I just called CNBC and yelled, "Not news!"

They banned me.

doubtful

@Fallible: I was merely pointing out that the gameplay/cutscene percentage with MetalGear is rather lopsided, and basing a purchase on "the awesomeness of Blu-ray" might have been better suited to a dedicated BluRay player, sans cheap trade-in prices from Gamestop

TheLegendof_Erick

I basically digested this story down to:

16 year olds don't know what they want and make impulsive decsions.

zoompooky

@spinal77:
You do know the PS3 has games out NOW too, right? It's not like games don't count if they're multiplatform or don't have "Halo" in the title. I know it's hard to believe or even fathom for people who actually believe Gamerscore is important, but the PS3 has just as many games worth playing on it as the 360. And it has even more if you take backwards compatibility into account. Ever tried playing Suikoden II on a 360?

And for your information; I had a PS2, I got the DRE problems, and I got it fixed. That was the only time it happened. PS2's problems existed and then they were ironed out. It's been three years and RROD still exists. If my PS2 failed on me multiple times, I would've abandoned it too. There's no excuse for systems not being reliable. Period.

Archaotic

Waaaaa ban this entire thread they're ragging on Sony waaaaaa!!!!

mcmurder

This kid is truly an moron, he goes and trades in a perfectly fine system for 1/8 of its value at gamestop. Those bastards. They advertise a trade in for any game at least 15 dollars. What. 15 dollars? Thats it! He was better off keeping his system and buying a brand new playstation. He could have just had both systems, which alot of people are doing this generation (a game system, and a blu-ray player).

Kenoji

I think this kids reaction is a bit extreme(and a lot of BS too) Im a multiconsole owner like many others here and I find that I rarely use my PS3 or Wii. Ive had 2 360s since near launch and each broke once, Ive had a ps3 for a little over a year and it broke once.(mind you I had to pay for the next PS3, unlike the 360s which were covered under warranty) The game lineup is just a lot more diverse on the 360 and I couldnt give two shits about bluray which doesnt look any better than a upscaled dvd and costs around $50US here in japan. PSN doesnt really work all that well and overall, it just doesnt have a lot to offer as of now. Especially if you dont like MGS4 or uncharted.(I dont like either)

That said, everyone has preferences and I wouldnt have bought a new PS3 had I not thought things were gonna improve in the future. I just dont see them yet. Which is why I sometimes wonder when I see stories like this where people sell one console to get another. I say save your pennies and get them all. Each console will offer somethign by the end of hte cycle that will appeal to everyone. Even the wii has one game I like on it.(only 1, but mario galaxy is a really good game and Ive hated every mario since super mario world)

RuneX21

@Fallible:

:)

No, that "you" wasn't referring to you... but those who're lambasting the kid. I guess I should've been more clear... clearer? Arrgghh, grammer!

LobselVith

her son is clearly a moron. ill make sure to email her with this info. in addition, ill inform her that my mom watches fox news because they're fair and balanced.

cranium

I agree with Fahey, was this kid living under a rock for two years?

But, all in all, I hope he's happy with his choice.

EmeraldDragon

Too funny! He'll trade that PS3 back in when Gears of War 2 comes out. Just watch. What do you think will happen when Dead Rising comes out on the Wii?

robinandtami

@ƒox:

Too bad you didn't read the actual argument below that. Your loss.

spinal77

"After hearing about "Metal Gear Solid 4", as well as other PlayStation exclusives in the pipeline and the awesomeness of Blu-ray, he promptly packed up his Xbox 360 and all his games and went down to Game Stop to trade them in."

congratulations. your son's an idiot.

ark

@SW33TLOU:

Make that ZdTV for life.

Metropolis

what I don't get is that he obviously could get the money to buy the PS3, why not own both? Stupid kid, I hope his playstion hates him and breaks down

tralfaz23

It's funny because if you go read letters that people have sent her they ask her how she arrived at the conclusion that Sony is going to win and she answered by giving the NPD numbers from June 08.

I find it funny because whats to stop another idiot from citing Last year's Halo 3 numbers and saying MS is going to win.

What I'm saying is: "Well no duh PS3 outsold 360 by a large margin in June, it's not like MGS4 is the biggest game on the console in sight".

On a final thought: sales numbers mean diddly squat, Transformers the video game is one of last year's top sellers we all know how wonderful of a game it was.

ysleiro

@spinal77: "Because, despite how you may feel otherwise, the 360 is still the best console out there."

I stopped reading there. Opinion =/= Fact

ƒox

So this kid is the ultimate video game expert, and knows about the latest trends months in advance... yet he didn't find out about MGS4 and Blu-ray until Sony's *2008* E3 press conference?

Something does not add up.

XbhaskarX

Woo hoo...welcome to the new Rabbit Hole of Ignorance that is TV-journalism. Can't wait to see the retraction article.

Or maybe another titled "Why doesn't the PS3 controllers vibrate like 360's?"...or "Proof that Sony is robbing my child of his youth".

I give her credit for knowing some of the terms. Is she married to Jeff Bell?

foamking

I hope everyone read the responses shes posted. Fantastic. The seconds on by one Brian A... Hummmm,someone from Kotakus been sending hate mail maybe??

Metropolis

They're so smart =')

Skythe

@Archaotic:

Because, despite how you may feel otherwise, the 360 is still the best console out there.

Period.

I've had my 360 for over 2 years now. I had one RROD; I got mine back with a new unit (NOT a refurb) and a turnaround of two weeks. After that, no problems, i logged 80 hours on the monster of Mass Effect and if that didn't kill my replacement nothing will.

