CNBC reporter Jane Wells wrote a piece yesterday titled “The Ultimate Proof Sony Is Winning”. Wow, that’s a pretty bold claim to declare someone is winning the console war this early on. So how does Jane know that Sony is winning? Has she been doing a ton of research? Has she been looking into the mind of Michael Patcher? Maybe she has a magical crystal ball! Actually, it’s none of that. She’s come to the conclusion that Sony is winning based on what her 16-year-old son has told her.
You see, Jane’s son wasn’t really a Sony fan. He was a die-hard Xbox fan and nothing more. That is until he saw the Sony press conference on G4. As soon as he saw Metal Gear Solid 4 and all of the other PS3 exclusives in the works, he took all of his Xbox 360 stuff to GameStop and traded them in for a PS3 and Metal Gear Solid 4.
That’s it. Because the CNBC writer’s son traded in all of his Xbox stuff, Sony has become the winner. Rrriiiiiiiiiiiiiggggghhhhht.
Jane had a follow up post later in the day showing off some of the "fan mail" she received. She responded to one particular e-mail that called her out on the fact that she didn’t show proof that Sony is winning. She responded with the NPD report from last week (nevermind that she said “Forget the NPD sales figures” in her original write-up) showing that Sony out did Microsoft last month. Yeah, Sony beat out Microsoft in sales for last month, but the NPD data also shows the Nintendo Wii as the new number one console leader, out doing the Xbox 360. So if anyone is winning the console war, it's Nintendo for the time being.
In unrelated news, my Rice Krispies cereal told me this morning that Atari was staging a comeback in the console wars next year. It also told me this week's Mega Millions Lottery numbers are 4, 23, 15, 6, 24 and waffle. Mmm, waffles.
[Via ReclusiveSpirit's C Blog -- Also, what is up with the douchebag GameStop employee? Jane's kid asked the GameStop employee how a used copy of MGS 4 can be as good as a new copy to which the employee responded "Because PlayStation players are ninjas!" I thought I was reading NotAlwaysRight there for a second.]
Contest:
2:20 AM on 07.22.2008
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What stupidity.
Facts? who needs that? just believe any random 16 year old!
Also: Jane's son is a tool.
Seriously, guys, try to have a sense of humor and learn not to be so reactionary. Leave that to the Jack Thompsons. This article really is not deserving of either publicity or our scorn. Good grief. :P
I'm just glad to know we have such good investigatory journalists.
Jesus God. Really now, "Ultimate Expert in the Video Game Industry"?
More like budding serial killer. If Jack Tretton's performance as someone as a face of a brand at E3 is something that inspires you to spend that much money while effectively throwing away at least 200 dollars from the original purchase price of a 360 versus current trade in value, you are seriously irrational and/or psychotic.
Somewhere Geoff Keighley is pissed. He's literally everywhere in the industry, and has the ten differently branded microphones to prove it.
It's good to know that the most qualified journalist CNBC could get to fill in an online business column, is someone who has the balls to not only write a whole article about an irrational 16 year old who is easily sold, but writes that an entertainment industry which grosses more revenue than film and music perennially, can have all of the CEO's, and factual sales data tossed at on the account that her son exists and plays WoW, Halo, and Gears of War.
But the best part, the part that really just shows ineptness in that she's a business columnist, is failing to take away from a keynote that sold you so hard on the PS3, that you not only get rid of your 360 and all of your games, but fail to retain the information that the PS3 was getting a price drop in September.
That was all well in good, I can see this happening, but then she started dissing my meal ticket, and that's where I really got raged.
Ah, TechTv...that was such a great channel. I miss that channel. G4 can die.
her saying 'forget the NPD figures' in the first place shows that she is not being so serious.
It was the god damned Batman.
Microsoft and Nintendo are in PROFIT with their consoles, Sony is still around 3 billion in the red. Once cheaper bluray players start flooding the market + the global recession etc I can see tough times ahead. I will probably be playing Alan Wake and Duke Nukem by the time PS3 turns profit.
Personally, I've said it before and I'll sy it again: I don't have shares in either company and I'm not gonna start losing sleep over those poor guys who run Sony earning a little less money. The console will still be there for me to play on and my wages are still gonna be pants in comparison.
People need to CHILL OUT!
@wonky360 - did you know that M$ is still not profitable in their gaming business overall? They may have been in the black for one quarter, but they are still multiple billions in the red overall. They even combined it with other divisions to help mask how much money they were losing so investors wouldn't riot.
I'm not even questioning the mother, but the freaking son. I was 16 two years ago, and I wouldn't want to make my mom sound like she's drowning in a douchebag in any article. I can't blame someone for not being into something, but allowing your parent to go around saying you're an expert in something when you know jack about it is sheer dumbness.
By the way, where are the videogame CHATS on the web? I remember entering chats when I was 10 with a girl name to get some guys aroused and laugh to tears when I would say stupid thing like "I want to stick my finger up your @$$hole until it bleed" and receive positive feedback. Internet gold.
Besides, you don't DON'T like PlayStation 1. I'm a Nintendo guy, but c'mon, THAT is the one example of a long lasting, huge library, classics housing console.
And anyways, 360 is a wonderful console, but the first X-Box's exclusives just paled in comparison to the awesomeness of every exclusive for PS2 and the GameCube(Yeah, GameCube. I'm not rich and couldn't buy a game every month, so I just bought a REALLY good game every three months. Anyone who bashes on the Cube for not habing good games should really reconsider. Worked out great). He got all worked-out for the all-american green and black blood-spilling shoebox.
Damm, I really didn't like that console. I got all worked out due to the considerably better graphics, but it never delivered enough to justify me selling my Cube or PS2.
Well, back to the kid. He is an idiot for not even considering Nintendo, a groundbreaking and delivering company and buying MGS4 for the explosions alone(His gaming history is Halo, Gears of Wars and WoW. Great games, however a not very insightful list as it is). And he lets his mom sound like an idiot ignoring both the fact that the Wii is selling like water and the PS3 sales boost is due mostly to the fact that Kojima released his last game-until next year,
I also lol when anyone makes a decision based on this year's E3.
Seriously Hamza, why are your contributions to this site, consistently of the worst quality?
STFUAJPG!
Anyway, scratch-proof Blurays ftw
Isn't the original article supposed to be a tongue-in-cheek story of her 17 year old kid being an 'expert' in videogaming, (which is the alleged "amusing" basis of her dismissal of facts and sales-figure data) - and gosh, if he traded in his beloved X-box for a PS3, maybe Sony is onto something here? It's retarded, poorly written, and zero percent funny.
That being said, it is almost depressing to read the sarcastic responses to this article and being explained IN-DEPTH about how a single 16 year old kid really isn't determining the fate of the console war. What sarcastic, biting and astute observations! Perhaps for our next exercise, we can find articles about gaming in The Onion, and pick them apart for factual accuracy.
*shrug*
Actually gamers are getting older every year, by 2010. The average gamer will be 30 years old.
Nintendo doesn't count, they've compared the hearts and minds of the ignorant and people who enjoy a nice fad.