'Rise of the Tomb Raider' just a timed exclusive to Xbox One?

The biggest reveal at Gamescom was the announcement of Rise of Tomb Raider coming exclusively to the Xbox One during the 2015 holiday season. But is it really going to be real exclusive, or a timed exclusive?

Twinfinite author Garrett Gault discusses why it's going to be the latter. While Titanfall was the exception to the rule, Gault believes that third party companies are foolish not to release their products on multiple platforms. In the same vein to Mass Effect, we will see the sequel to the Tomb Raider reboot on PlayStation 4 in some form.

In many cases we will see the first game in a franchise be exclusive to one platform, only for the success of that first game to lead the third party publisher to expand to as many places as possible to make the most capital they can.  One of the biggest franchises in recent memory that saw a shift similar to this was Mass Effect. The first two entries of the trilogy were Microsoft exclusives (the first debuting only for 360, with the second debuting for Windows and 360), only for the third game to release simultaneously on PS3, 360, and PC, along with a retroactive re-release of the first two games in a collection of the entire series for multiple platforms.

While Square Enix is going a different route with Tomb Raider, it doesn't matter. Eventually whatever money Microsoft paid for exclusivity won't matter once the contract is up.

This can only mean that Microsoft offered them a serious amount of money, but I still think that, whatever contract has been drawn between Microsoft and Square Enix, that contract will eventually expire. When that happens, expect Square Enix to reopen the series to multiple platforms, assuming Rise of the Tomb Raidermaintain’s the quality of the 2013 reboot. 

The article is completely spot on. Square Enix is the same company that throws in a bunch of money to their games, and when their games sell millions of copies they still consider it a failure. There's such a high benchmark that Square Enix places on their games and there's no way, reasonably, that it can reach its goal. Over four million copies and the game is a failure? Really?

In the same token, Square Enix isn't abandoning the Tomb Raider franchise on PlayStation. The reboot roughly sold half a million copies more on PS3 and obviously the franchise's main games have been featured on PlayStaton hardware.

Square Enix, the same guys who said the 4 million plus reboot of the franchise was a failure is going to completely abandon hardware that can give them at least two million more copies through the door? Forget it. Microsoft just ponied up because its their alternate tactic to compete with Sony.

Gamers are now faced with a decision. Either get the Xbox One to get the game immediately, or stick to plucking away at your backlog of video games and play it on your PS4 in about a year.

Photo from Destructoid

Xbox One receives price cut, includes Titanfall in Europe

Microsoft's Xbox One is already getting a steep price cut in Europe, but that's not happening in other countries at this time.


UK Marketing Director Harvey Eagle told Total Xbox (via VG24/7) that they're trying to give their UK customers "the best value" and that there isn't anything in the works to bring the cost down in other places.

Explaining the deal to OXM, Eagle began, “My responsibility is only for the UK so I can only talk about our territory. This is about offering the best value to UK gamers, and as a result we’re announcing this new price point of £399. There’s no announcements in other countries planned, so it’s a UK-only adjustment and we feel this is the right thing to do in our market.”

Eagle goes on to explain that "the timing of this is very much around Titanfall." Titanfall will also be included with the newly-discounted XBO.

There's two things very wrong about this issue. First, Eagle said that "the best games" include "Titanfall, and Destiny, and Watch Dogs," which requires an XBO to play them all. That's incorrect; not only will all three of those games be available on Xbox 360, those that want to play the new-gen versions can do so with a combination of a PC and PlayStation 4.

Second, there better be some of reward available for early adopters of the XBO. It's clear that Microsoft is banking on Titanfall to be their system saver in the early years, and they're hoping to really move consoles with the inclusion of the highly-anticipated first-person shooter.

Perhaps offering a future exclusive game for very cheap or free for early adopters, along with free Xbox Live Gold for a year, could be ways to reward those that shelled out full retail on the console from day one.

Either way, I wouldn't be surprised to see a price drop very soon in North America. For those that plan on getting one anytime soon, it would be best to hold off until it's the same price as a PS4.

Image credit: Flickr

Sony sells over 5.3 million PlayStation 4 units, crushing forecast numbers

Sony's resurgence to the top of the gaming industry continues to rise as over five million PlayStation 4 consoles have been sold worldwide, and that's before a release in Japan.


From The Verge:

Over 5.3 million PS4 systems have been sold through around the world as of February 8th, ahead of its release this Saturday in Sony's home territory of Japan. The company had previously forecast sales of 5 million units in the financial year ending March 2014.

