$99 The sweet spot for ANY videogame console
on
PSP Not A Sellout Hit
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· Score: 3, Interesting
After > 20 years in gaming, I've learned a few lessons: a) Early adoption is just a hip factor. Other than being first and hip the oportunity cost is negative. As you grow older it's easier to have a console accumulating dust. I'd rather have a $99 idle console than a $399 one. b) Optical media based-consoles actually improve in quality as iterations of the hardware are released. c) Maturity of the Software Lineup. Why? Well.. when a console reaches $99 it's probably in the last year of its lifetime and all the greatest hits are out around $20. Not only that, there's no complains about weak 1st gen lineup or lack of knowledge from the developers (ahem.. PS2, GC, DS...)
I'm actually waiting for the PS2 and Xbox to hit $99. On each instance I'll go with $300 and pick up the 10 best games of each console (good games are timeless). I might actually save some money with the XBox (other than Halo/Halo2 they might not reach 10 must have timeless titles).
I think it has been clear that Nintendo hasn't supported Online gaming because they don't see it as good business. Remember that they have tried the connected aspect of games before (Satellaview and others come to mind).
With the GC what they did was to give developers the option to make Online games. (by having the optional hardware and development possibility)
The big thing to notice here is that they've chosen to make the network interface part of the standard console. Perhaps they've devised a way to make money and provide their customers with a viable online experience.
I remember those times when people wanted to buy 1st generation hardware because it proved to be more durable and with better components. It happened with the Ataris, the NES, Genesis, SNES.... Anyone cares to share about the newer hardware?
the other day when I was browsing a sports site (www.eastsideboxing.com) to find out that my Mozilla 1.0 on XP was unable to stop the pop-ups at the site.
I guess it was time for the adware-hackers to catch up.
I actually have a friend that carries 2 phones, one is the latest and greatest palm based one and the other is a regular phone and he switches the smart chip between both.
I personally want a phone that just works and has a long battery life. No color displays, no pictures, just signal strength, clarity, battery life and portability.
Once we make progress and we can store contacts, appointments and sync by just being close to our bluetooth PC then we'll be ready.
I had so much trouble using the configurator/online store to buy the MiniMac.
This looks very promising, hopefully Apple builds market share to force itself to be more competitive AND force the other players to step up in the innovation department.
Sadly, Microsoft usually keeps Apple in check. I wonder what the reaction in Redmond is to to iWorks and the MiniMac. Office:Mac is a very powerful card.
You forgot to mention the GC port of MGS. Very beautiful, but it just doesn't feel the same.
Silicon Knights did a good job enhancing the game, but between the controller scheme and the flow it's just not the same.
(I'm not saying it's a bad game)
Point taken about my comment on your original post.
I was trying to illustrate that there are many rea$on$ to question loyalty when it comes to 3rd-party publishers.
And yes it's true that porting PS2->PSP makes a lot of business sense not only for EA but for any publisher. At this point the porting investment is minimal considering that the games have already broken even - it's all profits.
Happy gaming!
First and foremost. Companies are in this industry to make money, now that we have this out of the way, look at the industry:
16bit Generation: Major japanese developers (capcom, konami, etc) jumped to make Megadrive/Genesis games. Why? Market share. Rationale: More Systems = More chances of selling games
32bit Generation: Major publishers jump on CD-based systems. Why? To get away from the restrictive licensing practices of nintendo and to maximize on the cheap medium. Excuse: We want to make better and bigger games. Rationale: Cheaper media = higher profit margins.
Past 32/64 bit Generation: Publishers jump on the PS2 because it caught up with the Dreamcast despite a less-than-competitive 1st generation lineup. Rationale = See 16bit generation Section.
Follow the money trail and you'll see where the developers will go. There are very very few publishers/developers that will get excited about the uniqueness of a platform. That will end up either benefiting or working against Nintendo, but at least they'll re-write the rules, because if a game is conceived with the DS in mind the ports to the PSP may not be the same experience.
Myself, I'll be buying both next year, hopefully when the 2nd generation of games is out and at a sweet price of $125
And may I ask how do you know it's a good product?
