Microsoft attacks our HOME
by Nick Doerr 
{ Mar 11th 2007 at 2:45PM }
We've already heard Nintendo's response to the PlayStation HOME, but we hadn't talked about how Microsoft felt about the ambitious new service. We will now. Chris Satchell, general manager of Microsoft's Game Developer Group, poo-pooed the HOME, saying it was "not a very game-centric approach." Oh, really? Last we checked, Sony has stated that everything is about software now -- software generally includes games. Since that's their focus, isn't that a game-centric approach? Meanie.Satchell goes on to the inevitable comparison ending with a "we're better" indirect implication: "I think they've definitely taken some concepts that we originated like achievements, but I think they're pushing in a different direction and we've sort of fundamentally got two different approaches going on here. I think theres is very much a vision that people see it and it looks cool but it's fundamentally separate from the games - or at least what they've shown so far. It's a cool world but it's like a little game by itself. Our approach is the other way around; it's that games are the center and that's the star of the show, that's what people buy the console for."
Satchell did say LittleBigPlanet is a neat game and concept, what with user-generated content and all, but he says that "I can't see a big portfolio of games at the moment that do this. I don't think there's a whole load to catch up." Maybe not yet. But soon. Wait, isn't LBP a game? That's software. Lay off, Microsoft. Sony's concentrating on games... you yourself called HOME a "little game by itself"... again, software. What are your guys' thoughts? Is MS blowing steam or do they have a point?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Groggy @ Mar 11th 2007 2:50PM
I think if I wanted to play Sims,I would go buy it.
naruto007 @ Mar 11th 2007 3:13PM
they fear sony,home and littlebigplanet thats all about
Liquid @ Mar 11th 2007 3:16PM
@Groggy
I think if you have nothing to say shut up
M$ service got pwned by a free service lol,dam i would be ashamed and defensive to >_<
ahatter @ Mar 11th 2007 3:20PM
"M$ service got pwned by a free service lol,dam i would be ashamed and defensive to >_< "
seeing home hasnt even lanched yet and nobody even know if it WORKS, i wouldnt say pwned yet b/c sony hasnt proven anything with "home" yet.
LocknLoad @ Mar 11th 2007 3:28PM
It's obviously going to be different then "the Sims", Some of you need to read/listen to things alittle more carefully before posting. This is basically what Xbox loyalties do as well. I mean look at the IGN forums, it's so full of BS.
Phil has explained "Home" in like 4 different way's but all his explainations come down to one thing and that is online gaming which is easy to access through "HOME". People like to turn this around and make it sound like it's going to be complicated and you have to walk/run to a different room to play which is a waste of time. This is not like that and he clearly says and shows examples of the Virtual PSP menu.
Put it this way, you can go into an online game (with friends) just as easy as you can on XboxLive, Or you have the option of sitting around and playing mini game's such as pool, bowling, etc etc. People also say "well Sony needs to concentrate on online gaming bleh bleh" Well that is what they are doing, but at the same time implementing other nice feature's. Since they are doing this and it's Free (which is extremely nice)and it's organized really well, this is hard to beat. The only thing that can really be done is making it look 100% real. At the same time as it supports GAME'S it also supports Movie's, Music, and other's. This is basically a package with everthing and it's Free.
By the time this is released there are going to be a good amount of fun games and awesome game's, So launching this in the fall is a smart move on them. Although it would of been nice if they added this before launch or something but hey.
James @ Mar 11th 2007 3:24PM
I have to say, as someone who loves games, not just one particular console, HOME has me intrigued, but it still doesn't scream system seller to me. Like Groggy said, if I want to go play The Sims or Second Life, I'll go play it. It sounds like Second Life combined with Microsoft Acheivment points. Cool, maybe, but it still doesn't quite get me over that $600 pricetag. It's not *just* the software. It's also the *price*.
Bored @ Mar 11th 2007 3:47PM
The "PR master" contradicts himself:
"It's a cool world but it's like a little game by itself."
