Andre Yoskowitz
4 Apr 2007 11:46
In the latest edition of the "Eurogamer TV Show", Sony's Ray Maguire and Microsoft's Neil Thompson have been interviewed and speak out about their product's value propositions and of course criticize the competition.
One of the issues discussed was the competing online offerings. Neil Thompson, the UK Xbox boss stated, "We passionately believe that online gaming, and having an identity within the online gaming community, is what's core to what you need to offer - a service that can transcend different titles where you can communicate with your gaming friends no matter what platform you're on and what game you're playing.
"I don't see how Sony can really deliver that, and they're certainly not delivering that in a compelling way today," he continued. "I think what Sony's talking about has compelling aspects to it, but I don't think there's anything there that... We're going to be afraid of competing with, because we will certainly evolve our service as we move forward."
Xbox Live has certainly been very popular among gamers, with over 6 million subscribers signed up to date. Sony UK managing director Ray Maguire did bring up a good point by noting that there was no way to tell how many of those 6 million are paying the full annual subscription fee. He then reminded that the PlayStation 3 online service is and always will be, free.
"I look at our [service] as being an inclusive area for people to be able to communicate and play with each other," he said. "Some content will clearly be downloadable and chargeable, but it should be an environment that people can get together and explore by themselves without having someone say, 'We're going to charge you for entering this space.'"
Although it wont be a while until we see who wins the console wars this time around both Thompson and Maguire agree that consumer loyalty will be a huge factor.
"People that are thinking about a PS3 or a Wii, I would just say, look at what you're buying, and what do you want to buy? Do you want to buy a gaming machine that offers you the best high definition gaming, and online gaming, for the best possible price?" said Thompson.
"If those are the questions in your head, I really can't see why anyone would chooose anything but the Xbox 360."
To no ones surprise, Maguire took a different view: "Quite simply, if you want the best gaming experience, if you want the best output in terms of high definition, if you want the best connectivity, then you need look no further than a PlayStation 3. Simple as that."
Source:
Gamesindustry.biz