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VS Articles: Comparing the Conferences

Eurogamer: Sony had more wow moments, but Microsoft has closed the competence gap.

First things first, congratulations to Microsoft. I have been on their case ever since that awful mess in Redmond last May, but Monday's E3 press conference was a vast improvement. The message may have taken a long time to go in, but the focus on games that everyone has been asking for was inarguable - so much so that even a cool new Snap mode app giving you more control over Achievements was relegated to the pre-show, presumably not to dampen the focus and risk incurring further wrath.

At the end of 90 solid minutes of games, I remarked on Twitter that it felt like a strong conference but would probably be judged on the strength or otherwise of Sony's a few hours later - and so it proved. It felt like Sony had more wow moments than Microsoft and, despite sagging a little in the middle, generated more positive headlines. A few hours later in the warm light of Tuesday morning, though, perhaps it's not so clear cut.

The Verge: Uncharted vs. Master Chief: Sony and Microsoft square off at E3 2014

The day before E3, before the show floor even opened, Sony and Microsoft drenched two auditoriums in their signature colors and fought a war of words. As bombastic and exciting as these pre-show press conferences can be, the games of E3 are rarely a surprise; if they haven’t been officially announced, they’ve probably been leaked. But the presentations hint at the trends of the coming year, and more importantly, they let us sum up the entirety of two companies’ prospects in two words: who won?

Well, Sony did.

ExtremeTech: Sony wins E3 2014: Microsoft gambled on games, and lost

At its press conference last night, Sony casually sauntered on stage, slipped its hands nonchalantly into its pockets, offered up an expressive French shrug, and won E3 2014. Microsoft and its legion of fans could do nothing but look on with envy as Sony unveiled hit after hit for the PS4. For all of Microsoft’s talk about games, the only platform exclusive that might be a critical success — Halo 5 — was reduced to a 60-second-long pre-rendered clip. The Division looked fantastic, but it’s a cross-platform game. There were some smaller, art game-like titles that looked good — but nothing that Microsoft felt warranted more than a scant few seconds of gameplay footage. Sony, on the other hand, essentially showed off everything a gamer could want at E3: A new white PS4 (to celebrate the release of Destiny); a release date for PS Now and the PlayStation TV streaming box; more details about the Morpheus VR headset; the beautiful art game No Man’s Sky; and actual in-game/in-engine footage from two massive exclusives (LittleBigPlanet 3, Uncharted 4) and many more smaller titles (No Man’s Sky, a remake of Grim Fandango).

CNET: E3 death match: Microsoft and Sony battle for gaming supremacy

Both press conferences did their job, which is to get the game-buying public talking about what they did or didn't see. Microsoft's presentation probably played better to audiences watching at home, with a tight, TV-friendly pace and lots of game demos. Sony presented a fuller picture, with new features, new hardware, and more about how consumers actually use game consoles for things other than just playing games, but by its end, the two-hour-plus presentation also left the audience squirming in their seats.

Articles Breaking Down Each Conference

Gamasutra: The Nintendo bubble

Microsoft and Nintendo both had the pitch "we have a lot of games" this year. Microsoft, because it repeatedly alienated its audience with the Xbox One, hence the Halo revamp. Nintendo, because it is simply still that kind of company -- when the other two are not.

The culture of games has been wracked with change over the last several years, and Nintendo is in a bubble. It's a wonderfully inviting bubble if you care about the company's output. Games have expanded so dramatically as a space in the last few years that no one company can claim to capture "the audience" -- no one game, no matter how popular, can pretend that it appeals to anything but a splinter of the huge mass of people that plays video games right now, and every day some developer or publisher somewhere is working to further work another splinter away from the mass, because that's how you get to be the next Riot Games.

But that very explosion into subcultures is what is hurting Nintendo now, because hardware doesn't work that way. If it wants to stay in the dedicated console business, it has to find a way to pierce its bubble without letting its fans escape. And that will be a painful transition -- if it's even possible.

Gamasutra: The key to PlayStation's future is in the reach of its network

A big reason why PlayStation has been able to gain early momentum is because its strategies in terms of hardware, software and networking were laid out and generally followed from their inception. Sony’s E3 presentation reflected a commitment to its current strategies, which is why the momentum you see today has a good chance of continuing in the future.

