That price difference is going to make a huge difference this holiday when people see that they can get a console and spend that left over $100 on other things. Gotta wonder how much the relatively cheaper price of the Wii U will effect things since Nintendo's big guns are due out. This could be the one generation that the weakest console doesn't win.

I wonder just how well a subsidized console would actually work, people will be attracted to the lower price but most people are also well aware of all the hassle that comes with payment plans (late fees, cancelation fees, ect.).

@acdramon
Probably, I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft offered to cut them a break on used games in exchange for promoting the Xbox big time. Wouldn't be surprised if they try the same thing at Gamestop and other prominent retailers.

@Gamer83
Thats just it, I have a feeling digital distribution is the reason Sony is playing it cool with their stance on DRM. I have a feeling they're going to really push digital distribution, game streaming, and everything else. After all why make a fuss about used games when you can just lead people into going digital?

@rjejr
Thats the thing with the Vita, its as much as a home console by itself. Most people just find the idea of a handheld costing the same as a home console ridiculous. Its been that way since the Gameboy.

It doesn't help that Sony mainly targets more mature audiences with their handhelds, and those that would buy one for their kids aren't going to spend $250 on a handheld.

@rastamadeus
Theres not doub in my mind thats what he was up to, I was refering to ObviouslyAdachi's comment that he looks mad.

I'd love to have been a fly on the wall listening to the commotion when people realized Miyamoto himself was at their booth playing Tearaway.

@ObviouslyAdachi
Or maybe hes just really focused on what hes doing. He might be trying to pick it apart and decide what their up against.

I think its kinda neat that Miyamoto takes some time out of his busy schedule to check out the competition.

Gotta love that, not only is it a good jab a Microsoft it highlights something thats been apart of gaming for decades.

I actually really like it, the split gives it a fancy, hight-tech look while still managing to keep it rather sleek and minimalistic.

For some reason it also reminds me of a chocolate bar, especially when looking at the front.

It might be a bit annoying for those who play on-line a lot, but at least its just online multiplayer. Can't really complain too much considering the value your getting for $5 a month though.

@Cowboysfan-22
People also spend that kind of money on cruddy pre-built PCs, the key difference between these devices and consoles is that they can also be used for more than just entertainment. Theres a reason people think mobile devices will replace traditional PCs.

Needless to say I'm actually pretty excited for the PS4 now that everything has been cleared up, Sony seems to be doing everything right so far even with PS+ being required. Doesn't bother me much though since I rarely play on-line anyway.

Its a shame the 3D display didn't do very well, from what I've heard its a pretty good display for its size even without the 3D. I think the main probelm with it was the same as most 3D technology at the time, active shutter 3D and glasses don't mix.

other than that I don't like how they touted a bunch of features only for them to hardly see the light of day or flat out remove them after the fact. I'd really hate to see them over-hype cloud gaming or some other feature only for things to not work out as planned.

@JGMR
Considering we hardly know anything about the supposed DRM to go on, perhaps many of those votes are from people waiting for more info before coming to a conclusion. Unfortunately there are people who will buy either console regardless of the DRM attched as soon the right game comes along.

I'd hate to miss out on the latest installments of my favorite Sony-exclusive series but I'd be just fine without em. Theres still plenty of games out there, with or without Sony and Microsoft.

As great as a $350 launch price sounds I really don't see it happening. Under $500 yea since that was how much the cheapest PS3 was at launch, but I don't think it'll be any lower than $400.

That would still be much less than Microsoft's supposed $500 price point and match their subsidized model without the two-year contract, not too bad really.

@Squiggle55

Thats actually what bugs me about the whole thing. Even if Sony doesn't do it now Microsoft's success could prove these kind of practices to be a viable strategy in the future, and the last thing we want is for them to get the idea we're so weak willed that all it takes is a shiney new game to make us look the other way.

We're in a really stick situation here and its a tought call without knowing the whole story.

@doctor_doak
They make money off of game sales, just not nearly as much as they'd make off of used games. Granted its probably not a lot but they wouldn't stock something that wasn't profitable and what little they do make adds up.

The issue with taking a "don't buy it" approach is that the publishers might not see it for what it is, they might assume their game just doesn't sell anymore and give it the axe. Just look at whats happening with Capcom and Ace Attorney 5. What @Gamer83 said also holds true here.Your better off just avoiding the games with shady practices until the sales don't matter to them anymore, which is usually a few weeks after launch.

