When Microsoft initially stated that they would force gamers to check in online every 24 hours with the Xbox One, many people cried foul over this controversial decision. Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida, speaking to Famitsu (via Polygon), revealed that he was well aware a similar policy for the PlayStation 4 would face the same reaction, so Sony used Microsoft's pain to their advantage:
"There were lots of people who gave their opinions on that issue to my Twitter account before E3...It's not that our hardware policies are decided strictly based on user reaction like this, but when we were thinking about what we had to bring across and how to bring it across, it was a very useful source."
This is interesting news, to say the least. Sony has been on the attack mode when it has come to the next generation of consoles, seemingly baiting Microsoft on several occasions to try and top the PlayStation 4. In particular, the video shown during E3 that mocked Microsoft's original used game and sharing policy were effective at mocking the company. In addition, it was leaked months in advance that Microsoft was planning to force users to connect to the internet, so Sony had some strong advanced warning that gamers were not thrilled about any such policy being implemented.
Experiments such as the Sims City debacle have shown that when DRM goes wrong, it can go wrong in spectacular ways. Though Microsoft has changed their always-on policy, the damage may have already been done, as public opinion seems to have shifted towards the PlayStation 4. Shuhei Yoshida shows that Sony is well aware of the faults that the Xbox One and Microsoft have, and are trying actively to show the public that Sony is too suave to fall into the same mistakes as their main rival.