Its sad how a discussion in General Gaming about the PS3 is taken far more seriously is is conducted in a more civilized manner than anything in EoEO.
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Its sad how a discussion in General Gaming about the PS3 is taken far more seriously is is conducted in a more civilized manner than anything in EoEO.
Despite what we all might think, Sony is still the strongest going into this generation. It's hard to tell right now whether or not they will come out on top. As for this holiday season, the 360 is likely to come out on top when it comes to software purchases simply because there may not be enough PS3s to go around.
As for the long run, that's even more difficult to predict. While Halo is apparently the strongest non-sports franchise in the US, Sony outnumbers Microsoft when it comes to its own exclusive heavy hitters. Halo alone will probably sell more in the US than a Metal Gear, Final Fantasy, God of War or Devil May Cry would individually, but when you put all those together they'd sell more than Microsoft's only big gun. The 'loss' of Ninja Gaiden doesn't help Microsoft either. Sony still has the stronger potential, as they have the most exclusive 'big name' franchises among the hardcore players. Microsoft has a chance to establish new, potentially big franchises such as Gears of War, and the Mass Effect and Too Human (if it turns out to be good) trilogies.
However, the other 2 franchises, which are probably *the* biggest franchises in the US, are shared between the 2 systems. Madden has always been multi-platform, and now that GTA will be on both systems on the same day, Sony has a gaping hole in their previously unstoppable (now merely overwhelming) arsenal.
Nintendo has a lot of work to do with the Wii. It won't initially win over the PlayStation generation, the ones whose first RPG was FF7 and have never played Zelda, or the 'mainstream' Madden/GTA players. It has the potential to bring in the casual gamers, and people who don't even play games, so if they do pull it off then they could be the big winners. This kind of growth will help the industry as a whole if it actually happens.
As to who has the most to lose from a failed system, it's definitely Sony. Nintendo instantly profits from every Wii sold. Even if it fails the DS is so hugely successful they wouldn't be hurt too bad. Microsoft could lose money for eternity and it wouldn't affect them much. Sony has invested a lot in the PS3: The cell chip, BluRay, etc... if it flops, it will really hurt. Neither of these 3 companies will be particularly crippled if their console fails. Sony and Microsoft have other products outside of gaming, and Nintendo dominates the handheld market.
So to restate: PlayStation is still the strongest brand and has the most clout behind it. Microsoft has some potential but does have quite of work to do if it wants to overtake Sony as the market leader. Nintendo is the wildcard--it isn't even trying to 'compete' with Xbox and Playstation, it's aimed at a much larger (but difficult) market.
I don't think sony will lose.
I think all the fuss about the prices of the console and the games was just made up for promotion. They want to make a fuss about everything that has to do with the ps3, so everyone will talk about it, everyone will discuss sony's possible insanity and all that.
Eventually, when it comes out, I think the prices will be roughly the same as the Xbox 360 and the PS3 will get an even or larger share of the games-market.
I could be horribly wrong though, but this is just my prediction.
xDOriginally Posted by corncracker
Hm. Personally, if I was working for Sony, I'd be quite upset about all the fuss concerning prices, etc. After all, no publicity is better than bad publicity, right? Although everyone is talking about the PS3 at the moment, the majority of the discussions are overhwhelmingly negative. That sort of publicity won't get people to buy consoles ... surely?
"As the days go by, we face the increasing inevitability that we are alone in a godless,
uninhabited, hostile and meaningless universe. Still, you've got to laugh, haven't you?"
I'm sure there's 400,000 out of the 330 million (US and Canada) people who can and will afford to buy a PS3. And by the next shipment there should be more, due to more games being out, those 400,000 absolutly loving it, hype from the mad shortages, or a price drop. So it's not really about priceing anymore, maybe Sony's smurfed because 400,000 isn't enough to get a dent into the million 360s already sold, but that's a problem for their manufacturing whatnots.
I don't think the 400,000 PS3's on launch day will hurt Sony too much. They've already said they'll have 1-1.2 million available in North America by the end of the year. That's more than the 360 had at launch or could sell in that time frame last year, and the shortage didn't really seem to hurt Microsoft in the long run. It was long forgotten in a matter of months. As long as they can keep a steady supply coming in, I imagine Sony will come out none the worse for wear from it.
Sony will start poorly, but once the price drops the system will grow in popularity. They'll almost certainly lose ground this generation, but I can't see the PS3 becoming another N64. While the console has been a PR disaster in the online community, the general public's perception of gaming is quite different to ours. As long as Sony maintains its strong base of third-party support it'll be able to shift units, and while it'll lose out to the Wii in Japan, it's probable that Sony will continue to be the market leader in the US and Europe.
"The most important and recognize player in the history of the country."
Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I were as great as Paulo Wanchope.
That translates to me as: the general public in the US and Europe part with their cash quite easily, as they automatically fork out for expensive consoles simply because of brand names, as opposed to actual quality of hardware and games, whereas people in Japan recognise good quality products and don't buy things simply because it's the "in thing" to do so.While the console has been a PR disaster in the online community, the general public's perception of gaming is quite different to ours. As long as Sony maintains its strong base of third-party support it'll be able to shift units, and while it'll lose out to the Wii in Japan, it's probable that Sony will continue to be the market leader in the US and Europe.
Or maybe I'm analyzing the situation far too much.
"As the days go by, we face the increasing inevitability that we are alone in a godless,
uninhabited, hostile and meaningless universe. Still, you've got to laugh, haven't you?"
Its anyones game, well not really, its between the PS3 and Wii in my eyes. I can see the PS3 either first or second, I doubt it'll topple to the 360.
I thought Japanese youth culture was all about the "in thing". Plus, they have Cooking Mama. Let's not talk about the Japanese.
As stereotypes go, it's a good 'un. Whatever the reason, though, Nintendo products have always sold well in Japan, and Sony products in the US. If anything, the Wii is going to widen that gap. I can Japanese consumers embracing the new interface in vastly increased numbers, but for the West to view the Wii as anything more than a charming novelty will take something special. Sales will rise, without question, but it's not going to take the world by storm in the way the PSOne did.
I'm more than prepared to eat those words in a couple of years' time, by the way.
"The most important and recognize player in the history of the country."
Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I were as great as Paulo Wanchope.
The main worry right now is that the console is still looking very pricy for many countries, there aren't many must-have launch titles, and given the fact that Sony has already lowered the console prices dramatically, they may never recuperate from losses.
So yes, they may well lose this time. I'm still definetly buying a PS3. It's been the plan all along. I'm not interested in the 360 or Wii.
Well be prepared to folk over six hundred bucks Thunder God.
Can people stop and remember that there is a $500 version once in a while.
A while ago it was expected to cost 499$ for the 40 GB version and 599$ for the 60GB version.
Then Gamespot said it would sell for 399$.
I assume this is in American money, so it will be more in Canada. But at this rate, probably not 600$.
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