PlayStation Experience is Not E3. Stop Treating it Like It Is.

Many gamers here and pretty much all over the place are walking away from Sony's keynote disappointed. Everyone perceives excitement and disappointment differently, but gamers in general seemed disappointed. Why? Reasons vary. Let's talk about why it disappointed: it had little in the way of big announcements (honestly, the Call of Duty/Battlefront news was pretty boring to me), VR wasn't exactly shown in a shining light, and many indies. But wait a minute...it sounds like people are upset because no real megaton announcements (subjective, and I'll get into that) were made and we didn't see any big budget titles at PSX 2015. Sounds an awful lot like we believe PSX would be similar to E3. Let's get into why that is honestly just bogus thinking.

I. E3 HAS TENURE

What's the biggest difference between E3 and PSX? Industry influence. PSX was an event Sony put together starting last year for PlayStation fans to let them know what else is coming in the near future. And frankly, placing it in December was genius. It tops off the year with some announcements that you can get excited for...or not. E3 has been around for a very long time. People get excited about E3 and is a widely sponsored event. PSX, not nearly as much. After all, this is only the second showing.

II. SONY IS NOT DIRECTLY COMPETING

Considering this is an event Sony throws together to communicate with fans and have those in attendance try out some tech and games, it's pretty low stakes. They don't have Microsoft or Nintendo to worry about. This is a laid back event where PlayStation gamers can play PlayStation and hear all about what's coming. E3 is far more competitive with everyone trying to usurp each other with big announcements. It sets aside all of the competition and spotlights Sony so they can share with their fans what's going on that they haven't touched upon previously in the year. That, and have more people try PlayStation VR. I love how PSX is about trying out their offerings, being rewarded for showing up, getting a heads up on what just became available on the PS Store mid-conference, and (a big one) providing an update on what developers have done with big games announced at E3. Last year at E3, they ended with Uncharted 4's debut and PSX showed gameplay. This year, Final Fantasy VII debuted and we saw gameplay at PSX. Remember reading your old GamePro or Electronic Gaming Monthly magazines and being happy to read each issue because it actually had information you didn't know before? You know, that time before the internet took off and was accessible to all? That's the vibe you can get from these PSX updates and it's pretty awesome. Imagine what will be shown next year after Uncharted 4 drops and there must be a new game to fill its hype. Hold on to that thought...

III. THEY CANNOT ALL BE BIG

Contrary to popular belief, Sony needs time to make the big budget games. In the meantime, enjoy these indies. And frankly, it's not a bad thing at all. Indies are often short, but there are plenty of them. There's a stigma to the announcement of indies before we even know anything about them and I don't get it. The definition of indie seems lost because of how we react to their announcements relative to AAA budget titles with publishers. Hellblade and No Man's Sky do a pretty great job of defying convention. Those are, surprise, independent titles...or indies. My point being, do you want Sony to have the money to bring you the next great AAA games or nah? Those titles cost money and you cannot, rather, ought not, sink endless gobs of money into big releases, especially if they need spaces between releases. That would be repeating another foolish mistake involving Square Enix, Bethesda, and a rival platform holder. That said, it is certainly unwise to plan to hit it out of the park with big games every conference. If you need to downsize for one, the homebrewed conference would be the one to do it.

IV. BLOCKBUSTERS: IN IMAX 3D OR ON TV?

That thought I asked you to hold? Thanks for holding. Now, what you believe to be huge announcements or not is completely subjective. But seriously, how are people NOT treating Ni No Kuni II as a big deal from Level-5? Yes, even I am a bit disheartened to know that they, to our knowledge, failed to materialize anything regarding Dark Cloud 3. Yeah, and? They just announced the sequel to a game co-created with Studio Ghibli. STUDIO. GHIBLI. They kind of made some amazing classics. You know, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, what have you. The first Ni No Kuni showed the brilliance of their collaboration and now we get a sequel? Uh, huge win. HUGE. You simply might not know it yet. At any rate, let's talk about timing, okay? PlayStation Experience, as I mentioned, is simply Sony's time to shine and thank its fans. No fangs need baring. The event, to reiterate, shows you what's coming and give you updates. Last year had a very similar setup. Regardless, you still heard about new games, whether you know you want some of them or not. Now how about when you need to win over fans? When you need to really impress people? Do you do it at the established, long time event...or the personal show? Obviously, you go with the established event. You didn't hear about God of War at PSX. Or Sony Bend's new game. Nothing new regarding Gran Turismo. Really, no updates on Horizon? Okay, how about Shenmue III or any other left field games? You save it. You save it for the show that everyone knows and can watch in theaters where people can pour out of a theater excited as **** about what Sony has planned for PlayStation, that's what you do. And you know what? They just have to show a teaser and it'll get people excited. And then you know what? Give us all of the details at PSX. The fact that you have yet to hear much about these games should tell you now that their reveals and updates are likely to be bloody huge. And that's how you kill and wow your audience.

