PS4's Early Sales Lead Might Be All Smoke and Mirrors

[archer9234]

pokoko said:
It's just an editorial, people, calm down. After reading the article, which is largely inoffensive, I was very surprised at the angry reactions.

The truth is, it really is kind of smoke and mirrors, as the differences between the XO and PS4, relative to the usage of the average consumer, is somewhat marginal. Most people out there are going to have identical experiences on Madden or CoD.

However, "smoke and mirrors" can have an extremely powerful effect on perception. Even the perception that one is "winning" and another is "losing" can have an impact on which device an individual consumer might choose.

The fact is, the PS4 "won" a lot of categories initially, which allowed them to build a substantial amount of positive momentum. Microsoft, on the other hand, stumbled out of the blocks, giving them negative momentum. The combination of those two factors, plus the PS4 having an edge in other considerations such as price and performance, created an impression with the general public that the difference between the two consoles is greater than it really is.

Remember, the average consumer tends to think in absolutes, and is easily swayed by such terms. "More powerful" might only be a difference of a few horsepower but the term itself stirs something in people that is hard to overcome. Many people aren't going to ask about the real-world difference, they're simply going to be content that one is "more powerful" than the other. The same can be said of "more popular", which is actually a factor a substantial number of consumers value greatly.

I think that, among average consumers, those who depend on others for information, both the advantages of the PS4 and the disadvantages of the XO have been magnified somewhat. It seems fair to me to call this "smoke and mirrors", as that phrase refers to tricks of perception. That doesn't mean those factors aren't real, just that they've grown beyond reality, much the way a fish that got away grows with each retelling of the tale.

It's gonna be emotionaly offensive. It insults the company, by saying they have no quality reason why the system selling, except for dumb luck. That triggers the anger. Articles need to word things a bit better. Like how Tabata got hate when he put the word casual into describing the FFXV combat system.