Remember that the experience of a product like this is a very complex equation. In no order: 1. Quality of the games 2. Diversity of the games 3. Platform durability (it is a portable system) 4. Ergonomics (I hate the original PS controller's crosspad, and the fact that the GBA only has 2 face buttons, don't even go with the original Xbox controller, remember the headaches of the Virtual Boy and the original GBA screen?) 5. Battery life (Yeah, yeah you can buy extra batteries, but it's an annoyance. Sony will do good in fugure builds, just look at the MD).
Look, I love the fact that Sony is the market (we will benefit), but by now, if you're a veteran gamer, you'll know not to jump into conclusions.
This is a great coincidence, last night I went to the movies. Whatching the trailer to "Polar Express" and my date said the same "creepy" comment about the graphics in the movie.
I wonder where the original theory came from
I wonder if the "standard" non-hd version of the Xbox Next will have the expansion port for an external hard drive. If that's the case, that will be the key to buying this version and connect a cheap HD to it.
The way they think is around the impact of release dates on quarterly profits. Forecasts were made according to the upcoming release dates. If they don't meet those dates, Wall street will perceive the management as weak.
I wouldn't want to be at any working EA studio come close to Thanksgiving.
I used to work for a bank during the years before Y2K and I can identify with this person.
If your working routine is affecting your health, talk to your boss and try to get a compromise.
The company will go on fine if you get ill, but nobody will compensate for the damage that you're suffering.
I think many companies are taking advantage of the current economic environment to abuse their employees. Hours are getting longer, benefits are shrinking and we're against the wall given the current technology job market. Add that to the need to provide to a family and this is a recipe for disaster.
Don't underestimate the power of pre-sales. Thats a good number to forecast A REAL installed base. Many developes take a wait-and-see attitude before commiting to a system.
Why do you think MOST games come out for PS2? Isn't it the likelyhood of bought bigger given its market share?
I think you should understand by now that we're talking about two different systems here:
In my opinion:
PSP -> portable system aimed towards gamers that want the most powerful system around with the ability to rival TV console counterparts with movie and other media playing capabilities
GBA -> portable system aimed towards gamers seeking a different experience. That's why nintendo stresses that it's no GBA successor, I think it's an experiment on their end.
After playing for so long, I find myself buying PS2, Xbox and GC games that I just play for a couple of days, and then put back into a dusty shelf. It started for me probably around when FFVII came out, I realized that my favorite games are just iterations of the same game. Zelda = same, Metroid = Same, FF = Same, RE = Same, Madden = Same game w/ updated stats, MGS = same. Look at the newer games: the new GTA and Halo2 (although great games... are just a formula that works and it's being exploited to the max)
I think that TRUE gamers really have something to look forward here. I'm tired of playing the same game over and over.
Don't get me wrong here, GOOD developers will always find ways to brign freshness to favorite franchises and some other developers will take risks and try a new concept, but this whole videogame thing going mainstream has prompted this "wall stret-next-quarter-profits-view" to making games, that only hurts the end user experience. (yeah, yeah, I know, now we have REAL music in games, famous actors doing voiceovers and more cultural references... but WE get that in movies)
Hopefully the new possibilities that the DS brings to the table will force developers to think out of the box (not just put-the-inventory window-or-different-view on the second screen) mindset, but all the cool things that can potentially be done.
Oh, BTW, I'll just wait and see to get my DS AND PSP until next summer.
I think this is not a Marketing problem as it is a capacity demand problem. It causes the "the harder to find, the more people want it effect", but if you look at the manufacturing process, companies make sales forecasts, suppliers have a cap, and raw materials are obtained by hedging on prices.
Nintendo might say, it's a healthy estimate to have 2MM units for north america because in the next batch we might be able to take advantage of lower prices in components and economies of scale.
Personally I wouldn't rush to buy a DS because of the lack of a killer app at launch.
It is a sweet piece of technology, but can be priced a bit lower.
Slashdot Mirror
After > 20 years in gaming, I've learned a few lessons:
a) Early adoption is just a hip factor. Other than being first and hip the oportunity cost is negative. As you grow older it's easier to have a console accumulating dust. I'd rather have a $99 idle console than a $399 one.
b) Optical media based-consoles actually improve in quality as iterations of the hardware are released.
c) Maturity of the Software Lineup. Why? Well.. when a console reaches $99 it's probably in the last year of its lifetime and all the greatest hits are out around $20. Not only that, there's no complains about weak 1st gen lineup or lack of knowledge from the developers (ahem.. PS2, GC, DS...)
