console war
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Xbox One vs. the PlayStation 4: A battle over services, not chips
If you start counting from the Magnavox Odyssey, we've been playing console games for seven generations now. Yes, it's crazy to think of, but it's even more alarming to realize that the industry has been in an all-out "war" since generation three. For better or worse, competition became a part of the hardware cycle. The players (you know, Sega, Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft) have changed several times through the years, but until recently, the game hasn't -- the console wars were fought over who had more bits, what had the most RAM and how fast a machine could render frames. Now, as we kick off generation eight, we're seeing a very different kind of contest. We're not saying that hardware specifications don't matter -- they absolutely do -- but this time, the two leading armies are packing painfully similar heat. On paper, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 really aren't that different. So, what's going to win the war? Software, services and brand.
The Daily Grind: Why can't MMOs and consoles be friends?
I remember once being excited about the idea that Defiance wouldn't just be a game and a TV series but a cross-platform MMO. Though the game is on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 and was originally intended to be fully cross-platform, Microsoft's unwillingness to play ball with Sony ensured that gamers on each platform are now playing on totally separate servers. You might think the game is just another victim of the console wars, but this is supposed to be an MMO -- nice big worlds, tons of players, and hey, a third party willing to try to bring everyone together! MMOs and consoles just usually aren't considered a harmonious pairing. Maybe it's because MMOs are seen as PC games, and some PC gamers and console gamers have their own rivalries. Whether it's because of controllers, interfaces, or failed corporate negotiations, we're usually segregated, but I wish we weren't, and I know we don't have to be. The Final Fantasy online games allow for cross-platforming. They may not be perfect, but I personally like the idea of bigger worlds filled with players. That's the point of MMOs, after all. So what about you, Massively readers? Do you think MMOs on consoles should keep us separated, as in DC Universe Online, or should console MMOs take a note from Final Fantasy XI and let us play with our controller-loving allies? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
'Console war movie' domain names registered by Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures Entertainment, the film production arm of the Sony conglomerate, registered a batch of domains playing off "console war movie" through brand protection company MarkMonitor. Sony Computer Entertainment, the company's gaming branch, has no fingerprints on the registrations, suggesting this to be a full-tilt movie endeavor rather than a marketing plan for the next PlayStation, as Fusible ponders.The full list of registered domains can be found below, but just to ease the shock, we'll tell you they all include the words "console war," some have "movie" and others still have the audacity to use a hyphen. The drama of war:
Stateside PS3 sales up 300% following Slim introduction
Boy, it sure likes Sony did something right slimmin' down (and slightly cripplin') that new PS3 of theirs. And sure, considering that the British picked up PlayStation 3 purchases a whopping 999%, maybe a Stateside retail bump of a "mere" 300% (for the first week after the price cut) is small potatoes. Or maybe we're just growing jaded. If this isn't great, good news enough for Sony, check it: as of August, according to a survey by GamePlan Insights, five of consumers' top 10 most-wanted games are on PS3 (including Gran Turismo 5, Final Fantasy XIII, God of War III, Assassin's Creed 2, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2). For more exciting facts, figures, and details, check out the PR after the break. [Via Joystiq]
PS3 Slim sales up nearly 1000% in the UK, Noel quits Oasis (again)
It looks like Engadget editors aren't the only folk who prefer technology that's slimmer, cheaper, and better. According to an article at GamesIndustry.biz, a group that charts retail sales in the UK is saying that sales of the PS3 increased over 999 percent in the week since its British debut of the newer, slimmer form factor. And if that wasn't good news enough for Sony, the console has also outsold the DS, Wii and Xbox 360 by approximately 3:1. Although the last time it was the lead hardware format in the UK was the first week of 2008, the PS3 has never lagged as far behind the others as it has Stateside. But still -- a near 1000 percent increase? If true, that makes the States' 104 percent increase seem lackluster in comparison. Then again, maybe the Brits never realized that Disney Sing It! High School Musical 3 is available on platforms other than the PlayStation. That could explain a lot of things, actually...
