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| Matrix Blog Link » /matrix/blog.asp/61679/105 |   Itchyeyes (77) Feb 14, 2007 - 10:06 am » Edited on Feb 14, 2007 - 10:07 am
| | The edits were an attempt to bold the section headings, but I can't figure out how formatting works on these media blogs. No actual changes have been made to the article since I posted it. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=14258 | Itchyeyes (77) Feb 08, 2007 - 12:54 pm
| | One thing that I like about Stardock is that they always seem to go against the industry trend of over promising and under delivering. News like this is not uncommon when dealing with them. The last great experience I had with them was when I pre-ordered the expansion for GC2 from their online store. After paying I was pleasantly surprised to see the beta for the expansion automatically start downloading. It's little things like this that keep me coming back to Stardock to buy my games. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=14227 | Itchyeyes (77) Feb 07, 2007 - 11:19 am
| I don't even know where to start. You're taking things I said out of context. Your analogy is worthless. You're citing the Wii's weather channel as a legitimate feature to lure buyers.
Let's start with the analogy. Looking at the current situation is nothing like looking in a rear view mirror in a car. If you must use the car analogy then the rear view mirror would be like looking at last generation. It's behind you, it's in the past. The current situation with the consoles is the road in front of you. The March release list is the rainclouds that you can see off in the distance. Lastly you're vision of this balanced PS3 library is the postcard with a picture of your destination that may just turn out to be a pretty picture and never really materialize.
The problem with Bluray not being mainstream is that it may never be mainstream. The CD wasn't mainstream when it came out, but it didn't have another format and online distribution to compete against. The PS2 didn't have a balanced lineup at launch but it also didn't have any competition. You can't cite past successes as evidence for future success, ask anyone who plays the stock market. Which one of us is the one looking in the rear view mirror?
Moving on, you're stating that I said that XBLA is the 360's biggest strength, which wasn't what I said at all. I said that the 360's biggest strength when approaching casual gamers is XBLA. The 360's biggest strength overall is its library of games, which is far more robust than both the PS3 and the Wii at the moment.
You're very quick to claim that I'm just adding up the numbers right now, but those numbers have significance. Gamers buy systems that have games for them. Developers make games for systems that people buy. It's circular and it takes a long time to build up the momentum to break through the circle, something the 360 has had time to do. The Wii and the PS3 have not.
You go on to point out that the Wii has internet and weather. Those are hardly compelling features for most people to spend $250. You say that the Wii has downloadable games. So does every other system. You say that they have original content coming, but there's none there and Nintendo has not announced any games yet.
The 360's main appeal is for hardcore gamers, and rightly so. Hardcore gamers are the ones who spend the money. Hardcore gamers are the ones who have supported the industry for the last 20 years. Nintendo's idea that grandparents will be buying Wiis in droves is nothing more than a gamble at this point. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=14227 | Itchyeyes (77) Feb 07, 2007 - 07:41 am » Edited on Feb 07, 2007 - 07:42 am
| I would hardly consider Bluray mainstream. Both it and HD-DVD is still in their early adopter stage. And I don't know if balanced is the word I would use to describe the PS3's lineup right now. Scarce is more fitting. If it turns out like the PS2's lineup then you could probably make that assertion, but it's way too early for that now.
Obviously the 360 doesn't really compete with the Wii for casual gamers. It's biggest strength in that area is appealing to maybe households where one family member is hard core enough to buy one and the rest can take advantage of XBLA.
Like the article said, I think it's a well balanced system. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=14207 | Itchyeyes (77) Feb 06, 2007 - 08:19 am
| I for one will be very surprised if Killzone 2 comes even close to looking as good as that trailer. Even games like Gears of War and Crisis still fall short of that trailer. It was pretty painfully obvious from the beginning that it was pre-rendered, and only the most hardened Sony fanboys are still holding on to the delusion that Sony has painted for them.
I'm still pretty peeved when I think back and remember that Sony basically stole the show at that E3 and it was all pretty much based on flat out lies. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=14134 | Itchyeyes (77) Jan 31, 2007 - 03:31 pm
| | I'm not sure you understand what the term impulse means. Just because you want something badly doesn't make it an impulse. An impulse buy is something that you put almost no thought into before you purchase it. The candy bars at the grocery store checkout line are good examples of what would qualify as an impulse buy. I think there are very few people who don't put any thought into a $250 purchase let alone a $600 one. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=14134 | Itchyeyes (77) Jan 31, 2007 - 03:28 pm
| | I agree. I've seen other people use the term "impulse buy" to describe the Wii and I don't think it really applies. What I really don't understand though is why people seem to think the Wii is so cheap when it's actually 25% more expensive than its predecessor was at launch. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=14087 | Itchyeyes (77) Jan 30, 2007 - 09:16 am » Edited on Jan 31, 2007 - 11:04 am
| Before you go praising Sony about how free they are with their hardware, you might want to take a look at the state of the PSP. If homebrew applications really take off on the PS3, you can expect Sony to take a similar stance.
Anyways it's not so much an issue of limiting the end customer as it is of just making sure that they actually make their money back. That's the problem with a business model where you have a loss leader (like the PS3 or 360) and a need to recoup your costs from games. As a result, you put yourself in a position where you have to ensure customers use the product in the way you intend. The inkjet printer and cellular provider industries are similar examples. The problem is, if MS and Sony were selling these consoles at cost nobody would buy them. It's a catch 22. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=14087 | Itchyeyes (77) Jan 30, 2007 - 09:08 am
| | None of the launch sales are really comparable to each other for the purposes of gaging demand. All 3 systems were limited by how fast they could produce the systems. Both the 360, Wii and PS3 were sold out through Christmas after they launched. With the 360, it wasn't until Feb or March that you actually began to see systems on store shelves. We're seeing PS3s now, but Sony is producing them faster than MS was at the 360 launch. The Wii produced the most and sold the most. However, it also launched at a significantly lower price which has a direct impact on sales. At this point it's rather difficult to compare sales between the 3 systems. We probably won't have a really clear picture of how this gen is going to shake out until after Christmas '07. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=14087 | Itchyeyes (77) Jan 30, 2007 - 08:07 am
| And my point is that there are people who honestly prefer consoles because of the particular experience they offer. To those people, PC capabilities are moot. When purchasing a console they still will compare graphics amongst the available offerings, as well as a host of other features.
Just because PC graphics are almost always better than that of consoles does not render the quality of a consoles graphics irrelevant. People who choose to play on a console still want the graphics to look as good as they can. It may not be as big of a priority to those who choose the PC route, but it's still an important consideration. Flag this | Edit this post |
| News Link » /news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=14087 | Itchyeyes (77) Jan 29, 2007 - 11:32 am
| » come off it
What you say is true, but I've never really found consoles' flagging graphics to be much of an issue until towards the end of their life-cycles.
To me, it's always been about playing the right games on the right platform. I do a significant amount of strategy gaming on my PC, but for the rest I just find my consoles to be a more enjoyable experience. I place a significant value on the comfort of a gamepad and my couch, and I tend to enjoy single player games more.
Obviously these are personal preferences, but it still irks me when people try to assert that simply because my 360 can't match a PC with an 8800 and because a gamepad isn't as precise in CS as KBM that I'm simply taking the "poor man's" route. Flag this | Edit this post |
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