So it's a little game, but the service isn't about games??
nate @ Mar 11th 2007 3:53PM
For the record, Microsoft did not create Achievements. They were originally called "Skill Points" and introduced by Insomniac in the Spyro Year of the Dragon on the PSOne, then Ratchet and Clank on PS2, and Resistance on the PS3. Seeing as how Sony owns Insomniac, Microsoft actually ripped the idea off of Sony, not the other way around. Granted, MS has done a good job of taking them platform-wide, rather than on a game-by-game basis - but the original idea remains Insomniac/Sony's.
atsui @ Mar 11th 2007 4:55PM
"For the record, Microsoft did not create Achievements. They were originally called "Skill Points" and introduced by Insomniac in the Spyro Year of the Dragon on the PSOne, then Ratchet and Clank on PS2, and Resistance on the PS3. Seeing as how Sony owns Insomniac, Microsoft actually ripped the idea off of Sony, not the other way around. Granted, MS has done a good job of taking them platform-wide, rather than on a game-by-game basis - but the original idea remains Insomniac/Sony's." Don't you love it when someone steals an idea and makes it better? I do! :)
Scott Krueger @ Mar 11th 2007 5:33PM
I really like the Home Idea and it is Free as well is a nice feature too. I think it is a great Idea.
Sure alot of it is borrowed from other things already done. So what, it still looks cool. It combines Achievements, Second Life, Sims all in one World for Gamers to meet discuss games, setup matches, etc.
It is not bad thing to re-use good ideas.
James its a $500 price Tag. The $499 PS3 has More than the $399 XBox. Plus Online is Free. Of course I bought the $600 too. But it was less than my 360 because the 360 everything else is Extra $
Mr Satchell why can't your programmers figure out how to make XBox games compatible with the 360? Sony has over 1000 PS2 games for their software emulator that will soon replace the Hardware Compatibility in the PS3. Don't throw stones if you don't want to get in a Rock Fight.
Groggy @ Mar 11th 2007 5:48PM
@ Liquid
um I did have something to say (if I wanted to play Sims,I would go buy it ) can you not read ? they asked for your opinion on this... thats mine... I have all 3 new systems, and love them all the same.
silence @ Mar 11th 2007 6:21PM
Sony can talk the talk but rarely walk the walk...
I hope Home is everything Sony says it is. Maybe I'll even buy a PS3 if they show me how matchmaking works. Did anyone also notice they did not show how matchmaking will work with Home? Keep this all in mind folks. Xbox Live has taken years to develop and I find it pretty hard to believe that Sony can just throw up a service without a couple years of learning. To all all Sony fanboys... Sony has left you up to dry a few times now so don't count the chickens before they have hatched. Might be a little embarrassed... again.
DarkTravesty @ Mar 11th 2007 6:33PM
Scott if you were smart you would know that Microsoft didn't own the tech in the original x box it was basically stock pc parts and an nvidia graphics card. the 360 uses tech that ms purchased the rights too and also has an ati graphics card. now putting that into play you need to EMULATE original x box game on the 360 hence most of them do not work because they need to reverse engineer the games to work on 360 hardware. shows your ignorance. so in closing shut your damn mouth
Ekafrikay @ Mar 11th 2007 10:13PM
Nothing online that sony comes up with will be as good as what microsoft has because sony's service is free, and thats the only thing thats ever been good about it. By charging for xbox live, microsoft is able to provide better content for its customers.
stirlo @ Mar 11th 2007 10:58PM
sure.. Second Life is "free" too, but how much did your PC cost?
COMPUTERS != FREE
WaSSaBi @ Mar 11th 2007 11:15PM
Price? stop looking at price! look at value... $600 is pretty cheap when it comes to what the PS3 offers... the Blu-ray player alone cost $900...
besides... in the long run, you Xbox users end up paying more with your $50 a year Xbox Live subscription as opposed to your free online service...
WaSSaBi @ Mar 11th 2007 11:21PM
sorry for the double post...
^ supposed to be our not your
@16
Sony will offset the cost by advertising... if you watched the announcement, you would know this (in the virtual realm as well as private advertising rooms from software manufactureres etc.)
steve @ Mar 12th 2007 12:49AM
Stop looking at price? Ummm, no. Price is a consideration, and a very real one at that. Maybe when you have your own bills to pay, you will understand that. I don't care what a standalone Blu-Ray player costs, because I have no desire to buy one. The future of media will be high-def streaming, Blu-Ray is a stop-gap, band-aid solution. But... this 'Home' thing does have the potential to be very cool, IF it is done right. And for the sake of all of you who have spent an absurd amount of money on a videogame system, I hope it is.
