Hardware reveals at E3 have had mixed fortunes during the history of the show, with excitement and euphoria just as prevalent as dread and confusion. The flip flopping of Sony’s and Microsoft’s success since the reveal of the PS3 has marked a paradigm shift with Regards to consumers no longer passive compliance to features, price points or even exclusives. With the explosion of social media, gamers have a voice. Not only can they vote with their wallets, but can also influence key strategies that relate to a consoles existence. This all sounds pretty epic. How much say can audiences REALLY have on the content they consume? Looking at journalism, podcasting, etc, the ‘MySpace culture’ that applied to music has now shifted to the YouTube and twitch generation.

A very brief look back at the success of the PS2, and Sony’s reveal of the PS3 not only showed arrogance but also naivety. The high price point, initial lack of online features compared to the Xbox and a just below decent launch line up doomed the PlayStation 3 to play catch up for the majority of its life cycle, and the last quarter especially was not so much as a swan song as it was redemption and retribution. This time round, the staggering amount of PS4s sold compared to the Xbox one, and the percentage of gamers who have never played, say, an uncharted game or the last of us, is a tangible realisation that fortunes can rest on conferences alone, and one wrong step can make or break a consoles early life.

Paradoxically, the reveal of the Xbox one was an almost complete catastrophe, with executives nonchalantly declaring policies such as always online, requires Kinect, DRM or used games policy. Most of which were either unashamedly amended or retracted completely. The video of SCE ‘mr nice guy’ Shu yoshida ‘trading’ a game was comedic, blunt and economically resonant in the consumer mindset.
It isn’t just about comparing raw horse power or even giving customers what they want. It is the conviction from the respective companies to try and force consumers to invest in products with features that they DON’T want which is the precarious aspect of the deal, something which Sony and Microsoft both learnt with the release of Kinect and PlayStation move. Microsoft doubled down and made Kinect part of the bundle initially, and financially this put off a lot of people. Sony made their camera optional, dropping the core SKU price in the process.

And so the cycle starts again with 4K, VR and anything else they want to throw in.

There are rumours flying around that Microsoft will reveal not one, but two new consoles. A slim version of the existing Xbox one, proclaiming a 40% slimmer waist line and maybe a trimmed price tag. The other, codenamed ‘Scorpio’, is the beast of the bunch. Apparently capable of 4K, and also getting cozy with oculus rift, which I find odd, considering that hololens is not only Microsoft’s baby, but also in my opinion, by far the most interesting tech in recent years.

The PS4 obviously has VR to justify and substantiate, but with the existing console decimating the competition, the rumour circulating is that PSNEO will basically accommodate the PSVR without the little box that is required to run it on the current unit.

With the combination of potential saturation of the market and VR requiring hands on experience, the financial commitment required makes these a tough sell to the mainstream.

And then there is Nintendo. With an evaporating software line up and consumer faith tested, Nintendo has made it clearer than a crystal greenhouse that they will show NX, on their own terms, when they and the console are ready. They obviously are not. Production has been delayed, and their annual general meeting of shareholders recently scheduled for June 29th. Once my frustration had subsided, I started to wonder if ‘going last’ this time round might be beneficial. If reports are to be believed, the reveal is being held back to ‘compete’ Aldo could be read as ‘jumping on the bandwagon’ of VR. I’m sure Nintendo’s memory is better than to forget that the virtual boy existed, but that would be a trivial and ironic comparison.

VR or not, the NX will be revealed when they feel ready, even in the Internet age of leaks and denying rumors or speculation. I could chirp on about what I want the NX to be, but I’ll save it until after the reveal for fear of disappointment. Again. To say it has to heal wounds or mend bridges is an understatement, but it has to be about the games, the public message being concise and the product being competitive. So, we wait…

• by @eigotaku

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