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"Next console generation - My views"

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Wed 12/07/06 at 23:18
Moderator
"possibly impossible"
Posts: 24,985
OK, so the 360 is out, the PS3 is all but out and the Wii is trickling towards a release. So which one is the best? Which will be the winner of the 'console wars'.

The answer, my friends, is none and all.

You see, this time it will be different. This time there is so much diversity that all 3 main consoles can happily share the market. The Xbox 360 and PS3 will go head to head, that's true. Having a head start and a good word has worked for Microsoft (and they're working on Japan, though it's a tough one to break). The PS3 will be bought all over the world but only by those who feel that they can afford to fork out. This will level the playing field, the price of the PS3 will turn some to the 360 and the Sony branding will ensure that the PS3 still gets a large share. It should, i believe, make the situation even.

So, to the third player, the one that ended in a so-called third place in the last generation, Nintendo. Well, they've done their research. They tried out the market with the DS and saw that there was an untapped area. The non-gamer. They've also priced their console so it can be thought of as a second option for those wanting 2 consoles and most importantly, they've made it different. Not just different to the other two consoles, but different to anything else, ever. And with this the third share of the market will be divided.

As for me? I have the 360. I've studied the PS3 and considered it not worth the money for me, given the games I enjoy are all coming out on the 360, bar perhaps Gran Turismo. Then I'll get a Wii, because I love Nintendo and its different approach.

Others may prefer the PS3, want blu-ray or Metal Gear Solid and other Sony specific games, or just want the Wii. Either way, this time the field is really level...
Wed 12/07/06 at 23:18
Moderator
"possibly impossible"
Posts: 24,985
OK, so the 360 is out, the PS3 is all but out and the Wii is trickling towards a release. So which one is the best? Which will be the winner of the 'console wars'.

The answer, my friends, is none and all.

You see, this time it will be different. This time there is so much diversity that all 3 main consoles can happily share the market. The Xbox 360 and PS3 will go head to head, that's true. Having a head start and a good word has worked for Microsoft (and they're working on Japan, though it's a tough one to break). The PS3 will be bought all over the world but only by those who feel that they can afford to fork out. This will level the playing field, the price of the PS3 will turn some to the 360 and the Sony branding will ensure that the PS3 still gets a large share. It should, i believe, make the situation even.

So, to the third player, the one that ended in a so-called third place in the last generation, Nintendo. Well, they've done their research. They tried out the market with the DS and saw that there was an untapped area. The non-gamer. They've also priced their console so it can be thought of as a second option for those wanting 2 consoles and most importantly, they've made it different. Not just different to the other two consoles, but different to anything else, ever. And with this the third share of the market will be divided.

As for me? I have the 360. I've studied the PS3 and considered it not worth the money for me, given the games I enjoy are all coming out on the 360, bar perhaps Gran Turismo. Then I'll get a Wii, because I love Nintendo and its different approach.

Others may prefer the PS3, want blu-ray or Metal Gear Solid and other Sony specific games, or just want the Wii. Either way, this time the field is really level...
Thu 13/07/06 at 22:05
Regular
"The definitive tag"
Posts: 3,752
One winner is sure to emerge. It probably won't be for a while, but I'm confident it'll happen eventually.

It could be for any number of reasons. Sony might see sense and drop the price of the PS3. The Wii might turn out to be the biggest mistake in gaming history. Sony and Microsoft's take on the motion tracking controller might actually turn out to be better than Nintendo's (unlikely but possible). The Wii and the PS3 might make the soon-to-be outdated 360 look bad, making its headstart utterly meaningless.

I find it hard to believe that all three will have equal success, primarily because they'll all be doing their best to outstrip the other two.
Fri 14/07/06 at 00:13
Regular
"8==="
Posts: 33,481
I expect the PS3 will weather two generations of it's competitor's consoles if it performs adequately. It's certainly seems to have been built to last (that'll be a first hoho).
Fri 14/07/06 at 00:22
Regular
"Mooching around"
Posts: 4,248
Ooo An actual "War" for once!

I also believe that the 360 will very soon become out-dated, but this may mean that Microsoft will cut the price dramatically, giving it the edge to battle with the Wii. If the Wii does succed well, it is very unlikly that Nintendo will drop the price for some time.

The PS3, imagine it, your out with your gaming "buddies", on November 17th, and you tell them that you got a PS3. You will be like a God to them. Simply because of the price tag, PS3 is becoming highly anticipated. It was the same for the PS2, you told anyone you had one when it was first released, and you were "the man". However, after the euphoria has worn off, the PS3 will hit the shelves, and stay there. It won't be until the first price cuts will it really pick up.

