking this with a grain of salt, but they mentioned 19 games and 8 new IP's. They will most likely make these center stage at E3. I know it won't stop the tide of internet pre-judgement, but wait till then to make verdicts.

16 of which are kinect games!

Exactly, that's a whole lot of technology to solve a problem I don't even have. Good job positioning it as a glorified remote.

I am admittedly a PS3 owner who has never owned an XBox, but I didn't see much to get especially excited about here. A lot of talk about how awesome they will be, but not much in the way of games to actually show it.

The Sony reveal felt like a company coming out swinging and showing what it had to offer. The MS reveal seemed like a safe, boring, standard sort of hardware launch.

It looks fine. Though I have to wonder whether it's possible to talk about anything when you're in the same room as the Xbox.

I'm gonna wait till e3. Everyone knew that this event would be really light on games since E3 is just around the corner. Would not make sense for Microsoft to reveal too many games when Sony is just waiting on a bunch of games for their E3 showing. That's the problem with Xbox being announced so late, but in theory their E3 press conference could possibly be all about games (I really do hope so) while sony still has to show the PS4 and the interface + their response to TV stuff.

I really do like the fantasy sport stuff, looks like a really big upgrade from using shitty apps and online pages during football games.

It's natural for it to seem that way. But the way I see it is that the Xbox One has a lot more functions than just playing games. Like TV, music, smartglass, Kinect 2 etc. The PS4 only has the one gaming function, so naturally a bigger portion of the presentation is about that one feature the PS4 has. Since the One has gaming, and much more, a smaller portion of the presentation is about games.

I think One will turn out to be as much about gaming as PS4 is, but it just didn't seem that way because Microsoft had so much more to show. Xbox One might just be what the PS4 is, plus more.

So... PS4 it is then. I was hoping for an underwhelming reveal and man, did I get it.

And they could have put a little hotplate on the top so that all that excess heat could be used for sausages and crumpets. But nooooooo, the same narrow-sighted crap as always.

Immersive.

Some of the TV stuff for the Xbox seemed neat, but kinda seemed like a glorified remote in some aspects. Do we even know right now if Sony's box won't do similar things that Microsoft dedicated a lot of time to that Sony was ok just bypassing? Sony's conference was seemingly about getting developers and "gamers" back, the core audience, while Microsoft's seemed to want to touch every demographic. I think there is still a lot we don't know about either console, so let's see with E3.

Didn't enjoy the XBOX conference at all. Total opposite of the PS4. All the multimedia(TV, Kinect, Smartglass) stuff just doesn't interest me.

Sony seems more dedicated to games this generation just by their conference alone and showed that their console is going to be more welcoming to developers. M$ seems to still not get what gamers actually want from a console by showing all the unnecessary multimedia stuff and instead, tries to appeal to the general mass by showing that they will have the two best selling franchises (CoD and EA sport games) under their belt even though they will also be for all consoles.

The more I think about it post fact the more I think that Microsoft did the smarter thing. The whole focus of the presentation had one slant going throughout, a definite focus.

Sony showed that they are gunning after the gamers.

Microsoft just showed that they are gunning after everyone. Thinking bigger. They already have a gamer base. When grandma goes to buy a present on Christmas they want her to choose the Xbox One, because for her it will do absolutely everything and elegantly. It's showier and easier to sell.

It may be deflating to us as gamers (shit I'm prolly getting the PS4 over it), but the stakes are way bigger then us.

All that press conference reminded me of is how I'm not the target audience. I can see this thing selling well, but I'll pass and stick to PC and maybe pick up a PS4 after the first price cut.

So, a system is looking more appealing to you based on a quick, 1-2 hour reveal on both sides of the competitors? Does anyone realize why these sort of events were generally behind doors before? It's because the general audience cannot tolerate not being told every. single. detail. the first time they see the damn thing. We have more than half a year before these things will show up. Let's cool our jets and stop acting like our decision now means absolutely anything.

