Just curious is all. I got to thinking about why it might very well be impossible for PS3 to catch the 360/Wii this gen even with a price cut, and one idea stood out in my mind. Regardless of how powerful a console is, or how much of a price cut they eventually give it, there is something else that drives consumers when purchasing a console more than any marketing or hype...

People like to play video games with their friends. Period. If there are a 100 million Wii/360/Ps3's in circulation as we speak, and only 21 million of those 100 million are PS3's and mainstream/casual gamers that don't yet own a current gen console want to be able to play with their friends then how many of them will buy a PS3 even if it was $299? Are these potential buyers not more likely to purchase the system that most of their friends have?

Am I completely wrong, or is it safe to assume that getting a fast start for a particular generation is very important, and almost essential to long-term success? Has any console ever started out way behind after 2 years and then turned it around over the next 2-3 years? Is it due to my above mentioned theory of console sales snow-balling due to mainstream gamers wanting to own what their friends own?

Also, I realize that most of the people that visit this forum are hardcores, so what drives you to purchase a console is surely much different than what entices Timmy from down the street to buy a console. 

What are your thoughts?

It was never necessarily behind the other consoles, but the original Playstation started out fairly slowly.

DS, SNES that I know of

The SNES started out relatively slowly. I'm not sure if it was ever behind though.

No... it hasn't happened really.

I mean consoles have launched later then the first and won... but nothing like a slow start.

The ps3 probably will catch 360 but is unlikely to catch the wii unless it really holds out for a 10 year cycle and sees a phenomenal increase with a price cut.

Well the Gensis was launched waaay before it.  So... kinda.

Of course the Gensis was also getting it's ass handed to it by the NES for a while hence the SNES didn't need to come out.

Ps1 , Ps2 , SNES.

i think they're is more tho.

All three of those systems started off fast out of the gate.

What are you talking about?

Desite being released like two years later the SNES was tied with the Gensis half a year after it's NA release.  Before the SNES even released in europe.

I'd believe the PS2 started out fast (I think it sold a million in Japan in 3 days), but the PS1? It started off even more slowly than the PS3. As for America and Europe, I'd love to see some evidence for the PS1 starting off quickly in those regions. I'd actually appreciate the sources. And with the SNES, well...impress me.