The Wii is the underdog, and therefore, everyones favourite. Ludicrous if you ask me, as the only thing that is innovative on it is the controller. So what? It's a nice idea, and will defiantly attract the child gamer and people looking for something different, but that's it. I very much doubt it will attract the "non-gamer" as it is just too different; would you get a PS2 and EyeToy, just for that? Exactly.

I do think this will be a more level console war, but not completly even.

The winner will probably be decided by:

a) The Wii takes off and a brand new "Revolution" in gaming takes place.

b) The 360 stays as the dominant 'Next-Gen' console, and battles off the PS3 due to the pricing.

c) The PS3 grabs gamers buy showing them the "promised" superior graphics and gameplay. And does what the stero-typical 'Next-Gen' is supposed to do.
Fri 14/07/06 at 00:56
Regular
"8==="
Posts: 33,481
I can't see an actual "winner" but this generation is a trial by fire for Sony which is why their console had better be built to last and be 'future proof'.

If the 360 or Wii stumbles then both MS and Nintendo have enough funds to take the hit and move on. Sony on the otherhand are banking an awful lot on the PS3.

With the cheaper 360 offering 'near PS3' graphics and multiformat developers not taking the time to make use of the extra power found in the PS3 it'll probably come down to exclusives. But then again I'm not someone who's into buying purely for 'brands'.

The Wii will do well due to it's core audience and will probably go on from there. It's also going to be cheap enough to be bought on impulse around the festive period, it's the sort of thing you can imagine people buying as the 'new' christmas boardgame replacement (Mario Party# 164 bundled with it obviously).

In the case of pricing: when you see that people are quite happy to spend hundreds of pounds on some silly robotic dog from Japan you can see how the Wii could appeal and, indeed, the PS3: either as a 'must have' or as something that simply won't be used 3 months later (or both). At the Wii's expected price a lot of people will be willing to take the chance and as for 'oh it's just like eye toy' the Wii controller is far more integrated and capable of allowing much deeper gaming experiences than the simple setup of the eye-toy.

Now if Blu-ray fails to take off and is rejected then the simple DVD capabilities of the Wii and 360 look far more appealing than a console supporting an ignored format. Sure the movie companies will push it but if the public refuse to accept it then that's that - the Video CD allover again.

There are a lot of variables, but only Sony risk gambling more than they can afford in this upcoming 'war' of the consoles.
Fri 14/07/06 at 09:02
Moderator
"possibly impossible"
Posts: 24,985
It certainly does seem to be HD-DVD that has got there first, with shops starting to sell the discs now. What this means for Blu-Ray is that it will have to catch up to stand a chance...

As for the 360 seeming dated, how do you mean? The graphics are near enough to a PS3 to make no difference (especially at a lower price point) and they have the licences/support of the third parties.

How do you class a winner? Well, it's not as simple as market share. The company has to make a profit at the end of the day (which means selling more games, not consoles and therefore having more users), but how much of a loss are each of the companies selling at just with their console?
Fri 14/07/06 at 11:26
Regular
"The definitive tag"
Posts: 3,752
pb wrote:
> As for the 360 seeming dated, how do you mean? The graphics are
> near enough to a PS3 to make no difference (especially at a lower
> price point) and they have the licences/support of the third
> parties.

It's not much of a step up from the original Xbox, nor will the visuals be as good as the PS3's. It doesn't have anything new or fresh to offer like the Wii either. It's not outdated at the moment, but Sony's and Nintendo's respective machines could make it appear so when they hit the market.
Fri 14/07/06 at 12:07
Moderator
"possibly impossible"
Posts: 24,985
But then everyone in the industry who has tried the PS3 and the 360 have said that the graphics are pretty much almost comparible on both machines. The Wii graphics are the only ones which are comparible with the original xbox.

PS3 has the technical capabilities of slightly better graphics to the 360, but doesn't seem to be using it on any of their launch games.
Fri 14/07/06 at 12:27
Moderator
"possibly impossible"
Posts: 24,985
Cruciatum Fixative wrote:
> The PS3, imagine it, your out with your gaming
> "buddies", on November 17th, and you tell them that
> you got a PS3. You will be like a God to them. Simply because of
> the price tag, PS3 is becoming highly anticipated. It was the
> same for the PS2, you told anyone you had one when it was first
> released, and you were "the man". However, after the
> euphoria has worn off, the PS3 will hit the shelves, and stay
> there. It won't be until the first price cuts will it really
> pick up.

It could equally look bad for Sony. Either you'd be there with your PS3 with everyone around you playing and talking about their 360's or they'd just laugh when you'd told them how much you'd paid for a games console...

Alternatively, loads of older people with disposable incomes will buy it. However, I don't know any.
Fri 14/07/06 at 12:50
Regular
"Brooklyn boy"
Posts: 14,935
Who wins? The consumer :-)

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