Biggest failure of a console

[Vectorman0]

@ Aswald

I remember reading through an issue of Electronic Games back in 1984 where they put the Atari 7800 through its paces. They reviewed the console and all 18 games that were going to be launched with it. Throughout the entire article, I found their enthusiasm to be lukewarm at best. With that kind of attitude permeating through the story, you could tell the Atari 7800 was going to have a rocky experience throughout its life cycle right from the start.

I don't remember which month the issue came out. I sure would like to read a scan of it somewhere.

What was EG enthusiastic about back then, around the same time?

[Rob2600]

360 has it's flaws, but IN NO WAY is a failure, games sell, best online gaming experience, and many other great features. If the system was a true failure, it either would have only lasted a few years

Try finding a properly functioning Xbox 360 ten years from now.

[tom]

Good thing about DC was that the gaming library of good titles outweight the not-so-good/bad titles. That's rare with any given console, especially from Japan.

[BetaWolf47]

As a collector, I consider Xbox 360 to be a failure. Let's compare here. Most people here hate any sort of downloadable content. It doesn't have any face value, and if it has DRM, it's gone if something goes wrong.

When I buy a system, I want to be able to keep playing it a decade down the road. There's no guarantee that an Xbox 360 I buy will always be working. If something isn't going to be around in 10 years, it's worthless to begin with.

[Rickstilwell1]

Try finding a properly functioning Xbox 360 ten years from now.

Unless the redesign fixes things. (Crosses fingers)

[ConsoleAddict]

What was EG enthusiastic about back then, around the same time?

PC Gaming!

[Aswald]

@ Aswald

I remember reading through an issue of Electronic Games back in 1984 where they put the Atari 7800 through its paces. They reviewed the console and all 18 games that were going to be launched with it. Throughout the entire article, I found their enthusiasm to be lukewarm at best. With that kind of attitude permeating through the story, you could tell the Atari 7800 was going to have a rocky experience throughout its life cycle right from the start.

I don't remember which month the issue came out. I sure would like to read a scan of it somewhere.

I have both the Electronic Games and Electronic Fun issues from that time.

I don't think there were 18 games for it; maybe a dozen at best- and except for Galaga and Desert Falcon (which wasn't even properly named yet!), the games had all appeared on the 5200. Some just a year earlier!

The review was actually favorable, calling the 7800's abilities the best out there for a console, but- and I cannot stress this enough!- the attitude that "video gaming is dead; computers are the future," put forth by nerds and know-nothing marketers, was already a self-fufilling prophesy. If not for Nintendo and the NES, it's unlikely that, beyond homebrewers like Opcode and Newcoleco, and hardware pros like Sean Kelly, there would even be anything after 1984. This is probably why you remember the "lukewarm" part- they mentioned this.

I bought the thing in 1988. By then, the NES was solidly #1, only the VCS had it beat in its own time. They had little access to popular games, and some, like Double Dragon, were inferior to the SMS and NES versions overall. Dark Chambers was NOT going to match Guantlet for those systems. Joust and Xevious, as well as DK and DKJr., were on the NES anyway. I bought it mainly for Joust; I did not know it would soon be on the NES.

In fact, had the CV version been completed and released, as well as Dig Dug and Pac-Man, I would not have bought the 7800. The 7800 version is great, but- so is the NES version. And the CV version was close to them.

At no point did I ever get the feeling the Tramiels were really trying. Every time it looked as though it might work- Tower Toppler and Crossbow- they would crash and burn the whole works.

So the 7800 had to deal with the NES' popularity, crummy incompetence, and gamers with a bad feeling from the abandonment of the 5200. The 7800 cartridges and instructions were often cheap-looking, and the whole operation had "second-rate half-baked" written all over it.

I prefer my 5200 (especially since NOW it completely works- after 12 years!) over the 7800. Wonder what versions of Joust and Dig-Dug, as well as Xevious and Pole Position, it could really do...

[Auto-Fox]

As a collector, I consider Xbox 360 to be a failure. Let's compare here. Most people here hate any sort of downloadable content. It doesn't have any face value, and if it has DRM, it's gone if something goes wrong.

When I buy a system, I want to be able to keep playing it a decade down the road. There's no guarantee that an Xbox 360 I buy will always be working. If something isn't going to be around in 10 years, it's worthless to begin with.

FINALLY someone who agrees with me!

