IGN's Matt Casamassina gets tough on Sony

[Reanimated]

From the latest issue of IGN.cube's mailbag comes this gem (http://cube.ign.com/mail) from the site editor Matt Casamassina:

Maybe the PS3 is being targeted at the military sector? Obviously, I'm joking, but if the price point is too high for "households," who exactly is expected to buy PS3? Czars?

http://cubemedia.ign.com/cube/image/article/637/637492/ps3admockup_1122587943.jpg



Never been a big Matt fan, but this was entertaining.

[MajSheppard]

Funniest thing I have seen this week.

[Nintendo Revolution]

I quite frankly cannot stand Matt Casamassina, but a refreshing look indeed.

[Liquidize105]

Think it chills the drinks too? Cus that would be useful.

[BlindSwordsman]

Matt Rocks! I like his oppinions and think he is really balanced in his reviews.

[Deadend]

I think IGN would be more intersting if they were allowed to say whatever they wanted to. Of course, that will never happen, as if previews could let us know how the game is... well, no one would have bought Enter The Matrix with 100 previews screaming "This is a turd! avoid!"

[Kyle Jones]

I can honestly see scray console machines of the future. No longer do you "purchase" hardware, you merely pay a monthly fee to keep a machine in your house and then download all the content for fees...

Scary!

[mkelehan]

It's a good point, though. $400 is really tough to swallow for even us hardcore gamers.

[netcraazzy]

It's going to be very interesting to see if Sony still ends up going strong right out the gate like they did with PS2. I'd like to think that this bad rep the PS3 seems to have gotten in the games community will in some way effect their sales. If this much bad PR can't effect the Playstation behemoth in some way then Sony must be truly unstoppable.

[TrackZero]

It's a good point, though. $400 is really tough to swallow for even us hardcore gamers.

Well Sony needs to recoup the R&D spent on the Spiderman font somehow.

[Tyrant]

It's a good point, though. $400 is really tough to swallow for even us hardcore gamers.

The thing is, there is a fairly large number of people who shell out $400+ just for a PC video card. I think that Sony is gambling on the chances that console gamers will do the same, perhaps to the extent that their subsequent consoles will have steadily increasing launch prices, yet the same group of people will pay for them.

[Shifteh]

I was pretty much with the guy, except for the HD TV comments. Maybe he doesn't understand that some people simply don't have the money. I personally cannot just drop 500 bucks on a new TV because, OOHHHHH, it's Digital/High Definition!

[51|RandoM]

I can honestly see scray console machines of the future. No longer do you "purchase" hardware, you merely pay a monthly fee to keep a machine in your house and then download all the content for fees...

Scary!

The console of the future will be just that, a console. Just an interface device hooked to a fat pipe.

[gracenote]

I think Kenny-boy might have created a bit of a negative publicity storm when he said it would be quite expensive. People just might go and pick up an XBox 360 and not bother waiting for the PS3 if they percieve that it is going to shred their bank account. I was planning on waiting myself, but if it is anywhere near the $400 mark, MS will probably get my money before Sony will. This Super Computer nonsense needs to stop.

[AspectVoid]

Frankly, I find it stupid to buy any console at launch. There is no way to tell that early in a console's cycle which one will be the best for you, and a couple of years later you'll find price drops happening as the companies try to get more people to buy the systems.

I really see no good reason to buy any console at launch.

[Reanimated]

Well Sony needs to recoup the R&D spent on the Spiderman font somehow.




lol, man that's the hardest I've laughed all week. Kudos.

[mister_slim]

So, what bothers people more: Sony putting the PS3 at a high pricepoint or MS dropping support for the Xbox when it is starting to hit its prime?

[Grimgrock]

I was pretty much with the guy, except for the HD TV comments. Maybe he doesn't understand that some people simply don't have the money. I personally cannot just drop 500 bucks on a new TV because, OOHHHHH, it's Digital/High Definition!
Where did you find a $500 HDTV? I need to shop there.

[DeviantBoi]

OMG! A Nintendo fanboy bashing Sony!! How f***ing original and newsworthy!!

