@etecoon
I think pachter is just an idiot. But even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Regarding console marketplace, see, a company says, how can we make more money on console gaming.
In the past, this was about having a better performing system that then steals gamers, but it's a variety of factors really.
The right games (first party), the performance, the price. All these kinds of things are what get consumers to pick your console. Now, when it comes to making money on the console, even 3rd party games must give a share to the "console maker". So having a console that sells a lot of games, both first and third party, is great.
In time, this became so important that console makers began taking losses on their console in order to ensure that they had all the checkboxes marked. Stronger, faster, better library. This ensured a steady stream of income through consumer sales, even if they took a loss....on both console AND first party games.
Sony, on top of which, was an interesting case because they were involved with cd and dvd production. So, making consoles made even more sense because they had multiple revenue avenues. The more people with cd players, and dvd players, the more chance to make media sales. On top of which, increasing production of these parts helped lower the costs of their standalone products, chips, transistors, media, ROMs, etc.
MS has similar goals as well. Cloud, online gaming, directX. etc.
Am I alone in thinking MS doesn't NEED a console? I don't think so, and I think MS agrees.
