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[Miles Quaritch]

I expect to see a substantial increase in ads on PS4. The tile UI seems to suggest there will be a focus on advertising content as the start dash on 360 currently does.

No doubt this is one the things developers have asked for from Sony.

 

[NullPointer]

The journalist was interviewing the people that specifically work in advertising at XBOX, so it's unsurprising that they were hyping the advertising abilities of the new machine. How much it actually is used, however, is different. With a few rare exceptions, I've been able to completely ignore the adspace on XBL.

I will be shocked and awed and will happily eat crow if by the end of the next generation the Kinect hasn't made ignoring ads an impossibility.

 

[Oppo]

I feel like MS is determined to salvage the company they already bought and cratered (Massive). Gotta make that online advertising work somehow. Look at them Google folks.

 

[lantus]

I expect to see a substantial increase in ads on PS4. The tile UI seems to suggest there will be a focus on advertising content as the start dash on 360 currently does.

No doubt this is one the things developers have asked for from Sony.

This absolutely has to happen, no ifs, ands or buts about it. PS3 has a good store, but it's so self contained to the point of its own detriment. There's absolutely no way for people to know of the amazing content available unless they go in the store itself or it appears in the banner of text on the XMB, which is just bad.

 

[Slermy]

Did Dragon Age II have voice commands on 360? Or is he just assuming that? Or is this a weird Dragon Age III feature leak?

I noticed this too.

Perhaps he's confusing it with Skyrim?

 

[TheDanger]

I don't even fucking care about the ads on my xbox, I mean as long as the sound doesn't start playing without selecting the ad I can just ignore them. It's not like you have to watch ads before watching something else on xbl, you're not forced to look at/listen to the ad.

 

[Monumental]

Is this actually true or just what you think the facts are? I find it hard to believe games are selling better on Xbox Live - quite a few indies seem to have sold better on PSN, and Sony is pushing "Day 1 Digital" much harder and better than Microsoft ever has.

Game sales in general tend to equally be only slightly in favour of the 360, we know this by looking at all the recently released yearly statements by big publishers (Ubisoft, for example).

I also don't think many people would utter strange advertisement buzz phrases like "Xbox LIVE is a more connected and community experience" because they see random restaurant and car ads on their home screen.

1) Go read some Gamasutra Sales Analysis between XBLA & PSN

2) Considering Microsoft's entire company mantra is about going Digital (and extra why they received so much blowback), you're just deluding yourself if ou think Sony is pushing Day 1 Digital more than Microsoft.

3) When did anyone mention retail software sales? (In which case they would still be more skewed towards the 360, but again no one brought those up)

4) Purposely being obtuse or just lack of reading comprehension? I was explicitly talking about the recommendations section of the dashboard which is about actual content that applies to the user (DLC for their games, newest XBLA releases, demos for top games, etc...)

 

[Ol No Bones]

I wish I had your eyesight, I see them all the time.

I notice ads but it in no way hinders my experience on the console so I don't care.

 

[0xCA2]

I will be shocked and awed and will happily eat crow if by the end of the next generation the Kinect hasn't made ignoring ads an impossibility.

i was wondering why nobody posted this
yes i know that's a sony patent

 

[Lunar15]

What? Just like we could be pretty confident they designed the console with DRM in mind? We haven't heard anything about that.

Also the PS4 has a sleep function much like the Vita's, so you can put the console to sleep and later continue right where you left off, skipping the dashboard completely. I haven't seen the Vita dashboard in a while.

Trust me, the PS3 had ads, the PS4 will have ads too.

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

I just don't want anything obtrusive.

 

[netBuff]

1) Go read some Gamasutra Sales Analysis between XBLA & PSN

They don't seem to have any current analysis equating the two platforms, so I'm assuming there is no hard data you are basing your claim on.

2) Considering Microsoft's entire company mantra is about going Digital (and extra why they received so much blowback), you're just deluding yourself if ou think Sony is pushing Day 1 Digital more than Microsoft.

Microsoft's "company mantra" is irrelevant, "Day 1 Digital" on the PS3 seems to play a much bigger role than Games on Demand sales on the 360. Sony is regularly offering special editions, pre-order bonuses and similar perks not found on GoD.