So in summary, Sony is very clearly planning these events with different purposes is mind. Calling PSX a disappointment because it was lacking in E3-scale announcements is a shame. I firmly believe PSX was never created to impress the same way as E3. Going forward, it's best for Sony to keep smaller game announcements and DLC deals along with game updates at PSX (unless the game is a huge deal, then an E3 update is sufficient--see Sony's use of Uncharted 4 at E3 2014, PSX 2014, E3 2015, and PSX 2015) and the new and big announcements at E3.

As always, thanks for reading and feel free to share your agreements/disagreements (civilly). If I can leave you with a few words of advice: don't be disappointed in PSX 2015 and eagerly look forward to E3 2016. I suspect it's going to be a crazy show.

[DragonKnight]

Here's the thing, no one said that PSX has to be all big announcements, but to not really even have 1 is a problem. Games like Uncharted 4 and FFVII are games we already knew about, and I'm sorry to the fans of the games but Ni No Kuni is not a big announcement, not by a long shot, especially when in comparison to the kinds of announcements the Big 3 are capable of.

The conference is called Playstation Experience yet was decidedly non-Playstation.

I mean, it was mostly third part multiplat titles with either timed exclusive content, console debuts, or yet another partnership with Activision. Nothing except for Uncharted and R&C was uniquely Playstation in terms of games, and then it was VR, which everyone agrees was cringeworthy.

So although the keynote didn't necessarily have to have megaton announcements, there is a question that needs to be asked.

Are third party multiplat titles what you think of when you think of Playstation?

When I think of Playstation I think of God of War, Gran Turismo, or The Last of Us. I don't think Call of Duty, Destiny, or 50,000 Indie games that have already been on PC and are constantly repeated at EVERY conference Sony has been at this gen.

That's really the crux of it. This year's Playstation Experience was experiencing what others had to offer and not Sony themselves.

[Christopher]

***no one said that PSX has to be all big announcements, but to not really even have 1 is a problem***

Only in the minds of people who think it's necessary at every event. I get it, you want to more information, you want to know what's behind closed doors, what is Sony doing. But, that doesn't mean just because you don't know or you want to know that they "HAVE" to show one of them to us. It's not like they haven't been showing new first-party titles off at the other events.

***Are third party multiplat titles what you think of when you think of Playstation? ***

You're also greatly downplaying that a lot of those titles at the event are exclusive (PS4) or platform exclusive (PS4/Vita). And, they're not just filthy Indie games either. You're also greatly downplaying that Sony has already announced and shown exclusive titles throughout the year. More than they did last year and more than any other console competitor.

***When I think of Playstation I think of God of War, Gran Turismo, or The Last of Us.***

Next GT announced, Uncharted 4 coming, Horizon announced, Detroit: Become Human announced, Dreams announced and shown, TLG shown for PS4, Ni-Oh announced and shown, Ni No Kuni 2 announced, Nier: Automata announced, Ratchet & Clank coming. And I'm only talking about retail, not digital here.

So, you're missing one out of all of those... And that's why they are being seen as a third-party console? Even though they are still putting out more first, second, and third-party exclusives than their primary competitor?

I don't understand where people are getting this exaggerated expectation. Perhaps it's devotion to existing IPs? Is it fear of change from old IPs to new? Or do people just rate a game that they don't have 'high' interest in as 'not on the list because it doesn't matter to me'?

I say this as a person who really isn't drawn in by first-party offerings this generation at all. I didn't get a PS4 for the exclusives, got it because that's where my friends are and that's what would play multiplats the best. I don't own an XBO because I'm truly not interested in the mass majority of their IPs. Some are kinda 'maybe that would be neat' (such as Sunset Overdrive and Quantum Break), but nothing is drawing me in. But, regardless of my opinion of either party's offering of first-party titles, that doesn't mean that I suddenly think they're third-party studios or that they aren't delivering on first-party content. They both are in their own ways.

I just, honestly, don't get the overreaction to the event and the sudden ignorance of what has been announced as well as the constant expectation that "Sony must announced this now" when they've announced tons of stuff already. And, as I've said before, gamers are hyping things up to Trump levels, it seems. If Sony doesn't tell us one more first-party at their fourth event of the year, they're losers, they hate us, and they are just a third-party console. It's just freaking silly.

[UserNameIsNotTaken]

Well said, chris.
Couldn't have said it any better myself.

