If you do a side-by-side comparison of Microsoft and Sony’s press events since the announcements of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the current leader would be pretty clear. In terms of public opinion, the PS4 has jumped far ahead of its hardware counterpart thanks to strong messaging, a clear focus, and a cheaper price. But Microsoft knows nothing has been decided up to this point, as it’s not press conferences that win console wars – it’s the games.
That’s at least according to Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft Game Studios, who told The Guardian that people are mostly concerned with what they’re going to play this fall.
“I guess I just have a fundamental belief that gamers buy games consoles to play games, and they don't buy them for press events,” Spencer said. “We're going to lead with the content that we think gamers want – and all of the people on stages, myself included, that's just part of a show. When you land it, the questions people ask are: what am I going to be able to play? What does this console do for me? What are my friends playing? What games are coming?”
Microsoft hasn’t been as consistent with its messaging, but it knows that it has the better lineup of software.
“You know, we have Titanfall coming, we have Halo coming, we have our relationships around FIFA and Call of Duty, and our exclusive games. Those experiences, what the box is capable of … in the end, that's what it is,” he continued. “All of this, this is for people who look inside the business. That's great, I love feedback – and our ability to listen to the feedback and respond has to be a strength while building this platform, it has to be, I can't see it any other way.”
The shoulder-to-shoulder console releases this fall will be fun to watch.