I love how people like you get your underwear all in knots because of the RROD; they forget Sony's rampant hardware issues on the PS2 platform, namely disc read issues and dvd drive failures. I didn't see people like you then shaking their fists at the heavens, and the PS2 went on to dominate.

Every company always eventually faces quality control/design issues on their products, especially if they are relatively new to a market. Sony and MS have both had those, and both, unsurprisingly, on their second offerings (although the PS1 had its fair share as well).

All that aside, I feel sorry for this poor kid if hes real. He gave up everything the 360 has that beats the crap out of the PS3 for...MGS4 and the nebulous promise of games in the "future".

Buy the system that has the games you want to play *now*, because you can't count on anything else.

spinal77

this kid is an idiot. There's some great games coming down the ps3 pipeline but overall 360 has a hell of a lot more solid games

sc00t420

@jasoncourt: You sold a 360 because it had hardware problems?

Remind me never to buy anything from you...

Meldy

Apart from MGS 4, what killer ap's does the PS3 have exclusively anymore? MGS4 is a might fine game but I think GOW 2 might but a crimp in it's nice suit.

Go with the games, not the console. The 360 has more good exclusive games, so I choose to stay on that. I only want the ps3 for MGS4 and most of it's other good games are on everything else, so I see little reason to splurge...yet. Still overpriced, but the price is way more reasonably than it was a year ago. MGS4 could also be ported one day, but we don't know if that will happen.

EdwinJ85

@Antiterra: And don't forget sanctimonious blowhards like yourself! :D

Luckenbach

@LobselVith: Say what? I think you've misread my comment. It wasn't even directed towards the kid trading in his 360.

Fallible

" Happy Mothers Day Mom! I love you even though you work for CNBC and you clearly don't bring any games home!Listen mom, how about we get a PS3 as well as the 360? You can watch Blu-Ray movies on it, since you don't understand my 'little hobby'. I really study the gaming scene on the internet, so I know Gamestop will screw me over with their one-sided trade-in system. Of course I realise that what with you being a reporter for a major network that money is tight and your ego maybe over-inflated slightly; but perhaps if you're going to make this generalised comments about videogames to the national press we should have all the systems so as I can give you unbiased opinions. It's not like I'm a young impressionable teenager who won't defend my every purchase anyway for risk of looking stupid... Still, I know we don't use the Wii and you don't want another thing cluttering up the 56 inch widescreen hi-def TV - but there really is nothing to play on that thing and you just show it off to rub it in your friends faces and do stupid tennis things. And stop dragging my name onto the TV, I'm getting stick from my friends and if this continues I'll be forced to tell everyone about how you run over puppies in your Hummer"

Meldy

@LobselVith: Errr...i think the ratings are used to inform parents about the content in videogames....not about who is allowed to buy them...:

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) ratings are designed to provide concise and impartial information about the content in computer and video games so consumers, especially parents, can make an informed purchase decision. ESRB ratings have two equal parts: rating symbols suggest age appropriateness for the game and content descriptors indicate elements in a game that may have triggered a particular rating and/or may be of interest or concern.

RodmanSan

Jane Wells should start putting her serious commentary under the heading of comedy. I had a hard time not laughing out loud here in the office while reading all that stuff. The responses were even better.

Quilt

Kids aren't exactly a great berometer when it comes to judging marketability of a product. Kids follow trends which on average last 3 months.

If you ask me the kid is playing ol' mom as a fool. Mom most likely wouldn't pony up the $500 for a ps3 so he traded in his 360/games for it. In order to get himself a blueray player and play MGS 4. When October hits he'll start dropping the hints "I can't believe I traded in my 360! I wanted to play fable 2".."The force unleashed is so much better on the 360..."

And when xmas rolls around he'll get himself a 80gig 360 and some games.

jerros

oh yay! fanboy flame time...eh, I'm not any good at it so I'll just say: I can sort of relate to the kid.

I have had 2 360s and sold both of them. One of them had hardware problems and the other I got rid of because I just don't dig the games that have out for it like Gears and Halo. All due respect to the success of those games, but as much as I love shooting things, they just don't do it for me. I haven't regretted selling my 360 once.

I've also had a Wii and sold that because after 20 min. about 90% of the games on the system lose their fun-value to me.

So I am left with my PS3. Do I sometimes curse Sony for a few things it doesn't do well? Sure. But all-in-all I love my PS3 and the games I get to play on it.

PS: No, unbelievably, I don't work for Sony.

jasoncourt

@Fallible:

And yet they're the ones claiming this kid's been living under a rock... jeez, you're picking on a child and you don't even know the details of the situation.

LobselVith

lol at least we know there was ONE person excited about sony's E3 press conference

genbeef

I've seen people do the same thing this kid has done... except they haven't traded the 360, just switched to PS3 because of RROD.

I dont know why it's such a big deal, they have very similar games and about the same quality exclusives on each side. For me it's reliability and games like LBP that made the PS3 my choice.

A lot of people really want to see the PS3 fail, but it's not going to happen. Just enjoy the console you own.

Astrofox

@TheLegendof_Erick: By that evaluation I need never buy games again. I assume you didn't buy any Halo games but saw spoiler clips on YouTube instead - hence the avatar. Green, the colour of envy apparantly.

Fallible

JOURNALISM
Where you get paid to write bullshit!

I sign up where?

karasu is my homeboy

where's the story about how her son had a tantrum that he had to wait months for more games?

genbeef

By Odin's beard! They're made a Mario game for the Wii! Damn you, rocky shelter and your cursed silence! Damn you!!

crewwolfy

Staying right away from this post. Not even going to comment.

...ah, shit! I wreck everything...

TitillatedOcelot

@RodmanSan:
great minds think alike.

venkat55

@RodmanSan:

The ratings determine who is allowed to buy the game not who's allowed to play it. Apparently, she was in the store with him... so he had her OK.

