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We all now that the international launch of the PS2 was spectacularly hounded by all sections of the popular press, and this may be a decent reason why the PS2 is looked upon by many as being a flawed console with a poor launch. As for the stoies they all concentrated on the high price, and lack of machines available at launch, compared to other territories. This is one of the main reason I think that Nintendo should both be happy, but at the same time worry, about the effect the popular press has on the games industry today.
Sony had a major handicap when it released it's Playstation 2, a massive demand for the system and an even higher expectation from the mainstream gamers and press. No one will ever be able to tell how much the mainstream press effected the saes of the Ps2, because dmeand outstripped supply for 3 months after launch, Sony only ever said it expected to sell out it's pre-ordered stock before it managed to keep up with demand, which it was successful in doing so, all we know is that since it's launch last November, it has set a precednet in hardware sales other companies can only dream of emulating.
There is an up side for Sony to the PS2 getting so many heasdlines, it was in the public eye. Everyone knew that sony were releasing the PS2, everyone knew that thew were the must have gift for christmas and everyone knew the launch date and price. Sony could have spent £500 million on advertising, and they would never have managed to get so much media coverage as their problems did. So what does this spell for the other companies??
Well, Microsoft are heading the right way about getting some decent media coverage when they launch the Xbox. they have recently downgraded the spec of the console, their has been rumours of supply problems, and biggest of all, it is going to be expensive. These are the same problems Sony had with the Ps2, and media hysterics are sure to follow the Xbox up until launch. Microsoft, however, aslo have $500 million to spend on a positive advertising campaign, so where sony had a lot of bad coverage, Microsoft should have a brilliant balance of propoganda and bad coverage. With this mix they should be able to convey their launch date, their price and their main assets without much difficulty, so this may be a surprise which most people aren't expecting.
As for Nintendo, they haven't had many problems. They have third party support, they have the cheapest console, they might have competatively priced games, they are expecting to be able to meet demands fully, so what can they do to drum up some public awareness?? I personaly thought that more could have ben done with the launch of the Gameboy Advance to make the public more aware of their system. a pokemon game and a mario game at launch would have sold consoles on their own, but non of these have or are likely to happen. Nintendo's main hope for media coverage is the battle between themselves and Microsoft, due to their almost simultaneous launch, they need to be making more of a song and dance about this. They should be hoping to have the media eating comparisions in price and availability out of their pockets, but I'm not too sure it is a market trick Nintendo know too much about, this is their problem. Nintendo as a company are no match for either Sony or Microsoft, both are houshold names known the world over, Nintendo are huge, but everyone has access to a PC, and everyone therefore has heard of Microsoft, everyone knows that Sony are the king of all things electrical, and unfortuantely for Nintendo, that is firmly the market the Playstation has pushed the games console into, a problem, to say the least.
So that's the way I see media coverage going for the major consoles, with media coverage comes public awareness, and with public awareness comes sales. It makes sense, so why aren't people trying to win themselves good press instead of either accepting bad press, or not aiming for any press at all, we, thankfully, will never know.
Sony had a major handicap when it released it's Playstation 2, a massive demand for the system and an even higher expectation from the mainstream gamers and press. No one will ever be able to tell how much the mainstream press effected the saes of the Ps2, because dmeand outstripped supply for 3 months after launch, Sony only ever said it expected to sell out it's pre-ordered stock before it managed to keep up with demand, which it was successful in doing so, all we know is that since it's launch last November, it has set a precednet in hardware sales other companies can only dream of emulating.
There is an up side for Sony to the PS2 getting so many heasdlines, it was in the public eye. Everyone knew that sony were releasing the PS2, everyone knew that thew were the must have gift for christmas and everyone knew the launch date and price. Sony could have spent £500 million on advertising, and they would never have managed to get so much media coverage as their problems did. So what does this spell for the other companies??
Well, Microsoft are heading the right way about getting some decent media coverage when they launch the Xbox. they have recently downgraded the spec of the console, their has been rumours of supply problems, and biggest of all, it is going to be expensive. These are the same problems Sony had with the Ps2, and media hysterics are sure to follow the Xbox up until launch. Microsoft, however, aslo have $500 million to spend on a positive advertising campaign, so where sony had a lot of bad coverage, Microsoft should have a brilliant balance of propoganda and bad coverage. With this mix they should be able to convey their launch date, their price and their main assets without much difficulty, so this may be a surprise which most people aren't expecting.
