| Mummelmann said: You can't really say that MS has declined as a name brand in the console industry. |
Very true, I am wrong about Xbox; it certainly has a larger name than it did at the beginning of the gen. I was thinking more along the lines of the combined brand power of similar consoles that will have near identical ports of games. A lot of the games for 360 came as a result of it being very similar to the PS3. Just when it turned out to be more successful, it became the focus over the PS3. It is sort of similar to the reason why Gamecube and Xbox got some quality 3rd party games that it normally wouldn't have, it is because of the PS2, not because the Gamecube Xbox were a good choice for Publishers; rest assured that if PS2 games were not compatible with Xbox and Gamecube, neither system would have seen the same sort of dedication.
Next generation, Nintendo has the potential to be the main console, the one that games are developed for first; and then ported over to the other consoles. This generation, the Wii is a system that either misses the game, or has an alternate B-version created for it (in rare occasions, it gets the A version - like Tiger Woods PGA). Wii also gets a lot more exclusives than other consoles; but they're usually not MGS/GTA/FFX caliber games.
Lastly, with the Wii successor, Nintendo's sixth console; I am expecting an effect similar to the DS to 3DS. When the DS launched, it had almost no third party support; it got very cheap games which were more or less slightly better GBA games. Then it started to take off... and OFF the charts. The sales power of the DS is unprecedented, no videogame system has ever been this successful before. Unfortunately, it also had piracy issues, publishers certainly do not like systems where games can be easily pirated. The 3DS certainly fixes the piracy problem; it can't be effectively emulated and it will very likely have measures that prevent something like pirate-cards (R4) from working on the system itself. it also has the brand name of the DS going forward... It resulted in a launch list of titles that essentially destroy the DS's entire line-up for the first two years of its existence.
Phoenix Wright vs Professor Layton alone trumps all of those types of early adventure games that proved a huge cult success on DS (Trace Memory, Trauma Center, professor Layton, Ace Attorney, etc...); then there is also MGS 3D, Kid Icarus, Resident Evil, and more; it is ****ing crazy! Of course, the games like Brain Age, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart, etc.. Will all be there too, they are effectively synonimous with the brand name "Nintendo" and people will know that updates those games will be available; and they're almost guaranteed to be superior (it's not like Mario, Zelda, or Metroid, where level design can make or break the game; These sorts of games can use the original design, with new features and additions, and be seen as worth the purchase; mario kart can use old tracks 16 new ones, and it's the most wanted Christmas gift). This is the sort of thing I really expect to come about with the Wii successor.
I describe myself as a little dose of toxic masculinity.
