Why it DOES matter whether there are two consoles or three

[Impulsivity]

LordTheNightKnight said:

Just one thing. The N64 and the PS1 did not have different demographics. That was just a myth people assumed by the ratings of games, not by the people who actually bought them.

The N64 had Mario and Banjo, but the PS1 had Spyro and Crash. The PS1 had adult games, but Goldeneye isn't for kids, and Star Fox may have lacked blood, but it's a hardcore shooter.

Plus I wouldn't say Final Fantasy VII was a game adults mainly played.

 

    I am not saying there weren't exceptions both ways.  That Conker game (on N64) was the dirtiest game I've ever played short of Leisure Suit Larry and Crash Bandicoot was for the young end of the teen market, but those weren't the main push (especially first party push) for the respective consoles.  Similarly the PS3 has a few games that seem to skew young like Ratchet and Clank (though I love that game and am in my 20s) while the Wii has a handful like Manhunt 2 or Resident Evil 4 that seem to target adults, but that isn't the emphasis for the two systems.  

 Nintendo has an emphasis on kids and casual gamers and have had that emphasis for decades (watch their E3 conference) Remember when only the SNES of Mortal Kombat couldn't have blood or fatalities?   Sony on the other hand has an emphasis on the teen and up market (watch their E3 conference) and has since the PS era.  Some will buy both, I own both for instance (though I play the PS3 a whole lot more), its not that they ONLY offer one type of game, but that each system has a clear market emphasis.  That emphasis makes sense since there are several distinct types of people who buy consoles, the one that doesn't make sense is the MS strategy of releasing PC games for a console  (name a single game for the 360 that isn't better on a PC for instance...maybe Kameo?)