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Sony vs. Microsoft, Tortoise vs. Hare
Carl Bialik from WSJ writes "Was Microsoft smart to rush out the Xbox 360 or is Sony smarter to wait and load PlayStation 3 with the latest technology? The Wall Street Journal analyzes the opposing camps' strategies; the stakes are high, as 'the Xbox group has lost billions of dollars since its start five years ago and will continue to lose money if Sony trounces Microsoft.' Several expected Microsoft announcements today, besides 'Halo 3', are meant to deliver the message that the Xbox's head-start was an advantage: 'Microsoft will also demonstrate ways for mobile phones to link with its Xbox Live service, which allows Xbox 360 users to play games with each other over the Internet. Executives will also announce new games for the Xbox Live service and are negotiating a partnership to build a "massively multiplayer" game for Live that allows thousands of people to play each other over the Internet, say people familiar with the company's plans.'"
Do most people prefer to watch DVD's on their PS2?
If you mean "do most people with a PS2 use it as their primary DVD player", then when the ps2 first launched, the answer was apparently "yes". I have DVDs that came with stickers proudly announcing that it would be compatible with my PS2, and later revisions of the PS2 included the DVD firmware so you wouldn't need the memorycard and remote to play (though controlling playback with the controller is "interesting"). It pulled this off because it was reasonably priced, if one wanted to watch current DVDs and play games, they could buy a $200 dvd player and a $200 console, or they could just buy a $200 console.
Now, whether Sony can work this magic with a $600 bluray player, we'll have to see... it beats the $800 Toshiba HD-XA1, except for the fact that the Toshiba is out now, and the fact that Toshiba also has a cheap $500 or so version also out now. There may be cheaper hd-dvd players out by the time ps3 comes out, which would pretty much seal its fate as "just a console" at that price. As for its fate as "just a console", well, that pretty much depends on what kind of exclusives it can get.
First of all, no official price has been announced.
Second, the 27 games are games playble at E3. They are not games that will necessarily be available at launch.
Microsoft: It has little to no chance to make an impact in Japan and has yet to make that big of an impact in North America or Europe (and don't say this is because of shortages, if there were serious shortages you'd see sustained $1000 systems on eBay and you wouldn't find them in stores anywhere).
Who are you kidding? Microsoft has sold about five million consoles in eight months. That's more than the PS1, PS2, original Xbox, or any other console at this stage in the cycle. The sales curve for the 360 is steeper than the iPod.
How Politicians Lie: http://www.factcheck.org/
----- You know you have ego issues when you register a domain in your name.
mid-90s Flops: Laseractive (1993, $970/1268), 3DO (1993, $700/915), Atari Jaguar (1993, $250/327, company went under)
It's not an absolute rule, but releasing early was WILDLY successful for Sega's Genesis and Sony's Playstation, giving them access to an industry that they were previously all but unknown in. Dreamcast's failure was due to Sega falling apart, kind of like what happened to Atari's delayed and corporately ruined 7800.
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