Microsoft declares war on Sony

[Infected Elite]

1 hour ago, Helyx said:

Even if Sony was somehow completely barred from doing business in the States, I'd never support Xbox.

Yeah same, like, i own a series x and one s. However, series x is the only console i bought. Rest were either through friends getting rid of them, or just a promotion with a tv or internet bundle (500GB One, which i then traded in for a 500GB One S for a $50 promo at gamestop). Okay so maybe a series x and some change.

 

But every time i tell myself I'll use the series x, it ends up just like the switch. Collecting dust and not being used for months or more. At least i buy exclusive games for switch. Cant say xbox has many.....

 

 

@Rozalia1 yeah Sony may have to finally speak up. But in a perfect world, Microsoft would go bankrupt, and their market and stocks would crash. People often forget, Microsoft on PC vs Microsoft on console, is that they could leave the console game industry and be perfectly fine with all the shit they have for computers (even outside gaming).

[Rozalia1]

1 minute ago, Infected Elite said:

 

@Rozalia1 yeah Sony may have to finally speak up. But in a perfect world, Microsoft would go bankrupt, and their market and stocks would crash. People often forget, Microsoft on PC vs Microsoft on console, is that they could leave the console game industry and be perfectly fine with all the shit they have for computers (even outside gaming).

 

While Microsoft going bankrupt is unlikely due to you know, the monopolies they've established with dirty tactics like they're trying now with gaming. If they manage to get CoD (and the rest of Activision) and that together with all their other buyouts still doesn't move the needle against Sony, then that might make time run out on the majority of their gaming division. If Microsoft's management remains committed though? They'll just buy a dozen studios + a big publisher like EA while justifying it as needed for them to "compete".

 

What way it'd go no one can know, but I've always felt that Microsoft management hates Sony for spanking them constantly while not being "big tech". Its one thing to lose to Apple, Google, so on, but to lose to a company so much smaller is simply unacceptable. As such they may well be committed to continuing to buy and buy until they can reach the point they can finally overcome Sony no matter how much money they lose in the process. As you've put it, they'd be perfectly fine if they left gaming (better off in fact), but "surrendering" to Sony is not something they want to be doing even if it's good business. Microsoft very much is itself invested in the "console wars".

[MidnightDragon]

2 hours ago, Helyx said:

Even if Sony was somehow completely barred from doing business in the States, I'd never support Xbox.

Doesn't seem that likely to me. If anything happened, probably Sony would get a slap on the wrist and it'd be tied up for years in court anyway. 

[Kessarath]

Human nature is inherently evil...

[MidnightDragon]

4 minutes ago, Rozalia1 said:

 

While Microsoft going bankrupt is unlikely due to you know, the monopolies they've established with dirty tactics like they're trying now with gaming. If they manage to get CoD (and the rest of Activision) and that together with all their other buyouts still doesn't move the needle against Sony, then that might make time run out on the majority of their gaming division. If Microsoft's management remains committed though? They'll just buy a dozen studios + a big publisher like EA while justifying it as needed for them to "compete".

 

What way it'd go no one can know, but I've always felt that Microsoft management hates Sony for spanking them constantly while not being "big tech". Its one thing to lose to Apple, Google, so on, but to lose to a company so much smaller is simply unacceptable. As such they may well be committed to continuing to buy and buy until they can reach the point they can finally overcome Sony no matter how much money they lose in the process. As you've put it, they'd be perfectly fine if they left gaming (better off in fact), but "surrendering" to Sony is not something they want to be doing even if it's good business. Microsoft very much is itself invested in the "console wars".

We can always hope they one day wake up. The regulators definitely did more with Activision at least, so that's a positive at least. Still, hope that day comes much sooner rather than later. 

[Rozalia1]

Just now, MidnightDragon said:

We can always hope they one day wake up. The regulators definitely did more with Activision at least, so that's a positive at least. Still, hope that day comes much sooner rather than later. 

 

Certainly, but increasing the length of the process is only going to work once (they're establishing things they'll use in future big buy outs in gaming) and Microsoft ultimately still gets what it wanted. I'm holding on to the hope that the cloud concerns are enough to sink the deal or there is some turn around in America and the FTC is able to hold their ground against Microsoft and their corrupt political agents.

