Is Microsoft Ready for War?

The battle lines have been drawn, Sony has positioned themselves on all fronts with Microsoft poised to counter. Will it be a quick battle, or is Microsoft ready for war?

[ATY]

Poised to counter?

Sony has kicked Microsoft into last place in both Europe and Japan.

The PS3 is humiliating the 360 like no other has ever before in a single generation with Killzone 2,Uncharted 2,GT5,Heavy Rain,Last Guardian...

Blu-Ray has kicked Microsft's HD-DVD to the trash heap of failed formats

Sony's unparalled mastery of console design and manufacturing now has the PS3 down to 300 dollars - significantly more powerful graphics hardware, Blu-Ray, HDMI 1.3, silent, internal power supply, easily swappable off the shelf cheap drive upgrades

Sony's gigantic 20 first party developers are cranking out AAA exclusive after exclusive while Microsoft's anemic 3 first party developers have to be propped up with DLC, PC ports, and multiplatform titles for Microsoft and the 360

Yeah, watch out console world. Here comes Microsoft!

[JOLLY1]

Then I realized you have only been on n4g for 2 days.....

[FlatulentGhost]

Microsoft has pretty much thrown in the towel for competing with Sony. So the article really is making an assumption that isn't true.

Microsoft is now trying to copy what Nintendo did with the Wii:

Recycle old hardware.
Bolt on motion controls to old hardware.
Target lower cost non-gamers.

If Microsoft was going to try to take on Sony they would instead be:

Bringing a new desperately needed upgrade to the belegared 360 hardware.
Building up first party studios
Taking steps to try to match Sony's online with free online play, dedicated servers, at least some sort of answer to the gigantic and massively successful Home online world

Microsoft's disastrous E3 2009 was them waving the white flag and moving on in a new direction. Losing to Nintendo will be cheaper than losing to Sony. After some eight years and eight billion dollars in losses Microsoft has finally reached their limit and said enough.

[ShabzS]

... flautuant here joined 5 days ago... where's... erm.. josutis (i think)?.. only reason i ask is you all troll in packs...

whatever though... its when you start making multi accounts on a gaming site to self bubble and mass agree you know that you take things a little too seriously... craaazzyyy

[Midris7]

Just because you have spent countless days more an this site does not make your opinion any more important than that of someone who joined two days ago.

[deadreckoning666]

2010 will be VERY interesting. Natal and the wands will have an epic war

Actually, yeah ur right, there is no war. Natal ill end up astonishing the world and kick the crap out of everythg! ;D

[Trollimite]

theres a war going on?

this is the problem with this gen, and i hope this dies with this gen.

[LordMarius]

This isnt war for Sony, its child's play

[Sarcasm]

What the heck? It's video games. Not war.

[Rigmaster]

With Microsoft already defeated in Japan and Europe, it really is more a question of how long can they hold out in their single remaining major territory where they aren't in last place, the US.

Obviously there is nothing that is going save Japan for Microsoft. Spending money there is more a matter of saving face than doing anything meaningful.

Even with being twice as expensive and coming out a year and a half after the 360, the PS3 has already taken 2nd place in Europe. The 300 Slim is obviously going to put the nail in the coffin.

So right now if you are a publisher or developer in 2/3s of the gaming world's markets the 360 is already in last place when it comes to setting your platform priorities.

Microsoft is right back to where they were with the first Xbox. US dominated sales, UK and few other countries helping out. Dead in Japan and mainland Europe.

The jumping on the motion control bandwagon will help keep existing 360 owners from abandoning the platform. Which is getting ever more tempting just like it was with the Xbox as the gap between the PC versions of Xbox games continue to get greater and greater.

Graphically the 360 is long since done. Alan Wake was held on to as some sort of hail mary savior due to it being an unknown. But the poor showing at E3 put that idea to rest.

And as has been stated the dismal first party lineup just isn't going to keep the 360 alive in the market cranking out Fable, Forza versions and whatever junk Rare comes out with. It is far too late to start buying new studios to beef up the 360's weak exclusive lineup.

Hoping that motion controls will somehow repeat the Wii's success is obviously delusional. Microsoft has no Miyamoto and so far they've shown nothing but tech demos that have gotten increasingly poorer previews in the gaming press.

The days of throwing billions at the console market are obviously over for Microsoft. They look like they want to gracefully exit while maximizing the number of people continuing to pay the 50 dollar a year online fees before they move on to something else. Cellphone gaming, resurrecting the dying PC game market,...

