Can't believe is happening again...

Whoever Sony is praying to must be the one true God, cuz he is clearly saving their asses once and again...

Remember 1999? the DC was all the rage, it had the best launch in history (until PS2's) and tons of quality games. Meanwhile the PS2 was mocked for its very limited library and poor ports (DOA2 looked better on the DC). Yet the combination of a DVD player and the internet downfall at the time was a real hit for SEGA, and they gave up a year and a half later.

That pretty much determined which console was going to win the generation, since suddenly the PS2 was all alone in a market that wanted new consoles. For buyers the DC was dead meat, and the Xbox and GC were both boring and too far away.

Back to the future, now we're about to see how history repeats itself.

Is amazing, but even with all the fuck'ups Sony did with PS3 they seem to be on the right path to success.

Recently iSupply told this to Reuters:

PlayStation 3 will double its installed base this year, posting the strongest growth of any video game console and narrowing the gap with rivals, research firm iSuppli said on Thursday.

And by double they mean almost 5 millions above X360. How come the almost perfect and released-a-year-before X360 is now doomed to be behind Sony's shadow? They've all the cool games, downloads, and LIVE.

Well the answer could be the piss-poor build quality that creates problems everywhere and scares the crap out of some would-be users. Then theres the fact that XBLA downloads are just not as sucessful as MS thought they would be. The low sales in japan dont help the cause, and the fact that european sales are getting slower just makes things worse for the X360.

Then theres that damn bluray: apparently the PS3 is the best bluray player out there, and the cheapest one too!. Just like most PS2 early adopters were people looking for a cheap DVD, the second wave of PS3 buyers seem to want one for their HD home theather. HDDVD getting owned is a nail in the coffin for MS plans...

Suddently it seems the bluray on PS3 is higher in the priority list for most people, rather than good online capabilities. Now LIVE is ignored by most like SegaNet was back in the day, what were the odds?

Is hard to believe, but in the numbers (which at the end is what really matters) Sony is winning the war again. And what is worst: it seems that no matter how bad their hardware is, how many exclusives they lose (GTAIV, DMC4, etc...) or how much they abuse their users (SIXAXIS and now DS3?) Sony will always prevail in the market.

Thats of course if the Wii fad doesnt wears off, since it could well become the best selling system of this generation, as long as Nintendo ramps up production.

 

The PS3 is doomed in the US. Europe and Japan not so much.

Most people buying a PS3 aren't buying it for games but for Blu ray.

 

No way! really?

 

Funny you should mention this. Awhile back I was talking to someone about the 360's launch and they compared it to the Dreamcast. They went so far as to call it the Dreamcast 2. Similarities were listed such as early launch, new features for games, better graphics, sega support etc. etc.

If this is the case, the 360 is doomed just as the DC was. I feel this may indeed be true. If you really think about it, the Dreamcast and 360 have a great deal in common. Could sony pull ahead again and dominate the market once more? Only time will tell.

I was pulling for the DC back in those days but now as SEGA is gone from hardware I mainly deal w/ Sony and Nintendo. So you can tell which side of the road I stand on here. I for one can not wait to see if what you stated is indeed true...if history will indeed repeat itself.

 

There was a lot of people talking about the X360 being like DC back in 2005, and sites like 1UP made articles and comparison charts about it.

Is not as doomed as the DC was, mainly becos MS isnt as broke as SEGA was and they're pretty determined to carry it until the end [of this generation].

But the thing is MS is playing the trojan horse card with the X360, using it to launch its DoD platform before anyone else (specially apple). Meanwhile SEGA only had games, and thats all...

Back to MS, this means the next Xbox could be a mix between a mid-end hardware and a HTPC. Expect an even less powered (game-wise) version if the Wii wins the war, since for MS execs it would mean people dont care if thier console is a powerhouse anymore.

 

..and i base that on absolutely nothing.

 

The bottom line is, Sony is making everyone eat their words. Sony made their mistakes early, Microsoft is making them now. The war is far from over, but there really is very little different between the two systems, and while XBL IS better, I doubt it can gain the same amount of sales at this point as a Blu-ray player will. Games are pretty much on a level ground so it is a war of what has what, and the PS3 has it right now.

 

damn...again...

well, sincerely, i'm waiting to see who wins this war, and when a console is dominating and established, maybe Suzuki-sama will try to strike again...

back on topic, yes, seems Sony's luck never ends

 

Excuse me but wheres the logic in launching a powerhouse that needs to be subsidized when now you can launch a low/mid-end system and even make a profit?

The X360 came before the Wii, and then nobody could've foreseen nintendo would be so sucessful with an underpowered console. Remember that many people undermined the DC for not being as powerful as PS2.

So when in the past it was a common thought that a console needed to be powerful to be sucessful, in the present (and near future) consoles will have to be innovative and relatively cheap if they want to win.

 

Yeah well you all do realize that the 360 already has DOUBLE the Dreamcast's install base right?
Twice the 3rd parties. More exclsuives oh and Microsoft isn't bleeding money either.

I think of the 360 as Dreamcast 2 but in the amazing software end.

