Wednesday, February 22, 2006
I would bet 1up's collective liver that Sony will win the next gen war
The other day, Nick and his boss were talking about Sony's apparent immunity in the eyes of the media. I'm not sure where Nick stands on this issue, but Greg (his boss) argued that Sony is given a pass anytime they do something wrong. I agree with this sentiment as well. It seems like any time Nintendo or Microsoft do anything wrong the press jumps down their throats. But since Sony is the market leader, they can deep fry babies and still receive a positive spin. I love my PS2 as much as the next guy (actually, most likely significantly more than that unfeeling bastard), but there is a time and place to express my love and that place is not in a news story.
Of course, when this issue arose, I couldn't actually think of any specifics. Isn't that always the case? You know you're right about something but damned if you're not just spouting "It's true I tell you!" over and over again. Thankfully, 1up.com was kind enough to offer a perfect example of Sony bias in the press. Now remember, 1up is a reputable gaming site. They are probably the 3rd largest, behind only Gamespot and IGN; and are only that low because they haven't been around as long. You should also note that the URL I am going to link to actually has the words "newstory" right in it, so don't try to pass this off as an editorial. Here's the article, but I'm just going to paste the whole thing since it's small and no one clicks links anyway.
"In spite of Sony's sticking to their story about the spring launch, the doubts keep mushrooming among industry analysts and members of the press. Forbes.com is the latest to weigh in on whether the PS3 can really launch in the timeframe set by the company.
Is the news making investors a bit nervous? Not really. This is, after all, the behemoth Sony we're talking about. Since last week, when the latest round of rumors started, Sony's stock has dipped slightly, but is trading as of this report at a respectable 46.65, not far below the 52-week high of 51.16.
It surely rankles Sony to have to wait while Microsoft fulfills 360 orders, but they're in no danger of losing the console war."
Ok, let's just scan this for horrible reporting errors. 1up claims this news hasn't hurt Sony's stock, and yet I see a rather dramatic drop. In the beginning of February Sony's stock was over 50. Then the rumors of a delay started circulating. Now the stock is at about 46. I may not be a math major, but that's a 10% drop since these rumors hit. Seems pretty significant to me. Can you imagine if Bungie announced that Halo 3 was delayed until the end of 2007 and Microsoft's stock dipped 10%? Do you think news agencies would be saying it "dipped slightly?" I think not.
Furthermore, and this is what really boils my potato, 1up actually said "they're in no danger of losing the console war." Are you serious? Sony is in no danger? They have sold 0 next generation systems whereas Microsoft has sold over 500,000. Nintendo has introduced a revolutionary new system that is going to be significantly cheaper than the competition. They are also going to market to casual and non-gamers, a strategy that has made the Nintendo DS a colossal success and nearly impossible to obtain in Japan. The PS3 has shown almost no game footage, has no online network that we know of, and will most likely cost $400, if not more. Plus, it may be delayed until 2007. And yet 1up thinks they are in no danger of losing the console war? How is this objective news reporting?
Of course, when this issue arose, I couldn't actually think of any specifics. Isn't that always the case? You know you're right about something but damned if you're not just spouting "It's true I tell you!" over and over again. Thankfully, 1up.com was kind enough to offer a perfect example of Sony bias in the press. Now remember, 1up is a reputable gaming site. They are probably the 3rd largest, behind only Gamespot and IGN; and are only that low because they haven't been around as long. You should also note that the URL I am going to link to actually has the words "newstory" right in it, so don't try to pass this off as an editorial. Here's the article, but I'm just going to paste the whole thing since it's small and no one clicks links anyway.
"In spite of Sony's sticking to their story about the spring launch, the doubts keep mushrooming among industry analysts and members of the press. Forbes.com is the latest to weigh in on whether the PS3 can really launch in the timeframe set by the company.
Is the news making investors a bit nervous? Not really. This is, after all, the behemoth Sony we're talking about. Since last week, when the latest round of rumors started, Sony's stock has dipped slightly, but is trading as of this report at a respectable 46.65, not far below the 52-week high of 51.16.
It surely rankles Sony to have to wait while Microsoft fulfills 360 orders, but they're in no danger of losing the console war."
Ok, let's just scan this for horrible reporting errors. 1up claims this news hasn't hurt Sony's stock, and yet I see a rather dramatic drop. In the beginning of February Sony's stock was over 50. Then the rumors of a delay started circulating. Now the stock is at about 46. I may not be a math major, but that's a 10% drop since these rumors hit. Seems pretty significant to me. Can you imagine if Bungie announced that Halo 3 was delayed until the end of 2007 and Microsoft's stock dipped 10%? Do you think news agencies would be saying it "dipped slightly?" I think not.
Furthermore, and this is what really boils my potato, 1up actually said "they're in no danger of losing the console war." Are you serious? Sony is in no danger? They have sold 0 next generation systems whereas Microsoft has sold over 500,000. Nintendo has introduced a revolutionary new system that is going to be significantly cheaper than the competition. They are also going to market to casual and non-gamers, a strategy that has made the Nintendo DS a colossal success and nearly impossible to obtain in Japan. The PS3 has shown almost no game footage, has no online network that we know of, and will most likely cost $400, if not more. Plus, it may be delayed until 2007. And yet 1up thinks they are in no danger of losing the console war? How is this objective news reporting?
// posted by Tom @ 8:34 PM 
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