IGN: Sony's Ups and Downs

Last year, Sony was undoubtedly the victor in the E3 boxing ring. With its assured jabs to Microsoft’s sternum, it promised to do everything better, faster, and at less cost. It was a brutal fight, it was a bloody one, and ended with a freeze-frame of Sony with its fist in the air.

Now the dust has settled, and Microsoft has done a series of about turns on its original principals. Microsoft’s press conference yesterday showed that the publisher has readjusted its message to be about the gamer and the games, which, of course, has been Sony’s battle cry for years. Last night, more than ever, Sony needed to celebrate PlayStation 4’s own identity and shine a spotlight on the point of difference from its competitor.

It did this, to some degree. There were some golden moments at Sony’s press conference and some truly wonderful surprises. But if these things are all about spectacle and theatrics – which they in large part are – then Sony could have taken a page out of Microsoft’s book and tightened its focus.

EDGE: Sony’s E3 2014 press conference: greater daring and diversity seal another confident PS4 victory

PlayStation continues to outstrip Xbox at every turn this generation. Sony’s showcase had more surprises, more impressive game demos and far greater diversity than Microsoft’s briefing. Sony also had a wider range of things to talk about: there was PlayStation TV, Vita, PS Plus, Project Morpheus and the same kind of services Microsoft once focused on too much, but above all, the games therein simply looked better and more daring. This was a high pressure, high stakes showcase, and yet Sony’s executives were clearly brimming with the kind of easy confidence and good humour that comes with a significant lead in the console race, a superior games line-up and a richer ecosystem.

CNET: Sony hits all the PlayStation 4 high notes at E3 2014

LOS ANGELES -- Sony closed out a day of high-profile press conferences here at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) with a showing that not only played to all of the PlayStation maker's strengths but also managed to surprise as much, if not more, than it confirmed what we already knew was on the way.

The event's even blend marks a rare moment for E3 at a time when the game industry's biggest annual confab is plagued by industry leaks and an aura of met -- but hardly ever exceeded -- expectations.

Gamasutra: Microsoft's clear message at E3: We've got the games

The company's main demographic is likely most excited about Halo: The Master Chief Collection, an upcoming re-release of the Halo series that includes a visually-renovated Halo 2, beta access to upcoming Halo 5, and other little perks -- including 4000 Gamerscore points. Doubling down on its most enduring owned IP is a wise strategy to please its main constituents and secure its legacy -- but can a new console generation be sold on more of the same?

IGN: Microsoft is all About the Games

At the beginning of the latest chapter in the neverending story of Sony vs. Microsoft at E3, the odds had never been more stacked against the green-hued publisher. After last years’ knock out blow from Sony, Microsoft has flip flopped around on its original vision for the Xbox One, and its focus has felt increasingly blurry and intangible.

Is Microsoft’s console still an all-in-one entertainment machine for the whole family driven by Kinect? Or, in the face of its subsequent price-drop and Kinect-less bundle, is it refocusing on its roots as a console for gamers? Or does it fall somewhere in the middle, promising everything but committing to nothing?

This year’s Microsoft E3 briefing went to great lengths to provide some clarification.

EDGE: Microsoft’s E3 2014 press conference: a solid but uninspiring start for Phil Spencer’s ‘new Xbox’

And with that, Xbox One is an Xbox again. To the relief of the millions watching around the world earlier today, Xbox One wasn’t referred to as an ‘all-in-one entertainment system’ at all during Microsoft’s E3 2014 media briefing; instead, we were presented with a string of new games intended to recapture some of the spark that made Xbox 360 the market leader and console of choice for the hardcore player last generation.

Without an awkward celebrity cameo in sight, this was a press conference full of familiar franchises and game concepts. They had next-gen polish, fourplayer online co-op and dedicated servers. What were intended as surprises weren’t all that surprising, and once again, Microsoft’s efforts to promote more alternative fare from the indie scene felt forced. But at least they’re trying.

CNET: At E3 2014, Microsoft's Xbox One focus is all about games

LOS ANGELES -- Microsoft kicked off the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) Monday with a simple message, one part confident boast and one part plea.

The takeaway: Trust us, we've listened and learned since last year -- the Xbox One entertainment vision is in the backseat, and it's now all about the games.

 

[somuchwater]

Why is no-one talking about Nintendo? Just because they didn't present. It still seems like, especially with a strong showing, it's worth talking about Nintendo as part of the overall games scene re E3.

