Sony Vs Microsoft: A Press Release War For The Ages


IIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTT’S TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME. The Australian NPD figures have been released, and all that’s left now is for Microsoft and Sony to pummel each other into press release oblivion.


Iiiiin the Microsoft corner, fighting out of North Ryde, weighing in at 245 pounds, this fighter holds a record of zero wins, one draw (Xbox 360) and two losses (Xbox and the Zune). This fighter is a brawler, flying out of the gates with mainstream Kinect acceptance and online subscriptions. It is the challenger… MICROSOFT


AAAAAAANNNNND in the Sony corner, fighting out of Surry Hills, weighing in at 235 pounds, holding a professional record of two wins (the PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2), one loss (the PSP) and one draw (the PlayStation 3). This fighter is a press release specialist, utilising the slick skills of Managing Director Michael Ephraim. It is the former, TWO TIME HEAVYWEIGHT CONSOLE CHAMPION OF THE WORLD… SONY!

And now, here’s our tale of the tape…

– Microsoft saw its subscriptions on Xbox LIVE subscription base increase by 40 per cent and is claiming that it “bucked the industry trend” with a 5% year on year growth. Microsoft is calling Sony out, claiming the Xbox 360 was the biggest selling console worldwide in 2011.

– Sony is hitting hard with the reach advantage, and the raw stats, claiming a 24.85 per cent increase in unit sales. Sony also has a good ground game, shifting more units of Modern Warfare 3 on the PS3 compared to the Xbox 360. That’s gotta hurt…


ROUND 1
Sony’s press release comes out swinging, a full two hours before Microsoft’s. Sony is clearly ready for this battle. They’re leading with the jab, and following up with some lethal leg kicks. They are smashing Microsoft with the numbers here. There are so many numbers in this press release and Sony is showing major confidence in the opening minutes of this bout.

They are quoting a 24.85% year-on-year uplift in unit sales, and 1.5 million consoles in home. These are strong numbers.

“Despite a very eventful year, these results signal the PlayStation platform’s leadership position in the interactive games category in Australia,” said Michael Ephraim. “The uplift on PS3 sales was no small feat, in fact, our percentage year-on-year unit growth was triple that of our nearest competitor. In 2012, we plan to further drive this position through our commitment to what PlayStation does best – delivering our customers quality, immersive entertainment experiences that set the benchmark for others to follow.”

Michael Ephraim is showing some slick footwork here, but the question is — can Sony keep up the pace in this press release war?


ROUND 2
Microsoft comes out blasting from the ground, Sony has full mount, but Microsoft throws targeted knees from underneath. Five per cent platform revenue growth in 2011, the Xbox 360 was the number one selling console “during the important Christmas sales period”. All valid points. This is a much closer round than the first, and Microsoft is landing some serious shots.

David McLean, Director of Consumer Channels Group at Microsoft swings a massive overhand right.

“It’s clear to see that the momentum in this industry is with Microsoft and the Xbox platform,” says McLean. “We won at the telling Christmas period, we are standalone in our growth this year and looking at the past five years our consistency is unprecedented. We can attribute this to Xbox’s diversity – we have something truly unique with Kinect, a lineup of blockbuster titles and a complete entertainment offering with movies, music and television on Xbox LIVE.”

It hits Sony on square on the temple, SONY IS ROCKED! But the bell rings before Microsoft could capitalise. WHAT A ROUND FOR MICROSOFT!


ROUND 3
It’s the third and final round. Sony rises off the stool. Saved by the bell. Microsoft senses weakness. McLean throws a barrage of blows.

“Xbox 360 is the only console with Kinect and therefore the only way that people can use gesture and voice command to control their television experiences,” he says. “Those things, combined with local content and blockbuster titles keep us relevant to consumers.”

BUT WHAT’S THIS? SONY SWINGS BACK! THEY’RE EXCHANGING BLOWS OHMYGAWD!

“We are leaders in interactive home entertainment,” says Ephraim. “Now, there is a portable step-change coming. This year, PS Vita will provide the gold standard for customers who are seeking connected, uncompromised, immersive portable games experiences. When you look at the kind of gameplay possible with titles such as Uncharted, mobile devices just can’t deliver the breadth and depth of games experience that PS Vita can. Plus there’s Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity and integration of popular social apps such as Facebook, Twitter and Skype, which customers expect from a portable device.”

