Sony Found Microsoft's Response to the PS4 Pro Quite Intriguing

After the PS4 Pro was announced, the official Xbox Twitter account reminded everyone that the Xbox One S includes a 4K Blu-ray player, more shots fired.

[DragonbornZ]

Whoa wow he seemed pretty upset at that.

[UCForce]

I think he is. Even I can say that that happens to every companies.

[DragonbornZ]

True, even the exes are human.

[YinYangGaming]

Triggered much?

[UCForce]

Well, that's how is it.

[DragonDDark]

How?

[babadivad]

i'll be glad when the "triggered" fad goes away. . .

[Dario_DC]

Gotta love these lol
With that said MS shouldn't really hype the UHD player on the S... It's really bellow average and kinda crap.
Anyway it's still better than not having one I guess.

[EpicSandwich]

A uhd player is a uhd player. It is going to do the same job as other uhd players so why not hype it, it is an amazing feature for those who have a 4k tv

[objdadon]

"A uhd player is a uhd player" "its going to do the same job as other uhd players"

You can't be serious 😂

[Skankinruby]

Lol get off Microsofts nuts dude you sound ridiculous

[cyber_daemonx]

Judging by the way MS sre hyping it its the only feature. Well it ain't the games thats for sure.

[DeadManMMX]

....que?

[Condemnedman]

as opposed to not having one at all? not giving your customers an option ? that sounds rubbish to me but enjoy the streaming 4k I. sure every Sony customer has super fast broadband band.

[Dario_DC]

Did you even read my comment?
"it's still better than not having one"
People here get triggered for nothing.

[Condemnedman]

you are talking rubbish below average prove it please

[Dario_DC]

It's not compatible with DTS, true HD, Atmos and DTS X. There goes your HD sound out of the window and the image quality is lower than the Panasonic uhd player, still does the job but there are reasons why it's the least expensive in the market.
Next time Google things before saying that other people are "talking rubbish", you might look less of an ignorant.

[Condemnedman]

it's still better than streaming you are reaching friend get a life the Panasonic uhd is a dedicated player that costs more but does it play games as well?
no
also those missing dts, atmos could come through a update maybe?
bye bye

[Condemnedman]

you still haven't proved it though, have you?

[Condemnedman]

I'm waiting?

[rainslacker]

Just out of curiosity, since I'm still somewhat in the market for a UHD player, what makes the X1S UHD player below average and kind of crap?

I'd like to know what I should be looking for when looking for a UHD player.

Edit: nevermind, should have read through the comments, because you address it elsewhere.

[b777conehead]

Your full of it. Uhd player is awesome

[Tedakin]

Sony has trolled MS a billion times so....

[Kaneki-Ken]

Because Xbox trolled PlayStation over a gazillion times last generation without rest until Xbone announcement was made, then PlayStation decided to turn the table around.

[babadivad]

Can I have one example(or two) of MS trolling Sony last gen? I honestly don't remember that. I only remember Sony trolling the shit out of MS with all those stupid[but hilarious] Keven Butler advertisements. Kevin Butler was even trolling on twitter.

[leoms]

Even then, Playstation did not troll as much as Xbox trolled them. Xbox is trolling while they are being demolished by their competitor.

[babadivad]

Can I have an example? From my memory, Sony is the undisputed king of trolling.

[ziggurcat]

@babadivad:

here's your one example:

https://www.engadget.com/20...

this was during the PS3 launch in France.

[babadivad]

@ziggurcat

Thanks. But that's pretty damn subtle. Especially in comparison to some of the stuff Sony does. I mean, that can be classified as borderline marketing. That's not an executive getting on stage doing a demonstration of how to share used PS4 games on stage. Or Hiring an actor["VP" Kevin Butler] to troll for you 24/7.

[rainslacker]

Was Sony really trolling with this comment though? House was asked, he answered fairly diplomatically IMO.

Maybe MS shouldn't make everything they have to say about Sony's actions somehow relevant to what they're doing, where every time they congratulate or mention a Sony product, they have to go and talk up MS, Windows, Xbox, or some game in some sort of PR statement. Been noticing they do this since Phil took over, that MS can't just keep their mouths shut about Sony, while Sony barely says anything about MS/Xbox unless directly asked by the media. They don't even really respond that often to tweets about such things, whereas MS will find any reason to say why it's product is better, even if it's not true.

