Originally posted by Lord Nicon
Ginko, you never stated that this is ALL about the the xbox gaining momentum. Mentioned it yes. Ive read what youve said. Nothing is too hard to comprehend. Your point was unclear. Everybody makes this sales thing look like some big stride.
"The Xbox has been on an uprise since release. More developers have signed on since release and the console has steady sales figures. It\'s certainly not tanking so what else could I say than it\'s gaining momentum?"
What\'s unclear about that?
You said:
"The PS2 is the successor the best selling console in history. Did anyone expect MS to take over in 3 years time? Are you out of your mind?"
"Not new to the industry? A new console going up against established console companies...what\'s there to argue?"
Out of my mind? Not at all. You proved a point. Playstation came up against 2 VERY established companies (both being around for not one but two generations before it) and despite coming out in between the two, still dominated, easily. This whole, new to the industry argument holds no water when playstation did this exactly.
Geez, let\'s jump back into the last three years worth of console debate...where have you been? I\'ll get you up to speed.
Sony VS. Nintendo VS. Sega
Sony and Sega both released their 32-bit consoles, in Japan, in 1994. The U.S. later received both of these consoles in 1995.
Sega had previously released several add-ons for the Genesis that amounted to failures that would make any consumer cautious of future purchases, as well as developers. Add to that the Saturn was meant to be the ultimate 2D machine and it wasn\'t until Sega found out what Sony was planning when they decided to modify the Saturn to do 3D. The architecture of the Saturn was a nightmare for developers, not to mention the lauch price of the Saturn was $400 compared to the Playstation\'s $300. A lackluster lineup of launch games and poor developer support didn\'t look good.
Sony released the Playstation. The architecture was simple meaning developers could make the most out of their time and resources, plus it was on a cheap media, the cd. 3rd parties jumped on board. Games became "cool" and the rest is history.
Nintendo released the N64 in 1996. The format was cartridge, an expensive medium, making the Playstation a more attractive choice for develoers. Plus the N64 was more difficult to program for than the PS and Nintendo\'s stance on quality drove some developers away. The launch of the N64, and thereafter, consisted of very few games and much less 3rd party support than the Playstation.
What you have is two established companies making huge errors in judgement that cost them consumer confidence and developer support. Sony made some very good moves and mostly they were in the right place at the right time. They benefitted very largely from Nintendo and Sega\'s mistakes.
Fast forward to today. Sony hasn\'t made any mistakes to cost them developers or customers. The architecture of the PS2 might not be the most friendly but consumers don\'t care so the developers just have to make due. The transition from PS to PS2 is a no brainer for the consumer and the developer.
Nintendo entered this generation with a less than desirable image and they are trying to win back both developers and consumers. They\'ve lost several developers during this generation.
Microsoft enters in under Sony. The fact that they\'ve been able to get the amount of support they have today is amazing. Their developer support has grown since release and the console is still garnering steady sales with occasional spikes. It\'s worth mentioning that the huge market of Japan is flat out ignoring Xbox. They will never accept an American made console. All this while Sony is sprinting ahead and Nintendo is trying to make their comeback.
You are very much mistaken to say that MS entered under the same circumstances as Sony did almost 10 years ago.
