The Emperor’s New Console
Last night, Sony staged their much-hyped PlayStation 4 launch event in New York City. But this post isn't about what the console is; this morning I've been reading more about what the console isn't.
Controversially, the electronics juggernaut didn’t use their big unveiling to unveil the actual hardware. Instead, the assembled press, developers and onlookers were shown the new DualShock 4 controller (complete with touchpad) and given a bunch of information on what the console is capable of.
But no console.
I woke up this morning to headlines like Sony fails to show PlayStation 4 console at PlayStation 4 event and PlayStation 4 absent from Sony launch event. Twitter and Facebook were filled with posts about the actual console not being shown.
See Sony trollin', they hatin'
So have Sony dropped the ball on this one?
I don’t think so; I think Sony are actually the world’s biggest trolls right now. They know that the experience delivered by the console is more important than looks, but as we can’t play it right now we’re all salivating over the thought of that first glimpse. A glimpse that never came.
What was the result? The whole world is talking about the PlayStation 4. #PS4 and #PlayStation2013 have both been trending on Twitter all morning. Sony have had their launch even, held back a view of the hardware and can now grab more headlines when they drop that, presumably after a well-timed break. When it comes to marketing, media coverage and getting us all to talk, it could play out brilliantly.
Well played, Sony.