In an interview conducted on Eurogamer TV, Microsoft UK boss Neil Thompson and Sony’s UK chief, Ray Maguire, did their version of a verbal octagon fight by criticizing each other’s game consoles. (Ed’s note: In other words, they accomplished nothing.)
Thompson said that the Xbox 360 was the superior machine because of its outstanding online capabilities and said Sony was far behind in this area."I don’t see how Sony can really deliver that, and they’re certainly not delivering that in a compelling way today. I think what Sony’s talking about has compelling aspects to it, but I don’t think there’s anything there that… We’re going to be afraid of competing with, because we will certainly evolve our service as we move forward."
But Sony’s Maguire countered by saying the PlayStation Network had more to offer and that it was, for the most part, free. "I look at our [online service] as being an inclusive area for people to be able to communicate and play with each other. Some content will clearly be downloadable and chargeable, but it should be an environment that people can get together and explore by themselves without having someone say, ‘We’re going to charge you for entering this space.’"
Thompson then went on to say "People that are thinking about a PS3 or a Wii, I would just say, look at what you’re buying, and what do you want to buy? Do you want to buy a gaming machine that offers you the best high definition gaming, and online gaming, for the best possible price? If those are the questions in your head, I really can’t see why anyone would choose anything but the Xbox 360."
Maguire took a typical Sony stand and remarked, "Quite simply, if you want the best gaming experience, if you want the best output in terms of high definition, if you want the best connectivity, then you need look no further than a PlayStation 3. Simple as that."
No matter what the arguments are, the final winner of the war of the words will be determined by sales figures, and not by the comments made by the heads of Microsoft, Nintendo, or Sony.
