So it is the year 2009, you are in your basement sitting in a bean bag chair eating Cheetos while playing your favorite game
You are most likely playing a great first party game on the Nintendo Wii or a great Shooter/Racer on your Microsoft Xbox 360. Seven out of ten people will own both a Wii and an Xbox 360 by the year 2009. Out of that same group of ten people only four will own a PlayStation 3.
What does this picture say about out Market? Simple, it says that people want great graphics, and interesting game play and they WILL pay for it. It also says people are willing to try new things but don't want to invest to much into it.
This is nothing new its simple economics & market research. That said what does this tell you? Well it most likely tells you that most people would rather invest their money into two products that meet all their needs rather than one product that only meets some of their needs.
At the end of the day what does this mean for Microsoft and Nintendo? It means great long term sales, profit, and if the consumer is lucky some sort of partnership between the two companies. As for Sony it too will enjoy great sales and profits, but at the expense of the consumer. The long term affects of this are unclear, but 2012 should be an interesting year.
The years are fake, the statistics are fake, but the ideas behind them are not. I think Sony has forgotten how smart the consumer can be. As A human first, a consumer next, and gamer last, I know you can't beat the deal the Wii will be, I also know you can't (in this current wave of nextgen systems) graphics and the overall power of the Xbox 360, so for me AS A CONSUMER buying a Wii AND an Xbox 360 makes more since then buying a PlayStation 3. Why? Simple, takes one word, Value. Want me to Expand on that?
Expanding on that thought, the Wii introduces, interesting game play, nothing to new, but it looks like they have improved the hardware and made it work better than it did 10-15 years ago. Nintendo always has a strong first party lineup, and sadly after the first wave of 3rd party games they lose the 3rd party support. Yes this might be enough for some of you to say, but wait doesn't that mean there won't be a ton of games on this system, and the answer will be two fold and a completely different editorial. So keep in mind the Zelda and Mario franchises that Nintendo owns. Those games in of themselves are worth the asking price for the Wii. The true downfall the of the Wii is its lack of true power, like Nintendo has said the Wii IS NOT A NEXT GEN console, they own to there weakness, the reason why? They know that people that play the Wii will also be playing the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3. So if you can't beat them, don't join them but rather make something different. The Wii will complement the Xbox 360 and the Playtation 3 very well.
Sony has plenty to offer, but Microsoft has been proving time and time again they can win GREAT exclusives, win over former Sony exclusives to multi console games, and most of all they are open to their customers. Sure some might dispute this fact and the fact that Microsoft can build a gaming System with the best of them, and that's their right to do so, but with the facts at hand their arguments are mute. Microsoft has a great line up of first and third party games coming out the next year or so that will really help them bust there sales and help them get a firm grip on the generation of consoles. I think Microsoft's well rounded profile of games coming out on the Xbox 360 make it the best bang for your buck of the next generation of consoles.
Sony will generate most of their sales via name alone, and there is nothing wrong with name recognition. But I fear Sony has lost touch with its customer base, for the consumer this is the worst thing they could do. Sure they have Blue Ray, but if Blue Ray fails then all they have is a fancy proprietary system for their games to be made on. Yes Blue Ray has a huge chance with their gaming console having it built in but that is no guarantee of a win. For me and most consumers DVD-9 is more than enough, and since it will be a year or more until HD-DVD and Blue Ray can hold much more media then DVD-9, I really think the consumers are best off with a DVD player and waiting to see who wins this war.
What does that have to do with gaming? Well new media tends to lead to new consoles. Does this mean I think the generation of consoles will be a short lived cycle? Not in a long shot, truthfully I would not be surprised one bit if its 10 years before Sony and Microsoft make another console. Why? Well the simple fact that HDTV's are still yet to be the main stream norm. There is also the fact that the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 will both have 2 Major redesigned before they are retired. If HD-DVD does well, Microsoft will build in their current HD-DVD add-on, on the same token if HD-DVD does well Sony will make their unit cross platform compatible, that way they can still be an all inclusive entertainment system. Add to that the fact that both companies will streamline their hardware so it's cheaper and easier to make, meaning more profit for them and in the long run price cuts for us the consumer.
We are entering a very interesting time in gaming, and for consumers this will be a great generation with a long life span. Is there going to be a loser? Yes Sony will not be AS dominate this generation, towards the end of this generation they might not hold the lead at all, who knows. Do I think all of this just based on price, NO, that would be plain stupid of me. What did you base it on? History, Economics, personal experience, and last but not least research.
Anyway go buy an Xbox 360 and preorder a Wii and prove me right. Happy gaming everyone, until next time!