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Andrew House surprised by timing of Project Scorpio announcement

jbug617

Banned
At least in that case, you pretty much know for a fact that the iPhone 8 will be two years away, with the incremental 7S coming next year. If the average consumer didn't know better, they would have saw the One S & wouldn't expect another Xbox for at least 3 to 4 years. Announcing a much more powerful Xbox for next year isn't how consoles are normally handled. It's hard to tell right now though if Microsoft shot themselves in the foot making that announcement so soon.

yeah but what happens if they only did the S this year and saved Scorpio for next year? A lot of people would get upset that MS didn't disclose that they are releasing better hardware. At least there is a now a choice.
 

Auctopus

Member
It's interesting how he praises Apple for their "Available Now" tendencies, describing them as "elegant". I wonder if he would like PS to move in that direction at all.
 

Zophar

Member
Sony really have learned all the right lessons from how they handled PS3 hardware. I haven't been able to wrap my head around what MS is doing for 3 years now.
 

2+2=5

The Amiga Brotherhood
If House is surprised then MS did a good job even because the timing for the scorpio announcement was absolutely right for a holiday 2017 console, honestly i think House is just regretting the decision to not show Neo(or maybe Neo itself).

I think that announcing XB1S and scorpio at the same time was an error though.

According to IGN not so much. They were polling people whether they would buy an XBO now or wait for the Scorpio and 60%+ out of millions polled said they'd wait now
Isn't what always happens when a new console is announced?
 

Dinjooh

Member
It's interesting how he praises Apple for their "Available Now" tendencies, describing them as "elegant". I wonder if he would like PS to move in that direction at all.

A clever way of saying what they're planning to do without actually saying it.
 
December would be too late to release the console as it would miss Black Friday and a lot of Christmas shopping. Unless they announce in December and release in February/March but that would still piss off a lot of consumers buying PS4s as Christmas presents.

Oh I was just responding to when PSX is. I agree. if Neo is this year it will probably be shown at either Gamescom or TGS and not at PSX if it's in December.
 

timlot

Banned
Oh its obvious it was the right decision by Microsoft. They are dominating the news headlines. Sony executives are being asked to comment on it. Sonygaf is in full prevent defense trying to turn PR statements into messaging scandals. I think Beyonce said it best...

"You know you that b*tch when you cause all this conversation"
-Beyonce
 
well said from House. definitely makes me think Neo will be released very shortly after announcement

I see them doing exactly as he mentioned Apple does, with an annoucement of the console, and an imminent release like "be ready to able to purchase the NEO two weeks from today at $XXX".
 

Chittagong

Gold Member
Sony have proven to be much better marketing strategists than Microsoft. Their play was impeccable. Admit it exists, provide zero details to distract people, have an amazing show of games, get your story together and finally announce box closer to ship.

Microsoft rushed to announce it with a lot of details distracting from their current PR cycle, and without internally agreeing on the messaging, predictably resulting in conflicting statements from different spokespeople, and further articles exploring the conflicting statements. A hot mess, as usually with Microsoft PR.
 
Link to where the "millions" were polled from?

It was on their stream on Monday. I'm not sure where or when in it. I think it was their reaction to the MS conference? I may be wrong about the numbers, but I distinctly remember being surprised by how large it was. Like I legit questioned whether he misspoke or I misunderstood
 

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
I have to admit Apple adid change the hardware marketing game over the years, and it does feel pretty strange for someone to announce something that won't be available for more than a year nowadays, even though it was a norm before.
 

Skulldead

Member
Sony Too!

Sony has zero to gain announcing NEO until the very last minute.

Because Microsoft commit a little too fast, sony can go back to drawing plan and make some adjustment... they made the right move.