LobselVith

PS3 news brings out the raging 360 fanboy in most people, it seems. Several 'no games just Blu-Ray player' comments thus far, bravo -- it seems you've been missing for past year.

Fallible

@LobselVith: turn off your flamethrower - preferences aside, anyone basing a purchase off what they saw this E3 is rockin teh drool, and if the kid was that into MetalGear4 you can watch that movie on youtube without the $500 purchase

TheLegendof_Erick

What's funny is that impulsive gaming decisions such as the one her son made don't usually pay off in the long run.

TRT-X

@charman:
LOL!

Kinda funny article...but whatever I'd have less of an argument if he said Wii...cause even though I hardly play, I still hardly see it in stores...that thing sells...

Elemence

@MASOCHIST187:
I've got a prototype EMP generator in my basement that could probably do the job.

It just boggles my mind how 360 owners are like classic examples of Battered Wife Syndrome. "Well, my console died on me 6 times but FUCK SONY AND FUCK THE WII." When hardware failure is that rampant, stop rewarding the people who made it happen with your damn money. It only makes it worse, y'know?

I can't get my money back, and I can't take away NPD numbers from Microsoft in protest. So, as it stands, my revenge to MS for RROD is that I buy all multiplatform games on PS3. I'll still pick up an exclusive or two every so often if they pique my fancy (Lost Odyssey was the last one I've really enjoyed), but at least I'm not adding to their insane software sales.

That being said, I'm guessing there's probably more to the kid's motivation to buy a PS3 than Jane let on. He probably noticed they were phasing out the BC-enabled 80GB systems later this year, and figured he'd better jump in now before he missed his shot. Or maybe he just really, really likes Metal Gear and God of War. News people don't understand games nearly enough to explain this in detail we'd accept.

Archaotic

@HertzaHaeon: Did you pick it up and move it. That's usually what I do. That way M$ wont win.

warf0x0r

@Pezdispenser: that's impossible. I have all of the world's lazer cats.

3inst3in

Its amazing how many people on this forum is taking this personal. Damn

facelike

Lol at venkat55.... ;)

What a timing....hehehe....

RodmanSan

@Assassin9: "chinks" would mean weakpoints, places susceptible to attack. you would expose "chinks" in someone's armor.

"kinks" would mean portions of a process that are not functioning properly, you have a "kink" in the system if the printing press is printing askew.

3inst3in

@Fury-genesis:

He's sixteen years old... I'm sure he doesn't have the disposable income to support both systems. He probably doesn't even have a job and the mother will only pay for the one console.

LobselVith

Quite funny that her 16 year old son is allowed to buy a game which is rated "M" :

MATURE
Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older....

So...as a real journalist she lets her son play a game which he isn't allowed to play anyway...

RodmanSan

Didnt she buy a 17+ year game for a 16 year old kid? Isn't that wrong?

venkat55

@kingmanic: touche

still, NPD and SCE numbers for HDTV owners and PS3 owners respectively are far from overwhelming. i just don't think it's something to be kicking a teenager for, gamer or not. i imagine a lot of guys here gloss over the news about games/consoles they'll never own.

mister_shhh

@Assassin9: As an Asian employee of gamestop I'm a little offended.

Sinfwho

Ah, yes, keep it up... What do you think is worse? A would-be-humourous column about the gaming habits of a teenager (which you'd have to be a complete idiot to read as a serious analysis), or the disgruntled grumblings of miffed 360 fans?
I know which one gets the most laughs out of me.

Remember the wise words of Owen Good, folks:
"If you invest your emotions and identity in pro bono advocacy for multinational corporations with billions in market capitalization and brigades of PR professionals, you need some perspective."

Antiterra

Wow, was he that impressed?
I can only imagine his thoughts after the presser ended.

"Oh my god, oh my god, OH MY GOD! Blue-Ray! And MGS4!!!! OH MY GOD I NEED IT. I NEEEDS IT, NOW!! Okay...okay...calm down...what can I do...Oh! OH! I'm gonna sell my 360, screw everything, MGS4 on Blu-Ray is what my body needs now. Okay...OMFG OMFG OMFG IT'S #$%@ing MGS4 ON $%@#ing BLU-RAY. I need this $#@* RIGHT NOW!"

God bless him. He's probably the happiest kid in the entire world now that he got a hold of MGS4 on Blu-Ray. :D

Coquiton

Just so you guys know - I've been watching G4 as well - and found out that Mario is coming to the Wii. Also - The Nintendo Wii comes with a controller.

kosbee

Journalistic standards? They're just talking about toys, after all. No different than Furby, right?

liquidnumb

@Archaotic:

Oh trust me, I want to smash it every fucking time, but what am i supposed to do? Microsoft is SOOO lucky that they have the best games and the best online this generation. Because, to me, it is such a better system, i have no choice but to fucking send it off for repairs every time it happens. I would LOVE to just say "fuck you, i'm sticking with sony!", but as a gamer, i have to go with the system that i think has the best games/controller/online/etc., and unfortunately, that is the 360. Can you imagine if the 360 didn't have the RROD fiasco? what would people use to down it?

MASOCHIST187

@TheLegendof_Erick:

So everyone who prefers the PS3 to 360 is retarded?

LobselVith

Hah! She just outed her son as a giant moron.

Moron, not because he went and got a PS3, but because he traded in a perfectly good console for 20 cent on the dollar to get it.

That is just bad business no matter how you slice it. I know it's a staple of kids who can't get mommy and daddy to give them a bigger allowance, but geez, how about doing some chores, or getting a paper route or something.

