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[NinjaCarrot]

Really enjoyed this interview. I'm not getting an X1 but it was good to see someone answering questions without resorting to PR spin.

 

[Portugeezer]

We know. That's what makes what Sessler keeps saying so ridiculous. When you constantly get something so simple wrong so many times I can't blame anyone for thinking he's a shill. His constant defense of them during all their awful pre-reversal policies didn't win him any favors either.

Pretty much since the Xbox One was officially reveal he has been all: "Xbone might not be so bad", "PS4 might not be that good".

Maybe he likes TV.

 

[Marleyman]

Exactly. I LIKE Kinect. I can't believe MS showed a grand total of nothing gaming wise for Kinect 2 at E3. I'm still not over that. I was prepared to be sold on Kinect 2 as a gaming device...

I'm still waiting.

I think MS was damned either way at E3. If they focused on Kinect too much they would have been crucified, especially after the outrage at the lack of games for their reveal. They chose not to focus on Kinect and some are upset about that. I was indifferent to it because I figured they didn't show Kinect only games to prevent that backlash. They are there though, plus you have to factor in Kinect being implemented into most titles due to it being packed in with the system. I am optimistic about it and it's future.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Random thought. I am almost more excited about the first Digital Foundry head to head as I am the consoles themselves launching.

I know that some people will but exaggerating the differences, and other people minimizing them, and that's going to be fun, but I'm also eager to see just how different they are for myself.

The power discussion is a tricky one. I'd be playing up how the Xbox 360 was less powerful than the PS3 and how that didn't really matter much for the end results. And when the interviewer said something about the PS3 being hard to develop for, I'd talk at length about the improvements Microsoft have made in their developer relations and tool chains etc from Xbox 360 to Xbone. Point out how, like, look we're literally helping the developers code for this. It's an architecture they're more familiar with in X86. etc etc.

Car analogies are always always always terrible when it comes to anything gaming related.

Always.

I think both will be powerful enough to go head-to-head again and again with software from multiplatform releases and exclusives, just like they were this gen. I also think his car analogy works for this since we're talking about architectural changes that have relevance to the results, defying expectations that come purely from a dry FLOP count-way of looking at performance. Local memory and specific memory subsystem facets will matter (especially for mutlicore CPU and GPU) sooner or later when developers have more time and experience to optimize for them just as they've always gotten better at utilizing computation resources throughout the generation. People thinking that PS4 completely outclasses X1 for end results in released games, I think, are setting themselves up for disappointment and/or surprise.

 

[madmackem]

I'm a huge fan of Sessler, but this is actually all true. I think he's just trying really hard to balance out the playing field despite it being heavily in Sony's court of late. Problem is he's not doing it in the most tactful of ways and it's compromising his otherwise excellent reputation somewhat.

Dude thats not what a journalist is about, you lay the facts on the line add your bit and let the audience make of it what they will, there should be little of evening the playing field out really. By all means add your personal thoughts on things but you have to be upfront that they are just that.

Im not having a go at him or defending him either way just how i think it should be in the media, without doubt give your opinion but you have to be upfront that it is that. They all seem to suffer from it in one way or another, i think one of the better out there is jim sterling, he does his bits but is upfront with them being his thoughts on them rather then being in the guise of news and interviews.

 

[Wishmaster92]

If I were at MS, I would avoid the subject of Ryse >_>

The single player looked spectacular. Imo the most visually impressive game shown followed by Quantum Break.

 

[paskowitz]

You are a car guy but think that a 300-400hp Porsche can be faster than a700hp Vette... I believe the analogy you were looking for is how can a 500hp GTR be faster than a 650hp Ferrari Enzo.

 

[Computer]

No 400hp Porsche is faster than a 700hp Corvette...that is a ridiculous analogy.

No its not? What he is saying is that its about the architecture not the the raw numbers. Witch is true. The Xbox One has a weaker GPU but they also have 15 specialized processors to complete task and take the load off the GPU CPU (The CPU is faster then PS4 ATM) freeing them up for other things.

 

[kaching]

I think he is just talking about total games announced including those "pesky indies". Therefore he is admitting that the 360 outclassed the PS3 this entire generation since XBLA and indies count in the exclusive argument now.