And forgot that :

CdNufeJ.png
 

lantus

Member
Yeah, I'm not sure what good this necessarily does at the moment for anyone. And relatively speaking, in the world of electronics announcing something like this so far ahead in advance is awkward.
 
well said from House. definitely makes me think Neo will be released very shortly after announcement

Exactly what I took away from this which honestly is how I prefer it, hate waiting months on end when I can afford it straight away.I can see the less fortunate not liking this however as it usually gives them time to save. But as an impulse buyer I welcome it lol
 

krang

Member
It was on their stream on Monday. I'm not sure where or when in it. I think it was their reaction to the MS conference? I may be wrong about the numbers, but I distinctly remember being surprised by how large it was. Like I legit questioned whether he misspoke or I misunderstood

If you're polling people streaming an E3 briefing, you're polling entirely the wrong sample.

Because Microsoft commit a little too fast, sony can go back to drawing plan and make some adjustment... they made the right move.

I don't think anybody would complain if Scorpio was adjusted in the next year to increase the performance based on what Sony do.
 
It was on their stream on Monday. I'm not sure where or when in it. I think it was their reaction to the MS conference? I may be wrong about the numbers, but I distinctly remember being surprised by how large it was. Like I legit questioned whether he misspoke or I misunderstood

Yea, I'm seriously questioning having millions polled about it and sorry to question your memory or what you heard but I wouldn't buy that until I saw it :lol
 

SJRB

Gold Member
According to IGN not so much. They were polling people whether they would buy an XBO now or wait for the Scorpio and 60%+ out of millions polled said they'd wait now

MILLIONS

Also, that's 1.5 years of no console sales for Microsoft, not sure in what business strategy that is considered a good thing.
 
I'm not sure going the Apple route of announcing something and having it available a week later would work as well in the gaming industry. Then again I'm not sure announcing something a year and a half in advance is the right idea either.
 

8bitghost

Member
I'm a bit surprised that they were surprised. It would seem that they know Microsoft would feel a greater urgency to lay out the roadmap for the future of the brand, and that Sony would have the comparative luxury of sitting back and seeing what they were doing, and taking the time to respond.

Of course, that could just be an elaborate fantasy dreamed up by armchair analysts on an enthusiast message board.

No, you are perfectly correct. If Sony did initiate the first move, they should have predicted that Microsoft would use the opportunity to launch an all-new system and end the stigma associated with Xbox One.

Has nobody at Sony ever read Zbigniew Brzezinski's The Grand Chessboard. You need to consider how the competition are going to react. What move are they planning to make in response.

It was obvious that Microsoft would attempt to undercut the Neo. I would expect nothing less from any competitor.
 

Dinjooh

Member
I need to upgrade my TV soon (32 inch) and it wouldn't make much sense for me to upgrade to a larger TV and not have it be 4k.

Then yes, you'll have the opportunity to buy all three this year.

If it were me though, I'd hold out on 4K TVs till next fall.

The Scorpio will be out, the prices will be down and hopefully more content will be ready.
 

reKon

Banned
By end of 2017, those new Vega GPUs are going to be looking nice at a good price point. Additionally Microsoft would HAVE to deliver with the games. Based on this year's E3 showing and historically what happened with the Xbox 360, it looks like they are already on the path of being behind.
 

mcrommert

Banned
It's interesting how he praises Apple for their "Available Now" tendencies, describing them as "elegant". I wonder if he would like PS to move in that direction at all.

Also apple rarely does this anymore...because its difficult and mostly not worth it
 

VinFTW

Member
So unveiling at PSX release ~month later

Got it.

Smart, IMO.

But he has to understand why Xbox's plans are different than his. Xbox can't continue along with the Xbox One any longer.

They need to have a bigger vision and announce that vision so people buy into it sooner.
 

TheOfficeMut

Unconfirmed Member
Oh its obvious it was the right decision by Microsoft. They are dominating the news headlines. Sony executives are being asked to comment on it. Sonygaf is in full prevent defense trying to turn PR statements into messaging scandals. I think Beyonce said it best...

"You know you that b*tch when you cause all this conversation"
-Beyonce

I think Hillary said it better

"Delete your account"
 

alouette

Member
It would have been leaked, though it even leaked right before E3. Just jump into that wave of rumors and ride it.

If this will also be a VR machine, people need some time to save some money for it. Starting now :)
 
We are surprised that you didn't show NEO. Scared of Scorpio?

