Just look at the 360, it's bursting with sales. Many people still prefer the 360 and Kinect despite its lack of exclusives while Sony is slaving away trying to get as much exclusive content on their system as possible. How can this be?
Simple:
1) People are lazy.
I know a lot of people who simply do not want to buy a new console. They are aware of the amount of content on the PS3, but they don't care. This may seem like a rare case, but it's a lot more common than you think.
2) Families
Sony hasn't exactly attracted the "casual" audience with their Move. We can safely assume that the Playstation Move hasn't done its job. Sure there are family-friendly games such as LittleBigPlanet and ModNation Racers on the PS3, but is that really enough to reel in the customers? Kinect is much more appealing to the average consumer than a "Playstation wiimote" no matter how many quality games it may have, and sales have proven that.
Sony's focus on the hardcore audience isn't necessarily a bad thing either, it allowed them to drastically shorten the sales gap between the 360 and PS3. It worked out for a good while, but 360 is still selling more than the PS3 is monthly. They need to hold onto that "focus" as it is the main thing that differentiates them from the competition.
3) Reputation
Despite Sony's slow start this gen, they really stepped their game up and are now doing great. That's nice and all, but that doesn't mean that they're free of their less-than-impressive beginning. First impressions are often the most important, there are still a good number of console owners out there who stick to their 360 religiously. This links to the "People are lazy" point I made. As long as the 360 has a steady influx of multiplatform content, people just don't care enough to switch consoles. Microsoft doesn't need to cash out on exclusives or free services, they already have a well established audience which is far more valuable than any game on any console (assuming that you looked at the situation from the company's point of view).
4) Next Gen?
From this we can assume that exclusives are critical in the beginning. You have to create that fantastic first impression before the competition does in order to get the sales. As the generation advances, exclusives become less and less relevant in terms of console purchases. Sony will not admit it publicly, but the PS3 was a downright failure in financial terms, it costed Sony a lot more money than it made. Sony's first party studios are definitely going to make it easier for them next gen, but the games are only half the work. Another $599.99 just won't cut it, and they know that.
I made a point about reputation being important, but that only works to an extent. Sony had an amazing reputation with the PS2, but it all came crashing down with the PS3. Consumer loyalty is a tricky thing,it comes and goes as fast as a breeze. Even though I'm not a fan of Microsoft for their treatment of their hardcore fanbase, they certainly made a smart move this gen by building up a reputation at the beginning and then riding the wave all throughout.
So the exclusives that people hold in such high regard only go as far as the console allows them to go. If the console isn't successful, then the exclusives won't do much to bring it back.As much as people hate them, gimmicks are a lot better in the long run than exclusives. It's a lesson Sony will eventually learn.
So what say you, System Warriors? What do you think of Microsoft's actions this gen, and the importance of exclusivity? What's more important to you, console architecture, multiplats, or exclusives?
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