Sony Dominating Microsoft's Goal

[I am Penguin]

Interesting!

Sony Dominating Microsoft's Goal

Microsoft came into this generation thinking that digital distribution was the key. They made a deal with Toshiba to attach an external HD-DVD player to their Xbox 360 knowing that it wasn’t a proven format. All didn’t go too well for Toshiba and their HD-DVD players as Sony’s newer high definition format, Blu-ray, put HD-DVD out of business. Sony made a smart move by including a Blu-ray player in every PlayStation 3 that gave Blu-ray the boost it needed to gain ground and eventually surpass HD-DVD in sales. Blu-ray was the obvious victor here and continues to rise in sales and become more and more popular.



Now it wasn’t a loss for Microsoft because they knew HD-DVD wasn’t a proven format. Matter in fact, it was a very smart move to not include a HD-DVD player in the 360 knowing that Blu-ray holds more space and supports more audio formats. They would have been stuck with a dead format and would have wasted a lot of money. The thing is, Microsoft has stated that this generation is all about digital distribution, and stands by their word. If so, it looks as if Sony is actually about to dominate in that area also with the recent announcement that they will be releasing fully fledged games on the PSN. They already have started their digital distribution passé with Socom Confrontation, Burnout Paradise, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, and Warhawk. Right now they are two steps ahead of Microsoft in Microsoft’s own vision. But also Sony has proven that it is not all about digital distribution as Blu-ray sales continue to rise and shatter records.
So now we have Sony playing the role of Blu-ray format and are about to take control of the digital distribution from all angles, meanwhile Microsoft seems to be stuck in a position of overwhelming fear that Sony might take over digital distribution before them. Microsoft does have a signed contract with Netflix and does have arcade games on Xbox Live, but Sony also has a video store and PSN games. Sony has brought full next generation titles to digital distribution and will be continuing to do so. And at the same time Sony is building Blu-ray as the high definition format of the 21st century which is the complete opposite of digital distribution. Microsoft better look out because Sony is really kicking this year off with some big things and huge blockbuster titles.

 

[scofield]

amen brother, ps3 ftw

 

[ToxicBunny]

That "article" is full of so many errors its just frightening.

BR was not "newer" than HD-DVD.. they were competing formats.

BR and HD-DVD supported the same audio formats... actually if anything HD-DVD was superior in the area since it REQUIRED discs to be encoded with Dolby TrueHD whereas its only optional on BR... and HD-DVD had a higher framerate.

MS are still beating Sony hands down on the digital distribution front... it won't take more than a little bit of an addition to Xbox Live to put full games on the store.. they're been selling Arcade games for ages, and have demos.

Xbox Live had a video store LONG before the idea was even a glint in Sony's eye.. and its miles better than the PSN one.

IAP : If you're going to post articles that try and attack MS or the Xbox, or Sony or anyone.. please at least make sure they're factual and not full of rubbish.

 

[Mokusei]

That "article" is full of so many errors its just frightening.

BR was not "newer" than HD-DVD.. they were competing formats.

BR and HD-DVD supported the same audio formats... actually if anything HD-DVD was superior in the area since it REQUIRED discs to be encoded with Dolby TrueHD whereas its only optional on BR... and HD-DVD had a higher framerate.

MS are still beating Sony hands down on the digital distribution front... it won't take more than a little bit of an addition to Xbox Live to put full games on the store.. they're been selling Arcade games for ages, and have demos.

Xbox Live had a video store LONG before the idea was even a glint in Sony's eye.. and its miles better than the PSN one.

IAP : If you're going to post articles that try and attack MS or the Xbox, or Sony or anyone.. please at least make sure they're factual and not full of rubbish.

If what you listed above are the 'so many errors' then you actually have no leg to stand on. Some of those may be valid, but I'd like to attack the one where you say all it'll take is a little adjustment to sell full games on XBL.

What about hard drive size and cost with the Xbox 360? The hard drives come in 20GB, 60GB and 120GB (most only have 20GB or 60GB) and are FREAKING expensive. And another problem is that, if hypothetically the store on XBL now existed, then many people who bought Arcades didn't factor this into their purchase. Now the feature comes along and they don't own an HDD and must now buy aforementioned FREAKING expensive HDD. No logic in that!

