Jay: Can they succeed without Japan’s support? And even if they can, will most of us be interested in such a system?
Christian: I’m holding out on the 360 because, again, the genres are too narrow. Much too much emphasis on FPS, they already announced Call of Duty 3 for shit’s sake. And racing and sports games.
Stefan: I think they can stay alive without Japan, but not win. Both because they alienate large markets, and because ignoring them means their games will stagnate.
Pat: Agreed, I don’t see that changing, either.
Dan: It is still early. MS might decide to push for the Japanese market.
Pat: Sure it’s early but their Xbox record is the same way.
Dan: Maybe MS is waiting to see how Sony does in Japan after the PS3 release.
Golden Jew: Speaking of Japan… the Wii? What do you guys think? Is the controller going to be the wave of the next generation, or is it going to be carpal tunnel syndrome of doom?
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Looks like a yellow dragon to me. |
Pat: I’m about ready to drink Nintendo’s Kool Aid. Meteos for the DS is like a drug. I consider myself fairly hardcore and I can’t get enough. Then I take it to people who have never/almost never played anything (sisters, other girls) and they can’t get enough. Some of it is because puzzle games appeal to more people, but it’s also the accessible controls. And the Wii has accessible controls in spades.
Christian: One thing is for sure, Nintendo won’t go anywhere any time soon solely on their strength in Japan. And not just the DS….they’re interested in the Wii and Mario is having a huge resurgence. They’re releasing the new Bit Generations titles…risky but probably successful. They’re ballsy and confident again, and Japan is eating it up.
Stefan: I agree, I think the Wii is perfect for Japan. I’m not sure how many inroads it will make among American non-gamers. But if they pull it off, they could get huge numbers without having to compete directly with MS or Sony.
Pat: Stefan, I could see people needing an introduction from gamers, but I do think they’ll play. By people, I mean people who occasionally venture off the couch.
Christian: I want to know the mass market opinion. I mean, we all know what gamers and the press think of the there companies. But is Joe Schmoe as excited about the Wii as we are? Will that excitement last until launch?
Pat: My excitement will last, especially at $250.
Stefan: I’m the kind of person who doesn’t buy consoles. I got a used Dreamcast for my birthday seven years ago, and that was my last console purchase. But I’m getting a Wii, without a doubt. But I also follow games more closely than many people, as evidenced by my being here.
Dan: I personally have not heard much Wii excitement, especially from casual gamers. They all want a 360, and maybe a Wii (if they liked super smash brothers) but are none too thrilled about the price factor for the PS3.
Jay: I’m not sure Joe Casual Gamer cares about the Wii, but then I also don’t think he wants a PS3 anymore after hearing the price.
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On to Part 2!
Awesome debate! My two cents on this… as of now I can see no clear winner. I am going to get all three systems yet I am worried about the lack of genre’s on the 360, the possible lack of mature games on the Wii, and the impact of the Production of the PS3 games will have on the Devs.
But this case might be cut and dry if this whole issue becomes a repeat of the last generation. It has signs of showing that it might, with the exception of the 360 getting better games. But all in all if the PS3 gets to it’s second generation, which I am sure it will, and then finally delivers, the average joe just might buy into the PS3 if he is given a good enough reason… or a few.
I know alot of casual gamers, talk to them in video game stores, at arcades, in the line at the grocery, i… you get the point right?; after being told the price of the PS3 peoples eyes gloss over but most that I have talked to still say they want to get one. A smaller crowd actually asked why… was satisfied with the answer and continued to speculate about the games. On the internet I see really angry statements and proclomations that joe schmo wont buy the PS3 for the price but in the real world I get different answers. In the real world I see people that purchase 250k cars and spinners that go for 4K each. I have seen purses and dresses that cost between 800 and 1200 hanging off of females that aren’t allowed to vote yet. I see the guys that purchase $200 shades and go to resturants that charge you $120 dollars for “one” shrimp on a slice of lettuce.
I see this stuff every day and yet I come on the internet and see how cost conscientious joe shmoe or the average gamer will be and I laugh. The truth is that alot of people are going to be irked at this pricing but if given enough reason they will either spend the money or Save to get one. Its funny I don’t see a word about “saving” money when the majority of systems I bought in my life I saved to get. It is all about value. For some people all it takes is the sony brand. For people like me… I buy into potential. Then there are those who need concrete proof. And then there are those that either don’t care and/or downright hate. Maybe the PS3 will flop… no biggie to me as long as I can get some enjoyment out of the system, but there is a very good chance that it could become the beast that sony is hoping it to become.
The problem with buying into potential is that every console has potential. Potential is entirely dependant on what developers make. In 1993 developers could’ve made better looking and more complex games on the Jaguar than the SNES but they didn’t. The Jaguar still had the potential, though. Just like this generation the Xbox had the potential to do everything the PS2 did. My point is I’m unwilling to spend money for games that may come out because those games can come out on anything. I am willing to spend money once games I do want have already come out, though, which is going to be a problem when the PS3 puts out enough that I want. The system costs more than a months rent for me. I can save, but that still stings enough to make me resentful.
I agrre with you on the sting of price… but I guess we have different opinions about what potential is. To me its not about what the developers make but it is more along the lines that there “are” developers. That first step has been important to me since I was 12. If you use that frame of thinking, how many systems that had potential were utter failures?
The interesting thing is, Static is right about these average people on the street. Those kind of people he’s talking about probably aren’t all uber rich and well to do. Lots of people spend way out of their income bracket in order to appear more affluent than they are. They’re willing to put down excessive amounts of cash for the “bling”, especially if its mom and dad paying the bill. Hell, even I can confess to falling into the trap. I have a chance to save a great deal of money for senior year of college this summer thanks to my job, and yet I want to get back their with a brand new suit, a DS Lite, a Camera, a new hat… the list goes on. Thankfully I’ll control myself and budget my money, but that urge is hard to shake.
$600 for the PS3? I can imagine quite a few junior high students for which that is no sweat if they complain enough to their folks. Yes, many, many gamers are and will be burned by the PS3 price, but I really have to wonder if for every guy that is, there’s someone else wtih a fistful of cash and an urge to play Tekken.
HAHA! Christian we are alike in spending habits. I make sure all my bills and dues are paid but I find it hard not to burn the extra cash I have lying around.
For the record:
Pat: I’m about ready to drink Nintendo’s Kool Aid. Meteos for the DS is like a drug. I consider myself fairly hardcore and I can’t get enough. Then I take it to people who have never/almost never played anything (sisters, other girls) and they can’t get enough. Some of it is because puzzle games appeal to more people, but it’s also the accessible controls. And the Wii has accessible controls in spades.
Jay: Sony is full of crap because game designers make systems worth owning or not, not console manufacturers. The PS3 is very similar to the 360, but one pushes a few more polygons. The PS3 is not gourmet, it’s nearly the same thing as the 360 and the games will make or break it.
Pachter (2005): “In 2010, Sony’s going to have 55 per cent, Microsoft’s going to have 35 per cent and Nintendo 10 per cent, with all three of those having plus or minus five per cent,”
Piers Harding Rolls (from Screen Digest, in Dec 2007, paraphrased): by 2011, the PlayStation 3 will not only have surpassed the Xbox 360, but will have caught up with the wildly popular Wii’s worldwide install base.
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