How Microsoft can avoid the pitfalls of Sony's PS4 announcement

[Sub-stance1]

Microsoft now has last licks at debuting the company's Xbox 360 successor. Here's how it can avoid a lukewarm reception.
Press events are a tricky beast. No one ever said they were easy to pull off. But with Sony casting the first stone in the next-generation console gaming war, Microsoft can learn a lot from what worked and what didn't.
When the lights went up, Sony execs were shaking hands and congratulating each other. But the packed house at the Hammerstein Ballroom wasn't exactly participating in the same adulation. Instead, it was left with a heap of unanswered questions, most notably the lack of physical hardware and a price tag.
By now it's safe to assume Microsoft will strike back with an event of its own, possibly before the company's E3 2013 press conference. If that's the case, one-upping Sony's coming out party shouldn't be much of an issue.
Here's what Microsoft can do:

Give us a box and give us a price
This one's a no-brainer. Sure, the PS4 and next Xbox will most likely just be a box, not much different than the PS3 or Xbox 360. But I think some critics who've downplayed the absence of a physical console might be forgetting that the box itself can be news, too. What if it's shockingly small? What if there's some sort of functionality built into the casing the likes of which we've yet to see so far in the industry?
Let's also not forget about the branding side of things. For all intents and purposes, the Sony event was made to be the PS4's coming out party. This was to be the world's first exposure to the future of PlayStation. For a presentation to carry that kind of weight, some sort of symbol must be attached to that tentpole event.
Keep in mind, Wednesday night's event was attended by press from all around the world who flew into town for 24 hours or less -- all that time and money spent on what was not a whole lot more than a series of trailers. Even if it were nothing more than a hollowed-out plastic mold, I do believe there'd be a much greater sense of satisfaction throughout the industry. If this wasn't meant to be that kind of party, then Sony should not have gone through with it.

Don't spend a lot of time on the specs
Specs and numbers are all fine and good, but they mean next to nothing to the average gamer. Sure, developers care about specs but they already know what's packed inside the thing because they've been working with it for months.
Telling the world that your new console is jam-packed with 8GB of RAM is like prefacing a concert with a detailed description of what kind of guitar pedals are going to be used in the performance. There's a time and a place for these kinds of things. Don't get me wrong, I understand that there's an audience that cares about specs, but do a better job of explaining how these specs will directly benefit the end user.
Microsoft needs to make an event directed at consumers because they are the people who need to be won over. Accomplish that and you're already ahead of the game.

Don't tell; show
A lot of high-concept and lofty aspirations were tossed around on Wednesday night, specifically in the realm of real-time streaming and social connectivity. That's great, but Sony should have created some kind of real-world demonstration to help better get some points across. Even if all that entailed a prerecorded video, it would have given the audience a clearer understanding of what kind of social and cloud-based functionality the PS4 will possess.
Sony spent a while talking up how seamless and intuitive these ultra-ambitious features were going to be, yet we all left that event without any idea of how exactly it was going to work.
We were also never properly introduced to the PS4's interface. There were glimpses of it during the video-sharing segments, but a brief tour really would have been beneficial and provided a better understanding of what the next PlayStation is going to feel like.

Don't repeat anything
With Sony hitting the stage first and bringing along a number of third-party developers to show off their next-generation endeavors, it's eliminated a lot of what Microsoft can do with games that won't be exclusive to the next Xbox. The key here is to avoid repeating any of those presentations. Confirming that these developers have also signed on to support the next Xbox is one thing, but spending the least amount of time on games we've already seen Sony talk about should be a top priority.

Debut a killer app
There wasn't one game exclusive to PS4 that really won the crowd over. Of course, Microsoft won't be able to pull this one out of a hat, but it also shouldn't sit on a killer app, either. If there's a Halo 5 cooking or a new game from Epic in the works, Microsoft should absolutely lead with that.
Microsoft started off the last generation with the majority of blockbuster exclusives, but that trend has been shifting toward Sony for a while. Sony wasn't able to generate buzz around a "must-have" PS4 title, so now it's on Microsoft to see if they can rise to the occasion.
Of course, Microsoft has yet to announce any sort of next-generation Xbox event, but we're still anticipating something soon. As soon as we hear anything we'll be sure to pass that information along and will be on hand if and when it happens.
Regardless, the big winner this week is E3 2013 happening in June. We can all but guarantee both Microsoft and Sony will have new, playable hardware at the big show in Los Angeles, and we'll be there live-blogging and roaming the show floor to bring you the absolute latest.http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-9020_7-...-announcement/

[-Kwesnoth-]

I am rooting for Microsoft of win this one over. They saw what Sony did, and they saw that people weren't raging to get their hands all over the PS4.

