ChichiriMuyo said:  Yet I can still go buy one new and there are still new games coming out for it.  So they still support it, even though it's 9 years old.  It's life is not even remotely over yet, and won't be for awhile, despite the successor being on the market for a couple of years now.

 

 I think it's only still supported for the reason that it has such a huge market that developers can still tap into, especially since so few PS2 owners immediately flocked to the PS3.  The slow sales out of the gate for PS3 definetely helped pro-long the PS2's lifespan.  I think it will be the same situation when the Super Wii is released since Nintendo likes money and won't want to totally alienate their huge number of Wii owners.

Wyku said: ChichiriMuyo said:  Yet I can still go buy one new and there are still new games coming out for it.  So they still support it, even though it's 9 years old.  It's life is not even remotely over yet, and won't be for awhile, despite the successor being on the market for a couple of years now.    I think it's only still supported for the reason that it has such a huge market that developers can still tap into, especially since so few PS2 owners immediately flocked to the PS3.  The slow sales out of the gate for PS3 definetely helped pro-long the PS2's lifespan.  I think it will be the same situation when the Super Wii is released since Nintendo likes money and won't want to totally alienate their huge number of Wii owners.

 

Excellent post Wyku. Consumer interest is ultimately what determines the life span of a console.

10 years sounds about right.

@ Wyku and Darc Requiem

So true.

I guess it's kind of redundant and obvious for me to state that this usually happens when a console has a really high user base. Like when the SNES was released, Nintendo still supported the NES until like 1995 (and something crazy like 2000 in Japan ... though I might be wrong on that).

Point is consumers should (and usually do) have the power. A company can release a new console, but if we're still satisfied with what we have, the company is going to have to continue supporting the previous generation ... if they like money ... which they do ... because that's why corporations exist.

With all this recession talk, I wonder if the PS3 (and the Wii and 360) will have longer lifespans than normal simply because consumers will be unwilling to invest in a new console.

@ foont

Well, if the "experts" are right we should be exiting the recession around the rumoured timeframe for the next Nintendo and XBOX console.  As it stands right now, introducing a new console with its premium pricing would be a disaster.

Wyku said: @ foont Well, if the "experts" are right we should be exiting the recession around the rumoured timeframe for the next Nintendo and XBOX console. As it stands right now, introducing a new console with its premium pricing would be a disaster.

Interesting! I'm really excited/curious to see what will happen. This could really change the way consoles are developed and released. For good or bad, I am enjoying watching the economic ballet through which these companies must now attempt to dance.

In a lot of ways, I really hope that the standard lifespan of a console becomes more than 5 years. I mean, I'm really enjoying the games and systems of this generation, but when the new consoles were announced I felt like a guy hosting a party who's all like, "Where's everyone going? It's only 12:30am! We can still party all night if we want to!" But it's too late, everyone left to go to a party at a bigger house.

foont said: I guess it's kind of redundant and obvious for me to state that this usually happens when a console has a really high user base. Like when the SNES was released, Nintendo still supported the NES until like 1995 (and something crazy like 2000 in Japan ... though I might be wrong on that).

They ceased service of the NES in 2007.

I remember in another 10-year-life-cycle thread a guy claimed that Sony was so something or other because they couldn't KNOW that PS3 would be on the shelf for ten years, yet they had the GALL to claim that it would be true.

Fixed!

And IMO the PS3 has so many uses (more coming with firmware and new PSN features) that it can easily make 10 years after price drops.  The only thing that would prevent it is a PS4 that does everything the PS3 does, with BC, and is also cheap, so that PS3 is redundant.

Gamers but mostly casuals decide how long a console can last.

Words Of Wisdom said: foont said: I guess it's kind of redundant and obvious for me to state that this usually happens when a console has a really high user base. Like when the SNES was released, Nintendo still supported the NES until like 1995 (and something crazy like 2000 in Japan ... though I might be wrong on that). They ceased service of the NES in 2007.

 

wtf! thats insane! are you sure?