Really though, I don't blame you for being pessimistic one bit. I actually feel the same way myself.

@doctor_doak
Don't get me worng, I'm not against used games. Actually, I completely agree with you. I only meant the car analogy was a bit off, something like clothes or movies would have been a better fit.

What I meant by "going after" Gamestop was rather than try to come to an agreement with them, they turn their attention to us. However, I don't think the used game fee will kill off Gamestop, it seems to me that its an attempt to just force them out of the used game business by forcing us to buy new (or just wait until the price drops enough).

@doctor_doak
The problem with that analogy is that a Toyota is unlikely to go throught more than a few transactions, while one particular copy of a game could trade hands dozens of times.

What really bugs me about these sort of situations is its the consumers that get the short end of the stick. They're afraid to go after big retailers like Gamestop despite their claims against them so they direct their efforts towards us.

I usually don't buy used unless its an old game, which is one of my main concerns here. What if the only way to get a reasonably priced copy of a game is to buy it used?

The sticky part of this whole thing is that you can't just say "well people will just go to the console thats more consumer-friendly" because if both Sony and Microsoft does it that just leaves Wii U, and for a lot of people it will just become a matter of how many exclusive will it take.

The way I see it the better route for Sony to take is either provide the option and just leave it up the the publisher, or keep pushing digital that way there won't be a used market to worry about and companies like Gamestop can at least sell vouchers.

I think sending a clear message on what their console is and what it does should be a priority. If Sony wants to market this console to the core audience they need to make it clear that the games don't take a back seat to the other features and that they're there to enhance your experince, not the other way around. We've already seen what brand confusion can do when it gets out of hand.

They also need to avoid coming between the consumer and their products as much as possible, keep things as user-friendly as possible.

@get2sammyb
Unfairly broad, but sadly its also pretty darn accurate. Us American's seem to have an almost scary way of living up to these stereotypes, and surprisingly those kind of games even appeal to people serving in our nation's military.

I play them from time to time myself but my tastes generally lean towards whats popular in Japan, so I usually stick to Sony and Nintendo. Thats actually my main problem with Sony right now, they've been pushing western-style games lately so you can't just pick-up their console expecting JRPGs and the like anymore.

Wasn't really interested in the Xbox before but I was hoping the reveal would at least make me reconsider things....nope. My gaming setup is at my desk so sharing screen time isn't a concern and I couldn't care less about TV and social networking functions on a console.

None of the new consoles have really grabbed my attention yet though, I'll wait for more games to crop up and maybe a nice bundle before making my choice.

Hradware-wise I'm not all too convinced the GDDR5 RAM will make that big a difference, its faster sure but then PCs are still stuck with DDR3 just like the Xbox one. The main reason for using GDDR5 over DDR3 in the PS4 is it uses an APU, APUs don't have their own RAM for the GPU so they use whatever system memory is installed. If Sony plans to cross-fire the integrated GPU with a dedicated one developers will only have about 4-5GBs to work with.

@rjejr
Thats a good point, after all they did make a point of not allowing any game on the Xbox360 if it would be considered the inferior version. It all depends on how things go since they might not be in any position to make such demands.

I think I'll wait until Sony puts their money where their mouth is before getting all excited about this.

You know what they say, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. Even if most launch titles are remote-playable doesn't mean all future games will too.

They really need to make the store a lot more snappy and convenient to use, as it is its just so laggy and a pain to shift through if you just want to browse around. It seems that everytime I log on I'm greeted by an update search followed by the usual reboot before finally getting to fight through the menus just to look through the latest deals nevermind anything else.

They already notify you for firmware updates, why not just nofiy me about all the latest updates I need as they come up and let me get them all taken care of at once?

I swear I've had more trouble just trying to find out if I have enough left in my wallet to cover a game's cost than I've had completing full transactions on Amazon, and thats not good for Sony. If they can't set things right people interested in going digital are just going to go elsewhere, which would be a shame since they've already got the ecosystem setup they just need to streamline things.

That count down reminds me of the movie In Time, that one a from a few years ago where lifespan is used as currency. It also reminds me quite a bit of Dead Man Wonderland from the way they were arrested and forced to fight by the looks of it.

