f@ggots.

this is an april fools joke

lol if this happened the fanboys would turn on Nintendo

He has some good points, and he says alot about fanboys, ironicly enough commenting on sites just like this one. so lets try keep the fanboy comments down guys...on this bit right here, what do you say? *ducks just incase*

The day that happens is when hell freezes over.

this happens then lenhart, PoG, theMart and most of us will caese to exist

This a fantastic idea...no sarcasm intended. I really think this could only serve to benefit the consumer in the end.

Microsoft handling the OS and online functionality (minus the cost of course) Sony handles the hardware with Microsoft's input.

More like "Nintendo has taken strides backwards for gaming, setting gamers back years with the Wii"

Thats more like it

Just ask Toshiba who they threw under a bus.

Sony + Microsoft = Overpriced crap

what film????

if it happened. But it would most likely be the end of N4G.

I
NEED
A
TALL
BUILDING
TO
JUMP
OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;-D
I'm NOT paying Micro$oft a PENNY!!!
My Gaming days would be OVER!!!
(Hope i don't come across sounding like a FanBoy!) ;-D

Non-FanBoy bit;) - Competition is Healthy(Pains me to say!) ;)
(Well Dirty Competition isn't tho...Hi it's Bill, i'll give you this BIG CHEQUE to Review that PS3 game the way i want you to Review it...etc etc) ;-o

They need to drop hardware and make only software. Microsoft would make more money if they supported Nintendo and Sony in software....but I think microsoft will do better in the hardware department in the Xbox 720. To be completely successful you have to have solid hardware.

Now the Wii,

Also the wii really is last gen tech, except for the controller and the wii ballance board. There is no HD, no HDMI, no digital optical sound out, no dolby digital 5.1 sound...heck in the sound department it is less than last gen....the best you get is dolby prologic...how old is that? And the Wii won't even play back a DVD...

Remember for the price $249.99...the wii is really not worth it...most people just play wii sports and thats it. It boggles the mind why nintendo will not make a wii sports 2...maybe they will this christmas 2008.

Plus 90 percent of the nintendo wii games suck, especially the third party games.

In the end...Sony will rule because of solid hardware, and good software line up for 2008 and 2009....And the 10 year thing that sony is talking about could work...look at the wii...its using 5 year old tech...and is the number one console in sales...

Never gonna happen that means they have to split the profit and opens doors for other companys to jump as the third party

Sony/Microsoft vs. Nintendo vs. New contendor

There would be to main clans on this console on the online network. A Sony one and a Microsoft one and previous gen fanboys would join those clans and would finnally be able to clash on the next gen battlefields after all the years of forum flamings, etc, etc.

I want a sony console with nothing microsft in it, hardware and software wise. 360 software is clunky and horrible, with a terrible interface, and their hardware, well you all know of RROD. Enough said. PS3 is pretty near perfect.

that would be a dream come true if that happened

Quite clearly this article , although well worded, is written by someone with very little business knowledge and no ability to step back and look at the big picture.

The guys assertions are pretty daft for so many reasons, and he might as well argue that we should only have one make of TV's or computers.

Competition is good, and I'm personally delighted that MS and Sony are keeping each other'on their toes' - as we, the consumer, benefit enormously from this competition.
The WII, despite the constant bashing of one or two who seem to think Nintendo can do no wrong, is in a completely different market place, and you might as well say Ferrari should stop making cars because they are so outsold by Toyota. It's a different market!
Both Sony and Microsoft are making plenty of money from games and gamers. Both have a good business.

That Fanboy wars are stupid is undeniable, but they've been happening since Mega drive vs Snes, and I remember having heated debates with a programmer when I was making games for the Amiga over the relative merits of PS1 vs Saturn. He was a saturn boy - but rather ironically went on to join Sony and become one of their most prominent and well respected console OS engineers!
If fanboy battles seem more prevalent, its because the whole world has the net to argue on now, and the market for games is huge, so more people care. Sadly, the truth of the human condition is that people will always find things to irrationally fight over. You only need to look at the senseless wars and killings all over the world to see the undeniable truth of this. I'd rather argue over the relative merits of a games machine than politics or religion any day.... of course I'd rather not argue at all...

