Xbox One leading best seller chart at Amazon after Microsofts Uturn

Gaming enthusiasts were outraged by the strict limitations that Microsoft planned to enforce on the Xbox One. Amid a fury of negative feedback, the tech giant did a complete 180 – they announced yesterday that users will no longer have to establish an online connection every 24 hours to play games, and that trading disks with friends will be as hassle free as ever.

Perhaps the Microsoft retreat wasn’t sparked by the backlash of unhappy customers, but rather the fear of having no customers at all. Last week, Amazon ran a poll on their Facebook page which pitted the Xbox One against the PlayStation 4, and not surprisingly, the Sony console won in a landslide.

The poll was eventually taken down by Amazon, but at last glance, the final tally was 38,984 for the PlayStation 4 and 2,162 for the Xbox One. Gamers who visited Amazon’s Best Sellers list could draw a similar conclusion, seeing as the Sony system had solidified its position in first place. 

Following the Microsoft retreat, a huge debate ensued. Some users insisted that Microsoft’s reversal was too little too late, while others hopped right back on the Xbox One bandwagon. As a result, it became extremely difficult to assess whether Microsoft’s attempt at damage control was a success or a failure.

Currently, according to the Amazon Best Sellers list, the Xbox One has now surged into first place. If you look closely, you’ll see that the Microsoft console atop the leaderboards is the “Day One Edition”; a version that had already sold out for PlayStation 4 fanatics. Also worth noting is the fact that Sony's console has four different listings in the top ten -- the standard edition plus three bundles -- while the Xbox One has a single one.

That said, a similar response from game enthusiasts has been seen across Europe. Amazon UK shows that both consoles are pretty much even, with the Xbox One holding a slight 2.3% advantage in sales.

Regardless of who wins this horse race, the excitement surrounding the next-generation consoles is unbelievable, and probably pleases both Sony and Microsoft. After all, any publicity is good publicity.

Ketu Patel, head of video games at Amazon UK, added, “It will be fascinating to see how the battle between the two console giants develops over the coming months – the fight for who’s going to be the must-have Christmas present is only just beginning."

[Source: techspot]

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PlayStation 4 is destroying the Xbox One in Amazon customer poll

 

Amazon is running a poll on their Facebook page asking readers which next generation console – Sony’s PlayStation 4 or Microsoft’s Xbox One – they prefer. If you’ve been reading story comments or message boards since E3, the results probably won’t surprise you much.

With more than five days left to vote, the Xbox One has amassed 1,754 votes (as of writing). The PlayStation 4, on the other hand, has 31,689 votes. Yeah, it’s not even remotely close. Sony executives must be feeling pretty happy at this point but at Microsoft, the atmosphere probably isn’t as cheery.

True, we won’t know how all of this pans out for a few more years but right now, the results are pretty telling. That’s because, unlike other polls you may find on fan sites, Amazon is a neutral party with a huge fan base that consists of both Sony and Microsoft homers (as well fans of games in general).

A quick look at Amazon’s Best Sellers list in their video games category solidifies what we are seeing in the poll. As of writing, the launch day edition of the PlayStation 4 is already sold out. Sony’s standard edition console – with a release date of December 31, 2013 – is currently ranked first ahead of the Xbox One.

That said, do you agree with the findings in Amazon’s poll thus far? If you had to choose between the two right now, would you go with Sony’s offering or lean more towards Microsoft?

[Source: TechSpot]

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Sony PlayStation 4 hardware revealed at E3, priced at $399

Sony took the stage on Monday evening for their annual E3 press conference just hours after Microsoft revealed pricing and their lineup of games for the Xbox One. For Sony, the biggest question on everyone’s mind heading into the event was whether or not we would finally get to see what the PlayStation 4 hardware looks like.
I’ll go ahead and answer that question up front: we did.