[donthate]

Yeah, sure Sony doesn't have to show me anything, because they don't work on my schedule or whims. However, disappointing me as as consumer, I might just be vocal about it, just like many others here already have done.

That said, personally I didn't expect much from PSX as I knew Sony blew their load at E3. How do I know this?

Because all Sony announcement were all far into the future. Almost nothing from E3 pertains to 2016, let alone 2015. If they had anything, they would have shown it!

Therefore, I knew that TGS, Paris Games Week and now PSX wasn't going to meet people's expectation, so going into PSX I knew what was going to happen.

The only major disappointment was PS VR showing. For a device releasing in the next 6-months, showing a demo of what amounts to a below par indie game that didn't work didnt' win me over. Nor did any of the other indie like VR stuff. Even the Robinson trailer showed literally nothing.

So yeah, I think people are disappointed, because they kept waiting for an announcement pushing it from one event to another.

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

When I think of PlayStation, I think about the whole package, not just exclusives. Whatever Sony does with 3rd party deals is their business. I'm not a fan of that myself, but it's their money, not mine.

As long as they keep releasing First party titles, I'm fine with it

[DragonKnight]

"Only in the minds..."

Is this really what you do? Go around telling everyone what a company doesn't owe them because they are disappointed in something? Newsflash, if a company wants to succeed, they have to please consumers. Happy consumers = money spent = good for business. So while technically Sony don't have to show anything at all, they'd be stupid not to, which they were.

"You're also greatly downplaying..."

Not downplaying anything. Stating a fact. Playstation Experience is not really Playstation centric if the bulk of the focus is on third party mutliplat titles. Also, what they did previously is irrelevant. We're talking about Playstation Experience, so this part of your comment is off topic damage control.

"Next GT announced..."

One. Notice how I mentioned FIRST PARTY titles and how you scattered in third party multiplats.

Two. I must have missed Gran Turismo being shown at PSX... oh it wasn't? More off topic damage control.

"So, you're missing one out of all of those..."

Again, this blog is about PLAYSTATION EXPERIENCE! Not E3, not Tokyo Game Fest, not the Paris show, PSX. I'm not missing out on anything, I'm talking about Sony's terrible PSX conference, you're the one damage controlling with irrelevancy.

"I don't understand where people are getting this exaggerated expectation..."

It isn't exaggerated, it's expected. When people are about to watch a first party company do a 2 hour keynote conference, it's reasonable to expect that a platform specific conference will showcase platform specific content. It didn't. Most of PSX was third party multiplat titles, terrible VR, more partnership nonsense, and pseudo-exclusivity. Why should anyone be happy that a platform specific conference is focusing largely on content everyone else will be getting too? Because PS will be getting it first? Who cares? Does that small amount of time make the content better? Nope.

"I say this as a person..."

That's nice and everything, but it doesn't matter. PSX focused decidedly on un-Playstation content. And you may not care about first party offerings, but plenty of people do and Sony's first party studios have been incredibly tight lipped. Nintendo received the same scrutiny for how long it took them to release a Mario game on the Wii U, same with Metroid, Zelda, etc.. Why you'd think Sony wouldn't be similarly treated speaks to how much Sony apologizing you must see on a daily basis.

"I just, honestly..."

That's because you somehow think that what was announced prior to PSX matters during or after PSX. It doesn't. No one wants to see 2 hours dedicated to things we already know, nor do they expect that a first party company will use their platform specific conference to talk about third party, pseudo exclusive content. Plus, you'll just have to accept that a lot of people are not pleased with Sony's massive indie focus and how plenty of people feel like Sony is using third party studios and indie devs to coast through the gen while offering comparatively little in the way of first party support. Regardless of whether or not you care, Sony is projecting this image. The only first party studio that even talks about anything these days are Naughty Dog while we just found out what SSM are doing, just found out about the new GT game, etc... 2 years in and PS4 has more talk around it from 3rd parties than 1st? Many don't find that to be acceptable.

[Christopher]

***So while technically Sony don't have to show anything at all, they'd be stupid not to, which they were. ***

Followed by

***Not downplaying anything. Stating a fact.***

No, you're stating opinion. Learn that.

***Again, this blog is about PLAYSTATION EXPERIENCE! Not E3, not Tokyo Game Fest, not the Paris show, PSX.***

Thinking like that is why you will always be disappointed, then. You're just going to ignore the announcements of the year so you can gripe about the announcements at an event that has never been about announcing big titles.

***That's because you somehow think that what was announced prior to PSX matters during or after PSX.***

That's because it does matter. You're acting entitled to expect that the only company who does 4 shows in a single year as opposed to the 2 shows of their primary competitor is going to announce something you would consider "major" at each event. And, yes, I do mean that, entitled. There's really no way to look at it by the way you continue to rant on about it.

