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Picture the scene:
A new console readies for release on the market. It has had tens of millions of pounds put into developing it and bringing it to market. The manufacturer has spent millions on ensuring exclusive rights to most games and making sure that anyone developer who wanted a development kits got one in good time. Most of all, the releases games are spread across all the major genres with some of the finest reviews ever given.
This console is rubbished by so called “intelligent gamers”. Confused? Read on….
Now, imagine this scene:
A new console readies for release. The launch is certainly nothing to be proud of- developers were only given a few months to get titles out for launch, and as a result the games are just ports and upgraded versions of other games. Even more detrimental to the console release is the fact that the dev kits are of a low standard- they don’t allow some of the simplest tasks like anti-aliasing making some of the poorest launch games ever seen.
This console sells out, and becomes the biggest selling console of all time.
The more astute of you may have realised that the first console to which I refer is none other than Microsoft’s Xbox. The second is the Sony PS2.
Don’t you find it amazing that a console like the PS2, which had the most dire set of release games I have ever witnessed (and trust me- I’ve seen a fair few launched in my time!) sold out before the games were even seen in their finished form? Jaggy edges, ports and almost no originality made it pretty poor when you compare it to that of other consoles- like the Dreamast, N64 or Playstation.
So, why is it that the launch played no role in the console sales?
Well, I put it down to one of two reasons:
1) Sony lied to gamers. Fact. They told gamers the games would be photo-realistic, and even showed real time demos of the next Tekken game that had 70 people in a huge street brawl situation. Something so hard to believe that it juts isn’t true…. Literally!
2) Hype plays a bigger role than games. Now this idea would explain a LOT. This is why the Dreamcast- a console that sported the most original games of modern time- failed to get off the ground. This is why the PS2, despite a poor release (really original groundbreaking titles have only just begun to appear full time) sold out before launch. This is why gamers are so anti-Xbox. Not because it’s bad, but because it doesn’t have the brand name.
And this is when the industry goes downhill- people buy brand over quality; Something that’s only begun to happen in the mass-market age.
It’s already lead to casualties too- Sega are out of the hardware market, SNK have gone bust and small developers with original ideas are being outsold by mediocre unoriginal titles.
So, perhaps Microsoft’s marketing budget would be better spent repainting the console with a Sony logo- no doubt sales would boom then?
Luckily things aren’t so bad- the Xbox is going to do pretty well, taking about 35% of the market according to analysts’ predictions. All I can say is that it’s a good thing that the mass-market aren’t as biased as some of the so called “intellignet gamers” in these forums. Or maybe they just respond to marketting more?
Sonic
A new console readies for release on the market. It has had tens of millions of pounds put into developing it and bringing it to market. The manufacturer has spent millions on ensuring exclusive rights to most games and making sure that anyone developer who wanted a development kits got one in good time. Most of all, the releases games are spread across all the major genres with some of the finest reviews ever given.
This console is rubbished by so called “intelligent gamers”. Confused? Read on….
Now, imagine this scene:
A new console readies for release. The launch is certainly nothing to be proud of- developers were only given a few months to get titles out for launch, and as a result the games are just ports and upgraded versions of other games. Even more detrimental to the console release is the fact that the dev kits are of a low standard- they don’t allow some of the simplest tasks like anti-aliasing making some of the poorest launch games ever seen.
This console sells out, and becomes the biggest selling console of all time.
The more astute of you may have realised that the first console to which I refer is none other than Microsoft’s Xbox. The second is the Sony PS2.
Don’t you find it amazing that a console like the PS2, which had the most dire set of release games I have ever witnessed (and trust me- I’ve seen a fair few launched in my time!) sold out before the games were even seen in their finished form? Jaggy edges, ports and almost no originality made it pretty poor when you compare it to that of other consoles- like the Dreamast, N64 or Playstation.
So, why is it that the launch played no role in the console sales?
Well, I put it down to one of two reasons:
1) Sony lied to gamers. Fact. They told gamers the games would be photo-realistic, and even showed real time demos of the next Tekken game that had 70 people in a huge street brawl situation. Something so hard to believe that it juts isn’t true…. Literally!
2) Hype plays a bigger role than games. Now this idea would explain a LOT. This is why the Dreamcast- a console that sported the most original games of modern time- failed to get off the ground. This is why the PS2, despite a poor release (really original groundbreaking titles have only just begun to appear full time) sold out before launch. This is why gamers are so anti-Xbox. Not because it’s bad, but because it doesn’t have the brand name.
