Screen Grabs: Metal Gear Solid 4 gets iPod and Sony Ericsson product placement
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted May 15th 2008 2:58PM
posted May 15th 2008 2:58PM
Screen grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com.
Though we're breaking slightly from our typical Screen Grabs format (movies, TV), we could never live with ourselves if we didn't share these shocking gadget appearances from Metal Gear Solid 4. That's right, despite being on some kind of deadly spy mission, Solid Snake will find time to bro down with a fifth-generation iPod (above), while some lovely cohort of his dials up for pizza on a Sony Ericsson W62S clamshell. More pics after the break.
[Via iLounge / CellPassion]
[Via iLounge / CellPassion]
/shameless product placement.
More like modern reality placement.
The iPod itself is iconic, everywhere, and instantly recognizeable as an "mp3" player. In short, Jonathan Ive's design keeps paying dividends for Apple. Thank god it's not a Zune. If it was, there'd be no doubt that Konami was getting paid.
The idea is to make it more like a movie, where there is alot of product placement. Plus with costs so high...
nice graphics
As soon as I find the iPod item I'm going to drop it. =)
It's just SHAMEFUL that Konami is such money grubbers they put advertisement in a game and if Sony wasn't so CHEAP and would at least give them some money they wouldn't have to do this crap. What will I see next? Mcdonald's or maybe BK? Why not just throw in brayer paper towels and Nissian cars. I'm glad I'm not into MGS games because if I was I would be VERY upset over this. I now have to be marketed in a game I spend $60 DOLLARS FOR. What's next? unskipable commercials?
Everything said and done, I hope I can exchange this for Drebin points.
Then shoot it.
The only music in war is the sound of your heartbeat, letting you know you're still alive. Of course, that's only if you can hear it over the cacophony of gunfire and the other horrors that prevail in this battle-wrought concert hall.
War has changed...
If you watch Farenheit 9/11, the soldier in Iraq explains how they can connect their iPods to their tank's sound system.
"We don't need no water, let the mofos burn...."
No sony player? :confused:
haha if they themselves dont use them why should we??
I just found the third reason I won't be getting this... (first being I don't have a PS3, and second that I didn't like the previous MGSs)
Also, I wonder if playing tunes too loud attracts attention?
You're saying that the presence of an iPod in the game would be a deal-breaker?
That's a whole lotta hate. If you had an iPod, you could be listening to "Whole Lotta Love" instead.
I'm with you on all three reasons.
I couldn't disagree with you more.
You don't have a PS3 and you didn't like the previous games in the series.. yet you MUST let us all know that this is ANOTHER reason you won't get the game.. "PRODUCT PLACEMENT IN A GAME I DON'T HAVE THE SYSTEM FOR AND DIDN'T EVEN LIKE THE FIRST ONES OMG HATEHATEHATE"
nobody gives a shit.
The comments section is for adding your comments on the article, and to be honest the only 'HATEHATEHATE' I see here is yours. As for the 'nobody gives a shit' aside from showing your amazing grammatical skills, it also shows that you do in fact give a shit as you've felt compelled to post here crying about it, and blowing it way out of proportion.
Or to put it in your language:
You don't give a shit about the comments of others despite reading the comments section.. yet you MUST let us all know that you STILL don't give a shit about other peoples comments.. "OMG HE DOESN'T LIKE ONE OF THE PRODUCTS IN THE GAME AND MADE A SLIGHTLY JOKEY COMMENT ABOUT IT NOW I MUST CRY OMG HATEHATEHATE"
Yeah you're right, you obviously don't give a shit.
Guys, here are my thoughts on this issue -
On the battlefield, you have to be ready to use anything you have at your disposal to survive, be it a pack of cigarettes that you smuggled to the sneak point in your stomach, or an iPod that you liberated from a well-to-do terrorist. There are no brand names on the battlefield.
I thought it could be a way of implementing custom soundtracks. The only in'game difference would be wires coming out of Snake's ears.
LOL MICROSLOTH, WELL PLAYED
MGS4 had quality feel before all this popped up, It was supposed to be a great game, then they ruined it with the assassins creed costume, and all this ipod/phone rubbish. All the quality is diluted.
All the quality is diluted because of a single screenshot of a single iPod (note: not iPhone)? You have some serious hate for Apple and you should probably see a therapist about that.
You should talk, Zak.
@Zak:
Microsoft announces in game ads, and the PS3 group derides them for being evil. Never mind that Sony has announced the same thing.
