Can Sony compete next gen?

As this generation winds down I don't see Sony overtaking MS and regain its crown. Sony made some mistakes which cost them this generation i.e over priced hardware, no online strategy, dev kits etc etc. I'm begining to wonder if they will be able to compete next gen as the trend moves towards more socially connected and eco-system focused. Microsoft is clearly drawing the battle lines and laying the foundations already with this falls dashboard update. Once Windows 8 comes out Xbox live will be on PCs, Tablets, Phones and Consoles. Sony has a wealth of content but seems fragmented. Will they be able to bring all of this together in a unified eco-system which will be easy to use? Perhaps Sony should use Android OS for the PS4 and plug into its eco-system. We may see new players next gen and I wouldn't be surprised if Apple and Google join the fray, not to mention cloud based setups like Onlive. In my opinion I think MS is in the best position right now and have a strategy in place.

Pretty sure they will, I don't forsee sony going out of the show biz anytime soon.

Seeing how this generation worked who knows,but sony learn from their mistakes,don't spec them to be arms cross waiting for MS to take it all,you did not even count Nintendo which is the current market leader. After this generation i would not bet anything on any of the 3,this generation was MS to take and they loss it to Nintendo,and are neck and neck with sony which launched a $600 PS3.tormentos

Sony already has the crown in quality and Wii has the crown in sales, simple.shadowkiller11

Quality is subjective, Sales is simplistic. I think the consoles which had the biggest impact in gaming is the Wii for motion control and Xbox 360 for online gaming and the eco-system it brought with it. Sadly there is nothing Sony brought to the table this gen, blu-ray perhaps but it hasn't really changed the face of gaming.

I hope all learn from this gen's mistakes not just Sony..

MS needs to make sure more support in terms of exclusives is spread during the lifetime of its console not just the first 2-3 yrs, check properly its hardware making sure its of better quality in terms of reliability and make 'Free' the service for playing online while charging for any other extra features considering all other systems let you play online for free..

Sony needs to understand that price is a huge factor and should make sure their next system is released at a more reasonable price, make sure its hardware is 'easier' for 3rd party devs to work with & continue improving/evolving its online service..

Nintendo, well lets see what's gonna happen with Wii U, they need to attract more 3rd party support, improve their online service and realise that they need new IP's even though Mario/Zelda/Metroid sell lots..

[QUOTE="shadowkiller11"]Sony already has the crown in quality and Wii has the crown in sales, simple.K-76

Quality is subjective, Sales is simplistic. I think the consoles which had the biggest impact in gaming is the Wii for motion control and Xbox 360 for online gaming and the eco-system it brought with it. Sadly there is nothing Sony brought to the table this gen, blu-ray perhaps but it hasn't really changed the face of gaming.

It's actually an interesting point as social gaming has become more and more core as this gen progressed it's something Sony never really got right. Whilst Sony created communal spaces and executables, they are somewhat disjointed and certainly jarring when you consider the integration demonstrated on xbox live, clearly something Sony will be looking to address for their next system. Controler design is another area that needs a serious rethink and nostalgia needs to go out the window on this one. Games is an interesting topic many people will point to the vast numbers of sony 1st party games and be like yeah Sony's in a good position on this one, I would argue not so whilst Sony has many first party games and studios they do not have a mass draw franchise on the level of GTA, COD, Halo,Mario etc. coupled with the erosion of third party exclusivity (which in previous gen's has been a massive feather in Sony's cap) and brand association of certain key franchises to the xbox, Sony could realisticlly be in a tenuous position next gen. however we do not know what they have planned and could have put alot of resources into things like user created content and greater interoperability with PC's (something which Sony has been very good at this gen) which would be a monumental moment in console history, all conjecture I know but well done if you read all that.sonny2dap

[QUOTE="K-76"]

[QUOTE="shadowkiller11"]Sony already has the crown in quality and Wii has the crown in sales, simple.javafriek

Quality is subjective, Sales is simplistic. I think the consoles which had the biggest impact in gaming is the Wii for motion control and Xbox 360 for online gaming and the eco-system it brought with it. Sadly there is nothing Sony brought to the table this gen, blu-ray perhaps but it hasn't really changed the face of gaming.

I hope all learn from this gen's mistakes not just Sony..

MS needs to make sure more support in terms of exclusives is spread during the lifetime of its console not just the first 2-3 yrs, check properly its hardware making sure its of better quality in terms of reliability and make 'Free' the service for playing online while charging for any other extra features considering all other systems let you play online for free..

Sony needs to understand that price is a huge factor and should make sure their next system is released at a more reasonable price, make sure its hardware is 'easier' for 3rd party devs to work with & continue improving/evolving its online service..

