Hum... I think for this generation, I'll buy some more PC Engine and FX stuffs, no thank you Mr M$ and Sony for your next generation machine too expensive. Seriously, I agree M$ has an advantage in terms of price and it's very interesting to see reports speculating on the next gen winner. I'd say M$ has more than that, M$ is highly praised for their Xbox live system and the community is very supportive. My other half brothers (who don't know anything than Xbox and Playstation (but I'm working on their videogame education)) only now play on Xbox and the PS2 ... well "we use it to play DVDs" I was really shocked by that because they loved their PS2s and hated Xbox (without testing it to be fair) and they got a second hand one and adopt it so quickly that now I am the looser (big noob according to them) playing Socom, Resident evil outbreak on the PS2. Frankly I agree with them PS2 online is complicated, not much game, I played Socom 2 twice my self (I am a long time player of Counter Strike) and oups Res Evil Outbreak whouah really crap and on the shelf with Socom. So cheap price, great online support, also new line of japanese developpers, M$ got some strength here!!! Finally a real contestant to take Sony's crown. I'd be cautious though on ML's future projecitons, sure maybe M$ will manage to keep cost down but history always showed us electronic decrease in value and cost very rapidly, if Blu Ray is adopted as the standard format for next gen DVD then price of drives will decrease dramatically and then PS3 may benefit from the same phenomena as the PS2, play games but mainly plays DVD for a lot of people. Though if HD-DVD wins then oups for Sony!!! In any case Sony is taking a huge risk with Cell and Blu Ray which M$ didn't take by using new technologies but more off the shelf than Sony. Sabre
well blu ray isn't comparable to the advantage Sony had when the ps2 was released. I'm sure most people couldn't give less of a shit what format a DVD eventually goes to. A DVD is a DVD. Who cares if a disk can hold 8,000 gigs if you are just interested in seeing a 2 hour movie? I wonder how many people really think there is a compelling reason to upgrade a dvd format, for movies anyways. I doubt Sony has much of an advantage in gaining popularity for their system as a cheap blu ray player like they did with the DVD playback on the ps2. That is unless they become bitches and only release their movies on their format.
The only reason they want to upgrade the DVD format into HD-DVD or BlueRay is simply for DRM purposes. The execs don't want consumers to be able to copy the movies/games because these types of technologies will have security measures built into them and any consumer hardware that reads these discs as well.
Why is merrill lynch talking about a two horse race, when in fact it is a three horse race? Nintendo is still the big number 3 in the home console buisness, I suspect nintendo is not mentioned because nintendo stock is not sold on the US stock exchange. Keeping that in mind I think the article is quite hollow. Sounds like a straw man argument to me.
Merrill Lynch is a global investor so I'm sure they're keeping an eye on Nintendo. I'm not sure why they didn't mention Nintendo but if I had to take a guess it is because they just don't have enough information to make a speculation.
