After four months of gray market sales, PR blunders, camped-out fans and a media frenzy, it appears that the next generation consoles have finally hit their post-holiday stride. How did this year’s PS3 and Wii launches compare to that of the 360’s release in 2005? The short answer: the 360 and PS3 had similar demand trends around launch…if it were only that simple.
The Wii and 360 had reasonably consistent demand from January to February, indicating that they have settled into post holiday levels.
PS3 demand is more troubling, as it fell 30% in the same period, and is now significantly lower than its much older competitor.
The Wii is still dominating online retail demand, with nearly double the shoppers of the PS3 and 60% more shoppers than the 360.
Compared to the 360’s launch, both the PS3 and Wii Generated more overall demand during the holiday. However, the steep decline in PS3 demand indicates inflated demand due to hype.
PS3 demand is more troubling, as it fell 30% in the same period, and is now significantly lower than its much older competitor.
The Wii is still dominating online retail demand, with nearly double the shoppers of the PS3 and 60% more shoppers than the 360.
Compared to the 360’s launch, both the PS3 and Wii Generated more overall demand during the holiday. However, the steep decline in PS3 demand indicates inflated demand due to hype.
PS3
A notable difference between the two versions lies in the fact that the cheaper version will lack the HDMI port, the memory slots and WiFi connectivity. The HDMI port would be required to output dual 1080p video, a feat previously announced by “Father of Playstation”, Ken Kutaragi.
Sony’s $599 pricetag for the fully spec’ed PS3 version is certainly a first in the history of video game consoles. The price is mainly a consequence of Sony’s decision to equip the PS3 with a built-in Blu-ray disc player. Blu-ray, one of the new high definition DVD formats, is a rather expensive technology, and stand-alone Blu-ray disc players won’t be available for less than $1,000. From this perspective, the PS3 appears like a bargain!
Quite obviously, Sony is banking on the widespread market penetration of the Playstation brand, making Blu-ray the de facto standard for High Definition DVDs, in a similar way as they were able to bring DVD to the mass market by shipping the PS2 with a built-in DVD player.
At the E3, Sony has revealed that the controller for the PS3 will NOT be the boomerang shaped oddity that was shown previously, but rather the new PS3 controller is based on the good ol’ black DualShock controller that we’ve all grown used to from the PS2.
However, this is not your ol’ standard DualShock from yesteryear: the new PS3 controller comes equipped with motion sensing technology! The controller will have six-axis sensing capabilities and could be used for driving cars, flying planes and other related movements. Very cool!
The downside: They’ve removed the vibration feature from the controller, apparently because the shaking and rumbling interferes with the motion sensor. We figure, some legal aspects may have had to do with this omission too.
Sony has promised an exciting and competitive entry into the online gaming service with the Playstation 3, often referred to as ‘HUB’, however, no details have been released yet.
Sony’s $599 pricetag for the fully spec’ed PS3 version is certainly a first in the history of video game consoles. The price is mainly a consequence of Sony’s decision to equip the PS3 with a built-in Blu-ray disc player. Blu-ray, one of the new high definition DVD formats, is a rather expensive technology, and stand-alone Blu-ray disc players won’t be available for less than $1,000. From this perspective, the PS3 appears like a bargain!
Quite obviously, Sony is banking on the widespread market penetration of the Playstation brand, making Blu-ray the de facto standard for High Definition DVDs, in a similar way as they were able to bring DVD to the mass market by shipping the PS2 with a built-in DVD player.
At the E3, Sony has revealed that the controller for the PS3 will NOT be the boomerang shaped oddity that was shown previously, but rather the new PS3 controller is based on the good ol’ black DualShock controller that we’ve all grown used to from the PS2.
However, this is not your ol’ standard DualShock from yesteryear: the new PS3 controller comes equipped with motion sensing technology! The controller will have six-axis sensing capabilities and could be used for driving cars, flying planes and other related movements. Very cool!
The downside: They’ve removed the vibration feature from the controller, apparently because the shaking and rumbling interferes with the motion sensor. We figure, some legal aspects may have had to do with this omission too.
Sony has promised an exciting and competitive entry into the online gaming service with the Playstation 3, often referred to as ‘HUB’, however, no details have been released yet.
XBOX
So, how do the other consoles stack up? Let’s start with the Xbox 360 - the first next generation console out of the starting blocks.
As Sony completes the specifications of its online service, Microsoft has launched “Live Anywhere”, a system that is meant to allow for cross platform gaming between Xbox 360 and “Games for Windows”, ie. games made specifically for Microsoft’s new Windows Vista platform.
Microsoft has also revealed a host of new Xbox 360 accessories that will be released by the end of this year. One surprise was the announcement of an external HD DVD drive - one whose existence Microsoft has repeatedly denied until E3. Maybe Microsoft felt pressured by Sony’s decision to ship the PS3 with a built-in Blu-ray drive straight of the box. Unlike the PS3 that will ship games on Blu-ray discs, the Xbox 360’s HD DVD drive is designed to play HD DVD movies only.
As Sony completes the specifications of its online service, Microsoft has launched “Live Anywhere”, a system that is meant to allow for cross platform gaming between Xbox 360 and “Games for Windows”, ie. games made specifically for Microsoft’s new Windows Vista platform.
Microsoft has also revealed a host of new Xbox 360 accessories that will be released by the end of this year. One surprise was the announcement of an external HD DVD drive - one whose existence Microsoft has repeatedly denied until E3. Maybe Microsoft felt pressured by Sony’s decision to ship the PS3 with a built-in Blu-ray drive straight of the box. Unlike the PS3 that will ship games on Blu-ray discs, the Xbox 360’s HD DVD drive is designed to play HD DVD movies only.
WII
Nintendo’s console was recently renamed from “Revolution” to Wii. No release date or price has yet been announced, but it seems to be clear that Nintendo is aiming for a lower price point than its competitors, not at least made possible because of Nintendo’s decision to omit HD output for the Wii console.Their already wickedly innovative controller design for the Wii has received another innovative cherry on top with the inclusion of a built-in speaker on the Wii remote (or Wii-mote, for short).
As far as the Wii remote-nunchuk combination goes, we still wonder about its effectiveness and practicability. Just how long can you play a game where you have to constantly swing and move your arms? While it sounds exciting, we will have to wait until we had some long term experience with it before we can pass judgement
As far as the Wii remote-nunchuk combination goes, we still wonder about its effectiveness and practicability. Just how long can you play a game where you have to constantly swing and move your arms? While it sounds exciting, we will have to wait until we had some long term experience with it before we can pass judgement