[soxfan2005]

MS is ahead of PS3 in the US - which is, BY FAR, the single largest gaming country in the world.

MS is ahead of PS3 in the UK - which is the largest gaming country in the world's largest gaming territory.

Sony can have the smaller countries, I'm sure MS is content to beat Sony on the world's largest stages.

[Whitefox789]

I completely agree with you we all don't need to start killing each other just like teenagers over a DND game

[Willio]

I choose you Pikachu. Now go fight my battles for me.

[likedamaster]

Microsoft brung it in 2001 and sealed current and future victories in 2002 with Xbox Live. Sony has been playing 'catch up' ever since. Suck it!

[The Xbox Empire]

lol Sony fanboys. Reality isn't your forte.

[Guido]

Oh the irony! A MS Troll calling out an alleged Sony troll! The fun never stops here does it! lol

As for war? The only war MS should be in right now is one that includes themselves and their R&D department. Yeah, the folks that brought to yo the RROD. 54% folks! That's horrible!

[ShabzS]

are the mods on vacation ?

[-EvoAnubis-]

Just what I was thinking. This entire conversation should have happened over there ---------->

[Anon1974]

"Microsoft has been in a position this generation where they found themselves without true competition up until this point"

Come again. Considering since the PS3 launched worldwide the 360 has been outsold from 2007 till now, I think that tells a different story. They've been losing ground for years now, and the sales prove that.

How is it that this notion that the 360 was somehow doing better ever even got started, let alone perpetuated irrespective of the facts?

[AAACE5]

You wanna zip that up... Your fanboy is hangin out!

Now that I have a Ps3, I can understand why alot of people feel the way they do about it! I have both of my systems set up right next to each other, and guess what? They don't fight! How crazy is that!

I like both systems, and see positives and negatives with both. To claim that one is better than the other is kind of pointless.

They are both good systems. You really shouldn't hate either of them! Just enjoy what you got! I mean, some people act like if the console they love more wins they get some kind of prize... I had all 3 consoles last gen and guess what... there is no prize except for the stuff you already got!

Now I like the console war thing... It's kind of entertaining to me! But if the Xbox 360 really is no competition for the Ps3, the most obvious question is, Why do you care about the 360 so much? Why do you feel the need to comment on any 360 post? Why do you hate the 360 so much?

It doesn't make sense to me to love to talk about something you hate! If I hate something, I don't wanna think about it! But I guess everyone's different...

[Lifendz]

Is that a serious question? MS has shown since they first came into the console arena that they want to surplant Sony. While you or I may not agree with some of their practices, securing 3rd games that were once exclusive to Sony, securing timed exclusivity and permanent exclusivity on major 3rd party games is huge, advertising is one of MS' strengths, etc etc.

MS is ready. It saw what happened in first half of 08 when Sony was the same price as the elite and 100 bucks more than the cheapest 360 sku. I really think the next major step is to make live free. I want that so I can get a 360 but also so Sony will be motivated all the more to improve PSN.

The only company I think isn't ready for war is Nintendo and that's just because the Wii is a runaway hit with an install base that neither Sony or MS may match anytime soon.

[potenquatro]

You think people don't know your the same person?? Don't quit your day job cause your trolling sucks lol. Matter fact quit life cause I bet this IS your job lol.

On topic: IMHO. Sony wasn't ready for war and got caought with their dik in their hand. Sony went to war on TV CPU's and disc formats. Sony never went to war on the GAMING side. Wich is why no matter how you spin it, no matter what you tell yourself, they're in last place. I like taking the "wait and see aproach". We've waited and we saw, nothing happened. Sony is competing for the survival of the PS brand, not winning this gen. By x-mas next year this gen might be over.

Sony. You may have 15 months to make the whole world completely stop buying 360s and Wii's and sell over 10million units. GO!!!!

[darthv72]

I have seen so much hatred towards the 360 from some of the more rabbid ps3 fans. While I have also seen it go the other way I have noticed a slight trend lately. Some of the more vocal 360 fans have stated their interest in getting the ps3 when it became cheaper and now it seems likely they will be doing so.

Not that it will change anything mind you but you have to respect them for at least being the bigger gamer to put aside the difference and pick up the console they once so opposed. I myself was like that until last year when I got the ps3. It is a great system but not perfect as others make it out to be. Neither is the 360 and I was never one to say it was. No console is without its faults but the biggest fault is the gamers who are so one sided to not even acknowledge and respect the choices made by others to further the same cause we all are part of.

