Sony’s advertising is usually great. Their #4ThePlayers campaign has been good and well rounded so far, never really taking any cheap digs and playing on nostalgia for PlayStation, which is perhaps their strongest point.
And now they’ve sullied it with this – an image tweeted from the PlayStation EU twitter account with some text which reads like something an ill-informed fanboy might write on a forum. It’s not only a cheap dig, but a poorly put together image featuring the phrase “in 1080p graphics”.
They don’t make a distinction between the PS4 running Ghosts natively at 1080p and the Xbox One version upscaling from 720p, either. It’s just a mess, and quite unprofessional, even if they’re essentially trying to mimic their used game announcement from E3.
Still, they make a good point in that you can upgrade for only €10, and the image is actually from Ghosts, so that’s all fine, they’ve got some useful stuff in there. Oh, and then there’s the #4ThePlayers tag in the top right. Great.
It’s also worth noting that the resolution of the image is only 440×440, and therefore looks rubbish within the context of this article. Perhaps Microsoft will send us one with a better resolution to turn the tables.
Blastiel
It’s from Playstation DE which is why it is worded like it is and it was quickly pulled.
Still I would use it as a selling point, If I made a machine that was more powerful then a rival launching at the same time why not?
Blair Inglis
It hasn’t been pulled. It’s still there.
DarkLord
Quite clearly 99% of gamers don’t understand the difference between native 1080p and upscaled 1080p (which is why nobody has taken Microsoft to task about their 1080p labels on sub-1080p Xbox360 games, whilst Sony only ever quoted native resolutions).
I got bored years ago correcting Xbox360 fanboys that claimed PS3 was crap because it only did 900p and the Xbox360 version of the games was 1080p, it said so on the box….
TSBonyman
Damn their honesty! :)
GloryBoyTom
I can’t see what’s wrong with it, it’s only telling the truth. And microsoft bangs it drum about getting content first so I say touche
Broonba
Aye exactly. I wonder if things would be any different if the shoe was on the other foot.
94jdh
Well microsoft always used to advertise dlc first on the xbox, so it’s really no different, just won’t get seen that way!
DarkLord
Precisely, if the tables were reversed, Microsoft would be shouting from every rooftop on the planet, about the resolution advantage. It’s good to see Sony dishing out Microsoft’s own medicine…
DJ Judas
Poorly executed, but completely fine in regards to their intention; it’s the truth.
beeje13
Agree on both accounts.
FoxHoundGabe
Cant see whats wrong with that.
double-o-dave
What’s the problem??? They’ve got a perk so why not advertise it? It’s no different to either console advertising exclusives or supermarkets advertising their prices are cheaper than the rivals on TV.
The Xbone’s version is upscaled to 1080 so surely Sony have a point. It’s like someone upscaling Jet Set Willy off the Speccy to 1080 then claiming it’s in true HD 1080p – It isn’t.
bunimomike
The hardcore crowd are first in the queue for games like this so advertising that it’s 1080p makes perfect sense. Just that the text is a bit juvenile sounding but that could be a “English is my second language” problem more than anything.
MadYetHatless
It’s a bit childish to go for the easy shots, yeah, but it’s an overeaction to say they “sullied” their ad campaign. Sony isn’t some holier-than-thou company who plays the marketing game completely fair and chivalrous. They do what they can to sell more consoles than their competitors, and when you have anything that gives you an edge over other companies, you broadcast it. Microsoft and Nintendo have both do exactly the same in the past. Besides, it isn’t as if they’re lying, it may be phrased and presented badly, but that doesn’t change the fact it’s technically true.
Jag
I think they’d be silly not to mention it. If it gets more people to buy a PS4 over a Xbone then why not.
They’re not lying or even misleading and surely it’s up to MS to make the point that it’s upscaled to 1080 not Sony.
matthangzhou
I don’t think it’s a bad move at all. Quite the contrary; if you have an edge over the competition then it makes sound business sense to advertise the fact. And by reading the others comments it seems you may be in the minority here Blair.