Xbox 360 wins the MySpace war. So what?

by Vladimir Cole { Sep 1st 2006 at 1:00AM }

With the news that MySpace drove more traffic to online retailers last week than did MSN search, nobody can deny this MySpace monster anymore, least of all game companies who hope to reach the MySpace generation.

And yet it seems that Nintendo (Wii MySpace page, 3672 friends) and Sony (PS3 MySpace page, 494 friends) have been slow to embrace the phenomenon, sporting anemic MySpace pages (and anemic friend counts to match). This is compared to the Xbox 360's relatively robust MySpace presence (68680 friends).

Nintendo's weak (hard to guess, not obvious) MySpace URL also indicates that Nintendo registered their MySpace domain as an afterthought. Indeed, the first comment on the official Wii space is mid August, 2006, while the unofficial space at myspace.com/NintendoWii appeared 3.5 months earlier. When your fans are beating you to the punch by 3.5 months, there's a problem.

Sony's MySpace presence comes in dead last. Chances are, the Sony MySpace page isn't even official. With less than three months to launch, it doesn't look like Sony intends to build a proper MySpace presence at all.

In sum, the lack of Wii and PlayStation presence in the most powerful online community indicates marketing departments frozen in place even as audiences migrate away from traditional channels.

Tags: advertising, marketing, microsoft, myspace, nintendo wii, playstation, playstation 3, ps3, social software, sony ps3, wii, xbox 360, xbox360

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

bill pullman @ Sep 1st 2006 1:09AM

so nothing. MySpace is one of the worst things to happen to the internet since child pornography. hell, they're pretty much the same. it's a never-ending trainwreck, snowballing its way through today's youth, and has NOTHING to do with gaming. i only wish it would've stayed that way.

Embassy @ Sep 1st 2006 1:12AM

i guess its "cool" to hate myspace these days( down wit teh machine!!one!11!)...but the fact remains that its a powerful marketing tool , love it or not.

Petrie @ Sep 1st 2006 1:15AM

It seems as if Microsoft understands that the future of gaming is on-line, in every way immaginable. Though not a huge X-box fan, I can appreciate that MS is at least going where the people are, and attempting to reach out to those it hopes to convert.

Nintendo's minimal presence doesn't shock me, as they don't seem to as openly embrace the on-line side of things, as can be seen from their friend code system and the lack of online for the Cube. I imagine the lack of myspace presence goes along with their "playing is believing", in that they don't feel like a simple myspace page can do their product justice.

Sony though, shocks me in this regard. Being the leader this generation, you'd think they'd want to keep themselves in everyone of their fans minds. They'd want to be right there everytime someone logged onto myspace, reminding them of when the system releases, and of all the information that trickles out.

For many people myspace is the only place they go EVERY SINGLE DAY online, and a presence there could help keep the Wii and PS3 right at the front of the hype wagon this holiday. It's the perfect place to make sure all your fans have the latest rumors right away, and to even help make converts of some detractors. Missing out on this CHEAP area for marketing is just ignorant for these companies. Having your fans be part of a myspace group would only help make them rush out to get your product on day one, so as not to feel left out.

bill pullman @ Sep 1st 2006 1:17AM

"i guess its "cool" to hate myspace these days( down wit teh machine!!one!11!)...but the fact remains that its a powerful marketing tool , love it or not."

i wasn't aware that anyone hated MySpace (myself excluded), but i will concede that it gets a ton of views.

Petrie @ Sep 1st 2006 1:20AM

By the way, thank you Vladmir for keeping the Joystiq posts coming all through the late night hours (at least it's late where I am).

Brandon @ Sep 1st 2006 1:29AM

It's not that I hate the idea or site behind MySpace, but the fact that people talk about it ALL THE TIME. It has become so out of control.

Here is my thinking:
If you can't instant message me,
if you can't send me an e-mail,
if you can't send me real mail,
if you can't call me,
if you can't come see me in person,
You really don't need to talk to me. I've given you more than enough options, I don't need MySpace, or Facebook for that matter, for you to talk to me. I don't want to talk to you if that is how picky you are.

