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Khuutra on 12 February 2012
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HappySqurriel said:
Khuutra said:

I reject that reasoning from both of you; based on this generation and others, I have no reason to believe that there's such a thing as carrying over console loyalty for a large crowd. If there was, PS3 wouldn't have taken this long to really get going, and the 360 wouldn't have done as well as it did.

The Wii will not determine the success of the Wii U; the Wii U will determine the success of the Wii U.

I think you both misunderstand what the advantage of having a larger userbase is ... What I'm really talking about is brand loyalty and vendor lock in; and the more generic and interchangeable the products are the more these factors matter.

Regardless of whether you're looking at beverages, vehicles, or household cleaning products people have a demonstrated track record of buying products based on brand loyalty. It can't compensate for releasing a system that is $200 too expensive, or to protect you against a much more exciting and inovative product that has been released to specifically target a large portion of your userbase, but it can sway people to buy your system when all other factors are practically equal.

I simply have never been presented a convincing argument for brand loyalty in the context of video games. It didn't help the N64, it didn't really help the Super Nintendo, it damn sure didn't help the PS3, it wasn't what propped up the DS or the Wii.

From what I can discern, brand loyalty in the gaming sphere takes a firm backseat to compelling software. For most gamers, the brands might as well not exist.