Sony is also often advertising their digital day-and-date with retail ("AAA") game offerings, something Microsoft doesn't seem to do at all - or not even offer.

3) When did anyone mention retail software sales? (In which case they would still be more skewed towards the 360, but again no one brought those up)

I mentioned them as an additional point of data.

4) Purposely being obtuse or just lack of reading comprehension? I was explicitly talking about the recommendations section of the dashboard which is about actual content that applies to the user (DLC for their games, newest XBLA releases, demos for top games, etc...)

..., McDonald's wraps, steak houses, car rentals, ...

People are deriding the indie games store because it is separate and not on equal footing with their other game stores - which means indie games are at an inherent disadvantage in terms of discoverability. It's not about ads on the dashboard, but about the layout of the store and its search function.

 

[Lunar15]

What? Just like we could be pretty confident they designed the console with DRM in mind? We haven't heard anything about that.

Also the PS4 has a sleep function much like the Vita's, so you can put the console to sleep and later continue right where you left off, skipping the dashboard completely. I haven't seen the Vita dashboard in a while.

Trust me, the PS3 had ads, the PS4 will have ads too. Ad space is already being sold for it. This isn't a knock on the PS4, I'm quite excited for it. But to just pin advertising on only microsoft is silly.

EDIT: I guess I should clarify here, since I think I was also confused. As far as I know, PS4 ads will live only in the store and in trailers and other videos. I don't know if it will be on the actual dashboard, as is the case with 360.

 

[Amir0x]

That's what I always ask myself when I'm watching sport events on sky...
Apparently the monthly cost would be even higher without them...

I mean, I don't mind ads if they're done right. I don't want them FORCED on me, is all. I want the ability to go into my options and relegate them to a little mini-bar at the bottom, or to remove them from the front pages altogether. The ability to minimize the impact of ads as a reward for actually paying for a subscription to your service is a really positive incentive.

 

[killer rin]

I mean, I don't mind ads if they're done right. I don't want them FORCED on me, is all. I want the ability to go into my options and relegate them to a little mini-bar at the bottom, or to remove them from the front pages altogether. The ability to minimize the impact of ads as a reward for actually paying for a subscription to your service is a really positive incentive.

Amerox, that is exactly how the ads on the 360 work. They are in the bottom right corner. If its a video it automatically plays, but the sound wont play unless you hover over the tile which requires that you press down on the thumbstick 3 times and right 4 times or say "Xbox Advertisement". By default the tile which is selected at first will always be what is in your tray, the two underneath it will be helper settings for that specific tab. The rest of the tiles are content promotion for things on the marketplace.

 

[RobotMafia]

What the hell is a stick widdler?

 

[Router]

Advertising is such a huge part of our society I'm mostly oblivious to it. I'm always surprised when people complain about advertising like this.

Honestly the only thing that bugs me is painfully obvious product placement.

 

[Plaguefox]

.

 

[Amir0x]

Amerox, that is exactly how the ads on the 360 work. They are in the bottom right corner. If its a video it automatically plays, but the sound wont play unless you hover over the tile which requires that you press down on the thumbstick 3 times and right 4 times or say "Xbox Advertisement". By default the tile which is selected at first will always be what is in your tray, the two underneath it will be helper settings for that specific tab. The rest of the tiles are content promotion for things on the marketplace.

You can disable ads on your 360 if you pay for Gold? Can you minimize the size of those ads on the page? Can you take them off the first few pages altogether?

Serious questions.

 

[Jedi2016]

What the hell is a stick widdler?

Widdles your stick. Soooo good.

 

[ThoughtsOfSpeaking]

Xbox One is an entertainment distribution platform.

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

Microsoft obviously got my letters about how much I loved all the ads on the XBox 360 dashboard.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

This absolutely has to happen, no ifs, ands or buts about it. PS3 has a good store, but it's so self contained to the point of its own detriment. There's absolutely no way for people to know of the amazing content available unless they go in the store itself or it appears in the banner of text on the XMB, which is just bad.

Pretty much and that's the main reason why I think Sony will be copying what MS did this gen with regards to advertising. Will it extend to beyond gaming like some ads on XBL have?

