| Nighteyes_1981 said: Actually I'd be suprised if they don't move in a direction similar to Nintendo next generation. Nintendo is the only company making huge profits and eating up the market share. I expect both Sony and Microsoft to scale back the power and size of their systems next gen and make them more mass market than they are now. They'll likely still be more powerful and expensive than Nintendo's system, and still have a mostly hardcore focus though. I don't think there'll be as large a gap next gen though. Microsoft in particular will have to do something to increase intrest in the Xbox, because even though it's been successful this generation, it's beggining to slip and could end up in third place. Which would be embarrassing at the best, and damage faith in the Xbox brand at worst. |
I doubt the 360 will end up being "embarrassing" in NA. I can walk into any Best Buy, GameStop, or CircuitCity and find more software and accessories for that platform than I can for PS3 or Wii. Add to this the fact that many of the people working in those outlets really believe in the 360 as a platform, and it's difficult to walk out of a store with the impression that purchasing a 360 would be a bad idea.
This obviously doesn't hold true in Japan and some parts of "others", but the 360 appears to be firmly entrenched in NA.
Concerning loss of faith in brand, I just don't see that being true for most people. Our favorite console last gen was the PS2, and we have a lot of games for it. We owned a PS1 before that. We never owned an Xbox or a Nintendo console (did own a ColecoVision a long time ago), yet now we own a 360 and a Wii. I think some people really overestimate brand power when it comes to videogame consoles. It's all about the games, which is why I think Sony made a mistake by removing BC from consoles in NA.
