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[MisterXDTV]

So let me see here:

- They force DRM because "it's the future" - They remove DRM
- They force Kinect because "it's the future" - They remove Kinect

Now they sell a much weaker PS4 for the same price

Why americans should trust Microsoft? It makes no sense....

 

[Sakura]

Are you sure they aren't talking PS3?

Here is the VentureBeat article that states that the XBO costs $471 to make (with Kinect) and the PS4 costs $381. Sony is not losing money.

Sony is losing money, unless you think retailers are selling the systems out of the kindness of their hearts and not making any money.

 

[Mass Effect]

I would say it's certainly plausible now. Sony still has the momentum though and could still end up dropping the price if needed.

MS isn't far behind with the enormous amount of negatives surrounding it, so without a doubt they will soon leave ps4 in the dust in the US. Count on it.

lol okay

Wait until the Halo and Gears of War juggernaut appears.

I'm of the opinion that Halo nor Gears are the huge games they used to be. They will be successful, but I don't think they will be as successful as they were in their prime.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Nah I think they dug themselves too big of a hole at best they will catch up and be at a parity in NA while Sony will thrash them in the rest of the world. MS really dropped the ball not realizing how huge it was for them to be the market leader last gen that's all but gone now.

 

[Tigress]

I don't know, At worst from MS's POV I think it will definitely make it a close race. Sony definitely cannot sit back and think they can do nothing and win. They're going to have to actually compete now imho. At least if they want to "win" N.A.

MS pretty much made the xbox one almost equal. It's the same price, it's slightly weaker, but alternatively it has more features (and truly has more features, no extra paywall to access those features). So it will come down to how well those extra features will sell it and who has the better exclusives.

I think Sony still has some advantage in mindshare and getting a jumpstart, but I think Sony can lose that if they think they can just sit back and relax. They're going to have to show they have some good games of their own (and not just indies). And show that PS+ still has great value in comparison. I think MS is catching up on the quality of games they are offering on Live Gold. I also wonder about xbox one's quality of games offered on Live Gold as Sony's been relying on indies for PS4 where as it seems MS will have to less indies they can rely on. Plus it seems they are offering two (or a choice of one of two?) games for xbox one where as Sony only offers one per month.

Sony is going to have to step up imho cause if they relax too much, MS will catch up and maybe surpass them, at least in N.A.

Hopefully this means we'll see Sony actually bring out the features they promised in PS4 soon (where's suspend when turn off? Where's allowing my friend to take over a section of a game for me?).

 

[sajj316]

It depends on E3 and what MS has for exclusives.

 

[Sporty]

Considering how PS4 has been selling out in the US nearly since launch and how popular it is now and most of my friends that were 360 owners now own a PS4 it don't see it happening.

The TitanFall bundle was cheaper and a better value for people that would have bought the system and a game and it could not outsell the PS4, take out the game, the 1 year of live and Kinect and only drop $50 from that price....

Good luck.

Although I am now going to get one someday, just can't justify owning a second console that is weaker when 90% of the games are the same and only 4 games interest me with 2 not even released just yet.

 

[xxracerxx]

Sony is losing money, unless you think retailers are selling the systems out of the kindness of their hearts and not making any money.

I was discussing the building costs.....not at retail stuff. Sony and MS are both then losing money in retail.

 

[avaya]

Will be interesting now since MS will be plastering on the marketing to try and force themselves ahead. Sony still has the positive word of mouth and network effects in place. This move from MS was very predictable and prevents them being totally blown out in NA.

Sony still has the cards to play here but fortunately this will put pressure on them to cut as fast as they can which is overall the best outcome for the market. This is truly fantastic news.

 

[Blackstarhat]

nope

 

[Paracelsus]

If they bought Call of Duty for a year, probably, otherwise no.

 

[Disaster Nebraska]

I would bet on it, they've already been close overall so far, only a difference of a few hundred thousand, over time this should close it and I wouldn't be surprised if it overtook.

Supply constraints wut?

I know that people have this innate desire to give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt, but at this point they're simply playing catch'up with Sony. You can cite "marketshare" and "brand strength" all you want. People said the same stuff last gen with the transition from PS2 to PS3, and 360 still sold nearly double the PS3 in NA.

Xbox One needs to have a prolonged period of being seen as superior to the PS4 in order for it to sell more. That's the only way. Parity will never result in victory.

