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thismeintiel on 10 September 2011
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Seece said:
thismeintiel said:

You are a fanboy. 

And while the PS brand was strong after the PS1&2, price will almost always win out.  Especially in a recession.  I doubt anyone would believe for even a second that the 360 would still be 2nd place right now if the PS3 had only launched with a $50-$100 price difference, even with a 360 year head start.  The US chose a cheaper price tag with a similar library.  However, the Xbox preference will not be set in stone for next gen.  In the end, it is really MS who is going to have to prove they are the superior buy next gen.  Sony will undoubtedly have great 1st party support ready for launch and, if history continues to repeat itself, really good HW to back it up.  MS, on the otherhand, has probably spent more money on timed exclusives for this gen than they did on buying/building 1st party studios that will help them next gen.  A Halo from a non-Bungie studio has yet to prove itself and GeOW isn't going to be there next gen.

You're half right, at the start of the gen price did dictate whether 360 would outsell PS3 in NA, now, no, it's actually the prefered console, you know, that is possible that people favour it over the PS3 given they're so 'similar'

To add, yes MS will have the advantage next gen in America, they've built upa  very loyal base that actually bought the 360 becaused they wanted to, not based solely on price.

And I'm sure Sony thought it had a loyal fanbase after it released the PS1 and PS2, as well.  Or Nintendo felt that way after releasing the NES.  The truth is only the very hardcore gamer remains loyal to their brand onto the next gen.  Because of what this site offers, we see many here, which can lead one to believe that there are many more than actually exist.  But, ~80-85% of people who bought either system don't really care what brand they have.  Sure, they'll have their preferences this gen, as with any gen, but they aren't loyalists.  They looked at sticker price and the games on the shelves and bought what appealed to them the most.  So, next gen is like a clean slate for them. 

Which is the reason I bring up the launch prices and 1st party games.  I have full confidence that the PS4 and NeXbox are going to be very comparable in terms of power/specs and features.  However, this time so will the prices.  Maybe a $50 difference.  I don't see Sony giving them much more than a 6 month lead.  And 3rd party support will be near identical for at least the first few years, as I doubt MS will want to repeat the same strategy and buy timed exclusives.  So, a lot is going to come down to 1st party exclusives.  Sony has quite a few proven 1st party developers, MS not so much.  I can also see Sony having a few new IP's in the launch window, maybe a few old ones, while MS will probably mostly rely on a new Halo, maybe a Forza.