| binary solo said
I think Holiday 2015 was always likely to be a win for PS4 given the lengths MS had to go to to win last year. Sony was always going to drop the price by at least $50, and they had a lot more margin to play with to offer great BF deals, and short term holiday discounts. Even if the $299 base price disapperas expect the gift card deals to keep on coming. 2016 will be interesting to see if MS dives all the way down to a $199 price tag even if only for BF. I can certainly see a full $100 proice cut happening for Xb one some time next year for the base price to be $250. Sony won't go that low, but I think they will move to a $299 base price next year. I can see Sony's 2016 BF deals beig of the $50 off and $50 gift card variety, wheras I think MS will hit a lower sticker price. MS had a go at competing with PS4 at the same sticker price, and they couldn't get a win even with a gift card thrown into the mix at some / one retailer(s). MS may not be as focussed on winning globally in the USA anymore, but I think they do want to win a few big months at least, so I expect them to push for it. Next BF Sony will have a Tomb Raider bundle in the same position as this year's NDC bundle, or beter still a UC4+Tomb Raider "Adventurer's" bundle. That would almost qualify as trolling Microsoft. Anyway I was irrationally uncomfortable at the idea of Infoscout and Amazon contradicting one another for BF winner. And while they still do to the extent that Infoscout is saying the Gears bundle was the biggest selling sku, the overall outcome is that both of them have PS4 winning. Or is it that Infoscout only says The Gears Bundle was #1 at Target and Walmart, but across all retailers NDC was bigger? Their PR really is kinda ll over the place and it's only the graph that is clear. |
I don't think that's how MS will play it. I can't see them throwing even more money away next year when clearly this year they showed restraint until the bitter end. The Halo Bundle was an odd choice for a company that is hell bent on winning at any cost. I think management from on high has informed Spencer on the limitations and his spending budget has been reduced. They've moved to LIVE subscription as an indicator of success for a reason and I believe that reason is PC. Sony will have far more to offer in terms of 1st party support and 2nd party support next year and I'm not sure those on high would appreciate throwing the kitchen sink at a potential loss next Christmas. Shareholders, and those who voiced their discontent with Xbox, are going to look on that as even more money MS are throwing away for just a token victory, a victory that still isn't guarenteed even with a price advantage.
The PS5 Exists.