My friends spend hours a day checking Facebook (which is MySpace for college students apparently). Honestly! They know they have problems and admit to spending that much time on it, but a social network of people SITTING ALONE IN THEIR ROOMS ON COMPUTERS. What does social really mean then?

I must admit though, I would like to start a similar site only to take away from these. I would call it werfin.com. World Electronic Rad Friendship Internet Network. The acronym is the only reason compelling me to ever do something like that though. I mean, it has the word "rad" plus three out of its six words dedicated simply to letting you know it takes place on a computer.

Simon @ Sep 1st 2006 6:01PM

Sony doesn't have a proper PS3 myspace page? Cheers! ...all the more reason to support sony. Myspace is the most god-awful place on the net. Every page worse than the last. ...Poppy bubblegum music greets you ...cutsie animated icons _everywhere_ ...and the friends list. Don't get me started on the the end-all-be-all popularity war that wages with this 'feature'. Myspace is to the internet what the Fox News Channel is to television.

reebo @ Sep 1st 2006 1:43AM

Maybe the 360 one has more members or whatever becuase people actually own it?

Vinnk @ Sep 1st 2006 2:00AM

On noes! Now I can't play online Wii games with emo kids!

Big loss.

Mikeawesome @ Sep 1st 2006 1:41AM

After observing it, the PS3 is definitely a fansite, if it were created by Sony then it would have the same features as the Xbox and Wii sites; the boards, different style layouts, etc.

Also, Myspace and Facebook are very much a lax networking group, it's for those of us who want to keep SOME contact with those whom we wouldn't be able to otherwise and it's best suited as a distraction for people, mostly. Facebook is actually the more useful of the two because on a college campus it's easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle and confusion. I wouldn't put it past me missing out on some kid's phone number or aim screen name (given that the majority of which are far too obscure to ever remember), so to be able to search my school for their first and last name (which would be easy to find if they're in a group of mine or something), then be able to contact them instantly and know they'll get an e-mail to their campus account, which they NEED to check daily? That inspires a bit more confidence in that my message got to the person I needed to get it to when I needed to get it to them (or about when I needed to get it to them). Not to mention that it becomes invaluable in keeping contact with people from High School or semester to semester.

Fandel @ Sep 1st 2006 1:49AM

Well, it's nice that Microsoft has developed a MySpace page to correspond with that 360 camera. It's good to know that Microsoft has made the 360 the preferred system among Child Predators.........(just kidding by the way:))

Embassy @ Sep 1st 2006 1:52AM

myspace is the most convenient way to stay in contact with people..simple and plain...and honestly...alot of the people on my myspace..i dont want calling me...or emailing me...and visiting me...myspace is a nice " boundary"...at the same time its great to network..me being a music producer , i've made numerous contacts thanks to myspace and have even made a few clients off of myspace..and anything that help makes me money is good :)

DJ DLB @ Sep 1st 2006 2:40AM

http://www.myspace.com/playstationthree

This is The Official Sony MySpace Page

kyou @ Sep 1st 2006 2:38AM

I got 9000 in myspace.

azesino @ Sep 1st 2006 2:59AM

http://www.myspace.com/playstationthree official??

lol Just listen to the Snap yo fingers beat on the background

Steve @ Sep 1st 2006 3:02AM

#13
No, no it isn't.

matjet @ Sep 1st 2006 4:26AM

what's "myspace"?
??

?

dan kavanagh @ Sep 1st 2006 3:47AM

#13 haha, i like the poll "i might buy 3 games becauseima baller" basically #11 said the magic words. on a sidenote - how come all the comments on the Wii site are gangsters saying things like "wii will rock joo, hah fool, no seriously smash makes me wet"

^ +spelling and gramar

is @ Sep 1st 2006 3:58AM

You can bet your sweet ass the reason sony isnt embracing this marketing scheme is because they are about to position themselves as a direct competitor to myspace, and don't want to endorse the competition in any way whatsoever.

Gareth Jones @ Sep 1st 2006 4:27AM

The graphic designer that came up with black and grey text on a black and grey background on Sony's page really needs to be shot. You need to scroll the page to just the right few pixels where the gradient of the greys contrasts enough just to be able to read it - as with most of their decisions lately, very lame.