They never should have been excluded. And Xbox fans certainly seemed more willing to include them in the early years of the 360. That was definitely one of the big draws for me at the 360's launch. The XBLA setup and its offerings were a breath of fresh air. That's part of why PS4 is now proving to be the bigger draw for me over the XBO.

It is definitely happening. It is in every other medium; why should the video game industry not do it..it is crazy to think otherwise.

Err, the VG industry *has* been doing it, can continue to do it and doesn't have to mess with physical distro to get there. No one was thinking videogames wouldn't go digital, but there's no need to downgrade the value prop. of physical copy to do it.

 

[gamechanger87]

Who is this Parnello dude, he should be in charge of Microsofts Xbox division asap, he has been the only one who sound knowledgable out of all the wankers that work in that division

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/member.php?u=31253

Posts on here quite a bit lately.

 

[jockstrap74]

Might just be worth pointing out, PR excursions by all top companies tend to be scripted, its how they control the product.

Albert would have had prior knowledge of the questions and answers may even be tele-prompted, both Sony and MS would do this, to control any negativity being portrayed.
The rest will be down to the flair of the person to respond naturally

 

[Bgamer90]

Do you know what the adoption rate of XBL on the original Xbox was? But I understand what he meant. I'm going to wash my ears now.

Xbox Live subs were at 2 million shortly before the Xbox 360 launched. Original Xbox sales were at about 20 million then if I remember correctly.

So yeah, I guess you could say that 10% of Original Xbox users had Xbox Live back then. Again though -- broadband was a requirement and the majority of people still didn't have access to it.

 

[digoutyoursoul]

Albert if you are reading this thread, can we have a video or something soon demonstrating the dashboard such as profiles, friends list, achievements ?

Thanks

 

[Chobel]

No its not? What he is saying is that its about the architecture not the the raw numbers. Witch is true. The Xbox One has a weaker GPU but they also have 15 specialized processors to complete task and take the load off the GPU CPU freeing them up for other things.

Do have any idea what those 15 specialized processors do? Also, free GPU from what?

 

[DJ Lushious]

I really don't understand this sentiment. It seems that either:

1.) The policies were so complex that virtually no one could understand them.

Conclusion: These policies were unsuitable for the average consumer.

Or:

2.) People understood the policies and did not like them.

Conclusion: The policies were unsuitable for the average consumer.

Either way, it seems rather obvious that the policies were, surprisingly enough, unsuitable for the average consumer.

But the best of luck reintroducing them in the years to come.

I think it's more this:

3.) MicroSoft had a rolling implementation of these ideas. The broad strokes were in place, but they were still hammering out the details as time moved closer to launch.

Conclusion: The cogs in any large organization take a long time to get turning.

 

[UnnDunn]

Speaking of Sessler, did he ever explain what Sony was "lying" to us about?

Remember when Sony promised that PS3 would have dual HDMI outputs to simultaneously drive 2 1080p displays? And how it would have 3x gigabit Ethernet ports, acting as a network router?

Remember how Sony promised PS2 would become a full PC, with support for services like web browsing, AOL and RealPlayer?

I imagine those are the sorts of lies Sessler was referring to.

 

[Ol No Bones]

Not really anything new. I was a little surprised how reluctant consumers were towards a digital model. Especially when most of them are accustomed to iOS, steam ect... I know it wasn't the exact same but they were still trying to have retail units available. I still think they should have a box without blu ray and just go digital.

 

[CambriaRising]

I'm a huge fan of Sessler, but this is actually all true. I think he's just trying really hard to balance out the playing field despite it being heavily in Sony's court of late. Problem is he's not doing it in the most tactful of ways and it's compromising his otherwise excellent reputation somewhat.

I am also a fan of his, as I feel that he expresses his thoughts and opinions well. Which is why all of that stands out to me so much. I do think that he tries to level the playing field, but in this situation the playing field just isn't level. He still has the responsibility to not mislead and misinform the audience he is talking to.

I imagine those are the sorts of lies Sessler was referring to.

No, watch the video again and it is blatantly clear that he was saying Sony was not giving the full story on having no DRM without justification or any evidence.