And this is when the industry goes downhill- people buy brand over quality; Something that’s only begun to happen in the mass-market age.
It’s already lead to casualties too- Sega are out of the hardware market, SNK have gone bust and small developers with original ideas are being outsold by mediocre unoriginal titles.
So, perhaps Microsoft’s marketing budget would be better spent repainting the console with a Sony logo- no doubt sales would boom then?
Luckily things aren’t so bad- the Xbox is going to do pretty well, taking about 35% of the market according to analysts’ predictions. All I can say is that it’s a good thing that the mass-market aren’t as biased as some of the so called “intellignet gamers” in these forums. Or maybe they just respond to marketting more?
Sonic
The Xbox is not as big as people imagine- and it looks quite good too. I certainly prefer it's look to the plasticy look of my PS2.
But it's so true- brand beats quality every time. Just look at what happened to the DC!
Sonic
But it's so true- brand beats quality every time. Just look at what happened to the DC!
Sonic
Brand names are always more successful than smaller companies. This happens on a whole of variety of levels. Such as clothing, with Nike and Umbro being the 'top designers' shoving the lesser known companies like Diadora and Hi-tech.
But Brand name companies do provide the quality every now and then you have to admit. With the PS2 boasting such games as GTA3, PES, State of Emergency, MGS2,THPS3, SSX Tricky and GT3.
I agree that there was a naff-all range of games for the PS2 release date. With rushed crappy games such as ISS and Star Wars: Starfighter (Which was probably the best game on the release date).
But the thing that brings console's reputations down are the little things. Such as the feel of the controller (May I just say that the XBOX controller Is Just a bunny rabbit wrapped in sandpaper), and the 'looks' of the console itself. When you buy a console you want something that is pleasant to look at, not an eye-sore, If I get an XBOX I don't know where to put it. I'll have to connect it from outside my room due to it not fitting through the door frame.
Now the Gamecube seems impressive, But I've seen many americans prefer their PS2 than the little cube. But the 3-D Box has a range of games to fill all your genre loving needs, which will appeal to a very differed age group.
Now game publishers have decided to sort of 'milk' this rivalry by putting their games on all 3 consoles (which evaporates the problem of buying a console for one game) and it's also good for us lot who are looking to save money.
Sorry for straying off the subject Sonic.
But Brand name companies do provide the quality every now and then you have to admit. With the PS2 boasting such games as GTA3, PES, State of Emergency, MGS2,THPS3, SSX Tricky and GT3.
I agree that there was a naff-all range of games for the PS2 release date. With rushed crappy games such as ISS and Star Wars: Starfighter (Which was probably the best game on the release date).
But the thing that brings console's reputations down are the little things. Such as the feel of the controller (May I just say that the XBOX controller Is Just a bunny rabbit wrapped in sandpaper), and the 'looks' of the console itself. When you buy a console you want something that is pleasant to look at, not an eye-sore, If I get an XBOX I don't know where to put it. I'll have to connect it from outside my room due to it not fitting through the door frame.
Now the Gamecube seems impressive, But I've seen many americans prefer their PS2 than the little cube. But the 3-D Box has a range of games to fill all your genre loving needs, which will appeal to a very differed age group.
Now game publishers have decided to sort of 'milk' this rivalry by putting their games on all 3 consoles (which evaporates the problem of buying a console for one game) and it's also good for us lot who are looking to save money.
Sorry for straying off the subject Sonic.
Nowadays it is a growing trend in ALL markets. People want to be seen sporting the latest fashion wear, they want the Heinz baked beans, not the horrible Tesco brand ones, they want the console that is widely accepted to be 'the best' which is the PS2. Even though PS2 may not be the right console for them, they want to be up with the latest thing. Not stuck trying to start a conversation about Wave Race when all their mates are on about GTA3.
And this is the problem. In our society, and most societies, variation is not welcome as it should be. Different tastes are always criticised, simply becuase so many cannot accept that there is no 'right' and 'wrong' only opinions and individual taste. If the Xbox had some nice ad campaigns and a lot of hype, and bacame 'cooler' than PS2, then, even if all the games were absolutely identical, people would want an Xbox too, just becuase it was the latest big thing.
So often today, selling any product is not about the product itself, but the marketing strategy used to sell it.
