6 ms·

Amazon reviews from the PS4 and Xbox One next-gen console wars

22 points by mbennett 13y ago

mda 13y ago
Why do people spend time on useless graphs for something that could be explained clearly in 3-4 sentences?
- skc 13y ago
  Because it's blog. He's not writing for the Times.
- steveklabnik 13y ago
  Sometimes, pictures show information better than words. Also, infographics get embedded, which still sends traffic your way...
  - hdevalence 13y ago
    Yeah, but these pictures don't show the information that well. You can't see the numbers side by side -- you have to click between and have an animation run. In addition, they use a two-dimensional representation for one-dimensional data, which is bad because people are bad at judging the sizes of areas. It's not about making charts, it's about making bad charts.
    - mbennett 13y ago
      The writer does not seem to be a paid journalist and they helpfully provide the raw data. Perhaps someone will make a better chart and post it.
csmuk 13y ago
And perhaps bigger news in the UK (not sure about other countries): amazon console sales are xbox 360's in the top few slots. No sign of the "one" or PS4.
- dandellion 13y ago
  The PS4 will be released the 29th in Europe.
- estel 13y ago
  Not what this indicates? http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/videogames/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/videogames/
rtpg 13y ago
This highlights one of the more disappointing aspects of the internet, where group-think leads to essentially mobs of people creating fake reviews on amazon. I wonder what goes through the minds of people when they do that. I mean they're probably aware of the fact that they don't have the console. More than that, what do they have to gain from doing this?
- incision 13y ago
  >"More than that, what do they have to gain from doing this?" Gaming console wars are a great example of people who have confused their self-worth with their preferences/possessions. Combine that with viewing the world and this contest in particular as a zero-sum game and there you have it. People creating fake reviews to feel better about "themselves".
- smtddr 13y ago
  It's the same mentality that leads to fans of opposing sports teams to get into fights with each other. They've attached their own self-worth to the thing they like. This happens in the tech world too ...don't ever make the mistake of telling a 10yr+ Java developer that Java sucks. ;) >>>Abandon Thread >>> http://i.imgur.com/oWVPPXF.gif http://i.imgur.com/oWVPPXF.gif
- antiterra 13y ago
  It's tribalism, and it's been around since long before the Internet.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
Nekorosu 13y ago
Seems legit.
happywolf 13y ago
Definitely there could be some "die-hard fanboys from both sides of the fence are attempting to create bad rep for the other", but there are other possibilities as well: 1) Some people bought from other channels are upset enough to want to vent their disappointment on Amazon (quite likely, as I did that to a book that I bought elsewhere to warn off others on its issues) 2) People with vested interests (paid or otherwise)
vezzy-fnord 13y ago
The console wars are quite pointless, I think. Maybe it's just regression and nostalgic delusion, but I find that the consoles of old (up to the sixth generation) had novelty in their designs and ability to mod them. But now I find them to be dull. Unless one really wants to play exclusive titles, I find no reason to own a console.
- deelowe 13y ago
  Agreed. I've been trying to put my finger on why this console launch feels lackluster to me, and this is it. There's simply nothing novel here with either device (wii-u doesn't count does it). I'm bearish on consoles at this point. While the launch numbers look good, I'm wondering if these units really have legs. It's clear gaming isn't the top focus with either of the parent companies, so this will be interesting to watch. Valve/Steam/Steambox OTOH, is a fresh and exciting prospect(to me).
  - foobarian 13y ago
    The sad thing, from a technical perspective, about most of the recent consoles, is they are basically PCs. There is no more crazy ASIC design leading to graphics performance light years ahead of non-console computers, or the last console generation. For a while there we got used to the new gen consoles being leaps ahead of the current state of the art anywhere (including PCs). However, once GPUs got commoditized and mass produced, continuing that trend became impractical. The good news is that while next gen consoles won't be leaps ahead of state of the art, this is not necessary to have good games, and an extremely fun gaming experience not possible on any other platform. The sad thing I mentioned above is at the same time very exciting to me--once there is no crazy custom ASIC design, developers won't have as much trouble writing games. You basically get a PC with a blessed system configuration and a well known API that will lead to more and better performing games than during the last generation. As far as console vs. phone or PC, I don't see them going away any time soon. They have many advantages over both.
    - JoeAltmaier 13y ago
      I was never a fan of consoles - the interface is so low-bandwidth I give up in frustration in a few minutes. So I find nothing to be sad about, that quality gaming has become available on more platforms.
Someone 13y ago
Many of those charts would do well in a "Most confusing graph" competition, especially as a series. For example, the "HOW HAPPY VERIFIED REVIEWERS ARE WITH THEIR CONSOLE" pie chart at first glance makes PS4 look a bit better than the Xbox, because the graph above it uses black for PS4. You have to click he radio button to see that that is correct, by a tiny (I expect not statistically significant) margin. Whether that holds for 4-star reviews, too is kept hidden from the readers. One could just as easily show the distribution over all star rating for both devices in one graph. More information, easier to grasp.

