I'm assuming lag. A first person shooter almost always requires very quick response times, something that average broadband connection still doesn't allow across long distances. Notice that most online DS games will be quite casual, slow-paced games: Animal Crossing, Ultimate Card/Brain Games, Final Fantasy, Bomberman. The one exception is Mario Kart, but a bit of lag in a friendly kart-racing game won't be a huge deal.
Nintendo is trying to make an online plan that caters to gamers who don't usually play online. The fewer sources of frustration, the better. I can't even count how many times I've seen Halo 2 lag, or how often CS has lagged on my home DSL. It gets frustrating, and the average gamer (you know, one of those 80+% that doesn't play online) won't tolerate it for very long.
The Nintendo Revolution will allow for downloads of many NES, SNES, and N64 games, and current speculation is that they may allow some games to be downloaded to the DS. The DS screen resolution (256x192) is a lot closer to the NES/SNES (256x224) than the GBA's was (240x160), so emulation would be a better fit for the console. The DS would even be able to emulate games that utilize the Super Scope, Zapper, and SNES mouse. Given the DS's simple download play ability, there may be a pretty good chance of this happening.
"Though if the 360 has any kind of Halo at launch; even a Halo text adventure by Infocom (like it matters, people will think it's innovation), then they have a good chance at getting nearly their entire original Xbox customer base back."
Sad but true, although there are still some 12 million Xbox owners that don't own Halo 2. Even still, Microsoft needs to gain a much larger userbase next generation if they want any chance of competing with the PS3 for real. And several post-E3 surveys showed the anticipation for the 360 to be even lower than for the Revolution, so Nintendo may be more of a factor next gen as well.
Actually, Nintendo has confirmed several times that a next gen GBA is in development. It's just against their best interest to release it so soon. The DS is just getting off the ground, and this holiday season will introduce its strongest lineup ever. The DS will also be basking in its title of "first actually online Nintendo system", and it would be stupid to overshadow that by announcing a WiFi-compatible PSP-killer multimedia Game Boy successor. Announcing a new GBA at E3 2005 would have killed the DS before it was ever alive.
Re:retro GBAs rule for long distance travel.
on
The GBA's Last Stand
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· Score: 1
"The DS has a significantly smaller main screen, and the second touch screen doesn't really make up for that."
Compared to what? Both of the DS's screens are the same size, and they're each actually a tiny bit bigger than a GBA screen. They're also both a slightly higher resolution, causing GBA games to have a small border around them. That might be the reason they seem smaller to you. GBA games are displayed on a smaller scale physically, but at the exact same resolution.
"Did you read what I said... you simply stated exactly what I originally said way back in the original post that was moded "0, flamebait.""
Umm... you said nothing about either console's performance in Japan. You also claimed that there are no good games in the "forseeable future", when clearly there are plenty of games coming up for the DS, and maybe for the PSP, if you have the patience to search through the hordes of mediocre UMD movies on that list. Ugh, not so much for the PSP, I suppose. Only one game release per month in July and August? So scratch what I said about the PSP, but the DS has a great lineup for the summer and fall.
"TFA was about the CURRENT state of handhelds, and the current state is bleak."
The CURRENT state of handhelds extends to Japan as well, and as I pointed out earlier, the DS is doing just fine in the land of the rising sun. If I knew enough Japanese (or had enough cash) to import Nintendogs, Band Bros, Trace Memory, and Electroplankton, I would be occupied for the rest of the summer.
"and that I'd take the GBA SP over the DS and PSP - Which is what the general consumer is showing to be the case with their dollar votes right now." Not in Japan, where the DS and PSP are each outselling the GBA by a factor of about 3:1. I imagine the same thing will begin in America once some decent games are released.
I've actually heard that UMD movies have been selling better than PSP games for some time. But that's mostly because of the big drought of games between launch and the holidays, and people want to justify their purchase. I don't know anyone who wants to buy a PSP solely for the movie playback. They'd all much rather get a cheap laptop or a portable DVD player. The general consensus for the new Final Fantasy movie is that PSP owners will probably buy the UMD version, but everyone else will buy it on DVD rather than buy a PSP for it.
I think that by the time some decent PSP games start shipping (read: GTA), the novelty of UMD movies will die off, unless Sony starts shipping movies with some PSP-only features.
