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EA Says 'Next-Gen' Is 'Now-Gen'
Via GamesRadar, a Reuters report noting that the 'next generation' consoles are now more-or-less broken in. Sales for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii have transitioned to the point where software sales are going to be well worth the effort for development houses. "'[Black] Friday marked one of those points where you can say something's changed," [EA CEO Riccitiello] said. 'Around the world, based on the data I've got, it was pretty clear that the transition is now over. Key to that was Sony Corp's recent price cut for its PlayStation 3, which should ensure the struggling console hits the company's fiscal-year sales target of 11 million units.'"
And so the number of sales is indicative how? I'd say that when you've got three consoles that were sold out immediately after release, you've made the transition. The market may not have been able to accomodate the demand, but three consecutive sell-outs - especially when followed continuously by extremely strong sales for the Wii and 360 - indicates that the transition to next-gen has been made. I mean, two years to decide that developing for the 360 is a good idea?
I just got a PS1 and I'm as mad as hell over this announcement.
Part of the hardcore faithful who believed in Apple long before it was cool again to do so
Bear with me for a little while here.
Sony's target is to ship 11 million PS3s during this fiscal year (April 2007 - March 2008). In the first half of the year (April - September) they shipped 2 million PS3s. Even with increased holiday sales, 9 million in the remaining 6 months is absolutely crazy - it's actually similar to Wii sales.
Let's look at it another way:
In the previous fiscal year, Sony shipped 3.6 million PS3s. 11 + 3.6 = 14.6. 14.6 million PS3s shipped by the 31st of March 2008, which means around 14 million sold to consumers. According to vgchartz (which may be a little off but for the purposes of this discussion is more than accurate enough), the PS3 is at 6.36 million sold (to consumers) as of the 25th of November. 14 - 6.36 = 7.64 PS3s that they need to sell in 4 months... That's 1.91 million PS3s per month, which is more than current Wii levels of production (1.8 million according to Nintendo themselves).
EA is delusional, and Sony won't hit their target. In fact, they'll probably reduce their forecast in the next quarterly report (out in January). Otherwise, massive egg will be on their faces when they do their fiscal year report in April.
The AACS key is NOT 0xF606EEFD628B1CA427BEA93A9CA9773F
So the last gen was the next gen, the generation before that was the superconsoles, and the next gen was going to be the HD era, but now the last gen is the old gen, the next gen is this gen, and the superconsoles are retro? Where does that put retro?
No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
I can't quote you a URL at the moment, but I recall that Sony announced they'll be endorsing developers to make games for the PS2 at least through 2010. Given the huge install base of the PS2, it seems likely that there will be titles released on the Ps2 for a least a few years. Sadly, I imagine they won't be anything terribly innovative, but rather just releases of the franchise sports titles and the like.
ok, playing fanboy for a second, you list the cheapest wii available at 565 to make the 360's price look good.
Why not also mention that the 360 has the best warranty? Why not mention why (hint, red rings for the holidays)?
If not for Nintendo's amazing understanding of their audience the WII would not be able to compete, graphically, computationally its inferior, but that doesn't matter, its fun.
The XBOX360 would be a great system if not for the continual doubt as to the longevity of the hardware and the perpetual noise, also, Microsoft should be including a HDDVD-Rom capable drive in the mid and high end versions, it would be cheaper than that damned external $200 dollar optional 'player' and it would turn the box into the media center that Microsoft so desperately desires.
Sony should drop their bottom pricepoint to $300 but really, looking at the hardware specs and cost I don't see how.
and yeah, I own a PS3; when I find a WII in stock I suspect I will own one of those as well, the only thing on the 360 that I find attractive is the Halo franchise but it isn't enough to make me drop coin.
Unix, an obscure operating system developed by bored researchers in an attempt to get a better game playing experience.
Wii sales are still going crazy. Actually, it's hard to find a console (I've seen people fight over the last one). I recently got an offer of 400 bucks for mine. Check EBay, you'll notice people pay crazy prices for a used Wii, often more than you'd pay for a new one (provided you can find one, that is).