 

As @tomadom64 said, it'd also be nice if what Microsoft is doing here backfires on them and it hurts them getting the Activision buyout through (future ones too would be a bonus).

[Ashande]

If Microsoft spent half as much time and money actually working on games as they do on their backstabbing and BS departments, they might get some more people to care about their console. All these studios they’ve picked up, all the hollering and crying about how Evil Sony won’t let them have more toys, and what have we got to show for it? HiFi Rush? Um… yay, I guess? (Not dogging on HFR, but when you’re almost three years in and that’s the only actual exclusive for your $500 paperweight, after you’ve blown millions - or is it billions, at this point? - buying studios and talent, you’re doing something wrong.)

 

In the interests of transparency, I do have to say I own a Series X. I bought it because I wanted The Medium and Forza Horizon 5, and they were promising an Indiana Jones game that looked pretty good, and I expected they’d have a Gears of War 6 at some point. Then The Medium went multiplatform, Indiana Jones seems to have vanished, Horizon 5 would have run just fine on the One S I used to have, and they haven’t shipped anything else of value except multiplatform titles… that almost universally run worse on Xbox, generally due to their idiotic decisions around the Series S.

 

But, sure, Microsoft. Whatever you say. You get those senators to tell a sob story about how mean Sony is, and how they’re unfairly monopolizing things (the same week that The Show ‘23 launches on Xbox…) and be sure to bury all the bodies you’ve left behind you (shall we discuss OS-9, OS-2, PC-DOS? No? How about Netscape Navigator? Perhaps Borland C++/Turbo C++?) I mean, surely Microsoft doesn’t have any kind of history of being anticompetitive when it comes to software, or of ignoring trade agreements when it suits them, paying the fines with a laugh and a smile. Right? Or a history of handing big sacks of money to people, promising projects that never materialize, right?

 

Asinine. Utterly asinine.

[MidnightDragon]

8 minutes ago, Ashande said:

If Microsoft spent half as much time and money actually working on games as they do on their backstabbing and BS departments, they might get some more people to care about their console. All these studios they’ve picked up, all the hollering and crying about how Evil Sony won’t let them have more toys, and what have we got to show for it? HiFi Rush? Um… yay, I guess? (Not dogging on HFR, but when you’re almost three years in and that’s the only actual exclusive for your $500 paperweight, after you’ve blown millions - or is it billions, at this point? - buying studios and talent, you’re doing something wrong.)

It's well into the billions. ZeniMax (Bethesda's parent) was $7.5 billion and Activision will be almost $69 billion assuming it completes. And agreed...threw around all that money and have almost nothing to show for it. Maybe in the future, but given their track record, not seeing it.

[RadiantFlamberge]

2 hours ago, StewartBros said:

Have never had any interest in owning an Xbox, and this will apply even more so if this scenario comes to pass.

The last time I was really into Xbox was the 360 which I got for Christmas that year. It was the Japanese model, which played most of the USA games as well.

 

I did buy a One X but not at launch. If it didn't have backward compatibility with the 360, that wouldn't have happened. It gets used mostly for the enhanced 360 games. Recently, that's been little other than Ninja Gaiden 2 (a game that has performance issues on the 360, which are cleared up on the One X). The 360 had a better lineup than One IMO. JRPGs? Sure, Xbox has Square Enix and Bandai Namco's titles... but PS has them as well, and more still.

 

Anything on One that I ever wanted was either covered by Playstation or PC. This repeats itself with PS5 and XSX. M$ hasn't given me a reason to go get a Series X. Their recent antics have estranged me from the Xbox brand. All I see in Xbox now is a bunch of dirty players whining about Sony being number one. Sony earned their place fairly. M$ should "Get Good" rather than trying to poleax legitimate success. If Xbox were to tank leading M$ to quit the console business, why should I be sad?

 

I'd love it if M$ were banned from future buyouts. It's got to stop somewhere.