 

[Cmerrill]

I wonder when Rev3Games & Adam Sessler will(if ever) do any PS4 coverage, interviews?

Sessler should have joined Polygon.

 

[statham]

Might just be worth pointing out, PR excursions by all top companies tend to be scripted, its how they control the product.

Albert would have had prior knowledge of the questions and answers may even be tele-prompted, both Sony and MS would do this, to control any negativity being portrayed.
The rest will be down to the flair of the person to respond naturally

wut. If that was the case the 180 would not have been brought up or the comment that the 360 is outdated.

 

[Marleyman]

The single player looked spectacular. Imo the most visually impressive game shown followed by Quantum Break.

Looks amazing; can't wait to play it.

 

[Enordash]

I am also a fan of his, as I feel that he expresses his thoughts and opinions well. Which is why all of that stands out to me so much. I do think that he tries to level the playing field, but in this situation the playing field just isn't level. He still has the responsibility to not mislead and misinform the audience he is talking to.

Isn't this the type of "on paper" thing they are specifically talk about. Can we wait until we get our hands on both before we conclude such things. There are times where the differences are obvious (like with the Wii vs PS3/360), but this has yet to be proven to be the case here.

 

[Ol No Bones]

Might just be worth pointing out, PR excursions by all top companies tend to be scripted, its how they control the product.

Albert would have had prior knowledge of the questions and answers may even be tele-prompted, both Sony and MS would do this, to control any negativity being portrayed.
The rest will be down to the flair of the person to respond naturally

The questions seemed pretty spontaneous. It's not like they wouldn't be ready for these questions at this point.

 

[Marleyman]

Err, the VG industry *has* been doing it, can continue to do it and doesn't have to mess with physical distro to get there. No one was thinking videogames wouldn't go digital, but there's no need to downgrade the value prop. of physical copy to do it.

Err..not to the extent of what it can become.

 

[Computer]

Do have any idea what those 15 specialized processors do? Also, free GPU from what?

MS has not said just yet. Both systems are hiding specs. No one knows for sure witch console will be more efficient. Therefor the argument about it pointless.

 

[Ol No Bones]

If sessler isn't trashing the Xbox one or talking up the competitor in these interviews than he is a shill? I don't think so. When the Xbox is mentioned the conspiracy theorists com out.

 

[StudioTan]

Pretty good interview. Albert comes across as genuine as he does in his GAF posts.

I don't agree with him about Kinect 2 though, I've watched all the videos but I need to see more. The tech demos look very cool but I want to see how stuff like expression recognition might work in games. Kinect Sports Rivals looks like a decent step up from 360 Kinect games but outside of that we haven't seen anything compelling.

 

[Cheech]

To explain, people are upset that Sessler wasn't entirely critical of Microsoft outside of the DRM and took the 180 in stride, which is the opposite of how many people felt. He also didn't jump on board the PS4 hype train, stating that many of the features that won't be there at launch are in danger of being a disappointment given that a) Sony made similar promises with the PS3 before launch and b) that we haven't seen anything tangible of it at the time (and some stuff like Gaikai streaming we won't for a while). His point came down to that these are company's who are trying to sell us their product, and people should wait to see what happens closer to launch when hard information comes out before offering up their first born to either Sony or Microsoft.

He essentially took an objective standpoint, and that pissed people off.

That sums it up very nicely. He took a MATURE, objective standpoint and was of the opinion that we would all be much better off if we chilled the hell out for just a second. Microsoft reversed it's policies 100% due to shit preorder numbers, not a bunch of people crying on the Internet. Microsoft is a business, and businesses make those decisions based on financial ramifications. Also see: FIFA giveaways, Forza giveaways, etc.

Regardless, I made a lot of the same points at E3 as Sessler did, and was thrown under the bus as being "one of the usual suspects", although anyone going through my post history would see quite clearly that I preordered a PS4 immediately after Sony's conference.

Sorry, but not everyone is out there fighting the good fight. Some of us just want to play games and rationally discuss the state of the hobby without PMS'ing about it.

The single player looked spectacular. Imo the most visually impressive game shown followed by Quantum Break.

