Bill Harris, WE GET IT - you hate Sony (Dubious Quality)

[Blackadar]

I like reading Bill Harris' Dubious Quality (http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com), so I'm not bashing him too much.  But for the last couple of months', Bill has been obsessed with nitpicking everything Sony is doing wrong with their launch of the PS3 vs. the Wii.  Enough, Bill!  We get it!  You hate Sony!

He very well may be right that Sony will end up the loser in this round of the Console Wars, but the amount of nitpicking against Sony is getting absurd to the point that I don't want to read the blog anymore.  It's too bad, because it's been a great website up until lately.  I just wonder if someone at Sony stole his lunch money or something.

Or is it just me who feels this way?

[Arkon]

I think he is posting his honest opinion about the PS3.  It is a blog, take it for what it is, someones personal ramblings.  I personally enjoy reading his work and feel he is just about dead on with the PS3.

[Sam Hell]

I think he's calling it like he sees it, plain and simple.

[Blackadar]

I think he is posting his honest opinion about the PS3.  It is a blog, take it for what it is, someones personal ramblings.  I personally enjoy reading his work and feel he is just about dead on with the PS3.

I don't think he's wrong, I just wonder why he's so obsessed.

[Arkon]

I think he is posting his honest opinion about the PS3.  It is a blog, take it for what it is, someones personal ramblings.  I personally enjoy reading his work and feel he is just about dead on with the PS3.

I don't think he's wrong, I just wonder why he's so obsessed.

Wouldn't call it obsessed, I think Sony has just given him too many easy things to point out to be honest.  With how blatant some errors have been, hard not to pick up on it (such as some of the assinine comments made by executives).

[Kevin Grey]

I like his blog too but, in general, I don't think his sales analysis is as strong as the rest of his game writing.  Like many bloggers he seems to get most of his information from what his reader's submiit instead of going out and seeking it himself so I find that his information is sometimes wrong or taken out of context. 

And, yeah, for all his "I really don't have anything against Sony" caveats, he realy does seem to hate them with a passion.  To the point where I think he glosses over similar mistakes that MS and Nintendo make that he would crucify Sony for. 

But, hey, he's putting all of his stuff out there so it won't be hard to come back to it in a few years and see if he's right about the Wii being the clear victor and Sony in "distant third".   

[Kobra]

I like reading Bill Harris' Dubious Quality (http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com), so I'm not bashing him too much.  But for the last couple of months', Bill has been obsessed with nitpicking everything Sony is doing wrong with their launch of the PS3 vs. the Wii.  Enough, Bill!  We get it!  You hate Sony!

He very well may be right that Sony will end up the loser in this round of the Console Wars, but the amount of nitpicking against Sony is getting absurd to the point that I don't want to read the blog anymore.  It's too bad, because it's been a great website up until lately.  I just wonder if someone at Sony stole his lunch money or something.

Or is it just me who feels this way?

Well he does seem overly filled with hatred for the PS3. But honestly, I never even heard of the guy until a few months ago, then I quickly noticed he likes to hype shit up, then when it turns out not-so-good, he quitely brushes it aside and doesn't mention it again.  I think he just likes to use his blog to motivate the market forces - or in his mind - think he is motivating them.

BTW, who is the guy anyway and why is his blog pretty well read?

[Kevin Grey]

I like reading Bill Harris' Dubious Quality (http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com), so I'm not bashing him too much.  But for the last couple of months', Bill has been obsessed with nitpicking everything Sony is doing wrong with their launch of the PS3 vs. the Wii.  Enough, Bill!  We get it!  You hate Sony!

He very well may be right that Sony will end up the loser in this round of the Console Wars, but the amount of nitpicking against Sony is getting absurd to the point that I don't want to read the blog anymore.  It's too bad, because it's been a great website up until lately.  I just wonder if someone at Sony stole his lunch money or something.

Or is it just me who feels this way?