***One. Notice how I mentioned FIRST PARTY titles and how you scattered in third party multiplats. ***

Every single item I mentioned is a PS4 exclusive.

P.S. I accept you and I just aren't going to agree on this. That isn't me saying that I accept "low quality" from Sony, as you seem to think it means, only that I don't see this event or the total announcements of the whole year as low quality. And, yes, I think it is absolutely important to see the whole picture of what they announced for next year and beyond rather than just what they announced at this one event. I also disagree that the stuff announced is "small" or not worth talking about. Could it have been better? Absolutely. Anything could be better. But do I feel that what they showed is good and worthwhile? Yeah, I do. Does that mean I don't criticize Sony or accept whatever they do? To say that about me clearly means you don't know anything about me as I've been a big protester against remasters and the way they're trying to get people to rebuy games they own from PS2 when they definitely could do proper software emulated BC.

[DragonKnight]

"No, you're stating opinion. Learn that."

No, I'm stating an observed fact. Uncharted 4 was the only first party title of note shown, and it's something that we already knew about. Hell we even know when it's coming out. So Sony showed nothing from Sony and everything from third party sources, minus VR.

"Thinking like that..."

Or I'm staying on topic. Novel idea right?

"That's because it does matter..."

No, no it really doesn't. It's not entitlement to come to the logical conclusion that a platform specific conference actually focuses on content that comes from, you know, the platform holder. You can be an apologist all you want to, but ignoring straight facts just makes you look foolish. And lol how you've joined the people who criticize Sony by saying it's a rant and not legitimate criticism. Sure, Shuhei Yoshida didn't have to address the disappointment himself because it was just people ranting. Oh wait...

"Every single item I mentioned is a PS4 exclusive..."

Nope. Ni-Oh is not exclusive (CORRECTION: It is), nor is Ni No Kuni 2 (according to Shu, there was an article about that on this site), nor are the majority of content shown at PSX, try again.

"Does that mean I don't criticize Sony or accept whatever they do? To say that about me clearly means you don't know anything about me as I've been a big protester against remasters and the way they're trying to get people to rebuy games they own from PS2 when they definitely could do proper software emulated BC."

Oh please, you do understand that there is written record of everything you say, how you've been on the "attack" so to speak (stronger word than it should be in this case) against me saying all I'm doing is ranting while you basically just are saying "Tough, they don't owe you sh*t" and basically being an apologist for what was considered a disappointing show by so many that it had to be addressed by Shu himself. The only thing you haven't been "against" me on is the pseudo BC which is puzzling but I really don't feel like going more into that right now.

[Christopher]

***And lol how you've joined the people who criticize Sony by saying it's a rant and not legitimate criticism.***

I only say your comments/blog post are rants, not everyone who criticizes (hell, I'm full on with criticizing the VR portions myself). Why? Because of the rabid way you present your criticism and your desire to only accept that it would be a good event if they had announced a single first-party IP that you are at all interested in while whitewashing all things that were presented as "meaningless and unimportant".

***Oh please, you do understand that there is written record of everything you say***

Yes, you should probably try reading and comprehending it.

[DragonKnight]

The absolute irony of your entire comment would be laughable if it weren't also sickeningly palpable.

[ABizzel1]

I'd say PSX was more like PAX this year.

The streamed conference was okay, and would have at least been decent had they simply ended with at least SSM or Sony Bend's game, if not both. Just something. That being said the panels were great and showed new footage of these games, and the show floor had plenty of great games that for some didn't make it into the conference (I'll never understand why Sony does this). And trolling fans last year with the FF7...PC port was stupid (although FF7 was announced at E3 the following year), and this year the Crash shirt was stupid (we'll see if it's announced at E3 2016).

The VR segment should have been all about Eve's Valkyrie, DriveClub VR, The Heist, and those games that are really going to sell the headset, and not the tech demo, because those games were all good.

The huge indie presence in their conferences is obvious when you attend an event like PSX. A good portion of the audience are indie developers, many of which are also roaming around looking for teams to join, and pushing their own games, and when you meet these developers face to face, you really begin to understand the amount of time and hard work they put into these indie games, and give them the recognition they deserve, which the majority of you never seem to do on here.

If there's one thing Sony can definitely learn from team Xbox is how to do their presentations, because MS has the pacing and perfect balance of AAA - Indie content to their all their conferences. Sony can definitely learn to spread things around a bit more, and focus on key indie titles at these shows, while giving a montage of the many others.

PSX wasn't bad at all, but it definitely needed that SSM / Sony Bend announcement.

