Did Gears of War kill the PS3's momentum?

Think about this. What is the flag ship game for next gen graphics on consoles? Gears of War. What system is that on? 360. What was the hype about PS3? OMGWTF I'LL SELL MY SOUL TO BUY THIS SYSTEM graphics. Has the PS3 delivered this yet? No. So when people were like ok the next gen is here now where are the next gen games they saw Gears of War on 360 and were blown away. This gave the 360 a lot of momentum going into '07. Yes the PS3 was in its first year and yes we all know first years are lackluster but the average consumer doesn't know all this about industry. They just know what they see on commercials and what they see their friends playing. Not everyone are gaming nerds most are just casuals who want the next big thing. The next big thing was on 360 and only 360, soon to be PC, and thats what they saw and wanted.

So now fastforward to '07. What game is still the flag ship game for next gen graphics on console? Gears of War. So the big PS3 selling point isn't there. THe 360 is proving to have every bit of muscle as the PS3. The devs knew this but Sony in their folly tried to downplay it. While the PS3 was in its infancy the 360 delivered the biggest blockbuster of this generation so far. And it wasn't Halo. It was a game completely different from Halo. This was HUGE. Consumers saw this and took notice. Why shoul I pay top dollar for a system when I can pay less and get graphics like Gears of War? Thats a damn good question. Sony's only answer was a price cut after being out for less than year. OUCH!

So now the prices are basically even. But M$ had another pocket ace, Halo 3. Hate it or love it Halo 3 is HUGE. Its a bonofied system seller. So PS3 took a price cut but guess what Halo 3 is out. More momentum from Sony lost simple as that. When Halo drops everything gets pushed aside.

So now lets look at the christmas season for '07 where there is a lot of competition. 360's resume is extensive. PS3 is just starting to hit its stride. But what game, yes it will be a game not a price cut, will give Sony enough momentum going into '08. Is it UT3? Who knows if that will even be out by the end of the year. Will it be RnC? Maybe. COD4? That multiplat and its a shooter meaning that it will be bigger on 360 by default. Any JRPGs coming out? not sure. Uncharted? Now this game is the one I think could be it although game play vids haven't been overwhelming it is definately eye candy. Gran Tourismo 5? Another possible blockbuster. 360 still has Halo 3, Gears of War, Bioshock, Mass Effect, and the multiplat and as an established system it has popularity to back it up which PS3 doesn't have.

So going into '08 PS3 WILL start to show the games but will it be too little to late? If it can build enough of an installed base going into '08 it could really catch fire with games like MGS4, Killzone 2 as its graphical bluckbuster, Final Fantasy 1231232 as it JRPG coming out. The PS3 isn't dead but it has a lot of catching up to do. To me the biggest franchise playstation has is none of these games. Its God of War. I'm predicting that the whenver the new God of War drops how good and how pretty a game it is will make or break the PS3. If God of War doesn't do it then the PS3 is in trouble. Because 360 games will only continue to get better. Only delussional fanboys think the 360 has reached its limits.

So in short. Gears of War blindsided Sony. They talked a good game about how awesome the PS3 is but the reality was Gears of War did next gen awesomeness first and it was a 360 exclussive. It took all the momentum and hype away from the PS3 and put it in a state of catch up. Without it the PS3 might have gotten out the gates faster. But the console race is a marathon not a sprint but you CANNOT deny that having a head start has put the 360 in the superior position and was nothing but a GREAT business move. Why invest in new technology when the next generation could have been brought earlier with existing technology already. The hardware was already there. M$ had the forsite and savvy to see this and took full advantage of it. So far in this generation they are schooling Sony on how to run a gaming business. They also got lucky. Bedcause if it wasn't for their relationship with Epic during the xbox years Gears of War would never have been an exclussive.

Just some food for thought.

You assume the PS3 had momentum to begin with.musicalmac

Well, considering the fact that it is the successor of the best selling console ever made, I'd say so.

You assume the PS3 had momentum to begin with.musicalmac

Well, considering the fact that it is the successor of the best selling console ever made, I'd say so.

all hail to the might wall of text

You assume the PS3 had momentum to begin with.musicalmac

Is that Marathon in your Gamer Tag :o

all hail to the might wall of text

DmdSATISFACTIO

*hailing to big wall og text*

You assume the PS3 had momentum to begin with.musicalmac

well they did sell like hot cakes for a month

Sony killed the PS3's momentum...

the day the words $600 came off their lips Sony was dead in the water... say what you want, its true....

Sony killed the PS3's momentum...

the day the words $600 came off their lips Sony was dead in the water... say what you want, its true....

colmusterd28

I think the TC has a very good point here. Sony talked while MS showed.

[QUOTE="colmusterd28"]

Sony killed the PS3's momentum...

the day the words $600 came off their lips Sony was dead in the water... say what you want, its true....

