Microsoft seems to have some continuity problems as two of its execs have contradicted each other with public statements. Neil Thompson, Regional Director at Microsoft UK, recently blasted Sony’s Blu-ray technology as something that is to be dismissed, while Peter Moore, Vice President of Interactive Entertainment, said in January that having the option of a Blu-ray add-on for the 360 may be a possibility. Apparently, someone didn’t get the memo.
Thompson remarked to the London Times that the PS3 isn’t any better than the 360 and went on to say that, "[Blu-ray is] two, three years ahead of the market. People won’t want to replace their entire DVD collections, and they’ll get a better resolution with a standard DVD on an Xbox than a PS3."
Sounds good, but Thompson seems to have missed Peter Moore’s statements from a few months ago when he said to ITMedia of Japan that Microsoft would opt for a Blu-ray player instead of its available HD-DVD player if the tide turns against them. Seeing as HD-DVD is the format Microsoft is backing, it doesn’t make sense for a Blu-ray add-on to be released at this point. But since this is an add-on, the ability to make a Blu-ray attachment is perfectly feasible.
Thompson said that the PS3 has little to offer to the gaming public in terms of its online PlayStation Network and its "wow" factor, stating, "In the technology and gaming there’s really little in the PS3 where I can say, ‘Gosh, I wish we had that’. The biggest threat that Sony has for us is the brand that’s been established around it."
He continued, "You have to have a range and quality of gaming content. More and more we’re seeing that the online experience is a really important factor. Sony has come up with an online world that seems to let you do just about everything except gaming."
While the signs seem to show the PS3 is in deep trouble, it’s far from impossible for Sony to pull out of its dilemma. But that all depends on whether it can convince the general public that Thompson’s line of thinking is untrue, and so far, Sony seems to be having a hard time.