It is one thing to be a loyalist to the cause but keep in mind it is the same cause the so called opposition is in favor of too. Great games and having fun playing them! I have a good friend who he himself is starting to realize the error of being such a one sided sony fan. He has been spending more time on his cousins 360 latley that his ideas towards it are changing. He can see there is good to being a gamer from a general sense instead of being restricted to just one console/company.

I wouldnt be surprised if more 360 gamers bought the cheaper ps3 and became more neutral in this so called war. Maybe voicing an opinion or two in regards to the multiplatform games but most enjoying what each system has to offer. I also believe there are some ps3 gamers out there who are interested in the 360 and have been putting it off for similar reasons (price, games, potential backlash from other ps3 extremists). There should be no reason to fight and bicker like little children over the same cause both are speaking so loudly about.

In conclusion I feel that those who are getting the ps3 and have a 360 will not be disappointed in what it has to offer. The same holds true for those ps3 only players that have an interest in the 360. There is great potential in both systems (maybe the wii too for kicks and giggles) and if you put aside the differences long enough you will see that I am right.

[FlipMode]

IDK all they have is price now and even that is fizzling away.

[N4XBOXG]

Sony has pretty much owned the video gaming industry since the first Playstation, hell if u look at the sales of the ps3 its actually doing better than the xbox360 at the same time period (dont tell fanboys though because sales only matter when talking about Gears of Halo). That being said i dont think the 360 is bad but i think if the Ps3 and 360 would have released on the same day that the Ps3 would be ahead of it in terms of sales but no use talking about what ifs at the moment. All i hope for is next gen MS actually tries fixes their hardware failure rates becuase if not i dont think ill bother with MS anymore.

[PandemicPrawn0]

Your Right of course if the 360 and PS3 were launched at the same time the brand recognition of the Playstation would have considerably outsold the 360.

Thats my opinion and i'm an 360 fan.

But we all know MS's best bet was to launch early and gain market share and that is what this gen has been all about for MS.

Now I don't think they were counting on the RROD to be as big of an issue as it turned out to be, but They definitely have the install base and brand recognition to push on for the next gen consoles.

[soxfan2005]

@3.1 - Wow, another troll who just joined N4G. What a shock. You guys must really be scared - I've never seen anything like this.

[soxfan2005]

Bravo, mods.

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

It was more Sony and Nintendo launched late while MS launched on time.

On the other hand, if they all launched at the same time, Xbox 360 hardware probably would have been more comparable to PS3.

[morganfell]

They hardly launched on time. If they launched on time then the R&D on the 360 would have been complete. It wasn't even close.

[Shadow Man]

is all about the market share for Microsoft.

_____________________________ ______________________________ _ ____________

Chapter 8, section 9, when your push in a corner by a BOT, scream RROD!! RROD!! RROD!! LOL

[Gue1]

I don't know if it is because of my bad English but I don't understand a thing about what are you trying to say... =/

[ZuperAmazingCooKie]

54

[coolirisGB]

They've been on top this whole time with strategy. Microsoft has forced Sony to price drop or SKU swap with a total of around 5 or 6 price adjustment since the PS3 launched.

Sony has to downgrade the PS3 every time Sony adjusts the price while Microsoft matches the move each time adding more and more value at the same time not downgrading the console.

I fail to see how the war is just now starting, it's been going on for years when Microsoft stayed in 2nd place while Sony was the leader for two generations.

LOL PS2 has sold around 150 million and now PS3 is in last place and it's Microsoft! that needs to fight! as if they're in last place? hahahaha

[N4XBOXG]

too bad system reliability hasnt gone up, yea they might have extented the warranty but i dont like having to wait a month every six months to play my games.

Id say their best strategy was releasing before the ps3 so it seemed like it was doing better.

[coolirisGB]

Poor troll are you lost? this is in the 360 section.

[FlipMode]

I Love Microsoft ;D

[LordMarius]

its on the front page

[N4XBOXG]

Im more of a werewolf....

[coolirisGB]

http://www.n4g.com/up/99878...

"IM NOT A TROLL!!!1111!!!1!"

You really think I would call you a troll only after one fanboy comment? lol I'v seen your comments.

Flop mode/Saaking/N4XBOXG/Pirate Thom/alexM/Shmee/Canadianguy42 0/gwave/ghost of sparta/Nasim.

[N4XBOXG]

and ive seen yours, dont act like your really any different. The sad thing is im just messing around, you're probally 100% serious about all the stuff you say.

[FlipMode]

Seriously EVERY time cooliris talks about multiple accounts.

