The current console war is just beginning to heat up, despite Sony’s slow start with the Playstation 3 they are beginning to get their bandwagon moving and early adopters are starting to get some justification behind their elaborately priced living room black centrepiece. However I believe the 360 has already proven itself the winner…
From an outside perspective this console war bares a strange symmetry to its predecessor . Sega and their now failed Dreamcast were the first ‘next- gen’ console of the time, and despite some great ideas in both software and hardware the force of Sony’s “all powerful” console on the horizon shut down any hope of a Sega revival following the Saturn. The same set up seemed to be in place this time around, with Microsoft launching the 360 years before the PS3. However Microsoft took advantage of this beyond anything I could have expected , so much so that upon the PS3’s arrival it was greeted by mocking and jeers over its shortcomings now, rather than its later potential benefits. Something very much unlike previous Sony consoles.
This is not to say that the PS3 will not do well this generation or that it will indeed not win the war. As much as I love my 360 (despite it currently being broken grr) I held back on wanting one for over a year simply because there was nothing on it that made me want to shell out hundreds of pounds. Gears of War (and to a smaller extent Geometry Wars) finally made me take the plunge and now I have a 360 collection comprising of some of the best and most enjoyable games I have ever played. The PS3 however has just itself passed its first year mark and slowly things are beginning to look in its favour.
The next Hi Def format war was importantly handed to the blue corner and for many people taking the “wait and see” approach the Playstation 3 now presents far more value and security for money. Sony have talked about the Playstation 3 being a very long term project whereas rumour would have it Microsoft will be releasing a new Xbox console in 2-3 years. Again the once laughably high price tag of the PS3 is beginning to seem like an increasingly more reasonable investment.
There is however still the issue of a lack of games on this now branded ‘ Sony entertainment system’: however the games will come. Experience has thought me that the important thing in a console war is selling the main hardware. Again taking the Dreamcast as an example, in my opinion the greatest game to ever grace the earth (Shenmue) was so expensive it would have required every Dreamcast owner to buy the game twice to turn profit. A company cannot afford to spend millions making great games if the risk of not seeing returns is too high, with the possible exception of Microsoft. Sony are now selling a high volume of consoles even beating the 360 console sales in recent months (although 360 shortages are often passed as the reason) . Even if people aren’t playing ‘ the best games’ out their at the moment on their Playstation 3, Sony have a market share which they can sell their top titles to once they are released.
In my opinion despite my 360 ownership and my enjoyment of it i believe by sales figures come the end of this gen’s war Sony will seem to have been the winner. It will be a little hard to clarify this due to Microsoft undoubtedly launching another console before the PS3 is near its downward cycle but i think Sony will get the nod. However this does not necessarily mean that Sony were victorious this generation, far from it.
Back when i heard Microsoft were making their own console some laughed and saw no way for them to be successful as everyone seemed to own a PS2. However Microsoft had what possibly no other company had, i.e. more money than Sony. Microsoft forced their way into the saturated market buy brute force and, despite the last gen belonging to Sony, grabbed an important foothold. The 360 however has been such a success- the USA is happy to embrace a non Sony console again, Europe is now not a walk in the park for the Playstation and Japan … well ok Japan still loves Sony but Microsoft have moved forward this generation will great purpose. Not just in sales either, they have relations with developers and publishers that were previously exclusive to Sony. A classic example being the awesome Assassins Creed that Ubisoft were willing to give exclusivity rights to Sony on a plate. Sony tried to play their hand but unlike before when Sony dominance of such a large market share would mean publishers would have little leeway. Microsoft provided an other option.
For me the next generation could really go either way and begin the downfall of Sony if they do not learn from their mistakes. The gaming division of Sony made terrible losses in preparing for the PS3 and their marketing seems to just be to growl and hope that everybody stops and takes notice. Sony cannot rest on their laurels. Microsoft, whatever you might think of the company, has made great effort to build an Xbox community- helped greatly by the face of Major Nelson. Xbox live has gone from being a add on to the main reason many buy games. If Sony want to stay in competition after the next generation they in my opinion need to pat themselves on the back and then move on. You became successful.. well done! now look at your rivals and learn from their mistakes and triumphs, don’t just tell the fans your better; show them as well.
Like I said before this console war will be won on figures by Sony but the real winner in my opinion is still the rapidly growing Microsoft beast the Xbox.
Posted by lkskiller 
Posted by lkskiller 
Posted by lkskiller 
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