Fury-genesis

@Jeff Paine:
First of all, it was CNBC. Secondly, don't take your Fox News VS. MSNBC bullshit to Kotaku. I hate seeing idiotic nerds trying to be political.

Corrin

@Flynn:

I'd buy a PS3 for Laser Cats.

Pezdispenser

Kind of interesting that he was moved by Sony's Press Conference so much, he sells his 360. I own both and they both have their strengths (and weaknesses...).

sdimacu

@mister_shhh: The survey your referring to was a telephone survey of people where they asked if there was a PS3 in the house then asked if they knew it could play blu rays. They only surveyed those over 18. The validity of the results are questionable. It may be those being surveyed didn't know a PS2 from a PS3 and they were not likely the primary users of the device.

kingmanic

So.. Where did all the gamers go this generation? All I see are "justify your purchase" fanboys these days. Are people really so dense that they don't realize that both consoles have almost identical game line ups?

weasl

seems like there are an awful lot of hurt feelings in here... what's the big deal, guys?

laser beams

Good job! He traded in a gaming system for a Blu-ray player.

charman

@MASOCHIST187:
When a system dies FOUR TIMES on you, wouldn't you have lost a bit of faith in it by then?

Seriously, my 360 is damn fucking lucky it's never had any hardware problems, because as soon as it shows any sign of weakness I'll jam a sledgehammer through it.

Archaotic

I own all 3 major consoles and 2 major hand helds. I play my PS3 more, I'm paranoid about my 360 since it's gone RROD once and I have only a little bit more left on the extended warranty. SO I tend to get multi-platform games on the PS3. The wii is for party games and gets very little love otherwise. My PS3 oddly plays ps2 games and mame games more often then PS3 games. For people who enjoy emulation, linux + mame = a back library of thousands of games.

kingmanic

This reminds me of when they were showing the Zune on CNN and the anchor came out and was like "wow this is dumb just get an ipod" and made the camera crew zoom into her ipod, and promptly bashed how "heavy" the Zune was compared to her ipod shuffle.

/facepalm

Cutedge

"Jack Thompson uses his to help expose the chinks in video game retail"

"chinks" or "kinks"?

Assassin9

Just a friendly reminder: you're not supposed to drink when you're pregnant.

mwoody

I never understood the over attachment some people have to their 360's. I own both, i've used both signifigant amounts, and given a choice between the two i'd pick the PS3 over the 360 in a heartbeat. That said I could live with just my 360 if i had to as well. I'd miss blu-ray though =(

weasl

The kid apparently spends his time reading blogs about video games and watching G4 and yet he didn't know about MGS4 and Blu-Ray's win over HD-DVD months ago? And he didn't understand the concept of a used game? Something's wrong here...

Darth Navster

LOL one of the best responds so far

"Jane, please leave the gaming commentary to the gaming journalist. You really are beginning to sound like a Sony-bobbing, Microsoft-hating freak. Besides, what kind of person would intelligently decide the winner of the console war by the actions of a hormone-controlled, irrational 16-year-old boy. I really don't like your taking sides in this matter, so I'll be not watching CNBC anymore. But it's mainly because my dog stepped on the remote and changed the TV to ABC, so this is 'Ultimate Proof' that ABC is the better network. You're an idiot."

I would like to know how old he is?

Garo

@Mongoosekun: Aww...fanboys. How cute. Seriously, you're a twat for being like that over any of the consoles. But I'm sure Sony really appreciate you doing the job of their PR Department. See if you were here saying "This game is awesome, it's on PS3, you should buy it" that's constructive. But that...I mean what is it? I just don't get why people can be arsed defending a console, it's like slagging off a DVD Player. Films/Games etc, fine. But consoles? They're fucking machines. (NB: NOT machines you fuck with).

On topic though, that is fairly stupid logic. But don't be surprised when her prediction turns out to be (semi-true) and the PS3 gets it's second place after Wii. How Microsoft think they'll outsell Sony I'm not sure. Not over the lifetime of the machines anyway, too much ground has already been caught up considering the difference. I don't see why it matters, they've dented a market significantly enough to sell a lot of machines, 2nd/3rd etc. There's no way the PSP will outsell the DS overall, but it's doing quite nicely, and it doesn't matter if it doesn't come first.

TearsandScreams

Someone tell Jane the puddle of drool at her son's feet doesn't mean he wanted a PS3 - it means he's retarded and you left the TV on, again

TheLegendof_Erick

first off, he's a teenager. second of all, i don't know why it's so unimaginable that a person be dissatisfied with a 360. he saw something he liked better (by way of an E3 press conference, not some commercial squeezed between episodes of One Tree Hill) and he changed his mind. and though maybe a little impulsive, i don't think his decision makes him an idiot. third, you guys have seen the numbers on blu-ray awareness. many ps3 owners don't know what it is, so who are the idiots?

as a piece of journalism, it's lazy filler. a bare bones op-ed piece. and that's fine.

last i'll add that i picked up an elite to sit next to my 60 gig PS3 on thursday, partly encouraged by the M$ announcements. i'm lucky enough to afford one, but sometimes the kids with the paper routes have to make sacrifices (e.g. selling a 360 for peanuts to GameStop) for playing the games they want. i think that's hardcore.

mister_shhh

Jane Wells, when asked what title really tipped her son's hand to buy a PS3, replied, Final Fantasy XIII...

I kid, I kid!

wild homes desires a pudding!

Smart kid.

Iramaj1

Clearly, her son is giant retard, and thus representative of the consumer populace at large.

The_Foo

"...He watches every show about them [video games] on G4..."

Wait. They show video game shows on G4? When did THAT happen?

lionkitten

Somebody got payed to put in that last line there.