Now watch as I say this I will get 10 disagrees

[N4XBOXG]

he talks about multiple accounts because he has nothing to say. But he'll never guess my other account muhahhahahahaha....HA

[coolirisGB]

"he talks about multiple accounts because he has nothing to say. But he'll never guess my other account muhahhahahahaha....HA"

Ironically your replies say otherwise and it has you guys all ass hurt because it's the truth hence the fanboy RROD speech.

I talk about multiple accounts because it's retarded to troll this site all day trying to convince people that already hate the 360 that the 360 sucks. Do your homework or get a job so people can read some news without some rabid loser talking smack for once.

@N4XBOXG
"But he'll never guess my other account"

*Peter North*?
http://www.n4g.com/up/10027...
Same trolling behavior

EDIT

The context of your RROD speech doesn't make sense we're talking about marketing strategy. lol What's Yellow lights or red rings have to do with company strategy in the price/offerings wars?

[Whitefox789]

I mean after all systems aside there's one thing we all have in common we've all played Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt w/ the Zapper

[Memo-Xen x3100]

Sony upgraded the hardware this time, do you think when you post? Backwards compatibility may be important to some people but they are few a far between. Oh no!! They pulled the 'Other OS' functionality?! I'm going to pick out a beam in my basement to hang myself from!!

[Arnon]

Pulling features out of something is not upgrading.

PS3 Slim:

-Removal of custom OS.
-Touch-Sensitive buttons replaced with actual buttons that don't match the surface they're on.
-Nice, finished surface replaced with mat-black surface.
-Playstation 3 font replaced with "PS3" which doesn't stand out enough.
-Still only 2 USB ports instead of 4.
-No Backwards compatability
-No HDMI/Component cables
-No support for vertical stand unless bought separately.

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

With every iteration of the PS3, it has been downgraded. The only upgrade I have seen is the sound, which to majority is useless. However, we asked for it via price cuts!

MS has added HDMI, but of course people complain about added value....

[morganfell]

They complain because they were expected to go out and re-buy a feature that should have been on a real next gen machine from the get go. Just like a next gen disc medium.

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

You mean like how the six axis didn't have the last gen feature called "rumble"?

Get on with it, there is nothing expected about anything, just offers. If you don't like it don't buy it, but personally I would be upset at a company that is going backwards removing features instead of adding them!

[PlayStation X]

over 15,000,000 XBOX 360's Have Failed Since Since Its Release
Oucheeeeeeee

thats what ya call marketing!!!11!!

[Kill Crow]

then you HAVE to believe KZ2 only got 4/10 by user poll.

[blackbeld]

^^^ Agree..... So for really how many ppl bought a 360? I think 54% RROD then its about uhhh... 13,5 million ppl.....

Stupid Bots.... Still loving the way M$ Screw them...

Sony will crush M$ like a little bug... Slap and 360RRODied instandly..

[GiantEnemyCrab]

Then you must also agree that PS3 failure rates are %10 which are well outside the industry norm of %3-%5. Time for a recall as well!!!!

[PopEmUp]

so in other word you actually agree that 54.2% is fact? lol :P

[kookro]

war? no.. microsoft does not make guns... ya i know that's not what the article is about but the damn headlines are stupid.

[Obama]

This is WAR! *Kicks 360 into the pithole*

[Peter North]

I just came on my Slim

http://i30.tinypic.com/344p...

[ZombieAutopsy]

lmao didnt i see an add for your porn site somewhere?

[Gue1]

That pic it's just epic! LoL

The cumshot legend FTW! =D

[Neo604]

they even rig polls and advertisment.

[Saaking]

MS can't do anything right now. Unless they drop the arcade to $99 which I'm pretty sure they won't they have a very slim chance of beating the PS3.

[Peter North]

Even at $99 people will still avoid the 360, it needs to be .99 to catch mass attention

[Gue1]

OMG, when did N4G turned out into News for Trolls? There are so many of them that it is just unbelievable! Anyway, join in me on the battle in the open zone! =D

BTW how many accounts do I have to create to gain at least one more bubble? Like 10? 20 maybe? =p

[Peter North]

What are you talking about

[raztad]

I concur. It' s not nice what is going on here. The headline is feeding the trolls.

Come on guys, calm down. The only benefited from this "war" going on are the gamers/potential gamers interested on either console.

[Whitefox789]

:D

[SupaPlaya]

you got 20% of the people commenting on the "news", the rest of the people are just here to start a text war to kill time. TEH SALES. TEH PIXELS. OH NO NOT THE GAMEZ.

