ok... don't really fight... discuss... in a civil fashion.
My thoughts? (I'm focusing on the US here since it's the only market I'm really familiar with, so all prices will be in USD, and my opinions will be mostly based off of how I think the US consumers will see things)
It's a tough call at the moment without knowing for sure what the prices of the new consoles will be.
By the estimates and supposed leaks from different sources the pricing will most likely be the following:
Nintendo: System $199-$250 (most likely $199), games $49.99
Microsoft: System $299-$399 (most likely $299-$350), games $49.99-$59.99
Sony: System $399-$499 (most likely $450 in the US you can see GameSpot for more), games $49.99-$59.99
These prices are KEY to the "prize" of most popular console, especially outside of Japan where MS is going to have a hard time breaking in, even with the exclusives they've grabbed.
All three console makers have agreed that Nintendo isn't really part of "the war". They have different aspirations for success, so I'm not going to focus on them too much. Their pricing things lower will definately keep them afloat, just as it did with the GC. If they manage to keep their games at $50, which I'm sure they will, they will do well in the next gen as well, especially if MS and Sony increase their prices as will most likely happen.
Microsoft will deffinately do better this time around than they did the last time, but it all really depends on the pricing of Sony's PS3. If Sony can manage to match the 360 in price (which isn't likely), it could put a huge dent in the 360 sales. On the other hand, if Microsoft can employ some bastardly marketing techniques (It's Microsoft, they live for doing just that), and get in some well timed game releases and price cuts (which they already have planned Halo 3 to coincide with the PS3 launch. I wouldn't be surprised to see a $20-$30 instant rebate on the system with the purchase of Halo 3 as well), combined with a lower price point than the PS3, Microsoft could easily crush the PS3 sales at least in the US, and possibly other countries as well (again, Japan will be a tough nut to crack).
Sony deffinately has the biggest muscles this time around, but those muscles cost money, and if it's too much money compared to the other systems then all the bells and whistles in the world won't make the sales they need.
Sony should know this from it's attempts with the PSX (the PS2 with the built-in Tivo and all the other shiney things that never sold and was full of problems), but they're stubborn as they have shown with betamax, DVD+R and other things. I pretty much covered everything about the PS3 when talking about Microsoft. One thing that could save Sony even if they are a bit more expensive than the 360 is a very good online system coupled with amazing games. If they can pull this off better than Microsoft, who already has some really cool games lined up and a very well established online system already in place, Sony could do well even with a bigger price tag.
Next Gen Wars: FIGHT!
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billf
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Next Gen Wars: FIGHT!
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Mista
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Jesus billf, you're as obsessed as I am. 
I think those prices will probably be lower since it's still a year for the PS3 to come out which gives it's parts enough time to age and become cheaper. Even so, they'll probably be more expensive than $300. It seems that video games are becoming harder and harder to afford over the years.
If you ask me I'd say that the Revolution would be the best bargain and will sell a lot as long as Nintendo let's people know what they're getting.
The PS3 will probably sell well with the people who buy the best of stuff, the people who are fans of Sony, and the people who are fans of the great games coming out for it.
The X-Box 360 has a lot going for it except a strong lineup of great games. All the games I've seen so far haven't really been "omg!1 I need to get that" except for Perfect Dark Zero. That's not to say that the games are crap. Far from it, but it's just too early to tell.
As it stands right now I'll most likly get an X-Box 360 (along with the new gameboy micro) and a few months after the Revolution comes out I'll pick one up and a year or so later I'll pick up a PS3.
I think those prices will probably be lower since it's still a year for the PS3 to come out which gives it's parts enough time to age and become cheaper. Even so, they'll probably be more expensive than $300. It seems that video games are becoming harder and harder to afford over the years.
If you ask me I'd say that the Revolution would be the best bargain and will sell a lot as long as Nintendo let's people know what they're getting.
The PS3 will probably sell well with the people who buy the best of stuff, the people who are fans of Sony, and the people who are fans of the great games coming out for it.
