Sony: Knocking Microsoft Off It’s Perch?

“Simple, yet so very effective.”

I warned you that Sony would impose corrosive restrictions similar to Xbox, that they too would alienate consumers with forceful reprisals on how games and content could be accessed. My astute perception on such matters allowed for a favourable interpretation of the future and how best to deal with the restrictive impediment, negatively enforced by companies extending their fiscal grasp, with an insatiable consumption for your austerity. My strategical plan had been implemented, a shelter specifically designated for gamers, reinforced against the nuclear fallout that would emanate from the statements uttered at E3 with general ignorance, and dispersed with such singular and intense velocity that every gamer would become consumed with vengeful malevolence……and dammit if my resourceful ingenuity wasn’t completely unnecessary. Games–once purchased–are yours to own, to freely distribute to friends, to trade in at retail, to preserve in contented reverence or use as an extravagant coaster to place your beverages on. The games are yours by rights! What a shrewd concept. Such a simple deceleration, but one met with the suitable corroborating support that such a statement deserved. Offline functionality is still accessible, there’s no intrusive, mandatory on-line presence required to continue gaming and the price, Oh lord the price! £349! No, that numerical figure hasn’t been manipulated, that’s the cost in sterling! After that announcement Sony could have led a malnourished calf on the stage, gradually mutilated the poor creature with a hair pin, announced its conversion to Scientology and recouped all resources and investment into a third Kane & Lynch title, no one would have cared! I can only assume that Microsoft’s butt hole, puckered tighter than a Nuns holiest of holy’s when this exposition was made.

“Jack Tretton; smug, but for good reason.”

Sony’s E3 conference didn’t simply lament the loyalty of their existing entourage, but affirmed their potential ascendancy back to gaming sovereignty. But Sony’s initial performance was one influenced formally by the onset of advanced rheumatism which afflicted much of its presentation. The apologetic, almost self-deprecating assertions persisted, still resonating strongly after the previous confirmation of the consoles existence back in February. The derivative attention on the neglected Vita and importance of the PS3 that composed much of the earlier segment appeared desperate. Sony’s movie thing, where some distressed executive discussed…something to do with the movie industry was as dreary as a Coldplay song. And despite the quantity as well as quality of titles coercing me to purchase a PS4 on day of release, there was nothing exemplary surrounding their digressions. It was pedestrian, pedantic, nervous, with often stuttering alleviations to potentially compelling games, threatening to cripple Sony’s advantageous position. Sony’s evasiveness and transparency to define their intentions in regard to DRM seemed an apparent delay to an inevitable finality as well, one of advanced institutional suppression….until these definitively seductive words were proclaimed, “We support the used game market”. The reality and significance of this deceleration is something that not even M Night Shyamalan could have anticipated, “You mean the notion was dead all along, it just didn’t realise!?” The rapturous applause that followed, coupled with the auditory verbalization of reprieve was affirmation widely acknowledged with platonic admiration, as well as respect for gamers standard requirements. Even Jack Tretton’s smug visage seemed magnanimous and the recently published satirical, instructional video demonstrating how to share games on the PS4 is a humiliating insult to Xbox.

“Simple, yet so very effective.”

Those five minuets defined the entirety of the PlayStation 4’s connotation. It was clever, intuitive and taken on aesthetic merit, a tremendous victory for the flexibility of gamers. Sony also announced further additional courtesies, such as the capitulation and down right ignorance pertaining to its vertically placed camera, which frankly was a positively generous omission. It is a peripheral, not integral accessory. The importance on Indie games was self-evident in the earlier portion of the demonstration, with Sony postulating a simplified process of generating content with less congested annoyance or publication issues. Oh, and did I mention the formidable price of £349, which now has the added implications of “subject to availability”. This will help the device sell more units than a Kate Middleton sex tape. But beneath this noticeably jovial exterior, pessimism still contort’s much of my remaining petulance. I can’t shake the persistent niggles that the statements and assurances indicated by Sony are pretences to some ambiguous evil yet to demonstrate its contemptuous villainy. Directly proceeding there elated, 5 minute ejaculation Sony immediately reiterated the importance of PlayStation plus, exposing the plan to phase out free on-line gaming already mediated on the Xbox. This could generally be attributed to the unfortunate hacking incident a couple of years ago which had serious repercussions for Sony’s credibility as a viable, commercially trustworthy entity, or a delicate extraction of further funds from participating gamers, and though there are clear advantages to PlayStation Plus with access to a number of free games, as well as media functions such as Netflix which are still freely accessible without subscription to Plus, there are some who may feel inclined not to pay for the subscription.

“Man getting hit by football. The visual equivalent of how Sony affected Microsoft.”

Whatever the case the conflict between PlayStation and Xbox isn’t close to be being over, neither console has been released yet, so any alleviations of victory to the contrary are speculative at best, and any premature jape’s or jests levelled at Microsoft should be vigilant with their mocking. Independent companies developing for the PS4 could still scupper Sony’s broad intentions to allow second-hand gaming, by implementing separate restrictive access to traded or repurchased content, making Sony’s colossal announcement a rather modest procrastination. But I have considerably more empathy for the Xbox contingent. The proposed restrictions placed on your purchases as well as the extending on-line regulations that require continued visibility on the web to authenticate your presence, is a maddening breach of your rights as a consumer, with anxiety worsened by comments made by a Microsoft representative, pertaining to the proposed regulations by suggesting that “if people want to play offline there is an alternative device that meets these specifications. It’s called a 360.” Such a repulsive disregard for its “valued” customers is beyond reprehensible. Sony aren’t the rugged saviours they’ve been depicted as, but they certainly know how to conduct a very precise and intuitive business model. But it is odd that Sony’s reputation has accelerated at such velocity, not because of what they’ve added or subtracted, but namely because they are offering gamers what they already have. Freedom.

What did you think of both companies separate conferences? And which will you be purchasing? Let me know your thoughts on the dramatic developments. Cheers.