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Xbox criticised for ‘creating a confusing mess’ with Series S - Remedy dev shares concern

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

That’s according to a highly critical report from market research firm DFC Intelligence, which predicts that PlayStation 5 will benefit from “consumer confusion” around the Xbox Series X and Series S this Christmas.

However, DFC said in a note published following the reveal that it expects to two opposing strategies of the consoles to cause confusion among consumer groups.

“The Project Lockhart, now Xbox Series S maneuver, smacks of a last minute Hail Mary by Microsoft to appeal to consumers on price,” it said.

“Unfortunately, Microsoft has created a confusing mess. They let leaks take over the official story and right now the professionals are confused, it is hard to imagine what consumers are thinking.

“Microsoft was pitching the Xbox Series X as the most powerful system ever and all of the sudden there is what appears to be a neutered option at a lower price,” it continued.

“Consumer confusion is not a good thing for Microsoft in this case. Consumers now have the choice to pay $300 for a second class system or however much more for the full product (expectations are Xbox Series X may be $500). That strategy can work for an Apple iPhone but a video game console is different.”

Later in the note DFC said it believed that Microsoft’s long term strategy of pushing Game Pass and cloud streaming wasn’t ideal for pushing a high-end console.

It claimed the Series X announcement “confirms how Microsoft, in its focus on a long-term digital strategy, has really given Sony and the PlayStation 5 a big advantage when it comes to hardware sales”.

Regardless, DFC said it expects all hardware to sellout in 2020 due to likely supply constraints. “Microsoft may be able to manufacture more Xbox Series S units,” It said. “In theory this could give Xbox a larger initial installed base.

“Unfortunately, everything else is clearly in favour of the PlayStation 5. Microsoft lost control of the media message and it is looking like PS5 will be the system for those that want to play exciting new games.”

DFC previously said it expects PlayStation 5 to outsell Xbox Series X by a significant margin. “Sony has big advantages that include better marketing and distribution, a larger built-in audience, and of course exclusive games,” it said.




 

Night.Ninja

Banned
200.gif
 

Captain Hero

The Spoiler Soldier
I mean I said it before .. XSS with half of the power will kill that 12TF machine I mean both machine will get the same games ( optimized for nextgen ) so why bother buying a $499 machine while only can get almost the same thing on a $299 ?

If Sony announce DE with a $399 .. its going to be like E3 2013
 

Bogroll

Likes moldy games
Surely they have got a dev box for it but some of the quotes come across as if they haven't even used the box.
 

Abriael_GN

RSI Employee of the Year
The alphabet is so confusing. 😂

Also, funny to see the crap sites cherry-picking the 2-3 developers that "share concerns" for clickbait.

Guess those people who balk at the idea to have to optimize for two different systems that differ only in RAM and GPU would scream in terror at the thought of having to optimize for hundreds of different combinations like PC devs had to do for the past... two decades or so? 😂
 

jaysius

Banned
Remedy, the guys that couldn't fucking optimize Control for either machine, and it's still a bit of a mess on consoles.

Quantum Break was a fucking shit show at launch, still has optimization issues across most Xbox Skus, what was there excuse there? They released QB when there was only ONE Xbox One Sku.

Alan Wake games were amazing, but boy did they run poorly!

I think Max Payne 1 or 2 were probably the last games they released that ran smoothly.
 
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Kagey K

Banned
Sweet fuck stop this shit now.

Kid's found themselves a new no-effort ad hominem they think wins any argument, but just makes them look like the no-effort trolls they are, who ever jerked out this phrase needs to get lost in a time portal and run down their mother's leg onto the sheets.

When a giant portion of the users respond with, “No matter what MS does I will never buy thier console”

What would you call that?

They have no intention of ever purchasing the product they are talking about and going out of thier way to shit on it.

If it isn’t Concern? Then what is it?

You hate it, so let’s give it a new word.
 

jaysius

Banned
When a giant portion of the users respond with, “No matter what MS does I will never buy thier console”

What would you call that?

They have no intention of ever purchasing the product they are talking about and going out of thier way to shit on it.

If it isn’t Concern? Then what is it?

You hate it, so let’s give it a new word.

Well what you're describing is someone with 0 buy in giving an opinion that doesn't matter at all because of the lack of buy in. Windows Shopppers? It's easily called "Drive by trolling".
I don't know concern isn't the right word, even used sarcastically, there's no concern here, concern indicates some form of buy in on the opinion. It's simply lazy trolls feeling like they need an ego boost by shitting on the opposing party. They believe that putting that opinion out there will somehow sway people, instead of finding an actual angle that might be worth expressing, again this thought is from their ego, thinking that THEIR decision matters so much that people will follow it because they've lazily stated it.
 
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Kagey K

Banned
Well what you're describing is someone with 0 buy in giving an opinion that doesn't matter at all because of the lack of buy in. Windows Shopppers? I don't know concern isn't the right word, even used sarcastically, there's no concern here, concern indicates some form of buy in on the opinion. It's simply lazy trolls feeling like they need an ego boost by shitting on the opposing party.
I can agree with that, if they just walked by like it didn’t happen.

Instead they go everywhere voicing their displeasure about what they saw, which makes it?
 

jigglet

Banned
I don't get MS fixation with the letters X and S. They already have 2 consoles using those letters, why not pick 2 other letters for the new ones? 20+ options, plus combinations.

Current gen will be forgotten fast.

I remember all the concern at the start of this gen about how long it would take before they would drop the last gen and that evaporated pretty quickly. They were forgotten within 6-9 months.
 

jaysius

Banned
I can agree with that, if they just walked by like it didn’t happen.

