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"Is Competition A Good Thing."

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Sat 17/11/01 at 18:52
Regular
Posts: 787
With Dreamcast and Playstation 2 out now, and GameCube and X Box out next year, theres going to be a lot of competition for your hard earned cash. Is this competition a good thing?

Competition is Good because:

Console prices are forced down in an attempt to gain the largest fanbase possible and make money on the software sales.

Consoles have to be worth buying, manufacturers cant get away with making only minor updates and expecting you to buy them (ie. 32X, Mega CD etc. Also known as the beginning of the end for Sega)

Games developers are forced to work harder to make a game utilise a machine to the best of its specifications, due to competition from not only other companies but also games on rival consoles that are very similar in style.

Game prices are forced down to be in line with rival machines prices, which in turn counters the drop with a price of its own.

Competition is Bad because:

Quality games are spread across too many platforms, consumer forced to pay for multiple consoles to play the games they used to play on one console (eg. WWF Games - I bought a Playstation, N64, Dreamcast, and Im getting a PS2 just to play these!) and games that would have otherwise came out on their console eg. Abes Oddesey being moved from PS2 to X Box, Resident Evil Being moved from PS2 to GameCube.

Conversions between systems take up development time that could be used to make new superior games. Game developers often take 3 years making a game, then 2 years converting it to other platforms.

Harder to commit to a particular console, for the developer as they dont know how the console will perform, and for the gamer as they dont know what systems their favourite developers will make games for (The future releases of X Box and GameCube were one of the main factors that delayed me from buying a PS2 straight away, I had to know that the others wouldnt have market dominance.)

Manufacturers can get away with making unoriginal copies of games by just changing characters and settings then releasing them on other platforms, which generally results in inferior games eg.Mario Kart and Crash Team Racing.

New Consoles are forced out sooner to compete with the graphical capabilities of newer consoles, so the longevity of a console is greatly reduced. Mega Drives and Snes's lated 6 years, Playstation has lasted over 6 years, PS2 will most likely be replace by PS3 in less than 4 years.

So Is competition Good or not?

Well the answer is yes, but in moderation. Obviously having only one system out there would result in a monopoly, that will allow a company to release barely changed updates, and through lack of support for older versions ensure that the new system has to be bought (Microsoft are a prime example with their PC Software, so if they win the console war, god help us all), but having too much competition means that the gamer has to pay more to play their favourite games as they are forced to buy more companies consoles, more often and have less security in the quality of the games that will come out.

Sega have effectively been taken out of the race as a Hardware manufacturer and will instead concentrate on producing great software for all systems (should be no problem there, whats the bet that the Dreamcast conversions will become some of the favourite games of the PS2/GameCube/X Box gamer, how ironic is that). That leaves 3 Companies and 3 machines out there.

Nintendo have a proven track record of consistently great games, but in recent years has seen a lack of 3rd party support (most probably due the N64's expensive to produce, and limited memory cartridges. With the release of GameCube will Nintendo regret storing games on a new format rather than the standardise DVD format PS2 and X Box favour, or will they have the last laugh as pirates destroy the software sales of the two competitors.

Sony are a relatively new enry to video games this being only their second machine, but they have a proven track record of quality entertainment goods, and also have the cool factor, their brand is simply seen as more cool than the competitors, but supposedly being difficult to program for, will Sony have only a short run as leader in the games market.

And then theres Microsoft, the dark horse, whose X Box is their first foray into console gaming, generally considered the most powerful machine of the 3, but also the most disliked, be it because of it large unattractive stature, or the fact that it sounds like a PC in a box. Microsoft arent the most popular out there, but will the power of the machine simply ensure its dominance of the games market.

So, theres going to be a lot of competition out there for your money, but likely, both Sony's PS2 and Nintendo's GameCube will still be great consoles in 3 years time, Sony's headstart in building a customer base as well as the public perception as being the coolest console will ensure they suceed. Nintendo's loyal fans and consistently great games from both nintendo themselves and nintendo friendly games developers such as Rare will ensure that the GameCube will at least be enough of a success to keep nintendo in business (the N64 would have killed them had it not been for Pokemon). Then theres Microsoft, who will no doubt do their best to tell everyone how powerful their console is, but without a built in fanbase and the public perception of being uncool (Bill Gates has been personally promoting the X Box, how on earth could it seem cool with him promoting!), the future of X Box is still undecided, will they muscle their way in like Sony did in 95, or will the X Box be the failure that systems such as CDi, 3DO and Jaguar were, claiming its the most powerful system ever, but still not selling.