There's considerable money to made from allowing non game related ads on the dash, as evidenced bythe crazy amounts MS charge. Sony can't realistically afford to pass up on that kind of money.

The minimum spend to put your ad in the kind of rotation that might get someone’s attention, according to the source, is $40,000. Many companies spend much more when they buy an ad for their product. “$250,000 will get you a good run for about three weeks,” my source stated. “If you do multiple campaigns like one for a trailer, one for a demo, etc., that's where you start crossing the $500,000 mark.” Keep in mind this money simply puts your ad in rotation, as Microsoft sells multiple campaigns at a time and, if you aim your campaign at your target market, you’ll be increasing the amount you spend on your advertising. Creating an ad campaign can be confusing, but Microsoft helps the process; you tell them how much you'd like to pay for ads, and they help you design your campaign on Xbox Live and explain what you're getting for that money. I spoke to another source who spent $50,000 on an advertisement, and he had nothing but praise for Microsoft’s ad team. “They were super easy to work with and were great about getting back to us in a timely manner,” he said. “Some of the best interaction we had with MS was their Advertising division.” It gets crazier: The data shared with the Penny Arcade Report shows that Microsoft estimates 16 million impressions for an ad during a holiday, so an ad with a $21.50 CPM would cost you a stunning $344,000 to control that spot for the day. You can also buy half-day increments. Microsoft estimates that ads during a normal weekday in the first part of the year enjoyed 9 million impressions, with 15 million impressions over the weekend. Based on these numbers, Microsoft estimates that it would cost $193,500 to control the entirety of an ad spot for your average Monday with what's called a “road block” ad. Start layering on the features, however, and that price can begin to rise very quickly. It would be hard for any company pass up this amount of revenue, and the number of ads being sold is only limited by the amount of ad space Microsoft can fit on your screen; the amount of marketing a design can deliver to the audience may trump both aesthetics and ease of use for gamers. “If you notice the dashboard redesign added in more spots for ads than were on the blades so they have more inventory to sell,” my source explained. I contacted Microsoft and asked how much advertising revenue impacted the profitability of the Xbox 360. “We don’t share this information publicly but we can tell you that, since 2010, the advertising business has grown 142%,” I was told.

That's the kind of money that's at stake. Does anyone really believe Sony aren't actively thinking of and planning to tap into this extremely lucrative market?

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

I really dont care about the ads. They have zero negative affect on my enjoyment of the 360.

 

[ThoughtsOfSpeaking]

Pretty much and that's the main reason why I think Sony will be copying what MS did this gen with regards to advertising. Will it extend to beyond gaming like some ads on XBL have?

There's considerable money to made from allowing non game related ads on the dash, as evidenced bythe crazy amounts MS charge. Sony can't realistically afford to pass up on that kind of money.



That's the kind of money that's at stake. Does anyone really believe Sony aren't actively thinking of and planning to tap into this extremely lucrative market?

But meh. Ill port block if i have to.


Whether that may be the case, sony probably still doesnt have the dedicated teams devoted to it. Whether they will in the future is another story but Sony isnt in the position to create a advertising deparment in time for systems launch. Once the hardware is out there in significant numbers, then they may consider this a route to go down.

 

[mrklaw]

Designed with advertising in mind doesn't mean designed to push advertising whether you like it or not. It can be as simple as collecting better data about which dashboard screens you spend time on, how users customise their dashboard etc

 

[Miles Quaritch]

Whether that may be the case, sony probably still doesnt have the dedicated teams devoted to it. Whether they will in the future is another story but Sony isnt in the position to create a advertising deparment in time for systems launch. Once the hardware is out there in significant numbers, then they may consider this a route to go down.

Good point, but I don't believe they'll wait that long. Sony couldn't realistically implement ads on the PS3, but I absolutely believe they've been readying for the inclusion of ads on PS4 from day one.

 

[Cartman86]

I will be shocked and awed and will happily eat crow if by the end of the next generation the Kinect hasn't made ignoring ads an impossibility.

If that happened at any point ever (launch or later though later is worse) it will probably be the single grossest things to ever happen in tech. That is some life changing shit. It will have changed how advertising has historically operated. More than how we think of digital rights this will change how we identify with our entertainment. How we HAVE to watch an ad to continue. No longer could we just walk away or presumably close our eyes, ears, or talk to the person next to us. If they did that this whole DRM thing will look like a rain shower in comparison to the epic tsunami of shit they would be piled on them.