Ryse is very visually impressive, but so was Lair.

 

[CambriaRising]

Isn't this the type of "on paper" thing they are specifically talk about. Can we wait until we get our hands on both before we conclude such things. There are times where the differences are obvious (like with the Wii vs PS3/360), but this has yet to be proven to be the case here.

I wasn't referring to specs there, more the situation of consumer trust and pricing. He goes out of his way to downplay the DRM (In a previous video) and to artificially raise the price of a PS4 purchase in the name of feature parity while at the same time not including Xbox Live in the equation.(In previous videos, and as recently as this video). Sorry for not clarifying.

 

[helvetica bold]

This is the best interview with a Microsoft rep so far. nicely done. I feel really good about the X1 hardware but then Im also getting a PS4.

 

[Doug Heffernan]

If I were at MS, I would avoid the subject of Ryse >_>

I still can't believe they took a gamble on Crytek making a good game.
Of all the studios out there, they went with Crytek...

The folks at Microsoft can't be pleased with the end result. Visually spectacular, but very mediocre gameplay.
I'd reckon there won't be a Ryse 2, at least not developed by Crytek.

 

[timlot]

Albert if you are reading this thread, can we have a video or something soon demonstrating the dashboard such as profiles, friends list, achievements ?

Thanks

I have asked him for this on his twitter page, but didn't get a response. Yes, everyone has seen the "tech demos" but the public hasn't gotten to see an up to date build of the dashboard. We need to see what it actually is going to be like on day one.

 

[plagiarize]

I think both will be powerful enough to go head-to-head again and again with software from multiplatform releases and exclusives, just like they were this gen. I also think his car analogy works for this since we're talking about architectural changes that have relevance to the results, defying expectations that come purely from a dry FLOP count-way of looking at performance. Local memory and specific memory subsystem facets will matter (especially for mutlicore CPU and GPU) sooner or later when developers have more time and experience to optimize for them just as they've always gotten better at utilizing computation resources throughout the generation. People thinking that PS4 completely outclasses X1 for end results in released games, I think, are setting themselves up for disappointment and/or surprise.

I think anyone HOPING for them being close, or HOPING for them being distant, is setting themselves up for a big nasty surprise. It'll be what it'll be. I'm fascinated to find out what that is, and to see the blood spilled in the debates over it.

What I don't expect we'll see is what we saw this gen, where multiplats on the technically weaker system tended to be the better versions graphically. This time the architectures are so close, that we will see which is the more powerful system in almost every multiplat. Whichever system that is. However big the gap is.

The PS4 is going to come out on top though. Maybe by an imperceptible amount. Maybe by a big amount. You only need to look at the PR mouth pieces to know that much. Sony are bragging that they have the more powerful system, without caveats. MS are not.

Out classes? It's not a word I like. It could mean 'consistently wins' and it could mean 'wins by a large margin'.

There's going to be a lot of debate about the power gap. There'll be a lot of Xbone owners, saying things like 'it's not that big a difference that the game doesn't still look awesome' and a lot of PS4 owners saying things like 'how can you stand to play it with half the number of onscreen particles'.

It's going to be awesome fun to watch it all play out.

 

[sangreal]

MS has not said just yet. Both systems are hiding specs. No one knows for sure witch console will be more efficient. Therefor the argument about it pointless.

That is his point though. They both think they've designed a good system and the judgment should be on the games now and not comparing individual specs on paper. He thinks XB1 games compare favorably to the PS4 games we've seen and it doesn't matter how that happens

 

[Ol No Bones]

Pretty good interview. Albert comes across as genuine as he does in his GAF posts.

I don't agree with him about Kinect 2 though, I've watched all the videos but I need to see more. The tech demos look very cool but I want to see how stuff like expression recognition might work in games. Kinect Sports Rivals looks like a decent step up from 360 Kinect games but outside of that we haven't seen anything compelling.

I agree. In a gaming sense we really haven't seen much compelling software though project spark is looking to use it well. I honestly think that Microsoft is giving it time before the kinect games start surfacing. If Microsoft had come out the gate with kinect the Internet would have laughed at them more than they already are.