Well he does seem overly filled with hatred for the PS3. But honestly, I never even heard of the guy until a few months ago, then I quickly noticed he likes to hype shit up, then when it turns out not-so-good, he quitely brushes it aside and doesn't mention it again.  I think he just likes to use his blog to motivate the market forces - or in his mind - think he is motivating them.

BTW, who is the guy anyway and why is his blog pretty well read?

No idea what you are talking about with hyping things up and then brushing them away. The things I can think of that he's hyped (Wii 0,Dwarf Fortress, Guitar Hero) he's spent quite a bit of his columns discussing them post-release. 

Anyway, he was selected by Rich to take over the Gone Gold frontpage when he needed an extended (and ultimately permanent) leave of absence so that was many people's first exposure to him. 

[ATB]

He very well may be right that Sony will end up the loser in this round of the Console Wars.

He learned everything he knows from me. And me.  And a little someone called Mii.

[gellar]

Harris used to write for Gonegold back when Rich took a break from the site.  I like is writing style and even had a beer with he and Rich back in the days before an E3, but over the past few years his blog has turned basically into FanboyOnAPedestal.com.  Even on stuff I agree with him with I have issues with.  I understand his site is an opinion and he's entitled to it, but his "facts" are often, as stated above, totally misguided and typically inaccurate blurbs from the net.

gellar

[ATB]

I quickly noticed he likes to hype back door solid releases up, then when it turns out not-so-good, he quitely brushes it aside and doesn't mention it again. 

DID YOU EAT YOUR PANTS YET?

[Kobra]

No idea what you are talking about with hyping things up and then brushing them away.

Paraworld and The Guild 2 come to mind as recent examples.  He talked about Paraworld a good bit if I remember, to the extent that it might have been mistaken for the second coming.  Then it was released, he tossed out a vague paragraph saying "Its a lot of fun" but we never heard from him again about it.

[-Lord Ebonstone-]

I don't read Harris often, but the little I have makes me wonder why people find his opinions so golden.  I've never seen anything particularly insightful from him, just hype factory bullshit in favor of whatever the percieved underdog is (Paraworld, the Wii, etc).

[Kevin Grey]

No idea what you are talking about with hyping things up and then brushing them away.

Paraworld and The Guild 2 come to mind as recent examples.  He talked about Paraworld a good bit if I remember, to the extent that it might have been mistaken for the second coming.  Then it was released, he tossed out a vague paragraph saying "Its a lot of fun" but we never heard from him again about it.

He has talked about Paraworld quite a bit since then.  He admits that he's not much of an RTS junkie though, so he doesn't give the same level of analysis to it that he does for sports games. 

In fact, just Thursday he posted:

Paraworld Sale

Go Gamer is having an unbelievable deal on Paraworld: $14.90.

No, that's not a typo. Fifteen bucks for a creative, fun, staggeringly beautiful game.

It's one of those Go Gamer timed ads, and it's good for another 77 hours (so Monday morning at 1 a.m. CST it expires, if I'm counting correctly).

[Graham]

The thing I would like to know is how he knows that the Wii has won already.  I'm sorry, but I still haven't seen one out in the wild, and while it's not the debacle that is the PS3, Nintendo still has a way to go before they have won this race.  They might win this holiday against the PS3, but it will be interesting to see the Xbox 360 numbers.

My opinion of him has gone up and down, and quite frankly it seems like the fanboy analogy has been getting accurate, he sure does like to bite the hand that feeds him, and he has become a bit of an attention whore.

