How to Market Online Play

Sega Dreamcast
The first 128-bit console on the market is also the first to include successful online play. With such games as Phantasy Star Online and Unreal Tournament, Sega had a good chance of becoming the console leader. However, did it market the online play properly? I believe the deal was (at one point) that if you signed on for online play you\'d receive an (almost) free Dreamcast. A great deal if you ask me, but a little too late, because the Playstation 2, which also promised online play, was on the horizon.

Sony Playstation 2
As the shiny, blue box opens, you search inside... a system and a controller. No modem. Unfortunately for PS2 users online play had not arrived with the system. Once again, Sony will have to find some way to market their online play if it is to become succesful. They must find an adequate way for users to actually buy a broadband or 56k modem for their already-expensive system. There must also be a fairly good amount of online titles.

Nintendo Gamecube
The company that\'s doing the poorest job in marketing their online play would probably be Nintendo. It\'s just that it doesn\'t seem to be Nintendo\'s highest priority at the moment, and many believe we won\'t be seeing a modem until late 2002, or even the following year. It\'s a shame, because the Gamecube obviously has great liscences that would be a blast to play online (Mario Kart, Perfect Dark, etc.). We shall see at E3 what Nintendo has planned for the online gaming community.

Microsoft X-Box
The "Big M" is on the opposite end of the spectrum from Nintendo. The system will be released with a modem IN THE BOX, an obvious plus for the system, since no add-ons will be required to play online. This is also Microsoft\'s area of expertise, since they have succesfully marketed such online games as Age of Empires and Flight Simulator. So far, X-Box has the greatest potential in the online gaming area.

Final Thoughts
I want you to reply to this topic with either views on how each company is going online, and what you believe would be the proper way to market an online console. For Playstation 2 and Gamecube, the best way to market a modem at this time, would be to include one with a game. Nintendo could easily get the Gamecube online if they were to include a modem with a Mario Kart Online game (like StarFox had a Rumble Pak). Nintendo will have to be very careful, because they don\'t seem very interested in online play, but gamers are.

Nintendo:  Nintendo is the one console that is trying to stay away from being a computer.  That could hurt them, but it will probably help them.  The younger audience probably can\'t afford online play, which would make it fine to not have online play on the NGC. (despite what a lot of people say, the NGC will still be targeted at younger people.  It would be stupid for Nintendo to lose that huge young-people market by trying to be more "adult").

PS2:  The advantage that the PS2 has over other consoles is that they will have Broadband support instead of crappy 56k modems.  I\'m sure this is a huge reason why the online play for the PS2 is taking so long to come out --  Sony is waiting for Broadband to be a little cheaper and more available.  They know that people care about speed in games and hate lag, and they are going to use this as another reason to get a PS2 over other consoles.

A major disadvantage for the PS2 online play, as you said, is that people will probably have to buy it.  One thing Sony could do is sell the modem with a harddrive, or like you said, a game.  If they try to sell each thing seperately (which they probably will ), there online play won\'t be very successful.

Xbox:  The Xbox has potential, but not enough is known about their plans for me to be able to comment on it fairly.  If the Xbox will have Broadband support, than they will have a better chance at knocking the PS2 off of the mountain that it\'s on right now.

While online play is cool, I don\'t want to spend an extra $20 a month for it.  If there was a way to make it so you only had to pay for your ISP, than it would be a lot better.  One really good solution to this that I have heard all over the internet is ads in the game.  They could be on billboards, signs, graffitied on walls, whatever.  Until that happens, I don\'t think I\'ll be getting online play (but anything can happen .  I\'ll just have to wait and see).

Actually, I believe Gamecube, PS2, and X-Box will all have broadband modems. I know that Gamecube will have both a 56k and broadband (sooner or later... probably later).

Xbox will have an ethernet adapter out of box

no modem, and Xbox broadband won\'t be ready till sometime after launch


Nintendo won\'t ship with modem  but will have a slot to attach one. Broadband will be in the futture of all gaming companies


Sony has  a much larger plan, but is handcuffed by availability of Broadband. Not to mention the trials of setting up such a huge network


I\'m not sure what to expect of online console gaming, only thing I can do is wait and see  how it pans itself out

As far as online play goes I don\'t think anyone is at a distinct advantage.

- Nintendo -
Modem available at launch but no games have been announced that will make use of the it. Plus it hasn\'t been finalized whether or not the modem will be included at launch.

- Sony -
Sony\'s biggest challenge is to get thier modem into at least 25% of its installed user base. That alone would classify it as a success. The only problem is that since 100% of all the PS2 will not own a modem it will never be used to its full potential. Big mistake on Sony\'s part.

- Microsoft -
As far as online goes M$ is in the "best" position right now. They have the BB modem packaged in the box which gives the developers something to work with. Thier main problem is that, like an add-on, less than 20% of the people in this country(and even less worldwide) have anything close to BB availability.

That is why Sega did such a good job with their online network. They had a dail-up modem packaged in the box and gave people the option of using BB later on.