FLYBOY611

well that's what you get when you watch G4... TECH TV FOR LIFE

SW33TLOU

Its good to be proud of our kids, but personal year book entry and professional journalism should never be confused.

venkat55

@Itri: makes me sick too, I just threw up a little on my keyboard, and i think I tore a nut.

Pancho_Villasan

@Mongoosekun: Oh look. A fool headed fanboy doesn't understand this article.

justhesh

@ArmyofJuan:

You just described my situation exactly. MY PS3 plays movies more than it plays games. I love it as a Blu-Ray player, but honestly, it's kind of shitty (imo) for games. I'm still waiting for MGS4 to get "fun", though to be fair i'm probably only 30% complete. It also comes in handy when my 360 gets RROD, which it did last week! (for the 4th time) yay!

MASOCHIST187

Well, there is no link... can I have one?

Garo

The link to the article doesn't work.
I want to say Sony paid Jane Wells to tell this story, but I don't think any of the 3 corporations are that stupid.

@hop3less: Troll more? Most of the games announced were coming out this year.

everybest

@HertzaHaeon: Does your cat actively seek out the most difficult to clean things/places to puke on? Mine (well, one of them) sure as hell does.

And when I try to move her to a tiled or concrete floor before the show starts? She just makes a b-line to an upholstered chair, shelf, or carpet...gagging all the way.

Little shit.

Nightshift Nurse: Mile High Colonic

@ArmyofJuan: "I own both a 360 and a playstation and i would never ever in a million years trade in my xbox. i only have a playstatio to function mostly as a blu ray player as only a PS exclusive game comes out for it every once in a blue moon.

all the multiplatform games go to my 360"

wow, dude, you just perfectly described me!

AgainstOne

Apparently this kid didn't play online much, or his friends at school have PS3's...

For me, when the original Xbox came out, I bought one and played the few exclusive games on it. Eventually games started to come out for both systems, but I still preferred the PS2(mostly for the controller). Then the 360 was released and I spent a year establishing friends on that system before the PS3 even came out. While I wouldn't rule out a switch to PS3, Sony still has some way to go to online and a lot of my friends are only on 360.

aka Bitter

""Jane, please leave the gaming commentary to the gaming journalist. You really are beginning to sound like a Sony-bobbing, Microsoft-hating freak. Besides, what kind of person would intelligently decide the winner of the console war by the actions of a hormone-controlled, irrational 16-year-old boy. I really don't like your taking sides in this matter, so I'll be not watching CNBC anymore. But it's mainly because my dog stepped on the remote and changed the TV to ABC, so this is 'Ultimate Proof' that ABC is the better network. You're an idiot.""
So much win in just one email. i came.

Bugged?

@tzaketh: Hi! You must be new here. Welcome to the internet!

Sinfwho

Wow, what a non story. This actually makes my brain hurt.

Gray665

she forgot to mention when her son went back to school and all his friends were planning a Gears of War fragfest and when they invited him to play he told them that he sold his x360 for a PS3 receiving a cermonial wedgie as a result. Her son was then labelled an outcast, living a solitary life in his moms basement, trolling forums with his patented "my mom works for msnbc and she said Sorny will win!11!" catchphrase.

pumpkinpunker

...and what about this thing/fad/myth called Wii!?

Shiryu

Well momma says video games are from the devil.

JustJake

fan boys shall die

ZetaCrossfire

why did he have to sell his 360? just keep it and buy a ps3 as well...and a wii, ds lite and psp for that matter.

everyone should have all 5 like i do.

dh4645

@Mongoosekun:

I hate fanboys.

Itri

@exkon:

Ignorance makes me sick.

Itri

So the kid is a game maniac, he even reads news and sites about it, but he only realized PS3 had Blu-Ray and MGS4 recently? i shall redefine my idea about ignorance!

zetopazio

@hotdamn: packed mine up a couple of weeks ago. Was going to trade it in at Gamestop until I found out those bastards only give 115 bucks for a 360 and an extra 15 for the harddrive. I decided to keep it but I won't be playing it any time soon.

@kosbee: LOL!@NunianVonFuch: I know people that won't play MGO because heads shots kill. They think it's cheap to get shot in the head with a large caliber sniper rifle and instantly die. Go figure.

Striderhayasa - Phillyyakk on PSN and Live.

The standards for, well everything in this country have totally gone to shit.

Seriously, I don't even know what to say to this one. Everyone else can handle it. The word "pathetic" is being very, very kind.

mva5580

He was one of those idiots expecting to see MGS4 on the 360 I guess. Hey, don't cry 360 is getting exclusive dog armor for Fallout 3! Just like they got that DLC for GTA4... wait where is that DLC? Oh, that's right nobody cares anymore. I'm just pulling your ear 360 fans -- you have Gears 2 and you'll get another Gears after that. Enjoy your chainsaw guns. :)

Mongoosekun

MSNBC reports on stuff besides prison life?

wild_world_girl

i feel sorry for him. I own both a 360 and a playstation and i would never ever in a million years trade in my xbox. i only have a playstatio to function mostly as a blu ray player as only a PS exclusive game comes out for it every once in a blue moon.

all the multiplatform games go to my 360

ArmyofJuan

I was mildly impressed with Sony's press conference but it didn't galvanize me to sell my 360 and buy a PS3. The MMO war game looked nice as did God Of War. I guess to some kids all that seems like a giant BUY ME NOW sign.

danny841

@ThursdayNext: the link was as genuine as the tear?

btw, where do they dig these people up? :) Damn.

quen

Srsly - Is anyone out there qualified for their jobs anymore? I'd expect this sort-of nonsensical drivel from a HS newspaper, not CNBC.