I'm actually waiting for the PS2 and Xbox to hit $99. On each instance I'll go with $300 and pick up the 10 best games of each console (good games are timeless). I might actually save some money with the XBox (other than Halo/Halo2 they might not reach 10 must have timeless titles).
"Instead of the attitude that many have toward SUVs, why not make SUVs themselves efficient"
It's being done, Check out the Ford Escape Hybrid
http://www.fordvehicles.com/escapehybrid/
It got Truck of the year too.
I think it has been clear that Nintendo hasn't supported Online gaming because they don't see it as good business. Remember that they have tried the connected aspect of games before (Satellaview and others come to mind).
With the GC what they did was to give developers the option to make Online games. (by having the optional hardware and development possibility)
The big thing to notice here is that they've chosen to make the network interface part of the standard console. Perhaps they've devised a way to make money and provide their customers with a viable online experience.
I remember those times when people wanted to buy 1st generation hardware because it proved to be more durable and with better components. It happened with the Ataris, the NES, Genesis, SNES.... Anyone cares to share about the newer hardware?
the other day when I was browsing a sports site (www.eastsideboxing.com) to find out that my Mozilla 1.0 on XP was unable to stop the pop-ups at the site.
I guess it was time for the adware-hackers to catch up.
Why the hell would you want to do that? Isn't that what the old Dell clunkers are for?
Just do the math.
100 users x 59.55/y = 5995
That has to be less than the price of Win2K License+ MS Exchange Server Standard + 100 Exchange CALs + Cost of the Server + Cost of Maintenance.
It may make sense for small businesses.
We're still ways to go in battery technology.
I actually have a friend that carries 2 phones, one is the latest and greatest palm based one and the other is a regular phone and he switches the smart chip between both.
I personally want a phone that just works and has a long battery life. No color displays, no pictures, just signal strength, clarity, battery life and portability.
Once we make progress and we can store contacts, appointments and sync by just being close to our bluetooth PC then we'll be ready.
Meanwhile...let's just wait and see
I had so much trouble using the configurator/online store to buy the MiniMac. This looks very promising, hopefully Apple builds market share to force itself to be more competitive AND force the other players to step up in the innovation department. Sadly, Microsoft usually keeps Apple in check. I wonder what the reaction in Redmond is to to iWorks and the MiniMac. Office:Mac is a very powerful card.
You forgot to mention the GC port of MGS. Very beautiful, but it just doesn't feel the same. Silicon Knights did a good job enhancing the game, but between the controller scheme and the flow it's just not the same. (I'm not saying it's a bad game)
I'm new in the neighborhood and I constantly pick this network.... Gee... I wonder who the hot mama is...
Article Here
Point taken about my comment on your original post. I was trying to illustrate that there are many rea$on$ to question loyalty when it comes to 3rd-party publishers. And yes it's true that porting PS2->PSP makes a lot of business sense not only for EA but for any publisher. At this point the porting investment is minimal considering that the games have already broken even - it's all profits. Happy gaming!
First and foremost. Companies are in this industry to make money, now that we have this out of the way, look at the industry:
16bit Generation: Major japanese developers (capcom, konami, etc) jumped to make Megadrive/Genesis games. Why? Market share.
Rationale: More Systems = More chances of selling games
32bit Generation: Major publishers jump on CD-based systems. Why? To get away from the restrictive licensing practices of nintendo and to maximize on the cheap medium.
Excuse: We want to make better and bigger games.
Rationale: Cheaper media = higher profit margins.
Past 32/64 bit Generation: Publishers jump on the PS2 because it caught up with the Dreamcast despite a less-than-competitive 1st generation lineup.
Rationale = See 16bit generation Section.
Follow the money trail and you'll see where the developers will go. There are very very few publishers/developers that will get excited about the uniqueness of a platform. That will end up either benefiting or working against Nintendo, but at least they'll re-write the rules, because if a game is conceived with the DS in mind the ports to the PSP may not be the same experience.
Myself, I'll be buying both next year, hopefully when the 2nd generation of games is out and at a sweet price of $125
And may I ask how do you know it's a good product?
