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Most people will know the history of add ons. Sega's 32X and Mega CD were made to exploit their lucrative 16bit console even though the industry was screaming for 32bit, and Nintendo's 64DD would allow extras for games and the ability to surf the net. All of these failed horribly.
So why, oh why are Sony trying to make people buy a modem and Hard drive add on to the PS2?
What my above examples have proved is that if a feature doesn't come with a console then games won't support it. If games don't support it, then gamers won't buy it, and so the cycle continues. Basically, if it ain't in the box when you buy the console it won't take off.
However, has the industry changed enough to make sure that Sony's add ons don't flop? After all, both of these things are aimed at internet gaming, which is seen by many to be the way into the future.
Not only that, but already it appears that Sony have some big-name games coming out that will support the modem- Final Fantasy 11 being the biggest.
But what about the hard drive? What will it actually do? It could save upgrades for games- but if people don't buy it then there won't be any games supporting it. It could save things from the internet... but why would people want to buy a whole new unit to do this?
Personally, I am still in the mind that manufacturers have to either provide features in the console when you buy it, OR make upgrades cheap and necissary for people to buy them.
The N64 expansion pack was bundled with games, and even required for some big titles. It was cheap, no hassel, and took off very well. Likewise, I can see the Xbox's cheap upgrade to allow it to play DVDs taking off big time- after all, for £30 you erradicate the need for a DVD player.
However, with the PS2 upgrades, things are different. The hard drive really does have no appeal to any non-hardcore gamers- it's simply too costly to warrant buying. The modem will probably take off in limitted numbers, but how many games developers will really support it to make casual gamers buy what is a fairly pricey piece of kit?
Sonnic
So why, oh why are Sony trying to make people buy a modem and Hard drive add on to the PS2?
What my above examples have proved is that if a feature doesn't come with a console then games won't support it. If games don't support it, then gamers won't buy it, and so the cycle continues. Basically, if it ain't in the box when you buy the console it won't take off.
However, has the industry changed enough to make sure that Sony's add ons don't flop? After all, both of these things are aimed at internet gaming, which is seen by many to be the way into the future.
Not only that, but already it appears that Sony have some big-name games coming out that will support the modem- Final Fantasy 11 being the biggest.
But what about the hard drive? What will it actually do? It could save upgrades for games- but if people don't buy it then there won't be any games supporting it. It could save things from the internet... but why would people want to buy a whole new unit to do this?
Personally, I am still in the mind that manufacturers have to either provide features in the console when you buy it, OR make upgrades cheap and necissary for people to buy them.
The N64 expansion pack was bundled with games, and even required for some big titles. It was cheap, no hassel, and took off very well. Likewise, I can see the Xbox's cheap upgrade to allow it to play DVDs taking off big time- after all, for £30 you erradicate the need for a DVD player.
However, with the PS2 upgrades, things are different. The hard drive really does have no appeal to any non-hardcore gamers- it's simply too costly to warrant buying. The modem will probably take off in limitted numbers, but how many games developers will really support it to make casual gamers buy what is a fairly pricey piece of kit?
Sonnic
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too true about the GADd pb, too true........
i persoanlly think that the broadband adaptor will take off everywhere EXCEPT Europe..
Why?
Its pretty simple no1's prepared to invest the money needed for broadband
Whats goint to happen is thatdevelopers will wait for customers to buy the adaptors and customers will wait for developers to make games...
The only reason that the broadband took off in Jap and USA was that SEGA decided to actbefore customers and got bored of waiting and so released games like Unreal, Daytona and the unforgetable ChuChuRocket.. These games actually broke te ice and so people invested in the broadband adaptors for the DC instead of useing their modems. Very Smart.
Now that Sega has fallen apart (console-wise) the infrastructure is there and developers can design games knowing that people have the hardware is there to be used....
All we need now is for A developer to use the broadband and internet capabilities on the big three consoles.....
i persoanlly think that the broadband adaptor will take off everywhere EXCEPT Europe..
Why?
