Battle of the ad campaign: PS4 vs Xbox One
As launch day for the next gen consoles approaches the two companies start bringing out the big guns: expensive TV spots.
In around one month's time, both the PS4 and the Xbox One will be on shelves in Australia — and a fair chunk of the rest of the world.
It's not too surprising then that both Microsoft and Sony have produced expensive advertisements spots to promote their various offerings.
Xbox is pushing a "get involved" vibe, with a big emphasis on the console as a full entertainment device — games, movies and sport all a get a look in, with the idea seeming to be that the Xbox One has the potential for a more engaging experience than its rival.
Sony's strategy is all about gaming, and its ad from a few days ago reminds gamers that it's more fun with friends — two chums mercilessly compete against each other while singing Perfect Day from the dearly departed Lou Reed. (Impressive timing on the song choice, sadly.)
Big set pieces, slow motion car crashes, Zachary Quinto: superficial differences aside, in many ways the ads are surprisingly similar, but at least the Xbox video shows some gameplay.
However, for pure nostalgia value, Sony's "For the Players" video, showing the evolution of the PlayStation from 1995 to now, is excellent and does an impressive job of demonstrating the PlayStation's gaming pedigree. But it does pose one big question: shouldn't that kid have moved out of home by now?