Initial Message
It’s no secret that the initial messaging for the Xbox One was botched to say the least. Due to conflicting statements between different PR reps, the now infamous “deal with it” solution to fans, and the confusion surrounding how the box actually worked, Microsoft had shot itself in the foot right before the race properly began. Sony, on the other hand, kept their approach clean and simple when first introducing the PS4, and made sure to make a point of being everything that Microsoft was not.
If you asked anyone what the PS4 was after it was first unveiled in early 2013, they would’ve told you that it was a powerful machine for gamers. It was simple, but it was exactly the message that the company was trying to get across in order to start this eight generation of right. While extra features such as media and social interaction were important, it was the video games that had to come first. It may sound easy and overly simple, but that singular message alone helped give Sony’s latest console one seriously large early lead.