Pay attention Microsoft, and get it right.

[Sub-stance1]

I think the article made some good points. While sony's event was good, I don't think the bar was set very high and MS has a chance to capitalize on this opportunity.

[coolguy]

the sony show was for gameing sites and older people. if it was e3 people would be cheering and makeing noise

[Bigdoggy]

I disagree, Sony set the bar pretty friggin high for what we know the PS4 offers so far. It is what it is and I will laugh at the naysayers sounding ridiculous right now. Microsoft can obviously pull off a better show but I have this feeling it isn't really going to happen.

[TEJ2025]

MS has a huge uphill battle on their hands now. After being shocked by Sony going first and setting the bar extremely high they're going to have to really wow a lot of people but also not give to much information away and have nothing to talk about at later events.

[admartian]

MS shows the next Xbox and pricing = they win nextgen.

Go home Sony.

[Sub-stance1]

MS has a huge uphill battle on their hands now. After being shocked by Sony going first and setting the bar extremely high they're going to have to really wow a lot of people but also not give to much information away and have nothing to talk about at later events.

I really don't think they were as shocked as some believe. Yes, they were probably shocked at the sudden decision to reveal but as for as what was shown , i don't think so. I wouldn't call revealing specs, a few games, and briefly covering social setting the bar "extremely high". Now if they would of went into more detail about pricing, Gaikai, PSN, and BC, then that would be a different story. IMO they left a lot of unanswered questions but the show did it's job in creating hype for the product.

[AaronSOLDIER]

Won't be hard, have 5 or 6 diverse exclusives and they've beaten Sony even if the hardware is on par with Wii U.

[emmerich]

Lets be honest though. Microsoft aren't going to just sit down and take the beating they are going to make sure they are at least on par with what Sony revealed. Microsoft have seen what Sony have shown already so Microsoft kind of have the advantage here.. they can make a couple last minute changes.

I'm excited to see what they have to offer.

[radgamer420]

MS shows the next Xbox and pricing = they win nextgen. Go home Sony.

lol And some here have even said that MS already won by not responding at all. Pure comedy gold.

[Yungstar 2006]

I'm thinking it won't be hard at all for MS to avoid those pitfalls.

[Aquanox]

How to win the hype battle?

1. Hype the hardcores with hot game announcements and GAMEPLAY, they will do the job. (New Gears of War, New RARE Game that is not Kinect or have stupid characters or concepts (Killer Instinct?).
2. Give developers a hardware as good as the Xbox 360 was back in 2005.
3. Buy a. Ninja Theory b. Remedy Games or c. Imsomniac (nearly impossible but well...)
4. Understand that Hardcores (those who're going to hype your console to hell and back if they're happy) don't give a sh*t about Kinect.
5. You better go DDR5... though there are some rumors over Neogaf that MS is working on a "cheaper" way to widen the bandwidth without going DDR5. They might not win the brute-force battle... but price is king nowadays. That's what made them beat Sony in this generation in terms of console sales... even with the RROD Nightmare.

Anyway... I know we all want the absolute best in one place, but that's not gonna happen so I guess a show like this (unlikely but not impossible) will do the job.

[Serinous]

Most Xbox fans I know are all saying they were pretty amazed by the PS4 announcement. All in all, I still want to see what MS has to offer though.

[Soldier 95B]

As long as they got the games like they do with the 360, they will do fine.

Sent from my SCH-R530U using Tapatalk 2

[claud3]

i do see MS having some problems.. But not so much that they will have any PITFALLS

[Sub-stance1]

As long as they got the games like they do with the 360, they will do fine.

Sent from my SCH-R530U using Tapatalk 2

I believe they will bring it. I hope we get to see some good teasers like Just cause 3. I wanna see what Rare has been up to.

