Company
This is a strange one, but it is a sign of the current consumer culture we now live in, especially as video game enthusiasts. As these pieces of hardware change from the time of purchase through policy changes, patches and UI updates, it is important to consider who we can trust to do the right thing with our entertainment. Purchasing a console is now an investment and it is an experience that is bound to change in the future. If you consider the experience of both current-gen consoles from when they were first released to now, they are barely recognizable. With many, Sony is currently the company smelling of roses. Their E3 victory still in their back pocket, a ton of people are currently backing Sony to trounce Microsoft. And for as much as Sony look good right now, Microsoft looks twice as worse. Even though Microsoft have reversed their controversial policies, people still remember that they tried to pull seemingly unfriendly consumer policies. Microsoft are going through a bit of a PR nightmare now and if we were taking the last month and a half into account, then yeah, Sony would be the guys to 'trust'. However, lets not forget about the longer past. Back at the beginning of the seventh gaming generation, Sony were in a similar place Microsoft are, being the butt oyf jokes and the PlayStation 3 looked like it didn't have a very bright future. It also wasn't so long ago that Sony had their network breach, compromising personal information about users. Fast forward and the PlayStation is affordable, has come onto level pegging with the Xbox in sales and has a great back catalog to explore. The Xbox 360 has also had its problems with calamities with its own hardware, the RROD being a perfect example, but their customer service in terms of fixing broken products that were even out of warranty was great for consumers. Console generations are long and services change rapidly. Also, lest us forget that these are two massive corporations whose existence is to turn a profit. 'Trusting' either to work in our best interests instead of their own is absurd. Microsoft are perhaps the more established to embrace change, but whether that change is going to be in our best interests is a valid concern. For now, Sony are possibly offering the best 'service' and seem to really be embracing gamers as their consumer base so perhaps for the second, that is who you might want in charge of your console. Although these things can and almost certainly will change as we get closer to release.