This is an absolutely horrible idea. :P Thankfully, it'll probably never happen.

The Wii isn't "pummeling" the PS3 and 360. The Wii is being sold to a very different audience. It's not even in competition with the other two consoles because a) its games are designed to be excessively family-friendly, with virtually no adult themes, and b) it has very little graphical capability. It's essentially a PS2 with Nintendo's IP and a new controller, with gimmick "games" designed to get people's grandmothers interested in it. WiiFit? Yeah. That's hardcore. :P

Sony and Microsoft going hand-in-hand would result in a one console future, and lack of real competition in any market is unhealthy. Let's avoid it if we can. :P

Not gonna happen. A console developed by EA is more likely to happen than this "partnership".

M$ + Sony = goodbye consumer. Hope it will never happen. Competition is good and gives consumers a choice. Hope it'll stay that way.

I think without M$ Sony would suck and the other way round.
Now either one needs to convince consumers why their product is the better one, not the other. At least that makes them listen to consumers (to some extend).

360 is microsoft last attemp in gaming industry.at least for hardcore gamers.if they wanted to remain in the industry they hadn't let bungie,bioware,bizzare,big huge studio to go to other publishers.that's what i think right know but after E308 every thing will become more clear,a lot more clear.there we could understand they want to be here or go.

There will never be a Sony/Microsoft joint console released and it's that simple. Each company has their own specific goals that they want to accomplish.

In my opinion, Microsoft is a company that isn't very risk taking and plays it safe. In my view Sony is a company that actually tasks risks and is more innovative. Microsoft would have never designed the Xbox 360 with a Cell Processor or built in Blu-ray unless someone paid them to do it.

The fact that the PS3 has the Cell Processor and Blu-ray ensures that the PS3 console itself is future proof and the PS3 can easily maintain itself on the market for 10 years. The PS2 is still selling for god's sake and it will turn 8 years old this Fall. There's no reason why Sony wouldn't do the same thing with the PS3 and is in for the long haul.

Sony makes consoles to last for 10 years but Microsoft's consoles weren't really meant for a long lifecycle and that's just one reason why there will never be a joint console between Sony and Microsoft. There would just be no agreement.

However, if there ever was a Sony/Microsoft joint console, Sony had better have everything to do with the hardware development because Microsoft makes crap hardware. The only thing Microsft could even execute properly if there was a joint Sony/Microsoft console would be the Online and that would be the only thing I would trust them with.

if sony let MS in2 there arms itll b sonys downfall and i want nothin 2do with it!!!! SONY FTW WOOT WOOT WOOT

It would be a dream come true but I doubt this will ever happen.

PROS:

1. The Best Hardware/architecture Money can come up with.(sony can handle that)(Just ake some lessons from the 360 controllers Analog locations)
2. The Best Streamlined software/support architecture(MS can handle that)
3. Some AMAZING Exclusive games(Obviously the Ninty wouldn't be able to handle Graphic intense Titles)
4. Optimized games with Bigger teams not being split for Multi-Platform games. (Would break the Development Cycle in Half)
5. Microsonyfaboys would preach Love not Console War.

CONS:

1. Would be one Expensive FN Console with NO! other competition(Unless Ninty would surprise us). Price would drop at a very slow rate.
2.There would have no Choice or Bang for your Buck Logic. (Whatever devs create, you either buy it or you don't.) Actually thats how it should be instead of Hating on the other.
3. Variety and the Diverse of titles would suffer, with less smaller creative teams being Squeezed out with many EA's running Amuck.(It's slowly happening, with the Price of development today and the flops)
4. The would no longer be "Strategy" Discussions(my favorite..lol
5. N4G would be die a slow DEATH..hahaha

So I'm not for it...competition is what drive the Industry, If it wasn't for the other other "COMPETITOR" the competition wouldn't be striving that hard for success.(At whatever it is) Eventually all companies that are on TOP for a while BECOME LAZY & ARROGANT.

EPIC!!!!

ADDING ON TO THAT:

What would make it more epic was if Sega and Nintendo joined up and and had a epic battle of Old vs. New.

not gonna happen but would make a great story

Now devs don't have to make 2 different versions. I think next gen games would look, play, and be so much better.