Fun Fun Fun.

[Allowen]

A price drop on the xbox360 will only delay the inevitable : )

Costumers wants great games and if possible a lot of then and that is why month after month more and more pll are stoping buy both Wii and xbox360 because the lack of new AAA games for those plataforms.

Sony did the right thing that was to not just reduce the price of the PS3 but also show lots of AAA titles coming bettewn oct-June(2010).
I belive that for every ONE new uber AAA game on the wii/360 we can find TEN on the PS3 in 2010 so both Microsoft/Nintendo will need more then a price cut on their console to really stop the growing worlwide of the Sony's PS3.

[rjackson1]

Long live my Xbox360 and by the way r2d2,aty,n4xboxg,flipmode,midr is7,shbzshar,flatulentghost,Ob ama,cmrbe,peternorth,Saaking,p l aysta t ion X,shadowman are delusional fansboys because sony is still in last place right? You act like they won.You guys are fools on sony di#k and need to grow the fu*k up and get a life.And yes i am a bot.You are pathetic kids. You sound like a bunch of 12 year olds that just learned what swear words are.You know their wrong but when mommy isn't around you use them to make yourself look tough.Yes obama i have one account you multi accounts on a gaming site to self bubble and mass agree with your self.Your area real big fool.

[Obama]

The irony :O

[N4XBOXG]

i didnt even post in this zone and i get some recognition, and dood ur a freakin fanboy so dont go around acting like other people who seem like it are any worse than you

[Peter North]

By State law you are required to shut the fvck up.

[Obama]

That's why rjackson1 have 3 bubbles.

[FlipMode]

NIIIIIIIICE I am on all the 360 trolls mind. Cooliris and now you

[rebirthofcaos]

it is a simple question with a simple answer, NO. They are as ready as when they release the 360 knowing the hardware issues.

[cmrbe]

Is MS ready for the slaughter lamo!!!

[Godmars290]

Considering they started it. Twice.

[kaveti6616]

I like cheese. I know that bit of info sounds irrelevant, but so does everything else that is said on here. So... I like cheese.

[air1]

i like cheese too :)

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

Ready for War??? LOL. Oh wait, it's just gamesonsmash.com. One of the most idiotic sites around.

[biggame901]

I don't think Microsoft can counter. All of their supposed advantages have been equalled or eliminated, and with the price now making them virtually even, Sony has the ball clearly in their court.

The only thing Microsoft can do is strengthen in the US, which is their strongest territory. Cause the 360 is all but done in Japan, and The EU won't be much different.

Superior games, superior hardware, better price = Better value. I don't see this ending well for the 360.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

The only thing difficult for MS to match is Blu-ray. Other than that I think MS can adjust things to compete with Sony on every other level.

Include WiFi

Drop the price of the HDD's to industry standards.

Restructure Live to have a free tier where online gaming is no charge. Turn the $50 a year into something more like free Avatar Marketplace items, free arcade games, etc.

Superior games? That is opinion and I don't agree. If it's one thing the 360 does not lack that is great games.

What other differences are there? Of course hardware reliability needs to continue to improve and communicate that to the consumer.

[Memo-Xen x3100]

-120 or 250GB HDD
-Less power consumption
-Upgraded internal hardware
-runs quieter
-smaller more space efficient design
-Updated cooling system
-Stand is optional, can stand without

and did you really moan about losing the PLAYSTATION 3 spiderman font? Let me get you some kleenex.

[Arnon]

So it's upgraded because it requires 34% less energy? lol...

And no, it can not stand on it's side... unless you want to risk having it fall over.

I 'moaned' about the font, because it's obvious they cut costs on the entire console. The thing is fugly and it looks cheap on the outside.

[cuttlefish80]

It's strange alot of the posting on this section is PS3 biased, i just wiki'd (not that wiki is the most reputable source of info, but it's clearly more research than what has been displayed on this page) the world wide sales and 360 sales are ahead by close to 7 million units.

Focusing on where you win battles raises questions on your whole argument. I personally don't have a preference in which console i have both seem to be more or less pushing the same crap with different wrappings. I just can't stand blatant fanboyism, just get over it and realize that both consoles suck equally.

This christmas sales season will be telling of who will win this "war" may the console with the better exclusive titles win.

[kraze07]

Damn, where did this army of trolls spawn up from. This article about a "war" is nonsense and so are the trolls and fanboys arguing about it.