Remember that the experience of a product like this is a very complex equation. In no order:
1. Quality of the games
2. Diversity of the games
3. Platform durability (it is a portable system)
4. Ergonomics (I hate the original PS controller's crosspad, and the fact that the GBA only has 2 face buttons, don't even go with the original Xbox controller, remember the headaches of the Virtual Boy and the original GBA screen?)
5. Battery life (Yeah, yeah you can buy extra batteries, but it's an annoyance. Sony will do good in fugure builds, just look at the MD).
Look, I love the fact that Sony is the market (we will benefit), but by now, if you're a veteran gamer, you'll know not to jump into conclusions.
This is a great coincidence, last night I went to the movies. Whatching the trailer to "Polar Express" and my date said the same "creepy" comment about the graphics in the movie. I wonder where the original theory came from
I wonder if the "standard" non-hd version of the Xbox Next will have the expansion port for an external hard drive. If that's the case, that will be the key to buying this version and connect a cheap HD to it.
Xbox2 Standard,
Xbox2 Professional and
Xbox2 Media Center Edition
That's a very innovative way to approach the different segments of the console market.
The way they think is around the impact of release dates on quarterly profits. Forecasts were made according to the upcoming release dates. If they don't meet those dates, Wall street will perceive the management as weak. I wouldn't want to be at any working EA studio come close to Thanksgiving.
I used to work for a bank during the years before Y2K and I can identify with this person.
If your working routine is affecting your health, talk to your boss and try to get a compromise.
The company will go on fine if you get ill, but nobody will compensate for the damage that you're suffering.
I think many companies are taking advantage of the current economic environment to abuse their employees. Hours are getting longer, benefits are shrinking and we're against the wall given the current technology job market. Add that to the need to provide to a family and this is a recipe for disaster.
I wish the best for them.
http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/197771.asp
Don't underestimate the power of pre-sales. Thats a good number to forecast A REAL installed base. Many developes take a wait-and-see attitude before commiting to a system.
Why do you think MOST games come out for PS2? Isn't it the likelyhood of bought bigger given its market share?
I think you should understand by now that we're talking about two different systems here:
In my opinion:
PSP -> portable system aimed towards gamers that want the most powerful system around with the ability to rival TV console counterparts with movie and other media playing capabilities
GBA -> portable system aimed towards gamers seeking a different experience. That's why nintendo stresses that it's no GBA successor, I think it's an experiment on their end.
After playing for so long, I find myself buying PS2, Xbox and GC games that I just play for a couple of days, and then put back into a dusty shelf. It started for me probably around when FFVII came out, I realized that my favorite games are just iterations of the same game. Zelda = same, Metroid = Same, FF = Same, RE = Same, Madden = Same game w/ updated stats, MGS = same. Look at the newer games: the new GTA and Halo2 (although great games... are just a formula that works and it's being exploited to the max)
I think that TRUE gamers really have something to look forward here. I'm tired of playing the same game over and over.
Don't get me wrong here, GOOD developers will always find ways to brign freshness to favorite franchises and some other developers will take risks and try a new concept, but this whole videogame thing going mainstream has prompted this "wall stret-next-quarter-profits-view" to making games, that only hurts the end user experience. (yeah, yeah, I know, now we have REAL music in games, famous actors doing voiceovers and more cultural references... but WE get that in movies)
Hopefully the new possibilities that the DS brings to the table will force developers to think out of the box (not just put-the-inventory window-or-different-view on the second screen) mindset, but all the cool things that can potentially be done.
Oh, BTW, I'll just wait and see to get my DS AND PSP until next summer.
Let the games begin....
I think this is not a Marketing problem as it is a capacity demand problem. It causes the "the harder to find, the more people want it effect", but if you look at the manufacturing process, companies make sales forecasts, suppliers have a cap, and raw materials are obtained by hedging on prices. Nintendo might say, it's a healthy estimate to have 2MM units for north america because in the next batch we might be able to take advantage of lower prices in components and economies of scale. Personally I wouldn't rush to buy a DS because of the lack of a killer app at launch. It is a sweet piece of technology, but can be priced a bit lower.
So you mean that the real number is like an hour or so?