[radgamer420]

MS needs core first party exclusives and new exclusive IPs in order to differentiate their console. Right now MS is an unarmed opponent in that department. I dont see them being able to match what Sony showed. Instead I expect MS to show alot of multiplats, Kinect 2.0 features, XBLA and Kinect titles and then bore us to death with TV show deals and OS related stuff involving connecting with tablets and so forth.

[YoungMullah88]

Showing multiplatform games will not help that cause (yes they will have kinect integrated). They need to show off exclusives! For me, Sony will always be the Pinnacle of gaming because of there first party exclusives. I don't buy them all but I know the games are there. Ms needs to show hardcore Games! Include kinect but make the features optional and not forced.

Once again show me killer instincts and am game, can't wait to see pgr. Any body remember that fighting game MS had for the xbox where you could break the fighters bones (now that would be perfect for kinect), they need to bring that back.

The NFL needs to hop off EA's dick and let other company's develop NFL games! Imagine having NFL fever back! And Sony's MLB (can't wait to see this game on a next Gen hardware) team developing an nfl game? Game wise I think MS will satisfy a lot of people, what worries me the most is the always on, no used game bullshit Rumor that will not go away. I look forward to what they have to offer. Can't wait to see where they take live (crosses finger for free online play) and how they integrate social network to it.

Sent from my Note II

[Sub-stance1]

MS needs core first party exclusives and new exclusive IPs in order to differentiate their console. Right now MS is an unarmed opponent in that department. I dont see them being able to match what Sony showed. Instead I expect MS to show alot of multiplats, Kinect 2.0 features, XBLA and Kinect titles and then bore us to death with TV show deals and OS related stuff involving connecting with tablets and so forth.

Maybe not but the only exclusives they showed were Killzone, Infamous, and Driveclub I believe. I don't know what MS will show but if they actually show their console that would be great for me. I'm positive they will show kinect 2 and talk about xbox live since it's the heart of the brand.

Once again show me killer instincts and am game, can't wait to see pgr. Any body remember that fighting game MS had for the xbox where you could break the fighters bones (now that would be perfect for kinect), they need to bring that back.


Sent from my Note II

[Shibby]

To win me back as a customer they need to show me core exclusive games that aren't Halo, Gears, or Kinect, and stop throwing ads in your face in a subscription service.

[radgamer420]

Maybe not but the only exclusives they showed were Killzone, Infamous, and Driveclub I believe. I don't know what MS will show but if they actually show their console that would be great for me. I'm positive they will show kinect 2 and talk about xbox live since it's the heart of the brand.

Yep Sony introduced yet another new exclusive IP in addition to two other awesome exclusives. And yeah MS will drone on about Kinect 2.0 and non-gaming OS related features. Yawn. Doesnt really matter if MS "actually show their console" if they dont have the exclusives and fresh new exclusive IPs to show with it. Yeah the heart of the Xbox brand is Live (like you said) and the heart of the Playstation brand is games. I know which one I buy a console for.

[claud3]

To win me back as a customer they need to show me core exclusive games that aren't Halo, Gears, or Kinect, and stop throwing ads in your face in a subscription service.

The ad's thing you referred too, is going to get worse. Because MS is a big firm like SONY, they will ram ad's down your throat more now than ever

[admartian]

As long as ads aren't popups I'm not too bothered by them.

My only deal with the 360 layout is that the games needs to be the centrepiece - or at least make it truly customisable in terms of pins (re-arranging them a la Win 8 and Windows Phone).

Such as having games as my tile. If MS want to advertise their phones as "my Phone" (customisability for each person - to which I'm all for) they need to do this with the Xbox as well.

[sainraja]

I really don't think they were as shocked as some believe. Yes, they were probably shocked at the sudden decision to reveal but as for as what was shown , i don't think so. I wouldn't call revealing specs, a few games, and briefly covering social setting the bar "extremely high". Now if they would of went into more detail about pricing, Gaikai, PSN, and BC, then that would be a different story. IMO they left a lot of unanswered questions but the show did it's job in creating hype for the product.

Tell everyone everything about the PS4 at the first reveal would be stealing the show? It'd be pretty stupid.....same with the next Xbox reveal. They shouldn't reveal everything, the console won't be coming out in a couple of days.