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The dust has settled from one of the most dramatic Electronic Entertainment Expo’s for years… The next generation is coming and everything appears, for the first time in 10 years, unpredictable.
Microsoft kicked off the next generation early. With its year head start it forced Nintendo and Sony to pull all the punches at E3. And Microsoft did their job tidily enough. They started hyping Halo 3, They showed some fantastic online content (Viva Pinata anyone?) and keep their ever-growing fan base happy with titles like Gears of War and Too Human. Yet E3 also showed how far Microsoft are from challenging Sony. It is all well and good pleasing their hardcore fan base but if they truly want to contend then they need to widen their net over the casual gamer. It is because of their niche appeal that the PS2 is outselling the graphically superior 360 in America.
Microsoft knew this wasn’t going to be their show. Instead they were to stand back at let Sony and Nintendo ripped into each other. This was to be the big PS3 unveiling. The price was confirmed, the games were shown off, Blu-Ray is included and the controller even features a new tilting mechanism. Yet the signs were not of a company at their peak, but of one on the way down. The Playstation brand is still the favourite amongst the majority but it is becoming increasingly hated by the industry. A ridiculously over priced system is one way to aggravate those around you but so is stealing ideas from a fellow competitor and childishly declaring that “We thought of it first”. Leading designers at Ubi-soft, Capcom and Microsoft told the press exactly what they thought of Sony’s new “innovation”… whilst the injured party, Nintendo, kept a dignified silence. This arrogance and bullish behaviour reeks of Nintendo’s own downfall 10 years ago, Harrison’s recent assertion that the loss of GTA 4 to Microsoft is “not a big deal” is reminiscent of Yamauchi’s dismissal of Square’s Final Fantasy, all those years ago.
The criticisms were all the more significant when you consider Nintendo’s unparalleled success. I have seen many E3’s pass before me, but never have I seen a company’s revival occur at such a pace. The renewed faith is almost certainly down to the phenomenal success of the DS. The handheld defied the critics and is annihilating Sony’s PSP when it comes to sales. It is with this renewed momentum that The Sun, Time magazine, CNN and other commercial entities are backing Nintendo’s Wii as the next big thing. A very short and very sweet press conference combined with a series of big announcements during the game show (such as the unveiling of Super Smash Brothers: Brawl) stirred up hype to almost euphoric heights. Codemasters, Eidos, Rockstar, companies that once dismissed Nintendo systems as unprofitable, are now prepping Wii titles of their own. Everyone that was anyone jumped on the Wii bandwagon. Capcom quickly confirmed Resident Evil, SEGA announced that more titles were to come and all the major developers expressed interest in the system… even Microsoft praised Nintendo and said everyone should buy one (as well as a 360). An unorthodox approach to PR, but one copied by Sony, always the “innovative” company.
There were minor criticisms, some questioned how well the new gyroscopic controller really works, some wondered how many “big” games are actually going to be converted to the system and many criticised the lack of graphical flare. Yet compared to Sony’s stormy reception and Microsoft’s lack of impact, Nintendo can count themselves lucky.
The next generation console war is looking very exciting indeed.
Microsoft kicked off the next generation early. With its year head start it forced Nintendo and Sony to pull all the punches at E3. And Microsoft did their job tidily enough. They started hyping Halo 3, They showed some fantastic online content (Viva Pinata anyone?) and keep their ever-growing fan base happy with titles like Gears of War and Too Human. Yet E3 also showed how far Microsoft are from challenging Sony. It is all well and good pleasing their hardcore fan base but if they truly want to contend then they need to widen their net over the casual gamer. It is because of their niche appeal that the PS2 is outselling the graphically superior 360 in America.