PS3 and Xbox 360 hardware sales jump last week amid price cuts, both beat Wii for once
If you're sick of hearing your grandmother brag about how popular her chosen console is while she rocks your world in Wii Sports Bowling yet again, maybe this news will finally shut her up. Last week, thanks to a flurry of price cuts and slimming waistlines, the other two players in the console war saw significant sales boosts. Xbox 360 numbers jumped 32 percent over the week before and the PS3 was up an impressive 104 percent. That puts all three consoles neck-and-neck for the American weekly sales lead, each one close enough to 75,000 units that the margin of error more than covers the lot. But, since both price cuts officially went into effect part-way through that week, we're expecting even bigger surges ahead -- and even bigger drops from the Nintendo's offering as we get further and further away from the release of Wii Sports Resort, seemingly the last game worth playing on the thing.
CNET sees PS3 beating Wii ... in 2012
You see that chart right there? That's the predicted outcome of the console war this generation, courtesy of CNET. Aside from the hate in your heart caused by those black bars cruising past those lovely blue ones around the year 2012, what else do you see? Grim future for that Xbox 360? According to CNET, it will be.What do you all think about this projected outcome? Do you think the Wii's popularity will sustain at such a high level for the next 4 years (it does have a lot going for it)? Do you see the demand dying down a bit soon? Also, what are all those people of the future buying PS3s for? Is it a prediction of the future for some kind of alternate universe where the PS3 has games worth playing?[Via NeoGAF]
Shane Kim: First console to 100 million wins
Microsoft's Shane Kim now sees the end to the console war as a new magic number: first system to 100 million units sold wins, he tells Wired. That's an increase of 90 million over the 10 million mark Microsoft used to promote as the bellwether of victory. Kim believes consumers are still deciding what system to choose and that this console generation is different from the others. (Yeah, it's the first time Microsoft actually has a chance.)Kim explains that Sony won the last couple generations, but Nintendo is clearly in first place this time around; however, he wonders if Nintendo can keep that momentum going up to 100 million (at Nintendo's rate of supply, it could take decades). He even questions it there'll be a clear-cut winner this generation. Finally, Kim assures that the Microsoft hardware guys are still working on reducing the cost of Xbox 360, in order to hit that "mass market" price point.
Microsoft's Greenberg claims victory in battle for 'core user' over Sony
Less than two years into what some see as a ten-year battle might seem like an odd time to declare victory, but not to Microsoft's Xbox 360 Group Product Manager Aaron Greenberg. In an interview with Next-Gen, Greenberg stated that, in his opinion, "the battle for the core user is sort of over, if you will. ... I feel we've secured that core buyer, and that gives us quite a bit of an advantage versus PS3, which is late to the game and still at a price disadvantage relative to the Xbox."Greenberg did offer one slight caveat to his claim, acknowledging that Sony is "a very formidable competitor in Europe," (indeed) but overall he scoffed at the idea that upcoming PS3 exclusives would make a dent in the Xbox 360's lead in installed base and mindshare. "They're trying to go after a consumer that has already bought an Xbox 360," Greenberg said. "You could say that they showed up with too little, too late." Or you could say that Microsoft is declaring too much too early. We report ... you decide.
Rumor: Haze to remain PS3 exclusive
According to Ripten.com, representatives from Ubisoft at the Play.com Live event at UK's Wembley stadium are telling anyone within earshot that Haze will never see life on the Xbox 360. While there have been signs that all-out exclusivity was in the works, Ubisoft had never officially confirmed Haze would only release on the PS3. Visiting Free Radical Design's official product page for Haze adds to exclusivity confusion with the wording in the features press release, "[Haze] is now scheduled for release exclusively on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system in May 2008." Which, based on the wording, sounds like it will remain a timed-exclusive only. We're waiting for the official word from Ubisoft but color us surprised if PS3 does get the exclusivity nod based on Ubisoft's past (and public) love for the Microsoft machine, the déjà vu effect of Assassin's Creed "exclusivity," Free Radical Design's use of a pull quote from the April 2007 issue of 360 Mag [German Edition] on the Haze product page and that new video of Haze writer Rob Yascombe showing off the game in the Free Radical office with visible Xbox 360 development kits in the background of the action. Yeah ... we think we'll wait for the press release before we call this one confirmed. Developed by Free Radical Design, makers of the award-winning TimeSplitters series, Haze is a political first-person shooter that explores such subjects as corporate social responsibility and shooting dudes in the face and is set to hit stores this May.
