Next -Gen to be even more tied than this one?

[NJ5]

Raistline said:

jarrod said:
Next generation's hardware will probably be on more of an even keel too. After how this gen played out, I don't expect Sony or Microsoft to break the bank (ie: take a 100-150% upfront loss) on bleeding edge tech again and I do expect Nintendo to upgrade to an (affordable) competitive "next-gen" spec. Everyone will have motion controls out the box too, it'll probably more closely resemble last gen's PS2/GC/Xbox dynamic in terms of hardware (though probably not marketshare).

I have to disagree with this statement. Sony and MS have run under the large upfront loss with heavy gains over product end life since they have been in the console market. Not a single Sony machine didn't have a large loss on the console for the first couple of years. Same thing for MS. This is the way the handle the console market. They come out with something amazing for it's release time and as close to a top notch PC as possible so the console survives longer. They make most money of thier money on royalties and such. I do not see them starying from this strategy. I don't even see a way around it if they plan on trying to capture the Hardcore gamer market. Hardcore gamers are very picky about graphics and features.

But this gen they learned the lesson that it's very risky to run such a strategy. Put together, Sony and MS have lost not far from 10 billion dollars from their HD consoles.

Unless they want to severely risk their presence in the video games business, they'll probably tone down their hardware specs a bit next time. Shareholders don't appreciate divisions which lose money for a decade.