VERY interesting story about next-gen battle between MS, Sony, Nintendo

[pk500]

Re: VERY interesting story about next-gen battle between MS, Sony, Nintendo

I believe Nintendo is also releasing a standard gaming controller(similar to the SNES) with the Wii.

Yes, true. That controller will be used for the Virtual Console games. Those are the NES and SNES that you can download for a nominal fee and play on the Wii, just like Arcade games on Xbox Live with the 360.

Can't wait to play Mike Tyson's Punch-Out again! Note to Bald Bull: Look out, here I come, you c*cksucker!

Take care,
PK

[jfsolo]

Re: VERY interesting story about next-gen battle between MS, Sony, Nintendo

I find myself agreeing with the predictions made in the article, and it has me pretty steamed. If you would have told me a couple of years ago that Sony would, IMO, totally ignore what got them into the # 1 postition they hold today, and arrogantly attempt to forcibly alter peoples perception of what a console is for, I would have said you were insane. But that seems to be what they are trying to do.

As someone who likes a wide variety of games, the PS2 was(is) a great system. For someone who like Eastern RPG's and Strategy RPG's the system was a must, especially since the XBOX and Gamecube were sorely lacking in those genres.

I'm sure the PS3 will eventually have the same type of great variety that the PS2 has, but with Microsoft putting forth a more diversified lineup this time around, the 360 and PS3 libraries should be very similar.

I'm sure the PS3 will have many exclusives that I will be dying to play, but at that price, with the 360 having many similarly themed titles, The PS3 won't be a must have system.

If their production costs have locked them into a certain high price point then I think Sony is cooked.

Right now the Wii doesn't appeal to me, but if Nientendo gets back to putting out lots of quality RPG's then that might change. The price will always make it an attractive option.

[Misfit]

Re: VERY interesting story about next-gen battle between MS, Sony, Nintendo

I'm sick of reading the stupid line over and over again of "You can buy a Wii and a 360 for the same price as a PS3." What store is that because I'd like to find it. A Wii will likely cost 250, maybe 230 or less likely but techinically still possible 199. A 360 costs 399. 250 plus 399 does not equal 600 ladies and gentlemen. And if we're going to compare accessories then the 360 alone is going to come out to be nearly equal to a PS3. I don't buy the argument that the PS3 is not affordable for most people. If a person can't afford a PS3, then they likely can't afford an Xbox 360. I do buy the argument that people can't afford both.

My focus is pretty much devoted to the Wii at this point. Its only flaw is visually, but I have yet to see a 360 game that puts a good looking Xbox/Gamecube/PS2 game to shame. The difference at this point is so subtle that it doesn't matter to me. For the last two years I've become increasingly jaded with console games so I want something that will shake things up. Guitar Hero was a good start but unfortunately that game is really only fun for me in a group setting, and I probably only get together and play games with friends twice a year at this point (when I'm by myself I prefer to play the real thing). RE4 and MGS3 are the only two games that come to mind that really gave me something I loved, otherwise it has just been sports titles but even those are getting stale for me.

What has surprised me over the last few days is the press the Wii is getting. Up until recently I have only paid attention to the online community but I've had some free time and I've been reading various newspapers and the Wii is getting a lot of praise in the tech sections. In one paper a columnist called it Nintendo's most anticipated console eve. I disagree with him since no hype will ever surpass the SNES, in my opinion, but it still surprised me to see this kind of reaction. The press considers the Wii a strong contender and at this point it would not surprise me if the Wii surpasses the 360 and PS3. I still expect the PS3 to come out on top when the dust settles and in the states for the 360 to surpass the Wii. However, the Wii will have a very attractive price and access to markets that may not be interested in the other two so nothing will surprise me. Just stop and consider for a moment the most successful consoles in recent memory. The NES offerred a control scheme and new depth in gameplay and visuals over previous machines and it took off. The 16 bit era road on the coat tails of the 8 bit era but the 32/64 bit was different. The Playstation became a huge success because of 3D. The Saturn came out first but with no 3D capabilities at first and consumers wanted something new. Eventually developers were able to get 3D onto the Saturn but it was of a lesser quality and by then no one cared. The PSX had 3D from the get go and killer aps at launch in Ridge Racer and Tekken and Sony snagged Final Fantasy from Nintendo. Plus it was a very marketable machine and competetively priced. The PS2 introduced DVD which was a new and exciting technology at the time of launch and the PS2 was the first DVD player for many. Mostly the success was a carry over from the 32-bit era but my point is the company most successful usually does the most to seperate themselves from the competition. Other than a price tag, the PS3 and 360 appear to be the same thing. Yeah the PS3 has Blu Ray but it isn't anticipated on nearly the same level as DVD was. If Nintendo markets the heck out of the Wii and gets some killer apps at launch they could make a huge splash in the gaming community.

[pk500]

Re: VERY interesting story about next-gen battle between MS, Sony, Nintendo

Very good read, Misfit. Keep it coming!

Take care,
PK

[mgoblue]

Re: VERY interesting story about next-gen battle between MS, Sony, Nintendo

coulda sworn i've read rumors the Wii might be 170, but can't back that up with a link right now

[Misfit]

Re: VERY interesting story about next-gen battle between MS, Sony, Nintendo

Given that they were rumors, I don't doubt that you could have read something like that. Nintendo has only stated that the Wii will be less than $250. I'd think if it was going to be as low as $170 they would have said that it would cost less than $200 instead of $250.

[pk500]

Re: VERY interesting story about next-gen battle between MS, Sony, Nintendo

A leading industry analyst and an EA executive both were quoted this week as saying the Wii would cost the equivalent of about US $170 in Japan.

