Game Quest : The Next Generation of Consoles

Posted Dec 30, 2005 at 12:00AM by QJ Staff Listed in: News, Previews Tags:
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The Wall Street Journal posted a good flash up showing a good comparison between the new home video game consoles. Covering the Xbox 360, the Playstation 3 and the Revolution, this article goes in depth to speak about market shares and base unit installations.

With the launch of Microsoft's Xbox 360 in 2005, Sony the current market leader, and Nintendo will both follow in 2006 there is sure to be fierce competition. All consoles promise amazing graphics, high fidelity audio, wireless networking support and a focus on multiplayer games. This year alone gamers are expected to spend approximately .8 billion on hardware and .3 billion on software according to Wedbush Morgan Securities.

Current Installed Base
Microsoft Xbox - 24 million
Nintendo Gamecube - 21.5 million
Sony PS2 - 83.2 million

Microsoft Xbox 360
Pointing out that Microsoft's initial push to release their product was a important jump on the competition. Microsoft Expects to sell around three million units within the first 90 days of launch. However they have less games then were hoped for. In addition where was Halo for Xbox360? This game would obviously put more Xbox 360's in the hands of gamers, looking at original Halo sales. Had it not been for lack of consoles for sale however the disparity in price was no help either. Seeing Xbox 360's being sold from the 9 base price up to 00 or more, including rather sleezy business tactics by Best Buy.

Sony Playstation 3
Master of the Market, Sony has consumed the video game market for the last two generations of video game consoles. Selling 150+ million Playstation consoles and holding relationships with many top video game console developers. Sonys new system boasts a DVD Drive that supports Blu-ray format, providing 54GB (11 1/2 times as much storage as a typical DVD-R) However this time could be tougher for Sony seeing 'Microsoft's aggressive push and their deep pockets'.

Nintendo Revolution
Responding to the Nintendo's new sleek design, they said that despite that the console 'lacks a hard drive or built in DVD player, it is expected to be priced lower then its rivals.' With the addition of Nintendo's virtual console, Revolution owners might be playing Mario Brothers and Chrono Trigger on their new consoles legally! While bringing so much history that is based on years of solid games, the Revolution does throw one interesting curve, the controller. While their will obviously be other controller options '

some analysts

worry the unusual device may confuse and scare of some gamers

', other controller possibilities (such as an original Nintendo controller) were announced during a press conference.

 
 
 

Comments

by - 0000-00-00 00:00:00


once you go rev. you never go back

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-*COUGH*


by - 0000-00-00 00:00:00


sony is that far ahead?

wow, i don't even like playstation,
especially the controller, i mean they are really getting stubborn when it comes to that. although i like their company more than microsoft [they are less evil] they will never sell me one of their systems if i have to use that controller. seriously, they need to change it. but they are probably afraid of changing their pace and direction for fear of losing it's firm grip on the market. but fact must be faced. microsoft will never quit. they will even launch multiple consoles if they have to. in the end, no matter how you look at it, you cant kill a monster thats invincible. unless no one buys their consoles.

i think i got an idea.

mwahahahaha--MWAHAAHAHAHA-*COUGH*


by - 0000-00-00 00:00:00


well, they're not invincible, and the monster has a very small brain(bill gates)

the controller is said to be prototype, but why do you care about the controller ROFL.

you don't walk around the streets with it or something, or have a fashion contest where revo, 360, and PS3's controllers come onstage so they could compete in design.

it controls. does just that. and is better than at least gamecube's or xbox's. HANDS DOWN.

I truly cannot get the people who reviewed the 360's controller. they just blabber on about it is a decent one and good at that.

but what about the pressure senstivity. without that, I cannot do complicated stuff like controlling solid snake into a mission without being noticed, that easily.

what about how it feels. 360's controller is said to still have that awkward shoulder button that still cannot beat PS2's on functionality and functionality, and most importantly, its placement.


by - 0000-00-00 00:00:00


I'm sorry, did you say that Sony is less evil than Microsoft? POerhaps you have forgotten that while Microsoft would like to incorporate their products and technology into your world, Sony wants to create this whole protected universe where you cannot have great ammounts of access beyond playability. This applies to movies, music, and video games. No my friend, Sony is the evil corporation, not Microsoft.


by - 0000-00-00 00:00:00


Kura...There are pressue sensitive buttons on the 360 just not as sensitive on the ps3(i believe only two on the 360..the back buttons)

And only a few games used the sensitivity on the ps2...so i find it not that big of a problem.

People like you just blabber on and on as well....you haven't even touched the damn thing...but yet you think you have the "supreme knowledge" to put down any other console....except of course the ps3


by - 0000-00-00 00:00:00


well, i don't get where or how guys decided to like the xbox. they just did. for some reason. but the reason i hate microsoft in the gaming department is not because they are trying to dominate the market or anything, it's because of the microsoft fanboys. they are repulsive! calling themselves hardcore! that is the stupidest thing i've ever heard! nintendo is the only harcore option. and they call themselves gamers because they play halo2. i really don't understand where all this devotion came from? one good generation and they will follow xbox off a cliff. and the worst part, many of my good friends are the typical microsoft fanboys now. luckily i was able to convert them to getting a revolution as at least a secondary console.
P.S.: i still hate the controller

but yeah that's in response to "SNES LINK"


by - 0000-00-00 00:00:00


What is hardcore? What makes a person a gamer? Being a gamer is a point of view, and we all fall into our own definition of what it means to be a gamer. I honestly cannot confirm the whole hardcore part. I don't have any friends who think that they are better than me because they own an Xbox, and I own a Cube. I think you might just have some ****ty people around where you live. My condolences.


by - 0000-00-00 00:00:00


i like nitendo fanboys more then xbox 360 and ps3 fan boys...they both think their console is "leet" and
"hardcore" both would follow their console off a cliff...and both would buy **** in a box if it had either logo on it


by - 0000-00-00 00:00:00


maybe because nintendo "fanboys" are older then the "08/15-teenager-PS3-Xbox360-fanboys"

I am 22 years old and I bought last week a DS with mariokart and Nintendogs for myself.
PSP is too "childish cool" with all this marketing-sh*t (in germany we call that "Kommerz-dreck")
ATM on PS3 and xbox360 is nothing left from the nice old SNES-game-feeling (dont know how to describe it)

I dont care about those consoles, I just want to play the games.


by - 0000-00-00 00:00:00


I guess your right anon...and they probably are whiney brats that plead for their parents to go get the **** beat out of them, or put to gun point for the console


The psp has barely any good games on it...i only enjoy gta on it...and got bored kinda quickly..i hope the NR does well this time around.


by - 0000-00-00 00:00:00


I, being a Revolutionist, believe that the 360's controller is actually pretty nice. But Sony, they seriously gotta put their "brains" to work on that controller; anyone ever heard of "Playstation Thumb". I believe the reason XBox sold alot was only because of the modding. I have about 6 friends that got an XBox as a second system, only to mod it and put NES, SNES, and N64 games on it. 4 of them haven't even bought games for it. HA.

And about the article, I don't think they really...described the revolution. They said virtual console, but not what that means. Also, its not gonna scare anyone off, its made to attract. The non-gamers I know said that they want to try it out, even my dad (strict, video game hater) thinks its pretty cool.

GO NINTENDO GO


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