As for Nintendo, they haven't had many problems. They have third party support, they have the cheapest console, they might have competatively priced games, they are expecting to be able to meet demands fully, so what can they do to drum up some public awareness?? I personaly thought that more could have ben done with the launch of the Gameboy Advance to make the public more aware of their system. a pokemon game and a mario game at launch would have sold consoles on their own, but non of these have or are likely to happen. Nintendo's main hope for media coverage is the battle between themselves and Microsoft, due to their almost simultaneous launch, they need to be making more of a song and dance about this. They should be hoping to have the media eating comparisions in price and availability out of their pockets, but I'm not too sure it is a market trick Nintendo know too much about, this is their problem. Nintendo as a company are no match for either Sony or Microsoft, both are houshold names known the world over, Nintendo are huge, but everyone has access to a PC, and everyone therefore has heard of Microsoft, everyone knows that Sony are the king of all things electrical, and unfortuantely for Nintendo, that is firmly the market the Playstation has pushed the games console into, a problem, to say the least.
So that's the way I see media coverage going for the major consoles, with media coverage comes public awareness, and with public awareness comes sales. It makes sense, so why aren't people trying to win themselves good press instead of either accepting bad press, or not aiming for any press at all, we, thankfully, will never know.
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Bonus wrote:
> not really because the GBA has a tiny market share, only really
> gamers have bought it, ad they will buy a console because they like
> the look of what os on offer, not because their GBA will plug into
> it.
The GBA has only started and it will be huge! I see hundreds going oh look at it i want that! It sold 500,000 in a week or something in Japan! GBC is really big but soon the GBA will continue its success and share it with the Gamecube.
> not really because the GBA has a tiny market share, only really
> gamers have bought it, ad they will buy a console because they like
> the look of what os on offer, not because their GBA will plug into
> it.
The GBA has only started and it will be huge! I see hundreds going oh look at it i want that! It sold 500,000 in a week or something in Japan! GBC is really big but soon the GBA will continue its success and share it with the Gamecube.
It wasn't no, thats my point, we will never know how good the PS2 launch could have been if it wasn;t for the media carnival during it's launch, because demand couldn't be met, all the signals of a brilliant console launch.
The PS2 launch wasn't really a failure though, was it?
I mean, from our eyes it was something of a disaster as far as console launches go, but look at it from another point of view and it seems to have been a great success.
If the main reason for the PS2 launch being hailed a bad launch (and then only by us and the non Sony gaming press) was the fact that you couldn't get hold of one and that even if you could then it may have been faulty, then it's not really a problem is it?
For a start, the fact that there were so many people without one just made them even more of a must-have console before anyone actually played on the things. That they ran out means (to the media) that they were very popular and just sold out. That they went wrong is just a standard fact of life for any piece of electrical equipment sold in mass amounts and wheeled out as fast as the production line could make them.
The press went wild with excitement over the console because Sony made them. It's easy enough to buy an influencial media person lunch or give them a free console in exchange for good press, but Sony went the whole hog and made sure they covered every media oportunity they could think of. Whether you think this is right or wrong, it still went off really well and Sony had obviously planned it for ages. It paid off too.
Now Sony have to be careful. They know this and all their big releases were put back so that they could ride the media hype until they needed to release some more games. Look at the recent hype over GT3. It's a good game and Sony knew how much the fans were waiting for it, so they used it as a media tool and yet again were successful in selling more consoles because of it.
The Gamecube will have a fairly good launch, I'm sure, but if Nintendo don't work at getting a similar amount of media attention, then they're not competing. Attention is bought these days rather than earnt, sad but true.
I mean, from our eyes it was something of a disaster as far as console launches go, but look at it from another point of view and it seems to have been a great success.
If the main reason for the PS2 launch being hailed a bad launch (and then only by us and the non Sony gaming press) was the fact that you couldn't get hold of one and that even if you could then it may have been faulty, then it's not really a problem is it?