The X-Box 360 has a lot going for it except a strong lineup of great games. All the games I've seen so far haven't really been "omg!1 I need to get that" except for Perfect Dark Zero. That's not to say that the games are crap. Far from it, but it's just too early to tell.
As it stands right now I'll most likly get an X-Box 360 (along with the new gameboy micro) and a few months after the Revolution comes out I'll pick one up and a year or so later I'll pick up a PS3.
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billf
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I've heard from a couple of different places that the PS3 is going to launch at no lower than $400, and that's in Bizzaro World where people are cyborgs, so the price of electronics is fairly cheap
I may buy the Revolution at launch, not sure though. It all depends on my finances.
I may buy the Revolution at launch, not sure though. It all depends on my finances.
"We spend the first year of their lives teaching them (children) to walk and talk, and the rest of their lives telling them to shut up and sit down."
PC Gamer for the most part and I hate sony stuff. Though I will most likly get a Revolution.
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"Do I hear voices? I guess so. I don't worry though, because I have learned to ignore them. They keep telling me the Cubs will win the World Series." Calus
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jimkatai
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I figure XBox 360 is probably going to fail pretty miserably this time because it's going to end up neing a pretty obvious lesser version of the PS3 which will really hurt it because no one's is going to want something when there is something else out there that is in every way better. (And by every way, I mean gameplay [the one hurdle XBox still has a chance to jump but probably won't given the lack of titles to draw from and the fact that so far no innovation or any killer apps have been shown], library [since it's been stated that the PS3 will be all the way backwards compatible], and simple power) Sure people will go for the lesser system but probably just as many that went for the Dreamcast.
Now I do believe the Revolution will be a success for the most part but only because it is in a different league. Now by this I don't mean it's target market. Nintendo just has a pick up and play feeling about it and it's great for party games plus that dling of old games ability would be really nice and would draw in more people because of the nostalgia feel.
Now I do believe the Revolution will be a success for the most part but only because it is in a different league. Now by this I don't mean it's target market. Nintendo just has a pick up and play feeling about it and it's great for party games plus that dling of old games ability would be really nice and would draw in more people because of the nostalgia feel.
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billf
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With EA working more closely with XBox and XBox Live now, the 360 is going to see a ton of games that it never got for the first generation XBox.
No matter what Sony pulls out for their online service, it can't compete with something that already as well established as XBox Live. That's a HUGE plus for the XBox that will draw in a lot of the more casual gamers.
Plus there is the price difference. Sony is going to have a tough time convincing people that they should buy a PS3 if it costs $100 or more over the 360.
Another point to make is that the supposed "far superior graphics" of the PS3 were all demo graphics. That is to say "What the PS3 should be capable of under optimal circumstances". The 360 is much further along in the development stages and was displaying mostly alpha and beta versions of their games. By that meaning that the games weren't done yet and will probably look a lot better by the time they are finished.
No matter what Sony pulls out for their online service, it can't compete with something that already as well established as XBox Live. That's a HUGE plus for the XBox that will draw in a lot of the more casual gamers.
Plus there is the price difference. Sony is going to have a tough time convincing people that they should buy a PS3 if it costs $100 or more over the 360.
Another point to make is that the supposed "far superior graphics" of the PS3 were all demo graphics. That is to say "What the PS3 should be capable of under optimal circumstances". The 360 is much further along in the development stages and was displaying mostly alpha and beta versions of their games. By that meaning that the games weren't done yet and will probably look a lot better by the time they are finished.
"We spend the first year of their lives teaching them (children) to walk and talk, and the rest of their lives telling them to shut up and sit down."
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Chubs Of Dºº/v\
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I've only been watching the TechTV updates and live show. But from what I saw of the PS3 I just need to know if that game called Kill Zone is really going to look like that. Gears of War for the 360 looked very well cut to.
[quote="Gowerlypuff";p="495158"]Gas is for people who do not understand fire.