Nintendo, well lets see what's gonna happen with Wii U, they need to attract more 3rd party support, improve their online service and realise that they need new IP's even though Mario/Zelda/Metroid sell lots..

Malta_1980

indeed, good post.

Well one thing is for sure, the PS4 (or whatever it will be called) will have a variety of exclusives. Sony has a huge number of quality first party studios that are bound to put out some great games. The big question is how soon in the PS4's lifecycle will they come out? It took the PS3 a long time to catch its stride, so this will be interesting to see.

And being connected is huge this generation. This is where Microsoft shines, so I don't see Sony or Nintendo making a better online service. For Sony, they have to make it as good as possible while still keeping it free. That will remain there real only advantage on the online side over Microsoft. But a big one it is.

I dunno how since it will be up against the Xbox 720 with the PlayStation only at PS 4 so going strictly by the numbers, 720>>>>>>4 !! :twisted:

I'm certain they will compete but win ?? I don't think so Vern. :P

[QUOTE="sonny2dap"]It's actually an interesting point as social gaming has become more and more core as this gen progressed it's something Sony never really got right. Whilst Sony created communal spaces and executables, they are somewhat disjointed and certainly jarring when you consider the integration demonstrated on xbox live, clearly something Sony will be looking to address for their next system. Controler design is another area that needs a serious rethink and nostalgia needs to go out the window on this one. Games is an interesting topic many people will point to the vast numbers of sony 1st party games and be like yeah Sony's in a good position on this one, I would argue not so whilst Sony has many first party games and studios they do not have a mass draw franchise on the level of GTA, COD, Halo,Mario etc. coupled with the erosion of third party exclusivity (which in previous gen's has been a massive feather in Sony's cap) and brand association of certain key franchises to the xbox, Sony could realisticlly be in a tenuous position next gen. however we do not know what they have planned and could have put alot of resources into things like user created content and greater interoperability with PC's (something which Sony has been very good at this gen) which would be a monumental moment in console history, all conjecture I know but well done if you read all that.tormentos

Halo is not even a big deal now,how much did Halo Reach sold.? I am sure it sold less than Halo 3,reason why MS did not make a parade about sales this time,GT has always been big,and sold like 6 million copies as well or more. tormentos

Really? Reach sold over 8 million...that's a pretty big deal. It may not have sold as much as Halo 3, but the 11 million 3 has sold is pretty hard to top.

On topic - I think Sony can compete next gen. They have a nice exclusive line up to choose from. If they can start off the PS4 at a more competitive price, and improve a bit on PSN, they should be fine.

[QUOTE="javafriek"][QUOTE="K-76"]

Quality is subjective, Sales is simplistic. I think the consoles which had the biggest impact in gaming is the Wii for motion control and Xbox 360 for online gaming and the eco-system it brought with it. Sadly there is nothing Sony brought to the table this gen, blu-ray perhaps but it hasn't really changed the face of gaming.

tormentos

I think you used the word eco-system too much. :)

Well, Sony is the only company in the hardware game that hasn't had a complete fail gen yet. Nintendo won with NES and SNES, but 64 and GC were blown away before they came back with Wii. MS's first attempt was DOA out of the gate, but they did alright with their second, though they still haven't managed to come out on top of any gens. Sony blew the d*** doors off with their first two volleys, and did fine with their third as well. Even if they end up being third in sales when all three stop selling (which I seriously doubt they will), third in sales (in games, at least exclusives, they've already passed 360...), when it's practically tied with second, and only about 30% below the leader (~90 million versus ~60 million) is nowhere near like the past two gens, when the 2nd and 3rd place consoles were 20-25 million, and the leader was 100-150. This gen has been pretty tight, with all three selling great.

Seems like they know a thing or two about staying competitive, since they have the best track record out of the bunch. I suspect they will do just fine next gen.

They priced themselves out of the race at the start,

they never saw the global recession coming

quick reply to Tormentos because Im not quoting. 1) sorry your right an exclusive franchise that pretty much established a brand isn't important.

2)COD and GTA two of the most significant franchises in existence are irrelevant?.....and a perceived attachment to any brand is also irrelevant?

3) precisely my point Mario like the other franchises listed sells huge numbers and in the context of a console launch shift alot of hardware as well.

4) Pointless attack on xbox live fee's that steps around the point I was making.

5)Again pointless attack on xbox live. now feel free to reply but try and actually make sense. sonny2dap

You initially said "they do not have a mass draw franchise on the level of GTA, COD, Halo,Mario." I think what he meant by GTA/CoD being irrelevant is that if PS3 doesn't "have" them, nobody else "has" them either. They are just as much PS3 games as they are 360 games.