 

[CartridgeBlower]

Other than exclusives, which is still a big unknown for both companies at the current moment, why would anyone pay the same price for a weaker system? As it stands right now, $399 still isn't a great deal for what you get in comparison with PS4.

 

[Raist]

Still, 400k is nothing. Easily surmountable by Microsoft. Not saying it's going to happen, but it's still an insignificant number in the long run

Well, once again it's about context. 400k seems like a small number, but:
1) It's over 4.5 months of sales only
2) Represents an ~20% increase over XB1's sales
3) Is likely to be even bigger with April and May included
4) Is not likely to shrink down massively anytime soon. A kinectless SKU won't drive this.

 

[reynal1287]

Anything can happen now. Fun NPD threads next months.

 

[maxiell]

The price and removal of Kinect are well and good, but as others have noted, better deals have already appeared and meant little.

It was more important to enable all the media apps for those without a Gold subscription. You can now feasibly give an Xbox One as a gift to someone and have it be useful to them without a fee.

Overcoming the PS4's positive buzz is the problem now. They may not have the games that can do that for awhile.

 

[Future PhaZe]

no

maybe with a legit xbo price drop to 350 + halo 2 anniversary and a big upswing in terms of exclusive software

but not before then

 

[trickyhero]

Maybe with a new 'Modern' UI

 

[Bad_Boy]

2:1 is hard to come back from.

 

[figadapaura]

Don't think so. They'll probably sell a few more, but price wasn't their only problem.

 

[border]

The price and removal of Kinect are well and good, but as others have noted, better deals have already appeared and meant little.

The "other deals" were predominantly on the web, not advertised, and lasted for no more than a couple weeks.

Trying to say that's the same as a permanent price drop is kinda stupid.

 

[mohsinkhan]

No I think most people have realized that Playstation is offering a better value (more powerful console).

 

[Dragonborn]

So June NPD will be the new March NPD. Will be fun

 

[Lo-Volt]

I think the gap can narrow. Surely some people wanted an Xbox but had their own concerns based on the value proposition of the Xbox One. If they were wavering, or moderately interested, they'll find that it's easier to justify the expense of getting a Xbox One pretty soon. Microsoft probably bolstered its chances in its strongest market, so it'll pay off. But I have a hard time thinking they can reverse their luck entirely. (Besides, it isn't like Sony was going to keep the price of its PS4 the same forever. I don't feel like a price drop is in the cards, but it's not beyond reason that a price gap can be reintroduced when it makes financial sense for Sony to do so.)

 

[Tenchi Ryu]

Don't think so. They'll probably sell a few more, but price wasn't their only problem.

I think it depends on who you're asking. Casuals mostly care about price, and what games they got.

Now, it just comes down to:

Do you like Halo or Naughty Dog

Which game has the DLC you need to have first? COD or Destiny?

 

[BRocknRolla]

If it had been like this at the start of the gen, then I'd have no doubt MS would be ahead in the US. However, things did not go that way, and momentum is in Sony's favor now. No doubt this will sell a lot of additional consoles for MS, but they're working from a position of the underdog, and that ground isn't going to suddenly make itself up, especially given the damage to the brand and general goodwill toward the PS4. It will take a strong showing this year to increase Xbox awareness as a worthwhile console, and the price is just one element of that.

So, to answer the question. In time? Maybe, but it's going to take some doing.

 

[Ludicrous Speed]

Well, once again it's about context. 400k seems like a small number, but:
1) It's over 4.5 months of sales only
2) Represents an ~20% increase over XB1's sales
3) Is likely to be even bigger with April and May included
4) Is not likely to shrink down massively anytime soon. A kinectless SKU won't drive this.

1. Correct. And how long did last gen last? Much longer than 4.5 months. More like 7+ years.
2. Refer to your point #1
3. Possibly, but that will only represent 5-6 months of sales only. Refer to my point #1
4. You say this as if it's a fact. It's not a fact.

 

[tokkun]

Other than exclusives, which is still a big unknown for both companies at the current moment, why would anyone pay the same price for a weaker system? As it stands right now, $399 still isn't a great deal for what you get in comparison with PS4.

Well if you want to ignore games, I would say the major weakness in the PS4 is that its OS is very barebones and lacks a lot of features that were even present in last-gen systems.

 

[crimzonflame]

The sentiment in this thread is the total opposite of the announcement thread.