 

[Buggzy18]

I still can't believe they took a gamble on Crytek making a good game.
Of all the studios out there, they went with Crytek...

The folks at Microsoft can't be pleased with the end result.
I'd reckon there won't be a Ryse 2, at least not by Crytek.

There is no end result yet as the game isn't even finished. At least wait for it to be released.

 

[jockstrap74]

wut. If that was the case the 180 would not have been brought up or the comment that the 360 is outdated.

Sure about that?

Much like the IGN AMA ? Much like a lesson learnt from say Angry Joe & Major Nelson interview.

All that has happened is MS are taking more control of the message they are putting out, the vision they are selling.

Its just good PR

 

[nib95]

I still can't believe they took a gamble on Crytek making a good game.
Of all the studios out there, they went with Crytek...

The folks at Microsoft can't be pleased with the end result. Visually spectacular, but very mediocre gameplay.
I'd reckon there won't be a Ryse 2, at least not developed by Crytek.

But that's a good thing. Ryse has massive potential based on its theme and Roman lore. Just need to get a competent dev behind it and it could be really good. Under Crytek it's all style (sort of) and hardly any substance.

 

[QaaQer]

Who thinks that?



The dishonest comparison to Steam from the proponents of Xbox One's original DRM policies is beyond tiresome now.

yeah. It was part of the talking points all the social marketers were using here. It was actually pretty transparent, and once a poster made that list, it was pretty hilarious.

MS' PR is starting work now though. Paying AP to post here is a good move as many like his Gaf personality. Of course it is disingenuous because he is being paid to manipulate the collective perception of things, but less disingenuous as what the the social marketers so here.

Not that it matters, though. We live in a semiotic inferno primarily fueled by advertising; a world where the biggest global industry by far is marketing; where PR outnumber journos 4:1; and in the grand scheme of things, choosing a video-game console is as absolutely meaningless as choosing your next brand of shoes. So pimping that isn't nearly as bad as whoring for big pharma, military arms maker, private prison consortium, etc.

Besides, trying to fight advertising, manipulation, and marketing is like trying to empty the oceans with a bucket. Bring on the next wave of political campaigns, the next major wave of film releases, ....

I wish silence didn't hurt my brain, being able to meditate would be good.

 

[plagiarize]

That is his point though. They both think they've designed a good system and the judgment should be on the games now and not comparing individual specs on paper. He thinks XB1 games compare favorably to the PS4 games we've seen and it doesn't matter how that happens

Cards on the table. I think they compare favorably too. I'm not going to feel like I'm slumming it playing Ryse (from a technical perspective anyway). I'm going to buy my multiplats on the platform that runs them even 1% prettier though.

I'm expecting to buy a lot more PS4 multiplats than Xbone ones.

But I don't think Xbone owners can't and shouldn't be impressed by the graphics they're seeing in first and third party titles though. Far from it.

 

[2San]

Steam also doesn't support resale of disc-based Steamworks games. That was likely the only reason for the 24 hour check in, since if it was 100% digital downloads, or discs with no resale capability, no check-in would be needed (like every other digital service, including Microsoft's digital games on Xbox 360). Microsoft's problem was that they tried to still support the Gamestop disc trade-in audience, while also supporting the "you can play games without the disc inside" functionality. A textbook example of trying to please everyone, but ending up just pissing off everybody.

Yep, this is pretty much my sentiment.

 

[Verendus]

The car analogies need to stop. Just use DBZ or something else. Just anything but the goddamn cars.

 

[teiresias]

Good lord, what exactly is your threshold for 'shilling,' ? Not crapping on something as a rule in the first 3 seconds? There's nothing untoward or manufactured about this interview whatsoever.

I explained my issues with Sessler in another reply, and plenty of people here have expressed the same problem with how he's approached covering the PS4 and the XBone.

 

[statham]

Sure about that?

Much like the IGN AMA ? Much like a lesson learnt from say Angry Joe & Major Nelson interview.

All that has happened is MS are taking more control of the message they are putting out, the vision they are selling

Yes, you are wrong.

 

[Racer1977]

People attacking Sessler are ridiculous.