[Concertoine]

Yeah, maybe it was a typo and it was supposed to be PAX all along :P

[rainslacker]

I for one am kind of happy Sony would take the time to show the apparent lesser games at their own event, because while I do like the AAA stuff, I also greatly enjoy these kinds of mid-tier titles, or niche titles which often times just get thrown into a youtube and press release marketing campaign.

The fact that Sony would also present something that is more to my preferred tastes of games is rather nice, because I feel that the AAA and big name releases get plenty of time to shine at other conferences. I'm also one of those people that appreciate that both MS and Sony are showing more of this kind of content at their bigger conferences as well...particularly with indie devs.

I personally don't like that people who don't care about the games shown, spend an inordinate amount of time trying to tell everyone that they aren't interested, and then go on to say that because they aren't interested, we shouldn't be either, and then go on to say that the show should cater to them, or Sony should just not bother at all.

It's not a hard concept to really understand. Some people like what Sony did. Not every conference is about showing you what you want to see. If you want a conference that is for you, then watch the other ones and ignore PSX next year.

[donthate]

That is fine to show some indie, and both Sony/MS does this at E3. However, I don't the Indiestation 4.

That is not why I bought my PS4. That said, there are some AAA games coming first party, but mostly third party.

What I was most interested to see, was PS VR. Definitely picking up Oculus Rift CK1 now, because I expect a lot more quality content and experience on that now.

[VerdicLinwe]

100% - all those disagrees are just nutballs in denial.

[OB1Biker]

'No one said that PSX has to be all big announcements, but to not really even have 1 is a problem. '
Wrong there were some pretty big announcements
Also like I said elsewhere PSX doesn't meant your entitled to have first party studio AAA reveals. You should be happy it even exists also this year. Besides the biggest reveal last year was SFV
There are official events for that and as usual people act as if it's all the conference that matters. Well no, I wish I was there to play and try out so many new games and PSVR and even third party games that most of us mainly play. Like for example for honour.
'This year's Playstation Experience was experiencing what others had to offer and not Sony themselves.'
Wrong. It's experiencing ALSO what others had to offer ON PLAYSTATION

[DragonKnight]

Another person with the "Company X doesn't owe you anything" mentality.

Actually yes, yes they do. I pay money, they get to stay running as a business, so yes they do owe me and everyone everything.

"Wrong there were some pretty big announcements..."

Nope. Ni-oh isn't big, Ni No Kuni may be big to some but not all, indies are becoming trite and repetitive at Sony's conferences, and the other big games are things we already knew about with maybe 2 exceptions.

"Also like I said elsewhere PSX doesn't meant your entitled to have first party studio AAA reveals. You should be happy it even exists also this year. Besides the biggest reveal last year was SFV."

Sure, let's have a conference called Playstation Experience that has almost nothing to do with titles being developed by the owners of the Playstation brand. Great way to promote something. Why should I be happy that a conference about indie titles exists? PSX could vanish and nothing would change. At all. So what exactly should I be happy about?

"There are official events for that and as usual people act as if it's all the conference that matters. Well no, I wish I was there to play and try out so many new games and PSVR and even third party games that most of us mainly play. Like for example for honour. "

And PSX is an official event. Next.

"Wrong. It's experiencing ALSO what others had to offer ON PLAYSTATION"

Which is available to experience EVERYWHERE ELSE.

How is Ni No Kuni 2 going to be unique on Playstation 4 as opposed to the other platforms it's definitely going to? Will the fact that it releases first on PS4 mean that it will be a different game than when it releases elsewhere? Of course not. So what am I missing here?

[OB1Biker]

You are winding yourself up man. I never said the company doesn't owe you anything. Do you realise PSX was not supposed to happen and is more of a celebration for playstation gamers? With people having your kind of reaction I wouldn't surprised if PSX doesn't happen next year and that would be a shame mainly for fans going there to Experience new games and devices and panels from their fav developers etc
What: NioH, Ni No Kuni, Ace Combat 7, Yakuza aren't 'big'? I remember many on N4G were hyping Paragon 'from Gears creator' before they even knew on what platform it would be. I also found very nice the updates and new footage for Uncharted, RachetNClank, SFV etc. I'm not defending anything and not making accurate lists as I'd forget a few and I too was disappointed not to see a new GOW because of the teaser but I know this 'official' event is a celebration and not an event from a business point of view planned every year to account for what the company s doing.
'Why should I be happy that a conference about indie titles exists? . '
Well that sums up your reaction. It was not 'just' indies like you try to pretend but even if it was that line is really selfish. There are events about indies throughout the year and I'm happy they exist as well and that GAMERS can try out and play new games at those events.

[OB1Biker]

Here is what PSX is about :

http://m.neogaf.com/showthr...