[Jelly Soup]

Was always more of a Sony guy. Had access to a 360 when my partner and I first got together but didn't do much with it. Have a One currently, mostly because a scalper friend offered it to me cheap and my partner wanted to play the next Senua game whenever it exists development hell. My nephew makes the most use of it, I pretty much only play Dauntless and Phantasy Star on it.

[GUDGER666]

Microsoft just crying because they have spent billions, brought out a readily available cheap Series S while PS5 was out of stock and still does much worse.... Again. 

[cy1999aek_maik]

This is Phil Spencer's villain arc. How dare sony contest Microsoft's attempts to corner the market! 

[DaivRules]

A more accurate and descriptive title for this non-story is “Microsoft lobbies for representatives to whine about stuff”.

 

No one has actually taken any actions besides writing a letter asking people to look at stuff. That’s “war”? No, it’s definitely not war. Not even close to war.

 

But it sure has the emotions all charged up for people who want to spin this into their favorite narratives. 
 

I’ll show some restraint an actually wait for the adults in the situation to take charge. 
 

[Eraezr]

I hope this acquisition goes through. A lot of people don't understand this is the humbling PlayStation needs right now.

[Zephrese]

6 minutes ago, Eraezr said:

I hope this acquisition goes through. A lot of people don't understand this is the humbling PlayStation needs right now.

 

"Company A is too complacent, so let's hope that the much bigger and far more corrupt Company B can buyout Company C in a way that'll negatively effect way more than just Company A in the long run so as to teach Company A a lesson they'll never forget to "humble" them"

 

Great logic. I'm sure Sony won't just double down on what's been working for them either. /s

Edited March 28, 2023 by Zephrese

[cy1999aek_maik]

7 minutes ago, Eraezr said:

I hope this acquisition goes through. A lot of people don't understand this is the humbling PlayStation needs right now.

This humbling might be the end of PS, that's my only concern

[Eraezr]

Just now, cy1999aek_maik said:

This humbling might be the end of PS, that's my only concern

Nah, MS isn't that competent. They killed Nokia and are just about halfway through strangulating PlayGround Games (with founders and key devs leaving to start their own studio) and Bethesda.

6 minutes ago, Zephrese said:

 

"Company A is too complacent, so let's hope that the much bigger and far more corrupt Company B can buyout Company C in a way that'll negatively effect way more than just Company A in the long run so as to teach Company A a lesson they'll never forget to "humble" them"

 

Yes. This is how the universe objectively works.

[Zephrese]

57 minutes ago, Eraezr said:

Yes. This is how the universe objectively works.

 

If you say so.

Edited March 28, 2023 by Zephrese

[cy1999aek_maik]

33 minutes ago, Eraezr said:

Nah, MS isn't that competent. They killed Nokia and are just about halfway through strangulating PlayGround Games (with founders and key devs leaving to start their own studio) and Bethesda.

Fair enough I guess time will tell, but I'm a bit weary of the potential of some of the most consistent top selling franchises leaving PS, even if I don't really care that much about CoD anymore, it will shake up the industry a little bit. 

[Eraezr]

19 hours ago, cy1999aek_maik said:

Fair enough I guess time will tell, but I'm a bit weary of the potential of some of the most consistent top selling franchises leaving PS, even if I don't really care that much about CoD anymore, it will shake up the industry a little bit. 

 

I see a net positive. The shattering of CoD's current monopoly will free up spending power from the consumers to support other IPs, which will empower better creative initiative. Right now they've got a huge stake on a 'zombie market' that just sleepwalks into one new CoD after another, year after year.

 

Microsoft is the only one with the money and stupidity to allow for this timeline. In the starting years of the pinch PlayStation will feel, they'll strap on hard to curating the best possible library on PS to counteract Call of Duty.

 

Microsoft doesn't know this but the game board is set to chess and not checkers. Buying Activision isn't the win those out-of-touch suits believe it is. Losing CoD from PS will ripple a net positive.

Edited March 29, 2023 by Eraezr

[ASMODAIOS344]

So console wars became a reality nice!!. I see that USA again show us how stupid is the political system that we call Republic, i wonder when Hollywood will be involved?