Every single PS3 owner has an HDD and can easily swap it out for a MUCH larger one than what they have for a fraction of the price of an MS HDD.

Also, XBL has so many credit card issues, while PSN supports payment in Rands and has no credit card issues.

Then, if HD DVD was indeed superior, then where is it now? It lost for a reason. Don't tell me that Blu-ray succeeded only because of the PS3, cause that's rubbish.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Defunct : Yes, the Xbox is limited to drive space, and its more than likely the only reason MS don't sell full games online... I will happily admit that, and also say its the one REALLY big thing that fscks me off with my xbox, I would love to be able to upgrade the HDD... but for MS to sell games online would not be a massive shift to Xbox Live itself, they have the systems in place as it stands is where I'm getting at, so its not like Sony are doing something wonderful and new... MS CAN do it, Steam have been doing it for ages.

Xbox live has credit card issues? I can't comment on that because I've never experienced any of them to be honest, my card has always worked just fine...

There are many reasons that HD-DVD didn't beat BR.... and each format had its pros... but saying BR supports more Audio Codecs is misinformation... they supported the same formats, but more of them were mandatory on HD-DVD than on BR. The same goes for the video codecs, HD-DVD had more mandatory codecs than BR does....

 

[Mokusei]

1. Xbox live has credit card issues? I can't comment on that because I've never experienced any of them to be honest, my card has always worked just fine...

2. There are many reasons that HD-DVD didn't beat BR.... and each format had its pros... but saying BR supports more Audio Codecs is misinformation... they supported the same formats, but more of them were mandatory on HD-DVD than on BR. The same goes for the video codecs, HD-DVD had more mandatory codecs than BR does....

1. Yeah, there were a few issues a while back where people would pay for something over XBL, get charged, but receive no content. Then the details would randomly disappear and they could never restore it. Big mess up.

2. I do agree that they did convey some tall tales, but the fact of the matter is that those mandatory codecs and audio formats were just not enough to pull it through.

 

[I am Penguin]

That "article" is full of so many errors its just frightening.

BR was not "newer" than HD-DVD.. they were competing formats.

BR and HD-DVD supported the same audio formats... actually if anything HD-DVD was superior in the area since it REQUIRED discs to be encoded with Dolby TrueHD whereas its only optional on BR... and HD-DVD had a higher framerate.

MS are still beating Sony hands down on the digital distribution front... it won't take more than a little bit of an addition to Xbox Live to put full games on the store.. they're been selling Arcade games for ages, and have demos.

Xbox Live had a video store LONG before the idea was even a glint in Sony's eye.. and its miles better than the PSN one.

IAP : If you're going to post articles that try and attack MS or the Xbox, or Sony or anyone.. please at least make sure they're factual and not full of rubbish.

Do not like what you read? It here for operning debate. As you can see it was just a article by someone simple. At least it got your attension! Just give us links to your facts!

 

[ToxicBunny]

Easy one for the HD-DVD/BR bits...

Here's a comparison between the two of them
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_high_definition_optical_disc_formats

 

[I am Penguin]

the one REALLY big thing that fscks me off with my xbox, I would love to be able to upgrade the HDD... ....

Now I understand! Fanboi fits!

So steam can deliver HD quality + 7.1 sound and Blu Ray quality games and DVD's via the net, and in SA. How many of those did you download?

Be realistic. Xbox is not even well supported in SA. Downloads for decent HD Games and HD DVD is a long way off in SA even most places abroad. Then there are many other factors to consider like drive capacity, drive failures (Do you download lost games and DVD's again?) You will need to install up to 10 TB capacity in drive space to cover my current DVD's collection in HD quality versions and reserve some space for future downloads too.

There is the real possibility that you RIP and copy the HD content or BD DVD's to disc at lower resolution and quality (see other thread), so obviously in that case YOU do not need HD nor Blu Ray in the first plase so DVD9 is all you need.

Many have a Xbox with DVD9 so they will always be able to play DVD's, at lower quality just like some of the latest multiplatform games that's coming out.