 

[LordGouda]

Why is no-one talking about Nintendo? Just because they didn't present. It still seems like, especially with a strong showing, it's worth talking about Nintendo as part of the overall games scene re E3.

It's all about the Nintendoooooooom.

 

[chubigans]

Why is no-one talking about Nintendo? Just because they didn't present. It still seems like, especially with a strong showing, it's worth talking about Nintendo as part of the overall games scene re E3.

Well it just happened, so I'm sure we'll get those this afternoon.

 

[ultrazilla]

Why is no-one talking about Nintendo? Just because they didn't present. It still seems like, especially with a strong showing, it's worth talking about Nintendo as part of the overall games scene re E3.

Totally agree and Reggie just mentioned on the IGN roundtable that they have more announcements to make the next few days(basically Nintendo isn't blowing their load today only).

Pretty unfair to not even consider Nintendo in this.

 

[Smellycat]

Why is no-one talking about Nintendo? Just because they didn't present. It still seems like, especially with a strong showing, it's worth talking about Nintendo as part of the overall games scene re E3.

Nintendo's conference finished 1 hour ago. These write ups are based on yesterday's conferences.

 

[The_R3medy]

In my opinion, Microsoft won E3. Their presser flowed much better, they constantly showed off games, and had plenty of games I wanted to play. It's just my opinion, plus the addition of the Master Chief Collection had me freaking the fuck out.

 

[jschreier]

Why is no-one talking about Nintendo? Just because they didn't present. It still seems like, especially with a strong showing, it's worth talking about Nintendo as part of the overall games scene re E3.

Nintendo had the best conference by far.

 

[gigantor21]

Why is no-one talking about Nintendo? Just because they didn't present. It still seems like, especially with a strong showing, it's worth talking about Nintendo as part of the overall games scene re E3.

...because they're reacting to what happened yesterday.

 

[Uncle Rupee]

Nintendo's conference finished 1 hour ago. These write ups are based on yesterday's conferences.

Which is why they shouldn't even exist or be published in this form.

 

[Kazerei]

Nintendo conference was my favorite, just 'cause of how whimsical it was. Robot Chicken skits, Iwata and Reggie fighting, Luigi death stare in Mario Kart, Link and Pit anime fight, etc. I also think it helps that it was pre-recorded, so they can edit and polish the presentation. It seemed to go faster and smoother.

 

[Rurunaki]

Nintendo had a better E3 conference hands down, but everything was 2015. However, there were good surprises from both Sony and MS. Crackdown, Phantom Dust, Grim Fandango, Bloodborne. Not to mention their 2014 lineups. Overall it was a good E3.

 

[Dragonborn]

MS had better pacing and structure, but it was mired by meaningless CGI trailers and multiplats.

Sony had better content and games but it was mired by that absolutely dreadful middle section.

So it's simple, next year MS, get more exclusives with real gameplay, cut down on the multiplats.

Sony, get a grip on how to do a proper presentation. Whike they had the same amoint of time as MS dedicated to games, they coukd have done without the aweful 20 minute section.

Nintendo's good to go.

 

[Karak]

Interesting thoughts. I don't think anyone WON. I don't think its WINNABLE in the normal sense.
Both did well but due to the overall safety that they both seemed to present with neither had any wow moments but MS did bring back more interesting IP's that I didn't expect(Despite the Leaks) and seemed to stretch a bit farther with odd stuff than I ever expected.

 

[Abounder]

I liked Microsoft's pacing the best but seeing the Nintendo devs was fun too. So many easter eggs like the yarn Yoshi blending in with the green yard and sitting above the Nintendo devs

Great games all around

 

[KZObsessed]

Edge online Sony http://m.edge-online.com/news/sonys...-diversity-seal-another-confident-ps4-victory

Edge online Microsoft http://m.edge-online.com/news/micro...-uninspiring-start-for-phil-spencers-new-xbox

On phone sorry can't quote.

 

[ryan299]

MS won. I was looking forward to Sony's show but it was a let down other than No Man's Sky. The Order looks awful and generic. I wanted to see more out of Uncharted. We needed more and all we got was another teaser trailer.

 

[zeromcd73]

Nintendo by far.

 

[Bessy67]

To me Nintendo>MS>Sony. MS and Sony were very close IMO but MS showed a stronger end of 2014 lineup and that gives them the edge in my book.