"har har - My son hearts MGS4 and digs ninjas. Plus, I'm a dumb bitch."

kosbee

Good for the Kid. The Kid had an epiphany and decided to make a big change. Whether or not anyone agree's with him here does not matter, he's happy. Get over it.

UkGuru

Sony's not winning... it's gaining ground. That means nothing to Nintendo, but it can be a little unnerving if you're the guy in the middle. That's why MS is trying to chunk off some of that Giant Nintendo Pie... going toe to to with Sony only isn't a good thing... in my opinion.

JimmyNice

that's just silly.

not to be a dick, but did anyone proof read that?

pasquinelli

my son loved the 360 until he found out the wii had wireless controls and online connectivity!

yuoma

@MantisDragon:
I said the same thing about Cammie Dunaway last Tuesday.

Archaotic

" They then sold him a USED copy of "Metal Gear Solid 4." "How can the game already be used?" my son asked. "Because some people get frustrated if they don't have 'cheats'," he was told. But the cashier assured him that the game "was just as good as new." My son asked, "How can that be?" "Because PlayStation players are ninjas!" was the response. "

Is this kid real? Or actually her? He didn't even know what used games were. :-S

NunianVonFuch

"You'll love those kids even more when you work in games, and your boss walks into your office starting a conversation with "So, my 10-year-old was playing [blahblah], and I think we should do more games like that.""

Damn, you worked at EA Blackbox too?

Durandal

@TrjnRabbit: This is the same woman who said that 360 literally melts down (also... blows up) last year was it not when describing RROD. These kinds of pieces are about as accurate as you can ever expect mainstream media to be on any particular subject matter. The more things I educated myself in over the past few years, the more I began to notice that the evening news is nothing but a million dollar high school production. This isn't to say that their isn't valid information in their "viewpoints" but rather it's largely inaccurate when they attempt to take a closer look at anything. Long story short, she works for the mainstream press hence she is clueless. Look no further then this E3's FFXIII announcement to see the true face of the console landscape.

My other reason for not wanting to listen to mainstream media on topics concerning video games are simply one of a conflict of interest. Sony is a large enough entity in entertainment that I fear their influence. I have no proof of this and I only due so as a cautionary move.

okenny :)

her son failed the moment he went to gamestop to trade in his system and games. what a fuckin maroon

tralfaz23

Well, to be fair, Blu Ray means a lot more now that it's the dominant format.

Also, this is the Kid's mother. We have no idea how much what she said resembles what he said. I seriously doubt that as a kid that is constantly reading blogs and watching G4, etc, that he would make that decision entirely on Blu Ray and MGS4.

I think Sony's conference did a lot to showcase their platform as a "superior value proposition." I'm definitely not trading in my 360, especially with so many games I'm excited for on the way, but now strikes me as the best time yet to buy a PS3.

Who knows, maybe he found the Live redesign atrocious, maybe the concept of Avatars had him angry, and maybe he's not interested in RPGs in the slightest. To be honest, Playstation is definitely offering more in the First Person Shooter department this year. Gears 2 looks phenomenal to me, but who knows, maybe the third person view is something the kid dislikes.

I'd say before we all spear the kid a new one with our uninformed comments, we actually consider that there may be valid reasons to do this, and that we're getting this through the fuzzy lens of the dumbass mother.

I mean, my Mother can't tell the difference between a PC and an Xbox. My Father kept messing with the DVR when he was trying to set up a new wireless network. During holiday seasons, he would consistently ask me, "What game thing do you have again? Xbox? Gamebox? Playstation?" and when I tried to explain the difference between the Xbox and the Xbox360, I think his brain imploded.

tzaketh

Packing up your 360 & stuff and selling them to Gamestop?

It shows the kid's not quite up to speed :)

kryo

I think you used term "chink" in a highly ambiguous fashion. Taken out of context...

Anyways, onward to the important part. Your child is an idiot lady.

brokenscope

So, uh, how much did he still have to shell out to GameStop after they gave him his $150 for his 360 and games?

RedRaptor

LOLLLLLLL, how funny when people like jane make up stuffs and that is easily contradicted.

mcool93

i dont see anything wrong with having your own opinion if he wants it and he can buy it whats wrong with that. its not a bad system it has good games and a good online community i could say the same thing if this article was about the wii or 360

Elijah Man

Never mind what you think of the companies, this woman's son seems like a bit of a giant tool. Everyone with even a passing interest in Sony knew about this game and Blu-ray, what? 2 years ago???
Maybe those "news sites" he reads are really cyber-sex chatrooms/pornsites. At least then he has a "legitimate" excuse.

NunianVonFuch

I chuckled at this. One child's decision has caused a news blurb. Next post is" Kid buys Coke, Pepsi are doomed!"
Why Kotaku, why?

jackal888

@Abno: She easily wins the day...because some people are taking her story seriously and are sending hate e-mails. (More hate geared towards Sony than to her.)

Kanik

@exkon:
He's probably good at math though(looks at NPD)

enewtabie

This story sounds like a bunch of made up BS. In addition, and i'm sorry to stoop to such a low level, but, i would really like to cock-smack that lady.

MASOCHIST187

Wow.

tony_important

@3inst3in:
Designer: Hey, boss, I have an idea.
Boss: It doesn't involve Laser Cats, does it?

Flynn

Yea, so who is Jane Wells again? And why should I care about her 16 year old son that just got shafted by GameStop trade-ins?

MantisDragon

This is so not cool.

I told mom not to talk about me on the air again. Ugh!

Kanik

She already posted reader responses.

[www.cnbc.com]

Abno

His brain won't be fully developed till he reaches 26yrs of age so...this just proves it!
(Betcha the Gamestop clerks were laughing over that (st)deal!