[Gazondaily]

You can't have your cake and eat it. For weeks on end you can't hype up games and let your mind run wild and then whinge when Sony don't deliver.

Fan expectations are to blame BUT, and this is something some people aren't understanding, maybe some people are assessing the PS Experience show on its own merits?

Personally, I didn't expect much but what I did expect from the very first proper showing of VR games is a an extremely strong suit of VR games, not the rubbish they were peddling. Again. I'm not writing VR off either but I would like to think that many of us would agree that their showing in this regard was extremely week.

Either way, I keep my expectations low because Sony's shows, aside from the big ones like E3 and Gamescom have always let me down.

But then look what's in store for PS4 next year and then you need not worry. Heck, its kinda obvious that they have their goods saved for E3 next year. Both sides need to be reasonable.

[Christopher]

*** I didn't expect much but what I did expect from the very first proper showing of VR games is a an extremely strong suit of VR games***

I kinda expected what was shown. Why I've stayed away from the whole thing. The only thing that looked somewhat interesting was Golem, and that showed zero gameplay, just concept.

I really hope people don't get their expectations too high. The companies supporting VR out of the gate tend to be small dev studios, mostly Indies, who don't have the funds to make AAA quality VR games.

I do have to admit that the devs doing VR are kinda insane. Zombie Taxi Driver? 100 Foot Robot Golf? I mean, they could have just gotten away with some usual game stuff, but it's like they have a wall of words and threw some darts and went with it. I'm waiting for Power Armor Cat Apocalypse VR game to come now.

[Gazondaily]

Yeah you were right in keeping your hopes in check with VR. I just want it to kick off so badly. Transformer golf and job simulator are NOT going to get me excited, even the names alone should cause discomfort. It just reeked of Kinect shovelware which is precisely what people did not want VR to be focused on.

I still believe there is a lot of potential in VR (assuming the tech works well). If the tech works well and the PS4 has enough power to create immersive worlds with great fidelity and no performance hitches like lag etc, then there is a lot of potential there. I hope they succeed because we should reward risks being taken.

[rainslacker]

Instead of looking at it from the viewpoint of if they delivered on what was expected from an individual viewpoint, why not look at it on the actual quality and content that was delivered and simply discuss that?

Saying it exceeded or didn't exceed one's expectations is OK, but I see a lot of people discrediting the entire conference, and even it's right to exist due to those expectations, and in some, I see they do it from a viewpoint of if the show had something they personally wanted.

If Sony started coming out and killing bunny rabbits on stage, or decided to talk for 90 minutes about corporate sales data, then yeah, I'd be right there with everyone complaining, because the show wouldn't have been about games on the PS platform. But since they showed PS games, I can't complain regardless of my interest in said games. About the only thing I might express is I wasn't interested in the games that much or at all, and move on. I wouldn't go on a crusade to damn the whole thing for everyone else as some people are.

Otherwise, I do agree, keeping expectations in check would go a long way to curb much of the disappointment which seem rife in the community.

[LP-Eleven]

Well written, piece. Of course you'll have some critics (as evident by posts above me, but it makes total sense. Never mind the FACT that we got a glimpse at a whole bunch of new stuff, including PS4 exclusive titles that hadn't been unveiled yet.

The lesson to take from this, some will praise, others will moan, and then you have the folks who are "concerned" about a brand they don't favor to begin with (again, evident by a few who have already posted in here). Glad to see there's still level headed people that "get it", though. So thanks for this!

[Batnut00]

I was a bit dissapointed that we didn't hear ANYTHING regarding what some of the more mysterious first-parties were up to but overrall I thought it was a solid showing, Nioh looked cool, Ni No Kuni 2 had me squealing like a schoolgirl and even some of the VR stuff while not as good as it was at Paris still left me intrigued about whats to come from it.

[Rookie_Monster]

It us definitely disappointing when you factor in all the hype, insider leaked that Santa Monica, Bend, and PS 4.0 with features many people wanted will be there, and overall the amount of hype article and comments made by PS fans.

Here are a few quotes from excited PS fans that expected big announcements from PS at PSX.

"I expect 1 or 2 bombs to be dropped at PSX this year like the SF5 bomb that was dropped last year. Only a month to go till PSX"

"More PS4 exclusives awaits! lol
Sony Bend and Santa Monica have been confirmed to be there so expect atleast 2 more Triple A exclusives to add to that list, Damn sony trying to make us broke ;)"

Rookie_Monster 4d ago
"That would be awesome if indeed Agent, RE7, and/or a new DMC are announced. Anyways, I'll be there at PSX and hopefully some of those news come to fruition"

So many people were expecting big announcements but were left disappointed.

[Christopher]

I blame no one but those people for their self-developed hype.