Its pretty simple no1's prepared to invest the money needed for broadband
Whats goint to happen is thatdevelopers will wait for customers to buy the adaptors and customers will wait for developers to make games...
The only reason that the broadband took off in Jap and USA was that SEGA decided to actbefore customers and got bored of waiting and so released games like Unreal, Daytona and the unforgetable ChuChuRocket.. These games actually broke te ice and so people invested in the broadband adaptors for the DC instead of useing their modems. Very Smart.
Now that Sega has fallen apart (console-wise) the infrastructure is there and developers can design games knowing that people have the hardware is there to be used....
All we need now is for A developer to use the broadband and internet capabilities on the big three consoles.....
I'd still be interested in seeing how Sony handle the selling and advertising of them though. If enough games can be released that do not NEED to use the modem and hard drive, but are made all the better for it or include special features only utilised by these pieces of hardware, then I believe that they may stand a slight chance of selling.
Not sure, but I can't wait to find out!
Not sure, but I can't wait to find out!
pb wrote:
> The problem with lots of good posts is that some fail to get GADs when they
> deserve one. This is one of them.
lol... thanks for the vote of confidence pb, but I don't really mind. After all, not only did I win a couple of weeks ago, but I come here for the fun- I actually get extremely suprised when I do win! Oh, and there's always some randomness to it- like what else is posted on the same day as yours.
Now, getting back to the topic at hand...
Sony are the first company who actually stand a hope in hell of getting an add-on to sell. Not only do they have a huge share in the industry and lots of money to throw at marketting, but they even own shares in some big names- notably Square.
As a result I could see a broadband adaptor taking off in Japan thanks to FFXI. However, over here the game won't do as well- people will not only be reluctant to pay for a modem, but they have to take into account online costs and they fact they may only use the modem for a couple of games. Oh, and that's not forgetting the price od the modem itself! That'll throw gamers off straight away.
As for the HDD, I still don't see any reason for it to take off... at all!
Sonic
> The problem with lots of good posts is that some fail to get GADs when they
> deserve one. This is one of them.
lol... thanks for the vote of confidence pb, but I don't really mind. After all, not only did I win a couple of weeks ago, but I come here for the fun- I actually get extremely suprised when I do win! Oh, and there's always some randomness to it- like what else is posted on the same day as yours.
Now, getting back to the topic at hand...
Sony are the first company who actually stand a hope in hell of getting an add-on to sell. Not only do they have a huge share in the industry and lots of money to throw at marketting, but they even own shares in some big names- notably Square.
As a result I could see a broadband adaptor taking off in Japan thanks to FFXI. However, over here the game won't do as well- people will not only be reluctant to pay for a modem, but they have to take into account online costs and they fact they may only use the modem for a couple of games. Oh, and that's not forgetting the price od the modem itself! That'll throw gamers off straight away.
As for the HDD, I still don't see any reason for it to take off... at all!
Sonic
The problem with lots of good posts is that some fail to get GADs when they deserve one. This is one of them.
Sonicrav, you are indeed correct in suggesting that the items mentioned may not take off, but the thing is that Sony now have a lot of punch in the gaming market and will attempt to make these items work whether they will be supported in the future or not. More likely than not, they will get games developers to create plenty of titles that will use the Hard Drive and Modem before there they reach the shops. The advent of Tony Hawks 3's modem support is testiment to this and also to the fact that Sony haven't limited the use of the add ons to their own brand, but the ability for other companies to create their own versions.
Now, alongside PCs, the problems with this are mainly that there may be compatibility issues, but the fact is that the items will sell because the market will be flooded with them. When Sega released their doomstruck 32x and MegaCD, they weren't always available and,as you say, the items weren't exactly well supported, with Star Wars 32x and Sonic CD being the only real stand out items available (the Star Wars game is still worth hunting down a cheap 32x for mind you)
Sonicrav, you are indeed correct in suggesting that the items mentioned may not take off, but the thing is that Sony now have a lot of punch in the gaming market and will attempt to make these items work whether they will be supported in the future or not. More likely than not, they will get games developers to create plenty of titles that will use the Hard Drive and Modem before there they reach the shops. The advent of Tony Hawks 3's modem support is testiment to this and also to the fact that Sony haven't limited the use of the add ons to their own brand, but the ability for other companies to create their own versions.
