Should this generation be the first and last that sees "Global Launches?"

[johnlucas]

Yeah this is definitely ONE area that Microsoft innovated.

Microsoft is an outsider trying to shake up the establishment and ushering in the worldwide launch forced the other companies to follow suit with. Their desire to shorten gaming generations to an average of 4 years instead of 5 is how they got the headstart on the competition which intentionally or unintentionally gave them this solid base they gathered. No one to compare to and a whole year to build up library and respect.

This was most probably pointed at Sony as Microsoft's whole reason for doing what they do in this biz is to cut Sony off at the pass. If MS launched in league with the competition they'd be nowheresville and Sony would look a lot stronger than it is right now. The systems are aiming for the same audience and are executing the same approach. The only difference is brandname.

In reality we STILL DO sorta have staggered launches just that the staggers are a lot closer together than in times past. Instead of months apart it's now weeks apart. We really can't go back to oldstyle launches anymore due to internet. Games may be able to stagger like that more but systems in this highly competitive period doing that would end up being self-defeating. Sony coulda moved more PS3's in Europe if they put something together last November. Even if just 10,000 units. It'd make it look rare and the hot go-to item. PS3's in a lottery system. ANYTHING but what they did! The buzz cooled because the world's closer together technologically than it used to be. Many a time I could just hop on to Yahoo messenger and talk to people in Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Australia. No charge.

Before Microsoft changed the game you could still do this. Now like with air conditioning and microwaves there's no turning back. And Nintendo knew it as well. Wii wouldn't have been as buzzworthy if the launch separations were too far apart. They would have heard people badmouthing it dismissing it and let that influence their decision. For once Nintendo's strategy was influenced by the actions of another company. Nintendo jumped on board with upstart Microsoft's industry change and made it work for them. Sony should have not stuck to the old rules.

Now people expect launches closer together and soon they'll want games to come out closer together as well. ESPECIALLY in those poor neglected PAL regions. You guys have my sympathy.

John Lucas