Are Three Consoles Too Much ?

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Are Three Consoles Too Much ?

(8 posts)

Started 2 years ago by daytripper
Latest reply from OlderGamer

daytripper
Member

Last Generation we had four, with one causing the company turning from hardware to 100% software i.e Sega, now we have PS3,360 and Wii. I know the most hardcore of gamers will purchase what is available probably investing in PC also. Lets exclude PC and even handhelds for a minute, do you think three consoles causes a strain on the consumer? Me personally I usually go with two and only in exceptional circumstances will I go beyond that, (the wii was given to me by a family relative and was traded in about a year later).

Does fanboyism emerge from a insecure feeling of not having much money so you are stuck with what you have for the moment and maybe feel pissed that something else offers better software and reflects on your own personal choices, maybe the wrong decision? With people losing jobs, the banks and governments in competition to see who can fuck people up the most, a much longer generation than usual, by the time the next batch of consoles come around do you think maybe its time for some publishers to go software only and lessen the frustration for those consumers who have other financial priorities but cannot invest the cash into three systems?

Bringing a console to market costs a lot of money, do the likes of MS, Sony and Nintendo really get a lot of profit back? This thought came up because most game communities I read there are people who judge games not by the product itself but by what console its on, system wars become tedious very quickly and with a number of people having to "decide" on what platform they play on, maybe its time for a more open platform so people can play a uncharted,god of war, halo, gears or mario on the one box.

Its a pipe dream granted but one I personally would love to see, it would free up the choice for the consumer, system wars would perhaps die down, gamers can discuss games rather than gpu's and power potentials and certain game releases do not alienate a percentage of people, opening up rather like the release of a great film at the cinema rather than being targeted at a specific platforms audience.

thanks for reading

Posted 2 years ago #
freedoms_stain
Moderator

Ok, you have an open platform, who makes it, and what's their profit model? You see, if I'm Nintendo I don't see the value in making software for somebody elses platform if they're following the standard model of selling new hardware at a loss and charging a licensing fee for developing software on the platform. After all, I'm Nintendo, I sell the Wii at profit and have done from day 1, and I keep 100% of the profits from 1st party titles and they sell more than enough to keep me in ivory back scratchers, why do I want to share with you? History has shown me that people will buy my consoles for the games I make for it.

But lets say you don't go for that model then. Your platform is 100% open, we're free to develop and sell any software that we can get to run on it with no licensing fees from you. Brill.

So the platform has to sell at a profit from day 1. That's the only way you, the manufacturer can make profit, the physical machine you sell has to make you a profit. This could be an issue for your platform. In order to be a technological step forward on current hardware your machine is probably going to be quite expensive, especially if you add the fact that you need to take a chunk of the price in profit to stay alive. Expensive doesn't go down well. But to keep it on the cheaper side and still make a profit you can't really develop hardware that's much more capable than what we've got, which is going to generate a lot of consumer apathy, especially when most of your market have 1 or 2 consoles already. Another £250 on a gaming machine that does almost exactly what their existing consoles do, but on one machine rather than the 2 they already have isn't going to win you a massive portion of the market. Developers are not going to see such a device as a unifying concept, they're going to see it as more work, because they'll now be developing for xbox, playstation, wii and NUEVO MACHINA.

I think your notion would hinge on the current manufacturers agreeing on a single platform, which I just can't see happening, especially Nintendo who can happily build cheap less powerful hardware and still run a profit on both hardware and software.

Posted 2 years ago #
Crab of Thunder
Member

It's a nice idea and one i'd personally like to see, but realistically its never going to see the light of day.

Posted 2 years ago #
UuBuU
Member

I think there's enough room for more than one console and don't really see the competitiveness as a problem. That's the way it always used to be with sega vs nintendo before playstation had their moment of dominance. Now we're back to a 2-console rivalry with the 360 and ps3 (Despite it's obvious popularity, the Wii is aimed at a different audience therefore I don't really see it as being a part of any so-called 'console war')

Sure, each has a handful of exclusive titles people with only one console are going to miss out on, but for the most part games tend to support multiple platforms.

Posted 2 years ago #
pukem0n
Member

since PS3 and Xbox 360 is basically the same, there is enough room for everyone. as you can see in sales, Wii is ahead above every competition and PS360 are 1 to 1 the same

Posted 2 years ago #
ManuOtaku
Member

I think theres no problem in having the 3 consoles, i do own them because of exclusives titles i cannot forgive myself if i loose a nintendo franchise game or game made exclusive for wii like muramasa little king story, madworld, etc., and neither will forgive myself if i loose a sony game motorstorm, uncharted and killzone or halo, gears alan wake on microsoft side of things.

Iam an avid gamer and thank god i can afford it, so its good in owning all consoles, you wont miss any great game that way.

Posted 2 years ago #
OrbitMonkey
Member

Don't know about affording 3 consoles, but I sure as fuck havn't got the time to play 3 consoles :(

Posted 2 years ago #
OlderGamer
Moderator

One platform will indeed happen.

But lets seperate the wards platform and hardware. Not the samething. PC has many different hardware manufactors and configs, yet it is still one platform.

Aply that principle to the future and you have something close to what consoles will look like.

Look at Netflix. It works on Laptops, desktops, xb360, PS3, Wiis, TVs, iOS, and prolly toasters. Netflix is the platform(service) and it works on a variety of different hardware.

Enter Onlive/Giaka or some yet unannounced streaming games service. No reason to think that Streaming games couldn't work on your new TV via wireless usb hubs(for controlers/mouse KB).

What you folks are doing is applying an outdated biz model to the new(ish) thinking of on unified piece of hardware. Might sound funny, but you have to think outside the box a bit. The commodiety here is the games, NOT the system they are played on.

Right now MS, Sony and Nintendo are all working very hard to try and keep the focus on the systems(the buzz words set top box and media centers come to mind). While I can truely see the big three trying to keep their exclusive franshices liscenced to only be playable on their own version of Streaming games services, I think it will be hard to that.

Big name games from 3rd parties outsell most exclusives anyways. 'Cept maybe Nintendo, I think Nintendo could use the traditional model of hardware and eclsuives games longer then the other two. But I would expect down the line that all system will stream 3rd party games. And further down the road then that it may not prove worthwhile to manufacture a dedicated games console.

How many years? No clue. Just keep in mind how crazy Netflix must have sounded to Blockbuster once upon a time. Remember when everyone had dialup? When Sony laughed at Sega for building internet in the box for Dreamcast?

I think down the road Game channel services will be as common place as Cable/Sat TV.

In the mean time I am with Orbit, asking how many systems can you afford, and how much time do you really have to game?

Posted 2 years ago #

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