[Varsity]

Every time I look at the PS3 controller I am convinced it is in fact hollow...

[Borys]

Marketing lesson #101 by Sony:

market your product as a high luxury. Spread the word it will be expensive ($1000) but very well worth the price (aka best on the market).

Then "announce" the real pricepoint - $349.

SHOCK BOOM BANG

"Whoa! What a steal! And they were saying 3 months earlier it will go down for $999!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I gotta love Reanimated's hate towards Sony. Listen chum, you can stand on your head and clap your asscheeks and Kutaragi will STILL sell 100M+ of PS3 units vs 25M of your beloved Xbox 2. Nothing you can do about that. And why do newspost slip from the ignore list?

[Reanimated]

So, what bothers people more: Sony putting the PS3 at a high pricepoint or MS dropping support for the Xbox when it is starting to hit its prime?




Eh?

http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/categories/products/deptpage.asp?wherefrom=comingsoon&web_dept=XBOX


That release list is just as long as the PS2's. It's not all crappy titles either. We're talking NG Black, Moto GP3, R6 Lockdown, KUF Heroes, Burnout Revenge, Far Cry Instincts, Half Life 2... I could go on. There's no HUGE 1st party titles there, but they weren't going to have that anyway. There are plenty of good games coming for Xbox owners.

[G-Man]

Well Sony needs to recoup the R&D spent on the Spiderman font somehow.

Y'know I did read somewhere that Sony used the Spiderman font for the system. Just a rumor though...

Seriously, of all the degenerates that write for ign, Matt Casamassina is my least favorite. He clings to Nintendo like vampire chicks on Jhonen Vasquez. Come on Matt, get off Nintendo's jock!

[Groo]

Both PS3 and X360 will launch for $299 in America. Mark my words. To do anything else would be stupid.

[makkura]

its too early to speculate, maybe this is a strategy by sony to make microsoft raise the price for the 360.....then again, if the price for the ps3 is low, they won't sell much high-end blue ray dvd player and lose a ton of money....

[snubber]

... a couple of years later you'll find price drops happening as the companies try to get more people to buy the systems.

I really see no good reason to buy any console at launch.

Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. No way I'm waiting a couple of years to play that.

[ldi222]

My prediction: Xbox 360 will be so good that MS will get into monopoly mode and loose the hardcore fanbase it has now. Microsoft is at its very best when it has competition, once that goes away they start to suck. IE for example. The irony is I want MS to kick Sonys ass but when they do I will probably like them less.

[Nessus]

"Seriously, of all the degenerates that write for ign, Matt Casamassina is my least favorite. He clings to Nintendo like vampire chicks on Jhonen Vasquez. Come on Matt, get off Nintendo's jock!"


He's actually been rather critical of Nintendo as of late, even going as far as to say that if Revolution is underwhelming he'll become the first multiplatform editor at IGN.

Also, what is he supposed to do? He's the Nintendo editor. His job is to cover Nintendo.

Personally I find him a whole hell of a lot more ballanced than some of the other editors at IGN.

DOA X-Treme Beach Volleyball did NOT deserve 9.5 out of 10. I can't think of any similar gaffs committed by Matt.

Also, that picture he made is in direct responce to a specific kutaragi quote "…the PS3 can't be offered at a price that's targeted towards households."

Not quite sure why I'm defending him though. I don't particularly like IGN, but I find him more bearable than most of the editors. Peer is decent I guess.

[Phades]

Frankly, I find it stupid to buy any console at launch. There is no way to tell that early in a console's cycle which one will be the best for you, and a couple of years later you'll find price drops happening as the companies try to get more people to buy the systems.

I really see no good reason to buy any console at launch.

I don't think I'd say it's "stupid" to want to play the latest and greatest(?) but I think there's certainly a strong argument to be said for waiting a while. Of course if you just take that thinking a little further it could also be said that it's stupid to play any current gen system.

So, what bothers people more: Sony putting the PS3 at a high pricepoint or MS dropping support for the Xbox when it is starting to hit its prime?