 

[Natureboy99]

No. In March, Xbone was 449 at most places with Titanfall and Kinect, and PS4 was still ahead by 60k.

this can't be stated enough in this thread.

 

[RulkezX]

Well if you want to ignore games, I would say the major weakness in the PS4 is that its OS is very barebones and lacks a lot of features that were even present in last-gen systems.

Barebones....

It's much easier and quicker to navigate than the mess the X1 UI is.

 

[DieH@rd]

MS has a much better fighting chance now, but victory wont come in short term timeframe.

 

[Mundy]

No chance

 

[Bam Bam Baklava]

1. Correct. And how long did last gen last? Much longer than 4.5 months. More like 7+ years.
2. Refer to your point #1
3. Possibly, but that will only represent 5-6 months of sales only. Refer to my point #1
4. You say this as if it's a fact. It's not a fact.

No offense man but his points are perfectly valid. If the promotions Microsof+retailers ran in march didn't help them beat the PS4 then why would this? If anything, those were better values than just a 100 dollar price drop.

 

[Coulomb_Barrier]

1. Correct. And how long did last gen last? Much longer than 4.5 months. More like 7+ years.
2. Refer to your point #1
3. Possibly, but that will only represent 5-6 months of sales only. Refer to my point #1
4. You say this as if it's a fact. It's not a fact.

That gap will almost certainly grow after April and May's figures are out. Especially since this announcement (and I'm speculating here) was made almost a month before the actual price-cut to avoid it leaking, which will damage sales this month quite significantly.

 

[artist]

COCKY SONY has returned

• Raising price in Canada
• Sooony
• Sneaky tactics with DriveClub PS+ edition
• DriveClub HQ videos not posted
• Taking potshots at Xbox on twitter, why dont they leave Xbone alone?

HUNGRY MS has returned

• NTKRNL
• Tried to smoke out CBOAT
• No.1 Platform for Titanfall
• Ditched Kinect
• Price-cut
• Phil Spencer
• Yusuf Mehdi
• Satya
• Apps for peasants
• Games with Gold

 

[yukianderson]

Nothing is impossible, in my opinion they can’t beat the PS4 in North America. At best what MS can achieve is neutrality but simply being same price won’t be enough. It will take years even to achieve that if they can, I don’t think they can. If the March NDP taught me anything is that the Ps4 has something the xbone doesn't have, the mindshare that people think is cool. The PS4 is like the 360 was last gen, is the cool system. That mindshare is very powerful.

MS made a bad choice here, they should have drop the price with Kinect now there just a less powerful system. Since Sony now charges for PS plus, that means that people are going to follow their friends to where they play and right now the place to play is PS4 and not the Xbone even if it is 399. The 400k difference is only since last month that does not include April and May. Since MS announce this price cut now and is not effective immediately that means they just lost April and May NPD as well. That could possibly mean a 600 K difference. With Watchdogs coming soon and the Sony exclusive marketing is just going to get harder for MS.

 

[GeoramA]

Guess we'll know by July

Spoiler

PS4 will win

 

[yurinka]

No, people won't buy XBO until the price cut, but this day Sony will show jawdropping stuff, remember that they still didn't show properly and obviously not released their major hits. And then there is the supply thing, some people plan to get it but is waiting (for Black Friday, summer holidays or whatever).

PS4 still offers more current and future value, and the more multis are released more people appreciate the extra horsepower.

 

[Ludicrous Speed]

No offense man but his points are perfectly valid. If the promotions Microsof+retailers ran in march didn't help them beat the PS4 then why would this? If anything, those were better values than just a 100 dollar price drop.

That gap will almost certainly grow after April and May's figures are out. Especially since this announcement (and I'm speculating here) was made almost a month before the actual price-cut to avoid it leaking, which will damage sales this month quite significantly.

His points are valid, yet so are mine. This is the VERY beginning of a very looooong gen. Let's not jump to conclusions here!

 

[BeforeU]

So let me see here:

- They force DRM because "it's the future" - They remove DRM
- They force Kinect because "it's the future" - They remove Kinect

Now they sell a much weaker PS4 for the same price

Why americans should trust Microsoft? It makes no sense....

How can someone not see digital content distribution and AR (Kinect which is sort of like AR, which listens, and responds to your gesture and voice command) is not the future is a bigger question in my mind.

