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I've been the biggest Microsoft/XBox booster for the past five years, but I've just let my XBox Live Gold membership lapse and I have no plans to renew it any time soon. For the multi-platform title releases, I'll buy them for the Playstation 3 from now on. If a new Halo title comes out in the future, I'll probably buy it, but I'm pretty much done with the XBox 360.
Why? It's become clear through recent articles just how badly Microsoft has ripped off the public with both the original XBox and the XBox 360.
When Microsoft started selling the XBox 360 in December 2005, I wasn't going to buy it on the launch day. I was really happy and satisfied with the original XBox. I figured with so many of those consoles around, there would be some quality games available for it over the next two years. After all, Sony supported their consoles for many years after a new product was launched. That was a bad assumption on my part. The games for the original XBox dried up faster than a prune. The Guardian UK exposes the real reason for this in their multi-part interview with former XBox honcho Peter Moore. It's a fascinating interview just for Moore's insight into his experiences with Dreamcast, the XBox, and his new job at EA Sports.
Moore reveals that the hard drive was the reason Microsoft abandoned the original XBox: "The hard drive in every Xbox killed us; we we're still selling it at $199 and the hard drive was like $70. That's why we prematurely left the original Xbox, because the more we were selling - there was still great demand - it was killing us, and there was no way to bring the price down. So in the end we determined at around the 25 million unit mark that we just needed to slow this thing down and just not sell any more, and move to the 360 as quickly as we possibly could. And to this day people still believe we left the Xbox too early but it was purely for financial purposes."
Wow, that is a stunning admission! I always wondered why the original XBox was dropped like a hot potato. Here's why Sony deserves more trust than Microsoft. When Sony says PS3 is going to have a 10-year cycle, their past behavior supporting the PS One and PS2 consoles seems to back this up. The PS2 is still being sold (and sales are good) two years after the launch of the PS3 in 2006. God of War 2 was a SCEA produced title that was released for the PS2 in 2007. With the powerful capabilities of the PS3 hardware, which software developers are starting to tap into with this next wave of game releases, I believe the PS3 has long-lasting potential.
What really infuriated me was Moore's admission combined with the Microsoft manufacturing scandal that Dean Takahashi exposed on VentureBeat. Takahashi's article exposes the factors that led into the Red Ring of Death. Microsoft knew of internal defects produced by the assembly line for the XBox 360, but did nothing to stop it. They were entirely focused on beating Sony to the market with their console and did not want to halt production to find and fix the defects. The results of that poor decision led to more than $1 billion in losses for Microsoft. I've gotten off easy with just one RRoD incident, other consumers have suffered through the RRoD multiple times. Some of these people remain die-hard XBox boosters! Sorry, I'm out, I just don't want to support this bad behavior with any more money.
Sony has had its own share of problems, mostly in the software arena. They didn't understand how to do online, they didn't have anything to match XBox achievements, and their initial release of exclusive games weren't very desirable. Now with a revamped game store and PS3 trophies, things are changing. Today marks the release of Wipeout HD, a really good exclusive game for only $20. Later in 2009 we'll have Resistance 2 and Little Big Planet. Playstation Home looks to be pretty cool. Next year, KillZone 2, Infamous, and (most of all) DC Universe Online look very promising. I won't have to look at those stupid new XBox avatars all the time, what a relief. Nuff said.
Link: Peter Moore Interview [Guardian UK Games Blog]
Link: Xbox 360 defects: an inside history of Microsoft's video game console woes
I try not to be a fanboy simply because I do not work for either company so I have no stake in console wars but Sony lied constantly about their consoles (emotion engine or the way PS3 was originally supposed to be)or Microsoft's price gouging (How is 20gb hard drive still 100 bucks after 3 years?). Forget trust, neither of them should be trusted. I think you need to be on your own side. Which one of the consoles feels better or is more efficient to your current lifestyle or your taste.
Pity comment for ur shitty blog
You make great arguments
"Playstation Home looks to be pretty cool."
To Kevin: I'm not sure how Sony said that, "The PS3 was suppose to be" What i heard at E3 05 that it was the most powerful gaming console yet...and it is. It was suppose to come with bluray and blutooth and it did and wifi. I'm not sure what you mean by lying about their console?
Though i am a fanboy I tried hard to to be Bias towards Gears but I still dont see how fun that game is...over hyped just like Halo. The only exclusive that X360 that was actually good was Bioshock but now that's getting ported.
Its pretty hard to say you're product is better when you actually add it up in one year and find out that its twice as much as the competitors. Sure its 199...but that's not the best experience but people dont see that they see 199 then end up spending 500 afterwards because 199 was such a "Great Deal"
Please spare me the bashing check the facts they are all there with the exception of Halo and Gears (opinions)
Adam Warlock: yr a bit late joining the party, but welcome!! LOL!! Yeah sure both companies lie, how else do you expect them to make money. But if you wanna side with one it's pretty obvious who to choose. And I dont fully believe P.Moore(lying c**t) when he says the main reason was 'money', it's so obvious they just wanted their machine out before Sony, they did everything they could to get it out, even released a faulty console, and all these fools went out and bought it anyways. I mean c'mon Microsoft blatantly lie to yr face, and plus their system breaks down on the regs. There was/is nothing groundbreaking about 360, no new technology, no wifi and it wasn't even fully HD!! (another blatant LIE 'experience FULL HD gaming', wasn't that their slogan??) Basically it's just a PC without windows, and to top it all off they go on about how good their online service is, but u have to bloody pay for it!! And u can't even surf the net or anything. And as far as games go............. ALL of them are bloody FPS, which were and still are typically PC games. So wht they have effectively done is just take the PC gamers market!! Yeah yeah sure u guys go on and on about Galo, but that game was developed originally for a MAC not xbox, and to be honest it's just a fucking rip-off of the 1st Unreal tournament plain and simple! It wasn't even a desicion for me, the thought of buying an xbox or 360 has never even crossed my mind!! I mean look at the line up of EXCLUSIVE games for the end of this year and next year, it's a JOKE!! NOTHING compares, PS3 has got - LBP, RES2, KZ2, GOWIII, Infamous, The Agency, DC Universe, MAG, GT5, TEKKEN6, LA Noire and there's more that I dont even need to mention. I mean c'mon that has got to be the BEST line-up of console titles ever!! And yet more to come, when the PS3 starts to hit peak form towards the end of 2010 the 360 will already be dead and rotting in the water!!
I think a lot like you, although I really appreciate that there now is a third console make in the race - competition is good for us customers.
When I first realized the whole mess with the RROD I knew Xbox 360 would not beat PS3 this generation but you gotta get to give Microsoft some credit for Xbox LIVE (Arcade) and now after the pricecuts Xbox 360 looks better and better.
While I won't go as far as you and buy multi-release games for PS3 I'm really thinking everytime whether not to get the PS3 version - but most of the time the Xbox 360 version offers more or runs better... and that's my main problem with Sony... they were late to market, PROHIBITIVELY EXPENSIVE, and they don't had the great blockbuster exclusives... so it's very good that these arrogant guys come down to a more realistic level - Microsoft is good for the console market in that aspect.
IIRC, I think Kevin was talking about how the PS3 had the Emotion Engine initially (which allowed hardware-backed BC), then switched to semi-compatible software emulation, then removed it from all models, except for the MGS4 bundle (however long that lasts).