And this is the problem. In our society, and most societies, variation is not welcome as it should be. Different tastes are always criticised, simply becuase so many cannot accept that there is no 'right' and 'wrong' only opinions and individual taste. If the Xbox had some nice ad campaigns and a lot of hype, and bacame 'cooler' than PS2, then, even if all the games were absolutely identical, people would want an Xbox too, just becuase it was the latest big thing.
So often today, selling any product is not about the product itself, but the marketing strategy used to sell it.
Ummm... small typo in the last paragraph there (DC=GC! DOH!), but some good points. Microsoft have done with the Xbox what Sony have done with the PSX... and sales in America show it's got it's goal.
Of course, unlike Sony the Xbox will not be a big hit in all teritories- it'll do quite poorly in Japan due to their hate of American goods, and traditional one console society.
Getting onto Nintendo, they really don't need to worry. They have the guaranteed market of hardcore gamers and family gamers. One of the big markets they're trying to open is the girl gamer too. Which is completely different from the Xbox and PS2 which are both aiming at adult and teen gamers.
Even if the GC completely flopped (and already it's clear that tis isn't going to happen from sales figures), Nintendo have the GBA to fall back on... and franchises like Pokemon. A couple of years back Nintendo were the only manufacturer to make a profit despite the collapse of the Japanese economy- reason: Pokemon made them £1 billion!
Sonic
Of course, unlike Sony the Xbox will not be a big hit in all teritories- it'll do quite poorly in Japan due to their hate of American goods, and traditional one console society.
Getting onto Nintendo, they really don't need to worry. They have the guaranteed market of hardcore gamers and family gamers. One of the big markets they're trying to open is the girl gamer too. Which is completely different from the Xbox and PS2 which are both aiming at adult and teen gamers.
Even if the GC completely flopped (and already it's clear that tis isn't going to happen from sales figures), Nintendo have the GBA to fall back on... and franchises like Pokemon. A couple of years back Nintendo were the only manufacturer to make a profit despite the collapse of the Japanese economy- reason: Pokemon made them £1 billion!
Sonic
Some good points made here. And yes, I could tell which consoles you were talking about at the start of your post...
The whole PS2 thing goes fairly deep, people expect the best from Sony, because of the whole brand image that Sony has, but we need to remember that Sony is still a relative newcomer to the console market, it brought coolness to consoles. They did themseleve no favours with the PS2, though people who only have the PS2 to judge gaming by probably don't know the difference.
Microsoft on the other hand is almost anti-cool, we use MS products at work or school, and sometimes they crash and we hate them for it. MS is almost bringing the nerdy geeky image back to gaming, and people don't like that either. I'm all for a new console, no matter who brings it to market.
Having said that, I notice the MS is following the marketing model that Sony employed for the Playstation when they where first introducing it... Lots of demo consoles in shops, roadshows, high profile retail displays, magazine ads... Expect TV ads to start appearing as well.
Maybe Nintendo will head the way of Sega if the DC underperforms against Sony and MS.
The whole PS2 thing goes fairly deep, people expect the best from Sony, because of the whole brand image that Sony has, but we need to remember that Sony is still a relative newcomer to the console market, it brought coolness to consoles. They did themseleve no favours with the PS2, though people who only have the PS2 to judge gaming by probably don't know the difference.
Microsoft on the other hand is almost anti-cool, we use MS products at work or school, and sometimes they crash and we hate them for it. MS is almost bringing the nerdy geeky image back to gaming, and people don't like that either. I'm all for a new console, no matter who brings it to market.
Having said that, I notice the MS is following the marketing model that Sony employed for the Playstation when they where first introducing it... Lots of demo consoles in shops, roadshows, high profile retail displays, magazine ads... Expect TV ads to start appearing as well.
Maybe Nintendo will head the way of Sega if the DC underperforms against Sony and MS.
Picture the scene:
A new console readies for release on the market. It has had tens of millions of pounds put into developing it and bringing it to market. The manufacturer has spent millions on ensuring exclusive rights to most games and making sure that anyone developer who wanted a development kits got one in good time. Most of all, the releases games are spread across all the major genres with some of the finest reviews ever given.
This console is rubbished by so called “intelligent gamers”. Confused? Read on….
Now, imagine this scene:
A new console readies for release. The launch is certainly nothing to be proud of- developers were only given a few months to get titles out for launch, and as a result the games are just ports and upgraded versions of other games. Even more detrimental to the console release is the fact that the dev kits are of a low standard- they don’t allow some of the simplest tasks like anti-aliasing making some of the poorest launch games ever seen.