Now, alongside PCs, the problems with this are mainly that there may be compatibility issues, but the fact is that the items will sell because the market will be flooded with them. When Sega released their doomstruck 32x and MegaCD, they weren't always available and,as you say, the items weren't exactly well supported, with Star Wars 32x and Sonic CD being the only real stand out items available (the Star Wars game is still worth hunting down a cheap 32x for mind you)
HelloHowAreYou wrote:
> Strafex wrote:
> Any news on the Gamecube S.d. adaptors?
The Panasonic
> Memory cards cost about
> $40 for 16 Mbytes.
They can also be used for PC's
> and Music apparently.
Starfex,
They were originally made for PCs and
> Music..........
My Bad, My Bad
> Strafex wrote:
> Any news on the Gamecube S.d. adaptors?
The Panasonic
> Memory cards cost about
> $40 for 16 Mbytes.
They can also be used for PC's
> and Music apparently.
Starfex,
They were originally made for PCs and
> Music..........
My Bad, My Bad
The name's StRAfex (R before A), and I know they were originaly made for Music (that's why the GC needs an adaptor), but we're talking about Games media here.
Strafex wrote:
> Any news on the Gamecube S.d. adaptors?
The Panasonic Memory cards cost about
> $40 for 16 Mbytes.
They can also be used for PC's and Music apparently.
Starfex,
They were originally made for PCs and Music..........
> Any news on the Gamecube S.d. adaptors?
The Panasonic Memory cards cost about
> $40 for 16 Mbytes.
They can also be used for PC's and Music apparently.
Starfex,
They were originally made for PCs and Music..........
Any news on the Gamecube S.d. adaptors?
The Panasonic Memory cards cost about $40 for 16 Mbytes.
They can also be used for PC's and Music apparently.
The Panasonic Memory cards cost about $40 for 16 Mbytes.
They can also be used for PC's and Music apparently.
Yes.
GC Memory cards are in Megabits. Just saw it on the EB website.
Interact are releasing a Mega memory 16 for the Gamecube, similar to the one they made for PS2. Anyway, this card is 16 times the size of the official Nintendo Memory card. This card is 8 Megabytes=944 blocks.
Offical one is 59 slots.
So yes, The official GC Memory card is only 512 Kilobytes...or 4Mb (megabits...sounds a whole lot better huh)
GC Memory cards are in Megabits. Just saw it on the EB website.
Interact are releasing a Mega memory 16 for the Gamecube, similar to the one they made for PS2. Anyway, this card is 16 times the size of the official Nintendo Memory card. This card is 8 Megabytes=944 blocks.
Offical one is 59 slots.
So yes, The official GC Memory card is only 512 Kilobytes...or 4Mb (megabits...sounds a whole lot better huh)
adrian wrote:
> HelloHowAreYou wrote:
Des any1 know is Nintendo are using BITS or BYTES for
> their memory
> cards?
Bits I think. I know my friend didnt have a N64 so
> he got a ROM from the net of Goldeneye. It was 12 megabytes so times it by 8 and
> you get 96 megabits which is the size of the actual Goldeneye cartridge.
We know the N64 used bits...simply to rip off gamers... but what about on the GC mem cards?
Sonic
> HelloHowAreYou wrote:
Des any1 know is Nintendo are using BITS or BYTES for
> their memory
> cards?
Bits I think. I know my friend didnt have a N64 so
> he got a ROM from the net of Goldeneye. It was 12 megabytes so times it by 8 and
> you get 96 megabits which is the size of the actual Goldeneye cartridge.
We know the N64 used bits...simply to rip off gamers... but what about on the GC mem cards?
Sonic
Page: