Mario helps out Sony?
November 5, 2009 by Les T
Filed under Critical News, PS3, Wii
”This could be the time for the [PS3] to shine,” says DFC Intelligence, business analysts. We’ve all come to this conclusion with the drastic revamp of system and price point, but the more startlingly disclosure by the analysts is perhaps something we had in the back our minds; just no one has said. The Wii paved the way for a PlayStation 3 comeback.
”The video game [sic] console market is a marathon, not a sprint. Keeping a game platform around for the long term is an ongoing and difficult task. The main danger Sony faced was that the Xbox 360 would become embedded as the system of choice. Instead consumers flocked to the Nintendo Wii. The Xbox 360 had solid sales, but they have not been enough to give Microsoft anywhere near a breakout market position,” said DFC.
In other words, Xbox didn’t sell enough to edge out the PlayStation completely. The Wii market is saturated, so who’s on first now? Perhaps what is really startlingly is not this cause and effect, but rather how saturated the Wii market became; and how that will undeniably affect all of the big three. Sony must be smiling, however, that every child has a Wii. Now those same children with a PlayStation 2 are nipping at their folk’s wallets. “People who purchase a PS2 are more likely to purchase a PS3 in the future. Consumers, believe it or not, are pretty loyal,” contends DFC. Now the PlayStation 3 is within their reach, costing half of an initial launch model. Was the original price point a tease while Mario bounced back?
Finally, the report says Nintendo and Microsoft are preaching to the choir this holiday season. “There is nothing new for these systems that would attract users that have not already purchased the system.” In contrast, the PlayStation 3 offers a high-spec Blu-ray player and has quickly ratcheted up its first party software support to coincide with the price cut.
While DFC does not mention Sony’s upcoming motion controls, surely they owe a debt to the Wii as well. Nintendo’s Wii made motion controls a household affair, and now Sony may well need to thank the brand. “Now is the time for Sony to shine…or else.”
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Like the article. Microsoft will be using Natal as a way of creating an Xbox 360 V2, whilst the PS3 really does seem to have legs on it for the hardcore – even though they kinda crippled it in the memory stakes. More games like Uncharted 2 will bring people mature gamers to them.
However I still think Nintendo will release ‘Wii2/HD’ end of 2010 start of 2011 and so in effect THEY will be the main beneficiaries as they will be ahead of the ‘cycle’.
Indeed there is an argument that possibly for the first time the different consoles producers are not in a coordinated cycle at all.