Was Sony right to pull the plug on the Camera?

Honest question. I know the usual response will be: "Yes, because motion gaming sucks" but seriously, do you think Sony should have included ("forced") the camera with every PS4 purchase? Or was Sony right to remove it in order to drop the price down to $400?

I ask because, I have the camera and honestly, it's not bad. Probably not as responsive as Xbox One's (I can't compare since there are no demos for it in stores I've seen) but it works pretty well. Plus, Sony's The Playroom is surprisingly entertaining (my little cousins and family went ape over it).

But Sony removed it from the package to lower the price and not "force" it on consumers that don't want it, unlike Microsoft that bundled it with each system sold. Basically, now the Kinect base will be every Xbox owner so developers will have more incentive to utilize the Kinect whereas developers will most likely neglect using the PlayStation camera due to the low install base (which, again, somewhat upsets me because it's a cool piece of tech).

So, I ask, was Sony right to remove the camera, thus decreasing the camera's potential capabilities in order to combat Microsoft's price? Or were they smart to because not every consumer is interested nor should be forced to have one?

TL:DR - Sony removes the camera, less people buy or care about it. Good or bad for PS4's future?

High on the success of the Wii, Nintendo bet the farm on being able to ride into the next generation on a sleigh pulled by tablet hype and summarily failed. Now they are struggling with the WiiU exactly the same way they did with the 3DS after it launched, only the answers aren't coming quite as easily. Meanwhile, MS abandoned the core gamer for the motion control crowd back in 2009 for all intents and purposes. People may act like the XBone is shockingly bad (and well, it is) but it's the direction MS took gaming long before the XBone was tragically announced.

Sony, on the other hand, zigged when the other two zagged. They double-downed on the core console gamer at a time when it is rather questionable whether a lot of console gamers from last gen are jumping off the boat and going to tablets and cell-phone gaming. Let's make this clear. SONY is the only "Big Three" that bet on you (I say that, because who else is reading System Wars but actual core gamers?). While the other two have no clear gameplan for reaching out to Johnny CoD/Madden, they sold you down the river to cater only to them. Meanwhile, the kind of gamer that really does buy consoles at launch and launch titles was left out of the loop with all except Sony.

Take a look at how many games are being developed for the PS4 right now and ask the question again. Of course Sony made the right choice. They're not trying to turn gaming into something it is not. They're the ones who listened to what gamers wanted last generation and put a plastic box out there that does all of that. MS is selling you straight up snake oil while Nintendo is coming back around to doing what they do best and should have been doing all along, which is flexing their muscle with IP and solid games.

I do like having the option. My room is not big enough for Kinect to truly work in so its a waste for me.

Yes they were right.

It's good to give people options.

Yes.. I think it saved them from having to make games that force the use of it.. like the fighter within on the X1.. It's a gimmick. X1 should have simply included a really sensitive small microphone for voice commands.. that's it.

" Yes, because motion gaming sucks"

you answred yourself, it is a gammick and gimmicks should be optional.

And yes i am happy they aren't focused in motion gaming, i hate it with a passion.

Choice plus cheaper price vs no choice and forced hardware some people don't care about?

I think Sony made the right decision here. If people want motion sensing, nothing is stopping them from buying a camera just like you did TC. If they people don't want it, they don't have to deal with it and can enjoy getting the console at a better price.

Choice>>>>>>>>>>no choice.

In the end, Sony has the least to lose with the PS4 when it comes to casual/non gamers bleeding over to the mobile/handheled gaming market. They put themselves squarely in the passenger seat with the core gamers by making motion controls a choice and focusing on launching at an affordable price point. These are the guys that made the game industry a success and they will be the bellweather customers that carry the PS4. It is what it is.

Sony may be right for not including the camera in the box, but, they BETTER support the camera with top tier titles and apps. The camera is very nice and works much better than Kinect 2.0 in a lot of ways. It would be a sad shame if they did not give it full support.

Well seeing as there is no games for the camera and it not being as tied to the UI as the Kinect sensor I don't see the point in it. As far as the X1 where you can do a lot more and has a lot more functionality than the PS camera I can actually see why the MS put it in with each console. Most people that bash it now have never used it and base the X1 off of others experience and even though I was skeptical at first it works well when I use it. As far as games MS should of released the Kinect rivals game at launch because the preview I have seen so far seems like a pretty good game,. Add all that to the fact that if X1 and ps4 would of launched at the same time same price with the power difference they have now MS would have slim chance at competing . With add functionality they might be able to get some casuals after a couple price drops

Yes, MS should have done the same

Yes, they were right for removing it. If my camera didn't have 4 mics and not be usable for chat it would be collecting dust right now.