Shane Kim on lost studios, handhelds and the console war
At the ongoing D.I.C.E. summit in Las Vegas, Nevada, Microsoft Game Studios corporate VP Shane Kim was bombarded with every tough question you could think of by New York Times reporter Seth Scheisel. Covering a wide range of topics from Xbox to Windows, Kim kept his head on for the most part while toting the company line."People have speculated that we were stifling their creative freedom," Kim told Scheisel, when asked about Bungie's public split from Microsoft in 2007, "but I can tell you there's no studio that had more freedom at Microsoft Game Studios than Bungie." Kim also didn't rule out the possibility of a Microsoft branded portable gaming device, saying, "never say never."With a year head start on their competition, one of the strongest software attachment ratios a console has ever seen and critical and commercial successes like Halo 3 and Gears of War under their belt, does Microsoft consider the console war to be won? "By no means does anyone at Microsoft think the race is over," replied Kim. "You have very powerful and formidable contenders in Nintendo and Sony ... to underestimate them and to count them out would be a foolish mistake." Read the full interview for Kim's views on Windows Vista gaming, intellectual properties and more.
The console war summed up in imperfect analogies
Analogies help us make sense of life. They can take a complex, confusing set of variables and couch them in familiar terms. So for instance, when a major publisher compares the Wii to "two Gamecubes duct taped together," the listener gets a clear picture of the unfamiliar system vis a vis the familiar purple box. Complexity simplified!Nintendo's George Harrison has a different analogy in mind to describe his system, though. In an interview with eclectic financial site The Motley Fool, Harrison compared the Wii to a hybrid competing against two SUVs with "big new chrome rims." While all three are technically cars, Harrison argues, the markets for each aren't likely to overlap much. "Two companies are going in one direction, and we're headed in another," Harrison summed up.While he's definitely right on that last point, we're not sure the hybrid/SUV comparison is the most apt analogy to describe the current console wars. Here's a few other contenders we've managed to come up with: A nutritious Apple (the Wii) vs. two heart-clogging double bacon cheeseburgers. A pea-shooter vs. two rocket-propelled grenade launchers. A $99 suit vs. two custom-tailored Giorgio Armanis A Casio digital watch vs. two diamond-encrusted Rolexes. These are just off the top of our heads. We're sure you can do better. Leave us your favorite Wii vs. the world analogies in the comments.[Via Aussie-Nintendo]
Today's montageist video: Wii60 BFF
Sure, we've covered the Wii60 meme before, but this is too good to pass up; our video pick shows a quirky Wii60 commercial where the consoles -- and their games -- are acted out in a musical montage. Anthony Barrera, Brian Camacho, and Rudolph Rosado, we salute your YouTube prowess.See the video after the break.[Thanks, Ant]
Pachter: PlayStation 3 will win next-gen war because of Blu-Ray
The most recent Wedbush Morgan report has been released and in it, Michael Pachter states that he believes that Blu-Ray may actually be the deciding factor in the console wars. At the end of the PS3/Wii/360 generation, he expects Sony to 'win' with a 36% market share, largely due to the strong movie industry support of Blu-Ray.Interestingly though, he also states that this console cycle will essentially be "a dead heat, and each manufacturer will have sufficient market share to generate significant profits." This is great news for videogame fans everywhere, since an evenly divided market will mean that each of the consoles will have a chance to grow and mature as they age. This may be PS3 Fanboy, but I really don't want any of the current consoles to pull a Dreamcast.