Man the fanboys would be out of business if this happens. Anyway in my opinion, if they are working together MS should produce software and let the hardware department for Sony.

what a bunch of bs!!!!!!

Won't MS and Sony joining cause some sort of monopoly. Like taking over the gamin industries. like google formin with Yahoo.

its not going to happen. sonys just about to blow up, why all of a sudden their gonna join up? that will only make the wii look even better. dont think the wii will be in first place forever. i see the wii sales dramatically falling when the lcd hdtv's start to get cheaper. people are going to want blu-ray once they are affordable. so no, sonys not going to team up with microsoft, in fact they are going to rock the house in E3 and make microsoft and wii look pretty bad. their presentation alone is going to be phenomenonal. let alone unleash the beast which is alot of new stuff, they might even mention "head-tracking" this E3 who knows.(you guys didnt know about that 1 did you). peace.

I dont like the idea of a 'one console universe' as EA would. However I would not mind a console standard. They could agree for a standard CPU or CPU instruction set and build the rest of the console features how they like. This would be similar to PC's. Sony and MS could both design their own unique system, however coding the games would be the same for both. This means development costs would go way down, yet still allow for a difference between consoles.

of a monopoly is good but unlikely.

one system for everyone.more resources in making a better game as devs aren't split to make multiple versions.

the only way this would work is if all companies came together to form an alliance like hollywood.as rbanke said,they agree on the delivery system like bluray had its backers.same tech across the board that is agreed upon by all.something simular to what trip hawkins(ex EA rep) wanted with 3DO.

hollywood still has companies competing for movie dollars,trying to one up each other.but i would guess companies like nintendo would become (or stay) independent.

but likely scenarios are

sega-nintendo alliance(wii 2-or possibly joins the asian ps4 alliance)
EA-microsoft-valve alliance(720 american mergers)
sony-square-konami-namco-capc om alliance(ps4 japanese mergers)

companies like atari and ubisoft would join microsoft.companies like insomniac would permanently join sony as well as other independents.

we got 5-10 years to find out.as a side note,EA could make a system.as the amount of exclusive games and money they have could make it possible.but EA likes to make money off of others.unlikely scenario unless something changed at the executive level and shareholders agreed.

apocalypse................

A merger like this would destroy gaming. There would be no real competition and we'd have to be selling our babies to buy the console.

Wont happen.

However they should work together on the next media format to avoid f***ing consumers ove, ala HD-DVD.

Also it will prevent multiplats being gimped to meet size requirements <cough>GTA4<cough>

to be true =)

I don't want to/Would rather them not join up. As everyone has stated it would kill the gaming industry. (the Wii is already boring me to death which caused me to buy a PS3 in distress). I would say, if they do join (Hopefully only under heavy terms) Then their better not be a RROD issue and that failure rate better be as low as the PS3's current failure rate or less. Otherwise I'll swear off gaming forever. :(

Reliable and cheap hardware, with the best of technology on every front, including hardware, software and services, then I'm all for it, especially if it is gonna crush Nintendo once and for all. However, if it's overpriced crap, then I hope it never happens.

Fanboys would be devastated. The question is...would you?

... tell him to pass it over...

Sony joining Microsoft is as likely as the Jewish and Palestinians becoming allies which is never.
Now Apple and Sony joining would be firing on every electronic out there.

There will always be something to fight for. What I see that would be more probable is SEGA coming back in the hardware buisness but in a partnership with either Sony or Microsoft. SEGA always had great hardware that was innovative and ahead of it's time. It didn't always work but they always wanted to be the leaders. I think that vision and knowledge could be useful to Sony or microsoft for developping the next generaton of gaming console

Why does the author want to kill non-minigame gaming, each console has it's own strengths, thats the point of exclusives. To show what your console can accomplish, without being limited by the of the other one.
Like others have posted if you only have one console, why bother to push your next game much if any, you will still sell a significant amount of copies, sounds more like a recipe for stagnation to me.

Ea is in favor of it, this alone should set off alarm bells, lets see an ea console, so is that the ea 2011, 2012, 2013 or 2014 console.
A new one each yr with minor new features updated with each version, with 59.99 games with 2 or 3-$5 sets of disc content unlocks.