[ItsIncognito]

What they didn't expect was the 299. They expected 349, that is why the elite will have a pricetag of 299. You can argue what you want. The PS3 for 299 is a steal certanly in this economic climate. MS is quiet because they are caught in the act.

[N4G king]

Microsoft has already lost Japan and Europe
the only palace left is the US
and that's where the 8 million ahead comes from
now this is gona be kinda hard because the US in the xbox 360's home
but
alot of ppl waiting for a cheap playstation
and thats why the slim is an overkill

[vydeljr]

The factory defect rate for Xbox 360 consoles in August 2005 - four months prior to its US launch - was as high as 68 per cent.

What's more, the initial yield on the three-core CPU designed by IBM for the next-generation console was just 16 per cent.

That's all according to a report by VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi, author of the console's unofficial biography, of sorts, Xbox 360 Uncloaked, who attributed the numbers to "several sources".

In his article Xbox 360 defects: an inside history of Microsoft's videogame console woes, Takahashi also wrote that during meetings to outline the Xbox 360 project, "Secretly, Microsoft had planned on selling 50 million Xbox 360s".

Later on, Takahashi's sources claim that Microsoft was well aware of the massive defect rate (although entertainment division boss Robbie Bach has subsequently denied there was any concern about it at the time) and chose to press on with the console's launch anyway.

Over 1.2 million consoles were returned by early 2007, he wrote, and eventually Microsoft announced a free replacement service as it got its head around the problem.

As to why, Takahashi identified any number of things, but in terms of the early round of problems it sounds like feature-creep, with the late addition of hard disks and wireless controllers blocking airflow

"It turned out in the end that this was all going too far, too fast," said one source quoted by Takahashi. "They were adding too many features after things were locked down. That incremental feature adding just made it fragile."

Microsoft also took ownership of the ATI and IBM chip designs at the heart of the console. "However," Takahashi pointed out, "this was a mistake: it was now responsible for failures related to the chip." Yeah - oops.

The result of all the failures was, initially, a "bone pile" in a warehouse at manufacturer Wistron and a repair centre in Texas of over 500,000 consoles that either didn't work to begin with or broke quickly. All the while we were being told failures were within "normal rates for consumer electronics products".

Later, between January and June 2007, Microsoft even shut down manufacturing, according to Takahashi, in order to investigate.

Yet for all this, Takahashi reported that Robbie Bach told fellow diners at some sort of technology banquet in July that gamers have largely forgiven the company for the defectives 360s.

For Microsoft's part, it said: "This new story repeats old information, and contains rumors and innuendo from anonymous sources, attempting to create a new sensational angle, and is highly irresponsible."

[Mr Face Creamer]

Microsoft has whopped Sony's ass ever since they took out their POS3 in 2006 and threw it on shelves.

Nice try though, now that Sony had a price cut, all the droids are bothering to login and write comments that don't make sense.

"lololoolol teh TRASHSTATION3, no soz its nuw TrashStation 3 will be teh microhard xbox and teh xbots gun cry ... lolololol rrod"

[wxer]

Poor bot
On denial
:(

[kaz-hirai]

Aww getting annoyed ?

You still have time to invest into a true next gen machine before it flys off the shelves
;-D!!!!

If you dont want to, you stick to your gimped machine and stick to your lower bitrate HD movie streaming service ;-D !!!!!!! hope your internet can cope ;-}!

[Silentmerc3nary]

This isn't News for Gamers, more like News for Fanboys.

[anaviel]