 

[Dragonborn]

MS won. I was looking forward to Sony's show but it was a let down other than No Man's Sky. The Order looks awful and generic. I wanted to see more out of Uncharted. We needed more and all we got was another teaser trailer.

Well it was better than the three meaningless CGI trailers MS showed so I don't see the issue

 

[10k]

Nintendo had the best conference by far.

This. Plenty of exclusive (not multiplat, timed or DLC first content) titles announced for 2014 and 2015.

 

[borghe]

can't disagree with any of those. MS continues to show that they are on the right track while Sony continues to show why they remain in first place this gen.

I think the real surprise (obviously) not covered yet though is Nintendo showing that there is life in Wii U yet. Probably a pipe dream to expect it to resurrect sales of the system, but damn if they didn't have the strongest and most "omgwtf!?!?" moment of the early press kits yet.

To me Nintendo>MS>Sony. MS and Sony were very close IMO but MS showed a stronger end of 2014 lineup and that gives them the edge in my book.

ummm wut? It's all multi-plat except for hal..... oooohhh... so basically it comes down to one game.

 

[Bundy]

CNET:
Sony hits all the PlayStation 4 high notes at E3 2014
At its E3 evening press conference, Sony strikes hard on all its strengths with unexpected game reveals and updates on its numerous ongoing projects.

ExtremeTech:
Sony wins E3 2014: Microsoft gambled on games, and lost

EDGE:
Sony’s E3 2014 press conference: Greater daring and diversity seal another confident PS4 victory

And I agree.
Sony had clearly the best conference. Greater diversity, etc.

Nintendo's Digital Event was a great shocker (Zelda!!!!!)

 

[Gilby]

Nintendo had the best conference by far.

By a gigantic margin. The only things I didn't get excited over were pokemon and hyrule warriors. Everything else was gold. Splatoon was by far the most interesting AAA game of the show mechanically.

 

[HerbertFish]

Nintendo killed the other two but that's not saying much

 

[Mr. Poolman]

Nintendo showed more games I actually want to play and have fun with.

 

[gameoverbro]

I'm liking everything about E3 so in my book we all have good stuff to look forward to. Bloodborne won my heart.

 

[onetoescape]

Between Sony and Microsoft flip a coin. If I was pushed would say MS due to the games this year. Overall though only winner Nintendo by a country mile

 

[skynidas]

Microsoft's only "big games" were Halo and Crackdown. I can't understand how people are saying that they had a good showing.

 

[Divvy]

Whether you think the games are better is up for debate, but Nintendo definitely had the most entertaining and well paced presentation this year. I'm glad there wasn't any of that awkward audience pandering stuff.

 

[Kurt Angle]

nintendo for me

 

[Relaxed Muscle]

Why is no-one talking about Nintendo? Just because they didn't present. It still seems like, especially with a strong showing, it's worth talking about Nintendo as part of the overall games scene re E3.

Because it was a pretty bad show. They are just too far away in their own closed worl to be considered...

 

[Uncle Rupee]

Nintendo showed more games I actually want to play and have fun with.

It's hard to know if you'll want to play and/or have fun with CGI trailers

 

[PSGames]

Nintendo had the best conference by far.

by a country mile. Who would have thought?

 

[Yaoibot]

In my opinion, Microsoft won E3. Their presser flowed much better, they constantly showed off games, and had plenty of games I wanted to play. It's just my opinion, plus the addition of the Master Chief Collection had me freaking the fuck out.

Sony had more games on show at their event, by a landslide. Period. Count them up, and you will see. All this waffling over what "is" and "isn't" a game is the worst kind of goal-poat trolling (not by you, just in general in these E3 threads). Whether or not those games appeal to one person in particular is entirely subjective.

Also, most of MS's stuff was 2016 or beyond, they had to reach far into the future to fill out their lineup of exclusives.

People keep glossing over thw 24 F2P titles, including polished AAAs like KuF2 and PS2, which are out in the next 12 months too. Personally, I'm most excited for a lot of those. They are games, they are FREE (to try), and they certainly matter.

 

[Loris146]

For me 7.5 for everyone Best moments : Zelda , Uncharted , Scalebound , Bloodborne and No Man Sky.