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

"It us definitely disappointing when you factor in all the hype, insider leaked that Santa Monica, Bend, and PS 4.0 with features many people wanted will be there, and overall the amount of hype article and comments made by PS fans. "

It is definitely dissapointinf when people like you lie to make a point:

- Santa Monica showed that game they teased. It's Bounds
- No one said Sony bend was gonna be there
- PS4 4.0 update has never been talked about lol stop lying to yourself

There should be a bubble down for bull***.

P.S. we did expect Sony Bend to show their game, but it w as never hinted to be there. It was our expectations alone

[Rookie_Monster]

"Santa Monica showed that game they teased. It's Bounds"

-That is why people are disappointed. Instead of announcing GOW4 or a new core IP, they essentially announced they are making Crazy Taxi with Zombie and only for VR.

"No one said Sony bend was gonna be there"

-yes there were. http://www.pushsquare.com/n...
"The assumption among PlayStation fans is that Sony Bend's unannounced PlayStation 4 exclusive will be revealed at PlayStation Experience next month – and senior technical game designer Eric Jensen may have added a little more fuel to that fire. Writing on Twitter overnight , the veteran employee said: "Hotel booked for PSX. It's happening."

"PS4 4.0 update has never been talked about lol stop lying to yourself"

- http://m.neogaf.com/showthr...

http://www.gamesradar.com/p...
PS4 update 4.0 could add PS1/2 classics and PSN name changes

My advice is to do more research before calling someone out. ;)

[rainslacker]

People need to learn to check their expectations though. Anything from a source that isn't officially Sony saying it directly to the press or fans temselves should always be viewed as a maybe.

It's OK to hope or expect it to be there, but when it doesn't show up, people just need to be disappointed, and then move on.

To me, it's not that annoying that people are disappointed that they didn't see what they wanted to...I can understand that feeling because it happens for me at every conference while I'm waiting for that overly long game play segment of some popular FPS to end only to have the show end without some big megabomb for a game that I would love to see.

What gets annoying though is when people take that disappointment, then blame Sony for it despite Sony never being the ones trying to hype these people up with these rumors and assumptions or misunderstood quotes from developers.

For all these rumors, or random little nuggets of information(say a job listing or hearing a company is going to be at the show), we can have 3-4 different theories or assumptions on what that will mean for the content we see at the show. People see SSM, they think GOW, they see ND, they think UC or TLOU2(god I fear the day when they don't show that in favor of a new IP). It would be impossible to satisfy all the people who would look at expecting one of those 3-4 announcements, and that's why no matter what happens, they just can't win.

So people instead should just take the content that was there, then discuss it. Was it good? Was it bad? What was good or bad about it? The conference itself is just a showcase, not the game, and people are not even bothering to consider if they could even be interested in the game, because they're too hung up on their own disappointment.

You know how many people here would absolutely love Full Throttle, but have probably never heard of it? But it barely gets a mention. This is what this kind of discourse leads to...games not being what's important anymore.

[u4one]

wow. this is what happens when fanboys can't take the heat. a total apologist rant.

you're right. its not e3. so stop caring so much what people think. it was a boring show that didn't wow. its not the last show. if the general consensus was that the show was lackluster, then it probably was.

the ps4 is still the no. 1 console, it still has plenty of good content coming out and the world will still turn if Sony doesn't blow everyones minds every now and then.

[DarXyde]

Some thoughts:

First, I only care, given the amount of topics and complaints coming out because it wasn't a huge show that knocked everyone's socks off. I'm just sick of reading about it in my search for daily news.

Second, suggesting this is an "apologist fanboy rant" is pretty off-base. Considering I own all of the current consoles and actually have fairly split play time between my Wii U and PS4, I would say I'm a pretty balanced gamer. I certainly wouldn't say it's an apologist rant either because it's really written to get you to consider curbing your expectations for a noncompetitive annual conference that is very much still in its infancy. With each conference, we get a better idea of what Sony is aiming for with it. Just because I get that doesn't mean I'm ranting as an apologist.

Third, the general consensus being...the online community that's probably a vocal minority? Was the show genuinely disappointing or was the issue that people were expecting Horizon, Hellblade, etc.? Like I said, it's a laid back show with no competition. It's just a modest extra showing of games the would rather have a dedicated conference for. I already expressed disappointments with part of it. If you read my blog, you might see that I found myself critical of Sony. In being introspective, I feel I understood the point of their show better. I don't think other people did, however.

[gangsta_red]

What's the point of calming people down though? It would be better to state your opinion on why you think the event wasn't that bad instead of wasting time and effort trying to change others opinions.

Something I and a few others have commented on about this event.

Sony, MS and Nintendo are not going to please everyone with all their events. Not every event is going to be awesome as people expected or what that company may have wanted.