For a start, the fact that there were so many people without one just made them even more of a must-have console before anyone actually played on the things. That they ran out means (to the media) that they were very popular and just sold out. That they went wrong is just a standard fact of life for any piece of electrical equipment sold in mass amounts and wheeled out as fast as the production line could make them.
The press went wild with excitement over the console because Sony made them. It's easy enough to buy an influencial media person lunch or give them a free console in exchange for good press, but Sony went the whole hog and made sure they covered every media oportunity they could think of. Whether you think this is right or wrong, it still went off really well and Sony had obviously planned it for ages. It paid off too.
Now Sony have to be careful. They know this and all their big releases were put back so that they could ride the media hype until they needed to release some more games. Look at the recent hype over GT3. It's a good game and Sony knew how much the fans were waiting for it, so they used it as a media tool and yet again were successful in selling more consoles because of it.
The Gamecube will have a fairly good launch, I'm sure, but if Nintendo don't work at getting a similar amount of media attention, then they're not competing. Attention is bought these days rather than earnt, sad but true.
not really because the GBA has a tiny market share, only really gamers have bought it, ad they will buy a console because they like the look of what os on offer, not because their GBA will plug into it.
Exactly the GBA will have a huge effect on the GC you will all see!
I've been saying that about the GBA for months now!!!!
The GBA is huge and gets a load of press but the GC true doesn't really! I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo have rigged it that you can play GBA games on to the T.V! It would boost sales. Nintendo make 1 popular the other should follow, the Gameboy Colour helped save the 64 thats for certain!
That still limits the appeal of the Gamecube to a fraction of the audience which will be reached by the popular press reporting the problems with the PS2 and Xbox. Most GBA owners would have been gamers already, not really penetrating the mass market, popular press will see Sony and Microsoft have more attention, whether this relates to higher sales, we'll have to wait and see.
So you criticise Nintendo for having no problems?
GC is odd, PS2 is popular and people expect good things and when they don't get these expectations met people moan and get bad press. The Gamecube is different they are the bullied boy, he did all the work and that big nasty Sony took it away and beat em up! People feel sorry for them that is why Nintendo steal the show at E3 (did i just write that)!
what advert has microsoft made? an Advert attacking their rivals! Sony sequels Nitnendo kiddies! That was ugly propaganda, the PS2 has their 3rd place advert OH GOD!
Nintendo are doing something different Bonus. Not Adverts (too much) no Microsoft Vs Nintendo fight!
No you see all of these will help but Nintendo have one thing to make the Gamecube popular! You say not enough but i say you aint seen noting yet the GBA!
The box had a picture, people noticed it linked with this new system hmmmm?
Then a GBA game will come out that links with the GC, up more sales until it sells out! The GBA is special it has poularity and as soon as people see that GC is vital to have with the GBA (and the other way round) then they'll get it, like a link cable a must get GBA accesory and a useful and good one at that.
You'll see Nintendo will use the GBA to amek the Gamecube popular you mark my words!
Dringo
GC is odd, PS2 is popular and people expect good things and when they don't get these expectations met people moan and get bad press. The Gamecube is different they are the bullied boy, he did all the work and that big nasty Sony took it away and beat em up! People feel sorry for them that is why Nintendo steal the show at E3 (did i just write that)!
what advert has microsoft made? an Advert attacking their rivals! Sony sequels Nitnendo kiddies! That was ugly propaganda, the PS2 has their 3rd place advert OH GOD!
Nintendo are doing something different Bonus. Not Adverts (too much) no Microsoft Vs Nintendo fight!
No you see all of these will help but Nintendo have one thing to make the Gamecube popular! You say not enough but i say you aint seen noting yet the GBA!
The box had a picture, people noticed it linked with this new system hmmmm?
Then a GBA game will come out that links with the GC, up more sales until it sells out! The GBA is special it has poularity and as soon as people see that GC is vital to have with the GBA (and the other way round) then they'll get it, like a link cable a must get GBA accesory and a useful and good one at that.
You'll see Nintendo will use the GBA to amek the Gamecube popular you mark my words!
Dringo
pop, dringo, this post, enjoy :D
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