Microsoft knew this wasn’t going to be their show. Instead they were to stand back at let Sony and Nintendo ripped into each other. This was to be the big PS3 unveiling. The price was confirmed, the games were shown off, Blu-Ray is included and the controller even features a new tilting mechanism. Yet the signs were not of a company at their peak, but of one on the way down. The Playstation brand is still the favourite amongst the majority but it is becoming increasingly hated by the industry. A ridiculously over priced system is one way to aggravate those around you but so is stealing ideas from a fellow competitor and childishly declaring that “We thought of it first”. Leading designers at Ubi-soft, Capcom and Microsoft told the press exactly what they thought of Sony’s new “innovation”… whilst the injured party, Nintendo, kept a dignified silence. This arrogance and bullish behaviour reeks of Nintendo’s own downfall 10 years ago, Harrison’s recent assertion that the loss of GTA 4 to Microsoft is “not a big deal” is reminiscent of Yamauchi’s dismissal of Square’s Final Fantasy, all those years ago.
The criticisms were all the more significant when you consider Nintendo’s unparalleled success. I have seen many E3’s pass before me, but never have I seen a company’s revival occur at such a pace. The renewed faith is almost certainly down to the phenomenal success of the DS. The handheld defied the critics and is annihilating Sony’s PSP when it comes to sales. It is with this renewed momentum that The Sun, Time magazine, CNN and other commercial entities are backing Nintendo’s Wii as the next big thing. A very short and very sweet press conference combined with a series of big announcements during the game show (such as the unveiling of Super Smash Brothers: Brawl) stirred up hype to almost euphoric heights. Codemasters, Eidos, Rockstar, companies that once dismissed Nintendo systems as unprofitable, are now prepping Wii titles of their own. Everyone that was anyone jumped on the Wii bandwagon. Capcom quickly confirmed Resident Evil, SEGA announced that more titles were to come and all the major developers expressed interest in the system… even Microsoft praised Nintendo and said everyone should buy one (as well as a 360). An unorthodox approach to PR, but one copied by Sony, always the “innovative” company.
There were minor criticisms, some questioned how well the new gyroscopic controller really works, some wondered how many “big” games are actually going to be converted to the system and many criticised the lack of graphical flare. Yet compared to Sony’s stormy reception and Microsoft’s lack of impact, Nintendo can count themselves lucky.
The next generation console war is looking very exciting indeed.
The dust has settled from one of the most dramatic Electronic Entertainment Expo’s for years… The next generation is coming and everything appears, for the first time in 10 years, unpredictable.
Microsoft kicked off the next generation early. With its year head start it forced Nintendo and Sony to pull all the punches at E3. And Microsoft did their job tidily enough. They started hyping Halo 3, They showed some fantastic online content (Viva Pinata anyone?) and keep their ever-growing fan base happy with titles like Gears of War and Too Human. Yet E3 also showed how far Microsoft are from challenging Sony. It is all well and good pleasing their hardcore fan base but if they truly want to contend then they need to widen their net over the casual gamer. It is because of their niche appeal that the PS2 is outselling the graphically superior 360 in America.
Microsoft knew this wasn’t going to be their show. Instead they were to stand back at let Sony and Nintendo ripped into each other. This was to be the big PS3 unveiling. The price was confirmed, the games were shown off, Blu-Ray is included and the controller even features a new tilting mechanism. Yet the signs were not of a company at their peak, but of one on the way down. The Playstation brand is still the favourite amongst the majority but it is becoming increasingly hated by the industry. A ridiculously over priced system is one way to aggravate those around you but so is stealing ideas from a fellow competitor and childishly declaring that “We thought of it first”. Leading designers at Ubi-soft, Capcom and Microsoft told the press exactly what they thought of Sony’s new “innovation”… whilst the injured party, Nintendo, kept a dignified silence. This arrogance and bullish behaviour reeks of Nintendo’s own downfall 10 years ago, Harrison’s recent assertion that the loss of GTA 4 to Microsoft is “not a big deal” is reminiscent of Yamauchi’s dismissal of Square’s Final Fantasy, all those years ago.
