Console War Just Sony's Side Quest

Next Generation is running two pieces today about Sony's upcoming console. In 'Console War a Side Quest for Sony?', they examine an analyst report suggesting that the company is more interested in winning the movie format war than in taking the lead on this generation of consoles. They also have a piece wherein some industry figures weigh in on the PS3. From that article: "The impact will be enormous. Digital distribution will allow for new ways to generate excitement for these games - from being able to purchase new game packs that extend the life of gameplay and purchasing cool new items that make your character and experience unique, to the emphasis the consoles will showcase linear programming much like an iPod or OnDemand service does. With something like Steam, the entire console channel is avoided, and suddenly the game developer is selling directly to a consumer. "

Comments

Seems to be a big assumption

[DarthChris]

FTFA:

"We expect the dominant console at the end of the next cycle to be the Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3), primarily due to our assessment that Sony will win the high definition DVD format war,"

Considering neither HD-DVD or Blu-Ray have been released, that's a big assumption. Personally I suspect (and hope) that the VHS vs Betamax war will still be in many people's minds, and both new formats will end up flopping. If that does happen, then WMS's own analysis suggests the PS3 may crash as well.

I'm not so sure

[Guppy06]

They seem to believe that PS3 will establish their beachhead in the new DVD format wars and/or digital distribution, but even if they sell as many PS3s as they hope, will that really help? How is PS2's market penetration compared to DVD players in general?

I think it is going to be a DS vs PSP

[SmallFurryCreature]

DS for the fun cartoony games that are nice to play but have you wondering how you can turn speech and FMV and other modern niceties on. Oh some of the games are fun BUT only on the go. In my house I keep missing all the stuff they added to games since the 386 days.

The PSP on the other astounds graphically. Very nice indeed. GTA Vice City is amazing that that can be played in your hand. Pity the hardware is so cheap (pixel problems), the interface is kinda bad (the joystick just isn't a joystick) and a lot of the games are boring and not really handheld games.

Then again, the PSP has one mobile advantage over the DS. Safe anywhere. Just briefly switch off the power and resume where you left off when you power back on.

Compared with Nintendo Animal Crossing slow slow save it shows that Nintendo can still learn a thing or two.

frankly the way things are going at the moment? I think we are going to see a repeat of the last generation. PS3 will still be the big console BUT Sony will still barely make any money of it. MS will still subsidize its losses through losses and Nintendo will survive because of the handheld and be the smallest player yet be the only one to actually turn a clear profit on their consoles.

The only thing that could change it is if the Revolution launches with a killer title. So far I am not aware of one being announced.

That is sleep mode

[SmallFurryCreature]

It is not the same. The PSP is OFF while the DS remains on. Consuming less power to be sure but still draining the battery. The really big difference? If power fails because of an empty battery the PSP can resume where it left off as if nothing has happened. The DS loses its progress.

As for speed of writing and reading. No competition. Nintendo has chosen not to have onboard save. That no doubt saves them money meaning that Nintendo makes a profit on a cheaper console but now the save file has to be in the game catridge and it is not going to be top of the line because of again the cost issue.

AC:WW takes about 30 secs to load and 30 secs to save. Since I love the DS lite for its ease of use in those lost 5 minutes that is a bit too long. The PSP is a bit to large to carry in my pocket but it allows me to play faster and quit faster.

DS is a good console but I wish they had spend just a few more bucks on it. On the other hand, I wish the PSP had a touchscreen. No pleasing me I guess.