A Barbeque is a raging inferno made from dead trees. The End.[/quote]
A Barbeque is a raging inferno made from dead trees. The End.[/quote]
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billf
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Yes, but the DreamCast was made by Sega, not Microsoft. As Vader would say "You do not realize the power of Microsoft".
Microsoft could buy Sega tomorrow and J Allard, Bill Gates and all the other bigwigs would still be wiping their noses with hundred dollar bills.
Posted Thu May 19, 2005 12:02 am:
oh, and the Dreamcast WAS less powerful than the PS2, which is what killed it.
the Dreamcast was doing very well until details of the PS2 started coming out.
Posted Thu May 19, 2005 12:30 am:
Both those posts were a little rushed as I was attempting to leave work as I was making them.
Now, my memory may be a little rusty, but I believe that the PS2 came out in 2000 or 2001 in Japan. The Dreamcast was released in '98 or '99 (again, in Japan).
I believe that the DreamCast's biggest problem was timing. In 1998 broadband was a rarity in residential homes. Large businesses and Universities may have had T1 or T3 connections at the time, but for most people "high speed internet" was very crappy DSL service that was maybe 256k at the most (144 was the norm I believe), which for the price just wasn't worth it, so at the time 56K connectivity was the norm. No reason for Sega to even think about putting an ethernet adaptor in their system.
But that's not even really all that relevent since the Online portion of the Dreamcast wasn't even operational until at least the middle of 2000 from what I remember, and by that time not only had cable based broadband started to sweep across the country, but details of the PS2 had started to come out. These things killed the Dreamcast. Has Sega developed and advanced their technology, maybe put a slightly beefier processor and some more RAM in it we wouldn't even be thinking about the XBox. We'd be waiting on the next Sega system.
Microsoft could buy Sega tomorrow and J Allard, Bill Gates and all the other bigwigs would still be wiping their noses with hundred dollar bills.
Posted Thu May 19, 2005 12:02 am:
oh, and the Dreamcast WAS less powerful than the PS2, which is what killed it.
the Dreamcast was doing very well until details of the PS2 started coming out.
Posted Thu May 19, 2005 12:30 am:
Both those posts were a little rushed as I was attempting to leave work as I was making them.
Now, my memory may be a little rusty, but I believe that the PS2 came out in 2000 or 2001 in Japan. The Dreamcast was released in '98 or '99 (again, in Japan).
I believe that the DreamCast's biggest problem was timing. In 1998 broadband was a rarity in residential homes. Large businesses and Universities may have had T1 or T3 connections at the time, but for most people "high speed internet" was very crappy DSL service that was maybe 256k at the most (144 was the norm I believe), which for the price just wasn't worth it, so at the time 56K connectivity was the norm. No reason for Sega to even think about putting an ethernet adaptor in their system.
But that's not even really all that relevent since the Online portion of the Dreamcast wasn't even operational until at least the middle of 2000 from what I remember, and by that time not only had cable based broadband started to sweep across the country, but details of the PS2 had started to come out. These things killed the Dreamcast. Has Sega developed and advanced their technology, maybe put a slightly beefier processor and some more RAM in it we wouldn't even be thinking about the XBox. We'd be waiting on the next Sega system.
"We spend the first year of their lives teaching them (children) to walk and talk, and the rest of their lives telling them to shut up and sit down."
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FireAza
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Personally, I'm backing the Revolution. I trust the big N and love their work. Maybe that's just because I'm a bitter old gamer, who was raised on Nintendo and is angry at the new gamers who like Xbox for "the graphics". You damn young punks, get off my gaming lawn!
/me waves SNES controller in the air at the new gamers
/me waves SNES controller in the air at the new gamers
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billf
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I was gaming before you were even born Aza, and I still use my XBox a lot more than my GC
Of course I don't like it just for the graphics. The GC has some pretty good graphics too. I like The XBox mainly for XBox Live. Most of my friends have either moved out of the area, or work different hours than I do, so it's hard to get people together to game anymore. I have 5 gamertags (8 people, 2 are pairs of people) that I know in the real world who I play on XBL, plus there are a few forumers here that I knew before XBL that I play online with and even more people I know from other forums on my friend list. In total I have something like 80 people on my friend list and maybe 4 of them are people that I just ran into gaming and don't know them from someplace else as well (be it online in a forum or in real life).
