Just as this year's International CES is heating up in Las Vegas, Sony has decided to circulate an email containing some of their most blatant attacks on the value of its closest competitors and their apparent lack of 'value' when compared to the PlayStation 3. After a disastrous holiday season that saw Sony's flagship console posting net losses over last year's figures and reports of company job cuts have turned the two-time console champion into a distant third-place straggler.
Among the attacks are Sony's insistence of the PlayStation's inherent value over the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, accusing them of cluttering the market with add-ons. "The Xbox 360 requires additional money, multiple upgrades and additional external devices, putting a burden on the wallet and adds clutter to the entertainment center." While "the Wii's lack of enhanced features comes at the expense of a comprehensive entertainment solution."
The company's most defining attack came with the hardest punch: "So as PS3 continues to evolve without the need for additional parts or expenses, expect the competition to continue peddling add-ons in an effort to keep up with the Jones'." - Ouch.
But is the trash-talking correct or just more smoke in the grass? Keep reading for more details + handy expense charts!
Never one to mince words, Sony also circulated this handy graph to put the naysayers in their place. Compare if you dare:
The problems with Sony's estimates, and this has long been a topic of conversation between Microsoft and Sony fans, is how radically they differ from the individual reality of the situation. The graph above isn't even using controlled variables, as the $199 Xbox 360 Arcade Model is clearly representing Microsoft's machine, yet apparently doesn't include HDMI Ouput. Actually, every Xbox 360 Arcade unit has included HDMI Ouput since the middle of last year. Also irregular is the direct comparison of Sony's "FREE" online gaming service to the Nintendo Wii's "LIMITED" service. At this point, both services include "FREE" online multiplayer capabilities, and the inclusion/exclusion of the service is dependant on the title itself.
Sony also fails to abide by their own standard of "the need for additional parts or expenses" when they consider that the PlayStation 3 console DOES NOT include HDMI cables, and rather includes inferior composite cables instead. As we all know, utilizing the HD functions of the console REQUIRE HD-complient cables, which at the very least means component cables. HDMI is required for full 1080P resolutions, a 'additional part' and 'expense' if there ever was one.
Lastly, if Sony were to accurately substitute the $299 Xbox 360 Pro console for the listed Arcade Unit, the additonal hard drive ($100 minimum) would disappear, as would the need for extra component cables for HD viewing. Plus, you would get an Xbox Live headset as well, which allows for voice-chat and messages over the online service. A Blue-tooth enabled headset for the PlayStation 3 (another 'additional part/expense') is $49 minimum for the Sony-branded item.
Sony does score some well-earned blows by mentioning the inclusion of hard drives and WiFi with every PlayStation 3 console, features I know are quite welcome from personal experience, and a ringing endorsement of a single machine that does everything it needs to do. Why Microsoft was never this thoughtful to their many users is beyond me, but at least with a PS3 console its fully capable of running everything designed for it. An Xbox 360 lacking a hard drive is almost useless for downloading larger files, demos, DLC, and so much more.
But the real point is that trash-talk is never fun, especially when the facts don't back up the boast. Sony has much to repair if they're even thinking of staying in this game for the remainder of this console lifecycle, let alone as an industry hardware maker. A series of financial blunders and the worst advertising campaign in history has spent the political capital they built up over the past ten years, and it's going to take more than trading jabs to plug this hole.
Thanks to Edge Online for the extra edge!
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