Instead they go everywhere voicing their displeasure about what they saw, which makes it?

Again though, it's not real concern it's the ego trip thinking that simply because they're posting it with NOTHING backing it up, it will make waves for supporters of the idea just because that troll's ego is so huge.
 

Kagey K

Banned
Again though, it's not real concern it's the ego trip thinking that simply because they're posting it with NOTHING backing it up, it will make waves for supporters of the idea just because that troll's ego is so huge.
That’s why I suggested it’s something more than a window shopping, I’m waiting for you to come up with the better word.


If it’s not Window shopping and it’s not concern what is it?

Im ready to run with it, if I agree to whatever you come up with.
 
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jigglet

Banned
So let's get this straight - having two differently named SKUs, Series S and X is confusing, but having two SKUs named PS5 is not confusing? Im confused...

Honestly even the Wii U wasn't that confusing, it was just how Nintendo downplayed the console, only ever putting the spotlight on the controller, and were completely idiotic about how they marketed it.

None of these names are particularly difficult. The moment Apple decided to just call the new iPad #3 "iPad" about 7 years ago, this should have proven that with the right messaging, most names are perfectly fine.
 
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Ar¢tos

Member
So let's get this straight - having two differently named SKUs, Series S and X is confusing, but having two SKUs named PS5 is not confusing? Im confused...
2? You mean 4... (X1S/XSS, X1X/XSX)
There is no confusion to make between ps5 and ps5 digital.
While telling the apart the differences between X and S based on the name alone is much harder for those that don't know.
 

Calverz

Member
Its really not a big deal. And in what way does sony have an advantage in “distribution”???
Clickbait article.
 
Of course a Remedy dev would say that. They don't know how to optimize their own games. Look at Control, Quantrum Break. Both run like shit especially at anything above 1080p. I wouldn't worry about the consoles.
 

longdi

Banned
Admittedly i do have hearing problem differentiating people pronouncing Series 'X' and 'S'.

Would have prefer MS use a different letter than 'S'.

Perhaps Series Veee or Eeee, or Ceee for 'cheap'
 

Ar¢tos

Member
Its really not a big deal. And in what way does sony have an advantage in “distribution”???
Clickbait article.
How many electronic devices does Sony make, distributes and sells all over the world in comparison with Microsoft?
That's probably what they mean, Sony might have access to more distribution channels or higher priority, although I'm not sure how relevant that will be for supply constrained consoles in the middle of a pandemic.
 
It’s funny how they can keep track of all these genders, but get confused over a couple letters.

🤪
Millions of phones with yz6, s7, s7bac, IPhone 8, 8plus , E.

But this is a problem🤣 people are funny .
The alphabet is so confusing. 😂

Also, funny to see the crap sites cherry-picking the 2-3 developers that "share concerns" for clickbait.

Guess those people who balk at the idea to have to optimize for two different systems that differ only in RAM and GPU would scream in terror at the thought of having to optimize for hundreds of different combinations like PC devs had to do for the past... two decades or so? 😂

Now this sounds like "damage control" Sony folks were accused of

Naming: you really think that average joe have any idea what specs his phone have? No, they just buy some random one that looks good+fits their budget. And phones vs consoles is different world anyway

Also I find it out amusing how people use this "lol different pc combinations work"

When it actually have always meant:

PCs with best specs never archieve their true potential, because games have to work on slow average systems too, and cap between slow - best is too big to use both perfectly.

S vs X it just means that games are optimized to run on S, and X gets higher res + some minor stuff.

Only X on the market = devs could do whatever they want, no need to care about slow system limits. So X only games could archieve higher Fidelity.

X specs are now wasted in 4k/60fps if/when devs dont have talent/time/budget to make two different versions.

And no, it is not as simple as PC games

Try to optimize 1440p/30fps X game into S = enjoy your 720p game on 2021
 
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Kagey K

Banned
Now this sounds like "damage control" Sony folks were accused of

Naming: you really think that average joe have any idea what specs his phone have? No, they just buy some random one that looks good+fits their budget. And phones vs consoles is different world anyway

Also I find it out amusing how people use this "lol different pc combinations work"

When it actually have always meant:

PCs with best specs never archieve their true potential, because games have to work on slow average systems too, and cap between slow - best is too big to use both perfectly.

S vs X it just means that games are optimized to run on S, and X gets higher res + some minor stuff.

Only X on the market = devs could do whatever they want, no need to care about slow system limits. So X only games could archieve higher Fidelity.

X specs are now wasted in 4k/60fps if/when devs dont have talent/time/budget to make two different versions.

And no, it is not as simple as PC games

Try to optimize 1440p/30fps X game into S = enjoy your 720p game
I had wondered about you previously, but this about assures me.
 
What I am really concerned for,
is for those readers of this article
that read it, and shake their heads in agreement and go:
"Heck! S=X=S=X bloody microsoft you are confusing the hell out of me! Now I have a headache because of you and your brain-melting freakin' naming strategy"
 

Naibel

Member
If this brand & naming convention is a confusing mess for them, what about Nintendo's naming policy with the Wii U and the 3DS family ?

Complainers gonna complain, Xbox's brand strategy with their Series X/S is very much fine.
 
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tryDEATH

Member
Check out iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 11, iPhone SE, and iPhone XR.

You google Iphone and the first link has this in the description. Yes, you read that right they are simultaneously adverting 5 devices, yet Xbox's two are a huge problem.
 
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