Sony. If they make it too expensive it just won't sell which means that Sony may be throwing away the next generation. It bothers me because I think of all three I could see Sony getting forced out eventually. Microsoft has to big of an ego to give up and too much cash, Nintendo is too good at making money and still dominates in the handheld area. Sony really needs the PS3 to be successful. I think they're good for the industry and want them to stick around.

[Phades]

Marketing lesson #101 by Sony:

market your product as a high luxury. Spread the word it will be expensive ($1000) but very well worth the price (aka best on the market).

Then "announce" the real pricepoint - $349.

SHOCK BOOM BANG

"Whoa! What a steal! And they were saying 3 months earlier it will go down for $999!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I gotta love Reanimated's hate towards Sony. Listen chum, you can stand on your head and clap your asscheeks and Kutaragi will STILL sell 100M+ of PS3 units vs 25M of your beloved Xbox 2. Nothing you can do about that. And why do newspost slip from the ignore list?

You hit the nail on the head. I think that's exactly what's going on. Sony loves to fling around BS so this kind of a move is right up their alley.

[Red Cloak]

Sony NEEDS the Blueray to be in the PS3.

But a 1X Blueray is 1/4th the speed of a 12X DVD drive(in the X360)

They will need to put in a high end Blueray Drive for the PS3 to be a capable gaming machine(as well as movie player).

Hence all the high price warnings, and hence all the statements that it isnt a gaming machine. This thing isnt going to be cheap.

[mister_slim]

That release list is just as long as the PS2's. It's not all crappy titles either. We're talking NG Black, Moto GP3, R6 Lockdown, KUF Heroes, Burnout Revenge, Far Cry Instincts, Half Life 2... I could go on. There's no HUGE 1st party titles there, but they weren't going to have that anyway. There are plenty of good games coming for Xbox owners.
There's NO first party titles. I'm amused that MGS dropped as many titles because they wouldn't be finished in '04 as they'll publish in '05.

I'm looking forward to some of those ports and expansion packs, and third party support is nice, but I'm kind of disturbed that MS only supported the Xbox for about three years.

[Red Cloak]

Marketing lesson #101 by Sony:

market your product as a high luxury. Spread the word it will be expensive ($1000) but very well worth the price (aka best on the market).

Then "announce" the real pricepoint - $349.

SHOCK BOOM BANG

"Whoa! What a steal! And they were saying 3 months earlier it will go down for $999!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I gotta love Reanimated's hate towards Sony. Listen chum, you can stand on your head and clap your asscheeks and Kutaragi will STILL sell 100M+ of PS3 units vs 25M of your beloved Xbox 2. Nothing you can do about that. And why do newspost slip from the ignore list?

How much was the PSX again? Remember, this isnt a gaming machine. :rolleyes:


A 2X/4X Blueray being standard in the machine is going to hike the price point exponentially.

[Chiggs]

$399.99 OR $499.99 sounds reasonable.

[Reanimated]

There's NO first party titles. I'm amused that MGS dropped as many titles because they wouldn't be finished in '04 as they'll publish in '05.

I'm looking forward to some of those ports and expansion packs, and third party support is nice, but I'm kind of disturbed that MS only supported the Xbox for about three years.



Fable: The Lost Chapters is coming via MS. The thing is, they just wouldn't have had that much first party content coming anyway, if any at all. Sony has had a lot more publishing agreements than MS has this gen, wheras MS has relied heavily on very close relationships with 3rd party publishers and kept the first party portfolio to a minimum. What I'm saying is - MS hasn't been in the business of tweaked yearly updates like Sony has and they pretty well shot their first party load last Christmas. I'm not sure you can fault MS for taking a quality over quantity approach. I mean I'm sure there are people excited to play Jak XVI (or whatever), but I'm not one of them.

[Furious Wang]

So, what bothers people more: Sony putting the PS3 at a high pricepoint or MS dropping support for the Xbox when it is starting to hit its prime?

Both bother me. But what bothers me the most is you, trolling every chance you get.

[IndependentGMR]

Sony is teh doomed!

[mister_slim]

Both bother me. But what bothers me the most is you, trolling every chance you get.
C'mon, try to keep your vendetta entertaining.

