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Microsoft Kicks Playstation2 out of CeBit.
dnaumov writes "According to this article on ZDNET, Microsoft complained to the show organizers, Hannover Messe AG, that Sony was breaching show rules by letting people play on Sony PlayStation 2 game consoles. While Sony has been letting people play their consoles at CeBIT for the past 3 years, that didn't really bother anyone. However, MS seemed to not like the fact and filled a complaint. What makes this even more funny is that Microsoft officials denied that the company had complained to the Messe. but the show organizers confirmed that Richard Roy, vice president, corporate strategy, had complained. This effectively forced PS2 out of the show and Sony started packing their bags on Sunday. Microsoft was also displaying their XBOX console at the show."
Hmm....this would be one of the few time Microsoft has ever gained anything by playing by the rules. I find it wildly ironic. Seems like it's one of those rules that everyone ignores until one person wildly breaks it. Wonder if MS will be subtly letting people "experience" XBox at the show under some "other" name. ("No, we aren't letting them test-drive the X-Box, we're letting them 'feel' the controllers. They simply are hooked up at the time.")
KMFMS.
JoeLinux
Except the fact that it wasn't in Yale but in UK, that the rule wasn't in latin even though it was an ancient one, that they didn't compromise to coke and cake and that the sword wasn't to be carried to exams but everywhere in the campus... you got the story almost 100% right.
Sigged!
I think you are missing something. Although Microsoft has officially kept its hands clean, I would not be surprised that they supplied the consoles that their "technology partners" had available for others to play. (ie: Nvidia, Western Digital).
Seems like a rather underhanded way of taking the limelight away from others, but its not like they're known for this sort of thing.
Interestingly they screwed up, not realising that the organisers would name the company/person that complained. It would be interesting to see if the official who told the press is still employed next time round.
Yes, actually, to the tune of several hundred million dollars a year.
Sony packed up and left.
They didn't. ZDNET doesn't say that either, if you read closely. They removed the PS2s, but the rest of their much bigger exhibition is still there. A much more detailed report about what happened is delivered by Heise. Use the fish if you have trouble reading this article.
Sony probably couldn't come to a compromise since their booth was designed to allow people to take their own test drives. This means they probably didn't have the staff on hand to run continuous demos and most likely didn't have the booth space for demos to work. Most likely all of their "compromises" involved user test drives. Microsoft did nothing wrong by complaining. Underhanded as it is, since I bet their booths were sufficently far apart.
Denying they complained is, however, typical Microsoft.
Citing the the ZDNET article: "On Sunday morning Sony started packing up its 27 PS2s. The show, in Hannover, Germany, officially finishes on Wednesday." This is very misleading if you read it sloppy. Sony did not leave the show. They removed the PS2s, no more no less. The entire Sony booth is 2000 square meters, only 100 square meters where dedicated to the PS2. The rest is still there. This article by German magazine c't explains the situation in much more detail. Use the fish translation if you don't understand German.
Unlike Comdex, CeBit starts out as a serious and sober event. It is well organized. It is very productive. It is run by Germans. It does not have buxom booth bunnies. (OK, not Los Vegas-style booth bunnies and those that are there are few and far between and you can't get your picture with them.)
The only giddy joy and adventure at CeBit beyond the cool tech is the day the local kids come in to get and trade pins, and at night in the on-site beer hall, getting drunk, then challenging some Japaneese company to tug of war and hooting ape calls. Who needs language?
While Microsoft was fully justified in complaining if the sound was loud at the Sony booth, it sure sounds like they are taking on the role of smarmy tattle tale. That in itself is not in the spirit of CeBit.
A firewall can not protect you from yourself. Turn off what you do not need. Do not use the firewall to do your work.
Looks like there was a GameCube on show available for play as well. I believe it was at ATI's stand.
From the poster of the article: What makes this even more funny is that Microsoft officials denied that the company had complained to the Messe. but the show organizers confirmed that Richard Roy, vice president, corporate strategy, had complained.
Now you can calm down.
Sigged!