"Just because *closed* your DS took ONE fall and survived they must be built like heavy-armor tanks." That's the point of the clamshell design. To keep the innards protected. I'm not sure what you expect out of a system. Should I be able to run it under a train with no damage? Unless you routinely drop your personal electronics from high office buildings, the DS should hold up fine.
"Put a GBA and either a PSP or DS up against each other and see which one lasts."
A closed DS could easily outlast the original GBA, because the clamshell design protects both screens. As for the following:
Hinges - the GBASP had a rather prominent hinge and most consider it to be one of the most durable handhelds created.
Large screens - the DS's screens are roughly the same size as that of the GBA, just with a higher resolution.
Delicate optical drive - again, not an issue with the DS. I already said that I don't have experience with the PSP's durability.
Again, you seem to have awfully high expectations. The DS can handle any routine abuse, and if you're repeatedly dropping it from more than six feet in the air, maybe you should stick to consoles with those easy-grip controllers. I generally don't need my portable to block bullets for me, as my left thigh probably isn't my most vulnerable target point anyway.
David Thomas was definitely the funniest to read. Although he seemed a little biased against the PSP, he was way more fair than "The Game Dork", who kept ranting about the wonders of the PSP, but seemed to think that it should have included a built-in theater projector. He also suggested that Sony release "blank PSPs" to burn music to, leading me to believe that he very little about video games. It sounds like he may have started gaming on the Xbox or PS2, because he clearly doesn't understand how the industry works.
But yeah, Thomas was right on target in a lot of cases, and he made me laugh out loud several times. His analogies were often really bizarre, but quite accurate, and it was nice to see a journalist that openly admits the biases of the industry.
As a side note, I thought one of the most objective interviewees was Marc Nix of IGN's PSP channel, who until now has always seemed to be somewhat of a Sony fanboy to me. But this time I felt that he clearly understood both handhelds and really made some good comments. He didn't ignore some of the DS's bigger flaws, but he didn't write it off right away because it's not the PSP.
"There's still one thing music can't yet do in video games: change styles in synchronization with the player's actions. Sure, music comes at important points, but it starts or stops then. You still can't have a dynamic score."
Maybe not to the extent you're thinking, but steps have been taken in this direction. Zelda: Wind Waker included orchestral riffs that sounded after every blow with the sword. In Burnout 2, the guitars in the background music became much more predominant when you were boosting. I hear that Donkey Kong Jungle Beat and Meteos also feature soundtracks that add and subtract layers of music as the gameplay changes.
br
Maybe next-gen games will delve into this kind of thing a little more, once graphics have reached a certain level of quality. Sound and music don't seem to be the top priorities for most game designers nowadays, but maybe that'll change in the near future.
The GBA port can also be used for expansions, like a rumored rumble pack for Metroid Pinball and an extra song cart for Band Bros. in Japan. The DS needed another port for this kind of stuff anyway, since normal DS cards are way too small to hold things like gyroscopes or motors. It only makes sense to have the expansion slot double as a second game slot, especially since GBA support has been a big draw for the first few months of the DS's lifespan.
I guess you could think so, as long as you liked the opening song. The rest of the game's soundtrack was just a bunch of remixes of the same melody, maybe with some electric guitars thrown in for spice.
It's only hosted at a Nintendo site because for the past four years, Nintendo hasn't had any recognizeable competition.
Nintendo Insider itself hasn't actually written any of the content so far. Day 1 was an interview with several developers in the handheld sector, and it was pretty evenly matched between PSP/DS developers.
Day 2 was an interview with a Nintendo executive, but it's pretty obvious what sort of bias she might have.;)
Day 3 is an interview with eight gaming journalists, and again, they're mostly from multiconsole sites. The name of the site might put you off, but they're actually doing a really good job of covering all views, mostly by interviewing relatively unbiased sources.
"No one wants an expensive, delicate portable game system..."
I can't speak for the PSP here, but I've dropped my DS off a 6' dresser, ejecting the cartridge, and it's no worse for wear, save for a small nick on the outer casing. I've been carrying it around with me for the past month, and it's continued to function as well as it always has. The DS is hardly "delicate".
As for the games, they're coming. If you remember, the GBA had a pretty lackluster launch as well, but its backward compatibility helped sell units for a while. And unlike the GBA, developers will need a little more time to get used to the DS and PSP. The PSP is almost a miniature console, so former GBA developers are having to deal with 3D graphics, disc input, WiFi, and heavier battery consumption. The DS's new features like the touchscreen, microphone, and WiFi introduce a completely new standard for games, making it a lot harder for developers to simply port older titles or make cookie-cutter sequels.