If Sony stops competing next gen say goodbye to console gaming. I cringe on imagining another industry lead by M$.kuraimen

[QUOTE="kuraimen"]If Sony stops competing next gen say goodbye to console gaming. I cringe on imagining another industry lead by M$.delta3074

Sony should be fine, and yes they'll compete.

This whole security breach issue doesn't help, but every company that releases a system in the next gen could learn a lot from looking at this one. Every company suffered through issues.

Xbox systems were melting routinely at the start for the 360, Sony's security issues are a problem and the online support for the PS3 leaves a lot to be desired, and the Wii had very poor software running on a weak machine.

If Sony learns well from their, and other company's, mistakes then they'll be fine.

[QUOTE="delta3074"][QUOTE="kuraimen"]If Sony stops competing next gen say goodbye to console gaming. I cringe on imagining another industry lead by M$.kuraimen

[QUOTE="delta3074"][QUOTE="kuraimen"]If Sony stops competing next gen say goodbye to console gaming. I cringe on imagining another industry lead by M$.kuraimen

[QUOTE="kuraimen"][QUOTE="delta3074"]why? SONY didn't invent console gaming and it was already popular before the ps1with the snes and megadrive, SONY didn't join the console harware busines until the 5th generation of gaming machines, they have only been in the game for 3 generations, console gaming did fine before SONY and it will be FINE after it, to say a single compnay single company holds the console industry together is just plain silly, if that was the case it certainly wouldn't be SONY holding it together it would be nintendo who have been around since the 2nd generation of gaming machines.delta3074

[QUOTE="delta3074"][QUOTE="kuraimen"]If Sony stops competing next gen say goodbye to console gaming. I cringe on imagining another industry lead by M$.kuraimen

[QUOTE="kuraimen"][QUOTE="delta3074"]why? SONY didn't invent console gaming and it was already popular before the ps1with the snes and megadrive, SONY didn't join the console harware busines until the 5th generation of gaming machines, they have only been in the game for 3 generations, console gaming did fine before SONY and it will be FINE after it, to say a single compnay single company holds the console industry together is just plain silly, if that was the case it certainly wouldn't be SONY holding it together it would be nintendo who have been around since the 2nd generation of gaming machines.Allthishate

[QUOTE="kuraimen"][QUOTE="delta3074"]why? SONY didn't invent console gaming and it was already popular before the ps1with the snes and megadrive, SONY didn't join the console harware busines until the 5th generation of gaming machines, they have only been in the game for 3 generations, console gaming did fine before SONY and it will be FINE after it, to say a single compnay single company holds the console industry together is just plain silly, if that was the case it certainly wouldn't be SONY holding it together it would be nintendo who have been around since the 2nd generation of gaming machines.SecretPolice

sony owned the first and second generation, jeez, calm down people, sony had to let someone get this shine

sony owned the first and second generation, jeez, calm down people, sony had to let someone get this shine

Chris_Williams

stupid question, Sony is about longevity and pleasing gamers WORLD WIDE, not just in the states. There are people in 3rd world countries that don't even know what an Xbox 360 is, but they sure as hell know what a PS3 is because they grew up on Sony consoles and even Nintendo consoles.

Microsoft had one good breakthrough gen, but even in MS's best gaming gen the RROD is a stain on the Xbox brand name that will never go away but lems like to sweep it under the rug lol.

[QUOTE="kuraimen"][QUOTE="delta3074"]i fail to see what MS could actually do to ruin the industry, the insdustry is bigger than any one company and apart from charging for online MS has not done anything that Nintendo ,SONY or sega have not done before,it didn't ruin the industry then and it won't now.delta3074

Yes, they can. I think the poor start of the PS3 has made Sony pushed for more first party exclusives. So, if they make the correct move, they can compete next gen...

Anyone heard of the secondbiggest car rent company 'Avis' ?

I've had an exam in my marketing & leadership studies about Avis and their "market challenger strategy"

More info on market strategies:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing_strategy

This gen has been a great gen for Sony gamers, maybe not so good for Sony financially.. But we got a blu-ray player unlike anyone else.

I don't know a single person IRL that has a blu-ray player... And 99% of the people in A/V forums have PS3s, only the really rich people actually buy $5000 blu-ray players instead of using PS3s..

But more importantly, Sony had to try harder this gen. They weren't dominating like they used too.. They had to competitively price the PS3, despite offering significantly better hardware for the dollar. PSN started crappy, but ended up to be on par with XBL. Why? Because they were only number 3. They tried harder.

Last generation Sony played the market dominator strategy, and succeeded. This generation they tried but quickly changed to the challenger strategy.

Yes, the PS3 doesn't have a library as huge as the PS2s..

No, it doesn't have have all those amazing JRPGS etc

But it still has some of the best games of the generation: MGS4, Uncharted 2, LittleBigPLanet and Demons souls