| trent44 said:
No more Wii motion+, PS Move, Kinect tacked on to games?! Only having to buy one console for just $249?! $30-$40 Price range on new retail games that provide both a home console and handheld console experience?! Having the option to digitally download any game in the system's library?! This is sounding like a gamers dream!!! If Sony offers a deal that cannot be beat at a time their competitors cannot, then they would cannibalize all handheld and home console markets; leaving them with a larger market share in absolute terms, but also a smaller market share for their competitors in absolute terms. This would also consolidate consumer costs significantally. Being the first mover here is key (to preempt any advantage MS, Apple, or Nintendo could gain) and the Vita is practally there (with just a larger battery and software update). |
Well chances are the console would likely cost at least 500$ if it was a handheld/home console in anywhere similar to what we see today from home consoles. Games would likely cost around 90-100$ or higher due to no handheld version's being sold and many games needing handheld specific controls. I specifically said that downloading every game would be impossible for Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft consoles the games are simply too big and would require a physical version meaning a drive of some sort which would make the console more bulky and add to the price tag.
Yes what you describe is a gamers dream but it is a publisher/manufacturer's nightmare. If publishers and manufacturers turn a smaller profit they could only make cuts. This means fewer games, lower quality games, higher retail prices among many other things. Fact is a lot of developers who make handheld software wouldn't be able to survive either they would be forced to make cheaper independent games. Big budget software would be cut by at least 25% within the first generation for such a console existing.
Also say Sony did do this, they would be sacrificing profits in other products. They would have to be dang sure that those consumers would pick this up rather then a tablet or laptop or competitors game console. Say they did find huge success and totally devoured market share the best case scenario they would drive Microsoft and Nintendo to 6th generation profit margins. But rest assured by the next generation Nintendo and Microsoft would come out fighting and they would come at Sony harder then ever before.
Fact is inevitably a console will exist that is both handheld and home based. No I'm not talking a handheld that can be played on a TV I am talking a console actually built for the purpose of being a home and handheld console at its core. Apple will likely produce such a console in the next 10 years. Judging by all the analysts and industry insiders who predict Apple will own the industry in the next ten years I am guessing this is likely the route they will go.
After Apple enters , Microsoft and Sony will likely follow immediately afterwards if Apple actually starts stealing market share and is successful. Nintendo will hold out the longest as they have the most to lose with such a transition. In the end I don't see all three console manufacturers fully embracing this concept for another three generations.
Nintendo has the most to lose, Sony has the second most and Microsoft has been considering merging their X-Box and Windows together for a while and creating a single device that does everything. But a handheld/home console isn't likely what they had in mind.
-JC7
"In God We Trust - In Games We Play " - Joel Reimer