But this holiday season seems to be the first big wave of titles for both consoles. The DS has Metroid, Advance Wars, Nintendogs, and a wave of WiFi games like Mario Kart and Animal Crossing. The PSP will see the new GTA, Madden, and Infected, to name a few. If you can't see anything you like in the remaining 2005 lineup, maybe handhelds aren't for you.
"Ooh, look, another Resident Evil title...wonder if I kill zombies in THIS ONE TOO! It was eye candy, face it."
Which is why the American press named it the fourth best game in recent years, above such American classics as Half-Life 2 and the Halo series. Because it was eye candy. Right.
And I'm sure the American press was also holding their noses when Paper Mario 2 was consistently rated one of the top RPGs of the year, and when Pikmin 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, Zelda: Minish Cap, and Viewtiful Joe all recieved excellent ratings.
Not only that, but three of the titles you mentioned (Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper, and GTA) were all made by Western developers. I think you're geography is a little off, unless you consider Europe "the far east".
And no. Atari wouldn't have taken back the market. The public was reluctant to buy the NES because they had been burned so badly by the Western crap that had been shoveled into their Ataris. Nintendo had to market the NES as a toy robot with a game console "peripheral" for American stores to even stock the system. That's how bad Atari screwed things up.
"And then there's the Revolution, or Mini - PS2. Maybe it's an improvement in design, and certainly the least painful to gaze upon, but it really looks like a smaller PS2. Is Nintendo trying to confuse people into buying it?"
It's definitely not a mini PS2. It doesn't have those Atari 2600-esque black... spiky things. I don't even know what you call those things, but I've only ever seen them on 80s electronics, certain audio equipment, and the PS2.
I think the rationale for the Revs design was that Nintendo tried to make a console with its own style this gen, and it ended up biting them in the tail. The Revolution's minimalist style is hardly intrusive, but it has its own defining features. It could basically fit with any entertainment center, which is the goal in the design of the casing, I would think.
To expand on your first comment, N-Sider has a very informative article detailing the history of Nintendo's online endeavors. It's a must-read for anyone who's still convinced that Nintendo is staunchly opposed to online gaming.
"New wireless support will not help the company for as long as the same people who came up with Mini-DVD disks and whoever is in charge of their game licensing division are still in power."
He's not. Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo's president since the late 40's, retired in 2002, nearly a year after the GameCube went to market. His successor, Satoru Iwata, is taking the company in a new, distinct direction as evidenced by the Nintendo DS, among other things. Under his lead, Nintendo has become more accepting of current technology standards. The DS has adopted 802.11 WiFi technology and will use SD memory cards in its media expansion. The Revolution will also use typical WiFi standards, as well as supporting DVDs, SD flash memory, and USB. As a longtime video game fan, Iwata seems to be much more in touch with what gamers want, and he has claimed to be committed to pleasing hardcore as well as new gamers.
Most journalists have been fairly impressed with the way Iwata has handled the company. He's already beginning to take steps that Yamauchi would never have taken, like the Revolution's backward compatibility, which is clearly designed for fan service rather than profit. Iwata has also been working with many third parties in order to win back the support that Nintendo lost in the N64 generation. We'll see how things go, but under his leadership, the Revolution could be the most exciting Nintendo console since the NES.
"PS - Stop making tiny consoles!!! The Micro looks horrid - you have to have hands like a kid to play games on it - you want to improve your Teen-mature image? Design a console that people don't Physically outgrow after 6th grade."
Tell that to the dozens of people I see every day playing games on their cell phones.
Which is still less important than the media makes it. If Jim buys three PS2s because the first two broke, he's not helping Sony any more than Fred who only needed to buy one. And Tom the hacker might buy an Xbox, inflating Microsoft's sales numbers, but if he only uses it for emulation, Microsoft's not making any money from it.
Microsoft has already shown us that you can essentially buy marketshare. You can't buy profitability. Which of those is going to matter in the long run?
If the media is going to focus on marketshare, they should focus on software sales, because that's the heart of the industry. Hardware is just a means to that end. Why should a developer care if the PC has outsold the PS2, Xbox, and GC combined if people aren't buying as many games for it?