Listen up people, fanboys, trolls, werewolves, or whatever you are calling yourselves these days. This "war" topic is dumber than a blind man with a drivers license. I actually don't care who wins or losses. PS2 outsold the competition but xbox360 still came out this generation and so did the WII. Regardless of who outsells the other all three of these gaming giants will release another console the next generation. All of the consoles have their faults. With the 360's RROD being the biggest topic of them all and I can see how sony fanboys see that as a easy target to fire at. But what's amazing is that even with the said "54%" failure rate which I believe is bull that faulty system has still outsold the more reliable PS3. Now fanboys can get upset but you have to give props where they are due. Microsoft turned that frown into a smile with everything else the 360 has to offer.
The fact that the 360 launched over a year before has no real reason for the lead in sales. A console that is claimed to have a 54% failure rate can not rely on jumping out the gate first for over a year unless they are doing something so wonderful in the eyes of gamers that they overlook that notion. Microsoft is very new in the hardware sector of gaming and entertainment. They are first a software company and that is where they shine and that is the real reason for the lead in this generation. Everything about the PS3 is superior....EVERYTHING!!!! But we are talking about gaming and the 360 has a better selection of games. I agree that the PS3 has some killer apps as well but the fact is 4 or 5 games can not compete with the library of games the 360 has. Tack on live and you have the reason why many 360 owners or potential owners overlook that failure rate and the lack of blu-ray support. The lack of wi-fi out of the box and the cost of live. And to add insult to injury the 360 is a pirate cove. It's so bad there are people with actual websites advertising modding the 360..(pretty stupid but you get the point) and with all of that against it the 360 still outsells the PS3.
This price drop is great for those wanting to purchase a PS3 but it's not a good thing for Sony if they don't start moving units and the gaming line up doesn't move consumers to buy consoles and games. Sony does have a good line up coming this year and hopefully that is enough but Sony can not count on multiplatform games to move units. Microsoft is at a point that moving units isn't the goal. The goal is to move software. The more software they move the more they can reinvest in the technology that is the 360. Soon the RROD will not be an issue. Trust me that huge price tag on repairs is not something they are letting go unchecked and the new systems coming out more than likely will not have that issue.
Sony will catch up with sales very soon this I do not doubt and if they continue to release better games then things will even out but in no way can anyone write off either company right now. Just enjoy your console of choice and stop bashing the other. This generation Microsoft did the impossible and I have to tip my hat to them because the 360 started out a mess and look where it is now.

[i3eyond the Circle]

Ready for war?

More like ready for strategy.

It takes more than a slim design and a price drop to make the Xbox360 obsolete.

I really don't understand what is going through peoples heads.

That's not how it works. You first need to create something that will make Xbox360 gamers not want to play those systems anymore.

Because as long as there is an install base and Xbox Live community there will be no worries on Microsofts side for nothing Sony throws at them will stop it from growing.

[skatezero246]

I'm sure Microsoft has a card up there sleeve they always do, whether it's an ace or a 2 we will have to wait and see

[rmasse16]

The Xbox 360 breaks five times as often as often as its closest failure-prone competitor, the PlayStation 3, a print edition-only Game Informer survey found.

The poorly manufactured, red ring of death-prone console has a 54.2 percent failure rate, compared to 10.6 percent for the PS3 and the Wii's 6.8 percent.

The magazine surveyed nearly 5,000 readers to get the data. And while the 360's rate is alarmingly higher than the others, it's still bafflingly low because it blows the mind to imagine that 45.8 percent of the consoles have not broken. Also, Microsoft's numbers are inflated because 360s are used the most of the three consoles. Results said 40.3 percent of 360 owners use the console three to five hours a day, compared to 37 percent of PS3 owners. Meanwhile, the plurality of Wii owners (41.4 percent) play their consoles less than an hour a day.

Microsoft also seized the gold medal for unhelpful customer service, taking nearly a month to repair or replace a console, while Nintendo and Sony stuck closer to a week. Only 37.7 percent of Microsoft customers found the company's customer service was "very helpful," compared to 51.1 percent fo Sony and 56.1 percent for Nintendo.

The most shocking number from the survey - and frightening from a consumer perspective - is only 3.8 percent of Xbox 360 owners said they'd never buy another Xbox because of hardware failure."

[Figboy]

when its console STILL has less features than the PS3 at the same price.

a "counter" would be if they somehow managed to match and or exceed what the PS3 is offering, and do so at the same price.

to do that, MS would have to bundle in the Wi Fi adaptor, and a Blu Ray player, and cut the cost of Xbox LIVE to free. not to mention produce a stable of first and second party games in every genre that are TRULY unavailable on any other platform (that includes PC).

to ME, at least, that would be an appropriate counter.

my take on it is that all MS can do is cut the price to match the PS3's new price, and market aggressively.

thing is, the Xbox 360 has been the cheapest console on the market for a while now (Arcade at $199), and it's definitely boosted sales, but a LOT of people have been waiting for a PS3 price drop. MS would never admit it, but people have been DESIRING the PS3 more than a 360, because, in truth, 360's are rather common, and already at mainstream prices. most people that wanted a 360 have been able to get one at a fair price for YEARS now.

the same can't be said for the PS3, which has been at a premium price for the first 3 years of it's lifespan.

i guess the point i'm trying to make is that the PS3 is in a better position with its price cut, than Microsoft is with ITS price cut. people have been anticipating a PS3 price cut, while not as many have been anticipating a 360 price cut (hell, many a person could snag an Arcade at $199, and by a used 20gig HDD for less than $50).

price has never been an issue for the 360, where it has ALWAYS been the issue for the PS3. until now.

and the PS3 has a strong holiday lineup this year to rope in the new gamers from hardcore to casual (with a big chance that their biggest franchise, Gran Turismo, will hit this year also), while the 360 has Halo: ODST and Left4Dead 2, two hardcore games.

i think the only way for MS to truly "counter" Sony would be with strong exclusive games, and, unfortunately, that's never been MS' strong point with only 6 or so first and second party studios, compared to Sony's 19 first party, and 11 second party studios, which they're constantly adding to by partnering with more studios (ie, Media Molecule, Quantic Dream, thatgamecompany, etc).

that's just my take on it.