Where does this Adam is shill stuff stem from? I don't see it myself

I like Sessler, but this recap is 100% spot on, anyone watching rev3 consistently picked up on this. I still thought this particular interview was good and really enjoy Rev3's content over any other site though.

I don't think this applies to Sessler in issollation, US games journalism in general seems to go easy on MS.

Rev3, Weekend Confirmed, IGN, amongst others, all mocked gamers when they where outraged about DRM. The week after E3, Weekend Confirmed didn't even touch on the DRM differences, likewise IGN's Xbox podcast had one participant bringing up his concerns, while the host was attempting to quickly move things on.

Meanwhile, over on this side of the pond, Eurogamer, CVG, Edge, IGN UK and a whole host of mainland European sites where quite rightly talking about this, and little else. Perhaps MS are just so ingrained in the consciousness of the US public, US outlets struggle to be impartial.

I look forward to the consoles launching, then we can get back to regular games discussion, in the meantime, it would be cool in Rev3Games etc., had more Sony representation on their shows.

 

[bidguy]

But that's perfectly fine. Generally I don't swap between multiple games anyway. Except smaller indie types which I'll play for only a few minutes or something before I head out.

Point being, a small convenience of me having to spend 10-20 seconds of my life putting a disk in a drive is not worth the loss of trade in, lending, borrowing, selling or the physical disk. I appreciate others will disagree, but being able to do the above adds massive value to a purchase imo. For me to lose these options the digital version would have to be much cheaper than the retail, a la Steam.

good for you.

i for one switch between digital games and its much more convenient that way. i have a buttload of old games i never play and they just take space away. id rather have them all on my harddrive or my download history. its not like discs have any value left after a few years.

 

[digoutyoursoul]

I have asked him for this on his twitter page, but didn't get a response. Yes, everyone has seen the "tech demos" but the public hasn't gotten to see an up to date build of the dashboard. We need to see what it actually is going to be like on day one.

Got no response on Twitter either. Wish they would hurry up, Sony too

 

[ArkkAngel007]

I agree. In a gaming sense we really haven't seen much compelling software though project spark is looking to use it well. I honestly think that Microsoft is giving it time before the kinect games start surfacing. If Microsoft had come out the gate with kinect the Internet would have laughed at them more than they already are.

Actually, I think a lot of people might have felt better if there were games utilizing the Kinect in great ways. Hell, Dance Central 3 (or will it be 4?) would have been a great debut title. Twerking recognition and everything. Yet there's next to nothing that demonstrates how much better this hardware is over its previous iteration. That's a problem when it's one of the primary selling points of the system that's $100 more than the competition due to its inclusion.

Yes, there are a lot of people who don't take it seriously, but then again, have they been given a reason to?

 

[nib95]

I think. People need to appreciate general bias, misdirection, levelling out playing fields, intentionally lopsided coverage or journalism, giving one side far more benefit of doubt over the other etc can be entirely separate to actual shilling. Shilling implies you're getting paid for the bias reporting or whatever, but that doesn't necessarily have to be the case. It's not good journalism, but it's not necessarily shilling either.

 

[StudioTan]

yeah. It was part of the talking points all the social marketers were using here. It was actually pretty transparent, and once a poster made that list, it was pretty hilarious.

MS' PR is starting work now though. Paying AP to post here is a good move as many like his Gaf personality. Of course it is disingenuous because he is being paid to manipulate the collective perception of things, but less disingenuous as what the the social marketers so here.

Not that it matters, though. We live in a semiotic inferno primarily fueled by advertising; a world where the biggest global industry by far is marketing; where PR outnumber journos 4:1; and in the grand scheme of things, choosing a video-game console is as absolutely meaningless as choosing your next brand of shoes. So pimping that isn't nearly as bad as whoring for big pharma, military arms maker, private prison consortium, etc.

Besides, trying to fight advertising, manipulation, and marketing is like trying to empty the oceans with a bucket. Bring on the next wave of political campaigns, the next major wave of film releases, ....

I wish silence didn't hurt my brain, being able to meditate would be good.

Good lord. One of the great things about GAF is that many developers post here. Everything you're saying could apply to any of them. You can have a cynical attitude but accusations like this are unwarranted IMO.