Slashdot Mirror
I'm assuming lag. A first person shooter almost always requires very quick response times, something that average broadband connection still doesn't allow across long distances. Notice that most online DS games will be quite casual, slow-paced games: Animal Crossing, Ultimate Card/Brain Games, Final Fantasy, Bomberman. The one exception is Mario Kart, but a bit of lag in a friendly kart-racing game won't be a huge deal.
Nintendo is trying to make an online plan that caters to gamers who don't usually play online. The fewer sources of frustration, the better. I can't even count how many times I've seen Halo 2 lag, or how often CS has lagged on my home DSL. It gets frustrating, and the average gamer (you know, one of those 80+% that doesn't play online) won't tolerate it for very long.
Umm... The DS has 802.11b wireless too. There are about a dozen online games being released for it this holiday season.
The Nintendo Revolution will allow for downloads of many NES, SNES, and N64 games, and current speculation is that they may allow some games to be downloaded to the DS. The DS screen resolution (256x192) is a lot closer to the NES/SNES (256x224) than the GBA's was (240x160), so emulation would be a better fit for the console. The DS would even be able to emulate games that utilize the Super Scope, Zapper, and SNES mouse. Given the DS's simple download play ability, there may be a pretty good chance of this happening.
"Though if the 360 has any kind of Halo at launch; even a Halo text adventure by Infocom (like it matters, people will think it's innovation), then they have a good chance at getting nearly their entire original Xbox customer base back."
Sad but true, although there are still some 12 million Xbox owners that don't own Halo 2. Even still, Microsoft needs to gain a much larger userbase next generation if they want any chance of competing with the PS3 for real. And several post-E3 surveys showed the anticipation for the 360 to be even lower than for the Revolution, so Nintendo may be more of a factor next gen as well.
Actually, Nintendo has confirmed several times that a next gen GBA is in development. It's just against their best interest to release it so soon. The DS is just getting off the ground, and this holiday season will introduce its strongest lineup ever. The DS will also be basking in its title of "first actually online Nintendo system", and it would be stupid to overshadow that by announcing a WiFi-compatible PSP-killer multimedia Game Boy successor. Announcing a new GBA at E3 2005 would have killed the DS before it was ever alive.
Who needs batteries? The DS can run on pure manpower and the PSP can be recharged by the most dependable energy source in the solar system.
"The DS has a significantly smaller main screen, and the second touch screen doesn't really make up for that."
Compared to what? Both of the DS's screens are the same size, and they're each actually a tiny bit bigger than a GBA screen. They're also both a slightly higher resolution, causing GBA games to have a small border around them. That might be the reason they seem smaller to you. GBA games are displayed on a smaller scale physically, but at the exact same resolution.
"Did you read what I said... you simply stated exactly what I originally said way back in the original post that was moded "0, flamebait.""
Umm... you said nothing about either console's performance in Japan. You also claimed that there are no good games in the "forseeable future", when clearly there are plenty of games coming up for the DS, and maybe for the PSP, if you have the patience to search through the hordes of mediocre UMD movies on that list. Ugh, not so much for the PSP, I suppose. Only one game release per month in July and August? So scratch what I said about the PSP, but the DS has a great lineup for the summer and fall.
"TFA was about the CURRENT state of handhelds, and the current state is bleak."
The CURRENT state of handhelds extends to Japan as well, and as I pointed out earlier, the DS is doing just fine in the land of the rising sun. If I knew enough Japanese (or had enough cash) to import Nintendogs, Band Bros, Trace Memory, and Electroplankton, I would be occupied for the rest of the summer.
"and that I'd take the GBA SP over the DS and PSP - Which is what the general consumer is showing to be the case with their dollar votes right now."
Not in Japan, where the DS and PSP are each outselling the GBA by a factor of about 3:1. I imagine the same thing will begin in America once some decent games are released.
I've actually heard that UMD movies have been selling better than PSP games for some time. But that's mostly because of the big drought of games between launch and the holidays, and people want to justify their purchase. I don't know anyone who wants to buy a PSP solely for the movie playback. They'd all much rather get a cheap laptop or a portable DVD player. The general consensus for the new Final Fantasy movie is that PSP owners will probably buy the UMD version, but everyone else will buy it on DVD rather than buy a PSP for it.
I think that by the time some decent PSP games start shipping (read: GTA), the novelty of UMD movies will die off, unless Sony starts shipping movies with some PSP-only features.
"Just because *closed* your DS took ONE fall and survived they must be built like heavy-armor tanks."
