Maybe I'm dumb but I don't get? Explain it please.

Try telling venture capitalists that install base isn't important. Good luck on getting your project funded.

Sorry - I think on RE4, Mikami said he would never allow it to be ported to PS2. The game sold very well for a Gamecube game.

About 6 months later, the PS2 version was released and it outsold the Gamecube sales in a few months and sold 1.8 mil copies for PS2 less than a year later.

I'll do a quick ninja edit on my rant on the last statement. :)

 Yeah but back to his original point, it doesn't mean that eidos makes better games. Eidos has made many generic games and assited in final fantasy ports and so forth. THey have kept the money flowing. But you also have to compare how many games has tecmo done recently as well. How are they rated?

Showing how much more eidos has sold to imply that there are a better company is akin to showing how many more PS2's were sold in comparison to the gamecube. 

My point was not that they produced better games but that they made better business decisions ...

That should show some people that a game can sell better on a weaker system if it has a good install base. Everyone know that the GC verison of the game looked way better than the PS2 version.

 But what is everyone here debating about here? How companies make better business choices or the strength and merit of thier games. Color me lost here, but as a gamer I am glad a dev stepped up and say that using an installed base as a deciding factor is not for a company who is sure that their titles will sell regaurdless of market share. That show's an incredible amount of pride and confidence in their work... despite whatever system he is talking about and it makes it clear how some companies seem to milk the largest install base.

Now as gamers i think everyone commenting on this board should be happy of what he is saying becuase it is becoming increasingly evident as the gaming market is growing that multiplatform ports and games made just milk large install base do more to harm this industries growth amoung existing and new consumers then to help it. 

This is why so many people have started taking stock in sequels and popular named titles because there is a high chance that new IP from most companies turns out to be uninspired drivel. 

Not really sure about that - I think multiplatform titles are really the best choice for gamers. That means that gamers don't have to own more than one or two consoles to enjoy a variety of games.

I'm sure console makers hate it and developers also hate porting to other platforms or scaling down a game to a lower tech platform, but if you're a gamer who is responsible for your own financial status, multiplatform games are really the best choice.

Can you really say that? To notice the drop in quality obviously means that there are exclusives out there that show what a game should look and play like without playing to a common denominator. I think there really shouldn't be multiplatform titles, just titles geared to each system. There should be no system envy if it works that way. I find it a amazing that more gamers aren't offended at watered down games.

EDIT: welcome! I just noticed you were new. 

Wrong analogy...

The Wii v.s. the Xbox 360/PS3, on the other hand is different. Most of the games in PS3 and Xbox 360 have waaay better graphics than the Wii, of course, but, those graphics can be easily downgraded to  the Wii.

Unlike the N64 -> GBA comparison, the GBA doesn't have real 3D capabilities AT ALL, making it incapable of most 3D gameplay, whereas the Wii can do most, if not all, of 3D gameplay the Xbox 360 and PS3 can, although the 3D graphics will be watered down. Textures can be down-sized, the poly-count can be lowered, and the lighting can be made less intense - with the gameplay intact.

My point is, as there may be some games that CANNOT be ported to the Wii from the Xbox 360/PS3 (this is rare), most of the games can be ported with gameplay intact, although it is harder than porting from Xbox 360 to PS3.  As much as the Wii is weak, its gap from the 360 is not as large as the gap between N64/GC and GBA.

 The question though, is if the developers are up to it :).