The 360 has ads on their blades. The ads are always for a new game, movie, gamer pics, special promotions such as double experience point weekends, etc. and the products are often free, but never "Check out the new washer and dryer from Maytag" or something not directly related to games. And the PS3 group says that Microsoft are a bunch of money-grubbing whores. I just fired up my PS3 and went to the PS Store. I had to wait for the latest FW to install, which is funny because somebody on Engadget a few days ago criticized the 360 for requiring an update to get on XBL, you need to do it for the PS3 as well. Once the 20 minute install was done, the first thing you see is an ad for "Haze 4 player coop demo", "Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare Variety Map Pack" for only $9.99, and the GT5 demo/beta.
You read over and over again that the 360 is in the red. They put aside $1B for 360 repairs; which is not exactly how accounting works. That Microsoft is hiding losses by moving groups around so that it can tally a profit; somebody said here on Engadget that Media Center was moved into the media group to recoup losses (Media Center is not a stand alone selling product so it can only be a loss, not a profit gain). And the 360 is an "epic failure", but when Sony, in their recent fiscal statements announce a 124.5 Billion Yen (1.18 billion USD) loss, that is a great sign that the PS3 is taking over.
In the latest 360 numbers announcement, MS was criticized for being too arrogant, that they were making up numbers, and all out lying to make themselves look better. But Sony saying that people will get an extra job to buy a console that does not have many games is not arrogant?
The "latest and greatest" game for the PS3 has in game advertising - and that is what it is, advertising an iPod (otherwise they would have used generic models). Why is it OK when the PS fanboys mock Micosoft for something, and it is turned around on them - and the people do not like it have mental problems? And why is it a hate for Apple, and not for the bashing that 360 users take when Sony does the same exact thing?
Note that I am not saying you did any of these personally except for in this one case.
Fred - I'm sorry, what do you have a problem with again? Was it me pointing out how somebody saying an iPod in a game dilutes the entire quality of the game is stupid? Because if you have a problem with me saying that, then you obviously don't see why the OP's post was massively stupid. Unless you'd care to explain how an iPod in a game dilutes the quality of the entire game. Go ahead, defend the OP, since obviously you think I'm in the wrong here.
nohone - That was very long, but you missed the point. Read what the OP said again. He's not complaining about the advertising, he's complaining specifically that it's an iPod. He's obviously fine with the fact that there's a Sony Ericsson phone also being advertised. He just doesn't like iPods, as evidenced by his "iPod/iPhone crap" comment.
The point I was trying to make was that MGS4 is a very good game, a very high quality game. Snake's last game, so they shouldn't do anything that will take the attention away from the game itself. It should be pure MGS. Like you buy a nice expensive BMW, you wouldn't like if it it came with a McDonalds bumper sticker. That does not mean you hate McDonalds.
I said say iPod/Phone not Iphone, just phone, the sony erricson phone. I don't have a problem with Apple, I have an Ipod, I like it.
Soldiers in Iraq have iPods. There is really nothing wrong with this. Remember that a critical element in MGS4 is that Solid can get stressed from the toils of battle.
MGS3 had a feature where you could dial into radio stations that would sooth you and raise your stamina. It's obvious that this is what the iPod is for: relaxing your mind after a terrible gun battle. You also get lady-magazines to look at for the same purpose. It's really quite amazing how well thought out this is. War is something that taxes your mind and body alike, and you have to find a way to cope. The entire series is about how harsh the entire enterprise is.
Anyway, anyone who claims an iPod is a ridiculous feature in this game should reconsider. It's a very well thought out feature, and it's a fun part of our culture (I don't like apple products, but iPodsare a huge cultural thing). It's going to be fun to come back to this game 20 years from now, and I think that won't be true for a lot of other games (I still play MGS and MGS2, but I never play the old GTA3 or Gran Turismo once I have the new version.)
If every person on earth has an iPod, and MGS is set on Earth, then it only makes sense for Snake to have one
Now if Master Chief had a Zune, that would just be silly, no one owns a Zune
I own a zune.
i own two zunes, and the multiple ipods i've used (never owned) never felt right. not to say my zunes are perfect (they're not), but i like them much more than any ipods i've used.
Thats as ridiculously as saying macs sucks cause everyone ones a PC. it doesn't mean the product sucks. Zunes are sick
@ Christian Torkelson zunes are a US only thing, i don't own one so i can't talk about the feel in my hand, the ui etc. But from what i read it's just a restrictive as the ipod in terms of what it can play but in terms of usability the ipod 5G and classic win hands down and the ipod touch (i have a 32gb touch and a 5.5G and a 3G) just blows it clean out of the water!
@IrishGandalf.
I was kinda going for the humor in contradiction aspect here...
But I guess I do sincerely like the Zune. I do not do DRM, nor do I use alternative file formats like FLAC, I use plain jane mp3 files only. I'd be hard pressed to find any mp3 player that has issues with those...
I like iPods as well. UI wise both the Zune and Apple products are excellent in my opinion. Honestly though I'm getting a little tired of the iPod classic/nano Aqua interface... And I happened to think the Zune UI was a classy alternative that worked intuitively for me.
