Gaming: Brand loyalty vs. functionality

Playstation’s media launch just a week after the unveiling of Microsoft’s Xbox One at E3, has fired up the debate between gamers on Tpoll’s Future Tech Forum.

Initially, Xbox appeared to have stolen the high-ground and social buzz as their new hardware delivered more functionality, greater performance and sharper graphics than anything

else currently on the market. Microsoft had also attempted to broaden its appeal to the non-gaming community, positioning its console as an all-in-one home entertainment module with the latest innovations in TV and music integration.

This strategy left the door open for Sony to position its PS4 as the true gamers’ gaming console. Sony capitalised on the negative publicity that was brewing over the Xbox One’s software restrictions on second-hand games, and made a point of announcing that there would be no such restrictions on the PS4. This, coupled with a price tag set at around 20% cheaper than the Xbox One, suggested it would be the clear console winner this Christmas.

Interestingly, the majority of reactions amongst the Future Tech Forum’s gaming community have emphasised brand loyalty regardless of technical superiority. Many commenters suggested that they would continue to side with the Xbox One in spite of their acknowledgement of the PS4’s more open and gamer-centric functionality.

Some commenters went as far as to say they would trust Microsoft to adjust its stance on second-hand games prior to the console’s launch - something that the company has since announced in the wake of negative online publicity following the PS4’s reveal.

This suggests that Tpoll’s Future Tech Forum is at the forefront of consumer insight in the field of tomorrow’s technology.