[Anon1974]

Soxfan2005 said "MS is ahead of PS3 in the US - which is, BY FAR, the single largest gaming country in the world."

Maybe, but still the the PS3 is outselling the 360 overall since it launched worldwide. Certainly you can't deny the importance of the US market but the PS3 still sells more consoles. Fact: from 2007 till the halfway mark of 2009, the PS3 has sold over a million consoles more than the 360. If you matched up the launch of each console, it looks even worse with the PS3 outselling the 360 by 3 million consoles if you look at what they each did in their first 2 1/2 years proving that it's far more popular with consumers than the 360 ever was, or is.

So, if the US is the most important market - how come the PS3 is beating the 360 overall? Your logic doesn't stand up to the sales data.

[Xander756]

Why is such a poorly written clearly fanboy-authored article at 400 degrees hype? Why is this kind of trash even on N4G at all?

[GiantEnemyCrab]

I'm sure MS have a plan and will adjust it according to the market. Right now Sony is bringing it and their chess pieces are more visible on the board now. MS is making it's next moves and it should mean good things for consumers.

MS has stated clearly "We will beat Sony this generation". So far, they have done that in sales/marketshare which is MS's goal, so let's see where they move next.

[Ripyealip]

half of Microsoft hardware sales are replacement RROD xbox 360s, 54% selfdestruct rate!

[ScoobyDrew]

"theres a war going on?
this is the problem with this gen, and i hope this dies with this gen."

oh ya there is a war in every generation, and it'll never stop until there is only one system (which WON'T happen).

so rest assured next gen will have a war too.

[showtimefolks]

i bought a xbox360 when it came out sold it right back cause of fan noise if you can believe it

bought a ps3 60gb when it came out very happy with it

now i am about to get a elite xbox360 with new chips and games being installed on hard drive i heard fan noise isn't bad now
----------------------------- --

if sony dropped the price how much did you get paid why are you making fanboy comments just enjoy games for what its worth
xbox360 is also a great console so stop hating one or the other

[keysy420]

if you were ready for war would you want a general that made rash decision or one that made decisions on what the best route. lets take the ps3 and m$ price cut. this was made because of the new ps3 that made them just drop the price it was like a reaction instead of a planed out thing. did that help them no instead they would be selling the 360 at 50 dollars more and still get the same result. people who buy 360 are already owners of the system they arent getting anyone new on the system.
m$ is dead in the water and from what devs are saying natal is a flop

[NEWSWATCHERS]

Xbox 360 is STILL cheaper then the PS3...200$ model remember? if people have a buget the Xbox 360 WILL be there choice.

[Arnon]

What is with this 'war' BS? Does anyone actually enjoy PLAYING the games instead of arguing which one is better?

[djfullshred]

haha, people on game sites & blogs really over dramatize the business aspects. The game business is so large, that three consoles can easily stay in the market & be profitable.

There is no war. Some people prefer the Sony product. Some people prefer the Microsoft product. And if you read the blogs, you can see a lot of consumers are going to stay loyal to their brand of choice. People can call it war, but these companies are both going to be selling their products, and making good profits simultaneously over the years. Both companies are kidding themselves if they think they can completely take the game market & become the one "holy grail" console maker. They should both continue to do what smart companies do - know their own niche and target consumers, and continue to focus on those areas for sales, regardless what the other company is doing.

[air1]

sony lost plain and simple..

they got too desperate too fast, a slim and a price drop?! and still losing money on every ps3 sold lmfao

[dragonelite]

Gonna be a long time before sony get its investment back with the ps 3 looks like it needs a 30 years lifespan to recoup the losses then sony has 2 consoles on the market. The ps 3 and 4.

[gamingisnotacrime]

This are tough times to be a PS3 hater

[RockmanII7]

360 released in 2005
PS3 released in 2006
Both consoles are going for a 10 year life span
Do the Math...