That being said, Sony are known trolls, and do have a penchant for making snide remarks about the competition. They've been doing that since the beginning, and I haven't actually seen them stop this gen, although I feel they don't address the public as much as they used to, and their marketing overall tends to be more PS focused than this focus on antagonizing the competition like in the PS1/2 days....kind of like Apple did as well.

[2cents]

Pot, Kettle, Black.

[OB1Biker]

Sure. How about the 'stories' though. I know there good attitude between Phil and Shu for instance. But the media stories about a brave new world in the console war were a joke. The console war is not just a fanboy thing like they want you to believe. The companies pull the strings.

[rainslacker]

I think he's just asking where is this more civil discourse that Spencer claims to want. Beyond that, I don't think House really cares. For the most part, Sony is one of the biggest trolls of the big three....sometimes it's amusing, sometimes sad, always good for console war ammo though.:)

[game4funz]

What is interesting to me is that normally MS keeps it professional by not directly jabbing. Sony on the other directs their jabs straight at MS and with sleight insults.

That to me is the difference in the way each company approaches the competition. I don't like Sony in that regard. They could at least be subtle

Some people confuse jabbing with marketing. Haven't really seen MS jab at Sony like sony has jabbed MS

[2cents]

Except for the barge :O

[Imalwaysright]

That one was hilarious.

[-Foxtrot]

You clearly must have missed last gen completely if you think MS haven't took a shot at Sony at all

[game4funz]

You clearly misunderstood.
Did not say anything like that at all.

Good twist.

[rainslacker]

Yeah, MS is the passive aggressive type, whereas Sony is direct more often than not....or at least the implication is clear.

Beyond that, they're both meant to achieve the same thing. It doesn't mean one company is more professional than the other.

Subtlest I've ever seen Sony was their "how to loan games" video. Competition was never mentioned, but the implication was damn clear. Somehow I don't think MS would want Sony to be subtle, because they can be pretty clever and harmful to the competition if they want to be.

[ShowanW]

House...

Maybe it would be better to focus on the launch of PSVR and PS4Pro.

Mr House has been getting distracted a ton lately....

[DragonDDark]

Wat? Speaking 3 sentences must be really distracting.. lol

[XXanderXX]

No different than the two fools who did a spoof of sharing games . if you can dish you better be able to deal with the return serve .

[OB1Biker]

Ha that vid is one of the most hilarious. I love it still ;)
Good thing everyone can share games that way

[Imalwaysright]

That video defined this generation.

[paulomoreira]

it was hilarious when ms got them back wit the backwards compatibility to that was realy funny :)

[rainslacker]

Wow...you're acting like he's weeping and whining over it. I'm sure House is a big boy and can take the jabs. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter either way, Sony is doing something right with their marketing, and MS is using Sony's success to give them the chance to talk about their own products every chance they get. Go look at every quote from MS about something Sony is doing, and then see how they turn it around for their own products or services, then compare it to how often Sony talks about MS, and you'd actually be hard pressed to see Sony talking much about MS. About the only time they do is when they are directly asked....kind of like when he made this quote here.

@OB

That was by far the most clever troll I've ever seen from a corporate entity. Will go down in history, and it's always fun to watch. Companies don't get chances to catch that kind of lightning in a bottle that often, and more often than not, they miss the opportunity.

Edit @ Below

Never said you were over reacting, just acting like something. As for me, I don't really take offence when either company does it. I kind of enjoy the occasional back and forth between these execs. It's more fun than when we do it on a daily basis.

What I don't find funny though is the number of people, including yourself, who take what he, or another exec, take something out of context and make it into something more than what was said. In fact, in this instance, you, and quite a few others are ignoring the actual meaning of his quote, which is that he's finding it intriguing that MS, despite saying they want less of this back and forth, decided to actively do such a thing.

Here's the thing, Sony has never said it wanted to be more civil....yet Sony overall this gen, has been much more civil towards MS than MS has been towards Sony. It's just ironic, or intriguing to House, that the company claiming to want more civility is the one not actually doing it. Sure, Sony has had some serious jabs, but that mostly revolved around the launch, and after that, Sony hardly ever mentions MS, except to occasionally congratulate them on a game launch.

And sure, lots of companies will hype up their products at every opportunity, but lets face it, MS can't make one mention or implication towards Sony without talking about themselves or their products. How often does Sony actually hype up it's own products when asked about something MS did or has except when that question is to directly compare the two?

[XXanderXX]

Am not over reacting just find it funny that its all good when they do it , but let someone do it to them and all of a sudden its intriguing . As for the rest of your comment lots of companies will under sale the competitions product while upselling theirs nothing new .