That's an incredible increase from Sony's projected numbers. In essence, both Sony and Microsoft continuing down the opposite paths that began in the last console generation.

The PlayStation 3 had bad press before the launch after the announcement of the $600 retail price. Then, third party releases didn't match the quality of Xbox 360. It took many years before Sony bit the bullet and started selling their system for half that price.

As the quality of games improved with the eventual price drop, so did the install base.

Apparently, Microsoft didn't learn from Sony's mistakes over six years ago. Just because the Xbox 360 was a wild success doesn't mean that gamers will stick in that ecosystem.

While much harder to transfer this time around with friend lists and subscription services, the numbers are clearly trending in Sony's favor.

Never underestimate the power of the almighty dollar. Despite the 360's success in the eyes of the game industry, the Wii outsold everyone with its incredibly low $250 price point. Sony's move to launch the PS4 for $100 less than the Xbox One proves to be a winner.

Image credit: Flickr

Michael Pachter: Saying Sony's first-party library is large 'is a stretch'

Game analyst Michael Pachter has something to say nearly every day, and he follows up his bashing of Sony's PlayStation Now but saying that they don't have a large amount of first-party games to make the service successful.

From Game Revolution:

On the latest episode of the Bonus Round, Geoff Keighly responded to Pachter's PlayStation Now bashing by bringing up the fact that the company has plenty of in-house content to put on the service. "But you know, Sony has a lot of first-party content," Keighley explained, to which Pachter replied: "A lot is a stretch. Thirty. They have thirty games."

THIRTY games? Apparently Pachter should at least look his information up on Wikipedia, which lists far more than 30 games on the PlayStation 3 list alone.

In comparison to the competition, Sony takes laps around it with exclusive content. Microsoft doesn't offer the vast library of exclusive games that varies in genre. Nintendo has been remaking the same games since the N64 era.

Also, that number is even more wrong if the entire catalog of PlayStation games dating back to the original PlayStation is in effect.

Of course, Pachter also said that PS4 and Xbox 720 One games would be 70 dollars brand new.

Microsoft locks up 'Gears of War' franchise

Gears of War won't make an appearance to PlayStation anytime soon after Microsoft secured the franchise in an announcment made Monday morning.

Microsoft Game Studios vice president Phil Spencer announced on the Xbox News website (via Examiner) that it was important to lock up GOW for their fans.

It all comes back to our commitment to Xbox fans. The “Gears of War” franchise has a very strong, passionate and valued fan base on Xbox. Over twenty-two million units have been sold across all “Gears of War” titles worldwide, grossing over $1B dollars (US). This franchise, and these fans, are part of the soul of Xbox. By acquiring this franchise, Microsoft Studios will continue to offer them more of their favorite games and entertainment experiences from the “Gears of War” universe.

Epic Games formerly developed the franchise, but that will now move to Black Tusk Studios, formerly known as Microsoft Vancouver. Cliff Bleszinski, former head man over at Epic Games and the original creator of the series, won't be involved with this project.

Spencer also had thoughts of creating an RTS-style game with the GOW franchise, similar to what they did with Halo Wars.

China lifts ban on PlayStation 4 and other video games

After 14 years, China finally lifts their ban on video games.

Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are all able to sell their consoles in the Chinese market after a ban was lifted on foreign video game consoles.

From Gamespot:

Reuters reports that the Chinese State Council now allows the big three console manufacturers to make consoles within Shanghai's free trade zone and then sell them in China, provided they get government approval.

According to the report, the ban began in 2000 "following concerns about potential harm to the physical and mental development of children."

This is a big moment for all three companies, considering there are approximately 1.36 billion people in China as of today, or 19.1 percent of the world's population.

As soon as the government approves the ban lift, expect company executives to see bags of cash rolling in.

GIF: Watch all variations of the PlayStation controller at once

Thanks to a GIF created by GadgetLove that shows the evolution of both PlayStation and Xbox controllers, we can compare and contrast the different philosophies both Sony and Microsoft had on how gamers control what they play.

Above, the GIF shows the PlayStation controller back on the PS1 to the latest DualShock 4. In general, the four main buttons on the right side have never changed form. The placement remains uniform with the same amount of space between buttons.

That's different than the Xbox, which features a different button layout in each generation.

The directional pad had few changes, but the biggest upgrade was the length of the DS4's d-pad. Obviously, the biggest and most dramatic change was the implementing the two analog sticks at the bottom. Along with adding rumble, these controllers have been known as the DualShock controllers, and are numbered according to the console they're on.

