I changed my mind. Earlier I thought that consoles should only launch around christmas season but here is what I am thinking now.
The good about launching in quarter 1
-If the console succeeds in quarter 1 then you can build that momentum throughout the holidays with more games
-If the console is a flop in quarter 1 you have until christmas to come out with some good games to increase demand
-If the console flops in quarter 1 you could lower the price by christmas to increase quantity demanded
-early adopters will buy the system no matter what time of the year it is
-the casual gaming market buys during the holidays so you want your product as good as possible by the first holiday
-If the console has a bad first holiday that USUALLY spells doom for that console so you want to get that right
-time to improve ui before casuals swoop in the market
Some bad things about quarter 1
-If your console totally flops you risk not having enough early adopters to help more games come to the system but that shouldnt be a problem with the big 3
-You will not launch alongside some big third party games
What do you guys think? I think some companies are better off launching in spring and others in the winter. Depends on your confidence in the system and what trade offs and opprotunity costs associated with launching at a particular time.
Edit: I'm trying to act calm for you guys I want a serious discussion!
