A Look Back At Expensive System Launches

As the launch for the Xbox 360 approaches, with incredibly expensive bundles up for offer, Joystiq takes a look back at expensive system launches of the past. From the article: "Commodore 64 - $1207.04 (originally valued at $595 in 1982) Despite being the most popular computer model of all time, selling between 17 and 25 million units, the Commodore 64 was a relatively expensive games machine by today's standards. However, it offered extremely good value for money by offering unprecedented sound and graphics quality."

Comments

C64

[BrookHarty]

I used the C64 for the longest time, the only reason I had to upgrade was for 80 column displays. Upgrading to a 128D gave me a couple more years of service, I could BBS at full screen, and work on papers.

Even when I got the Amiga, 80 column display and ANSI color wasnt perfected in terminal applications. Finally switching to a 486.

I use to goto the Spokane commodore users group, and seen people still using a c64 for reading news, writing news letters with spell checkers. Was cool to see how these old classic computers where still going strong. The only problem I ever had with the C64 was Floppy disk allignment, suckers would always get out of allignment.

Great little computer for its day.

Article Summary

[cybermage]

Relatively speaking, technology gets both better and cheaper over time.

That sounds about right.

[djSpinMonkey]

Article summary: Historically, people have happily paid X-Box 360 prices for "gaming systems" that were actually multi-purpose computers. Sure, you could play Adventure or Breakout on them, but you could also do your taxes. Pure video game console systems at similar price points, however, have flopped. (Actually, though, looking at the historical chart at the end, the Atari 2600 seems to be an exception.)

My view

[rAiNsT0rm]

The best I can compare this launch to is the Neo Geo launch and games. Uber expensive system that brought unrivaled GRAPHICS into the home. The system was largely a failure overall. The 360 and PS3 are both Graphical powerhouses, but graphics alone fall flat in the face of limited releases and poor gameplay/design.

The "Gee-Whiz" factor of eye-candy is fairly powerful, but slow release schedules and high prices have historically been killers. The fact that the underlying accessibility and gameplay needs to be top-notch as well cannot be overlooked and nothing so far seems to be bringing anything new to the table.

With the average bundle cost hovering around $600 and the fact that most stores will be selling in bundle-only format, I actually predict that the sales will not match the PS2/Xbox/GC releases. I think there will be a lot of hype, and a lot of die-hard fanboy sales, but I just don't see either of these systems capturing the average game market in any meaningful way. And once the slow release schedule becomes apparent the sales numbers are going to drop off quite briskly. The only unknown in this launch is the Revolution, and I am keeping a keen eye for what it's future holds.

Re:My view

[rAiNsT0rm]

Ahh, but you are are part of the wise minority of game console buyers. Older, smarter, wiser gamers know exactly this... but we are not the intended market for these systems. These are flashy, eye-candy, status consoles with no real gaming soul. Hell even Sony has been trying hard to say that the PS3 is NOT a game console.

If you haven't kept up almost every retailer is selling the 360 as a bundle only. The profit margins on the console itself are so razor thin and there is too much competition so retailers will indeed be bundling the consoles. I don't see a bundle coming in much below $5-600 on launch day.

There will most likely be a few random retailers offering the systems bare, but they will be the minority and not those that take pre-orders.

This release is all about impulse and hype, and when the smoke and mirrors come crashing down people will realize that the entire 360 and PS3 are nothing but more smoke and mirrors. If your not the type who has been posting on message boards since 2001 discussing the 360 or PS3 and every bit of hype and leak like it was gospel then you truly aren't in the target. They want the fanatic hype filled, money-to-burn, fanboy's who will buy the $1000.00 bundle without batting an eyelash.

Re:Not quite...

[Blakey Rat]

Ok, let's take a look:

The C-64 has two Atari-compatible joystick ports.

The C-64 has a cartridge port, for instantly loading applications. (Like, hmm, games.)

The C-64 has 8 hardware sprites.

The C-64 has 4 (I believe) sound channels.

The C-64 has enough horsepower for pixel-perfect ports of popular games at the time, like Zaxxon, Pac-Man, Q-Bert, etc.

The C-64 is capable of plugging into a TV set and using it as a monitor.

The C-64 has a 320x240 resolution screen with 16 colors.

If it looks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it's a duck. Face it, the Commodore 64 is a video game console that also happens to be able to run some non-game applications.

If it were designed as a computer first, it would have loaded an OS off disk like a IBM PC, it would have emphasized text on the display instead of graphics (probably monochrome, but relatively high-res) like a PC, it would have had one sound channel to save costs for things that a computer user at the time wouldn't need, it wouldn't have had joystick ports or a cartridge slot.

3DO

[alan_dershowitz]

OK, the winner here has to be the 3DO, launching at like EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS. It would have been a ripoff if it had retailed at 50.