--
Evan
"$30 for the One True Ring. $10 each additional ring!" -- JRR "Bob" Tolkien
The article clearly stated that MS had employees demoing the consoles, so my guess is these are the people you saw. The fact they complained is a little fucked up, but I really doubt they would complain about Sony doing it if they were doing the same thing themselves.
Perl - $Just @when->$you ${thought} s/yn/tax/ &couldn\'t %get $worse;
The link to the babelfish translation was broken for me. However this link works fine.
MOD THE CHILD UP!
Actually I just Googled the answer to my own question, and as usual, the American Press is as Winston Churchill said, "Vulgar and Without Substance."
The following article in German from Heise.de explains that the reason for ejecting Playstations from the show was that CeBIT is a tradeshow for "Business and Professional" exhibits. You cannot display consumer electronics or games. That is why Microsoft shows the Xbox only behind glass, and Sony showing 27 PS-2 boxes to play with was against the rules.
Yes, Microsoft's whining is pretty sad, but killing the PS-2 display had little to do with hands-on vs. suits showing off.
"Actually, according to the story, Sony offered to only permit its own employees to operate the PS2's"
w _media/newsid_1879000/1879078.stm
That statement (or anything like it) is nowhere in the linked article.
Also Microsoft was not the only company to complain.
From http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/ne
"A spokeswoman for CeBIT told BBC News Online: "We received complaints from many, many exhibitors about Sony, including from Microsoft."
[snip]
The spokeswoman added: "Both companies were showing their machines but Microsoft followed the rules and did not have any games to play on it, while Sony did. CeBIT is not for playing games."
She said CeBIT asked Sony to switch the games off but instead the company removed all of its consoles from the fair.
"It could be they were angry," she added.
According to the BBC: 'A spokeswoman for CeBIT told BBC News Online: "We received complaints from many, many exhibitors about Sony, including from Microsoft."' I haven't seen this mentioned in any of the other articles. I guess it makes it a more interesting story if Microsoft was the main instigator.
n ew _media/newsid_1879000/1879078.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/
David
Hmmm it looks like most of the people posting here have never seen a generation of consoles being released and the fierce competition that goes on between them. This sort of stuff used to always happen, with Sony, Sega and Nintendo. It's called competition people, and it's healthy. Compainies are allowed to do it, and yet just because it is Microsoft, you bash them. Of course Microsoft is going to be compeditive - that's how they sell consoles. Sega, Nintendo and Sony have all done it in the past when going head to head, and yet after Microsoft does it, again more bashing. MICROSOFT WASN'T THE ONLY ONE WHO COMPLAINED - according to the BBC report many complained, which is conviniently left out of the Slashdot Article, typical from a bunch of losers who try to make whatever they're using better by bashing other forms.
Sony broke the rules
Many stalls complained (INCLUDING MICROSOFT)
Sony was forced to take down the consoles because they were BREAKING THE RULES, and instead of maintaining a normal stall, they went off in a fit of anger.
And yet all the Slashdot clowns go on about how Microsoft did it and Microsoft were wrong and this is the only way for microsoft to get a "manopoly" - interesting word isnt it? It really gets thrown around especially with articles concerning Microsoft, ever since the trial. I bet half of the adolescent 14 year old losers only found out what that word meant after the trial and suddenly stopped believing that is was synonomous with the board game.
Sony broke the rules, got punished.
If you don't think this was right and believe that Sony was being victimised by Microsoft, then go and have a cry to your other MS-hating geeks at school who are too poor to actually pay for software for their old computer that they scored when their neighbours had a garbage pile out the front of their houses and stop whining because you chose the console that is losing and run by a gay company.
So they did not just remove the PS2, but they also closed off the area (100m2 out of 2000m2) with a red/white ribbon and placed signs around it asking for "Understanding". So they are clearly are making a scene of it.
Read about it here.
free the mallocs!
Wrongo!
There were plenty of public playable xboxes at the show, however MS had handed them out to their "partners" so they did not have to have any playable xboxes in their own display. Sony made the mistake of keeping their ps2s in their own display.