Ea would be wise to continue leaving game companies/ips they bought out the hell alone and stop pulling stupid upper level management decisions.
Like battlefield bad company buying your guns or mass effects pc's draconian, over the top copy protection. They give gamers enough reasons to think of them as the bane of the game industry, without adding more.

This is about as likely as Sega making games for Nintendo consoles ....oh, wait.

I suppose anything could happen in the future.

would be cool to have ps3 hardware reliability with ps3 games and 360 games. then i wouldn't have to worry about sending my 360 back for the 2nd time :P

That would be pretty sweet, take the best of both consoles and have a ridiculously huge library of awesome games.

it would be a dream come true 1 console all games man that would be great. i dont think it's gana happen cause of nintendo though. if it was to happen id say it would be if ea was to make there own console they got a huge library of games i dont think sony or micro would be able to compete with them.

sony/micro to team up against ea now that there would stir up a huge fight. what is stoping ea from making a console? we all know that a console is nothing with out the games, and ea has plenty of it might not be the best of quality games but i beleive a fight like this would push them for that quality.

microsoft and sony will never work together on on console. TO those companies it is about making money and trying to out do each other. While nintendo strides taking video games back to their roots, concentrating on family fun. The Wii is a good system with great replay value, and nintendo is not trying to out do itself trying to match sony or microsoft. If sony were smart and same with miicrosoft, They would set it up where a person with Call of duty 4 and a Xbox owner had the same game. People could face each other with the two differant systems. I would like to slap the game either in my ps3 or 360 yes i have both systems and i would like to kick some arse with either syetems

Now that Jim Ryan is gone just need to remove Herman Hulst from his position! And maybe give Shuhei the position he deserved.

This gen hasn't been the best for games, last gen consoles are still out there and now there's been talk of the PS6 and Xbox Two for a year or so. Many games this gen will be ported to next gen and the cycle will continue. The re-release of the Neo Geo AES+, games on cartridge for £70 ($95), gaming is going back in time. Gaming has gone pricing mad with the high cost of games, consoles and controllers. The men and women at the top are clueless.

It’s always interesting to hear behind-the-scenes stories like this, especially involving veterans like Shuhei Yoshida and leadership figures like Jim Ryan. That said, there are usually multiple sides to decisions at that level. It could be less about not “listening” and more about differences in long-term vision for PlayStation. Yoshida played a huge role in shaping the brand, so whatever the reason, his impact is undeniable.

If true, and I'm inclined to believe it is, it goes to show that Sony lost their way when they became more western/didn't respect the PlayStation origin story. Andrew House and Jack Tretton did great work, but they also didn't try to fundamentally change the PlayStation DNA. Ryan oversaw the death of Japan Studio and a live service direction.

I already figured this, good lord imagine if Shuhei took over instead, would've been a platinum era 😩

I miss the first three generations of PlayStation. The way they turned PS3 around, we knew they meant business. We were all worried for a bit there around launch. Eventually from 2008 they started shifting slowly. But since Yoshida was fired, it's never been the same. Still enjoy my PS5 daily. I got a backlog dating back to PS2 lol So I'm fine but new games aren't as appealing anymore.

It seems like we were thrown on to the worst timeline possible where everything is too expensive and the wrong people were put in positions that makes the world a shitty place. We could have had Shu as the head of PS but we got the shitty alternative. Same goes for everyone in power around the world. Doesn’t matter the company or country the majority of us got the shitty picks and the world is declining like never before. I do think PS can come out of this because of their studios, talent and IP but they need someone more in touch with gamers leading things like Shu was. They’re still the best place for console gaming imo but it could be much better than it is especially without the massive live service failures. The rest of the world I have a lot less hope for right now. Hopefully the pendulum swings back towards the good ole days but I’m preparing for the worst.

There goes illuminati distraction story

So now there's certifiable proof that Ryan was in fact "fired", as opposed to when it was first announced that he "retired", in order to save face.

There's another guy who recently "retired" as CEO of another large gaming company, after doing a dismantling job as lead for well over a decade.

seems legit, the business man, fires the one who has ideas to move the business forward.

Jim Ryan is the reason why we are entering year 6 since the PS5 launch and many of us don't feel like the PS5 has gotten started as yet.

I hope going forward, we will see a return to form.