 

[DragonSworne]

Forza should just add a driving crew element to the game that you can communicate with while driving.

You can tell them what's wrong with the car so they get prepared for you coming in.

This is a much better use of kinect than motion control.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

If that happened at any point ever (launch or later though later is worse) it will probably be the single grossest things to ever happen in tech. That is some life changing shit. It will have changed how advertising has historically operated. If they did that this whole DRM thing will look like a rain shower in comparison to the epic tsunami of shit they would be piled on them.

That won't happen.

What is much more likely is in game ads. Those are the ones I'd be more concerned about. They are the ones that truly can't be ignored and with more and more games being revealed as requiring an online connection to function, it's the perfect platform to push ads.

In Watch Dogs 2 for example, it's easy to imagine billboards advertising the latest Lynx deodorant or video ads promoting the latest mountain dew or McD's sandwich or whatever.

 

[Pyramid head]

2) Considering Microsoft's entire company mantra is about going Digital (and extra why they received so much blowback), you're just deluding yourself if ou think Sony is pushing Day 1 Digital more than Microsoft.

I'm pretty certain that Sony are actually a lot closer to 'Day 1 digital' that MS, their digital offerings on PSN are far more up to date than GoD, so what's delusional about it? MS are talking about doing it, but Sony are already actually doing it.

The prices are shocking though. Sixty English pounds for Fuse???? That's almost twice as much as I'd be willing to pay if it was game of the generation, which it isn't.

 

[ThoughtsOfSpeaking]

Good point, but I don't believe they'll wait that long. Sony couldn't realistically implement ads on the PS3, but I absolutely believe they've been readying for the inclusion of ads on PS4 from day one.

Recommended game ads? Yes of course. They seem to be building their entire UI around gamer word of mouth. It is still advertising at the end of the day, but something that comes from a friends word of mouth sounds feels more digestable. Sony wants us to become a generation of viral marketers


But content adverts? This will take time, especially as advertising content al la carte competes with their subscription music and video services. At least at first they are going to push music and video unlimited much harder than individual artists or movies.


Im not saying it will never happen but i think we are a while away from burger king adverts on the PS4.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

I'm pretty certain that Sony are actually a lot closer to 'Day 1 digital' that MS, their digital offerings on PSN are far more up to date than GoD, so what's delusional about it? MS are talking about doing it, but Sony are already actually doing it.

The prices are shocking though. Sixty English pounds for Fuse???? That's almost twice as much as I'd be willing to pay if it was game of the generation, which it isn't.

Yeah, Sony have been ahead of MS in that regard for some time. They've had day one digital since early 2012 is I'm not mistaken.

The prices though, £50 for Deadpool is bloody madness. They did price TLoU competitively though, same price as you'd expect to pay at retail. I assume Sony can't force Acti, etc to be more realistic when setting prices, but they could issue some guidelines that you don't bloody charge more than the game costs at retail.

You'd think publishers would want people to buy digital as it means no trade ins, but considering some of the prices, the exact opposite is true.

 

[Picobrain]

"Gamers have already expressed concerns over the Kinect being able to spy on them and their habits, but it’s not quite at that level of CIA-grade espionage".

Not quite like CIA but still spying you.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

Recommended game ads? Yes of course. They seem to be building their entire UI around gamer word of mouth. It is still advertising at the end of the day, but something that comes from a friends word of mouth sounds feels more digestable. Sony wants us to become a generation of viral marketers

But content adverts? This will take time, especially as advertising content al la carte competes with their subscription music and video services. At least at first they are going to push music and video unlimited much harder than individual artists or movies.

Im not saying it will never happen but i think we are a while away from burger king adverts on the PS4.

Sorry, I should have been clearer. I meant they'd be focusing on games ads at launch. Non gaming content ads will undoubtedly make their way onto the PS4 at some point, but probably won't be there at launch or within the first year.

Then again, MS were pushing non gaming related ads pretty soon after release, so it's not entirely out of the question that Sony will follow suit. I guess it depends on how much they want that additional revenue.

