3) E3 2013
The strength of Sony’s E3 press conference in 2013 was as much to do with the shambles over at Microsoft as it was due to Sony’s reaction. Microsoft was promoting the Xbox One as an all-in-one system – one that would be capable of functioning as your home for TV, Games, Social Media, and more. Alongside that, there were restrictions to sharing games, and you’d always have to be connected to the internet to play. Everyone waited to see how Sony would react, and they did so perfectly.
First off, Sony revealed that the PlayStation 4 would be launching for $399, $100 cheaper than the Xbox. Then Andrew House announced that you won’t have to be online to play, and it would be as easy as ever to share your games. A great video of Shuhei Yoshida and Adam Boyes passing a game to each other to show how easy it is was basically a mic-drop for Sony. The message of the conference was that, unlike Microsoft, Sony’s focus would be on games and the gamers.
The games that were shown off were slightly underwhelming, though, with InFamous: Second Son and Killzone: Shadow Fall being the standouts. However, Sony’s messaging during the conference played a huge part in the PS4’s initial success, and that won’t be forgotten.
