Feels strange when such a hot new console is already being bundled with €100 of extras by gamestop to sell some for Christmas



Also if you ask me... a terrible idea to ship a premium console like the Xbox1X along with basically a beta of a game which chugs down as low as 4fps on the system at times... I would feel terrible if I was a clueless gamer and got home to my new system to find it ran the only game I got for it like that. Would be instant buyers remorse.

As for talking about a consoles launch week as though it's some sort of "come back" against the other systems. Wow

I was actually going to mention this. At 6TF, Microsoft basically cornered the competitors before the next generation even started in the first place. Jumping much higher after this yields negligible benefits to performance, and the cost will skyrocket afterwards. Attempting to go further might be costly, so Sony either needs to find a way to be better which precludes power, or risk MS starting with an already vast catalog and around a million or more users. 

They actually played a good hand this time. They did something that would ensure they remained the top dog one way or another once this generation ends... 

Feels strange when such a hot new console is already being bundled with €100 of extras by gamestop to sell some for Christmas



Also if you ask me... a terrible idea to ship a premium console like the Xbox1X along with basically a beta of a game which chugs down as low as 4fps on the system at times... I would feel terrible if I was a clueless gamer and got home to my new system to find it ran the only game I got for it like that. Would be instant buyers remorse.

As for talking about a consoles launch week as though it's some sort of "come back" against the other systems. Wow

I think both companies took the right steps for their respective platforms. Sony being the more popular platform going into the mid gen upgrades decided to create something that was compelling for Ultra HD screens while not alienating their existing large fanbase. This also allowed them to come out with it sooner to ride the wave of their global sales success while capitalizing on their onslaught of 2017 exclusives while making PSVR more compelling as well.

Meanwhile Microsoft wanted to combat the stigma of their low powered console by creating something with a much bigger jump that they could use to market and combat the overall market mindset. And they've done that with more than just the XB1X. They phased out the original XB1 with the XB1S which had a slight bump in performance while including the ability to output decently upscaled games to 4K with HDR (which does make a great difference in visuals IMO). Anyways, they've made a big marketing push with the XB1X and have mostly succeeded in battling the narrative.

Does that mean they are going to win the gen or make a huge comeback? Far from it. They still have a lot of work to do on the content front but one problem at a time with full focus seems to be their current mantra in improving things.

So in short, I think both were good moves for their respective strategies. If you want us to compare strategies I'd say Sony's strategy is currently better for us as consumers. But that's only because everyone is still trying to figure out what MS's strategy really is. They haven't been clear about it and it could really go either way as far as who it's meant to benefit most. And before anyone comes in with the cynical "They obviously are looking out for themselves and want a strategy that benefits them," that's true of all companies. But it can still be mutually beneficial and market success is commonly linked to mutual benefit.

My take on this: Ps4 pro had two targets for Sony

1) Bring in a device which would platform 4k content so that 4k TV and monitors would become intresting, both for consumers to buy and for manufacturers to offer. I think the synergy with TV has been great but on monitor side 4k HDR is still rare

2) Make a better PSVR experience. I think this has been playing out well during this holiday season when also games are available (skyrim)

I cant say anything about sales but from a hardware perspective i think it was a better decision by Sony to release the Pro earlier and being cheaper, as both consoles cant do 4K or 60fps for most games, speaking as a 1080p user.

My take on this: Ps4 pro had two targets for Sony

1) Bring in a device which would platform 4k content so that 4k TV and monitors would become intresting, both for consumers to buy and for manufacturers to offer. I think the synergy with TV has been great but on monitor side 4k HDR is still rare

2) Make a better PSVR experience. I think this has been playing out well during this holiday season when also games are available (skyrim)

I've said this a million times but:

I was so hyped for PSVR that I bought it on day one. I was so hyped for the improved PSVR performance that I pre-ordered the PS4 Pro. The Pro had me do hyped for 4K that I bought a 4K TV before the Pro even arrived!

They've fixed the issue now (for new buyers) but I always hated that I had to choose between HDR and PSVR. Either I had to disconnect the PSVR from the console that improved PSVR or I had to keep it connected and always have the loss of image quality gnawing in the back of my head. In that regard, I always felt Sony kinda screwed up.