This certainly looks exciting, can't wait to find out more.

Its rather bit odd but I think its a pretty smart plan. They know that people aren't likely to rush out in droves to snatch up the PS4 so instead of going whole hog on their new console they're soaking up profits from the PS3 while gradually building it up and keeping early adopters satisfied.

They know console launches are usually slow to begin with even without a bad economy and the like, and since the PS4 isn't backwards compatible people will want one anyway weather they're waiting for the PS4 to drop in price or not.

@artemisthemp
Sony isn't the only company with failed/under utilized hardware or features if thats what your getting at. Besides, I think thats the least of their problems.

Also, Sony has/had a thing for proprietary formats. Memory sticks were exclusive to them initially and they were the brains behind mini-disks even before the UMD.

I really don't get Sony, I'm baffled that the same company claiming they learned their lesson with the PS3 and were smart enought to use standard PC hardware to cut costs for the PS4 managed to screw this up. They really have to ask themselves whats worse, cutting memory card prices or all that unsold hardware and software lying around.

I honstly don't blame Capcom for taking the series to Nintendo, not when they seem to treat them so much better on top of everything else. I think Sony burnt their bridges when they tried to make Capcom pay for the updates to their adhoc servers. Nintendo has been the king of handhelds for decades and actually support the series and Capcom get to reap the benefits.

@charlesnarles
I doubt we'll be seeing P3rd since that was the cause of the cause of the disagreement with Sony. I wouldn't rule it out completely but seeing as the series has been at its best on Nintendo's consoles as of late I wouldn't get my hopes up.

It isn't a problem so long as theres enough exclusives to balance things out but unfortunately that isn't the case at the moment.

If I'm already buying a console and it just so happens to have a port of a game I want then I'll probably consider buying it for the new console instead, assuming its not too expensive compared to whats available elsewhere. $5-$10 more isn't too bad but theres no way I'd buy a game for full price if its already available for half as much.

My main concern with always-online consoles is what will happen when the company drops it like a hot potato in favor of their new console. I don't want my console becoming a fancy door stopper because the company decided I'm done with it.

The only thing I didn't like about the Xbox's always-online rumor being debunked was the way it was worded, that it "tolerates" being offline. I just don't like what it implies, I can tolerate a few bites of apricote without feeling sick to my stomach but that still doesn't mean much if you catch my drift. At any rate these rumors still make Sony look good.

Its a darn shame, I'm not surprised but I was really hoping this would turn out to be a decent game at least. Gotta wonder how much Norman Reedus and Michael Rooker knew about the game while they were involved, given how much the cast and crew seem to care about the franchise it seems really odd they'd be ok with how they handled it.

They even promoted it on Talking Dead, which leads me to believe Activision may have kept everyone in the dark, not just us. This just shows a total lack of respect, not just for the franchise itself but towards the fans and everyone involved.

I'll never understand why some people insist on ruining the ending not only for others, but for themselves as well. Yea, if the gameplay is fun the game is still enjoyable but already knowing what happens ruins the experience.

Smart move there focusing on the primary function of video game consoles and the main reason for buying them. Yea, multimedia functions help tip the scale but why make such an investment soley for that when none of the games appeal to you?

Microsoft's strategy will help push hardware but just how many people will buy the next Xbox mainly for things like Netflix or DVR? Theres just too much competition in that area to bank on that alone, unless there just so happens to be a few million families looking to buy both a set-top box and game console all at once.

I don't think cross-buy is a big problem by itself but the lack of must have games of any kind is. The Vita has some great games but not enough to be worth dropping $250 on when compared to the other options available. Like it or not people aren't limited to handhelds to get games like Tetris anymore (that goes for Nintendo too, not just pointing at Sony here).

Yes, having your favorite games on the go is a selling point of handhelds but so is their own unique library. There are a lot of games only on Nintendo's handhelds and many fresh installments from their own franchises along side those ports.

Securing such high profile franchises has some pretty steep costs, likely too high to secure more than a few. Mean while Sony can probably play that game too, at least to some degree. After all the Xbox doesn't have much of a market in Japan, and being a Japanese company themselves I imagine Sony would have a much easier time working something out with the likes of SquareEnix or Capcom than Microsoft ever will.

