Microsoft (MSFT 1.82%) and Sony (SONY -0.13%) are putting on their best game faces. The two companies kicked off the E3 expo by showing off their consoles that will battle it out for diehard gamer supremacy this holiday season.
Sony proved to be the gamer fave. Not only is its console hitting the market at a lower price tag -- $399 for the PS4 against the $499 Xbox One -- but it also made it a point to emphasize that its system won't have the same restrictive digital rights management features that have earned Microsoft plenty of heated criticisms.
We're still months away from when the real battle will take place. Microsoft can woo back gamers through either concessions or magnetic proprietary releases and features. Sony clearly won this week's round, but the war itself will be decided later this year.
Briefly in the news
And now let's take a quick look at some of the other stories that shaped our week.
- Google (GOOGL 10.22%) is walking away with Waze. After other tech titans were rumored suitors, Google announced that it closed on the acquisition of the popular real-time traffic app that uses crowdsourcing to get users around jams and police traps.
- Netflix (NFLX -0.63%) revealed that it will introduce individual profiles for family accounts this summer. The move will help the leading video website serve up better recommendations. In other words, having your kid watch Dumbo won't stop Reservoir Dogs from coming up for you.
- You won't find too many retailers doing as well as Restoration Hardware (RH 2.28%) these days. The seller of upscale home furnishings reported a 41% increase in same-store sales in its latest quarter. That's not too shabby for a retailer that went public in November at $24 a share. It's safe to say that the IPO wasn't an exit strategy, since it's doing so well several months later.