So I'd say the Wii has anything but reached market saturation. Ok, it's Christmas around the corner, so people are desperate to get some, but usually around Christmas, the shops have a few consoles lying around from throughout the year when people didn't buy them. This was not the case with the Wii, throughout the year sales were near output level and thus there is now no surplus of consoles (which would be usual for the Christmas sales).
The problem with the PS3 is simply the price tag. People do not buy a "game toy" for the price that is usually associated with a computer which can be used as much for games as the PS3, with the ability to run other stuff, too.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
So what we have now is as good as it is going to get for the next five to ten years? That's unfortunate. That's where the PC gaming will always be superior. PCs were already outperforming consoles by the time the newest gen of consoles were released. And while my console systems will be performing about the same in five or ten years as they were last year, my PC will be performing perhaps twice as well next year as it is this year.
Console gaming companies need to come out with a different model. These are videogame systems; not car stereos toasters. Perhaps they need to introduce some sort of leasing model where gamers lease the consoles and then they come out with a more advanced console (or upgrade the current ones) after a year or two. It obviously isn't reasonable to release a $500 console every other year because gamers won't spend $500 every year (per gaming system) just for the hardware.
I really have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that a gaming system that provides essentially the same experience and quality is sufficient for five or ten years. I mean, think about it -- would you want to have been gaming in 2000 on a rig that was built in 1995 or even 1990?!
That's what I call pretty low standards, then. Judging from the looks of the new Need For Speed: ProStreet they still seem to think that shoving unfinished games down our throats is next-gen, too. Even IGN gave it just a 6.8. Sorry, but EA would be the last publisher on whose opinion I'd give a crap. Period.
Don't worry. It will.
Microsoft admitted to it... every console out "now" (at the time of the statement) had the potential to go T.U. Do you think they added a 3 year warranty _FREE_ for the RRoD issue (only) out of the goodness of their pea-pickin' hearts? That's RECALL protection... Unfortunately for them, it's still not _class_action_ protection.
Anything over 10% is a problem... so people need to stop defending Microsoft for uber craptacular harwdare. (And yes, I own one... it's a nice console.. when it works.) They may have designed a good console... they MANUFACTURED a shitty one.
It's the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.
Look, I have a 360, I like it a lot, and I'm by most standards I'm a 360 fan. But really, those numbers are just BS.
The $280 Xbox 360 is so badly crippled it might as well not exist. It's a damned shame MS sells it at all. The cheapest Xbox 360 that even guarantees an acceptable gaming experience is the $400 one. Without a hard drive your Xbox is useless.
So really it boils down to... $400 vs. $400 vs. $250. Like it or not the PS3 is now very solid competition for the 360 price-wise. Now if only Sony can get some exclusives worth a damn that doesn't start with "F" and end in "antasy".
The problem with the PS3 WAS the price tag. Considering that they are now cheaper than the going ebay cost of a Wii the verb tense is important there.
FYI the 360 Premium (with HDD) is $350, not $400.
But honestly, and here's where you really failed - my point was that your anecdotal evidence has no fucking place in any discussion. The fact that you said "informally" only underlines the fact that you already understood that your anecdotal evidence was completely fucking worthless but still chose to bring it up. That means you're not a moron but instead, just an asshole. Too bad, I would have liked you better if you were a moron. Now fuck off and die, asshole.
Tom? Is that really you? Dad?!?
Of Code And Men
The $280 Xbox 360 is so badly crippled it might as well not exist.
Actually, it's a shame it *does* exist.
Game developers have to target the *lowest common denominator.* That means they have to target the non-HDD 360. That meanst they can't count on streaming game data, or anything else. So, the non-HDD version not only is crippled itself, but it cripples the potential of the games themselves.
Same thing with the lack of HD-DVD. Game data is at the point where it fills a DVD to capacity. Game developers have to over-compress textures, reduce level complexity, reduce the amount of cinematic content, and whatnot. (Yes, this is already happening. Check out comments by some of the Unreal Tournament 3 devs.)
I think this is the 360's biggest weakness. It gives Microsoft an early advantage, but as you pointed out, the price advantage is essentially gone. Now we'll see if the early lead is enough to overcome the technical deficiencies in their most-crippled console.
Microsoft is to software what Budweiser is to beer.