Yeah it was a clever move that caught MS off guard I think. One of the reasons Sony is now in pole position.

Yes, they were right. Having a choice is always better than no choice. It's the reason why Sony is dominating this new gen now.

@Krelian-co: It's only a gimmick if it's tacked on. All that matters is execution, and be prepared to expect disappointment if motion controls are optional.

no one gives a shit about the camera. It's useless for games it's useless for anything just like Kinect.

no, everything that is not necessary to have the system up and running is optional, specially motion gaming, it does not interest a lot of people yet ms decided to make everyone that wants an xbox pay for it, why? nsa? ads? take your pick.

Very smart not to include and compel gamer to purchase for streaming and other feature.

yes they were right.

pulling it from the package at the last second made them able to undercut the xbox by $100 and in the end the camera and kinect games suck like gaping chest wounds.

I thought more on this point, and there is one BIG reason why Sony was 100% right in not including it..

If motion controls were standard between the two systems, then essentially, the PS4 would end up being an XBOne Light. Instead, developers need to bare in mind the core gamers when designing games first and foremost and put Kinect controls in as an after thought. It affords Sony the luxury of playing to their strengths (better console hardware) rather than simply staying in the XBones wake (IR sensors and whatnot).

It probably actually pissed MS off just as much that the PS4 doesn't have a standard camera as it did when it was unveiled the PS4 has 8GBs of memory.

that's a shame because the Playroom robots were the coolest thing to come out of the PS4 since launch...

In my opinion the online videos haven't taken enough advantage of what the camera has to offer, I mean shit nobody has made a video of them doing the campaign spray feature like a moneyshot all over their wife/girlfriend's face and chest... god damn, I mean doesn't anybody wanna win the Greatness video challenge?

Yes.

Damn good answer.

Sony knew they would not be able to compete with MSoft camera to camera. The PSEye is an abject failure and Kinect was an absolute success comparatively. Can you imagine seeing reviews of The PSEye vs. Kinect???? It would have been a massacre in The Ones favor. It is bad enough that The One has been winning the console review articles as it is.

Move

PSEye

These are the failures of a company without an innovative bone in its body.

NO!!!

This has Lame Lemming Logic. Everything is better with an Xbox with Lame Lemming Logic.

No not everything just everything compared to the WobbleS4.

Cry Harder Sony Fan.

Yes. moving on...

I don't need a shitty half way functioning camera that will be severely outdated in a few years with its already redundant features, i.e Kinect

Yes, I think they did make the right call. I think their main goal was to start this gen out on the right foot and get the larger install base and therefore the attention of the developers, like Microsoft did last gen. In order to do that they wanted to undercut Microsoft in terms of the pricing. By most accounts, the Xbox One is $100 more because of the Kinect. While Microsoft is trying to make the kinect as integral of an accessory as say, a controller, Sony wanted to keep it as an accessory that isn't necessary to include with the console. This means Sony wins the price war, but it's very possible that if the Kinect really does make changes to how we interact as apposed to looking like a gimmick, then it was better for Microsoft to take the hit now and make sure everyone has kinect, then to lower the price and not include a camera accessory. Right now Sony wins, but who knows in the future.

Absolutely. Some gamers like myself find a forced motion sensing peripheral to be a turn off. Sony had the right idea to create a console as powerful as possible without making it too expensive so that the price won't hurt sales. $500 for the Xbox One isn't all that bad, but I think at some point MS took a wrong turn after the early years of the Xbox 360 and Kinect became the focus. Sony on the other hand focused more on creating a gaming console for gamers, and continued to provide gamers with great new titles late in the PS3's life, and it has put them in a better position for the PS4. Not to say MS haven't focused on that at all, but not to the same extent. Their approach is more about an all-in-one entertainment device, and I think Sony's approach will see the PS4 come out on top.

Having said that, by the time the 9th gen comes along, and Oculus Rift type of technology is perfected and cheaper, I think that may be a really worthwhile new step for consoles, maybe even included with new consoles.

Definitely. Motion gaming is useless except for niche titles like dancing games. The only good thing about Kinect is voice controls (when they work) and you don't need any special mic for that, you just need the system/game to support it.