22 points by mbennett 13y ago

mda 13y ago

Why do people spend time on useless graphs for something that could be explained clearly in 3-4 sentences?

skc 13y ago
Because it's blog. He's not writing for the Times.
steveklabnik 13y ago
Sometimes, pictures show information better than words. Also, infographics get embedded, which still sends traffic your way...
- hdevalence 13y ago
  Yeah, but these pictures don't show the information that well. You can't see the numbers side by side -- you have to click between and have an animation run. In addition, they use a two-dimensional representation for one-dimensional data, which is bad because people are bad at judging the sizes of areas. It's not about making charts, it's about making bad charts.
  - mbennett 13y ago
    The writer does not seem to be a paid journalist and they helpfully provide the raw data. Perhaps someone will make a better chart and post it.

csmuk 13y ago

And perhaps bigger news in the UK (not sure about other countries): amazon console sales are xbox 360's in the top few slots. No sign of the "one" or PS4.

dandellion 13y ago
The PS4 will be released the 29th in Europe.
estel 13y ago
Not what this indicates? http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/videogames/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/videogames/

rtpg 13y ago

This highlights one of the more disappointing aspects of the internet, where group-think leads to essentially mobs of people creating fake reviews on amazon. I wonder what goes through the minds of people when they do that. I mean they're probably aware of the fact that they don't have the console. More than that, what do they have to gain from doing this?

incision 13y ago
>"More than that, what do they have to gain from doing this?" Gaming console wars are a great example of people who have confused their self-worth with their preferences/possessions. Combine that with viewing the world and this contest in particular as a zero-sum game and there you have it. People creating fake reviews to feel better about "themselves".
smtddr 13y ago
It's the same mentality that leads to fans of opposing sports teams to get into fights with each other. They've attached their own self-worth to the thing they like. This happens in the tech world too ...don't ever make the mistake of telling a 10yr+ Java developer that Java sucks. ;) >>>Abandon Thread >>> http://i.imgur.com/oWVPPXF.gif http://i.imgur.com/oWVPPXF.gif
antiterra 13y ago
It's tribalism, and it's been around since long before the Internet.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

Nekorosu 13y ago

Seems legit.

happywolf 13y ago

Definitely there could be some "die-hard fanboys from both sides of the fence are attempting to create bad rep for the other", but there are other possibilities as well: 1) Some people bought from other channels are upset enough to want to vent their disappointment on Amazon (quite likely, as I did that to a book that I bought elsewhere to warn off others on its issues) 2) People with vested interests (paid or otherwise)

vezzy-fnord 13y ago

The console wars are quite pointless, I think. Maybe it's just regression and nostalgic delusion, but I find that the consoles of old (up to the sixth generation) had novelty in their designs and ability to mod them. But now I find them to be dull. Unless one really wants to play exclusive titles, I find no reason to own a console.

deelowe 13y ago
Agreed. I've been trying to put my finger on why this console launch feels lackluster to me, and this is it. There's simply nothing novel here with either device (wii-u doesn't count does it). I'm bearish on consoles at this point. While the launch numbers look good, I'm wondering if these units really have legs. It's clear gaming isn't the top focus with either of the parent companies, so this will be interesting to watch. Valve/Steam/Steambox OTOH, is a fresh and exciting prospect(to me).
- foobarian 13y ago
  The sad thing, from a technical perspective, about most of the recent consoles, is they are basically PCs. There is no more crazy ASIC design leading to graphics performance light years ahead of non-console computers, or the last console generation. For a while there we got used to the new gen consoles being leaps ahead of the current state of the art anywhere (including PCs). However, once GPUs got commoditized and mass produced, continuing that trend became impractical. The good news is that while next gen consoles won't be leaps ahead of state of the art, this is not necessary to have good games, and an extremely fun gaming experience not possible on any other platform. The sad thing I mentioned above is at the same time very exciting to me--once there is no crazy custom ASIC design, developers won't have as much trouble writing games. You basically get a PC with a blessed system configuration and a well known API that will lead to more and better performing games than during the last generation. As far as console vs. phone or PC, I don't see them going away any time soon. They have many advantages over both.
  - JoeAltmaier 13y ago
    I was never a fan of consoles - the interface is so low-bandwidth I give up in frustration in a few minutes. So I find nothing to be sad about, that quality gaming has become available on more platforms.

Someone 13y ago

Many of those charts would do well in a "Most confusing graph" competition, especially as a series. For example, the "HOW HAPPY VERIFIED REVIEWERS ARE WITH THEIR CONSOLE" pie chart at first glance makes PS4 look a bit better than the Xbox, because the graph above it uses black for PS4. You have to click he radio button to see that that is correct, by a tiny (I expect not statistically significant) margin. Whether that holds for 4-star reviews, too is kept hidden from the readers. One could just as easily show the distribution over all star rating for both devices in one graph. More information, easier to grasp.