The developments about the Wii and PS3 over the last few months got me thinking. Back in the end of the 16-bit days, Nintendo was coming off a big success with the SNES. Sony was the upstart, making use of new technologies in the PS1 like 3D graphics and CD-ROM storage while keeping the price below competitors like the 3DO and Saturn. More importantly, it expanded the gaming audience audience by attracting young adult and older teen gamers with its more "mature" games. Nintendo, mired in its own hubris stuck to cartridge format, driving up costs and didn't do much about 3rd party support, leading to a lot of damage to its market share and a reputation as "kiddy".
Now you have Sony coming off a huge success with its PS2. Nintendo has dropped to third behind Microsoft of all people. However, with the Wii it's introducing new technologies to the control system. It's also expanding the gaming audience by reaching into traditionally non-gamer, non-kid demographics with the DS. Sony is mired in its own hubris of maximizing processing power and leveraging Blu-Ray into homes with the PS3. A format that drives up the cost of the PS3 to 3DO or NeoGeo levels and whose technical problems have resulted in massive reductions in projected shipments.
Nintendo is going to have a huge head start on availability if they meet their estimates. Will the PS3 be another 3DO, too expensive for its own good? I don't think so, because the market seems to have grown enough to support 3 systems. Still, if people start snapping up Wiis they might not be all that eager to make the expenditure on a PS3 once the early shortages pass. I could see the PS3 hovering near the xbox or even settling down in third.
I doubt it. Most serious gamers (lol) will either get a 360 or a PS3. The PS3 will have a bigger variety of games and will get most of the anime+Japanese gamers... while the 360 will just a few big titles (most of which will probably be ported to the PS3 and/or Wii, anyway).
The crowd for the PS3 will probably be able to afford it.
>>1
I would love to agree with you, I do hope the Wii succeeds in beating the PS3 but Sony are very strong so I don't know. I want the Wii to be successful because I want to play all the big next-generation games on a next generation console, and I don't think the PS3 and 360 are enough of an advancement, we'll just end up with the same game ideas.
>>2
Depends on what console has the big games, we don't know yet. Its turned around before and it may turn around again. The way Sony are going about things at the moment, if it continues they'll deffinately lose. I don't think they'll lose because I think Sony are strong enough to get back up, still nothing is certain.
But whichever way it goes, the Wii has a lot of very promising games and a lot of support, Nintendo seam to be strong at the moment. I'm very excited about the Wii and will deffinately get one at launch, and I'll wait and see whether I get a PS3.
I don't know about you, but for me the PS3 is just to frickin expensive. I just don't have that much money, and if I had that much money i wouldn't spend it on a games console. Xbox360 is about the upper limit what I would pay for a console, but right now the 360 just doesn't seem to have any title that makes me really want to buy it.
Theres no way that I could afford a PS3 either. If I saved a lot I could get a 360 (except I don't want one) but a PS3 is too much, I'd stick with PS2/GameCube which has served me well for the last 5 years. If I get a PS3 it will be in 3 or 4 years time when its much cheaper.
More than just the cost, I was trying to look at it from a historical perspective and the companies' mindsets and philosophies. With the N64, Nintendo didn't do much to attract the older teen/young adult market that the PS1 was winning with gritty themes in its games. The kids who started on the NES and SNES/Genesis were growing up, and they wanted to feel like adults. Nintendo stuck to their core audience and it really hurt them, even into the following generation with the GameCube.
With the PS3, Sony is appealing to the hardcore market it's built up with the PS1&2 that want the latest and greatest, the flashiest. This makes sense on one level since as that generation of gamers grows up they'll have more money to spend. However, jobs and other responsibilities mean they'll also have less time for 40 hour action platformers and 100 hour epic RPGs.
The DS has proven that groups who mostly have never played games like older people and adult women can be interested in games, at least certain types of games. (going by the top selling DS games, it's games that can be picked up and put down easily http://www.vgcharts.org/japtotals.php?name=&maker=&console=DS)Sony isn't doing much to attract that market; like Nintendo once did it's sticking to its core audience.
The group of hardcore or "serious" gamers are never going to be as large as the mainstream population or the group of casual gamers. If Nintendo can leverage its newly-found DS audience into purchasing the Wii, they could be sitting pretty once the dust settles.
I see Sony pulling a Dreamcast. The hard-cores hate Sony cause the don't like Blu-Ray, and they hate DRM. Besides that, xbox 360 is almost on par with ps3. especially if you don't have HD (probably 80% of the US).
The Soft Core don't want Sony cause you can buy 2 wiis for one ps3.
That leaves just the rich stupid people.
And every time Ken opens his mouth, another former sony customer buys an Xbox360.