Everybody knows the Xbox One and Playstation 4 are getting ready for their big launch. Hell, even non-gamers are at least aware it’s happening sometime soon. It’s odd how video games have seamlessly integrated themselves into the entertainment world and are no longer considered only a “fad” or considered to be only of the interest of children. Video games today are as much a part of the media as ET’s Entertainment News, Rolling Stones Magazine, and Football (and Futbol). More people today are playing video games than ever before. So, for Microsoft and Sony, selling your brand new hardware won’t be the difficult part… The true challenge lies in the long run 
of it all and who can earn the most respect in the gaming and entertainment industry.
Here at The Bacon we’ve seen other reports on Xbox One vs. PS4, and we’ve seen some great results and heard great comments regarding your opinions out there in the consumer world. It appears that the trending system is the PS4. This is all speculative of course and based on small sample numbers, but generally most gamers are leaning towards the PS4. Go ask a handful of people and see what they say.
Microsoft has made a number of mistakes in their marketing campaigns, including the ill-advised comments from former Microsoft head Don Mattrick (now with Zynga) who basically told concerned consumers “If you don’t want online connectivity all of the time, then there’s always the Xbox 360.” That one comment alone sealed Mattrick’s fate as Microsoft fired him at an attempt to make an example, but the damage had already been done. The Xbox One suffered IMMEDIATE negative criticism based solely on their persistence on having it always be online in order to work and their refusal to allow gamers to buy/sell used games (I mean, technically you can buy and sell them but they won’t work on other systems), forcing gamers to have to buy new games every time. This outraged the gaming community and we demanded changes. Microsoft immediately took a step back from that approach and changed both of those options. Then Don Mattrick came out and said what he said and boom… shit rolls downhill.
It’s too soon to say who will truly win this console war, but it most certainly IS a console war. Nintendo will assuredly win over their demographic as it is unique and different. The likenesses of Mario, Donkey Kong, and Link (to name a few) are still going strong are helping keep Nintendo afloat through some minor lackluster sales. Microsoft however, is going head-to-head against Sony in this war and it will take a few years to really grasp the full extent of who is “winning” and who is “losing” although it is my belief that both companies will succeed financially regardless of who is the most popular in the market.
Has Microsoft Sealed its Fate? Possibly. But probably not. It will definitely take some time for the Xbox One to climb out of this deep hole it has dug. Mattrick did a poor job of representing the Xbox One and he has paid for it dearly. Playstation 4 on the other hand is at the top of their game (they deserve it) and has been promising some straightforward, no-nonsense video gaming to the masses that has been well received. As the day draws near, we will soon know who has hit the ground running and who is off to a slow start. Either way, somebody is bound to break some video game records. Who could it be?
Loading ...PS: Don’t forget about the Steam guys… they could be making life a lot harder for the Big 3. Read here to see how Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo could all be in danger.
– Yours truly, NerdBerry
Written by Nerdberry
What’s up yall? David “Nerdberry” here! I am the founder of Nerd Bacon and the current co-owner (and CEO) along with partner David “theWatchman!” I hail from North Carolina, hence my love for all things pork! Oh, you’re not familiar with NC? Well I’m not 100% sure, but I am pretty confident that NC and VA lead the nation in pork production. I could be wrong, but even if I am, I still love bacon!
Come enjoy some bacon and games with us yall.
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I think that Xbox Live is already a major factor for a lot of casual gamers. The user interface on the Xbox Live for 360 was considerably more ergonomic and user-friendly than PS3’s. It was friendlier, more inviting, and more like a webpage than browsing files on a desktop (like PS3). With online gaming trending heavily right now, I think in the longrun it could have major impacts! BUT, the media controls sales more than Sony and MS themselves. If GameInformer bashed PS4 (even though it’s considerably stronger), then it would probably tank! So the PR bigwigs for these companies slave away to make sure these video gaming websites and magazines (no more tips & tricks unfortunately haha) get the best and most up-to-date info they can! Even if it’s somewhat exaggerated. —-
As far as which console won the 7th gen war between 360 and PS3? Couldn’t tell you. I know for a long time 360 seemed a little more popular due to their awesome Xbox Live stuff, but then people started trending more towards PS3 closer to the end. As far as I’m concerned, they were pretty neck-to-neck. But I don’t know sales figures unfortunately.
