As the next generation of video games consoles all make their first trip around the 1 year mark, I'm noticing that the console makers are all leaving their mark early on.
Microsoft was the late comer with it's original Xbox. Not to be trusted early on, the deliverance of the Xbox 360 has cemented their powerful feet in gamer land. They are here to stay. They're doing just about everything right. They have a working online presence that can only get better.
Nintendo has never really put up a huge fight for the living room. They were lonely kings once before, but since Sony and the PS1, things have never been the same. With the Wii, they decided to forget the living room battle and go for the people that are in it. The problem is going to be the hardcore gamers. But with Nintendo's quality titles that come out, most gamers won't have a problem dropping $250 for a console to play Mario, Zelda, and Metroid.
Sony. Sony was the Microsoft of yesteryear. Two generations ago, the PS1 killed Nintendo and stole all their gamers. The PS2 made a mockery of that fact. But towards the end of the life cycle of the PS2, there wasn't much of a difference in the games besides the exclusive titles that made each console special. Developers tried to make games a little different for each console, hoping not to piss off either Xbox or PlayStation camps. Now with the launch of the PS3, Sony seems to be having difficulties. The cost is huge. They've already dropped one version of their console from the market (the 20GB HD version). There aren't any games driving purchases even 7 months after launch. Now at E3, Sony is calling the 60GB HD version dead after Summer. Their entire launch line up of consoles will be gone less than a year after launch, replace with one expensive 80GB HD version. The hi-def generation of consoles dictates that console makers must have at least two versions of hardware, so most likely Sony will release a 120GB HD console to replace the $699 slot.
Sony seems to be the only console maker floundering for sales. Microsoft, even after a year plagued with hardware failures, is selling well. Nintendo, catering to non-gamers, is selling 6-to-1 on the PS3 in Japan. This is all really surprising considering Sony has the superior console. And I can't believe that the price alone is making things difficult. I just wonder how long, if at all, it will take for Sony to start putting consoles into peoples houses and getting back into the game.
Now, there is a chance that none of this is true. Overseas executives have a history of spilling beans that they've never eaten before. They either don't know what their talking about or get corrected by the home office. Another dirty ploy could be to release a statement about discontinued hardware to sell more consoles.
Regardless of what happens, the story is out there. Gamers are tuned in. If it's true, we'll all think Sony is nuts. If it's false, we'll all still think Sony is nuts. Then, two years later, we'll all go out and buy a used PS3 and realize that console wars are stupid and that we just want to play awesome games.
Link: Kotaku: Say What? 60GB PS3 Being Taken Out to Pasture