Described as sleek and visually impactful wherever it’s placed, the PS4 features a contrasting flat black surface alongside a bit of gloss and appears to stand vertically or horizontally. It’s tough to accurately compare the two without them side-by-side but it looks much slimmer than the Xbox One.
With that said, here’s what else we learned about the PS4 today.
There are over 140 games in development, we’re told, with more than 100 being available within the first year. The PlayStation 4 won’t impose any restrictions on the use of used games – a huge jab at Microsoft that drew incredible applause from the crowd on hand. Just to be clear, gamers have the right to trade in games at retail, sell them to another person, lend them to a friend or keep them forever. This drew chants of “Sony! Sony!” from the crowd.
And to further put the nail in the coffin, Sony said there was no need for the console to be connected, you aren’t required to check in online and it won’t stop working if you haven’t authenticated within 24 hours. Perhaps best of all, the PlayStation 4 starts at just $399 – a full $100 cheaper than Microsoft’s Xbox One although Sony stopped short of announcing a solid release date.

Sony Pictures is working on an original programming plan with unique access to content via PlayStation Network and PS4. Content will be tailored and selected specifically for things that gamers want and love but again, the company stopped short of sharing any further details.
Sony’s Video Unlimited service will be available on day one with 150,000 of the latest television shows and movies and we also learned that Redbox Instant, pay-per-view events and Flixster will be headed to PS3, PS Vita and PS4 very soon.
These announcements, however, only paled in comparison to the real reason Sony was at E3: to showcase games for the PS4. The company said they have 30 brand new IPs for the PlayStation and wasted little time showcasing one of the new titles, The Order: 1886, from Sony Santa Monica Studios.

Other games high on Sony’s list that were shown briefly in video clips include Killzone: Shadow Fall, DriveClub, inFamous: Second Son and Knack – most of which we are already familiar with from Sony’s PS4 announcement back in February. Killzone, DriveClub and Knack will be PS4 launch titles while inFamous will show up during Q1 2014.
Developer Quantic Dream was next in line with a brief technical demonstration of a title called The Dark Sorcerer – or at least that’s what it appeared to be. Turns out, the “game” was all part of the tech demo and the sorcerer was just an actor in the game – clever. The full 12-minute demo will be available later this week during E3.

Sony spent some time highlighting indie game developers that they are welcoming to the PlayStation family including Tribute Games, Switchblade Monkeys, Young Horses, Klei Entertainment and 17-bit Games, just to name a few. Supergiant Games, creator of Bastion, was on hand to show a new game called Transistor that will debut on the PS4 early next year.
Square Enix showed off a new trailer for Final Fantasy XV in addition to one for Kingdom Hearts III in collaboration with Disney. Both games are coming to the PS4, we’re told, while Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is also coming to the PS3 and the PS4.
Conference-goers were treated to a world exclusive demo of Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag played live on stage although the demo was cut short as the game eventually locked up, forcing Sony to end the demo early and usher in the next demo instead, Watch Dogs. Attendees were treated with several minutes of live game footage which looked extremely impressive and fast-paced. Fortunately this demo went off without a hitch.

PlayStation owners will receive an additional hour of gameplay for Watch Dogs and a special outfit for the protagonist when it launches.
Sports titles are huge on consoles and that’ll be no different with the PS4. Sony showcased footage from NBA 2K14 featuring some acting from Miami Heat star Lebron James talking to his in-game avatar. This demo was a bit shorter than anticipated, however, and was the only sporting game shown during the entire event.

A new partnership with Bethesda will see The Elder Scrolls: Online hit the PlayStation 4 during spring 2014. The game will feature a beta that will be available exclusively first on PS4, Sony said.
A world exclusive trailer for Mad Max was shown from Warner Bros Entertainment and Avalanche Studios. PlayStation gamers will have access to a special pack when the game launches. And if you haven’t already noticed, almost all of these titles were shown in very short clips so there really isn't much to go on.
PlayStation Plus membership will carry over to PlayStation 4, we learned. For less than $5 per month, Sony promises discounted games, cloud saves, automatic game updates, early access to beta programs, instant game collection and immersive multiplayer online for PS4 (does that mean you have to pay for multiplayer now?).
Bungie and Activision had one last thing to showcase – the world gameplay premiere of Destiny. It started with a single player on stage that was soon joined by another. But the live demo jitters weren’t over as Destiny also showed signs of freezing during the demo. It wasn’t as bad as Assassin’s Creed but it was embarrassing nevertheless.

[Source: techspot]

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