My music collection is under a thousand songs and it comes in at a whopping 3.7gb. Space was clearly not an issue for me. 8gb flash was sufficient, and considering I do a lot of biking its nice to know that if I drop it wont puke out on me. The Zune Flash and the iPod Nano (fatty) were my two main choices... ultimately it was easier to hold the zune while also holding the handlebars on my bike... thus I got the Zune.
The iPod Touch is nice, but I opted against it for price and the concern I'd crack the screen while it's in my pocket while riding or something.
I was close to buying a zune, as my 4th gen iPod was stolen, but the zune software needs a fully up to date windows installation, and I'm a bit nervous of updating... for some reason... *shifty eyes*
I could see this being used to its fullest extent. Maybe allow users to use this to listen to music on their hard drive while in the game but also make it so they cannot hear things that might be helpful to hear. It could also, as others have said, be noticeable if it is on too loud or be used to lure the enemy in like a magazine. I think this could be a really nice aspect of MGS4.
i preordered the play.com LE, me so excited!
PSN: MentalGunner
5th Gen? Methinks that snake is behind the times.
he's an old snake, basic iPod with video capability should suffice
Hahaha....sad but true.
Am I the only who's wondering why Solid Snake is using such old tech? After all, doesn't the game take place, like, at least a couple decades from now?
That reminds me of Will "vintage Converse!" Smith.
do you have an atari? same thing.
These are mods made in 2023. It's actually an imac crammed in an old ipod case. Apparently in the future, the ipod is the new NES controller.
I love the smell of silicon in the morning.
haha i think that's fun...
This game is really making me consider getting a PS3. (i care so little about the PS3 otherwise that i still might just wait and see if there will eventually be a decent price drop.)
Right now..this game would really be the only reason to buy a PS3. If you're in the market for a games system, the 360 offers much more IMO.
But MGS4 will be the one game that makes me pick up a PS3 at some point this year.
The only reason to buy a PS3? Well sure, if you don't count the Blu-Ray player, and games like Ratchet and Clank, GTA4 and GT5 as reasons to buy one.
gta4 is on the other consoles too...
goddamnit engadget's commenting system is such a piece of shit.
half my freakin' replies just disappear into the ether, never to be seen again.
get your shit together, engadget! christ.
ANYWAY.... @Strangeburn: i'm not "in the market for a game system" ...the 6 to 7 minutes a day i actually play games is completely satisfied by my Nintendo Wii. ...but thanks for the advice.
(as a side note, i haven't seen a single game on the 360 that holds even the slightest interest for me. My tastes must just differ from yours. ...but thank you for spamming your 360 love all over me when it's really not relevant.)
I think if you really really want to dig into the psychology of this... it's not that people hate Apple or MGS or PS3... but it's such a cliche pop-culture reference that it becomes hokey. It's like someone's grandma saying, "For shizzle my hizzle".
Don't bother me none... I love my current ipod, don't have a PS3, and haven't touched an MG game since MGS2.
I don't know what PS3 has in the way of 'achievments', but there should be some bonus if Snake holds the ipod upside down...
He's obviously going to listen to epic music to inspire him further.
Or maybe something to relax him as he takes the endless stream of mown-down bodies in his stride.
Breaking news: the final boss in MGS4 is a new model of the metal gear, this version is modeled after Steve Jobs.
Just got onto that bit in the game and I'm stuck! How do I get past the reality distortion field?
seems alittle retro? He has a tiny wireless radio embedded in his ear and a really fancy eye-patch; don't you think the iPod would be a thing of the past?
what I'm trying to say is...lame.
...sigh.... a 5th gen? geeze a little behind times lol
if only product placement could make the game cheaper!!!
An iPod could be more useful than you think, here are 8 ways to kill someone by using a Nano, written by an ex-Marine no less: http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2006/6/23fleming.html
It's sickening how i can't get through any of the forms of media I love without seeing a mac add. 60 minutes into iron man... a mac ad. First scene of the darjeeling limited... a mac ad. The game hasn't even come out yet, and it has a mac add in it. It's one thing for it to be in every movie. It's quite another when it's leeched it's ways into video games. I guess it's how they get more money. But it furthers the stereotype that mac is for everyone.
Oh no, you saw an Apple product in a movie based on a comic book character? Those fools should realize there's no way someone who likes comic book characters would also be interested in computers!
You're quite right to protest about the use of actual products as props in movies, because you, mister internet forum poster, will surely have an effect on things and your frustration will do absolutely anything more than harm yourself.
I actually kind of like it when a movie character uses a real product during a movie. It adds a layer of realism to the scene. What I really don't like is when they place the logo where it's blatantly obvious they are just trying to advertise the product. They should show characters using real gadgets but shoot the scene as though they weren't trying to emphasis the prop.