That's the point of the clamshell design. To keep the innards protected. I'm not sure what you expect out of a system. Should I be able to run it under a train with no damage? Unless you routinely drop your personal electronics from high office buildings, the DS should hold up fine.
"Put a GBA and either a PSP or DS up against each other and see which one lasts."
A closed DS could easily outlast the original GBA, because the clamshell design protects both screens. As for the following:
Hinges - the GBASP had a rather prominent hinge and most consider it to be one of the most durable handhelds created.
Large screens - the DS's screens are roughly the same size as that of the GBA, just with a higher resolution.
Delicate optical drive - again, not an issue with the DS. I already said that I don't have experience with the PSP's durability.
Again, you seem to have awfully high expectations. The DS can handle any routine abuse, and if you're repeatedly dropping it from more than six feet in the air, maybe you should stick to consoles with those easy-grip controllers. I generally don't need my portable to block bullets for me, as my left thigh probably isn't my most vulnerable target point anyway.
David Thomas was definitely the funniest to read. Although he seemed a little biased against the PSP, he was way more fair than "The Game Dork", who kept ranting about the wonders of the PSP, but seemed to think that it should have included a built-in theater projector. He also suggested that Sony release "blank PSPs" to burn music to, leading me to believe that he very little about video games. It sounds like he may have started gaming on the Xbox or PS2, because he clearly doesn't understand how the industry works.
But yeah, Thomas was right on target in a lot of cases, and he made me laugh out loud several times. His analogies were often really bizarre, but quite accurate, and it was nice to see a journalist that openly admits the biases of the industry.
As a side note, I thought one of the most objective interviewees was Marc Nix of IGN's PSP channel, who until now has always seemed to be somewhat of a Sony fanboy to me. But this time I felt that he clearly understood both handhelds and really made some good comments. He didn't ignore some of the DS's bigger flaws, but he didn't write it off right away because it's not the PSP.
A game that's not commercially available for over a month shouldn't be expected to fly off the shelves.
"There's still one thing music can't yet do in video games: change styles in synchronization with the player's actions. Sure, music comes at important points, but it starts or stops then. You still can't have a dynamic score."
Maybe not to the extent you're thinking, but steps have been taken in this direction. Zelda: Wind Waker included orchestral riffs that sounded after every blow with the sword. In Burnout 2, the guitars in the background music became much more predominant when you were boosting. I hear that Donkey Kong Jungle Beat and Meteos also feature soundtracks that add and subtract layers of music as the gameplay changes.
br Maybe next-gen games will delve into this kind of thing a little more, once graphics have reached a certain level of quality. Sound and music don't seem to be the top priorities for most game designers nowadays, but maybe that'll change in the near future.
The GBA port can also be used for expansions, like a rumored rumble pack for Metroid Pinball and an extra song cart for Band Bros. in Japan. The DS needed another port for this kind of stuff anyway, since normal DS cards are way too small to hold things like gyroscopes or motors. It only makes sense to have the expansion slot double as a second game slot, especially since GBA support has been a big draw for the first few months of the DS's lifespan.
I guess you could think so, as long as you liked the opening song. The rest of the game's soundtrack was just a bunch of remixes of the same melody, maybe with some electric guitars thrown in for spice.
It's only hosted at a Nintendo site because for the past four years, Nintendo hasn't had any recognizeable competition.
;)
Nintendo Insider itself hasn't actually written any of the content so far. Day 1 was an interview with several developers in the handheld sector, and it was pretty evenly matched between PSP/DS developers.
Day 2 was an interview with a Nintendo executive, but it's pretty obvious what sort of bias she might have.
Day 3 is an interview with eight gaming journalists, and again, they're mostly from multiconsole sites. The name of the site might put you off, but they're actually doing a really good job of covering all views, mostly by interviewing relatively unbiased sources.
"No one wants an expensive, delicate portable game system..."
I can't speak for the PSP here, but I've dropped my DS off a 6' dresser, ejecting the cartridge, and it's no worse for wear, save for a small nick on the outer casing. I've been carrying it around with me for the past month, and it's continued to function as well as it always has. The DS is hardly "delicate".
As for the games, they're coming. If you remember, the GBA had a pretty lackluster launch as well, but its backward compatibility helped sell units for a while. And unlike the GBA, developers will need a little more time to get used to the DS and PSP. The PSP is almost a miniature console, so former GBA developers are having to deal with 3D graphics, disc input, WiFi, and heavier battery consumption. The DS's new features like the touchscreen, microphone, and WiFi introduce a completely new standard for games, making it a lot harder for developers to simply port older titles or make cookie-cutter sequels.