 

 

[SnowxSakura]

8 hours ago, Helyx said:

 

I've owned Xbox, 360 and XB1 but never really put much time into them since Nintendo and Sony always had better games.

The only one I really put time into was the 360, but that was back when they actually tried with the japanese market. Now it's just multiplatform titles, and boring western developed exclusives

[Raidou Kuzunoha XIV]

8 hours ago, enaysoft said:

In Japan X is used as the answer to no, or dame (dah-meh) It doesn't have a favourable interpretation that's for sure.

Japanese people tend to stick too or favour Japanese made products anyway, but a product made overseas and literally can be read as Batsu Bokkusu "No good Box" won't do you any favours.

 

That's interesting. As a weeb that's learning Japanese, I notice "dame" is often written in katakana (ダメ). Is the "me" katakana character associated with X or something? (they do look very similar)

 

On topic, I've mostly been avoiding the whole acquisition drama as I've seen some rather toxic shit slinging contests going on online on just about every corner of the internet regarding it. I've never really been much of an Xbox person, I never had the original console, and got a 360 rather late in its life cycle. I got an Xbox One at launch and barely played it past 2015. I've gotten a Series X and have bought literally only 1 new game for it since I've gotten it, the rest are leftovers from my 360 and Xbone backlog, which also so happens to be one of my smallest (and most neglected) backlogs. I have zero interest in ever getting gamepass, never really been into subscription services for games. Point is, I don't have a lot of sentimental value attached to Xbox, though I must admit I was initially more interested in the Series X than the PS5 before they launched (that quick resume feature seemed nice, and since getting it I've used it... literally never). But my opinion of Microsoft has definitely sunk tremendously in recent times.

 

I've definitely never seen the "console wars" this bad before, and I can't say I see this ending as favourably as Microsoft may like.

[cy1999aek_maik]

2 hours ago, Eraezr said:

 

I see a net positive. The shattering of CoD's current monopoly will free up spending power from the consumers to support other IPs, which will empower better creative iniatiative. Right now they've got a huge stake on a 'zombie market' that just sleepwalks into one new CoD after another, year after year.

 

Microsoft is the only one with the money and stupidity to allow for this timeline. In the starting years of the pinch PlayStation will feel, they'll strap on hard to curating the best possible library on PS to counteract Call of Duty.

 

Microsoft doesn't know this but the game board is set to chess and not checkers. Buying Activision isn't the win those out-of-touch suits believe it is. Losing CoD from PS will ripple a net positive.

That's an interesting perspective, hopefully it turns out this way

[Sendai-Horatio]

2 hours ago, Eraezr said:

 

I see a net positive. The shattering of CoD's current monopoly will free up spending power from the consumers to support other IPs, which will empower better creative iniatiative. Right now they've got a huge stake on a 'zombie market' that just sleepwalks into one new CoD after another, year after year.

 

Microsoft is the only one with the money and stupidity to allow for this timeline. In the starting years of the pinch PlayStation will feel, they'll strap on hard to curating the best possible library on PS to counteract Call of Duty.

 

Microsoft doesn't know this but the game board is set to chess and not checkers. Buying Activision isn't the win those out-of-touch suits believe it is. Losing CoD from PS will ripple a net positive.

It's not going to work like that. Especially since there's games like Genshin Impact and Fortnite raking in billions and they already exist. Call of Duty is a major IP but it's not the one that was primarily sucking all the oxygen out of the room. You still have yearly sports titles to account for as well. Before Call of Duty you had games like MMOs take up lots of space in the industry where everyone was releasing an MMO and they all tried to copy world of warcraft and it took many failures over many years before some actual competition came along and by that time the interest in the genre waned heavily. Call of Duty isn't going to implode it's just going to be a slow long decline. It's also not like customers are buying a single type of game in the tens of millions, there's already instances of new gaming series selling over 10 million copies that are not from Activision and are not a first person shooter. Having new games become popular is already happening and it has never been dependent on the performance of Call of Duty or any other large series getting a heavily advertised yearly release.

Edited March 28, 2023 by Sendai-Horatio