The Wii page just smacks of "fuck all effort".

The 360 page really is commendable. MS is the only one doing all it can to entice potential customers.

Mr. Man @ Sep 1st 2006 5:24AM

DOOD.......
Think about it, 360 has been out for a while, Ps3 and Wii arent even out yet.
I think Nintendo is doing just fine for not even being out yet!
Lets just wait and see how the comparison is when they are all out!

Gareth Jones @ Sep 1st 2006 5:35AM

So a company shouldn't bother trying to drum-up support for its product or start advertising it until it's already out?

You obviously don't work in marketing, and thank God for that.

BIGGEN @ Sep 1st 2006 6:07AM

#1 - myspace isn't the worst thing to happen to america's youth. parents are. parents that don't monitor and punish their children are the problem. people like you are the problem. you would rather blame a website (which is awesome for networking and FREE) than point the finger at the real issue. i'm one of the 68,000 or so that's on the 360 friends list. and while alot of the forums consist of 15 year olds name calling back and forth about which next gen console is better, it's still about gaming and has nothing to do with child pornography you f*cking imbecile.

Manda @ Sep 1st 2006 6:32AM

@6: ::applause::

MySpace offers nothing but a way to claim friendship with someone when you're really just half-assing or faking it. Sure, Facebook is great for setting up your next kegger, but that's about it.

Protofunk @ Sep 1st 2006 7:14AM

If Nintendo's "for kiddies" does that mean that the 360's now the choice of brain-challeneged attention whores?

IslandLife @ Sep 1st 2006 7:25AM

All myspace does is encourage bad design. Sorry, really awful design. Multicoloured illegible text over busy backgrounds. No grid structure. Poor placement of pictures. The list goes on and on. Emil Ruder must be rolling in his grave. So sad.

Gerwurztraminer @ Sep 1st 2006 7:48AM

I personally use MySpace to keep in touch with friends that are literally thousands of miles away. Real people that I've actually met and gone to school with in the physical world.

That being said, product placement on MySpace makes little difference to me.... (so far).

is @ Sep 1st 2006 8:01AM

Woah, some people on here got really miffed when their myspace had zero friends or profile views.

I use it as a way to keep in touch with mates at different uni's and in different cities, share pictures with them and an outlet for my amature 'journalism'. Every now an then you come across a good band as well.Whats wrong with that? Nothing, thats what.

JM Scion @ Sep 1st 2006 8:43AM

I gotta wonder, why is there so much competition not only between console manufacturers but their fans? You'd think Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony were college football teams or presidential candidates. When it comes down to it, the three nextgen systems are hardly anything to argue about. If a gamer had the money, he/she could buy all three and play whatever game he/she wants. Yet some people just seem to snuff the other two systems out of a sense of loyalty, and argue with anyone who owns an opposing game system.
But how does the game console you own make you at all superior? More importantly, why is it relevant that one game console has more power than a previous game console? Nearly every "Sony fan" tells every "XBox fan" that they're dumb to buy a 360 because the PS3 will have better graphics. OF COURSE IT WILL. IT CAME OUT NEARLY A YEAR LATER. And the PS3 graphics chip was still in development when the XBox 360 was being built to ship out. So a system that comes out after another system will always have better graphics, so the question of "superiority" comes down to order of age. By that principle, Bob Burnquist should turn in his Skateboard because Sean White and Ryan Sheckler will inevitably become better than him.
But does a system's power have anything to do with whether you can enjoy a game made for it? I own a Sega Dreamcast, PS2, and Xbox. I am still playing games on the Dreamcast that the other two systems never had (Starlancer could be my favorite game of all time) and having just as much fun as I would playing Halo 2. Then there are people I know who still own a NES and don't think about buying a nextgen system because they're having a lot of fun with their pixelated 2-D games.
My point is, will the XBox, PS3 or Wii ultimately rise above their competitors and reward their loyal fans? No, as long as a video game system plays games, it is exactly equal to any of it's counterparts. If one of these companies did knock it's competitors out of business, video games would become far less enjoyable as we'd have a great deal less of them to choose from, possibly bringing the industry to an end. So there's nothing to accomplish by going to these MySpaces and writing "The [favorite system] will blow your [opposing system] out of the water!"
Whew well that's my rant for today.