Super Smash Brothers online is sounding VERY tempting to me, but I am not so sure if I'll get it seeing as how Nintendo is a "kid friendly" system and the biggest problem with XBL is the foul mouthed idiots chatting away, so the Revolution probably won't have voice capabilities, which is one of the best things about XBL.
Of course I don't like it just for the graphics. The GC has some pretty good graphics too. I like The XBox mainly for XBox Live. Most of my friends have either moved out of the area, or work different hours than I do, so it's hard to get people together to game anymore. I have 5 gamertags (8 people, 2 are pairs of people) that I know in the real world who I play on XBL, plus there are a few forumers here that I knew before XBL that I play online with and even more people I know from other forums on my friend list. In total I have something like 80 people on my friend list and maybe 4 of them are people that I just ran into gaming and don't know them from someplace else as well (be it online in a forum or in real life).
Super Smash Brothers online is sounding VERY tempting to me, but I am not so sure if I'll get it seeing as how Nintendo is a "kid friendly" system and the biggest problem with XBL is the foul mouthed idiots chatting away, so the Revolution probably won't have voice capabilities, which is one of the best things about XBL.
"We spend the first year of their lives teaching them (children) to walk and talk, and the rest of their lives telling them to shut up and sit down."
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Arc Orion
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It was November '98 and March '00. And billf is absolutely correct.
Actually, I'm thinking that the new XBox will probably take Sony's place. Microsoft has had enough time to finally start getting more support from developers and publishers, including Rockstar Games, Square-Enix, EA, LucasArts, and Ubisoft. And while the PS3 hardware looks like it'll be more powerful, I don't think it's enough to really blow the 360 out of the water in sheer capability. Plus, with the multiplayer capabilities it has, it's already ahead in what is probably "the next big market". Now, if Sony can keep the prices down, if they can catch up in the multiplayer market, and if they can keep a few good exclusive games, I think they'll win the fight. Otherwise, they'll switch places with Microsoft in the console market. At least in America. I don't know enough about the European market to make a judgement, and I believe that the Japanese market will probably stay the same, though Microsoft may gain a fair amount of ground.
Actually, I'm thinking that the new XBox will probably take Sony's place. Microsoft has had enough time to finally start getting more support from developers and publishers, including Rockstar Games, Square-Enix, EA, LucasArts, and Ubisoft. And while the PS3 hardware looks like it'll be more powerful, I don't think it's enough to really blow the 360 out of the water in sheer capability. Plus, with the multiplayer capabilities it has, it's already ahead in what is probably "the next big market". Now, if Sony can keep the prices down, if they can catch up in the multiplayer market, and if they can keep a few good exclusive games, I think they'll win the fight. Otherwise, they'll switch places with Microsoft in the console market. At least in America. I don't know enough about the European market to make a judgement, and I believe that the Japanese market will probably stay the same, though Microsoft may gain a fair amount of ground.
I need fewer water.
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Ambipotent
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I'm a nintendo fanboy. I back Nintendo 100% with no factual or logical reasoning. I grew up with Nintendo, but I got tired of Microsoft's hyping everything on the face of the planet, and I don't generally like companies that make everything from speakers to ATVs to electronics to (didn't Sony even try their hand at snackfoods once? I may be wrong.)
So yeah...I'm throwing in with the Nintendo crowd.
So yeah...I'm throwing in with the Nintendo crowd.
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Forum-based Babylon 5 RPG seeking new gamers!
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Forum-based Babylon 5 RPG seeking new gamers!
I considered growing a sense of humor once...it came to life, killed a few people and ran naked and screaming into the forest...
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billf
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Well, whether Fuggle likes it or not (:P) the next generation war is going to be fought online, even Nintendo has realized that and stepped up their online support tenfold.