Fact is BD is here to stay, BD did win the format war because it had more to offer (Your bribe story was already debunked - no prove). The reason was Security, Capacity and major support of MORE than 50% of large corporations and well orchestrated strategic bussiness deals . Toshiba was the last straw and NO they were not bribed, that is pure fanboi tripe and gripe, they did bussiness deals with Sony in their own interest as M$ had nothing to offer. Simple

Hopefully in future, for the sake of Xbox owners, M$ will swallow thier pride and buy a BD license from Sony to enable them to move into the future.

Else some will stay behind with old technology, grumbling, and the rest will move on with technology and life.

 

[foozball3000]

So, Sony is Giving them A LOT of heat. Mark Shuttleworth is stealing their thunder. And Google is suing them. Bill Gates pulled out of MS just in time...
Captian...Ice Berg! The SS Monkeysoft Might sink!

 

[ToxicBunny]

They now claim games as BR quality?! since when?

Ok, so now even though you're trumpeting Sony as beating MS in the downloaded games department, you then go on to rubbish the whole concept... so what was the point of Sony getting into in the first place?

I'm not even going to both with the rest of your post because it is useless fanboi drivel, which is what you're becoming known for.

 

[Mokusei]

Now I understand! Fanboi fits!

Listen dude, I am kinda on your side with this one as we are both clearly Sony fans, but he chose to own an Xbox 360 and that's his prerogative. No need to blame his opinion on fanboi-ness. You will defend your son from a bully but I wouldn't. It's just one of those things. Post your opinion, don't blame everything on being a fanboi. Capiche?

PS: I also own an Xbox 360 and despise the thing, so I can speak for both teams, but obviously biased towards my opinion. I just love technology and the PS3 has so much more of the 'THAT' factor. The Xbox 360 is a cheap, poorly built excuse for a console (that also has RROD ).

Regarding above point, please tell me honestly that the Xbox 360 looks better :

 

[I am Penguin]

Easy one for the HD-DVD/BR bits...

Here's a comparison between the two of them
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_high_definition_optical_disc_formats

Capacity

Capacity/codecs
Blu-ray has a higher maximum disc capacity than HD DVD (50 GB vs. 30 GB for a single sided disc). In September 2007 the DVD Forum approved a preliminary specification for the triple-layer 51GB HD DVD (ROM only) disc though Toshiba never stated whether it was compatible with existing HD DVD players. In September 2006 TDK announced a prototype Blu-ray Disc with a capacity of 200GB[5]. TDK was also the first to develop a Blu-ray prototype with a capacity of 100GB in May 2005[6]. In October 2007 Hitachi developed a Blu-ray prototype with a capacity of 100GB. Hitachi has stated that current Blu-ray drives would only require a few firmware updates in order to play the disc

Region
As of July 2008 about 66.7% of Blu-ray Disc titles are region-free and 33.3% use region codes


Security

Copy protection
The primary copy protection system used on both formats is the Advanced Access Content System (AACS). Use of AACS is optional for HD DVD, but mandatory for Blu-ray, which can add thousands of dollars to production costs.[16] Other copy protection systems include:

Blu-ray Disc
HDCP encrypted digital output
ROM-Mark watermarking technology (physical layer)
BD dynamic crypto (BD+)

HD DVD
HDCP encrypted digital output

Some nice BD statistic's here!

Thanks a lot Bunny, that link confirmed all the statements I made re capacity and security.

For PeterCH: Note the "region free comment" so that argumet FAIL to a large degree, so there is hope for you! Unfortunately no help for your HDCP problems.

 

[I am Penguin]

Listen dude, I am kinda on your side with this one as we are both clearly Sony fans, but he chose to own an Xbox 360 and that's his prerogative. No need to blame his opinion on fanboi-ness. You will defend your son from a bully but I wouldn't. It's just one of those things. Post your opinion, don't blame everything on being a fanboi. Capiche?

So what do you call this attack

IAP : If you're going to post articles that try and attack MS or the Xbox, or Sony or anyone.. please at least make sure they're factual and not full of rubbish

Nah just a joke carried over from other threads. Nothing against Bunny and/or the Xbox. As you can see I am the one been "labeled" a Sony/PS3 fanboi because I dare post information that seems to be "Pro". . All fun dude.