Only one things for sure, these companies will do their best to compete with each other in the next year, which should prove most interesting, but the only question is, is it really a good thing?
Sat 17/11/01 at 19:52
Posts: 0
Firebalt wrote:
> Nick1 wrote:
> Firebalt wrote:
> Nick1 wrote:
> Firebalt
> wrote:
> Nick1
> wrote:
> You write a lot
> & I got
>
> bored

Yeah, he does
> write a
> lot. If you're bored, pop
> over
> to
> Queensland Drive, my
> cousin is having a laugh
> here, not
> that
> I agree with
> it or
> anything! He's endorsing "Cheeky
> bum
>
> sex". He wanted me
> to
> say this, "He's big,
> he's round, weak and
> bounce
> him
> along the
> ground."
> I'll try to stop him being any
>
> further
>
>
> blasphemous.

Firebalt.


Thanks, I'll be round
> in
>
> 15mins

Great, great. So, I'd guess that you're 6 minutes away. I'll
>
> be
> getting the beers and the drugs ready. Oh dear, I'm too stoned to go
> to
> the door
> and find out what my door number is. Oh, too bad. Just
> knock on
> every door until
> you find a stoned dude with glasses answer
> the door -
> that'll be me. Wait, wait,
> how can you read this? Anywho,
> lets get back to
> the topic, I don't want to spoil
> it for you
> Dringo.

What do you mean
> when you said don't wan't to spoil it for
> dringo. Anyway I'm drunk &
> half-stoned so I might be a few hours ...
> wow all the funny dots

I hate to keep quoting, but I think this is relevant,
> so please let me off. By "spoiling", I meant spoling the topic. If a
> topic has a lot of spam and useless posts on it, nobody wants to read it. One or
> two bad posts on a topic spoils it. As for the stonedness...see you in a few
> hours. I'll be at my cousins for another 2 hours, then I have the 40 minute
> drive home, then I watch TV for an hour, then I eat and then I go to bed. I'm
> only 13 you know! Oops, did I forget to mention that?

Firebalt.
i'm 13 to oh shi...shugar i'm all out
Sat 17/11/01 at 19:33
Regular
"You've upset me"
Posts: 21,152
There’s no point in doing anything at all unless there’s other people/things involved, is there? There would be no point in having the Premier League if there were only one team in it. There would be no point in marriage if there were only one person. There would be no point in practically anything, actually.

The same goes for the console market.

If there were only Nintendo then they couldn’t fail because there would be no one to beat them. The same goes for Sony and Microtosh... Soft. Without anyone to compete against they have no one to beat and no one to lose to.
They have no drive to keep bringing out better and better games, better and better pieces of hardware and better and better consoles.

People say that games, controllers, media hype... Whatever, is what makes the gaming world what it is. And there they could not be further from the truth.

If Mario had never been invented, Sony would never have needed to create Solid Snake or Crash. They would not need to create a mascot for themselves if their main rivals had no mascot.

Equally, if the PlayStation had never been made, do you think the N64 would have been? Yes but not quite so soon. Nintendo would have had nothing to beat and so would not have needed to bring out a new console while they were doing just fine with the SNES.

Without a motive, no one ever advances, because, without a motive, there is no NEED to advance. If Liverpool and Everton weren’t such huge rivals, would the Merseyside Derby’s be as important to either team? No. If the N64 had no competition, would we ever have progressed to a GameCube? Again, yes, but it would have taken a good deal longer than 4 years to come about.

Think about that for a second, it’s only been 4 years since the N64 was first released. On March 7th 1997 it hit the public. The GameCube was launched in Japan only last month. Why did they feel the need to bring out a new console so (relatively) soon after the N64 was out? Because they would have fallen behind in the consoles market. That’s why. Companies make games and consoles to make money. If they don’t have a new cutting edge piece of hardware, whereas, their nearest rival’s do, which one do you think will fall behind?

Why is the GameBoy Advance doing so well? For two reasons: 1) It’s a great piece of machinery and 2) Because it has no competition.

There is nothing handheld that even comes within a light year of the GBA.

Human nature forces us to want to beat someone else at something (Or is it the testosterone? ;-D ) Either way, we always want to be the best, which is why competition and rivalries exist. And it is also why the gaming world is what it is today and why it has such awesome prospects for the future.

RBS
Sat 17/11/01 at 19:31
Regular
"Fat Red-Capped Vale"
Posts: 427
Nick1 wrote:
> Firebalt wrote:
> Nick1 wrote:
> Firebalt wrote:
> Nick1
> wrote:
> You write a lot
> & I got
> bored

Yeah, he does
> write a
> lot. If you're bored, pop
> over to
> Queensland Drive, my
> cousin is having a laugh
> here, not that
> I agree with
> it or
> anything! He's endorsing "Cheeky bum
>
> sex". He wanted me
> to
> say this, "He's big, he's round, weak and
> bounce
> him
> along the
> ground." I'll try to stop him being any
>
> further
>
> blasphemous.

Firebalt.