So you noticed some very minimal, background Mac placement in the movie.... but you somehow didn't notice the fact that any time Stark was in a car it was an Audi, or that his videophone was made by LG? Can you tell me what kind of cheeseburger he got when he got back to L.A.? Because I bet anybody else who saw the movie could tell you. And yet it's not the blatantly excessive product placement from all the other companies that bothers you, it's the Mac you saw an hour into the movie, sitting in the background.
If you hate Apple that much, you need to seek counseling. It's just a computer. You need to suck it up and get the hell over it you candy ass.
dwr50 say:
Greed is the CAUSE...
Advertising is the EFFECT...
Open Source is the ANSWER... Amen.
an open source iPod??? or open source PMPs???
6.2KG for an IPod!? That's gonna slow snake down!
WOW AND IPOD IN MGS4!!! BRB GOING TO BUY A PS3!!!
Well I don't own an I pod but from what I saw their lighter then 6.2 kg
Wow...people really take this seriously. I figured people would be like "Cool!" or "Whatever", not "THIS GAME IS TEH SUK BECAUSE OF AN IPOD!" Chill people.
You must not have been around for all the times where people constantly bash Engadget for Apple news, although the Apple news seems to be the only consistent topics that people comment on. That and Microsoft related news, but that's mostly bitching too.
Spoiler: Bruce Willis is a ghost!
Wait a minute.... if I buy metal gear solid 4 i get a free iPod?!?!?!
[preorders]
THIS IS SWEET! IVE ALWAYS WANTED AN iPOD!
Hey, aren't you that guy that ALWAYS links to things through the Amazon.com affiliate program? How's that working out for you?
I almost clicked your link until I remembered. :) Good thing I caught myself...
Kojima: Ok, now If there is ANY question about this game coming out on 360.....
It all makes sense:
in the year 2014 Apple has/will change its business into a PMC after buying back its stocks, ergo no longer making iPods and dumping refurbished 5 Gen iPods on their troops to keep their moral up.
apparently the cell phone market crashed as people are no longer buying new phones {must have been caused by Apple's iPhone which quickly took over the market, but when they switched over to a PMC no one could trust talking securely on an iPhone so they were force to use phones they had 6 years ago hence the Sony Ericsson.}
:-)
You can come back when you take the tin foil hat off.
The W61S will come with GPS.
At least she's using the phone the right way, and not upside down.
So would custom soundtrack be playable through this ipod. Not a bad way to do it I think.
If they were out to hurt any other company by using product placement wouldn't they have used one of their own mp3 players?!??!!?
and microsloth, rich!!
bro down?
Does it bother anyone else that it has "Metal Gear Solid Mk. II" written down the left and "Manufactured by Hal Emmerich" down the right? It wouldnt be that hard to photoshop an ipod in where the Mk II was and change the name at the top. Also considering there is plenty of product placement, but this would be the only non-sony placement I've seen.
Solid Snake must have a legal music collection if his iPod is *only* 30 gigs.
Thats why Kojima claims that a 50GB BD-ROM is not enough for the game. 30GB have already been used by iPod. haha.
Nice collaboration anyway!
I've already ordered my copy of MGS4.
Here's my take on this:
If you're stupid enough to not play a presumably great game just because it has an iPod, or whatever else in it, your loss.
..last.
..no you aren't
"otacon, i cant get this damn wheel to turn....oh wait there it...AHHH!"
"snake?....snake??....SNAKEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"
hmm..... maybe the ipod thing is a good thing cause maybe sony might be telling us they might be collaberating with apple i mean this will be the perfect way 2 tell ppl cause this is the greatest and best game ever 2 be released. think about it ppl sony and apple working together now that would be something.
The only reason a branded product in a game should bother anyone is if the price of the game is higher. Would naming an actual city cause complaints too since it could boost their tourism? Get lives and live them, assorted tools. The rest of you...the humorous.....I think I love you all. I would give birth to your seed were I not a man, and hetero.
obviously all of you people that think that this is just product placement have never played the game. MGS always pushes the line between reality and video game. Look it up. And this is kojimas way of breaking that line. Hes using the popular device (ipod) which everyone in the world practically has one and is giving it to the character making him more like you. Its part of the game not product placement.
To: Richie
Are you a moron? You're upset over an "iPod" item in a video game? Get a life, virgin. Who cares if it's in the game? What harm does it possibly do to you or to anyone? You think people are going to wake up and feel the sudden urge to buy an iPod because they saw one in a video game, and in turn making the iPod manufacturers more money? First of all, who the hell cares if they make money? Are you just upset because your broke ass can't afford an iPod? Are you crying because you're so poor you're forced to eat Cheerios for dinner? Who the hell cares you big fat baby.