 

[borghe]

nm

 

[PseudoKirby]

More wow from Sony? in what exactly? overall Sonys conference was pretty predictable, cept for Grim Fandango

 

[gngf123]

Both Sony and Microsoft conferences were generally not that great, but at least had a couple of good games shown here and there.

Nintendo's conference was the best of the bunch by a fucking mile.

 

[DWinn7]

MS had better pacing and structure, but it was mired by meaningless CGI trailers and multiplats.

Sony had better content and games but it was mired by that absolutely dreadful middle section.

So it's simple, next year MS, get more exclusives with real gameplay, cut down on the multiplats.

Sony, get a grip on how to do a proper presentation. Whike they had the same amoint of time as MS dedicated to games, they coukd have done without the aweful 20 minute section.

Nintendo's good to go.

I could not have said it better myself. Co-signed

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

Sony's conference seemed to bring a lot more unknowns to the stage, which is why I give them the edge. Plus, the games they're bringing appeal to me a lot more than what MS showed. I don't mind a more cartoony looking experience, but it seems like all of MS' exclusive content is that way, nothing deviating from that Fable look really, plus, a ton of CG animation with not nearly enough actual gameplay. I wish Sony had more gameplay as well, but I feel like they showed quite a bit more in comparison. If MS had even produced a few 30 second gameplay clips of Crackdown or the Platinum game in development, that would have been pretty cool and would have evened it out more for me.

Sony had more games on show at their event, by a landslide. Period. Count them up, and you will see.

Pretty much, even after the abysmal part where they talked about TV apps and their new TV show, there were still more actual games talked about by quite a bit.

Nintendo was the best. Sony was great minus comic book guy and no Last Guardian. MS was CGI and Halo.

Yeah, Nintendo brought it big, they had to at this point. 2015 is going to be amazing.

 

[JDSN]

The press isnt talking about Nintendo because the negotiatons to let journalists get their souls back after watching the conference just finished recently.

 

[BabyFaceKillah]

this whole fight sequence assured Nintendo's victory for me I laughed so damn hard

 

[CrisKre]

Nintendo hit it out of the park this year. Not even close. Very clay and we'll done all throughout.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Sony had more games on show at their event, by a landslide. Period. Count them up, and you will see. All this waffling over what "is" and "isn't" a game is the worst kind of goal-poat trolling (not by you, just in general in these E3 threads). Whether or not those games appeal to one person in particular is entirely subjective.

Also, most of MS's stuff was 2016 or beyond, they had to reach far into the future to fill out their lineup of exclusives.

People keep glossing over thw 24 F2P titles, including polished AAAs like KuF2 and PS2, which are out in the next 12 months too. Personally, I'm most excited for a lot of those. They are games, they are FREE (to try), and they certainly matter.

you appear to basically be saying the guy is wrong because he doesn't like the same things as you, and then proving your point by listing things you liked.

 

[Bessy67]

Microsoft's only "big games" were Halo and Crackdown. I can't understand how people are saying that they had a good showing.

To me their big games were Halo and Crackdown and Phantom Dust and Forza Horizon 2 and Ori and Project Spark and Sunset Overdrive and Fable Legends and Scalebound and Killer Instinct Season 2. Six of which are coming out this year (7 if you include the Fable Legends beta).

 

[Incitemaybe]

Sad all those focus on sony and Microsoft when Nintendo was far and away the most interesting. For me. I know I have to type "for me" or people get huffy.

 

[Neiteio]

Nintendo obliterated Sony and Microsoft, it isn't even close. Just one incredible bombshell after another.

 

[Kuro]

Nintendo was the best. Sony was great minus comic book guy and no Last Guardian. MS was CGI and Halo.

 

[see5harp]

Sony had more games on show at their event, by a landslide. Period. Count them up, and you will see. All this waffling over what "is" and "isn't" a game is the worst kind of goal-poat trolling (not by you, just in general in these E3 threads). Whether or not those games appeal to one person in particular is entirely subjective.

Also, most of MS's stuff was 2016 or beyond, they had to reach far into the future to fill out their lineup of exclusives.

People keep glossing over thw 24 F2P titles, including polished AAAs like KuF2 and PS2, which are out in the next 12 months too. Personally, I'm most excited for a lot of those. They are games, they are FREE (to try), and they certainly matter.

LOL you counting the candy crush vita games. That was part of the absolute worst segments of the entire convention.