Also of note, Sony abandoned the white color of their original PS1 and have remained with the traditional black, sleek style as the standard.

Not pictured unfortunately is the evolution of the shoulder buttons. These have all changed throughout each generation, with the DS3's bottom buttons being pressure-sensitive. With the lack of an actual trigger button, most first-person shooters action games use "R1" as the default action button.

Image credit: GadgetLove

Sony Computer executive Jack Tretton on the PlayStation 4 launch

Before Sony's PlayStation 4 launch event last week, Forbes caught up with Sony Computer Entertainment of America executive, Jack Tretton, on the buildup to the eventual successful launch of their next-generation system.

All three systems will be in battle this holiday season. Microsoft will try to win over gamers that use their consoles more for multimedia and Nintendo hopes that their classic mascot franchises of Mario and Zelda will get people to buy the Wii U.

Tretton gave his thoughts on the PS4 launch that turned out to be Sony's best in history for their PlayStation consoles and on the multimedia front of the system.

On the buildup to the PS4 launch:

We’ve never been in better shape. I mean, everything’s really lined up for us; the development community, the excitement from the gamers, the launch lineup that we have, the technology’s great, the manufacturing yields have been great.

On how different the launch is from PS3 to PS4:

There’s never gonna be a bigger spotlight on the gaming industry, so if somebody wants a PlayStation 4 and is willing to go and buy one, it kills me if you don’t have one to give to them. And we may run into that, but it won’t be for lack of effort.

On Microsoft's multimedia angle to move units:

We’re already the number-one streaming device for Netflix, so I think people expect and know that we have a lot of great entertainment apps on our platform. That story’s been told and I think it’s established. But the gamers really want to know why they should buy a PlayStation 4, and what the games are gonna look like, so that’s what we’ve been really spending all our time focused on.

On Nintendo's angle of relying on their franchise characters to move units:

We’ve got over 2,000 employees all over the world working to build great games for PlayStation, and games that are not only critically acclaimed, but do great volume. I mentioned The Last Of Us and games like GT6, and we have great games at launch like Knack, and we have games like Infamous: Second Son coming. So I think there are a lot of great franchises that we’ve introduced historically, but there’s new IP you know coming out all the time.

Click here for much more of the interview between Forbes and Tretton.

[Image credit: Flickr]

Nintendo President Not Worried About Competition with Sony, Microsoft Consoles

With buzz surrounding both Microsoft's and Sony's new consoles, it's looks like the Nintendo will be struggling with its Wii U to compete with in the next-generation system. Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo, doesn't see it that way.

Fils-Aime believes that's an "inaccurate narrative" in his interview with Kotaku. When looking at the actual data, the Wii U hasn't been that far behind in sales when compared to the original Wii back in 2006.

"If you look at it from a U.S. perspective, this point in time vs. where we were with the Wii life stage, there's a difference of about 1 to 1.5 million units. Over a potential lifespan over 40 million-plus units, that's not a lot."

The Wii U is currently suffering a software drought with dropped-off third-party support from launch. But as usual, Fils-Aime believes that Nintendo's upcoming first-party titles will push them in the right direction.

"You know, I think by the end of this holiday, after we've launched Wind Waker, after we've launched Donkey Kong Country, after we've launched Mario 3D World, I think we're going to be in a very good position."

This is the same Nintendo that we've known for years now, forcing sales through remakes, rehashes, and very unoriginal remakes of their IPs. Fans like myself even got tired of it, and even though I still supported the Wii in its dying years, there's much more support and excitement for what Sony will do with its upcoming console.

Microsoft may also be in a better position now after getting rid of its online restrictions and all the new IPs that are coming to the Xbox One.

[Source: Kotaku]
[Image credit: Flickr/Kriisi]

Amazon Sells Out of PlayStation 4 Launch Edition Preorders

The buzz on PlayStation 4 from the E3 has continued, and many gamers and consumers are latching on to Sony's new console early.

Amazon is reportedly all out of preorders for the PS4 Launch Edition. It's the same price as the Standard Edition, but the LE is guaranteed to be delivered on the release date that hasn't been officially announced yet.

According to the Forbes article, sources have said that the PS4 SE "is outselling Xbox One by two to one." No official numbers have been confirmed, but general public data definitely trends that way.

Amazon is currently running a Facebook poll asking consumers which console they’ll purchase, PS4 or Xbox One. With only six hours left in the poll, 95% of the over 40,000 gamers who replied said they’d be purchasing a PS4.

