Microsoft is determined to win this round and came out with NXE. There is nothing to compare it with in this generation. They copied ideas but made everything look and feel better.Â
Nintendo is determined to make money without doing much.Â
Sony is determined to loose. PS3 is still pricy and it is no longer the best media experience it claimed. Except the quality of audio and video of course. Whether you play a standard DVD or bluray, sound and picture from PS3 is lot better than xbox 360.
iSuppy thinks that is what is going to happen. You know the anal-ysts. They look at the current market and just extrapolate. I no longer trust their directions. When was the last time their long term predictions came true?
Here is what I am thinking.
PS3 will be the surprise winner by the end of 2008. Overall console market will return to the previous console generation levels. There will be more price cuts on both xbox 360 and PS3 which will make Wii more an expensive console with a fancy control and nothing else. The fascination with the control alone will wear out sooner than you think. The market is looking for more than just fun activity. Wii is just that.
Both PS3 and xbox 360 provide a lot more than just gaming experience. Xbox 360 has better software features right now but PS3 getting there very fast. Once the software and service is at par with Xbox 360, the only different is the power and capabilities of the hardware. PS3 is the best in that department. Game developers will be able to create more realistic titles on PS3. You will be able to download and watch HD content. You can connect all your Bluetooth gadgets to PS3. Price will no longer be a criteria in buying because they will be in almost the same price range.
The selfish acts of Microsoft is what killed the HD DVD, period. Let me explain how this came about.
During the VHS vs Beta Max battle adult content played the big role in who won the format war, supposedly.
This time around, it is the gaming crowd that decided who won the war. Gaming community was willing to take sides. Both camp had their opportunities. Sony played well and decided to include the blu-ray drive in to every next gen console they sold. That was smartest move in this round of format war I have to say. The price of the console kept it from becoming the leader in the overall console sales. But Sony kept its focus on the big picture.
Sony owns a big movie studio, they have both movie and music content that is reasonably large. They also own a consumer electronics division that makes HDTV, Blu-Ray players and everything latest. They also have a strong computer division that makes PC’s and laptops. All these elements along with PS3 played into getting blu-ray in to hands of maximum number of customers. In the case of PS3, customers did not have to think about buying separate pieces of hardware to watch movies in high definition. They got that free when they bought the console.
Microsoft had an early lead on current generation consoles. They decided that the consumers should make their choice by buying a separate piece of hardware to watch HD DVD. It was in their interest not to sell too many HD DVD add-ons because that would impact the market place movie rentals. So, they never made the HD DVD drive an integral part of xbox 360. That one decision probably is going to be the single most reason why xbox 360Â may loose the console war this round. Can xbox 360 play catchup?
Toshiba says marketing was their weakness. I think the partners who were not fully committed to the cause were their weakness. One way Toshiba could have won is by making arrangements with Microsoft to include the HD DVD drive in ever xbox 360 sold. Microsoft could have extended the technology to have games on the format as well.
Read my post and my comments on this thread. It was written in August of 2006. Since then Microsoft has changed the Xbox 360 the way I thought it should have been in the first place. Fall 2007 Xbox 360 console update fixes some of the issues I have reported. Not everything that I wished in other posts are done yet. But I guess Microsoft will have to eventually do most of these things to survive PS3. Yes, I did say that in the long run PS3 could be the winner of this generation of consoles.
Here are some of my posts regarding the consoles.
Blu-ray gaining momentum with help from PS3
Me and my friend are going to Fry’s tomorrow to look at the 60 GB PS3 with 5 Free Blu-Ray movies. The price is right, free offer is good, features are excellent and my friend is fed up of waiting for Xbox 360 Elite to be available in the stores. He might buy the PS3. Me, I still have time until tomorrow to makeup my mind.
Here is a list of features that I will get if I decide to go forward. These are missing from my Xbox 360.
Is there anything else that I should consider before making the plunge?