 

[Mokusei]

Nah just a joke carried over from other threads. Nothing against Bunny and/or the Xbox. As you can see I am the one been "labeled" a Sony/PS3 fanboi because I dare post information that seems to be "Pro". . All fun dude.

Hehe. Don't worry. I also get myself into some pretty deep crap when I stick my head into these type of threads. The trick is to post what you think as the truth and throw in a little (very little) compliment about the opposing product.

Something like: Oh, the PS3 is the greatest thing on Earth with great features and future support, but the Xbox 360 is also......uh.....is also good at.....nah, got nothin'.

 

[I am Penguin]

Hehe. Don't worry. I also get myself into some pretty deep crap when I stick my head into these type of threads. The trick is to post what you think as the truth and throw in a little (very little) compliment about the opposing product.

Something like: Oh, the PS3 is the greatest thing on Earth with great features and future support, but the Xbox 360 is also......uh.....is also good at.....nah, got nothin'.

If guys try and read the topic then they can see the direction. The point is made that Sony are stealing the thunder from M$.

Facts:
Sony have more exclusive games inline
Sony have a free and expanding network. New things like home, etc, is happening all the time.
Sony is improving the home media console and home theather performance continiously and more is to come.
Sony is moving to ALL Out networking as product base. (See new corp changes and restructure). Gaming, computing and networking is now a unified department.
Sony's PSN network is becoming vey interactive.
So apart from some small issue/confusion about BD codecs (which is actually true for the PS3+BD) the article writer have some very valuable points there actually. He just says in a dfiffrent way that Sony in taking Microsoft on, HEAD on, in all deparments. Obviously that will not go down well with some.

How about Killzone2 ? Go read what the opposition is saying! It's a laugh. It just shattered their dreams and voided two full years of their arguments and vitriol.

 

[Mokusei]

If guys try and read the topic then they can see the direction. The point is made that Sony are stealing the thunder from M$.

Facts:
Sony have more exclusive games inline
Sony have a free and expanding network. New things like home, etc, is happening all the time.
Sony is improving the home media console and home theather performance continiously and more is to come.
Sony is moving to ALL Out networking as product base. (See new corp changes and restructure). Gaming, computing and networking is now a unified department.
Sony's PSN network is becoming vey interactive.
So apart from some small issue/confusion about BD codecs (which is actually true for the PS3+BD) the article writer have some very valuable points there actually. He just says in a dfiffrent way that Sony in taking Microsoft on, HEAD on, in all deparments. Obviously that will not go down well with some.

How about Killzone2 ? Go read what the opposition is saying! It's a laugh. It just shattered their dreams and voided two full years of their arguments and vitriol.

A fact that Xbox 360 fanboys need to accept is that Sony has been in this game for much longer. They know what they're doing and will ALWAYS come out on top of their own game. Other consoles can just not match up to their experience, and THAT, my friend, is what will make me pay R5000 for a product that comes from Sony.

 

[noxibox]

Every single PS3 owner has an HDD and can easily swap it out for a MUCH larger one than what they have for a fraction of the price of an MS HDD.

This was a surprising feature coming from Sony the veterans of locking their customers into proprietary hardware. The kind of thing Microsoft is doing should be illegal. I'd be happy to see them fined billions of Dollars for it.

Still I don't know why anyone would want to get their games by downloading them. You invariably get saddled with DRM issues if you go that route. Give me a disc I can move from console to console, lend to my friends and sell any day.

Then, if HD DVD was indeed superior, then where is it now?

If you think one technology succeeds over another because one is superior then you have not been around long. Being superior sometimes help, but is hardly a deciding factor. You could have the better product and I could have more money to promote mine - you'd lose.

It lost for a reason. Don't tell me that Blu-ray succeeded only because of the PS3, cause that's rubbish.

Sony did a better job conning movie executives into believing their format was uncopyable. An important factor in bluray's favour. It's nonsense of course, but the people they tricked are basically technology illiterate.

Sony has been in this game for much longer.

Nintendo has been in the game even longer. It means basically nothing. The lesson is don't underestimate a determined opponent.

 

[Dolby]

If Every single PS3 owner has an HDD

They do ...

And Blu Ray , HD Audio, Gigabit ethernet, wireless and a few other items that 80% paid for, and don't use