Xbox One is the Name, Watching TV is the Game!!

So can the Kinnect see the dark? I don't tend to watch my movies in a well lit room with a green screen behind me.

It is startling how much the roles of these two companies have now flipped for this upcoming generation.

PS4 definately had the better reveal, even if they didnt show the box. There was just a level of enthusiasm there that was missing here. I dont think E3 will be much better either, given Microsoft's last few E3 press conferences. But I hope i'm wrong.

I'm 100% sure that the XBOX One will have just as many games as the PS4. Why the hell are people saying the xbox one won't have games? they even said there would be 15 first party exclusives in the launch window with 9 of them being completely new IPs.

was i the only one that saw that? 15 first party games in launch window 9 new IPs?

Am i taking crazy pills, i think i must have been the only one to see that. Sure maybe Ryan was shit talking some pointless bullshit at the time. but yeah.

Well I think it is better to focus on the extra stuff. we know it will have games. Why repeat what you already know? Halo, Forza, Call of Duty, Bioware stuff. EA is there big time. So what are you worried about?

It is as I said before. We pick smartphones based on what they can do besides make phone calls. So if I can play some good bethesda games on it along with my Halo and sports games, what else is there to get me in? That is where Sony lost me. I will probably get a PS4 for those good exclusives (uncharted saved the PS3 for me) but a share button as compared to all the cool stuff they showed with media on the xbox, thats what gets me in.

I honestly don't know what some people want and act like the games aren't the focus or aren't there at all. We can judge better at E3 because that is where the games will be but come on.

Sony showed a hand-full of sequels and a game by human Portlandia sketch, John Blow. Microsoft showed teasers to a hand-full of sequels and a bunch of non-interesting TV stuff. Both companies need to leave their ridiculous proprietary cameras at home and bring some impressive games to E3.

PS4 because they showed games and that is what is first and foremost what a games console is for. All the stuff MS talked about should not be the focus of your games console, neat extra features I guess but don't see myself ever using that stuff

@thehbk: Because if the games it has are the same as the games the 360 has, then I am 100% not interested.

and who said they will be? You could say the same thing about the PS4. And the PC. The few games that I did see in that thing didn't look like they would also be on the 360, except call of duty, but you know thats on PS3 also.

PS4 doesn't have the transistors.

I guess it will have 98% of the games the PS4 has so yes it's about games.

People just don't seem to get what this "reveal" was all about. It was not about games. It was about hardware. It was basically to show us what the hardware looks like and give us a little more information about what the machine can do outside of games. We know it plays games. They're showing us what else it can do.

Microsoft specifically said (via Major Nelson) that they are focusing on hardware. Games is for E3 in less than 3 weeks.

Surely any gamer would know that games are going to be at E3, they even said 15 exclusives and 8 new IP's in the first year. This was for mass market consumption, it really isn't rocket science to advertise a cool new way of watching TV as the jumping point of the conference to people at home watching on their TV.

PS4 and Xbox will be showing off alot at E3, the only gameplay I can remember from PS4 was the Killzone bit unless I'm mistaken.

@thehbk: Except the PS3 actually had exclusive games that were interesting and exciting. My 360 was a fucking waste of money. I bought it for Vesperia which came out later on PS3 and the only other exclusive I thought was any good was Alan Wake which came out on PC. If Microsoft had shown one thing, anything, that seemed like they were taking their game development in new, broader directions, I would at least be interested. As of right now, all they've managed to do is remind me how much I don't like my 360.

EDIT: Reread your reply and realized you misunderstood me, I meant the same type of games, not the exact same games.

Really tired of hearing this "Sony is all about the games!" garbage, it sounds pretty damn silly.
Both consoles are going to be about games, they are game consoles...
They will also be just about the same as far as power is concerned because that's just the way it works. (one company would not let the other get too much of an upper hand with drastically different specs.)
There will be tons of 3rd party games on both systems that will be almost identical and of course there will be old and new 1st party IPs.
It's what else the new hardware/software/services provide that will differentiate one from the other.
You like Halo? Get an Xbox One.
You like Killzone? Get a PS4.
I'd like to get both as always, but right now it looks like the Xbox One can do more.
And yes, play games.
My PC will be upgraded and destroy both of them eventually regardless.