Michael Pachter, video game analyst for Wedbush Securities, expects Sony to sell 12 to 15 million PS4s in its first year. He expects an unsubsidized Xbox One will sell 9 to 10 million in its first year.

“I still expect a subsidy for the Xbox One, and each $100 in lower price probably represents 4 to 5 million units annually,” said Pachter. “At E3, Sony highlighted its used game and DRM policies, and that will make a difference to the hardcore. With that said, there are a lot if Microsoft fan boys out there, so it may not mean a share shift of more than 1 to 2 million consoles. I don’t think ‘new’ customers will understand or care that much.”

Pachter also predicted the retail prices for both systems earlier this year, and put the PS4 at $349 and Xbox One at $399.

It's a far superior step in the right direction for Sony who's hopefully learned from its mistakes when launching the PlayStation 3. We'll see if this demand continues through the holiday season, and if they can hold up to their promises made at the E3.

[Source: Forbes]
[Image credit: Flickr/Salvador Ausina]

Commentary: Will Xbox 360 Have More Preorders in US, Too?

There hasn't been much praise for Microsoft's new game console cable box with the fiasco of how games will be played on it.

Apparently, that doesn't matter over in the United Kingdom where Xbox One preorders are exceeding the PlayStation 4. Despite gamers' protest of needing to connect online at least once every 24 hours and the console not playing used games, the casual market doesn't seem to care.

For the casuals who play Call of Duty and Madden on their Xbox 360 here in the US, will that trend carry over?

It's possible, but that theory will be tested with Microsoft releasing the product at a steep $499 retail tag that was announced at the Electronics Entertainment Expo on Monday. A relase date of this November was also announced.

The price is about $100 more than what some analysts predicted. With both versions of Madden and COD coming out for this generations' consoles, the number of early adopters may be very small for such a high price despite generally favorable responses from the E3 presentation.

Sony's presentation will be tonight. They have potential to gain the attention right back that the Xbox One has received for weeks if they come out with a lower price (if that's planned) and attract to both the casual and hardcore gaming markets.

If so, then the next step will be to physically move those gamers to Sony's next console. In a way, Microsoft's undoing could be the same that Sony faced over six years ago when introducing a high-priced model with some non-gaming features (Blu-ray player).

More speculation and response to come after Sony's conference.

[Source: NBC News]
[Image credit: Flickr/NewGameNetwork]

PlayStation 4 Could Debut with Lower Price than Xbox One

One of the highlights won't be what's inside the PlayStation 4, but the potential for a much lower starting price compared to its predecessor over six years ago.

Michael Pachter, analyst for the Wedbush Morgan investment firm, estimated the costs of making each unit of both Sony's and Microsoft's next-generation consoles to Games Industry. He believes the PS4 will have a lower debut price at $349.

[Pachter] estimates that the PlayStation 4 has a bill of materials at around $275, while Microsoft's Xbox One costs around $325. As such, Wedbush is expecting the new Microsoft console to cost $399.

But while Microsoft's new hardware may be priced higher initially, it's also more likely to be available at a subsidised price to the consumer through a subscription contract from a broadcast, cable or ISP provider.

If that's correct, than the price will be about $250 less than where PlayStation 3 debuted at with a steep $599 price tag. That's already an eye-opener even if Microsoft will try to get their machine lower through a bundled package with certain internet and cable providers.

Of course, the estimated price would likely be the 250 GB model, although it wasn't specified in the article. One would assume the price could be $399 or as high as $449 for a 500 GB model.

Those planning on using a lot more storage are hoping to have a simple setup to swap out the hard drive like the PS3's "Super Slim" model.

With the consensus being that Sony's new console is just for gamers while Microsoft's will have more of a focus on being a media center, it's smarter to gauge where the Xbox One will debut at and market the PS4 at a lower price.

[Photo source: Flickr/faseextra]

Sony CEO: PlayStation 4 "Appeals to Video Gamers"

Microsoft can showcase their new console as an all-in-one entertainment box, but that's not where Sony is modeling the PlayStation 4.

Kazuo Hirai, the company's CEO, said during the D11 conference on Thursday that the PlayStation 4 is made for the gamers first.

"The most important thing we need to make sure we do at least initially is that we all agree and understand that the PS4 is a great video game console that appeals to video gamers," Hirai said at the D11 conference Thursday, according to AllThingsD's Ina Fried. "If we miss that part than I don't think we get the initial establishment of the console."

The PS4, set to come out this fall, will have non-game applications, Hirai added. But the company won't highlight those at launch, Hirai said.

