| Veknoid_Outcast said: That's just semantics. It's shrinking. And instead of trying to bring in new customers Sony and Microsoft are doubling down on their current loyal fanbase. Why bring in a few more folks to spend $60 on a game when we can get our loyalists to spend $250 via season passes and collectors editions. And look at "Neo" and Scorpio - not exactly what the average Joe is asking for. The mere existence of mid-gen upgrades is evidence enough console manufacturers know this is an increasingly unreliable market. As for your advice on NX, I completely agree. It should be priced around $200. That lowers the barrier for fans of all ages and incomes, invites in new and old fans, allows Nintendo to focus on what really matters - software - and stimulates the industry. |
I don't think we have evidences to claim it is shrinking right now. Even after announcing Neo and not cutting the price of the PS4, Sony still managed to be up YoY on hardware. X1 is falling a bit, but that's more akin to the effect the PS1 had on the N64: the large lead started to make the other console lose steam.This gen already sold almost 80m units, with the leading console tracking above the PS2, another respectable number. Saying it will simply fall off a cliff from nothing is pure speculation until we have some evidence. We still have the NX coming that would increase this numbers even further. This gen will definitively be above the 6th and has a reasonable chance of beating gen 7.
Your point about the increase on DLCs, season passes and such are not related to a decrease in software sales. Most franchises are seeing their highest numbers right now, like GTA did. But games on the PS2 times would cost 15m to make. Modern games can cost 10 times that. As it isn't reasonable to count with a 10 times increase in sales, you have to grab cash using other methods.
Mid-gen upgrades are more related to a response to the competition. PS360 had a terrible last 2 years, with several high profile games failing. You could buy low end GPUs that would outmatch these devices. A Neo or Scorpio could make these consoles last longer and help late adopters. You say they are aimed at the hardcore players, but I believe that they are more intended to the end of the gen, with the current SKUs discontinued and the upgraded hardware being cheaper and not looking so outdated to late adopters.
| Ganoncrotch said: Aye you know if you turn the brightness all the way down and of course mute the system then the battery will last a considerable amount longer... not as long as if the screen was off entirely of course... just... don't make the facepalm moment mistake I did once mid game, cos ya know... turning off the wifi on the vita really saves battery life... *cough* |
Yeah, it's what I did. Now I have 2 DS4 so it's really not necessary anymore. I did some tweaking on my Wireless network and it actually improved a lot. Played Arkham Knight tonight for 2 hours using remote play and had very few hiccups.
| curl-6 said: Pretty much; nobody is going to pay $300 or more for an NX instead of a PS4. However, a lot of people would pay $200 for an NX to complement their PS4. Their best shot is to position it as a cheap secondary system. |
They had two paths:
- Create a hardware on-par powerwise to PS4/X1 and rely on third party support. Would be a expensive console and, if 3rd parties bailed out, something very likely, they would end up with another expensive box with no games.
- Create a cheaper device, forget 3rd parties and use an aggressive pricing. Works as secondary console and to kids (cheap parents). Wouldn't depend on anyone except Nintendo itself.
A big flop for the NX could put them in a hard situation, so the second alternative seems more controlled. Even if it doesn't shatter worlds, moving 60m units or such, would already give a good profit with their software. And even this number would be pretty low, less than what Wii U and 3DS achieved. I'm not saying it will sell just that, but that this path allows them to get good profits without selling gangbusters. Creating a "PS4" that lacks the first 3 years of games and doesn't have guaranteed 3rd party support is a sizeable gamble.