Thomas @ Mar 12th 2007 2:07AM
Instead of saying something stupid.. just give Sony credit.. sony doesn't talk, trash about other systems, and their features... they just stand by their products.
dukefett @ Mar 12th 2007 8:55AM
To anyone who proclaims this is so great because it's free. An xbox live silver account is free, and that's all you need to show off achievments.
naruto007 @ Mar 12th 2007 8:43AM
wow sounds like "Fanboys SUCK" its a real fanboy XD of what console i dont know XD
John @ Mar 12th 2007 9:56AM
I was totally excited about the Home ideas presented. This just seems like a really fun concept to me, much funner than clicking through menus. I like things where you can walk around and look at stuff, see what other people are doing. I always play games this way. So this, with that little Big Planet thing was just one more reason to get uber-excited about ps3. It's a way of interacting with the console and the network space that is engaging and fun.
WhackMushroom @ Mar 12th 2007 10:10AM
Didnt Balmer say that sony should just copy XBOX Live?
Lion @ Mar 12th 2007 12:14PM
Why does anyone care what Microsoft, Sony, or Nintendo says about one another? Why continue to perpetuate this fanboy-ism?
IT DOESN'T EFF'N MATTER!
Ultimately, it us us--the consumers--who get to decide which strategy works, game-centric or not.
Mike @ Mar 12th 2007 3:20PM
Genesis does what Nintendon't!
phunknjazz @ Mar 12th 2007 9:14PM
i have owned a playstation and playstation 2 and a psp
and this year i baught a xbox 360,why? that is because xbox knows how to please gamers.i loved loved sony and was a huge fanboy but ever after the ps2 everything has gone down hill. the psp and ps3 in my eyes suck. i want a video game system for games not videos, music,pictures,internet and all that shit. i have a computer for that. sonys eyes are bigger then there stomach and have to much on there plate. they need to get back on track and focus just on games and not so heavy on all this other bullshit.home seems to be very korny and a waste of time to see achievements and things of that sort you have to open and load home and that just seems like a pain in the ass. this makes sony look soo stupi to me. now why am i on here bitching when i could be playing games.that goes for all of you too.
Jason @ Mar 13th 2007 7:25PM
@22...
sure...sony doesn't bash other competitors...
they're too busy trying to dig their own foot out of their throat....
kinda hard to talk smack about the enemy when you're too busy undermining yourself with retarded interview comments that you can't back up, and when you consistently fail to meet your "promises"
ShaleX @ Mar 16th 2007 11:11AM
I'm gonna have to disagree on the "Sony dosen't bash competitors" bit as well. Lest we forget E3 a few years ago where Sony execs decided that their pre-rendered videos were so great compared to MS's games running on actual hardware, that they called it the Xbox 1.5.
But I dye grass...
As a non-ps3 owner and a Wii60 owner, Home does look rather cool. I like the user customization of the home, and the ability to get items from games. I think it's a rather cool diversion. Xbox Live replacement? By no means. I have to agree with the MS guy to say the services go in different directions. Xbox Live is intigrated into the entire gaming experince. Push the guide button at any time in any game and pull up my friends list, music player... everything. Home won't change that. Does home intigrate into the PS store? While the GUI of the PS store, and Home are nice... they aren't neerly as fast as the simple text based GUI of the 360. I find navigating around my friends PS Store to be more combursome then moving around the market place... or even the Wii Store. But i do find the PS store to be the most pleasing to the eye.
Now there are a few other complaints about the PS3 interface... mainly not having the ability to switch user accounts in game... But i think i'll assume Sony will add that into the march update.
So In Conclusion, this Xbox 360 owner is neither "laughing my ass off" nor "scared" by Home. It's deffinatly a cool peice of Software, that has me actually interested in the console (20 GB version..)... but I don't see it replaceing the Xbox Live experince. I still find XBL to me supirior. Faster, more intuitive, and seamless.