The argument that "this was on TV so of course Microsoft wouldn't show games cause they have to appeal to a huge audience" doesn't do anything for me. It isn't like they fell into this TV thing and had to react accordingly.. both press conferences give a huge indication on the future of those companies, and it is telling that Microsoft chose their first impression to be this TV/sports watching device that also plays a few games. Sony could have paid for a TV spot too, but chose an appropriate venue for a 2 hour long presentation that celebrated games and the people who make them.

@xyzygy said:

This is basically my viewpoint, and it's in line with what MS and most of the media were saying leading up to today's event. This was a condensed one hour show prepared for a broad TV audience. Before you throw the cool games baby out with the basic cable bathwater, take a deep breath and consider that little piece of perspective. This simply wasn't an appropriate venue for the sort of deep dive into details and gameplay demos that many people in the hardcore gamer crowd seemed to be expecting.

So, before you jump to conclusions by burning the Xbox One at the stake and crowning the PS4 king of the seven kingdoms, I recommend you just stay calm and wait until E3. That's when the full scope of what Sony and MS have to offer us is really going to start to come into view.

I have no interest in "The Witness," but showing that game was more of a statement saying that PS4 is the place to go if you're an indie developer. And Sony has been reaching out to indie developers hard and they have had nice things to say about Sony in return, not so much about Microsoft.

Yes, the Xbox One's presentation was not about the games and that's a problem. Just because you say on twitter beforehand, it's not about the games, that doesn't erase my worries about what your console is going to be about. If your console debut is all about live television and spending money producing TV shows based on your first party franchises instead of more games from your first party franchises, that's going to paint my perception of what your console itself is mainly about, regardless of you saying "this is not about the games, that's for E3."

I'm not calling for anyone's defeat just yet. But if we're purely comparing reveals at the moment, PS4 definitely had the meatier one. Chances are they will be equally matched when E3 comes around.

I liked the demo. The interface seemed bar-none amazing. While I love games, life is more complex now: I have a kid that'll want to do stuff with this in a few years; I watch TV and movies with my wife; I spend a lot of time on the internet and multitasking; I spend a lot of time in the fall watching football and tracking fantasy football.

It seemed like a cool device with real potential to integrate and enhance my family situation. I'll definitely be buying one sooner rather than later. I like the PS4 as well, and will no doubt be getting one, but it doesn't have an amazing value proposition for me. Unless they rock out with their Demon's Souls IP, in which case, my wallet is ready.

Edit: I take it back. My wife loved Braid, and I already told her about The Witness and that it was a timed exclusive. Might as well pre-order.

@yummylee said:

I just had an idea for a game to play during the E3 press conferences, @jeff how about buzzword bingo?

In this day and age? There is no one I know who is just doing one thing at at time. At this very moment i have my XBOX 360 on in front of me, i'm watching Jeff's pre-press conference video on a 2nd screen, and i'm replying to this thread. I've also exchanged text messages with 3 different people on my phone in the last 5 minutes.

I can't be the only person here who also rocks a laptop 24/7 while gaming. I am always checking shit during waiting for an online matchup, load times, etc.

I don't know if i'd use it constantly because i already have an abundance of screens, but i could absolutely see the use for the picture in picture stuff. I (half-watch) sporting events while gaming constantly. If i could do that on one screen, than I probably wouldn't have gotten a second TV to plant next to the first one in the first place.

Maybe i'm some extreme outlier, but i really don't think so. I think more and more people are doing 2-3 things that require screens quite regularly, and especially while gaming.

@cthomer5000 said:

You honestly browse the internet while you wait for load times? What, are you playing the Neo Geo CD?