[DJustinUNCHAIND]

Oh, cry me a river.

It was a harmless tweet.

[MagicBeanz]

"On the other hand, when I look at other ways people are using their PS4 – video content is absolutely the number two use of people’s time on the console. But it is 5:1 in favor of streaming video versus packaged media."

I've been saying this all along since the official PS4 Pro announcement, Sony knows what they're doing, they know far better what people who own their products are doing then the xbox fanboys do. They smartly followed the market and kept the cost of the system down. Streaming is just the more popular option making xboneS physical drive largely unnecessary.

[objdadon]

I guess it's like being up by 40 points in madden but the opponent scores 1 touch down in the 4th quarter and starts talking trash.

[gamertk421]

Lol, the Salt House.

[gamer7804]

they can respect each other but still take jabs at one another, microsoft deserved it at e3 when launching the xbox one, and its also deserved now. Fierce competition leaves the consumer as the victor.

[BattleAxe]

"Sony Found Microsoft's Response to the PS4 Pro Quite Intriguing"

"After the PS4 Pro was announced, the official Xbox Twitter account reminded everyone that the Xbox One S includes a 4K Blu-ray player"

Sony must have been intrigued with the idea of having a 4k Blu-ray drive in their supposed 4k console. They must have wondered why they didn't think of that first...

[Yetter]

House is so smug, can't stand him. Now that Boyes is gone, Shu is the only PS exec that doesn't make me cringe.

[nicsaysdie]

Has anyone else read the white sheet on Blu-ray players? Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't it state that the Blu-ray drive in the ps4 is one of the models that will be upgraded to have uhd playback with firmware that is slated to be released to the public this year? If I'm understanding this correctly then surely the ps4 pro would also be enhanced with said firmware. And possibly even the Xbox one. And if that's the case, then would it not seem like maybe ms is trying to market what will be a standard feature of both ecosystems as a feature that only they are currently giving consumers? And also that the Xone S is in fact just a slightly more powerful Xone, in a similar way that the ps4 pro is a slightly more powerful ps4. And, with all of the aforementioned consoles having uhd playback ability, wouldn't that show that the Xone S was in the same type of console upgrade as the ps4 pro? With no exclusive features? And that MS in fact knew this was the case, and tried to capitalize on the ignorance of consumers to believe what they are told. And that also, the Scorpio is a new generation, contrary to how MS have been marketing it? I'm just wondering if the Blu-ray uhd firmware upgrade is true. It would really paint MS in a bad light. I hope that's not the case because I was considering getting an Xone S to play recore and scalebound. If there are any readers out there that can understand the Blu-ray to uhd firmware update described in the white sheet and confirm or disprove my theory, please PM me and let me know.

[thisgamer503]

No neee to confirm or disprove. If it gets UHD then great. I doubt it though considering Sony hasn't mentioned it while upgrading og consoles to HDR and whatnot.

[rainslacker]

If you're speaking of the original PS4, then yes, the drive inside is capable of reading UHD discs.

However, it won't get a firmware update, because the HDMI controller chip can't be made to support HDCP2.2. HDCP2.2 is the copy protection used for UHD discs for near master levels of quality. The pins on the chip are exposed where it connects to the motherboard, and the HDCP2.2 spec requires they not be exposed. This was a change to the spec that came about after the launch of the PS4, which is why the PS4, despite originally being intended to be upgraded to UHD compatibility once the spec was finalized, could no longer achieve that goal. Same thing in the X1.

To date, I haven't seen anyone crack open the PS4 Slim, and obviously not the Neo, to be able to tell if the HDMI controller chip has exposed pins or not. If it doesn't, then UHD playback is possible through firmware. If it does, then it's unlikely to happen unless the spec relaxes it's standards.

The drive inside the stock PS4, the Slim, and I suppose the Neo, are all 6X CAV Blu-Ray lasers. The BR UHD spec only requires 4X CAV speeds. All BR lasers can read at least up to 4 layers on the discs themselves, and UHD discs are only 3-4 layers. Some features could be removed should it go above 4 layers, likely audio streams or bonus footage, however, UHD itself should be supported by any laser which can read at at least 4X, as it's built directly into the BR spec to be "future proofed".

I wouldn't be surprised if UHD compatibility comes to the Slim and Neo at some point. Why it isn't from the start is up to speculation, and one theory is probably just as valid or false as any other. Again though, it all hinges on a single chip within the systems themselves.