The Dreamcast didn't fail JUST becuase of the PS2. Termoil at sega, Lack of promtoion, Lack of solid 3rd party support (no EA), Alot of Niche titles with very little mainstream games.

Many people think the Turning point for the PS2 was GTA III which sold insanely well while it was exclusive. This go around it's not exclusive and Microsoft may as well have it as an exclusive as they have extra content and an online multiplayer mode that the PS3 version won't have.

Also look at the PS3, Sony is still making mistakes with it, MGS4 will be huge for them but it won't sell millions. They don't have a Mario Galaxy or Halo 3 this year. A few solid titles but that's it. All their AAA titles last year didn't sell either. Ratchet sold rather Poorly as did uncharted. The 360 already has more RPGS than the PS3 does too even.

If the PS3 wins anywhere it'll be Sonycentric Europe, Japan will go to the WII the US we'll see close sales between the 360 and the WII. PS3 will go to people who want blu ray players or a cheap Linux PC. I also see alot of people getting annoyed by the Forced install on PS3 games.

Still the software just isn't there for the PS3. While it has some amazing games and a few I want the system for. It's price point, difficulty to develop for and the fact it takes a half hour to install a game where I can get that same game on 360 and play it with out waiting a half our is going to hold it back.

I don't consider the Wii next gen either so I don't consider what it does. I also as you all know don't care much for it.

I have my bias for the 360 and I want a PS3 but I don't like the idea of having to install my games just to play them. I'm also not sold on blu ray.

The console war is in our hands. Most of you don't care if you're die hard enough you'll have all. I have all the Last Gen consoles dispite at one point saying I'd never own a PS2 and Gamecube.

Isuppily I never heard of and I don't believe a word they said.

 

Um, what? http://www.digitalbattle.com/2008/02/14/gta-4-multiplayer-confirmed/

Way to run with a debunked rumor

 

I stand by what I said until it comes from a sourch I know is accurate

 

Its been posted on just about every gaming website! That one was the first one I found..

http://kotaku.com/355958/rumorsmash-360-gets-gta-online-exclusive

 

IMHO PS3 have great chances to win again. now that HDDVD is dead, more people looking for HD contents will buy a PS3 as a High, quality, low cost solution. also, FFXIII, MGS4, and the new Gran Turismo, will really create an earthquake in sales.

The PS3 was somehow showing a good winning chance since day one, and i'm sure it'll get the upper hand in Japan and USA too. it was just a slow start.

sony is AGAIN giving people the best excuse for buying his console.... years ago was the DVD, now is Blue Ray.

 

Yes, but didn't Dreamcast partially fail because the company were broke?

Also, I must point I have no idea what the heck you're smoking because as far as I was aware the install base after 2 years of Dreamcast was something like 1.9m in comparison to the X360s 16.8m.

Also, finally, the install base for the PS3 is 1 million-ish greater than the Xbox 360 at the same point in it's life AFAIK - and many people were holding out for the PS3 at the time.

I think the PS3 is going to be just as popular as the Xbox 360, except that it'll have a year and a half's worth of ground to cover before the generation is over.

 

True, Microsoft obviously isn't going to go broke any time soon. However, they do have only a limited amount of money that they're willing to spend on the Xbox line, and if they end up losing more than that then they might abandon the franchise. They've been losing a lot of money on the 360 lately due to having to fix/replace broken units and failed side-projects like their HD-DVD drive. I doubt that these losses will ever become large enough for Microsoft to stop producing 360's altogether like Sega did with the DC, but they could become significant enough for Microsoft not to make a successor to the 360.

 

Can't believe it's happening again, huh? What's not to believe?

Sony's decision to pack Bluray and HDMI etc into the PS3 might have cost more initially, but it was never, ever, going to look foolish in a few years time. Conversely, a lack of HDMI and built-in HD video capability was always going to limit the 360 to being a tool for only four or five years following launch.

Sony always maintained that the PS3 was a console with a 10-year lifespan. None of us should be surprised.

 

I don't get it. Why are predictions from some place called iSupply taken as legit predictions?

The 360, in the end, will be on top of the PS3 in the US. Maybe Europe, but who knows about there so far.

Unless something crazy happens in Japan, the PS3 will continue to dominate that ever so tiny market.

 

No shit sherlock...

Nobody is saying the X360 is the Dreamcast2, but that despite sony's errors the PS3 is going to outsell the X360, and end in 1st place or a close second if the Wii keeps selling well.

MS is NOT going to abandom the X360 since the PR blow would be huge. But they may decide to end the division with it, meaning there wont be an Xbox3(720, whatever).

MS shareholders are already angry for the 6 billion hole both consoles were, and now Gates is gone and Ballmer never liked the Xbox to begin with, so if X360 doesnt wins the war this time I doubt theres going to be another one on the way.

Isnt bleeding money? they already lost 6 billions with Xbox and X360, how do you call that?

Shit, for a little more they could've bought SEGA like 3 times back in 2000, since it was worth 2 billions.

Instead they have one console built in like a month with off-the-shelf parts, and another that burns all the time, the deal of the century eh?

And iSupply is THE autorithy in cost and parts analysis, so you better listen to what they say...