Swiftie101

I think the TC has a very good point here. Sony talked while MS showed.

agreed, but think about the first time you heard that price... not even for yourself, but for the average working class family... it was a "no" on every level... Im a school teacher and kids at school ages 8-11 were telling me they didn't want a PS3 because it costs so much... HELLO SONY, these are kids with no knowledge of what a dollar means... Any momentum they could've had was dead when a 3rd grade says, "I feel bad asking for it"

I think if Sony plays the cards right and advertises a crap more in 2008, they can start taking the lead again like with PS2. They need to hype and broadcast commericals for amazing games like MGS4, GTA IV, KZ2, LBP, GT5, UT3, Haze, etc. They NEED these commercials. That's the only way casuals and other people will buy a PS3 because right now to casuals, the PS3 is an overpriced machine that plays some new DVD. My friends aren't even that casual and they think Blu-Ray is a type of HDD.

Bottom Line: Sony needs to advertise, but don't advertise those crap games. Advertise the BIG games. Sell their system. Don't make the selling point of PS3 a Blu-Ray player because most people don't even know what HD is.

[QUOTE="Swiftie101"][QUOTE="colmusterd28"]

Sony killed the PS3's momentum...

the day the words $600 came off their lips Sony was dead in the water... say what you want, its true....

colmusterd28

I think the TC has a very good point here. Sony talked while MS showed.

agreed, but think about the first time you heard that price... not even for yourself, but for the average working class family... it was a "no" on every level... Im a school teacher and kids at school ages 8-11 were telling me they didn't want a PS3 because it costs so much... HELLO SONY, these are kids with no knowledge of what a dollar means... Any momentum they could've had was dead when a 3rd grade says, "I feel bad asking for it"

another solid point. I touched on the price a little bit. I mean honestly could anyone but the biggest fanboy justify the price the PS3 when you could play better games on a cheaper console? Sony made a bunch of bad business decissions and now it is killing them.

I think if Sony plays the cards right and advertises a crap more in 2008, they can start taking the lead again like with PS2. They need to hype and broadcast commericals for amazing games like MGS4, GTA IV, KZ2, LBP, GT5, UT3, Haze, etc. They NEED these commercials. That's the only way casuals and other people will buy a PS3 because right now to casuals, the PS3 is an overpriced machine that plays some new DVD. My friends aren't even that casual and they think Blu-Ray is a type of HDD.

Bottom Line: Sony needs to advertise, but don't advertise those crap games. Advertise the BIG games. Sell their system. Don't make the selling point of PS3 a Blu-Ray player because most people don't even know what HD is.

AIH_PSP

advertising costs money and right now Sony is losing boat loads of money every second literally. They are in a tough situation. They can't afford any more false steps.

Sony killed its own momentum by not having the PS3 kill the 360's graphics off the bat and having all their first party games fall flat on their face. Then making the PS3 incredible difficult to program for. They should have thrown GPU to equal their Cell in performance with more ram.

Home should have been launched with the PS3 to kill live's momentum.

I mean the PS3 was suppose to be "4d" and slaughter games like Gears in terms of graphics. Instead most multiplat games ended up looking better on the 360 then the PS3 AND PS3 cost more.

I don't even think price was the issue. If PS3 lived up to its hype it would be selling at 600$ with plenty of AAA exclusives and all its flagship titles staying exclusive. ANd if it was easy to develop for GTA, MGS4, DMC4 and Tekken 6 would already been out with many more games.

No just no the 360 is only good on creating characters that use steroids and have no hair really powerful of the 360 cant even handle the hair on its character pathetic i might say.PS3_Love

:lol: :lol: :lol:

sigg'd

Someone want to tell me what blockbuster hit 360 came out with before Gears of War? Ill tell you...ZIP! Gears of War was an unexpected hitsure, but I agree with the price theory more than anything. PS3 continues to be at the top of the most wanted lists, but the price has continued to scare people off. They are lowering the Blue ray production costs, so they can lower the price of the box.

Bottom line, there are alot of people still on PS2 looking to get a PS3.

Besides you want graphics? Have you seen Heavenly Sword? Its like being in a movie. Ratchet and Clank look excellent. Uncharted Drakes Fortune is said to have some extreme graphics. Lets not forget Metal Gear Solid. Everyone has been blown away by what they saw there.

Just like on 360, Devs needed time to get used to the boxes. I doubt you will be writing an article like this in 6 months.

BTW, you say more great games for 360. SCIFI shooters like Halo, Bio Shock, Mass Effect, Gears of War maybe? What else? I thought so.

I think if Sony plays the cards right and advertises a crap more in 2008, they can start taking the lead again like with PS2. They need to hype and broadcast commericals for amazing games like MGS4, GTA IV, KZ2, LBP, GT5, UT3, Haze, etc. They NEED these commercials. That's the only way casuals and other people will buy a PS3 because right now to casuals, the PS3 is an overpriced machine that plays some new DVD. My friends aren't even that casual and they think Blu-Ray is a type of HDD.

Bottom Line: Sony needs to advertise, but don't advertise those crap games. Advertise the BIG games. Sell their system. Don't make the selling point of PS3 a Blu-Ray player because most people don't even know what HD is.

AIH_PSP

Advertise with what resources?!?!? Unfortunately, Sony forced themselves into the position of the Dreamcast (gaming division only) where they are hemorrhaging revenue left and right just to stay operational. With that being said there isnt alot of funds left to advertise to the heavens about the upcoming lineup of PS3 games. More than likely Sony will rely heavily on third parties (which IMO lead to the downfall of the PS3) to hype their own games and a hope that the casual market will ride the train to Sonyland.

Game On....