Oh, one more thing. I’ve seen a lot of folks trashing Sony’s online network vs. MS. Microsoft is supposedly constructing a new, $700 million networking facility. Do you think this is something the average gamer will consider? Obviously if there’s a quality gap in online hosting players will notice it after they’ve bought one of the new consoles, but will it be a factor in purchase decisions?
Great article NB. I think Sony definitely has a few advantages. I wonder if the one-week lead Sony has for their rollout will have any effect? PS4 seems to be the more powerful device, just by looking at the hardware specs briefly. One thing I noticed is in visiting the XB1 page, they don’t say as much about what’s inside as Sony does on their PS4 page. You can often tell just as much by what’s missing in a description, as by what is present. They (MS) probably want to discourage consumers from easily comparing the two boxes, counting on strong release titles and more exclusives to help sales and obscure the fact that XBox One is not quite up to par with PS4, performance-wise. Regarding the names, maybe MS is jumping on the “logical name progression” bandwagon? Product names can have a powerful effect on sales. Take the Chevy Nova for instance. They sold a bunch of them in English-speaking countries but tanked in Central/South America… No va = It does not Go in Spanish.
Since I’m relatively ignorant about console gaming, can anyone tell me which console ended up being more popular (higher sales) 360 or PS3?
Yeah, I’m not fond of the name Xbox One either.. Ever since the whole drm debacle I have been referring to it as the Xboned. The whole X Box name is a bit strange. As a fan of ’90’s era wrestling my mind always thinks that it’s a gaming console for former Degeneration X member X-Pac..
Wii, as stupid as the name sounded, at least made sense from a marketing standpoint. The mission of the Wii was to be all inclusive, something that even non gamers would want to embrace. “We” as in everyone. I think the actual abbreviation was for Wireless Interactive Interface, but I may not have had enough coffee to be accurate yet.
You’re definitely right. I don’t understand swapping the numbers around and shit. I mean, Sony is obviously ascending their numbers from 1-4 but Xbox is all over the place. What’s next, Xbox 5,000?! It’s a little goofy. And calling it the 1 is terrible. I mean, Playstation has been abbreviating their name since the PS2. Nintendo was the NES, SNES, N64. I guess my point is that the Xbox One sounds dumb, but they could have easily come up with some abbreviation for it, like XB1. That sounds way cooler. “Ecks Bee Wun”.
I’m just having a hard time really buying into Microsoft XBox One. The Playstation 4 is simply “cooler” and more “hip” at the time and the Xbox 1 is just gay. I WILL SAY however, being a big NFL fan, I would love to watch Football through my Xbox One and be able to keep track of my fantasy teams and other teams and all that. From a media center standpoint, it’s probably going to be pretty damn decent. But I think the all-in-one media center thing should have been secondary to their focus on video games.
This may be a stupid point, but I still think about it a lot.
Has Microsoft ever really thought about what they’re naming their product? Most companies go for something obvious. PlayStation is simple and to the point. Nintendo’s always been fond of GameCube, Game Boy, etc. Not super creative, but it makes perfect sense. (Although “Wii” and “Wii U” are…just…awful.) Even back in the day Atari came up with shit like “Video Computer System” back when the public didn’t know the difference between a PC and a console.
But with Microsoft, I mean, isn’t “Xbox” bad enough? My thoughts immediately go to “don’t open it!” as some sort of knee jerk association with Pandora’s Box. My second thought taps into my inner 10 year old channeling Beavis and Butt-head — “SEXBOX huh-huh-heheh.” And then the second one is 360, like a circle, well, wtf is that supposed to mean? Box Circle? And now it’s the Xbox One, which until the end of time will ALWAYS be discussed alongside a product called PlayStation FOUR! I understand ONE device for all of your media or whatever, but it still doesn’t sound good. And it doesn’t say anything right off the bat. It’s a vague allusion to a vague concept.
Personally, I would feel way cooler saying “I got a PS4” than “I got an Xbox One,” but that’s just me. I still smoke because it makes me look cool, so maybe the naming doesn’t bother others as much. I, however, can’t get over the stupidity of it, especially when I’m forced to say “pee ess foor” and “ecks bocks wun” in the same breath.
I think it’s going to take a while for Microsoft to bounce back.. I actually think XBone has a more exciting launch lineup, with Killer Instinct and Forza 5 leading the charge, but I was so put off with what they tried to do with the online requirements and the restrictions on selling used games that I refuse to support them. I also think $500 price point is outrageous. I thought the same thing about Sony in 2006 when they launched PS3 for $500 to $600, and that caused me to completely skip over Sony’s third generation machine.