[Twigz'N'Berries]

Frankly, I find it stupid to buy any console at launch. There is no way to tell that early in a console's cycle which one will be the best for you, and a couple of years later you'll find price drops happening as the companies try to get more people to buy the systems.

I really see no good reason to buy any console at launch.

Well, I do see your point. But in all honesty, I generally buy consoles at launch and I've never been disappointed. I simply do not feel like waiting a year or more for the prices to drop when I could enjoy several titles right away. It comes down to two things really. A gamer's patience level and their bank account. I'm not rich by any stretch of the imagination, but I love the industry and I'll fork over the dough to play the latest console. I just budget enough dough for the launch day. I have no patience for waiting when it comes to a good game (which is one of the reasons I hated but loved MS. They always delayed their freaking games!!). If I read up on it and like what I see, I go for it.Plus, there is some satisfaction to being able to play a game day one...like Halo, Mario 64, Sonic, etc.

As for knowing which one will be the one for you, there are no guarantees. But if you do a little research in advance, it generally pays off pretty well.

By no means is this the 'rule', it is just my opinion on those who early adopt consoles.

[Twigz'N'Berries]

Both bother me. But what bothers me the most is you, trolling every chance you get.

Furious, whether he is a troll or not, he has a legitimate question. Personally, I don't care if it is first or third party...xbox has more than 200 games in development from this year to next. Who cares if it is 1st or 3rd party.

Since I'm getting the 360, I'm glad MS is focusing on getting that bad boy off the ground early. I can still play my xbox games (some) on the 360. I don't really care what pricepoint the PS3 is at this time...because I don't know when it is really coming out. I might pick up the console, it looks impressive graphically but ugly design wise. But it could look like a turd as long as the games were sweet.

[Heretic Machine]

The thing is, there is a fairly large number of people who shell out $400+ just for a PC video card. I think that Sony is gambling on the chances that console gamers will do the same, perhaps to the extent that their subsequent consoles will have steadily increasing launch prices, yet the same group of people will pay for them.

Problem with that being a console gamer's inherent cheapness. What's their biggest complaint about PC gaming? "Too expensive!" Why don't they play MMO's? "Too expensive!" Broadband internet? "Too expensive!"

I doubt these people would be the ones you should market your $400+ piece of hardware too.

[Heretic Machine]

Both PS3 and X360 will launch for $299 in America. Mark my words. To do anything else would be stupid.

DS launch price: $150
PSP launch price: $250

Sony is not immune to the costs of building a machine.

[Dracula-X]

But a 1X Blueray is 1/4th the speed of a 12X DVD drive(in the X360)
Or hey! How about the actual specifications for the various formats (read speeds):

CD-ROM: 32x (4.92 Mb/s) (CAV)
DVD-ROM (Single): 12x (16 Mb/s) (CAV)
DVD-ROM (Dual): 8x (11 Mb/s) (CAV)
HD-DVD (Single): 1x (36.55 Mb/s) (HD-DVD 1.0 spec)
BD-ROM (Single): 1x (54 Mb/s) (BD-ROM 1.0 spec)

Every technical site worth a shit has had these numbers for at least a year now (tom's hardware, arstechnica, etc, you can google the links for yourself)

As far as the PS3 goes, I can deal with a $399 pricetag, but it has to have a good lineup. I'll likely not buy a 360 for a while, unless something amazing comes out of the lineup.

[Twigz'N'Berries]

Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. No way I'm waiting a couple of years to play that.

Exactly. Scrolls looks and sounds awesome. Not to mention a few other titles like PGR3 or GoW...even GR3.

[tai.mei.shu]

HILARIOUS...did i spell that right, im not sure. maybe the time it took me to type this, i could have just spell checked, but oh well.

[TrackZero]

I'm looking forward to some of those ports and expansion packs, and third party support is nice, but I'm kind of disturbed that MS only supported the Xbox for about three years.

Well, technically the Xbox was out in Fall of '01 so it's been 3 and a half years of support. But you can't really expect them to spread out their focus when they want first dibs at the next-gen.

[FunkyPoopMonkey]

So apparently they took the mailbag page down for Jul 28th. IGN must have gotten bombed with emails.