It seems the console maker who’s trailing in sales typically says how great competition is and how it’s great for the consumer. Sony’s not leading the console race, as of now, and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president David Reeves stated in a recent interview:
The winner, he said, is the consumer. “That’s why we are not going to slag off Microsoft or Nintendo at all,” he said, “because again it’s rather like the trainer market: one year it’s Reebok, next year it’s Nike, and then suddenly it’s Adidas; it’s cyclical, but in the end everyone wins in five to ten years.”
Sony continues to speak towards their “10 year plan” and how they’re increasing momentum in the market. They’re not winning in sales but with a ten years to go, this is just the beginning. Had this statement come from Microsoft it would be a chance to worry, but Sony has proof to backup their statements.
The PlayStation 2 is going strong as a nine year-old and doesn’t seem to be letting up in game releases. Sony’s press conferences always cover the PlayStation 2 in their talks with the PSP and PlayStation 3 for three big reasons: it’s worth bragging about, it distracts from lower PS3 sales and it separates them from the competition.
Where is the GameCube or classic Xbox in Nintendo and Microsoft’s press conferences and number crunch reports? The fact is, the companies have given up on both products retiring them as “last generation” (translation: poor sales). What better reason to buy a PlayStation 3 than knowing the company is in the game for the long haul?
It might be bit cheaper to buy an Xbox 360 but who’s to say Microsoft isn’t going to announce their next generation console tomorrow and kill off the Xbox 360? Obviously, Microsoft will deny those claims but there will always be doubt without a proven track record.
On the other hand, Microsoft hasn’t seen the success in the classic Xbox and Nintendo hasn’t seen nearly the fervor over the GameCube as compared to their current generation consoles. So, that begs the question, why would they halt all that for new console announcements?
Until they’ve had more time in the market, we cannot be 100% certain what Nintendo and Microsoft are going to do when it comes to next-generation announcements while Sony’s been very clear in each press conference. As Kaz Hirai said to Eurogamer earlier:
“We certainly don’t do the consumer the disservice of basically saying that the consoles have gone by the wayside because we have a new one. Right now, a prime example? PS2 is nine years into it. Where’s the Xbox? Where’s the GameCube?”
If one console maker is looking for a way to stand out and explain their slow sales figures, Sony’s got the PS2 and its long history in their back pocket.
Now, if we could only get those game designers to continue to take it seriously and not put all their eggs into the PS3 basket.
Why release a single block buster game with a two week pop when you can simply lower the price of your console and boost sales by 100%? That’s a question Sony may be asking themselves right now, as Metal Gear Solid 4‘s hype may have lasted years but the sales and console unit sale boots lasted a month.
Much better microphone Jonah.
@ RTS’s aren’t dying – just waiting
So scaling down is an issue, apparently … Well, you can always push up the minimum spec, and leave the lower end PC market for indies.
I agree with Jordan, blaming the hardware instead of acknowledging the lack of balls/cojones is not fair.
@UK: Wii U sells just 34,000 pieces of software in January
😛 this is a big surprise indeed, taking into account the huge library of games available for WiiU.
On the other hand, WiiU doesn’t have the market share that other consoles have.
@thatgamecompany had been bankrupt when Journey shipped
Speaking of cojones, these guys had it.
As for a small design doc, well, not entirely bullshit. You can do it the Agile way, with lots of cards, each describing a development story. So yeah, technically you do have just a one page document, but the entire description of the design will take plenty of cards to compensate.
@QOTW:
Not sure, to be honest, I wasn’t a fan of RPGs. Then STALKER came (Steam labels it as an RPG). Warcraft III had RPG elements in it, but it was still an RTS. I also enjoyed Fallout 3, but that was after STALKER.
Some encouraging words for Paul: hope you get a job.
@KOTOR
I loved it. I actually prefer the Old Republic era than the whole Anakin timeline.
@RTS are undead
In my opinion a genre never dies. Few years back people were saying that 2D games were dead. Since then we had some brilliant 2D entries. Terraria. Trine. Same thing will be with RTS. They just need the right conditions for a return. A brave studio that will make a new classic and start an RTS uprising.
@Segsbox 360
I think Microsoft tried to buy everything at some point. I definitely remember Microsoft wanted to buy Nintendo during it’s Gamecube days. If Microsoft would buy Sega, the Dreamcast might have had a chance. Microsoft would flood it with cash and support.
But history chose otherwise. Probably for the best.
@At Wii U sales
If there is one thing I am sure off is that in February there will be at least one Wii U unit sold in UK. Mine. That’s right. I now own 2 Nintendo branded bricks. My £300 Monster Hunter emulator.
@Assassins Creed
Milk the cow while it’s alive and pray it does not turn into a bull.
@QOTW
First RPG I ever played was Phantasy Star 2 on Genesis. It’s funny cause I could never complete it because Russian cartridges shipped without memory and you had to finish the whole game in one sitting. The first RPG I properly enjoyed was Pokemon Emerald. I played a few RPGs before it but they were nothing compared to Emerald. That and Final Fantasy X.
The demo of Journey does not do it justice. I too tried the demo in mid-2012 and was underwhelmed.
Then over winter break, I decided to listen to the great reviews and give the game a shot. Actually bought the disc. It was an amazing experience. The gameplay is very basic, but the immersion and creativity levels are way high.
By the way, you can solo the whole game. It’s only an option to interact with others (who you will not see in the demo). Everyone looks the same, but has unique musical sounds they make. You can only communicate through musical sounds, and so interacting with others becomes this amazing experience, because you are doing most of the interactions in your own imagination!