Funny Business

More email blasts regarding my tongue-in-cheek blog post about my son giving up his Xbox 360 for a PS3. Apparently the "tongue-in-cheek" part was more subtle than it should have been. Not that it would have made much difference.

Shields up!

Funny Business Comments:

"I don't even know where to start," writes Russell G.: "You really should have your water checked for lead, you are insane, and I can't even begin to comprehend your conclusion...Sony...Really? Not Nintendo? Not Xbox 360? Both of which have a good 5+ million and better (more) million sellers by far. Just because someone's son sees a press conference and freaks over pre-rendered trailers and games that have NO firm release dates, then proceeds to dump a bunch of money into a pit and burn it (because GameStop rips you so incredibly hard on you trade-ins) in order to get one game and a system with a minute library, Sony is magically winning this console generation...right."

From James R.:
"Sorry to be the one to inform you, but being a fanboy is nothing to be proud of. Fanboys don't think. While you say he wouldn't except some of the reasons the salespeople gave him, he still bought the PS3. How could there be used copies of Metal Gear Solid? Simple, the game is over three months old. The actual gameplay is less than ten hours long. Sony is in such a sad position that they used part of their time at an event, normally about showing off what you have in the pipeline, to talk about a game that is that old...He should have known that Sony has a lack of developer support. Because of the radical change in direction by Sony with their CPU architecture and the issues with Blu-Ray, many developers have stopped working on the PS3...I believe this article is about an editor pushing a reporter to do a pro-Sony story. Most likely for advertising money. Do you even have a kid?"

From PSD:
"Did you ever take (into account) the fact that the Xbox 360 was released one year before the PS3, which means there is a higher chance that more people will already have an Xbox 360, so since it has been awhile...not as many will need to be sold as compared to the PS3..."

Zachary F. wrote the longest email I've ever received, which basically says I did a lack of research, that I missed all the real breakthroughs at E3, and that I showed "a total lack of respect for those of us that work within the industry".: "I guess my question to you is: As a journalist, shouldn't you define 'ultimate proof' as something that is actually proof, and not one instance of a 16 year old buying a PS3?"

From Adam K.:
"Jane, I'd like to remind you that Sony is NOT winning the console wars. Sure, you have one AP report (which you said didn't matter in your original article) in which they bested the Xbox 360 (even though far more people own Xbox 360's than PS3s at this point), but you forgot about something: the Wii. Nintendo's console is blowing Sony out of the water (and since, unlike the 360, it's also popular in Japan, it's also blowing Microsoft out of the water). "

14-year-old Carl B. weighed in on whether my son was really the "expert" I claim him to be:
"If he is so on the ball in all the gaming trends, why was he just finding out about Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots at the E3 press conference? The title has been featured in all of the gaming magazines and media since it was announced a few years back. Also you apparently misused the word Fanboy. The term is used to describe a die hard fan who will see no possible flaw in their console of choice, it is perfect and it is the best on the market in their eyes. So an Xbox 360 fanboy would NEVER trade in their Xbox 360 for a Ps3 and one game."

Note from Jane: my son did know about the game already, he just wasn't sold on buying the system and the game until E3.

Ok, ok. Not everyone was outraged. Rahul S. is a Sony fan:
"Your son is right. The PS3 was nothing until Blu-Ray sort of came out of nowhere and took over, and now it's likely that Sony will win the high end console war. Wii will still be the biggest, but the PS3 will beat out Microsoft without a doubt."

From Phil O:
Wow! It's unfortunate that you have had to deal with the wrath of what the industry likes to call 'Fanboys', simply for posting a point-of-view outside of the typical analyst who really only looks at numbers. I find it very interesting that you take the view of one of the minds out there that the big 3 (Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony) are trying to reach. It makes sense to me that your son, a devoted Microsoft Xbox fan, to hold out on buying a PS3 for a game that had not been released until last month. Every Xbox 360 owner thought Metal Gear Solid 4 would eventually be ported to their beloved console. After getting clarification via Internet news sources, from Sony at E3, and the game creator himself Hideo Kojima, it only makes sense that one would make the switch for the one game...it is very unfortunate that you are getting so much heat from immature fanboys simply because you did not endorse their system of choice. Had the story been about an opposite situation, these same people would have supported you rather than 'slam' your article."

One email has me laughing out loud. It's from long-time reader Jeff J. regarding "touchy emails." He specifically addresses one at the tail end of

Christopher T. who called me an idiot (after I printed the email, Christopher apologized, which I thought was nice). Christopher compared me saying my son's turnabout was "ultimate proof" Sony is winning to his dog stepping on the remote to change channels from CNBC to ABC as "ultimate proof" ABC is better.

Jeff responds:
"Do you get these after every post? Including the addressing-Jane-in-third-person-again thingy and being called 'Sir' like 'Peanuts' Marcie greeting Peppermint Patty? Yelling at you won't improve Xbox, pick an air tanker, or save imploding banks...Did your new ardent fans (Chris T. + Dog) know your son is part of GameStop's core demographic ('07 AR) - 14-35 males?...RE: Dog the Bacon Hunter choosing ABC over CNBC...let's examine….If selection is random there's no cause / effect proving ABC superiority. If it's deliberate it's likely through association. Example: D (for dog). recognizes tall blonde women from nice neighborhood who give treats. D. watches both networks (with pet human) and sees you on CNBC / Katherine Heigl and Nicolette Sheridan on ABC. Per your past 'mass transit train post' you bear resemblances to both actresses + Paula Zahn and all are / were at ABC. D. associates you with both networks. Ergo, networks are equal; you and Katherine matter, not channel selected; thus you're NOT an idiot - by reader's own logic! As Cramer says, do your homework, people."

From Bob and Toni:
"Gee. These people really get upset don't they? Jane - no matter what you say, my wife and I love your commentary. It's always funny and usually interesting. Keep it up and just let those idiots search for a life."

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