PlayStation 4 details...

[Wolf Kanno]

^ i think you missed the entire point then. It's not that Sony & MS won't change, it's that they've already accomodated to current trends. I put forth about their downloadable content, you said it's about non-downloadable software. I listed such products, you claim 5 is not enough (obviously there are many more examples). I never suggested Sony & MS capitalize off of it to the extent that the Wii does; in fact I would suggest that's something (the wii's percent of casual-focus) that's not going to happen.

Again, one of my main points is that Sony is already pushing an inexpensive, casual console - the PS2. The new bundle they released just over a week ago is obvious enough.

You're right, I did miss that. Sorry about the confusion. Though I find it hard to think of Rock Band and Guitar Hero as "ultra casual affairs" considering the massive hardcore following its created in their short time. It may become like DDR which was a fun game for the casual crowd until a ultra hardcore fanbase came about that scared most people from getting into it. Granted, GH and RB have a different distribution but its also not as cheap.

Does the PS2 have the longevity or even enough current exposure for ultra casual gamer to even realize that Sony still supports it? I was actually reading an article on PS2 games that were being released this year and out of the 10 examples, I only knew of two of them (P4 and Yakuza 2 ). I consider myself somewhat in the loop of the industry and even I'm unaware of what's being released on the system.

The one point I feel you missed though is that Sony and Microsoft don't even bother marketing their systems for the ultra casual crowd. Sony's ads at first tried to convince you that the system is a revolution and now they are a bit more humble. Microsoft has promoted their system as the "everyman" system but I feel we all know they mean the normal gamers and not really for people who don't play the genre.

What I'm getting at is that the next generation may see systems and ad campaigns that are targeted towards "everyone" not just people who are interested in the industry. Look at how the Wii is marketed, it lacks intimidation and it actually shows family and friends bonding and having fun. Its has no intimidation and it shows wide groups of people having fun. I guess what I'm saying is, where's the commercials for the non-gamers from Sony and Microsoft? Neither company is even trying hard to get a part of Nintendo's success, and though they have products for them, they don't seem to be trying hard to let the news out. Personally I'm not sure if its out of pride or more likely a fear that trying to appeal to them might offend their fanbases that are supporting them.

Its not just the hardware and software, its the way its presented to people. Dreamcast was a wonderful system but people ignored it cause Sony presented the PS2 as the next revolutionary step in gaming. I feel that next generation will see more of a utilitarian approach to media exposure.

EDIT: Before I get called on this, by intimidation, I refer to showing games that the rest of us play that boring people would generally not touch. Unless your grandma is awesome and likes beating up whores for their money in GTA...