[Canuck]

I really enjoy reading Bill's blog.  I check it every day basically.  But I disagree with a lot that he says.  First of all-I'm tired of the Sony bashing.  Who knows, maybe he will be right.  Who cares though?  You don't need to repeat it every single fucking post.  Secondly he's always going back to something he predicted previously to show how always right he is but he also sweeps things under the rug as Kobra said.  Paraworld was supposed to be the second coming of RTS Christ.  Thirdly, I'm tired of reading about his goddamn kid.  I suppose many of you have children as well and enjoy the anecdotes but all I care about are the games. And speaking of which, I'm tired of basically everything in there that isn't game related.  All those links, and stories from readers etc etc etc. I don't give a shit about readers stories.  Anyways it's his blog so he can write whatever he wants I guess.  It's just a shame that it wasn't more game related because he very often has a lot of interesting points to get across.

[godhugh]

The thing I would like to know is how he knows that the Wii has won already.  I'm sorry, but I still haven't seen one out in the wild, and while it's not the debacle that is the PS3, Nintendo still has a way to go before they have won this race.  They might win this holiday against the PS3, but it will be interesting to see the Xbox 360 numbers.

My opinion of him has gone up and down, and quite frankly it seems like the fanboy analogy has been getting accurate, he sure does like to bite the hand that feeds him, and he has become a bit of an attention whore.

While I've also gotten tired of his Sony and EA bashing, I don't see how you can call him an attention-whore. I've never once seen him promoting his site elsewhere or trying to call attention to his blog.

[warning]

Eh.  I like Bill's stuff - pretty much always have.  He has his definite likes (sports games, Nintendo right now) and dislikes (EA, Sony) and that's fine by me.  He's always very upfront with both so I don't think there's any hidden agenda.  He's writing a blog so his personal opinions should be all over the place and they are.

I have to admit I've never read one of his entries on Eli 3.14159265 but that's because I read his site primarily for gaming stuff.  Although I do like his science links.

One thing I'm not sure of is Bill's relationship with Gone Gold.  I arrived at GG in 2002 and a year or so later he was doing the front page.  Was he around before that?  I don't remember him in the forums much.

[Kevin Grey]

One thing I'm not sure of is Bill's relationship with Gone Gold.  I arrived at GG in 2002 and a year or so later he was doing the front page.  Was he around before that?  I don't remember him in the forums much.

As I recall he very rarely posted in the forums and I don't recall him being a part of the community until Rich trotted him out one day to do updates to the front page.  Presumably they new each from some source outside of the forum itself.

[th'FOOL]

The thing I would like to know is how he knows that the Wii has won already.  I'm sorry, but I still haven't seen one out in the wild, and while it's not the debacle that is the PS3, Nintendo still has a way to go before they have won this race.  They might win this holiday against the PS3, but it will be interesting to see the Xbox 360 numbers.

Honestly, when you DO get one in your hands, and you see the infectious nature of the fun that comes with it, and witness people who would never touch a game controller in their life before that moment chortle with glee as they play tennis or bowling in Wii sports, you may just agree with him.

I swear I caused at least 4 people to nearly froth at the mouth with the desire to own a Wii after they came over to my house over the holiday weekend.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

I swear I caused at least 4 people to nearly froth at the mouth with the desire to own a Wii after they came over to my house over the holiday weekend.

Just another case of Wii envy.

[CeeKay]

I swear I caused at least 4 people to nearly froth at the mouth with the desire to own a Wii after they came over to my house over the holiday weekend.

Just another case of Wii envy.

sure, that was foam on their lips... ssssuuuurrreeeee....   

[Lee]

I don't see it as Sony bashing. He points out the truly stupid things Sony does/says. That goes for EA too. But then again, I agree with him. While I love Sony for their other products, and I don't shy away from an EA game that interests me, I really wonder what the companies are thinking sometimes.

[jersoc]

I like reading Bill Harris' Dubious Quality (http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com), so I'm not bashing him too much.  But for the last couple of months', Bill has been obsessed with nitpicking everything Sony is doing wrong with their launch of the PS3 vs. the Wii.  Enough, Bill!  We get it!  You hate Sony!

He very well may be right that Sony will end up the loser in this round of the Console Wars, but the amount of nitpicking against Sony is getting absurd to the point that I don't want to read the blog anymore.  It's too bad, because it's been a great website up until lately.  I just wonder if someone at Sony stole his lunch money or something.

