Sony trying to Scupper the Xbox 360 launch?

[Steven W]

Interesting report! There seems to be reports all over the web claiming many people are sending back their faulty 360's!


"1P has allegedly found evidence of a wholly owned Sony subsidiary, Koyeo, actually encouraging its employees to smear Microsoft's Xbox 360 by spreading ridiculous rumors about faulty and overheating units.

According to 1UP, "Project Light Flame" has seen Koyeo pay its third party employees to actually motivate abusive views about the console. We would understand if some hardcore Sony fans decided to engage in similar activity, but Sony is a large and respected company. If proven to be true, Sony may find itself at the center of a harmful legal battle before the Playstation 3 is even released.

With the launch of the Playstation 3 is slipping farther away, Sony can be expected to step up its anti-Xbox 360 marketing, however this is illegal propaganda and it has surprised many of us."

[Nick]

Oooh.. I'm down at Sony on Thursday, I'll ask 'em!

[Deadlight]

Dear oh dear. What with the CD Rootkit sruff and now this, Sony really are digging themselves a hole, aren't they?

[Woodchuck2000]

"Sony is a large and respected company."

I think you meant "Sony is a large and once-respected company." There's only so far you can go with proprietary formats and intrusive DRM before you lose the respect of the consumer and I think Sony is rapidly reaching that point.

Frankly, it takes a very small number of internet loud-mouths to get the attention of the internet community. If a site gets 40 reports (actual or otherwise) of overheating XBoxes then it's suddenly a global crisis for MS. It would not surprise me whatsoever if Sony employees were being paid do give such reports.

[Nick]

The thing is, how many Sony software users will know or actually care about the DRM stuff?

I suspect that although us more technical types are getting rightly peeved over it the majority of users either don't know, don't care or know but still don't care.

Its the price you, perhaps unwittingly, pay for using their products. I may not necessarily agree with it, but that's how it is and there's not an awful lot that can be done about it.