The criticisms were all the more significant when you consider Nintendo’s unparalleled success. I have seen many E3’s pass before me, but never have I seen a company’s revival occur at such a pace. The renewed faith is almost certainly down to the phenomenal success of the DS. The handheld defied the critics and is annihilating Sony’s PSP when it comes to sales. It is with this renewed momentum that The Sun, Time magazine, CNN and other commercial entities are backing Nintendo’s Wii as the next big thing. A very short and very sweet press conference combined with a series of big announcements during the game show (such as the unveiling of Super Smash Brothers: Brawl) stirred up hype to almost euphoric heights. Codemasters, Eidos, Rockstar, companies that once dismissed Nintendo systems as unprofitable, are now prepping Wii titles of their own. Everyone that was anyone jumped on the Wii bandwagon. Capcom quickly confirmed Resident Evil, SEGA announced that more titles were to come and all the major developers expressed interest in the system… even Microsoft praised Nintendo and said everyone should buy one (as well as a 360). An unorthodox approach to PR, but one copied by Sony, always the “innovative” company.
There were minor criticisms, some questioned how well the new gyroscopic controller really works, some wondered how many “big” games are actually going to be converted to the system and many criticised the lack of graphical flare. Yet compared to Sony’s stormy reception and Microsoft’s lack of impact, Nintendo can count themselves lucky.
The next generation console war is looking very exciting indeed.
Microsoft kicked off the next generation early. With its year head start it forced Nintendo and Sony to pull all the punches at E3. And Microsoft did their job tidily enough. They started hyping Halo 3, They showed some fantastic online content (Viva Pinata anyone?) and keep their ever-growing fan base happy with titles like Gears of War and Too Human. Yet E3 also showed how far Microsoft are from challenging Sony. It is all well and good pleasing their hardcore fan base but if they truly want to contend then they need to widen their net over the casual gamer. It is because of their niche appeal that the PS2 is outselling the graphically superior 360 in America.
Microsoft knew this wasn’t going to be their show. Instead they were to stand back at let Sony and Nintendo ripped into each other. This was to be the big PS3 unveiling. The price was confirmed, the games were shown off, Blu-Ray is included and the controller even features a new tilting mechanism. Yet the signs were not of a company at their peak, but of one on the way down. The Playstation brand is still the favourite amongst the majority but it is becoming increasingly hated by the industry. A ridiculously over priced system is one way to aggravate those around you but so is stealing ideas from a fellow competitor and childishly declaring that “We thought of it first”. Leading designers at Ubi-soft, Capcom and Microsoft told the press exactly what they thought of Sony’s new “innovation”… whilst the injured party, Nintendo, kept a dignified silence. This arrogance and bullish behaviour reeks of Nintendo’s own downfall 10 years ago, Harrison’s recent assertion that the loss of GTA 4 to Microsoft is “not a big deal” is reminiscent of Yamauchi’s dismissal of Square’s Final Fantasy, all those years ago.
The criticisms were all the more significant when you consider Nintendo’s unparalleled success. I have seen many E3’s pass before me, but never have I seen a company’s revival occur at such a pace. The renewed faith is almost certainly down to the phenomenal success of the DS. The handheld defied the critics and is annihilating Sony’s PSP when it comes to sales. It is with this renewed momentum that The Sun, Time magazine, CNN and other commercial entities are backing Nintendo’s Wii as the next big thing. A very short and very sweet press conference combined with a series of big announcements during the game show (such as the unveiling of Super Smash Brothers: Brawl) stirred up hype to almost euphoric heights. Codemasters, Eidos, Rockstar, companies that once dismissed Nintendo systems as unprofitable, are now prepping Wii titles of their own. Everyone that was anyone jumped on the Wii bandwagon. Capcom quickly confirmed Resident Evil, SEGA announced that more titles were to come and all the major developers expressed interest in the system… even Microsoft praised Nintendo and said everyone should buy one (as well as a 360). An unorthodox approach to PR, but one copied by Sony, always the “innovative” company.