Doesn't interest a lot of people? That's why the 360's Kinect sensor was so successful?

people were curious at first, but look at the shit attach rate and sales since the initial boom. People were suckered into thinking it would be a great innovation for their gaming experience and they got fucking nothing. That's the ONLY reason why MS is shoving it down gamers' throats with the Xbox One. They know nobody would buy the 2nd version of it now that they know it's crap unless they have to.

Yes they were.

Sony knows that most of the Core gaming community don't give a damn about motion sensing. Not only to undercut the $100 price tag compare to X1 but Sony to also give gamers the option to buy the Eye camera if they wanted to. Smart move by Sony.

Yup, it's a novelty unless you plan on twitch streaming with your mug on view alot. When i got my PS4 i was offered two packages, the Killzone bundle for 439 or a pack with an extra controller and the PS camera for 499. That is how MS should've done it, options.

Having said that i can understand that they made Kinect mandatory so it could be a fully supported peripheral which should lead to much better uses for it than the first Kinect.

No. I think Sony were very short sighted in doing that. We'll never know how developers might have integrated it had they known everyone has one. This was the importance of having a Kinect with every console.

The camera will now go as unused as it normally does. I'm a little disappointed Sony cut off a possibility in gaming for such a short term benefit. Now it's back to the 'same old, same old' instead of looking for new ways to expand console gaming with Playstation.

When you are broke risks become impossibilities.

Yes.

I like simplicity and gaming. PS4 provides with what I need and want from a gaming machine so far. It's good as an Optional Peripheral for those that want it.

And no games. it is a great console if you are willing to overlook that point.

lol I remember sheens not long before the ps4's release claiming that the ps4 was NEVER EVER going to have the camera included sony never intended this *even though every piece of evidence pointed to the contrary including shoehorning a useless peice of plastic and led light on the controller that does absolutely nothing*

Now all of a sudden it was a good thing they took it out? oh sheens always flip flopping, whats next will you finally admit Sony had full drm anti used game stuff ready to go then pulled back at the last minute because of the backlash from just the rumors?

From a business standpoint, yes. I believe Sony themselves said they would let MS make the first move and react accordingly. I think its easy to see this was about the DRM feature. But maybe they wanted to see the response to a mandatory Kinect as well. They came back with a $400, all opposite MS policy. Maybe if people flipped Shyte over the new Kinect, they bundle their cheaper version with the 4? We'll never know, but its not hard to tell. Especially for a company with the Savvy, combined with financial trouble of Sony.

Absolutely the right decision. Sony made the PS4 to be what gamers wanted....A GAMING CONSOLE!!! I bought the PSCamera because I wanted to, not because it was forced on me! Motion gaming is never going to be mainstream. All major games will always require a controller and for that matter, voice controls wont be a major focus either. So basically all Xbone buyers have been forced to by something that is not needed!

Leaving the camera out of the box is the absolute best business decision for Sony. The fact is that even with Kinect being mandatory, it will still be regarded as a peripheral when games are in development, unless they are a Kinect exclusive. The 2nd best thing Sony could've done was ensure it was a separate product available on day 1 for those who may want it for whatever reason (streaming, motion gaming, etc.)

As a separate product that is well featured throughout the PS4 (OS, playroom, streaming), the peripheral will be allowed to sell based off its own merits. Also, by being a separate product, it can be priced individually, with it benefiting from price drops and seasonal sales at all major outlets. It'll sell well enough and the OS already has features that make good use of it.

However, I don't think what TC is also inferring, that MS' better course would've been to leave Kinect out of the box, is correct either. I think the OS and design of the Xbone requires the Kinect, unfortunately. And I say unfortunately because right now, navigating the OS & UI feel cumbersome and confusing with a controller - almost as if done on purpose to 'highlight' Kinect-based navigation over it. The Kinect, as a device, is far more capable than the Playstation Camera, but the only way they could ever incentive exploring that would be through a large and active install base.

It will have games, numb nuts. Stop gargling Bill Gates' semen.

sony is financially troubled, so doing this was for the sole purpose of getting people to buy the cheaper console. Overall it means they can't make standardized games using those features, which MS can. Honestly, some of the kinect efatures in dead rising 3 are hand, i can command my team mate to follow or scavenge, and can swap weaponse by saying the name of it, or can call zombies over by saying "over here". Not 'motion controls' but totally a great addition to the gameplay and it works well too.

I think it was a mistake but they had to do it so I understand why.

LOL the people here, most of them, who are saying it's a "mistake" are honest Lemturds, who would (desperately) justify anything as ammo against Sony.

Just last gen, many lemmings were adamantly against Kinect and Motion sensing. Now all of a sudden, "it works".

The irony LOL