[nicsaysdie]

Dude thank you so much. That was super bothering me. Your explanation was great. One theory on why they wouldn't have mentioned it is the sales of their new uhd player releasing next year. I'm hoping a firmware update is possible for the og ps4 but I could understand if DRM changes after the production run would preclude that from happening. Maybe the slim or pro though. That would be sweet. I don't even have a 4k TV yet though.just wondering if anyone out in the ether could give me the lowdo n on the possibilities. Thanks again man.

[feraldrgn]

He was asked a question during an interview about it, which he replied to.
I'm not sure why a lot of the commenters don't get that.

[loverlink]

Friendly competition between these 2 companies are great. It drives sales within this industry no matter what. The only thing that ruins it are the fanboys from the 3 competitors. All they care about is trolling more than gaming.

[thisgamer503]

I think the worst are mostly Sony and MS fanboys. Nintendo's fans don't usually spew near the amounts of nonsense as the rest of us(have to include myself) do.

[HAHAHAHAHAHAHA]

Just reminds me of last gen with that 360 thing with all the addons and upgrades xbox had to do to have what the ps3 had. Cant even remember how many models xbox had in the end. And yet ps4 pro is only missing one thing that i dont see is needed yet til the ps5.

[ShadowWolf712]

Golly I love how everyone's ignoring the context.

The entire key point of that was noting how they've gone back to that after a year of PR trying to claim to be a gentler, less punchy company, not that they're doing it at all.

[Benchm4rk]

Andrew House is one to talk. He is the one on stage at E3 taking jabs at Microsoft all the time. Sony had a field day also when Microsoft made themselves a laughing stock with the initial announcement of the Xbox One. Both of them are guilty parties. Andrew House needs to stop throwing stones in his glass house.

[rainslacker]

Sony, and House with this comment weren't feigning innocence. He was just speaking about how MS isn't doing what Spencer said he wanted, and that's be a nicer company and to stop all the back and forth jabs between them. Sony has remained consistent, and has never laid off the jabs.

They have reduced them though, as they don't spend as much time trolling like they used to. It still crops up once in a while, but nowhere like what Sony used to do....although they had a big one at E3 during the launch year.

[IceKoldKilla]

I don't see how MS fanboys keep thinking Scorpio is gonna be below $500/500€/£450. If it is then MS will be losing major income. Not only does it cost more to include more powerful hardware but they have a UHD Blu-ray player! No way all that adds up to just $50/50€/£30(whatever the equivalent).

Now, people gotta relax when we talk about facts and opinions because regardless, I'm getting myself a Scorpio because I wanna enjoy their exclusives the best way WITHOUT buying an expensive PC which I don't have room for in my room that I share with a roommate. I can however just buy another compact box and put it next to my TV. Pre-ordered PS4 Pro already. I'm ready!

[Night99]

A Company who own's a part of Blu-Ray and has therefor to pay next to nothing in royalties and way less for Blu Ray drives than other companies can't afford putting in their own technology in their new console but Microsoft who have to pay royalties and have to pay way more for Blu Ray drives can? This is the real strange and incomprehensible part of this whole argument, Sony makes a shit load of money with the PS4 but can't afford putting in their own technologies in the new Playstation.

[Goldby]

there ia a very big difference betwee. Can't and chose not to

[nicsaysdie]

Read my comment above and the replies to it for a possible explanation as to why the uhd player wasn't put into the pro and possible reasons why this story may not be over.

[Tzuno]

Competition is good for us the consumers :)) let the price battle begin, i speak generally not about these 2 consoles in specific.

[Ulf]

House stated that Sony is focusing on digital content, because that's where PS4 consumers like their video. The implication is then, that Xbox, and Xbox users, is/are "unfocused" by having both 4K streaming and 4K physical media.

PS gamers, apparently, don't care about the 20% of the time their PS4 is playing physical media from Redbox, because 80% of the time, they are watching Netflix, and getting their $10 worth on old shows (which don't support 4K anyhow?). These are his numbers, not mine. Frankly, I'm surprised at the large number of physical discs being played, and I'm turning away from the PS4 Pro for exactly that reason, when I watch streaming video way more often (2x?) than the typical PS4 user, apparently.

Yeah... confusing? Kinda sounds like House is upset, and trying to spin some meaningless stats in his favor. I've got news for you, Andrew House: If 20% of video time is physical -- then lack of 4K Blu-Ray support is a bigger problem than most people originally thought.