Analysis determines publisher strengths in console war
While analyst predictions for the current round of the system wars vary greatly, most analysts agree that Sony will no longer enjoy the same level of market dominance it had in previous generations. If you'll grant that premise, what third party developers are in the best position to benefit from this shift in console fortunes?A pair of analysts at 2K Advisors (no relation to the developer) decided to try and figure out the answer to that question with a new metric called the Revenue Attach Rate (RAR). Basically, the RAR measures how much money a publisher makes on system software for each unit of that system currently in the marketplace. All other things being equal, publishers benefit most when systems that give them a high RAR do well, because those system sales translate to more revenue than other system sales.Based on previous generation RARs for the major publishers, the 2K analysts determined that EA and Take Two have the most to lose from increased market share for Nintendo in this generation. Both companies showed relatively weak RARs for the GameCube, which might explain why they have each been falling all over themselves to play nice with the big N in light of strong Wii sales. Activision would benefit most from a strong Microsoft performance, given their high Xbox RAR, while THQ's relatively balanced console portfolio makes them well suited to succeed no matter who wins the battle.The full report is a little technical, but it's full of lots of good data and analysis for anyone following the business side of the game industry.[Source: 2K Advisors]
Today's best-looking mech video: Armored Core comparison
It's an old-fashioned PS3 versus 360 graphics showdown in today's video pick, with GameTrailers running a side-by-side comparison of Armored Core 4. Which version of this mech title looks best? Judge for yourself after the break, or visit the HD version -- it doesn't embed like the SD file -- on the GameTrailers site. Let the scrutiny begin!Image from CSG_Starfury's account of life-sized BattleMech project.
Wii Warm Up: Wii vs. PS3
We talked about this a little recently, since it's hard to discuss the Wii60 phenomenon without invoking the PS3, but we wanted to spend some time directly addressing the "fight" between the Wii and Sony's PS3. It's something that has often been invoked by both industry sources and the mainstream media. Journalists of all stripes have been consistently pitting the two systems against one another since long before they were actually released, while the Xbox 360 -- though a next gen console -- is often left out in the cold due to its head start. An article in yesterday's New York Times put the spotlight on the head-to-head "console war" and we thought it was time to ask you guys what you thought. Is it accurate to pit the Wii and the PS3 against one another? Is this generation a typical console war in any sense? Are you sick of hearing about the forgotten piles of PS3s filling stores, while the Wii shelves lie empty and dormant? And is it even accurate to ask, as the Times did, which one readers prefer?[Thanks to Max for tipping us on the NYT article!]
DS Daily: How much do graphics matter?
Handhelds have come a long way over the years, and even the GBA can churn out some impressive looking games, to say nothing of our beloved DS and a certain other handheld. Even so, graphics on handheld games don't really rival those in other consoles, for obvious reasons. For the past year, graphics have been one of the biggest topics in the gaming industry, and it's at the heart of some of the discussions concerning the next-gen console war. Despite all the attention given to graphics, the DS -- pretty, but no graphical powerhouse -- continues to outsell everything, everywhere. So we come to you, dedicated DS gamers after our own hearts, to ask ... how much do graphics really matter?
Gates now sees Nintendo as primary competition
The Nintendo Wii's tremendous commercial success all around the world is having an impact on competing manufacturers who previously viewed the system as an outlying oddity aimed at a seperate market. In the past, both Sony and Microsoft have dismissed head-to-head competition with Nintendo, even going so far as to endorse the Wii as an incidental ally in their graphically superior grudge match.In a brief clip on a Japanese news station (embedded after the break), Bill Gates notes surprise at the Wii's success and labels Nintendo as Microsoft's "toughest competition" in the gaming arena. Of course, the statement doubles as a jab at Sony, now relegated to third place on the the Xbox 360 threat scale.According to Japanese sales charts, the coveted second place is still securely held by a largely shrugging Japanese populace.[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
Analyst: PS3 will win with 75 million units by 2010
Another day, another analyst throwing out their predictions for the console wars. This time it's a Datamonitor report predicting Sony will "win the console war in the long term with an install base of around 75 million globally by 2010." That may sound impressive, but considering the PS2 has already sold in excess of 111 million systems worldwide, this would still represent a sizable hit for Sony. Indeed, Datamonitor predicts that the PS3 won't "dominate as much as its predecessor" because of delays in Europe and early inroads by the Xbox 360. Oh analysts, can't you make up your mind? Is Sony going to win big in the long run or fall into last place? Are they going to lead the market or is the system dragging the whole company down? We know you're basically just taking shots in the dark but, well, we were just hoping for some more consistent grouping, is all. [Via Pro-G]