SigmundTheSeaMonster

Oh Lord...

papercube

@Flynn: if i were a videogame designer, this is how I would start all conversations: "So, Lazer Ninja Wizzards?"

@lilaliendog: ah ah ah, I get it! "home" is where the heart is. Sony's Home. ah ah ah

3inst3in

I lol'd at PS3 players are ninjas.

Qalbert

*wipes away tear and adds a link*

what link?

ThursdayNext

He must love "watching" MGS4.

He's still a kid, he has a lot to learn...

exkon

@Hendrixx: lol dude must love those apple/ pc commercials.

Milkzhakes

He must be a huge movie buff...

AgainstOne

@Jun581 won't give you tree fiddy!!:

"Hello, may I speak to Ms. Wells? Yes this is Bill Gates. Oh, Hi Jane...I must say I'm...disappointed in your recent report. mmhmmm...yes...yes...well you see, you're fired."

mangajunky

I know guys like this, and you know what this won't be the last time her kid trades for another. I know a guy who could not settle on a console last gen. Rather than just keep both an XBox and Playstation 2 he kept taking one in for credit on the other. In the end he spent more than it would have cost to just have bought both twice over. People who are that influenced by announcements and the idea of the console war are fun to watch.

Granthunter

You'll love those kids even more when you work in games, and your boss walks into your office starting a conversation with "So, my 10-year-old was playing [blahblah], and I think we should do more games like that."

It's oh so wonderful. If I could ban two conversation starters, that would be one, and the other would be "Wouldn't it be cool if..."

Flynn

wanted to say 'home is where the heart is' but you know budum ching, see what I did there.

lilaliendog

I can't wait till he tries to play Metal Gear Online. Have fun kiddo!

ReyDEEEEZY

Trading in a console you already own for way less than it's worth to get another consle?? I don't get it. And the kids mom is on TV so I'm sure they can afford a second console. I own every console and I'm broke. wait,...is that WHY I'm broke??? HAHA Oh well.

illdaddyj

Ready,
Aim

Flame fanboys Flame!!

Hand_O_Death

Reason why I don't ever, ever, EVER! watch the "news" stations and rely on the internet for my daily feed.

Delvar15

@hotdamn: exact same thing being
"As we left the store, I said to him, "I never thought I'd see you with a PlayStation." "Neither did I," he replied."

hotdamn

lolwut? Someone excited by sony's press conference? I didnt think it possible. And why does it seem any news reporter (on of the major television networks) always says something retarded or ignorant about video games!?

Pbombas

The console with the games you want to play is winning. The statement is not far off.

DigitalHero

I bet his wallet is glad that he doesn't watch any Apple media events. He'd be on his 8th, 9th iPod? Or his 2nd/3rd iPhone?

He does sound like quite the naive consumer. Or just a giant tool.

Hendrixx

I came to the same realization in november, and my girlfriend said the exact same thing. *shrugs*

I am happy with my PS3.

hotdamn

O.o.. I feel kind of bad for these people for some reason =\...

Katorok

He'll be disappointed when all of those great Sony games don't come out for a couple more years.

hop3less

Hold the phone...! PS3 has Blu-ray and MGS4, I gotta pick me this shit up!

That's my best teenager voice coming out now, back to normal adult conversation

Dannon

Well shit, I'm sold.

I'll go sell my 360 first thing in the morning.

TrjnRabbit

@Jun581 won't give you tree fiddy!!: "...not going to end..."

Jun581 won't give you tree fiddy!!

My cat just barfed on my 360. Clearly it's winning this generation.

HertzaHaeon

Keep up those high journalistic standards, MSNBC

Jeff Paine

oh oh.
This is not going end well.

Jun581 won't give you tree fiddy!!

@karasu is my homeboy: I'm sure more than a few of those who've labeled this kid a drooler/retard/idiot are past the age of majority (18+). :|

LobselVith

@Archaotic: Yeah, but that day will never come. Nintendo is something I fear, they've completely changed the industry and made shovelware A-Ok, made a bunch of crazy decisions that shouldn't have been rewarded (poor graphic capabilities, "online", new 1st party ips all crap) and yet they're selling more than anyone.

If I thought about it more I'd probably become infuriated. As of now, it's annoying and scary.

karasu is my homeboy

Wow, with her money why not own both?

Talryyn

@phor11:

I have cousins around this kid's age and I certainly wouldn't consider them adults. Impulsive?! Who isn't at that age!

LobselVith

I think her son has some serious impulse control problems.

Sniper_Zegai

Now all we need is someone bringing up the removal of BC on the PS3 and we're done with the diatrabe.Wow.

Fabrice

@LobselVith: Your problem starts where you assume everyone on here are "grown ass men." All ages can access the internet.

karasu is my homeboy

Look out Pachter.

Heliophage

@LobselVith: he's 16... far from being a CHILD.

If he prefers the ps3, there is absolutely nothing wrong or out of the ordinary about that.

It's the fact that he willingly traded all his 360 gear/games for far under market value on a whim for 1 game that he wanted to play on the ps3.

And his cause isn't at ALL helped by the fact that his mother decided to name her piece "The Ultimate Proof Sony Is Winning".

phor11

@karasu is my homeboy:
Wasn't it outselling the 360 even before MGS came out? I honestly don't remember because I don't pay attention to NPD stuff that much, but I thought it was outselling the 360 for the past few months, and MGS4's launch made the gap even bigger. I just forgot, not trying to argue or anything.