Yes, so "scared of Scorpio" which will be released sometime in 2017. Meanwhile OG PS4 is curb stomping every other console manufactuer to the tune of 40MM units sold.
Remember it won't be beneficial for people without 4K TVs or will it? Also there won't be Scorpio exclusives or will there be? I don't know and MS seemingly don;t know either.

Edit: I may not know what its like to build and market a console, but I would imagine doing so requires having a cohesive message and what you're trying to accomplish. Not contradicting yourself or others within your team.
 

Raylan

Banned
Oh its obvious it was the right decision by Microsoft. They are dominating the news headlines. Sony executives are being asked to comment on it. Sonygaf is in full prevent defense trying to turn PR statements into messaging scandals. I think Beyonce said it best...

"You know you that b*tch when you cause all this conversation"
-Beyonce
What exactly is Sonygaf? The Illuminati of Neogaf?
 

vpance

Member
LOL

Yes, He's shaking in his boots. Aer you serious with this kind of post?

He's definitely not scared, lol. But inviting press to bombard the internet with "Scorpio is 40% more powerful than Neo" for months and months before launch isn't a good strategy.

If Sony has no upgrades for it they should just do the unveil a month beforehand.
 

FacelessSamurai

..but cry so much I wish I had some
MILLIONS

Also, that's 1.5 years of no console sales for Microsoft, not sure in what business strategy that is considered a good thing.
people that want to play the games available now or soon will keep buying Xbox Ones. It's not like the Xbox 360 and PS3 stopped selling when the new consoles were announced. And this time it's different since your games will still play on both anyway, plus you get added benefits like UHD blue-ray. I know I am selling my Bone for a One S, and I'll be getting Scorpio next year and relegate my One S to my living room as my main media/UHD player.
 

reKon

Banned
Sony have proven to be much better marketing strategists than Microsoft. Their play was impeccable. Admit it exists, provide zero details to distract people, have an amazing show of games, get your story together and finally announce box closer to ship.

Microsoft rushed to announce it with a lot of details distracting from their current PR cycle, and without internally agreeing on the messaging, predictably resulting in conflicting statements from different spokespeople, and further articles exploring the conflicting statements. A hot mess, as usually with Microsoft PR.

I don't understand how they didn't learn from the Xbox One launch...
 

EGM1966

Member
Feels like NEO awareness crept out and Siny decided to simply kill focus for now by making it clear it existed while also making it clear they wouldn't be saying more until ready.

Feels like Scorpio awareness crept out and MS decided to try embracing it and talking further about it.

Time will tell which was better approach but personally I found revealing a Slim and in the same conference announcing what felt like its successor was a damn odd play.
 

On Demand

Banned
We all know why they did. They wanted to get ahead of the neo announcement and not look like they're behind on hardware.

Will any of that matter when neo is announced and released? Scorpio is dominating the headlines now but will it when neo is revealed?

MS should have waited.
 

GHG

Gold Member
Oh its obvious it was the right decision by Microsoft. They are dominating the news headlines. Sony executives are being asked to comment on it. Sonygaf is in full prevent defense trying to turn PR statements into messaging scandals. I think Beyonce said it best...

"You know you that b*tch when you cause all this conversation"
-Beyonce

Is this sarcasm?

I can't tell.
 

kinoki

Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
Game development and console development are the same thing, right?

Heh, just imagine if big budget movies were only announced a month or two before they hit theatres. We know how many MCU movies will be released in 2020 and what movies will be released in 2019. Games are like movies but have a more narrow window since we currently don't know what consoles we'll be playing on in 2020. If you want to generate buzz you need to announce them at the right moment. But, if it suits your argument you can ignore that.
 
I like the PR from Sony on this, and I'm as surprised as anyone MS is talking about a product 18 months away. But maybe it really is an unspoken admittance of defeat for this gen and they are just hitting the reset button.

I do hope Sony gets as close to X2 as they can and release this year, I'm ready to upgrade, I need two ps4 in the house so me and the wife can play Destiny together! Neo news is making me wait!
 
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