Needless to say, don't expect too many more apps that what the PlayStation 3 is already doing right now. Obviously, the standard video-on-demand services like Netflix and Hulu will be there along with sports subscription services like MLB.TV and NFL Sunday Ticket. But the whole aspect of watching cable or satellite TV through the PlayStation 4 will not be happening.

It's an approach that Sony will need to take and bet with as the next generation of consoles are released. The PS3 has been a niche and despite some great exclusive content on the system, it's not grabbing the attention of gamers that are connected to their Call of Duty or sports buddies on the Xbox 360.

Perhaps Sony can attract those that are opposed to the direction that Microsoft is taking. This is a good first step in doing so.

[Source: CNET]

[Photo source: Flickr/Colony of Gamers]

Reaction to Microsoft's Unveiling of Xbox One

Microsoft officially announced their latest next-generation console, the Xbox One, with just about as much information as there is confusion on certain aspects of the unit. Let's try and break things down piece by piece, and we'll make some comparisons to the new PlayStation 4...as this is a PlayStation blog.

Let's get this out of the way first - this is not a blog post that's going to bash Microsoft's new console because it's the competition. As an all-around gamer with an open mind, I've preferred Sony over the years with more exclusive games and a comfortable gaming environment. Hence the reason I own
Sony gaming products.

Now, let's get to it.

1. Generally the official names of consoles have been disappointing, and this one is no different. Nintendo hasn't gotten a comfortable name that sticks since GameCube - Nintendo 64 was a perfectly good name despite many people not understanding what the 64 even meant. A name and a number is the best thing to use for a console name, but going back like Microsoft did with Xbox One doesn't make sense. The name most likely means that it is the one piece of machine ever needed to hook up to a TV, but going from 360 to one just doesn't feel right.
2. The controller looks as sleek as ever, and finally the directional pad has been improved on. But for players use to a DualShock, it's hard to stretch away from old reliable. Using a pseudo-DualShock controller for computer games before finally getting a PlayStation 3, it's a layout that prefer and is the best overall design. Some view the Xbox 360's controller as the best thing ever, so it's all a matter of personal preference.
3. A number of games in development is not a replacement for listing games off in development. One thing that's been a pleasure for PlayStation owners is the wide variety of games and exclusives the console receives. Old reliables of Uncharted, Infamous, and more will grace Sony's new console and will make it an instant buy. Those that only use gaming for sports and Call of Duty won't notice the difference, but then again those people wouldn't be reading this blog anyway.
4. Microsoft's Kinect has always had more potential than Sony's PlayStation Move, and with a little less lag it would be a real joy to control the Xbox One almost entirely with that. It could serve as a necessary feature in games that are comfortable instead of a waggling mess that Wii and PlayStation Move adopters have played with.
5. Is this the end of GameStop as we know it? Microsoft opting to read games entirely off the machine is only pushing us more into the digital age. My question is why even have physical discs if they're rendered completely useless after their installed? People are going to be required to connect to the internet at least once every 24 hours to use this system anyway. If people are unable to download a whole game, they may not be able to use the console. The days of borrowing games to try them out will be gone for those that get the new Xbox.
6. The difference between Xbox One and PlayStation 4 is clear - one is for a complete home entertainment system, and the other is more tailored for gaming. But there's a reason why I already have a computer, a tablet, and a smartphone - which all can hook up to my television anyway. Needing the Xbox One for anything else than a video game console that plays Bluray movies is rendered nearly useless. What makes the PS4 more preferable is the stronger graphics processing that can stream sports packages (like MLB.TV and NFL Sunday Ticket) and video services like Netflix and Hulu.
7. Biggest disappointment by far is learning that the Xbox One will be always online. It doesn't really bother me as I can always receive a connection, but why even have it? If people don't have a connection for whatever reason and can't sign in for 24 hours, what can people do on this unit? If I can't do anything that doesn't require an internet connection, this results in a major failure and terrible decision by Microsoft. 

There's plenty more to uncover with both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, such as official retail prices and a laundry list of titles available at or around launch.

From a PlayStation owner's perspective, there is nothing that either impressed me or made me think of jumping or additionally owning a new Xbox machine. It doesn't really fit any of my personal needs, the Kinect improvements are welcome but are not a necessity, and the only other thing I own with a Microsoft logo is my cheap Windows 7 desktop. 

That being said, I'm still eager to see more details on the new console. If Microsoft is opting for a more complete entertainment system, and a terrible decision to enter an online connection always needed, the general gamers will likely opt for the next PlayStation.

[Photo credit: Flickr/Miguel Angel Aranda (Viper)]