Impulsivity said:
Thats not really true, at least the Sony part. Sony has always been hardcore at the start, everyone at the end. When the Playstations first come out they sell less and sell to a hardcore gamer market, then the price drops and they end as casual machines. I guarantee you very very few of the half a million people who buy a 129 dollar PS2 every month are buying it because they're "hardcore" gamers. Home, Little Big Planet and other releases will do a lot to join with Sing Star and other games like that to bring the PS3 down to casual gamers, especially when the price heads south of 300 dollars. The Xbox is the hardcore only machine, there are very very few sales from anyone who doesn't play things like call of duty, halo and the rest, just like the original xbox never expanded beyond that demographic (hence the low sales). I don't see that changing any time soon especially when their big games for this year are action games and FPS games only. The 360 arcade costs about the same as the Wii and STILL noone buys it, casuals just don't buy MS gamerboy consoles, period. As for the Wii I agree that it is the casual choice, they basically started at the PS2 stage of things and didn't even try to compete for the hardcore (as they had with the gamecube) which was a good move for them. They were always an uneasy fit with hardcore gamers anyway so starting cheap and going casual works well for the kind of games they make.
|
Still the confusion in what we want to call the non-hardcore gamers. Hardcore gamers are easy to define. But grouping the larger population of non-hardcore gamers into just one other category doesn't work as well.
There are the PS2 casuals of last gen that liked a lot of fun games like whether true casual or casual enough, like GTAs, which could be fun without working too hard in playing the game. But even the PS2 didn't capture the ultra-casual that the Wii is getting. The older adults and more females.
PS3 will capture those players who are, let's say, hardcore on the cheap, waiting for the price to drop for the hardware, but just as importantly, for the software. One way is to buy used, but there is always that risk of buying a non-functioning PS3 or software. Some casuals, let's call them PS2-casuals, will also buy PS3 if enough non-hardcore games make it to the PS3.
But, Sony had better hurry if they don't want to lose those players to Nintendo's Wii. As more and more games come out on the Wii, there is bound to be one or two that appeal to that crowd. Also, I think it is easier for Wii to come out with a hardcore game that gets a few hardcore to buy the system. Hardcore are willing to pay the extra to have 2 or all 3 consoles. After all, if you can afford the $600 to buy the PS3 when it first came out, what's $250 more?
I see Nintendo in the driver's seat this generation. And penetrating hardcore better than Sony or MS will sell to the PS2 casuals, much less the ultra-casuals.
@ theprof00
Imagine a console that was in most retirement homes. Hospitals would have it for a fun way to retrain muscles and limbs that need to learn how to function again. Every radio show contest and school raffle are giving them away. Office break rooms have them because it is quick stress relief.
None of these systems will ever hold more than 3 games in its disc reader.
You're right from the standpoint that the agency (retirement home, hospital, etc) will not buy more than a couple of games for the Wii. But wrong from how many games that will be with those systems. Already there are lots of stories about game gifts being made by those who know others in those places or no longer are there, but wanted to give a 'thank you' gift to those that still are.
Torturing the numbers. Hear them scream.