I think the US price will be $199. Keeps the sticker under that magical $200 barrier, really giving the Wii a clear price edge over the 360 and PS3. If the price was $249, it only would be $50 less than the Xbox 360 Core, not a big difference to Mommy and Daddy who know little about video games while shopping for little Johnny.

But when June and Ward see a new console with a 1 as the first digit in the price, their eyeballs might pop and wallets open.

Just a thought.

Take care,
PK

[ThaGenecyst]

Re: VERY interesting story about next-gen battle between MS, Sony, Nintendo

I'm starting to dislike little johnny

[Rodster]

Re: VERY interesting story about next-gen battle between MS, Sony, Nintendo

I'm starting to dislike little johnny

[Erv]

Re: VERY interesting story about next-gen battle between MS, Sony, Nintendo

I'm sick of reading the stupid line over and over again of "You can buy a Wii and a 360 for the same price as a PS3." What store is that because I'd like to find it. A Wii will likely cost 250, maybe 230 or less likely but techinically still possible 199. A 360 costs 399. 250 plus 399 does not equal 600 ladies and gentlemen. And if we're going to compare accessories then the 360 alone is going to come out to be nearly equal to a PS3. I don't buy the argument that the PS3 is not affordable for most people. If a person can't afford a PS3, then they likely can't afford an Xbox 360. I do buy the argument that people can't afford both.

My focus is pretty much devoted to the Wii at this point. Its only flaw is visually, but I have yet to see a 360 game that puts a good looking Xbox/Gamecube/PS2 game to shame. The difference at this point is so subtle that it doesn't matter to me. For the last two years I've become increasingly jaded with console games so I want something that will shake things up. Guitar Hero was a good start but unfortunately that game is really only fun for me in a group setting, and I probably only get together and play games with friends twice a year at this point (when I'm by myself I prefer to play the real thing). RE4 and MGS3 are the only two games that come to mind that really gave me something I loved, otherwise it has just been sports titles but even those are getting stale for me.

What has surprised me over the last few days is the press the Wii is getting. Up until recently I have only paid attention to the online community but I've had some free time and I've been reading various newspapers and the Wii is getting a lot of praise in the tech sections. In one paper a columnist called it Nintendo's most anticipated console eve. I disagree with him since no hype will ever surpass the SNES, in my opinion, but it still surprised me to see this kind of reaction. The press considers the Wii a strong contender and at this point it would not surprise me if the Wii surpasses the 360 and PS3. I still expect the PS3 to come out on top when the dust settles and in the states for the 360 to surpass the Wii. However, the Wii will have a very attractive price and access to markets that may not be interested in the other two so nothing will surprise me. Just stop and consider for a moment the most successful consoles in recent memory. The NES offerred a control scheme and new depth in gameplay and visuals over previous machines and it took off. The 16 bit era road on the coat tails of the 8 bit era but the 32/64 bit was different. The Playstation became a huge success because of 3D. The Saturn came out first but with no 3D capabilities at first and consumers wanted something new. Eventually developers were able to get 3D onto the Saturn but it was of a lesser quality and by then no one cared. The PSX had 3D from the get go and killer aps at launch in Ridge Racer and Tekken and Sony snagged Final Fantasy from Nintendo. Plus it was a very marketable machine and competetively priced. The PS2 introduced DVD which was a new and exciting technology at the time of launch and the PS2 was the first DVD player for many. Mostly the success was a carry over from the 32-bit era but my point is the company most successful usually does the most to seperate themselves from the competition. Other than a price tag, the PS3 and 360 appear to be the same thing. Yeah the PS3 has Blu Ray but it isn't anticipated on nearly the same level as DVD was. If Nintendo markets the heck out of the Wii and gets some killer apps at launch they could make a huge splash in the gaming community.

The PS1 had a huge price advantage over the Saturn as well.

[kodiak]

Re: VERY interesting story about next-gen battle between MS, Sony, Nintendo

Just my two cents since I deal with this on a daily basis. More people have come in and asked about the Wii and the preorders for it versus the 360. Nintendo rep said October is the likely release month and Sony will be doing a value bundle on the PSP that includes a yet to be named movie, yet to be named game and a 1 gig mem stick around the $250 price point.

[Pared]

Re: VERY interesting story about next-gen battle between MS, Sony, Nintendo

Great thread... thumbs up, PK.

[pk500]

Re: VERY interesting story about next-gen battle between MS, Sony, Nintendo

Great thread... thumbs up, PK.

Thanks. Just proves that when intelligent, veteran gamers leave their system advocacy at the door, some damn good information and rational opinions can result.

Let's keep it going, boys!

Take care,
PK

[Victor99]

Re: VERY interesting story about next-gen battle between MS, Sony, Nintendo

Like others have stated, I'm very curious about the price of the Wii.

[rudyjuly2]

Re: VERY interesting story about next-gen battle between MS, Sony, Nintendo

Like others have stated, I'm very curious about the price of the Wii.

That is the ultimate question really. They can't compete in the graphical department but aren't trying. For me, I only want one console and I use it exclusively for sports, mainly football. If EA supports the console, the console is cheap and I can use a regular controller I will consider it. Otherwise, I will just wait another year and pick up a 360 after a price drop. Personally, I could care less about the wand like controller and see it as a negative for me.

Misfit, I do agree with some of what you said but there is a $200 difference between the 360 and PS3 and that will cause me to get the 360 over the PS3. I don't think the sports games will be different for either console and so I will just get the cheaper one. You cannot ignore that extra $200 which is the cost of the Blue Ray and most kids won't care about that when it comes to gaming.