Archaotic

This Just in! Jane Wells trolls internet and gets more hits on her website =P

I bet that one article generated more traffic than she's seen all year =3

As for the consoles, I heartily agree with the idea of owning all of them except Sony's attitude plus the rather extensive cost put me off. As soon as they get some exclusives on there I can't live without I'm sure I'll buy a PS3, much like how I refused PS2 until I couldn't live without the titles it had. Despite any grudges or morals I have I end up where the games are at the end of the day.

...on the upside, holding out does make it hurt your wallet less and means you have more games to play when you do finally cave =D

Geminosity

@illdaddyj: True. His mom, the famous newscaster/stepford robot (that pic!), can't afford to buy the kid a new PS3?

All you guys that sell your used systems? The all end up at my house. Used SegaCD FTW.

Billkwando

Wait? So he traded it all in at a Gamestop? Must be nice to be freaking rich if you can afford to get 10% of the value of your games and system and still be able to afford a PS3 just because you feel like it.

He could have at least been nice and sold it to a friend or something.

Fatmumuhomer

Sony has some good stuff currently available and in the pipeline, but I still give it a month before that kid is sobbing to his mom becase he wants his 360 back.

KagaSakai

After hearing about "Metal Gear Solid 4", as well as other PlayStation exclusives in the pipeline and the awesomeness of Blu-ray...

Wait, PS3s have blu-ray? How long has Sony been keeping this a secret?!!

Arklop

Lmao @ Jane proving PS3 is winning because PS3s sold more when MGS4 was still a new release.

karasu is my homeboy

@karasu is my homeboy:

That pretty much sums it up. There is no reason to invest in a PS3, for me.

@TearsandScreams:

I was just trying to call out some hypocrisy I see around here all the time about the RROD and MS getting all sorts of criticism for it, while Sony seems to be the golden boy and never gets called on their hardware snafu's from previous generations, that is all. Trying to put it into perspective, so to speak.

spinal77

Alright, there are so many things wrong with this.
- First of all, I knew about MGS4 and BluRay long before E3.
- Second, what are the E3 pressers if not gigantic PR spins. So what is PR spin? I call it advertising. By this logic "The Clapper", "Life Alert" and "Oxy Clean" are winning.
- Thirdly, you forgot about Iwata's daughter and friend codes. But I guess that really isn't a point. I derailed somewhere in the middle of point number two. Whatever.

Ptolemy

Must be great to wake up in the future after sleeping for many years!

Wait until he finds out there was a MGS2 and MGS3 also!

dbc

@fearing:
I had three guys come in yesterday asking if I could fix RRODs. It still exists, and to say it doesn't is kind of blatantly biased.

@karasu is my homeboy:
It's just too bad people have to resort to basically brainwashing themselves to downplay the strong suits of the other consoles just to justify their purchases. If I had it my way, Sony and Microsoft would be working together to take Nintendo down. Nintendo's the real enemy this generation, not Sony, and people are incredibly stupid for overlooking them.

Archaotic

Personally I don't understand why it matters who 'wins' the console war. Who cares? I mean, Nintendo shits money out of every oriface, as does Sony, as does Microsoft. Regardless of who 'wins' they're all going to just keep on making money and putting out new hardware and games. It doesn't matter if Microsoft sold 200,000 less consoles than Sony, because they sold 200,000 consoles. It's not like they're going to be losing their fanbase, even if they do come in third. So what's the big deal? Why is this even an issue?

moutski

@phor11:

All these grown ass men calling a CHILD(!) an idiot or a retard... it's just shameful. I'm gonna make my exit now...

LobselVith

@Edge of Blade:

You're quite the conspiracy theorist... it's a fluff story on CNBC (NBC is cozy with M$, BTW) that probably came after some talk about Sony stocks rising.

LobselVith

So he:
1) got completely ripped off by trading in his 360 and games at gamestop
2) "He always tells me the latest trend three months before I read about it in the media." yet just now learned about mgs4 and the "awesomeness of blu-ray"?
3) fell for the old "Sony now has a special coating on Blu-ray game discs which makes them virtually scratch-proof" trick...

Sounds to me like that article is actually trying to prove that her kid is an idiot...

phor11

What in the world is getting you people so upset it's an ANECDOTE.

Her son traded a 360 for a PS3, he's not an idiot, he's not wrong he just did what he wanted to do.

She thought it was a funny indicator of where the hype is right now and she's right. PS3 is currently outselling 360, yes due to MGS, again how is she wrong/a bad journalist?

Astrofox

@spinal77: It might suit your needs best, and it's my console of choice this gen (too poor to buy the lot) but it's not the best 'period' at all. It's opinion, nothing more. And in the interests of balance, as I did this earlier to someone doing what you're doing to the PS3 (and felt a bit mean about it) STOP DOING MICROSOFT'S PR JOB!

TearsandScreams

I smell something in this story. The same stink I smell in Folding@Home and Cell Supercomputer stories. Bull. Why is it the mainstream gets wind of these kinds of flag-waving Sony stories with huge holes of logic? I always suspected some underhanded dealing...and lets face the fact that Sony hasn't exactly been the most ethical when it comes to marketing (Knights Tale, All I Want for Christmas Is A PSP).

Edge of Blade

Holy grammatical errors Batman! (Appologies for going grammar nazi)

"...using her son to illustrate while Sony is going to win the console battle..." Should that 'while' be a 'why' or am I just crazy?

Also: "Not heartwarming story about a journalists son is complete without a tender moment at the end"
Not=No journalists=journalist's

Also: Come on guys, this kid knows what he's talking about. Sony has lots of 'shit' in the 'pipeline.'

FiendishMoogle

@jasoncourt:

Gears and Halo? Dont know if you know this but 360 also has RPG's as well as racing and action games. If anything the PS3 has just as many shooters as the 360 (MGS4, Resistance 2 and Killzone 2).

ichiban1081