Double hyperbole figure spin knockout!


Image via Bleacher Report

If you want the proper press releases, read below!

Xbox 360 bucks industry trend

Sydney, Australia, 6 Feb 2012 – Following industry data released by the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (iGEA) today, Microsoft announced that it was the only platform to show growth in a contracted Australian market during the 2011 calendar year. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 bucked the industry trend with more than 5%1 platform revenue growth during that period.

Coupling this, Xbox 360 was the number one selling console during the important Christmas sales period in 20112, and December 2011 was Xbox’s highest selling month on record3. The period also marks five years of consecutive growth in the Australian market, both in console unit and platform revenue growth – the only console to do so in Australia.

Furthermore, globally Xbox 360 ended the 2011 calendar year as the world’s best-selling current generation console.

David McLean, Director, Consumer Channels Group, Microsoft said the results for Xbox 360 were promising. “It’s clear to see that the momentum in this industry is with Microsoft and the Xbox platform. We won at the telling Christmas period, we are standalone in our growth this year and looking at the past five years our consistency is unprecedented. We can attribute this to Xbox’s diversity – we have something truly unique with Kinect, a lineup of blockbuster titles and a complete entertainment offering with movies, music and television on Xbox LIVE.”

Microsoft also saw its online subscriptions for Xbox LIVE grow nearly 40% in the 2011 calendar year4 showing that even more people are taking advantage of Xbox 360’s online services and partnerships, including FOXTEL on Xbox 3605, Zune Movies and Music6, SBS ON DEMAND7, ninemsn video8, YouTube9, ABC iview10 and Dailymotion11.

“There is no question that the industry is evolving highlighted by today’s iGEA announcement, and we are seeing more people move online to consume content. The Xbox 360 has been able to evolve with our customers and the way that they like to interact with their games and other entertainment,” David said

“Xbox 360 is the only console with Kinect and therefore the only way that people can use gesture and voice command to control their television experiences. Those things, combined with local content and blockbuster titles keep us relevant to consumers.”

ENDS

PlayStation®3 (PS3™) leads Australian console sales in 2011

• PS3 achieves over 24% console unit growth in 2011
• PS3 platform delivers highest unit and value share in the industry

SYDNEY, 6 February, 2012 – Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCE Aust.) today announced solid results for calendar year 2011, with official NPD Group Australia data confirming that PlayStation®3 (PS3™) console sales outperformed the competition, driven by a 24.85% year-on-year uplift in unit sales. The total PlayStation 3 platform – which aggregates platform hardware, software and peripheral device sales[1] – also delivered the greatest unit and value share to the Australian games industry, at 25% and 31% respectively. In Australia, the number one software title of 2011, Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, also sold the greatest number of units on the PS3 format.

Michael Ephraim, Managing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia said: “Despite a very eventful year, these results signal the PlayStation platform’s leadership position in the interactive games category in Australia. The uplift on PS3 sales was no small feat, in fact, our percentage year-on-year unit growth was triple that of our nearest competitor. In 2012, we plan to further drive this position through our commitment to what PlayStation does best – delivering our customers quality, immersive entertainment experiences that set the benchmark for others to follow. This vision is both in the home, and very soon, on the go with PlayStation Vita which launches on February 23.”

PlayStation 3 now has a device footprint in Australia of almost 1.5 million consoles[2] with many people enjoying the convenience of a high definition entertainment solution that offers the choice of Blu-ray disc capability, side-by-side with access to digital services and content. While NPD data tracks physical retail sales, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia also achieved year-on-year growth in online revenues across the PlayStation®Network, which provides a comprehensive digital entertainment ecosystem of games, TV, movie and music content.

Ephraim continued: “We are leaders in interactive home entertainment. Now, there is a portable step-change coming. This year, PS Vita will provide the gold standard for customers who are seeking connected, uncompromised, immersive portable games experiences. When you look at the kind of gameplay possible with titles such as Uncharted, mobile devices just can’t deliver the breadth and depth of games experience that PS Vita can. Plus there’s Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity and integration of popular social apps such as Facebook, Twitter and Skype, which customers expect from a portable device.”

_____________________________

[1] PS3 platform sales as tracked by NPD include first party and third party sales.
[1] PS3 numbers reflect life to date to Week 52, 2011 and combine NPD sales data of 1.27 million units and B2B sales of 210K.

ENDS


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