This console sells out, and becomes the biggest selling console of all time.
The more astute of you may have realised that the first console to which I refer is none other than Microsoft’s Xbox. The second is the Sony PS2.
Don’t you find it amazing that a console like the PS2, which had the most dire set of release games I have ever witnessed (and trust me- I’ve seen a fair few launched in my time!) sold out before the games were even seen in their finished form? Jaggy edges, ports and almost no originality made it pretty poor when you compare it to that of other consoles- like the Dreamast, N64 or Playstation.
So, why is it that the launch played no role in the console sales?
Well, I put it down to one of two reasons:
1) Sony lied to gamers. Fact. They told gamers the games would be photo-realistic, and even showed real time demos of the next Tekken game that had 70 people in a huge street brawl situation. Something so hard to believe that it juts isn’t true…. Literally!
2) Hype plays a bigger role than games. Now this idea would explain a LOT. This is why the Dreamcast- a console that sported the most original games of modern time- failed to get off the ground. This is why the PS2, despite a poor release (really original groundbreaking titles have only just begun to appear full time) sold out before launch. This is why gamers are so anti-Xbox. Not because it’s bad, but because it doesn’t have the brand name.
And this is when the industry goes downhill- people buy brand over quality; Something that’s only begun to happen in the mass-market age.
It’s already lead to casualties too- Sega are out of the hardware market, SNK have gone bust and small developers with original ideas are being outsold by mediocre unoriginal titles.
So, perhaps Microsoft’s marketing budget would be better spent repainting the console with a Sony logo- no doubt sales would boom then?
Luckily things aren’t so bad- the Xbox is going to do pretty well, taking about 35% of the market according to analysts’ predictions. All I can say is that it’s a good thing that the mass-market aren’t as biased as some of the so called “intellignet gamers” in these forums. Or maybe they just respond to marketting more?
Sonic
A new console readies for release on the market. It has had tens of millions of pounds put into developing it and bringing it to market. The manufacturer has spent millions on ensuring exclusive rights to most games and making sure that anyone developer who wanted a development kits got one in good time. Most of all, the releases games are spread across all the major genres with some of the finest reviews ever given.
This console is rubbished by so called “intelligent gamers”. Confused? Read on….
Now, imagine this scene:
A new console readies for release. The launch is certainly nothing to be proud of- developers were only given a few months to get titles out for launch, and as a result the games are just ports and upgraded versions of other games. Even more detrimental to the console release is the fact that the dev kits are of a low standard- they don’t allow some of the simplest tasks like anti-aliasing making some of the poorest launch games ever seen.
This console sells out, and becomes the biggest selling console of all time.
The more astute of you may have realised that the first console to which I refer is none other than Microsoft’s Xbox. The second is the Sony PS2.
Don’t you find it amazing that a console like the PS2, which had the most dire set of release games I have ever witnessed (and trust me- I’ve seen a fair few launched in my time!) sold out before the games were even seen in their finished form? Jaggy edges, ports and almost no originality made it pretty poor when you compare it to that of other consoles- like the Dreamast, N64 or Playstation.
So, why is it that the launch played no role in the console sales?
Well, I put it down to one of two reasons:
1) Sony lied to gamers. Fact. They told gamers the games would be photo-realistic, and even showed real time demos of the next Tekken game that had 70 people in a huge street brawl situation. Something so hard to believe that it juts isn’t true…. Literally!
2) Hype plays a bigger role than games. Now this idea would explain a LOT. This is why the Dreamcast- a console that sported the most original games of modern time- failed to get off the ground. This is why the PS2, despite a poor release (really original groundbreaking titles have only just begun to appear full time) sold out before launch. This is why gamers are so anti-Xbox. Not because it’s bad, but because it doesn’t have the brand name.
And this is when the industry goes downhill- people buy brand over quality; Something that’s only begun to happen in the mass-market age.
It’s already lead to casualties too- Sega are out of the hardware market, SNK have gone bust and small developers with original ideas are being outsold by mediocre unoriginal titles.
So, perhaps Microsoft’s marketing budget would be better spent repainting the console with a Sony logo- no doubt sales would boom then?
Luckily things aren’t so bad- the Xbox is going to do pretty well, taking about 35% of the market according to analysts’ predictions. All I can say is that it’s a good thing that the mass-market aren’t as biased as some of the so called “intellignet gamers” in these forums. Or maybe they just respond to marketting more?
Sonic