http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2015/08/15/the-ps4-looks-to-steal-xbox-ones-holiday-spotlight-with-another-playstation-experience/

Last year, Sony broke up the yearly cycle of E3 news domination to introduce their own new event for the PS4. They called it the “PlayStation Experience” and it was enough to dominate the gaming news cycle for a solid week or two in the holiday season, right before people were deciding which console to buy for Christmas.

After the successful event in Vegas in 2014, it may not be a surprise that the PlayStation Experience is coming back for 2015. The event is relocating to San Francisco on December 5^th and 6^th, and promises hands-on with many of the top titles of 2016.

Most surprising is not that the PlayStation Experience lives again. Rather, it’s that Microsoft MSFT -0.21% has not followed suit with a similar event for the Xbox One.

Last year, after Sony had made all their major PS4 announcements at the show, I made the prediction that Microsoft would craft their own event by the following year. Sony absolutely dominated the headlines that week with new footage from Uncharted and Bloodborne, right before the holiday season where consumers were deciding which console to buy. Surely, Microsoft wouldn’t leave Sony unchecked next time? Here’s what I said last year:

“I will bet a large amount of money that Xbox will have their own event by this time next year for the exact same reasons, given what this has done for Sony’s buzz ahead of the holiday. Rather than scatter premieres and trailers throughout the year leading up to the biggest reveals at E3, there’s so much content in the industry now that a concentrated cluster of information in December makes sense.”

Well, thankfully no one took me up on my bet, so I’m able to save my cash, because I would have been wrong. Unless it’s about to be imminently announced, there is no rival Xbox event this holiday season to compete with the PlayStation Experience, which seems exceptionally strange, given the events of last year.

Some may argue that Microsoft just had an E3-style live show at Gamescom, while Sony barely did anything at the conference. That could in some ways be interpreted as a PlayStation Experience-type event, but it’s not the same, and far too early.

Gamescom is only two months after E3, and is four and a half months before the holiday. The PlayStation Experience, by contrast, is mere weeks before Christmas. By the time that rolls around, how many people will remember Xbox’s recent live show? Few, if any. I barely remember it now, to be honest.

Xbox One may be in a better spot this year, with the ability to let their games do the talking. With Halo 5: Guardians and Rise of the Tomb Raider going up against practically nothing of note from Sony after the Uncharted 4 delay, they have the holiday exclusive selection on lockdown. At the PlayStation Experience, Sony will be showcasing 2016 games, and ironically still talking about Uncharted 4, which was heavily featured last year, because of the delay.

Still, I think it would be in Microsoft’s best interest to consider a similar type of show. Sony has the PlayStation Experience. Nintendo has Directs whenever they want them. Microsoft should also set up an event much, much closer to the holiday itself to make the case for the Xbox One when E3 and Gamescom are distant memories.

I’ve previously written that because of Sony’s blank exclusive roster and Microsoft’s big-name games, this is the best opportunity the Xbox One will ever have to make up ground on the PS4. But part of me feels like this console war was over after E3 2013. After a disastrous launch, the Xbox One doesn’t seem like it can ever catch Sony, barring some unforeseen catastrophe that is unlikely to take place. It’s not a failure by any means, but the PS4 seems like it’s always going to be millions of units ahead no matter what unfolds the next few years.

Still, Xbox One can’t stop trying, and letting Sony craft the Christmas gaming news narrative with no input of their own is a mistake. What am I and every other gaming site out there going to be reporting on early December? Whatever Sony is talking about at the show, and it will lead right into shopping season. Despite having no big exclusive games in the season, Sony will be dominating the conversation all the same. Microsoft can’t let that stand.

Nah I think you need to read the article.

Not sure if MS have enough games to make another successful conference. Sony can because of their Japanese support. They could have a fan event without one though, that is one of the main aims of PS Experience.

Microsoft really cannot counter PSXP because after just two conferences this year (E3 and Gamescom) they have already exhausted all announcements. They simply don't have anything left in the tank to fill another conference.

I wouldn't listen to you either.

People don't read the news over what sold during Nov.-Dec.

People read what sold the most Worldwide. PS4 by that time doubles up Xbox One.

The only noteworthy Microsoft did was the firesale. That's it.

Sony had SFV, Uncharted 4, Bloodborne, Until Dawn etc the global sales and the 20th Anniversary Console to talk about in the conference.

If anything, the SFV announcement being console exclusive hit the hardest that time and created an impact where most japanese game developers are now switching to PS4 development and exclusively playstation.

Even without this PS4 wins NPD in November and December anyway. Ironically, it will be won from 3rd party partnerships like Star Wars and COD, but this solidifies it nonetheless.

I think for the rest of the year the only month Xbox may win is October.

If that's true then XB1 should've sold more than it has right now. Most people don't care about discounts that are coming in regions that they are not a part of.

Discounts only brings people who are on the fence about it but will ultimately buy one anyway. And even that was shortlived.

Sony got a lot of mind share with PSX. You won't find that with sales. PSX was a reasssurance that things are going well for PS4.

Firesales don't do that.

I get your point Rol, but i wouldn't say the article is rubbish.

It is indeed very hard to measure how PS XP affected sales, if at all, and i agree with you that good bundles and price cuts have bigger impact, but they are also more expensive. Also, once you made a discount it can hard to pull the price up again without making people hold until the next discount. If i remember correctly X1 sales have problems when they tried to pull it back to $400 (i could be wrong here, not sure about the facts).

I think feeding the news with your content is a very valid strategy, even if it lacks the power of a price cut/discount. It is also a broad one. Even if XONE can't steel back many territories from PS4, it still can lose by a bigger or smaller margin, so they shouldn't just give up on WW.

I can imagine PS Experience showing games that will be available globally, for a global console helped global sales. Seeing as Sony did win last holiday season single handedly.

Zelda U @ TGA generated more twitter buzz than all of the Playstation Experience. ALL OF IT.