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Next Gen Console Commentary

Posted by Zonk on from the three-different-flavours dept.

Today has seen a bit of commentary on each of the three next-gen consoles, all relatively positive. The PlayStation 3 has seen users for the PSN community crack the 1.3 million mark, according to Next Generation. If you enjoy the Wii's Virtual Console feature, Chris Kohler has you set up today with a rundown on every VC title rumored or released to date. Nintendo's consoles are selling pretty well, too. Microsoft has had something of a mixed day. On the one hand gamers can look forward to Beautiful Katamri coming to XBLA in the states. On the other, an investment adviser has called Microsoft's entire gaming business a 'disastrous endeavor'.

4 of 55 comments (clear)

  1. Losing Money != A Bad Thing by richdun · · Score: 3, Insightful

    On the other, an investment adviser has called Microsoft's entire gaming business a 'disastrous endeavor'.

    Most investment advisors (the ones with an "o", not the ones with an "e") are mad at Microsoft because they have little to no debt, a ton of cash, and a healthy but not spectacular dividend. Yet they remain a viable company, making money and what-not. It kills me how little room for innovation is allowed in what most financial people use to define a "success." Whether the gaming division has made money to date or not, and I'm no Microsoft fan, you have to admit that branching out into something other than purely software and gaining a market-leading position is a Good Thing in the long-term for the shareholders (like myself).

    1. Re:Losing Money != A Bad Thing by Maxwell · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Microsoft making game hardware is like Ford making refrigerators. Branching out is one thing, straying so far from your core competencies (i.e. what you are good at) in an industry plagued with losses is not smart for shareholders, yourself included. Microsoft is sitting on piles of your money, and they keep throwing it away on game consoles with no end in site. Sony lost $1B so far on the PS3. Microsoft loses that every year, year after year (approaching six years now)! I don't own any shares, but if I did I would want my share of Microsoft's profits in a dividend, not thrown away on a lost cause like Xbox. The cries to bail out will only get stronger as PS3 creeps up on Xbox360 in global sales...

      JON

  2. Re:Next generation...? by PhoenixOne · · Score: 4, Funny

    With normal technology, next means next. But in the hype-fueled world of computer games, you are living in tomorrow today!

    The PS3 is next generation, the PS2 is the current generation (you can tell by the sales ;)), and the PS4 is the next-next generation.

    I've been living in the game industry so long that I eat my lunch at 8am, dinner is at noon, and I have tomorrow's breakfast at 7pm.

    --
    Spell cheek you've failed me four the last thyme!
  3. Re:Still Next Gen? by DDLKermit007 · · Score: 3, Informative

    February:
    Nintendo DS: 485,000
    Nintendo Wii: 335,000
    Sony PlayStation 2: 295,000
    Microsoft Xbox 360: 228,000
    Sony PlayStation Portable: 176,000
    Nintendo Game Boy Advance: 136,000
    Sony PlayStation 3: 127,000

    You don't keep up on things very well I take it.