The internet is where people go to bitch more than praise. Trying to calm that down is a pointless effort.

People were disappointed in the show, it's plain and simply that. Trying to tell them not to expect much or always lower your expectations only goes to show how unnecessary the event was. Are we going to get this excuse for every lackluster Sony show from here on out?

[DarXyde]

"What's the point of calming people down though? It would be better to state your opinion on why you think the event wasn't that bad instead of wasting time and effort trying to change others opinions."

Not really trying to change anyone's mind. For the nth time, it's a matter of looking at the bigger picture. If people change their mind, okay. If not, after being presented with the matter in another perspective, then okay. I just get the feeling expectations were wonky to begin with. Last PSX was actually pretty similar in format and types of titles shown.

"Trying to calm that down is a pointless effort."

To you, perhaps. I like to believe we can be rational and give things some further consideration. If I choose to spend some time trying to get people to understand, that's my business. Sorry mate, I've never been one to seek a seal of approval regarding what's worth it and what is not.

"People were disappointed in the show, it's plain and simply that. Trying to tell them not to expect much or always lower your expectations only goes to show how unnecessary the event was. Are we going to get this excuse for every lackluster Sony show from here on out?"

You know why they were disappointed? Because, wait for it, there were E3-level expectations as I've only been saying for a while now. It's actually a great mentality to walk into these things with low expectations. That way, you're either met with what's expected or very pleasantly surprised. No, it does not need to be said for every underwhelming conference, but this post serves as more of a public service announcement, really. Enjoy PSX, just don't expect to see anything that Sony would rather show in theaters where the world is watching and not just mostly PlayStation fans. Now if E3 underwhelms, that's a great time to be upset. Otherwise, not PSX. It's really a top-off event for the last/latest announcements of the year.

That's all I have to say about that.

[gangsta_red]

I agree u4one.

Some people were disappointed with what was shown #dealwithit. It's not the end of the world and it's not like this is the final show Sony will ever have.

It's hilarious to see people complaining about the people complaining.

[DarXyde]

Cool beans.

I'd hardly call it complaining when I'm really just trying to calm people down and get them to think about it.

Thanks for your insight, I guess.

[user9950279]

I've been reading for months that all the bombs will be dropping at psx.... and now that its over we should temper our expectations?

why am i not surprised?

[DarXyde]

From Sony personally?

I doubt that. From unofficial insiders that you're always warned about to take their word with a grain of salt? Very likely. Provide me with proof that Sony said "PSX is going to be a crazy show with bombs dropped err'where!" and I'll stand corrected. I have no issue with taking issue with Sony's actions (and if you read the blog, you might begin to understand that).

[magiciandude]

My expectations for this year's PS Experience were already low, but even this couldn't live up to them. The show was a straight up insult to PlayStation fans everywhere. How anyone would actually blame fans for expressing their unfavorable opinions of the show is beneath the average man's dignity. Very shameful...

[BitbyDeath]

I'm going to take a stab and say we know most of what is coming out next year AAA wise and new announcements such as God of War won't be arriving til 2017 which Sony don't want to put the focus on just yet.

However Sony should have used the time to instead talk about upcoming firmware or what is happening with PSNow or even Vue for that matter.

[DarXyde]

magiciandude,

You're totally welcome to be disappointed by their show, but the issue I take with the disappointment, literally, is everyone having these E3-scale expectations. It's a spare conference to try stuff out and learn about some games they don't expect to make as big of a splash as E3 and learn about some of the big games. Was I disappointed? In some ways, yes. I didn't care for the Call of Duty League, Battlefront DLC, or even some of the new titles shown. I did enjoy the showing of Final Fantasy VII in action as well as announcing Ni No Kuni II which is a huge deal to me since I loved the original. It wasn't a bad showing, at least for me. If it was for you, that's totally cool. If you judged the conference as just that, I understand. It's when people look at it like E3, part 2 that it gets ridiculous.

BitByDeath,

That's an interesting point. Sony very well could have talked about some upcoming features and Vue. Although, the community would make big deals out of the updates and then the Xbox faithful would be on the offensive with hypocrisy; remember, some members of the PlayStation community berated Xbox One gamers for "moving the goalpost" to updates now as an indication of quality. If the PlayStation faithful got overly excited about that, it would do well in exposing some hypocrisy. Personally, I'd like to see what gaming-related updates they would have up their sleeves. Also consider that Sony has become very stealthy with some of their feature updates. They just dropped DLNA onto the platform the same day as E3 this year. Unless it's a completely new feature that would require explanation like SharePlay, I don't see them wanting to discuss firmware updates.

On the bright side, I think they left out sales entirely. I like that.