E3 2006:Microsoft Reacts to Sony Conference

After the widely anticipated Sony Computer Entertainment America Press Conference which revealed the $459/$599 pricing structure of the PS3, their online plan, and their games, the people on the other side of the fence, the Microsoft bigwigs specifically Christ Satchell (General Manager of MS Game Developers Group) and Shane Kim (MS Game Studios General Manager), were interviewed and they gave their comments.

According to Satchell, “From a gamer’s perspective, I’m pretty disappointed with Sony’s lack of innovation… I mean, they didn’t deliver anything terribly new, and at the cost of $600, $200 more than our system, it’s hard to get excited about it. The ‘new’ controller was even disappointing. It’s basically the same design. It doesn’t seem good for consumers, just good for Sony.“

When asked whether they think Sony could deliver 6 million units by March 2007, Kim said that they “can’t speculate on Sony’s production capabilities. We’re not experts on that. But as you know, getting six million units on the market place by March 2007 is a very challenging task. Based on what we know about launching a sophisticated system with many complicated parts, it’s going to be very challenging.”

And they ain’t done yet, when asked about the subject of online service, Satchell explained: “They provided no real commitment to actually delivering on their online service. They provided no innovation and leadership in that respect. They gave little time and effort to their online space.”

Whew, that’s a lot of fireworks. I hope Microsoft brings something new to the gaming table since they will be conducting their very own E3 news conference today, May 9, 2006 at 11:30 PST. Considering they’ve raised the bar by brushing off Sony’s revelations yesterday, it’s really going to be interesting what they have to showcase; anyway, our correspondents in E3 guarantees to bring you the events as they happen, so just check here at QJ for the latest updates.

After the widely anticipated Sony Computer Entertainment America Press Conference which revealed the $459/$599 pricing structure of the PS3, their online plan, and their games, the people on the other side of the fence, the Microsoft bigwigs specifically Christ Satchell (General Manager of MS Game Developers Group) and Shane Kim (MS Game Studios General Manager), were interviewed and they gave their comments.

According to Satchell, “From a gamer’s perspective, I’m pretty disappointed with Sony’s lack of innovation… I mean, they didn’t deliver anything terribly new, and at the cost of $600, $200 more than our system, it’s hard to get excited about it. The ‘new’ controller was even disappointing. It’s basically the same design. It doesn’t seem good for consumers, just good for Sony.“

When asked whether they think Sony could deliver 6 million units by March 2007, Kim said that they “can’t speculate on Sony’s production capabilities. We’re not experts on that. But as you know, getting six million units on the market place by March 2007 is a very challenging task. Based on what we know about launching a sophisticated system with many complicated parts, it’s going to be very challenging.”

And they ain’t done yet, when asked about the subject of online service, Satchell explained: “They provided no real commitment to actually delivering on their online service. They provided no innovation and leadership in that respect. They gave little time and effort to their online space.”

Whew, that’s a lot of fireworks. I hope Microsoft brings something new to the gaming table since they will be conducting their very own E3 news conference today, May 9, 2006 at 11:30 PST. Considering they’ve raised the bar by brushing off Sony’s revelations yesterday, it’s really going to be interesting what they have to showcase; anyway, our correspondents in E3 guarantees to bring you the events as they happen, so just check here at QJ for the latest updates.