Playstation Ireland's Managing Director Niall O'Hanrahan remarked -

fire-dragon-90

[QUOTE="SW__Troll"]

Valve should notice how there has never been a time in console gaming history where more than two console makers were making money at any given time.

Lithos_

What you mean? I am a PC gamer myself, but what about Xbox 360 + PS3 + Wii?

Both Nintendo and Sony were in the red last year. Sony themselves have yet to see profit since the generation started.

Last gen the Xbox lost billions, and only Sony and Nintendo made money on their gaming divisions. Also don't forget the Dreamcast flopping.

The generation before that only the PSOne and N64 made money while the Saturn was a flop for Sega.

The generation before that only the SNES and Genesis made money while the Turbo Grafx, 3DO, Neo Geo, and Atari Jaguar all failed

There's a trend in the industry, and it's that at any given time ONLY two console makers (at most) are making money. However, as it stands right now, only MS reported profits last year.

It's an incredibly high risk market

[QUOTE="SW__Troll"]

I got to try the PS Vita out at Best Buy today, and I must say the face buttons are so incredibly

terrible

Like, it is beyond reason

Eponique

Not only the face buttons, the analogue sticks are so tiny! And the screen was far from being "amazing". I was told that if I got a Vita on my hands, I won't be able to go back to the 3DS...

Cow better brace themselves, Eponique's got a lot of ownage material :twisted:

I loved how it felt in my hands, and I was ok with the analog sticks, but damn those face buttons. They're so tiny, and clicky, and unlike any Playstation controller before it. And what's with the D-Pad no longer being four seperate direction buttons? That's practically a trademark of Playstation controllers

The PSP had proper dualshock buttons on it. The PS Vita may have the worst feeling buttons of any controller I've used in my life tbh.

I only barely got to try out some demos though, so no real comment on the screen.

I got to try the PS Vita out at Best Buy today, and I must say the face buttons are so incredibly

[spoiler] terrible [/spoiler]

Like, it is beyond reason

Finally played DOTA 2.

WHY MUST PC HAVE SUCH QUALITY GAMES THIS YEAR!?!?

ChubbyGuy40

As if you have better things to do.

PC gaming all day, erry day

I think I've solved my PS2 dilema.

I'm going to buy a portable DVD player with audio/video ports.

This actually solves three issues.

1. I want to play my PS2 in my bed
2. I can watch movies in bed without having to put my big laptop on my bedside table
3. If I ever want to play my console at my computer desk it's pretty darn easy to find room for a portable DVD player as opposed to always having to reconnect a converter box behind my desk (if I were to go that route)

I really hope I can find one in-store.

SW__Troll

What luck... It's a/v compatible, but only a/v out, so I can't plug my PS2 in and use it.

I guess I shall try again later.

I think I've solved my PS2 dilema.

I'm going to buy a portable DVD player with audio/video ports.

This actually solves three issues.

1. I want to play my PS2 in my bed
2. I can watch movies in bed without having to put my big laptop on my bedside table
3. If I ever want to play my console at my computer desk it's pretty darn easy to find room for a portable DVD player as opposed to always having to reconnect a converter box behind my desk (if I were to go that route)

I really hope I can find one in-store.

[QUOTE="jg4xchamp"][QUOTE="arkephonic"]

An excuse? That's not an excuse, that's called reality.

arkephonic

Well, there's no better system out there. You know that developers take meta-scores for their games very seriously, right? Meta-scores and sales are the two most important things to them. There are even incentives in contracts based on reaching certain marks on Metacritic. If there was a better system, they would use it, but there isn't.

They don't use Metacritic because it's the best system.

They use it because people are blind enough to believe that number on Metacritic is the exact amount of quality the game possesses.

A smart shopper would actually find a trustworthy reviewer, and follow them closely rather than looking at an average of scores given out by blog posts, and system-exclusive reviewers.

If you don't find sites like IGN, or Gametrailers, or Edge to be trustworthy then why would you think an average of their review scores would be trustworthy?

There is a key set of ideas that, if any console maker follows, will win the generation for them.

Be cheap, be feature-rich (and I'm not saying have features for the sake of having them, but actual **** people want), and have a killer app.

In numbered format

1. Don't scare away consumers with your price.
2. Play movies, have great online, and definitely have streaming services.
3. Software sells systems, so make it count. There's no point in wasting resources on games nobody wants no matter how "highly reviewed" it may be.

Valve should notice how there has never been a time in console gaming history where more than two console makers were making money at any given time.

It's such a high-risk market, and there's not really a reason to enter it given what Valve does.