Or is it just me who feels this way?

Well he does seem overly filled with hatred for the PS3. But honestly, I never even heard of the guy until a few months ago, then I quickly noticed he likes to hype shit up, then when it turns out not-so-good, he quitely brushes it aside and doesn't mention it again.  I think he just likes to use his blog to motivate the market forces - or in his mind - think he is motivating them.

BTW, who is the guy anyway and why is his blog pretty well read?

You read a gaming forum and complain about a BLOG hyping shit up? Are you insane or just stupid?

[TheMissingLink]

I really, reaaaaally dislike Dubious Quality.  If I'm not getting irked at his writing style (so cliche, his one-sentance paragraph things are so...UGH, and I LIKE one-sentance paragraphs, they serve a real purpose!), it's his totally whacky opinions that befuddle me.  And why do I want to read about his family?  Split the blog up or something.  I steer clear of DQ.

[Calvin]

Harris used to write for Gonegold back when Rich took a break from the site.  I like is writing style and even had a beer with he and Rich back in the days before an E3, but over the past few years his blog has turned basically into FanboyOnAPedestal.com.  Even on stuff I agree with him with I have issues with.  I understand his site is an opinion and he's entitled to it, but his "facts" are often, as stated above, totally misguided and typically inaccurate blurbs from the net.

gellar

You can stop copying my brain now, really. This is what I think, but I don't feel like typing it out again.

[Calvin]

I like reading Bill Harris' Dubious Quality (http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com), so I'm not bashing him too much.  But for the last couple of months', Bill has been obsessed with nitpicking everything Sony is doing wrong with their launch of the PS3 vs. the Wii.  Enough, Bill!  We get it!  You hate Sony!

He very well may be right that Sony will end up the loser in this round of the Console Wars, but the amount of nitpicking against Sony is getting absurd to the point that I don't want to read the blog anymore.  It's too bad, because it's been a great website up until lately.  I just wonder if someone at Sony stole his lunch money or something.

Or is it just me who feels this way?

Well he does seem overly filled with hatred for the PS3. But honestly, I never even heard of the guy until a few months ago, then I quickly noticed he likes to hype shit up, then when it turns out not-so-good, he quitely brushes it aside and doesn't mention it again.  I think he just likes to use his blog to motivate the market forces - or in his mind - think he is motivating them.

BTW, who is the guy anyway and why is his blog pretty well read?

You read a gaming forum and complain about a BLOG hyping shit up? Are you insane or just stupid?

You are totally misunderstanding his point and picking at him instead of a half dozen other people that have levied the same criticism in this thread.

[Crux]

I quickly noticed he likes to hype shit up, then when it turns out not-so-good, he quitely brushes it aside and doesn't mention it again.

As opposed to hyping shit up, then calling it a "buggy, unplayable mess"?

[Arkon]

You know, in the end, it is a BLOG.  He isn't writing for a gaming site, or any particular audience for that matter, he writes because he enjoys sharing his thoughts and opinions.  If you don't like it, don't read it.  I personally look forward to reading new entries at his site, including his stories about Eli.

[Kobra]

I quickly noticed he likes to hype shit up, then when it turns out not-so-good, he quitely brushes it aside and doesn't mention it again.

As opposed to hyping shit up, then calling it a "buggy, unplayable mess"?

Indeed, at least some people can ADMIT something they hyped turned out to be shit.  Other people, just try to sweep it aside and hope people will forget they aren't Sylvia Brown.

[Canuck]

You know, in the end, it is a BLOG.  He isn't writing for a gaming site, or any particular audience for that matter, he writes because he enjoys sharing his thoughts and opinions.  If you don't like it, don't read it.  I personally look forward to reading new entries at his site, including his stories about Eli.