Whatever MS did last year with DRM, its already there on app market and that is the world gaming business is eventually going. In terms of always online it felt stupid last year but just think about how many online only games will be released in a year

Titanfall, Crew is said to be always online, Plant vs Zombie, Watchdog is said to be always connected but still works offline, Destiny. This list is only going to expand. So people need to stop with this bullshit about not trusting Microsoft and all. The only mistake they did was, it was too soon and market wasn't ready for that.

 

[Raist]

1. Correct. And how long did last gen last? Much longer than 4.5 months. More like 7+ years.
2. Refer to your point #1
3. Possibly, but that will only represent 5-6 months of sales only. Refer to my point #1
4. You say this as if it's a fact. It's not a fact.

1 and 2 refer to the fact that 400k is NOT a small number when it happened over a very short period of time and represents a significant share of the XB1 sales. It's not 10M +/- 400k, in other words.

As for 4, "likely" does not usually goes with stating facts.
The point is that this thread is about MS's new annoucement, which is, a kinectless SKU at the same price than the PS3. It does not give MS an advantage, which is what they would need (and likely a big one) to catch up and overtake PS4 sales. It just makes things a little bit more even at best.

There have been recent price cuts and TF (which was supposed to be THE game changer) was bundled, and even that did not allow them to overtake PS4 sales. I fail to see how this move will make them close the gap / overtake the competition, especially when they have no significant release on the horizon.

 

[krypt0nian]

They had lead last gen in the US because they launched a year early. They've lost that advantage.

 

[Abounder]

I'd say yes especially if the HALO brand is still strong. MS seems to be getting more aggressive.

 

[mechphree]

Do you guys think that price parity will help MS overtake Sony in NA in the months to come or is the PS4 value/momentum still strong enough to keep pulling ahead in sales?

I think that being the same price as the PS4 will give them a nice boost, but it will not be enough to surpass it. I only see the Xbox One pulling ahead in NA if it's sold cheaper than the PS4.

short term no. long term maybe..

 

[Liha]

MS isn't far behind with the enormous amount of negatives surrounding it, so without a doubt they will soon leave ps4 in the dust in the US. Count on it.

 

[artist]

How can someone not see digital content distribution and AR (Kinect which is sort of like AR, which listens, and responds to your gesture and voice command) is not the future is a bigger question in my mind.

Whatever MS did last year with DRM, its already there on app market and that is the world gaming business is eventually going. In terms of always online it felt stupid last year but just think about how many online only games will be released in a year

Titanfall, Crew is said to be always online, Plant vs Zombie, Watchdog is said to be always connected but still works offline, Destiny. This list is only going to expand. So people need to stop with this bullshit about not trusting Microsoft and all. The only mistake they did was, it was too soon and market wasn't ready for that.

THIS, so much THIS.

Just look at Steam. Right?

 

[Eusis]

So let me see here:

- They force DRM because "it's the future" - They remove DRM
- They force Kinect because "it's the future" - They remove Kinect

Now they sell a much weaker PS4 for the same price

Why americans should trust Microsoft? It makes no sense....

Some people are either apathetic, or cynical enough to recognize most companies will just try to screw them over one way or the other. Just have to see if what they offer is actually something you want, and I can see a case if you want XB1 games. Kind of silly if you mainly want the multiplats though and are generally apathetic about exclusives, though depending on where your tastes lean one or the other IS a safer bet, IE indie and Japanese games on PS4.

 

[family_guy]

Nope. 360 had the price advantage, better performance in games, and a year head start. They have none of these with Xbox One. Of course there are exclusives that help drive sales but when you look at sales figures many of the most successful games last gen were not exclusive so maybe people don't care about that anymore.

Popularity and gaming with friends is important to some so if everyone is talking about PS4, like most were talking about 360 last gen, then Xbox One can't win.

Its been rumored PS4 will get PS1 and PS2 support along with PS3 support with PS Now so MS also can't compete on the quantity of available games to play.

Want TV? Well HDMI-in versus rumored IPTV? Which would you prefer?

Want VR? MS isn't currently even developing for it.

Want to game online without paying? Well there is F2P which MS hasn't done yet.

 

[yukianderson]

MS isn't far behind with the enormous amount of negatives surrounding it, so without a doubt they will soon leave ps4 in the dust in the US. Count on it.

This is so sad is not even funny. Keep drinking that sunset overdrive cola...