People watch Netflix and it's streaming ilk, like TV. Yes, they watch it 4x as much as rented, or purchased video -- not a surprise. Also, they buy/rent movies when they want a quality theatre presentation... you know, like 4K video. If House thinks that 4K streaming will be a thing sometime soon, given modern ISP bandwidth caps, relative to rented disc 4K... he's got some thinking to do. Never underestimate the bandwidth of a truck full of Blu-Ray discs, hurtling down the highway at 100 kph...

[Red_Renegade]

you're not making any sense. what's confusing? video time is heavily streaming. and 4k blu rays aren't big enough to put in a 4k player. redbox and the like aren't giving out 4k discs. there aren't even that many 4k blu rays out there. why are you confused?

[JMyers]

The OneS is no comparison to the Pro. Just like the underpowered Xbox One before it compared to the PS4, most games still run natively at a lower resolution at 720 and 900p. This is no even comparable to the Pro. Yes the 4K bluray is a good addition in the OneS, but games are not better because of it. Personally I have not bought a physical movie disc in over 3 years and don't intend to anytime soon.

The Scorpio is another story. Also I thought Xbox owners didn't care about resolution. "Play the game not the resolution" remember? The OneS is inherently the same machine that removed Kinect for 10% more power, got DX12 support for more power and supposedly channels "the power of the cloud" for more power... yet it still doesn't match the PS4 in the basics. The Pro isn't a comparison. Yes the OneS has a 4K bluray player. The Pro is twice as powerful as the standard PS4. This will smoke the OneS in GAMES.

The Scorpio is unknown and yet to actually exist. All we know is 6 Teraflops. Essentially a new gen. No indication of price. Oh and $399 for the Pro is a good value. Just like the OneS is. The OneS should be compared to the PS4 slim. Here it stands a chance at "winning"

[MCTJim]

Hey I know lets blow this up to make it seem like MS is taking huge jabs at Sony...oh wait /s

[Gantrfaxx]

Well the xbox is more a tv box anyway so it benefits more from 4k blu ray.

[player911]

I just really hate how everyone is using "4K gaming" when it is not really 4K at all. 4K is a resolution. Most games are still running under native 720P resolution on consoles. They are already getting upscaled to 1080P... stretching that further is going to look like shit.

[zb1ftw777]

Scorpio going to be beast !!

[Keltech]

It's going to be a chihuahua. All bark, no bite

[zb1ftw777]

You fanboys are hilarious. The XB1 is already a beast with amazing games. The power DIFFERENCE between the PS4 Pro and Scorpio is a WHOLE PS4.

Everyone knows it's going to clean up in USA and UK markets, and since I live in the UK, that's all i care about. Global sales means diddly squat to me since i hate playing with foreign gamers xx

[CernaML]

"Everyone knows it's going to clean up in USA and UK markets, and since I live in the UK"

No. Only you deluded Xbox puppets do.

[leoms]

@dkp23
"I dont think Sony has stopped talking since xbox one launch debacle." Well Sony has been talking about their own product. MS on the other hand has been active on social media taking jabs at Sony. I mean remember when Phil mentioned something about Sony not having release dates for their games at E3? Maybe when Phil said something about not being a fan of mid gen upgrade? Or when he mentioned the MS is doing a much better job of spreading games throughout the year? Etc...

[FPS_D3TH]

Reminding people of a feature that's missing in the competitors newest offering is in poor taste now? Sounds like someone's a little upset.

[Skillz1215]

I find it funny how Xbox fan boys glorified the PlayStation 3 console as nothing more than a Blu-ray player. Now that the Xbox one S has an Ultra Blu Ray Drive they can't seem to stop talking about it.......Hypocrites smh

[Dunban67]

Everything said by MSFT or Sony re each others gaming divisions has been completely "fair game" and in line- there are a bunch of very sensitive people here- let the 2 companies compete fiercely, hold your gaming co s of preference accountable and it will help the consumer - These companies don t need your protection and they def don t need your shiling- they need your scrutiny -
The irony is people who care about their co s of preference the most should be holding them accountable the most- instead they do the opposite - go figure

[chobit_A5HL3Y]

the only way to settle it is to see which console ends up selling more~ someone's going to look very foolish at the end of this lol

[LastCenturyRob]

Hmmm...I don't think Sony is used to being on the defensive. MS has made some very good moves the past year and a half or so. Should be interesting how Sony responds past the pro launch.