Hirai – “The main premise of PS3 is video games”

That’s rubbish.

Brand identity remains. Nintendo have been able to reinvent themselves by completely wiping the slate clean, and instead of making their name famous (or their predecssor’s), they’ve made their made a new brand. The Wii is a name, separate from the Gamecube.

The Xbox360 is still an Xbox, with the ever prevalent ‘X’. And even if you want to deny it, that X is really not appealing to the casual market.

Playstation 3 has the heritage of the Playstation, so people will be willing to accept it eventually, but it won’t get to that point becuase it doesn’t have the 3rd party support and it’s price point is ridiculous.

The NXE is a waste of time, and will do nothing to contribute to reinvention at all.

lol… if this generation tells you anything it should be that brand identity is meaningless as a long term thing.

Stop hanging on to the Playstation name guaranteeing the success of the PS3. It’ll live or die on its own merits.

The argument is strong eitehr way, stop hoping there is more to the Xbox brand than everyone thinks.

Please explain how brand identity is meaningless as a logn term thing? How has this generation proven that?

And just by the way, what do you mena I am hanging on to it. Just get it out of your midn what I ever said about the Playstation and Mcirosoft and Sony okay? You have opened my eyes up to a lot of things, but thats not soemthing I am clinging to at all.

I realise it’s futile for both sides.

If brand identity meant nothing then why did Nintendo hold onto “Game Boy” (historically influenced by such words as “Walk” and “Man”) for multiple generations. Why did Microsoft hold onto “Xbox” for two generations (so far)? Why are they holding onto “Windows” for seven (so far)?

Brand names are exceptionally powerful tools.

Dismissing that just to make some argument about why you as an individual don’t happen to think too much of a box of circuits is a bit of an own goal.

Pud: You make the assumption I give a shit about the brand, or the console. I don’t. I’m interested in the business side of things.

I know you do though. What was it you said the other day? When you referred to the announcements Sony had made as “We’ve made x announcements”. Stop caring so much.

Shatner: It’s not dismissing it. It’s actually relevant in your example because companies are trying to hold on to the customers that already know about the product and have bought it in the past. When you’re aiming for a completely new demographic you’re dealing with people that generally know next to nothing about your product – simply because you’ve never attracted them before.

Well then if brand name is important 360 is in for a sound future.

Just look at the difference when you walk into a game store now.

Last gen x box was the poor cousin.

Now people really look and think which one will they get.

That is a big turnaround and sets MS up nicely for next gen.

I know you do too though, since you only own one console, so as much as you try to separate yourself (certainly on forums and such) you are still just as bad as me. Even when you do eventually own a PS3 you’ll still have a bias. We all do.

And what’s this we’ve made X annoucnements?

I’ve no argument there Psychotext and that’s exactly what Nintendo set out to do (but spoiled it by making fucking noncy terms like “disruptive marketing” and “blue sky approach” part of their lingo). Brand identity is the most direct and powerful way of addressing your market.

I’d like to add, Psychotext, that if you care about the business side of things then there are many industry focused websites you could be reading and being involved in rather than consumer sites like this one.

I use them. Not under this name though.

I like places like this for keeping up with the news. Unfortunately I’m an argumentative bastard to boot.

I think the answer to all this is simple:

All 360 and PS3 owners should just join together and hate the Wii.

Already there.

Atleast PS3 and 360 are brining positive innovation to the HD market.

I think this Christmas will be slower for the Wii, like I ahev alwasy said though. And I know it’s such a stupid thing to say but I genuinely do still think it’s a fad. Not one that the PS360 will be able to overtake but it won’t have sales longevity.

Oh, and to answer your question Pud what you said the other day regarding PS3 announcements at TGS was:

“Im steadfast and we got as many game annoucnements as Microsoft, but I think anyone would be disappointed with MS’s conferecen too, and they actually held one!”

The “we” bit was the surprising bit. You don’t need to feel like you’re in their little gang.

“Yes, I am sure people within the project were down on it and spreading it all about the lesser known public.”

Who said they were telling the “lesser known public”?

As for brand identity, then it probably means different things to different people.

I for one, am more interested in value and quality in a product. I’m not going to buy the next xbox if MS prices it at £500 and tries to fob me off with a handful of so-so games, just like I didn’t with the PS3.

However, some people brainwash themselves into believing that particular brands can do no wrong, and are exactly the kind of people that Peter Moore was talking about when he said that Sony could sell bricks, and that people would buy them.

Since I’ve been a gamer, I’ve had a Gameboy, NES, SNES, GBC, N64, PS1, PS2, XBOX, 360 and a DS, and I don’t have any loyalty whatsoever to any of the manufacturers.

All I want is games that make me go “WOW!” and I’m not that fussed who develops, produces or packages them.

However, many people do.

And like I pointed out, they’d probably buy bricks for £500 if they had a particular logo on them.

So I don’t think that a little thing like a cutesy avatar is going to put too many people off.

Especially, as I said before, if they can be turned off.

Which they can.

You know something? For someone who puts an awful lot of effort into claiming he cannot be bothered to argue (and one shouldn’t try it on with him), Psychotext sure does put an awful lot of effort into arguing with everyone and anyone who disagrees with him. In fact, more than anyone on this site.

Funny that.

I can’t be bothered arguing with Shatner. He doesn’t play nice.

I enjoy arguing with everyone else.

I play perfectly nicely and fairly. I give as good as I get.

It’s not my fault I’m better informed than most people.

It’s not so much that… your posts are generally soooooo long when you’re arguing. It becomes a real pain in the arse to read through and make sure everything gets responded to.