I actually think that the hype surrounding the Xbox is the most dangerous part of it. The subsidised price will only fool anyone shortsighted enough to ignore the total price, and unlike a console the plan you pay is the same one needed to operate it. Sony can match the $400 total or even do their own plan if needed.

The hype on the other hand is what will convince anyone not already planning to get it on board, and Microsoft's marketing team is very good at spread the word. They seem keen on making they're console a home entertainment device and if the rumors are true they can do just that. Being a cable box, DVR, and all that means they can don't have to advertise it as just a console and a do-all device for the living room that plays big AAA games will appeal to a lot of people.

I think one of the big reasons exclusives tend to do better is because since they're a selling point a console they receive better marketing to promote the platform.

As for quality the exclusive are usually better due to the developers becoming very familiar with that particular hardware to the point of being specialized, and working very closely with the platform holder. I'm willing to bet that many popular franchises, including those from companies like Rare back in the day, wouldn't be quite as well made if they weren't exclusive (excluding hardware differences).

I really don't care if a game is exclusive or not, to me exclusives only influence which platform I choose. I'm actually glad more games are going multi-platform since that narrows things down to exclusives and your platform of choice.

Sometime before or on black Friday would probably be a good time to launch a new console, right before the major shopping season. I'd be a terrible idea to launch right after black Friday when everybody's already spent from buying things for themselves and stocking up on gifts.

As far as the one I actually like the best out of the four, I would have to say its the PSP's intro. It might be from growing up with Nintendo consoles but I just like how cheery it sounds. I still get chills hearing the PS1 intro but I get that feeling from all the classic tunes, its still a really close second though.

All the older consoles just seem to have more imaginative intros to me, from game specific ones like the walking N or laughing children to the Gamecube's rhythmic xylophone.

@CanisWolfred Its a darn shame, ain't it? I though it was pretty cool how the Project Rainfall games rewarded the people who pre-ordered with extra goodies, I would love to see more companies do that.

I like the figurine but its not worth it to me, especially not with a cat that likes to play with everything and would probably damage it in some way. I love the little guy but not even the ferret causes as much trouble as he does.

I gotta wonder why they seem so content to let so much bad press go, but then they have that announcement coming up so maybe they're waiting until then to set things straight.

The Xbox might not be truly "always online" it could just have key features that require it to be online so they'll just advertise it as such.

@LDXD With the steambox your supposed to be able to play all your steam games on it which means Half-Life 3 wouldn't be exclusive to it, it could be exclusive to steam but that still wouldn't help the steam box much.

Sounds like hes just going by just what Sony has done, not what its currently doing. It sounds like hes probably been out of the loop for a while and just opted to make predictions without catching up first.

I doubt developers will have much trouble going between the PS4 and "720". If the rumored specs are true then they're going to be almost identical hardware and architecture wise so the only real difference would be the development tools.

I like how close the results are, theres no overwhelming victor like you see with most polls.

I voted for Bully myself, not my first choice but out of these 5 games thats what'd I choose. Dark Cloud 3 anyone?

I think this will end up being more of an E3 preview. Sony is probably just going to give people a taste of whats to come to get everybody talking before E3 and hopefully steal some of Microsoft's thunder in the process. They probably won't try to completely steal the show, just draw a little attention away. They might also reveal some things they don't plan on showing at E3, either to make more time for other things or things not of any interest to anyone attending E3.

Nationalistic pride definitely plays a role just like with any other product, but I think the types of games that are found on Playstation or Nintendo consoles just appeal to them more. To the Japanese Xbox is probably seen as the console for shooters and other western style games that just don't do as well over there.

Its the same for myself as well since my tastes are just geared more towards that of Japan so I prefer Playstation and Nintendo, and thats where the games I like are. Its funny to think that whats popular over hear is considered niche in Japan and vice versa.

Doesn't really bother me since I prefer using my PC and held onto my old CD player just in case. I just seems really backwards to me that any old PC can play CDs but the PS4 can't for whatever reason. If this is in fact a way to cut costs then its a pretty weird way to do so.

@BlueProxy Looks like you beat me to it, I was about to suggest a promotion of some sort myself. That way people that want both can get a discount without Sony ending up with a bunch of unsold bundles if things don't work out.

One of the problems I see with a PS4/Vita bundle is that right now the Vita isn't doing very well outside of Japan. If people don't want a Vita by itself why would they pay more to get it in a console bundle?