Thanks, I'll be round
> in
> 15mins

Great, great. So, I'd guess that you're 6 minutes away. I'll
> be
> getting the beers and the drugs ready. Oh dear, I'm too stoned to go to
> the door
> and find out what my door number is. Oh, too bad. Just knock on
> every door until
> you find a stoned dude with glasses answer the door -
> that'll be me. Wait, wait,
> how can you read this? Anywho, lets get back to
> the topic, I don't want to spoil
> it for you Dringo.

What do you mean
> when you said don't wan't to spoil it for dringo. Anyway I'm drunk &
> half-stoned so I might be a few hours ... wow all the funny dots

I hate to keep quoting, but I think this is relevant, so please let me off. By "spoiling", I meant spoling the topic. If a topic has a lot of spam and useless posts on it, nobody wants to read it. One or two bad posts on a topic spoils it. As for the stonedness...see you in a few hours. I'll be at my cousins for another 2 hours, then I have the 40 minute drive home, then I watch TV for an hour, then I eat and then I go to bed. I'm only 13 you know! Oops, did I forget to mention that?

Firebalt.
Sat 17/11/01 at 19:17
Posts: 0
Firebalt wrote:
> Nick1 wrote:
> Firebalt wrote:
> Nick1 wrote:
> You write a lot
> & I got
> bored

Yeah, he does write a
> lot. If you're bored, pop
> over to
> Queensland Drive, my cousin is having a laugh
> here, not that
> I agree with
> it or anything! He's endorsing "Cheeky bum
>
> sex". He wanted me to
> say this, "He's big, he's round, weak and
> bounce
> him along the
> ground." I'll try to stop him being any
> further
>
> blasphemous.

Firebalt.


Thanks, I'll be round in
> 15mins

Great, great. So, I'd guess that you're 6 minutes away. I'll be
> getting the beers and the drugs ready. Oh dear, I'm too stoned to go to the door
> and find out what my door number is. Oh, too bad. Just knock on every door until
> you find a stoned dude with glasses answer the door - that'll be me. Wait, wait,
> how can you read this? Anywho, lets get back to the topic, I don't want to spoil
> it for you Dringo.

What do you mean when you said don't wan't to spoil it for dringo. Anyway I'm drunk & half-stoned so I might be a few hours ... wow all the funny dots
Sat 17/11/01 at 19:14
Regular
"Fat Red-Capped Vale"
Posts: 427
Nick1 wrote:
> Firebalt wrote:
> Nick1 wrote:
> You write a lot & I got
> bored

Yeah, he does write a
> lot. If you're bored, pop over to
> Queensland Drive, my cousin is having a laugh
> here, not that I agree with
> it or anything! He's endorsing "Cheeky bum
> sex". He wanted me to
> say this, "He's big, he's round, weak and bounce
> him along the
> ground." I'll try to stop him being any further
>
> blasphemous.

Firebalt.


Thanks, I'll be round in 15mins

Great, great. So, I'd guess that you're 6 minutes away. I'll be getting the beers and the drugs ready. Oh dear, I'm too stoned to go to the door and find out what my door number is. Oh, too bad. Just knock on every door until you find a stoned dude with glasses answer the door - that'll be me. Wait, wait, how can you read this? Anywho, lets get back to the topic, I don't want to spoil it for you Dringo.
Sat 17/11/01 at 19:02
Posts: 0
Firebalt wrote:
> Nick1 wrote:
> You write a lot & I got bored

Yeah, he does write a
> lot. If you're bored, pop over to Queensland Drive, my cousin is having a laugh
> here, not that I agree with it or anything! He's endorsing "Cheeky bum
> sex". He wanted me to say this, "He's big, he's round, weak and bounce
> him along the ground." I'll try to stop him being any further
> blasphemous.

Firebalt.


Thanks, I'll be round in 15mins
Sat 17/11/01 at 19:01
Regular
"Fat Red-Capped Vale"
Posts: 427
Nick1 wrote:
> You write a lot & I got bored

Yeah, he does write a lot. If you're bored, pop over to Queensland Drive, my cousin is having a laugh here, not that I agree with it or anything! He's endorsing "Cheeky bum sex". He wanted me to say this, "He's big, he's round, weak and bounce him along the ground." I'll try to stop him being any further blasphemous.

Firebalt.
Sat 17/11/01 at 18:59
Posts: 0
Nick1 wrote:
> You write a lot & I got bored
but competition is a good thing
Sat 17/11/01 at 18:58
Posts: 0
You write a lot & I got bored
Sat 17/11/01 at 18:58
Regular
"Fat Red-Capped Vale"
Posts: 427
Firstly, may I say a nice post there genesisofthesith. I think that competition is a good thing.

My cousin is with me here and he wanted to say something.

"Cheeky, cheeky bum sex".

I apologize for the actions of my cousin. Now, back to business. Competition is a good thing because makes consoles and game developers aspire to do better next time.

My cousin says one more thing.

"You're gay!"

I apologize once again for the actions of this micreant.

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