 

[Family Fry]

You have to factor in Sony's "additional revenue" from advertising could also come from it's own brands. Such as Sony Music, Sony Mobile and Sony Pictures.
Wouldn't surprise me if we see those types of ads on PS4.

 

[Nibel]

Xbox One has no ads on the home screen though
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=590786

:lol

 

[ThoughtsOfSpeaking]

Sorry, I should have been clearer. I meant they'd be focusing on games ads at launch. Non gaming content ads will undoubtedly make their way onto the PS4 at some point, but probably won't be there at launch or within the first year.

Then again, MS were pushing non gaming related ads pretty soon after release, so it's not entirely out of the question that Sony will follow suit. I guess it depends on how much they want that additional revenue.

Yes. over time, it becomes a no brainer. But more importantly, even with a dedicated team in place, sony have prove they have X amount of users online at any one time that click through to X amount of content adverts.

The hooks in the UI are already there so it will happen, but sony will try its best to not make as obtrusive as XBL. It goes agains its design language (simple, clean, minimalistic) to do so.

You have to factor in Sony's "additional revenue" from advertising could also come from it's own brands. Such as Sony Music, Sony Mobile and Sony Pictures. Wouldn't surprise me if we see those types of ads on PS4.

Music and video unlimited cover most of that. I expect sony to push those services hard. Outside of that, maybe a big Sony pictures release every so often and maybe a new sony mobile device.

 

[Jucksalbe]

“This sort of works at two levels. There’s the game producers who have a different API, so a different set of code and system that they use, and they’ve got a lot more control of the whole thing,” he stated, “whereas from the advertising point of view we have a slightly more limited set, which is designed to protect the user. The company is very keen on protecting the user from any sort of abuse so we can’t do certain things.”

I would be very interested to know what they can and can't do.

 

[SpongeBob NoPants]

"Input one" = prime advertising real-estate.

 

[Caayn]

Xbox One has no ads on the home screen though
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=590786

Just like the Xbox 360 launched without ads? No, the Xbox One is going to launch with "recommendations" aka ads. I pay for gold and I don't want to see ads, of any kind, when I pay for something.

 

[Respawn]

I think we can be pretty confident that the PS4 dashboard is also designed with advertising in mind.

Here we go again. If Microsoft has it so does Sony.

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

yup, they will try to disguise them for now, but it will get even more of them on it

Xbox One has no ads on the home screen though
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=590786

I see ads there

Just like the Xbox 360 launched without ads? No, the Xbox One is going to launch with "recommendations" aka ads. I pay for gold and I don't want to see ads, of any kind, when I pay for something.

me too

 

[Dastardly Jerks]

The ads are designed to be an interactive way you can enjoy your favourite brands while gaming. Isn't it great when brands and gaming come together?

 

[Binabik15]

The ads are designed to be an interactive way you can enjoy your favourite brands while gaming. Isn't it great when brands and gaming come together?

dstrdl pls

 

[orbabsorb]

A bit late but I read this today:

Confirming that Kinect will use voice and facial recognition to tailor adverts on your console, one unnamed technical account manager said, “With the new Xbox One, the technology and Kinect has improved a lot, so that actually the voice recognition, the way you speak to your Xbox and the transition between gaming and watching TV is a lot smoother, and hopefully we can transpire [sic] that into advertising that we do.”

Source

I'm not sure if I understood correctly ...

 

[Ghost]

Man I kinda really hope that Mcdonalds advert happens, though I would probably turn off whatever console it's on and stick it in the bin afterwards.

 

[Dastardly Jerks]

I will wear a KFC bucket on my head if it means I can earn more KFC Points while playing and interacting with my favourite brands.

 

[0xCA2]

A bit late but I read this today:

Source

I'm not sure if I understood correctly ...

Can't wait until the scandal that arises when they start advertising "Black" products to people based on speaking with an "urban" accent, and etc.

Man I kinda really hope that Mcdonalds advert happens, though I would probably turn off whatever console it's on and stick it in the bin afterwards.

Me too

 

[Dastardly Jerks]

Can't wait until the scandal that arises when they start advertising "Black" products to people based on speaking with an "urban" accent, and etc.

I love that your head went there.

So, what's a "Black" product?