Can't say I disagree here. Bigger and better built machines are welcome, at the same time I'd want to see franchises develop fully like Mass Effect games.
Games? UI? Controller? Come on dude, there are plenty of reasons to sway either way. The point is they dropped the ball hard this gen. Sony have much better exclusives coming off the back of the last generation and a very consistent, loyal fanbase.
Ultimately I think MS being forced into this position is a great thing for future software and hardware from them,
No, he was basically correct. Outside of the US and UK, with the two systems launching alongside of each other, there's no reason why the XB1 would ever be ahead of the PS4 worldwide. The WW market has never embraced (and I do mean embraced - Not accepted or bought) the XB hardware. The largest chunk of the 360's sales came from the US and UK last generation, and without that year and a half lead, there was no chance of that same circumstance happening unless Sony literally shot themselves.
As to the rest of the arguments in this thread:
Phil has done a very good job of taking over the reins and righting the ship. He's focused on addressing consumer complaints, concerns and making the product more appealing via things like removal of the kinect, addressing value concerns by lowering the cost, and continuing to expand the games developed for the system. Props to Phil and co. for that, no need to try to pretend that he's been twiddling his thumbs this whole time.
However, for everyone blaming the failures of all this on marketing, you're also fooling yourselves. Customers are a mixed bag, there's some that are totally uninformed beyond the first impressions from the reveal on the used games thing, but I mean, that's what our staff is for, we do inform customers that it's 100% incorrect that they can't buy used games for an XB1. Most of the time though, it's mostly a matter of mindshare, what seems to be the better product for the cost, and Sony is just doing a great job this time around in competing. The controller and exclusives are largely irrelevant to the general marketplace, outside of the heavy hitters specifically like Halo, and Halo fans are already aware of their likely purchasing decision. Acting like who has a more diverse exclusive library is really not going to make that big of a difference most of the time, unless that divide becomes huge, as at that point there's such a wide array of titles and genres that it can bring in a wider audience.
I feel like Phil's answer is honest, and safe. It seems effectively impossible that they can win this generation. And, from the trending impressions, it seems likely they'll sell less than the 360 as well. However, as long as they can avoid huge debacles like the RRoD, they should be able to turn it into a profit anyway, one would hope.
This community is extremely insular, and people forget that, on both "sides". I don't own an XB1, and I have no interest in one, as the games it offers that are not available on my PS4 are not to my tastes. I'm primarily a JRPG type gamer, with stuff like Destiny thrown in with friends. But I don't disparage the other console as a result. It just doesn't appeal to me. No need to be personally invested in that.
