360 to own Holiday 2009 (but only just)

Christmas is the definitive time of year for developers, publishers and console makers. It’s make or break for all the hyped up games and consoles vying for places underneath Christmas trees and festive stockings this holiday season. After months and months of foreplay, carefully teasing their exclusives and sharing some choice multi-format exchanges, the pants come off in November and things really start to get wild. So, who’s going to end up on top this time?

Nintendo has all but bowed out of the hardcore gaming market this year, with a horrifically sparse line-up buoyed only by a price cut to USD 200 in the US, a new bundle including Wii Sports Resort and a Motion Plus pack for the usual GBP 180 in the UK and a new black model. It’ll sell by the ton, certainly, but it’s all eyes on Sony and Microsoft this Christmas as we prepare to enter a new decade.

The PS3’s come on very strong this year. It’s shed a ton of weight, slimming down to a svelte new figure - a marked improvement over previous form. The branding is also much improved: a good example being the substitution of the last-minute brain-dead Spider-man rip-off 'PlayStation 3' font, for the curvy 'PS3' logo. Additionally, it’s got the capacity to cope with every game you throw at it now, with 120GB and 250GB models now phasing out the ‘Fats’ for good. Plenty of room for game installs, music and all the porn you could ever possibly need.

An even bigger draw this year is that of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Naughty Dog’s mouth-wateringly gorgeous masterpiece, arguably one of the first games to truly take advantage of the PS3’s raw power and provide an experience of which the 360 isn’t capable.

The UK is currently getting some stellar bundles, with Amazon offering a 250GB PS3 with Uncharted 2 for GBP 285, with the option of an additional title for just GBP 15, giving gamers everything they need (bar a HDMI cable) for 300 notes.

Gamestation is offering a 250GB PS3 with Uncharted 2, and either FIFA 10, Need for Speed: SHIFT or SmackDown vs. RAW 2010 for an even cheaper GBP 285. Supermarket chain Asda is offering a cheaper alternative in-store, GBP 217 for a 120GB model with any Top 30 game.

In the US, however, the 250GB model has not yet been released and it’s down to the 120GB model and a distinct lack of bundles to fight off the might of the 360. It’s already good value at USD 299, and if retailers can capitalise on Uncharted 2 and Modern Warfare 2, the PS3 is finally comparable on a pricing level to the 360.

The 360, however, is really making the budget impact this Christmas, especially in the UK where the Elite is going bundle mad at the GBP 200 mark. Amazon currently has the console on its own for GBP 189, and the option of two selected titles for just GBP 10 extra.

One of these is a Wireless Entertainment Pack containing an extra wireless black pad, LEGO Batman and Pure: maybe not the best games in the world, but reasonable value. Combined with the excellent Forza Motorsport 3, you’ve got yourself hundreds of hours of gaming for under GBP 200.

In the US, Amazon offer up 360 Elites with the LEGO Batman/Pure pack for USD 300, directly matching the PS3’s price while offering games and an extra pad to sweeten the deal. It’s not quite as effective as some of the UK’s bundles, but it’s an eye-catching offer that ups the ante.

At the higher end of the market, Microsoft is pushing out a new Super Elite model at GBP 250, featuring a 250GB hard drive, an extra pad and either Forza 3 or a specially branded Modern Warfare 2 model, complete with the Standard Edition of the soon-to-be megahit. Priced at USD 400 in the US, it’s directly lined up to compete against 250GB PS3 when it arrives.

The Super Elite is a bundle designed to hit Sony where it hurts, packing in a larger hard drive, an extra controller and one of this Christmas season’s must-have titles. The Modern Warfare 2 bundle in particular is going to attract a hell of a lot of attention, as the original game sold far better on 360 than on PS3, attracting new gamers caught by the hype and the hardcore fanboys determined to make the upgrade.

The 250GB PS3 with Uncharted 2: Among Thieves offers gamers a terrific system, chock full of potential and a game that truly realises the potential of the Cell, finally at a competitive pricepoint. With built-in WiFi, internet features, Blu-Ray support and a decent, free online service, GBP 285/USD 400 is a great price for a fully-featured, all-inclusive system. It’s already shifted plenty of systems, even if the game itself hasn’t set the charts alight.

We predict, however, that the 360 will come out on top this Christmas for two very simple reasons: the price, and Modern Warfare 2. Even with Moneygeddon all but over with for many countries, people are hungrier for bargains than ever before. With a cost and smart bundling advantage over the PS3, gamers and parents will see Microsoft’s ageing console as greater value for money.

Even though it doesn’t take into account concerns like paying for Xbox Live, WiFi adapters or Play and Charge kits, just under GBP 200/USD 300 for a console with a handful of games appeals to people’s sense of immediate frugality – no matter how much it ends up costing them down the line.

More importantly, however, Modern Warfare 2 is likely to dominate gaming when it releases on 10 November, and it will do so primarily on Xbox 360. As numerous and hardcore as the PS3 Call of Duty fans are, 360 Modern Warfare fans massively outnumber them.

If the Modern Warfare 2 Super Elite lives up to its Limited Edition statues, it will sell out at an astonishing rate to both newcomers and upgraders alike. Modern Warfare 2, should it find itself bundled with 360 Elite’s at GBP 200/USD 300, it could utterly wipe the floor with the PS3 – especially in the US.

Also worthy of note is the exclusivity deal between Take Two and Microsoft that sees 360 owners being the sole beneficiaries of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City. GTA is probably the biggest franchise in videogames right now and the substantial content on offer in this double add-on pack will sway many towards 360.

This Christmas it will be a very close race between the two formats: much closer than last year. The PS3 is likely gain a lot of momentum thanks to its lower price and Uncharted 2, but the 360 will win out as the decade draws to a close, and we look forward to the massive Q1 2010 crush.

http://www.gameswire.net/news/360-to-own-holiday-2009-but-only-just_457.html