The way I look at it, as a blogger he's free to write about whatever he wants to.  And as a reader, I'm free to complain about whatever I want to.

[Crux]

I quickly noticed he likes to hype shit up, then when it turns out not-so-good, he quitely brushes it aside and doesn't mention it again.

As opposed to hyping shit up, then calling it a "buggy, unplayable mess"?

Indeed, at least some people can ADMIT something they hyped turned out to be shit.  Other people, just try to sweep it aside and hope people will forget they aren't Sylvia Brown.

You are the paragon of balanced, reasoned judgement Kobra. I stand corrected.

[ATB]

I quickly noticed he likes to hype shit up, then when it turns out not-so-good, he quitely brushes it aside and doesn't mention it again.

As opposed to hyping shit up, then calling it a "buggy, unplayable mess"?

Indeed, at least some people can ADMIT something they hyped turned out to be fecalish.  Other people, just try to sweep it aside and hope people will forget they aren't Sylvia Brown.

DID  YOU   EAT  YOUR  PANTS         YET?

[Laner]

You are the paragon of balanced, reasoned judgement Kobra. I stand corrected.

*snicker*

[GGMark]

I agree.  As a blogger, I write about all kinds of stuff NO ONE cares about but, I like to write/type.  He has every right to voice his opinion, and you have every right to not agree.  Something thats great about america..

I think Sony ran a huge hype machine about a product that not only from the DQ stand point was buggy but even the game people were complaining about quality, late shipments, and other things. 

I really enjoy a lot of the links he puts up from readers.  I continue to read some of the sites hes posted to before.  I love some of the stories about his family.  Not all.  A good majority though.

[Pyperkub]

You hate Sony!

Sony has done many things that would merit hate.  Installing rootkits on people's computers is only one.

With regards to the PS3 - Sony has shown a slight tendency (/sarcasm) towards prevarication when talking about it. Which can tend to put people off.

[farley2k]

Indeed, at least some people can ADMIT something they hyped turned out to be shit.  Other people, just try to sweep it aside and hope people will forget they aren't Sylvia Brown.

You are a person of strong opinions and since may sites have blogs for free I look forward to seeing a link to your better blog.  I would try www.blog.com or you could use Blogger.com so you can be on the same site as Bill. 

[farley2k]

Ok, seriously


1.  Some of you seem to misunderstand.  Dubious Quality is a personal blog, which often talks about gaming - not a gaming blog.  The stories about his family, the links to news he finds interesting, etc. are just as important as the gaming stuff. 

2. If you wrote a blog which often talked about gaming, what else would you be writing about this holiday season?  The PS3 and the Wii are the big stories of this holiday season.   Seriously how many stories have you read/seen in the media about other stuff?  Lots of stories on www.evilavatar.com about Viva Pinata?  Even Gears of War faded quite quickly in the press.  Yes Bill talks a lot about the PS3 and Wii but that is what is important right now...gee damm him for being topical!

3.  He loves Guitar Hero which as I believe is a PS2 game.  He doesn't hate Sony.  He hates how they have royal screwed up a very important launch.

[Kevin Grey]

3.  He loves Guitar Hero which as I believe is a PS2 game.  He doesn't hate Sony.  He hates how they have royal screwed up a very important launch.

Actually, I think that's kind of indicative of the way in which he covers consoles.  He loves Guitar Hero but Sony is never associated with them when he talks about either game (though IIRC he was pretty damn happy when it got announced for 360).  And while I'm not sure one way or the other, the fact that the GH2 360 version doesn't hit until after this holiday season could very well be indicative that Sony was shrewd enough to sign them to a timed exclusive but, again, no credit for that.   However, when he talks about 3rd party 360 games like Dead Rising, he still give MS lots of credit for getting the titles on their system. 

[Shkspr]

Honestly, I'm about to drop DQ from my blog-reading.  He's giong all Lileks all over the place with the Sony-bashing, and becoming just as tough to read.