Sony has said very little about their console's online support, which leads me to believe that they're downplaying it. Either they have some remarkably revolutionary system, or they don't have shit worth talking about. I really can't see how one could drastically improve over what XBox has planned for the 360's online capabilities.
The current version of XBL works fairly well, and one of my biggest gripes about it has always been that the service has worked on a per game basis and therefore the older games don't have all the features that the newer games sport, leaving the original XBL titles in the dust with no mid-game joins and no voice messaging. Even in the newer games cross game messaging/clans and profiles aren't available. All this and more is solved with the 360 with a centralized service that has been mixed right into the system's OS.
Keeping with the idea that the next gen wars will be fought online, the status between MS and Sony really has taken a 180. This round Microsoft has the first launch as well as an established and respected service and library of titles. Sony on the other hand is the relative newcomer. Granted there are PS2 online games and Sony is no stranger to the online gaming world, the PS2's online system was poor and confusing at best, frustrating and not worth the hastle in most games. Spending 20 minutes registering an acount for each and every online game for the PS2 is not exactly my idea of a good time.
Even if Sony does clean up their act and get a decent online service running, they do not have the pre existing reputation that XBox Live has. In fact they are worse off than Microsoft was with the first XBox since although MS was new to the console world with 0 reputation, Sony actually has a BAD reputation with online console gaming.
I don't think I'm streching it when I say that most people buying these next gen consoles already have one of the current generation systems, and Microsoft says that they are offering a seamless transition from XBox to the 360. Sony has nothing to transition from. +1 Microsoft
Posted Thu May 19, 2005 5:35 am:
[quote="Ambipotent";p="497594"]So yeah...I'm throwing in with the Nintendo crowd.[/quote]
Nintendo? The same company that had several breakfast cereals, toys, magazines, cartoons, and even a live action movie (Mario Bros... remember that horror?)?
Posted Thu May 19, 2005 5:48 am:
oh, and the fruit snack thingies... and I'm sure I am missing a ton of stuff.
Sony has said very little about their console's online support, which leads me to believe that they're downplaying it. Either they have some remarkably revolutionary system, or they don't have shit worth talking about. I really can't see how one could drastically improve over what XBox has planned for the 360's online capabilities.
The current version of XBL works fairly well, and one of my biggest gripes about it has always been that the service has worked on a per game basis and therefore the older games don't have all the features that the newer games sport, leaving the original XBL titles in the dust with no mid-game joins and no voice messaging. Even in the newer games cross game messaging/clans and profiles aren't available. All this and more is solved with the 360 with a centralized service that has been mixed right into the system's OS.
Keeping with the idea that the next gen wars will be fought online, the status between MS and Sony really has taken a 180. This round Microsoft has the first launch as well as an established and respected service and library of titles. Sony on the other hand is the relative newcomer. Granted there are PS2 online games and Sony is no stranger to the online gaming world, the PS2's online system was poor and confusing at best, frustrating and not worth the hastle in most games. Spending 20 minutes registering an acount for each and every online game for the PS2 is not exactly my idea of a good time.
Even if Sony does clean up their act and get a decent online service running, they do not have the pre existing reputation that XBox Live has. In fact they are worse off than Microsoft was with the first XBox since although MS was new to the console world with 0 reputation, Sony actually has a BAD reputation with online console gaming.
I don't think I'm streching it when I say that most people buying these next gen consoles already have one of the current generation systems, and Microsoft says that they are offering a seamless transition from XBox to the 360. Sony has nothing to transition from. +1 Microsoft
Posted Thu May 19, 2005 5:35 am:
[quote="Ambipotent";p="497594"]So yeah...I'm throwing in with the Nintendo crowd.[/quote]
Nintendo? The same company that had several breakfast cereals, toys, magazines, cartoons, and even a live action movie (Mario Bros... remember that horror?)?
Posted Thu May 19, 2005 5:48 am:
oh, and the fruit snack thingies... and I'm sure I am missing a ton of stuff.
"We spend the first year of their lives teaching them (children) to walk and talk, and the rest of their lives telling them to shut up and sit down."
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