There were minor criticisms, some questioned how well the new gyroscopic controller really works, some wondered how many “big” games are actually going to be converted to the system and many criticised the lack of graphical flare. Yet compared to Sony’s stormy reception and Microsoft’s lack of impact, Nintendo can count themselves lucky.
The next generation console war is looking very exciting indeed.
Yes, it could well be the the most competitive console war seen. Once the Wii comes out, and the first price cut of the PS3 occurs, all consoles will have a great appeal to most people.
Some quick thoughts:
X-Box 360 - It would have been out for near on 2 years by then, companies would be willing to experiment more on the console, and have the experience to back it up. With a great price tag, and some fantastic games already available, Microsoft are looking quite strong.
PS3 - Highly anticipated only because of its "better-than-everything-else" graphical power, seems to be dragging Sony into a ever growing pit. They will need to try hard in this war, which will be a new concept to them, as they have usually just been the dominant company without having to try. Still, with some great games and probably still the largest fan group, Sony should prevail.
Wii - The underdog, and quickly becoming most peoples favourite. With the "innovative" controller, and there lack of care for a brain-washingly powerful console system has people sold. It would seem that Nintendo have finally done it right, which is great for them. My only down-thought against them, is that I see their console fast becoming a novelty one, with people prefering to actually get what has become the "Next-Generation" due to magazine and publicity: Graphics.
Some quick thoughts:
X-Box 360 - It would have been out for near on 2 years by then, companies would be willing to experiment more on the console, and have the experience to back it up. With a great price tag, and some fantastic games already available, Microsoft are looking quite strong.
PS3 - Highly anticipated only because of its "better-than-everything-else" graphical power, seems to be dragging Sony into a ever growing pit. They will need to try hard in this war, which will be a new concept to them, as they have usually just been the dominant company without having to try. Still, with some great games and probably still the largest fan group, Sony should prevail.
Wii - The underdog, and quickly becoming most peoples favourite. With the "innovative" controller, and there lack of care for a brain-washingly powerful console system has people sold. It would seem that Nintendo have finally done it right, which is great for them. My only down-thought against them, is that I see their console fast becoming a novelty one, with people prefering to actually get what has become the "Next-Generation" due to magazine and publicity: Graphics.
Cruciatum Fixative wrote:
as
> they have usually just been the dominant company without having
> to try.
So how did they get to the top then?
as
> they have usually just been the dominant company without having
> to try.
So how did they get to the top then?
biglime wrote:
> Cruciatum Fixative wrote:
> as
> they have usually just been the dominant company without having
> to try.
>
> So how did they get to the top then?
Well, for the most part they little to no competition, the X-Box came in, and did reasonably well, but the PS2 still out-sold it (not surprizing the lead they had, and the fact that the X-Box was a brand new games console) Sony, did little to PS2 to help it compete against the X-Box.
They got to the top by being the only choice people had.
> Cruciatum Fixative wrote:
> as
> they have usually just been the dominant company without having
> to try.
>
> So how did they get to the top then?
Well, for the most part they little to no competition, the X-Box came in, and did reasonably well, but the PS2 still out-sold it (not surprizing the lead they had, and the fact that the X-Box was a brand new games console) Sony, did little to PS2 to help it compete against the X-Box.
They got to the top by being the only choice people had.
Oh right, I guess the billions they spent into game development, hardware and software tools research, employing the best creative and technical minds, marketing and creating a whole department out of scratch must account for 'not trying' then.
biglime wrote:
> Oh right, I guess the billions they spent into game development,
> hardware and software tools research, employing the best
> creative and technical minds, marketing and creating a whole
> department out of scratch must account for 'not trying' then.
Urr... *just agree, just agree* Yeeeah, that'll be it.
> Oh right, I guess the billions they spent into game development,
> hardware and software tools research, employing the best
> creative and technical minds, marketing and creating a whole
> department out of scratch must account for 'not trying' then.
Urr... *just agree, just agree* Yeeeah, that'll be it.