But this holiday season seems to be the first big wave of titles for both consoles. The DS has Metroid, Advance Wars, Nintendogs, and a wave of WiFi games like Mario Kart and Animal Crossing. The PSP will see the new GTA, Madden, and Infected, to name a few. If you can't see anything you like in the remaining 2005 lineup, maybe handhelds aren't for you.
"Ooh, look, another Resident Evil title...wonder if I kill zombies in THIS ONE TOO! It was eye candy, face it."
Which is why the American press named it the fourth best game in recent years, above such American classics as Half-Life 2 and the Halo series. Because it was eye candy. Right.
And I'm sure the American press was also holding their noses when Paper Mario 2 was consistently rated one of the top RPGs of the year, and when Pikmin 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, Zelda: Minish Cap, and Viewtiful Joe all recieved excellent ratings.
Not only that, but three of the titles you mentioned (Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper, and GTA) were all made by Western developers. I think you're geography is a little off, unless you consider Europe "the far east".
And no. Atari wouldn't have taken back the market. The public was reluctant to buy the NES because they had been burned so badly by the Western crap that had been shoveled into their Ataris. Nintendo had to market the NES as a toy robot with a game console "peripheral" for American stores to even stock the system. That's how bad Atari screwed things up.
"And then there's the Revolution, or Mini - PS2. Maybe it's an improvement in design, and certainly the least painful to gaze upon, but it really looks like a smaller PS2. Is Nintendo trying to confuse people into buying it?"
It's definitely not a mini PS2. It doesn't have those Atari 2600-esque black... spiky things. I don't even know what you call those things, but I've only ever seen them on 80s electronics, certain audio equipment, and the PS2.
I think the rationale for the Revs design was that Nintendo tried to make a console with its own style this gen, and it ended up biting them in the tail. The Revolution's minimalist style is hardly intrusive, but it has its own defining features. It could basically fit with any entertainment center, which is the goal in the design of the casing, I would think.
It's essentially this in pegboard and golf-tee form.
To expand on your first comment, N-Sider has a very informative article detailing the history of Nintendo's online endeavors. It's a must-read for anyone who's still convinced that Nintendo is staunchly opposed to online gaming.
"New wireless support will not help the company for as long as the same people who came up with Mini-DVD disks and whoever is in charge of their game licensing division are still in power."
He's not. Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo's president since the late 40's, retired in 2002, nearly a year after the GameCube went to market. His successor, Satoru Iwata, is taking the company in a new, distinct direction as evidenced by the Nintendo DS, among other things. Under his lead, Nintendo has become more accepting of current technology standards. The DS has adopted 802.11 WiFi technology and will use SD memory cards in its media expansion. The Revolution will also use typical WiFi standards, as well as supporting DVDs, SD flash memory, and USB. As a longtime video game fan, Iwata seems to be much more in touch with what gamers want, and he has claimed to be committed to pleasing hardcore as well as new gamers.
Most journalists have been fairly impressed with the way Iwata has handled the company. He's already beginning to take steps that Yamauchi would never have taken, like the Revolution's backward compatibility, which is clearly designed for fan service rather than profit. Iwata has also been working with many third parties in order to win back the support that Nintendo lost in the N64 generation. We'll see how things go, but under his leadership, the Revolution could be the most exciting Nintendo console since the NES.
"PS - Stop making tiny consoles!!! The Micro looks horrid - you have to have hands like a kid to play games on it - you want to improve your Teen-mature image? Design a console that people don't Physically outgrow after 6th grade."
Tell that to the dozens of people I see every day playing games on their cell phones.
Which is still less important than the media makes it. If Jim buys three PS2s because the first two broke, he's not helping Sony any more than Fred who only needed to buy one. And Tom the hacker might buy an Xbox, inflating Microsoft's sales numbers, but if he only uses it for emulation, Microsoft's not making any money from it.
Microsoft has already shown us that you can essentially buy marketshare. You can't buy profitability. Which of those is going to matter in the long run?
If the media is going to focus on marketshare, they should focus on software sales, because that's the heart of the industry. Hardware is just a means to that end. Why should a developer care if the PC has outsold the PS2, Xbox, and GC combined if people aren't buying as many games for it?