According to reports on Monday, Microsoft is preparing to unveil the Xbox 720 on May 21 and launch the system in November against Sony and the PlayStation 4. The system won't be known to the public until then, but it already has one person thinking the PlayStation 4 doesn't have a chance.
Speaking to GameTrailers, Atari founder Nolan Bushnell thinks the Xbox 720 will be the clear victor in the battle against the PlayStation 4 (surprisingly, or not, the Nintendo Wii U wasn't mentioned at all).
"I personally believe Microsoft is in a superior position, and the reason is Sony, whenever they change consoles, the software tools that they have are lame," Bushnell said in GameTrailers' Rollin' With Nolan (via GameSpot) segment. "A lot of times in the past they were in Japanese; not well documented and getting the software development community up to speed...they may have been able to do it in Japan, but the American software community just says 'Oh boy, what a pain.'
"A lot of people don't realize how strong the software community is at making the hardware platform sing and dance."
The comments are something of a surprise, considering Sony's emphasis on easy development with the PS4. The company has spent a lot of time getting developer feedback for the system, and spent a considerable portion of the 2013 Game Developers Conference attempting to woo developers.
"Microsoft, because of their strong software tools, will end up with much better products sooner [and] easier, in my estimation," Bushnell added. "With that, I think will be an advantage. And also don't forget, Microsoft actually has so much money to defend this.
"Plus, they have a good infrastructure with the [Xbox Live Arcade], with their online world." Sony's PSN, meanwhile, is "god awful," he said.
These are pretty strong statements of support for the Xbox 720, especially considering all the controversy surrounding the possibility that the system will require an Internet connection to work or that it may block used games.
Do you agree with Bushnell about the PS4 and Xbox 720? Let us know in the comments.
