lets see if Sony does give into homebrew of if there will is stronger

yea please, I would like the links very much. Always a good read

Ok, online folks, wherever you go, whichever article you read, this so-called next-gen war debate never forgets to appear. For this specific comment of mine, I’ll only include predictions of industry analysts and professional who work in this hardware and software industry (their opinions are counted much more than yours or mine). This is a thought-provoking piece of writing and not written for everyone. If you couldn't take it so far, stop reading.



I’ve read like 5 different predictions and reports from different analysts recently on this next-gen war between PS3-X360-Wii. They say it’s hard to predict which console will take the lead until late 2007. Why? They are saying that during this holiday period all PS3 and Wii consoles will likely be sold out even though PS3s are relatively (relatively not absolutely) more expensive since the total number of available consoles are much less than the total number of potential buyers. However, some say that when eventually the life cycles of these consoles reach their ends, the ground will be pretty much even or worst for Sony.



* [Console Price] X360 had one year head start (unfairly) moreover it’s regarded as the best advantage for MS because they can cut the X360’s price earlier than any other competitors; also MS sold (sold not shipped) 6 million X360s until this month when neither its competitors have sold even 1 console or 1 game. X360 will have price cut early 2007; Wii and PS3 can’t copy that until early 2008 (just study the history you lazy kids or lifeless 35 year olds because history repeats itself countlessly; PS2, GameCube and Xbox all had price cuts about 1 year after the launch date).

* [R&D] Analysts say that Sony spent more money for research and development for the PS3 hardware than MS and Nintendo combined for X360 and Wii (Sony’ll change their strategy completely and go with less powerful hardware for their PS4 if Wii and X360 come up on top of PS3).

* [Budget & Time for making ONE game] To make one decent game, developers have to spend so much time and budget. One Wii game takes only 1-2 years and least amount of budget & number of employees. One X360 game takes mere 2-4 years and medium amount of dollars. One PS3 game takes usually 3-5 years and most amount of blood. This naturally means the retail prices for games must be very different, ya? The reality is no. It’s official that one Wii game is about $70, one X360 game is about $80 and one PS3 game is about $80-90. This is why developers will choose Wii or X360 over PS3 unless they’re crazy or can’t even figure out how to earn most money.

* [Targeted Gamers] Wii attracts most number of gamers since it’s designed for kids, teenagers and adults; most number of buyers means most profit for game developers and console manufacturers. PS3 are mainly for hard-core lifeless jack$sses (they call themselves ‘game enthusiasts’, but from other people’s eyes they are just cr$ps); and attracts least number of gamers. X360 is in good place since those who are classified as casual gamers will not bother to buy PS3 when so many popular games will be released on both PS3 and X360. Nintendo is smartest here. If you look at all time Hollywood box office chart, movies for kids have earned relatively more money than high-budgeted action or Sci-Fi themed ones; also making an animation requires much less budge than making movies like Terminator 3 or Matrix: Craploaded. (Lilo & Stitch: $145m, Shrek 2: $441m, Finding Nemo: $339m, The Lion King: $328m, Harry Potter 1: $317m, The Chronicles of Narnia: $291m, Home alone $285m... this list is endless) Vs. (Terminator 3: $150m, Fantastic 4: $154m, X-Men: $157m, Batman Returns: $162m, Superman Returns: $199m, Mission Impossible 3: $130)

I don't see anything in these statements that seem like Sony accepting homebrew software - the closest i could interpret this as, is a recognition that there are homebrew developers out there and others who like to tweak/configure/tinker, and perhaps Sony may be trying to encourage commercial developers to produce games that are highly configurable and can be customised (anyone remember skinning the monsters in quake with photos of people you know so that you can shoot them?) and this may have the added side effect of diverting homebrewers time and energy away from doing things that Sony don't want them doing?

Japanese site with report:



http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2006/0926/kaigai303.htm



imkro Not sure I should repond to you but here it is anyway.



Game development cost rises because of demand. Higher technology allows developers to create more expansive and immersive games. We gamers demand higher quality every time a game raises the bar. We are driving cost up not the machines. The machines just allow for developers to create those games we demand. You can make a game that cost the same on the Wii and the PS3 but the game will not stand a chance to compete against other expensive games. For example Wii Sports would not sell 1/20th of Virtual Tennis will sell if it was released on the PS3.



PS3 and 360 development cost are about the same. This is because the games being develop have the same ambitions. However all companies have realized that cheaper gaming must be created. MS was first with Live Arcade and now Nintendo and Sony have their own cheaper game downloads. Not to mention episodic gaming and microtransactio ns schemes being looked into now.



As for the console pricing, believe it or not Sony and MS lose about the same amount of money per console. If MS lowers it's price it can make this an even more expensive loss than the original Xbox was. Sony can definitely go toe to toe on price drops as we saw for the Japanese market. It's all about how much money they are willing to lose initially and I am sure they will keep it at $100 dollar difference for the time being.



Game market. Although you are right, Sony is not aiming for the kid market just yet, it doesn't have to. You forget Sony has the PS2 for that. Their strategy has always been get the hardcore gamer market first then lower the price to reach the casual market, then lower the price some more and add more kid friendly games to reach the younger market. They will do this with the PSP as well. Wii will be put up against the PS2 I'm afraid as more and more developers port their Wii titles to the PS2. It is a smart strategy? Well it seems to work well for them so far.