I wanted to post a comment but there were just too many kids posting a bunch of BS...so I'll just put my two cents (or 10 cents) here. Alot of kids that visit this site BUT THEY DO NOT look at the big picture on MS, Sony, and Nintendo. All they think about is, does friend X have this game too? If so, company Y is the best. I own Z console from Company Y...so I think yes...they are the **** Throw me a phreakin bone. I think there is room for all three to be successful. If you look at it now, the number of games sold at brick and mortar stores are hardly a measurement of a company's success. the Wii will be making capital through the online component (via downloadable games), so is Microsoft. -WII- will be very going mainstream and will probably receive high sales numbers from its games (but they will be cheaper than PS3s and 360s games)...thus lowering profit margins. They will be the system that sits next to 360 and/or PS3. 360 can sell a few games but its bread and butter is Xbox Live. There are currently over 1mil subscribed to Xbox Live. That's 50 bucks X 1 million PER YEAR! This doesn't include movie (or even TV) studios paying Microsoft to have their trailers downloadable on the marketplace and/or advertisement on 360s Live dashboard. The PS3 will be working with the old adage of get-the-right-franchises-and-sell-sell-sell. Out of the three companies, Sony still does the gaming business similar to back when the NES was selling tons of software. Aside from coming out with an online site/service, they're not thinking outside the box...but that is not necessarily a bad thing. They have some really huge franchises on their side (Metal Gear, Final Fantasy, etc.) and that is enough to merit the purchase of their system. They will sell many games but they will also have to deal with production costs of their systems and their inhouse studios. Nintendo wants to capture the market that really doesn't play games but the DS is somewhat proof that the WII might work but part of that is unique software (i.e. Brain Age). Nintendo also has the ability to download some of the classic games that millions of retro gamers who have turned away from high-production games and have missed playing more of the "old-school" stuff. Nintendo also has franchises. So as long as they have Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc. nothing will collapse this company. Microsoft doesn't really care how many games are released. All they care about is that the games are well designed to utilize somesort of online component. Microsoft is really all about capitalizing on the online community. Look at World of Warcraft. 6 milion subscribers @ X-amounts of dollars a month! Microsoft wants to tap this market because they believe that they will profit a lot from it. The only problem is that not everyone plays online. For Microsoft, they really don't care...as long as you're still on Xbox Live. Microsoft has very keen about creating good franchises but they understand that reducing costs to developing games is key...which is why their 360 resembles the architecture of a PC. By doing this, they don't have to worry about creating a custom software or operating system just to create games. Everything is in-house and low cost...and this is the garbage that many gamers will never understand. Microsoft wants to provide value to the 360 via online, media center, etc. but doesn't want to spend too much to lower its profit margin. But that is where Sony comes in. They're all about high-end anything...especially entertainment systems such as they PS3. They will be bringing RPGs, Fighting games, Metal Gear, FF. From a electronics standpoint, Sony really wants to push BluRay because they will be making 30 times more money if this format is accepted by the public (especially the movie studios) and they believe that PS3 is the key. They will make HD their staple as well and the PS3 will push for HDTV (hopefully increasing sales of their own TVs). From a gaming standpoint, they are all about sheer sales of their games. Their plans to do an online service is suspect since Live has such a headstart and online is a beast if not built right. Sony sucks at online anything right now and developers would rather do their own online systems (i.e. EA Online). I believe that Sony really wants to go after the hardcore gaming market and have the hardcore players indrectly sell their system to their gaming friends. The PS3 has a ton of horsepower but to take advantage of that horsepower, you have to have the studios pay your texture artists, 3D modelers, and designers to make it look that way and that ultimately reflect the prices of the game your buy off the shelf. There really is room for all three to be very successful, which is great for the gamer in all of us. I definitely know I will buy all three of these systems and look forward to all of the great content the developers bring to them.
Rare games that I actually own that make me look cool: 1. Valkyrie Profile 2. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 3. Metal Gear Solid Integral 4. Vandal Hearts 5. MGS Subsistence Collector's Edition
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