Paul P. @ Sep 1st 2006 9:22AM

Maybe Nintendo and Sony fans just know how stupid MySpace is. MySpace is for teenage girls, high school nerds with crushes on them, and 40 year old male predators.

Cyrix_0 @ Sep 1st 2006 9:52AM

PC GEEKS = XBOX360 FANS

Icelandman @ Sep 1st 2006 9:50AM

Microsoft has fallen into the "trying too hard" demographic a lot over the course of 360's short lifespan but its fair to say that Microsofts game advertising is simply significantly ahead when it comes to knowing their core consumers media preference.

Whereas Sony's most succesfull campaign has been the "Hey PSP is like a mildly sublte racist reference, you can be offended by outside!" and Nintendo having a paltry at best showing anywhere on the advertising front in recent months.

But let's not underestimate the importance of MS being based in America, because traditionally, net trends have varied massively from Asian to American shores, and both Japanese companies may be very trepid to delve into America's internet culture when the same approach won't work on there shores.

I wonder if Xbox 360 comments back?

darryl @ Sep 1st 2006 10:21AM

"With less than three months to launch, it doesn't look like Sony intends to build a proper MySpace presence at all."

Praise the Gods! Sony has some sense afterall... At least they know MySpace is teh ghey.

Cabbage @ Sep 1st 2006 10:36AM

MySpace may get a lot of interest drummed up for something (see Snakes on a Plane), but the that interest doesn't necessarily translate into success (see Snakes on a Plane).

MySpace is a haven for bored little preteens and self-absorbed teenagers. They can go see a movie advertised on MySpace, or a concert, etc. but they definitely don't have a "second job," if they even have a first job, so they definitely can't afford a PS3.

I wouldn't be too worried about these companies not having a page on MySpace. Microsoft seems to be the one pushing the MTV/MySpace preteen crowd.

Jeff @ Sep 1st 2006 11:24AM

I'm on MySpace, and I don't completely hate it, but honestly, its marketing influence is *hugely* overblown.

Yes, it gets a lot of visitors. But what do those visitors *do*? "Snakes on a Plane" is an example of the overhype surrounding MySpace - lots of buzz, no action on the part of consumers. The thing about people on MySpace is that they're there strictly for the community aspect; they're not there to be marketed to. It may seem like they're embracing an actual product every once in a while, but only so they can talk about it with their other MySpace friends - not so they'll actually go and buy anything. These things just become topics of discussion, but translating that into actual actions has not proven easy, and I would posit that it's just never going to be possible. I think the success of MySpace as a community web site is directly inverse to the success of MySpace as a marketing tool. i.e. the more people go there just to talk and share interests with their friends, the less maleable they're going to be to real marketing pitches. When a marketing campaign is co-opted by a social network, it is no longer actually marketing anything.

Of course, it's going to take a while for companies to realize this, but the failure of Snakes on a Plane after all the hype there was kind of a wakeup call that got a lot of publicity.

My company also has a MySpace page with thousands of friends on it - and only about 100 of those visit our own site each week, despite about 50 different links to different things on our MySpace page. It's just not an effective tool for marketing anything but music (which is kind of a special case, first because that's what MySpace started out as, and second because you can actually "use" the product and then purchase and own it without even closing your browser window).

Boxclocke @ Sep 1st 2006 11:29AM

Regardless of anything I hear, I will continue to deny the Myspace monster. Besides the fact that so many people's "websites" push my bandwidth limits with Youtube videos, ultra-hi-res digital camera photos and sound files I do not want to hear, the vast majority of sites on Myspace push my "ugly" limits as well. No, dear, the bright orange italic 8-point cursive font is NOT legible on your poorly photoshopped, stationary, repeating background image of that kid who plays Draco Malfoy.

