Microsoft reageert op Sony conference

"From a gamer's perspective, I'm pretty disappointed in Sony's lack of innovation,I mean, they didn't deliver anything terribly new, and at the cost of $600, $200 more than our system, it's hard to get excited about it. The 'new' controller was even disappointing. It's basically the same design. It doesn't seem good for consumers, just good for Sony."

IGN vroeg daarna of Microsoft de prijzen van de Xbox 360 zou laten zakken zoals geruchten eerder al suggereerden. Kim kwam daarna met het bekende antwoord dat er niet gereageerd wordt op geruchten en speculatie. Hij legde echter wel uit waarom Microsofts aanbod momenteel aantrekkelijk is:

"Our top-priced premium system is $200 cheaper than theirs. And when you look at the whole package, our innovative online service, our price structure, the high quality of games, and the leadership we have provided, it's really hard justifying the price difference. We're in a real sweet spot with our pricing tier. We're really confident about where we are pricing-wise."

Daarna werd gevraagd of Microsoft dacht dat Sony 6 miljoen PS3's zou kunnen leveren voor maart 2007 waarop Kim liet weten:
"We can't speculate on Sony's production capabilities. We're not experts on that. But as you know, getting six million units on the market place by March 2007 is a very challenging task. Based on what we know about launching a sophisticated system with many complicated parts, it's going to be very challenging.

"By June 2006, we project we'll meet our goal of having shipped 5 to 5.5 million Xbox 360s. On the subject of new content and announcements, you'll hear about the great new stuff we have at our conference tomorrow."

Wat betreft online diensten legde Kim het volgende uit:
"They provided no real commitment to actually delivering on their online service. They provided no innovation and leadership in that respect. They gave little time and effort to their online space."

Kim voegde daar aan toe dat Microsoft jaren lang heeft gewerkt aan Xbox Live en dat het systeem ook erg innovatief is.

Als laatste gaf Shane Kim nog commentaar op de blu-ray functionaliteit die de PlayStation 3 een voordeel zou moeten geven ten opzichte van de Xbox 360:
"I think customers will want the best games and the best services. And the differences between 1080i and 1080p are miniscule; the differences are too hard to determine for most consumers; 1080p is a niche market. The sweet spot is 720p. But you know what? the real question is will your TV be able to run 1080p?"

Vanavond zullen we kunnen zien wat Microsoft heeft in te brengen tegen de PS3 bij Microsofts eigen persconferentie. Natuurlijk kun je deze persconferentie gewoon hier volgen.