Am I being a snob here? Yes, probably. But I'm sorry if I've been able to "social network" (can that be a verb?) both on the internet and in reality just fine before the advent of Myspace. Got something you want to say to someone? Email. Want to say something back and forth with someone? IM. Like to blog? Blogger. Share photos? Flickr. MySpace offers nothing that can't be done more neatly, more professionally, and more advertisement-free somewhere else.

To be perfectly honest, seeing any company using a MySpace account to peddle their wares makes me think less of the product being marketed. It's like hanging a banner that reads "Hey kids! We lack the web design know-how and the marketing skills to generate buzz with a real website, so come visit our itty bitty tent in Uncle Rupert's backyard instead!"

I give kudos to Sony and Nintendo for hesitating to hitch a ride on the bandwagon. Real products deserve real marketing, not this lowest common denominator crap.

Justice @ Sep 1st 2006 11:52AM

PS3 and Wii aren't even released yet. People who have a 360 have the experience.

4 hours updating my MySpace profile= 3 "friends"

gman @ Sep 1st 2006 12:16PM

But if you can market to the kids on myspace with what they're interested in, myspace becomes a goldmine.

See: Myspace bands.

SO MANY SHITTY BANDS! but tons of people know about them simply because they have a myspace. It's instant exposure. You can't get that anywhere else. Myspace is perfect for lazy bands who want to do as little work as possible

Nmaster @ Sep 1st 2006 12:42PM

Ok guyz, math time. Microsoft definitly wins for gettin' on the MySpace train first, but if we're talking about most friends I think we need to do the right comparison.

Nintendo - started 15 days ago - 3929 friends - 192 comments
Microsoft - started 282 days ago - 68868 friends - 995 comments

Averages:
Nintendo - ~262 friends/day & ~13 comments/day
Microsoft - ~244 friends/day & ~04 comments/day

Nintendo's actually doing a bit better in the myspace world. Their fans are definitly more vocal if nothing else...

Komrade Kayce @ Sep 1st 2006 1:17PM

Okay, Joystiq? Um, you could always interpret those results ANOTHER way. Especially based on the general community of people that inhabit myspace, which I dont see as avid video gamers, more casual.

WII - System coming out soon, more information, more friends.

PS3 - System not coming out for a while, less information, less friends.

X360 - System already out, has owners, complete information and games! Most friends.

I very much doubt the creation date of the myspace blog and/or the quality of it and who created what and when plays too much into it.

Tomas @ Sep 5th 2006 1:16PM

man, f*ck Rupert Murdock's $60-Million purchase of MySpace.com and his plans of dominating the youth market by exploiting the information on everyone's profiles and selling it to third-party marketing firms.

MySpace.com is the biggest database on marketing to the youth market ever concieved. And the funny thing is that everyone is entering the data willingly thinking it's some sort of popularity competition.

F*ck MySpac. There! I said it. Down with the man. Specially now since Ruppie, Mr. FOX News (the people who gave you quasi-fascist O'Reilly) himself owns the goddamn website and all the information on it.

~TV

bill pullman @ Sep 1st 2006 2:41PM

"#1 - myspace isn't the worst thing to happen to america's youth. parents are."

yack, yack, yack. you're obviously a teen -- your insults and text scream it.

"and while alot of the forums consist of 15 year olds name calling back and forth about which next gen console is better, it's still about gaming and has nothing to do with child pornography you f*cking imbecile."

you're also clearly out of touch. if you'd spent any amount of time watching the news or reading it, rather than begging for hits on your MySpace page, you would've seen that Myspace and child pornography are very much related.

get a life and get your nose out of your monitor once in a while; you might learn something.

Unfounded Trout @ Nov 28th 2006 11:57PM

Sony's myspace isn't official since the url doesn't read myspace.com/PLAYSTATION3. Can't forget the caps-lock copyright, people!

spil @ Sep 1st 2006 6:41PM

I don't this can accurately describe the want for these consoles. MySpace isn't full of Joystiq reading "cool" people (so THAT's why everyone hates myspace!) that are keeping up with the next gen console wars. The reason the Xbox 360 has such a good showing is because it is already out, and there are more people who have played one, or (god forbid) OWN one. It is like asking an average American to either visit a sight of the car they own and drive every day or a concept car they have never heard of.