That said, I'd say the biggest failure of a game console thus far would have to be the Xavix.
What's the Xavix, you might ask?
Exactly.
The Xavix was an early motion-control console from the PS2/XBOX/Gamecube era. It relied on a series of peripherals for control, but apparently had decent responsiveness.
Of course, despite its advanced technology, it was pretty much marketed only as a fitness device, and thus nobody bought it, really.

[buzz_n64]

Xbox 360- is the #10 best selling console of all time worldwide 39 million systems sold, outselling the Genesis/Mega Drive and PS3.
Small portion of it's games are download only, mainly indie games. Plus the other current gen systems all have it as well.
The new slim console has fixed red ring of death issue, no longer an excuse for calling it a failure.
It is the preferred console for online gaming.
People don't buy it primarily as a media player like they do with the PS3, for it's Blu-ray.
Quit bitching Xbox haters, you want it to be a failure, but you damn well know it's not.

[ConsoleAddict]

Xbox 360- is the #10 best selling console of all time worldwide 39 million systems sold, outselling the Genesis/Mega Drive and PS3.
Small portion of it's games are download only, mainly indie games. Plus the other current gen systems all have it as well.
The new slim console has fixed red ring of death issue, no longer an excuse for calling it a failure.
It is the preferred console for online gaming.
People don't buy it primarily as a media player like they do with the PS3, for it's Blu-ray.
Quit bitching Xbox haters, you want it to be a failure, but you damn well know it's not.

Yeah, so it's O.K. to be an Xbox 360 fanboy? The hypocrisy from people like yourself is pathetic.

[camarotuner]

Guys it was a *business* argument. I rip at the 360 because from a business standpoint it has been a terrible misfire from MS and wall street seems to agree with me on this. Bloomberg's just wrote an article ripping the company a new one over their entertainment division and a lot are now viewing it as a liability. Their stock is down almost 20 dollars year to date. It's now valued at less than Sony's. Ultimately business failures are about MONEY. No system on this list has cost a company more money than the 360 has cost Microsoft. In the end, that's all that really matters if we are arguing failed systems.

But it's turned into a fanboy argument. You guys have fun with that. I'm out. If anyone who was doing the fun back and forth debate about the business aspects wants to continue, PM me, the counter-argument using the Genesis is interesting.

[Arkhan]

wow really? there are still people here who thing the ps3 is a better *game* console? i mean its fighting really hard TODAY to even compete w/ the 360, but a year or two ago? man the 360 was just decimating sony. hell i doubt sony will ever surpass MS in this generation. we'll see though.

this is is coming from a guy who has both consoles, and is a complete ps1 fanboy. i dont hate sony by any means, hell i own 3 psps with like 90 games!

To me it is a better game console. The games I like are all there. Where is Metal Gear Solid and Time Crisis for 360?

FF13 was better on PS3. Folklore? Street Fighter on anything but a sony machine these days is lolsauce.

heavenly sword, dantes inferno, etc. etc.

I don't see the problem. Alot of peoples love for the 360 stems from the Live content and the stupid gamerscore and achievements BS that allows them to interact with the "community" full of yelling goons and pissy 12 year olds. Online multiplayer gaming's ground wasn't really broken by the 360. That concept has been in full swing since the glory days of PC gaming... and at least on the PC you dont have to HEAR the idiots.

Like I said, I sold my 360 years ago because I played/beat 2 games on it and then got bored. There are enough exclusives on the ps3 to warrant a purchase now, and more to come even. If there are enough games that the combined cost is > system cost, it's doing fine.

What does the 360 have that really sets it apart other than mass-pleasing shooters/empty action games, and games that are also on PC or PS3?

I guess if my computer didn't run the same games, better, I would have more love for the 360.

and maybe if I loved waving my e-dick around with a gamerscore card.

Everything the 360 fans praise the 360 for is alot of "been there, done that".

at least my computer doesn't RROD.

that being said, I am buying a 360 again. There are finally some games that I'd like to play, and I might as well dick off with XNA programming again while I am at it.

[BHvrd]

The Jaguar killed Atari's already damaged reputation AND ruined the company once and for all. I would have to say, because of that, the Jaguar is the single biggest company-affecting failure in the industry, ever.

Topic over after the first reply.

[ConsoleAddict]

These items aren't consoles, they are handhelds. However, you wonder how the inferior Game Boy was able to trounce both the Atari Lynx and the Sega Game Gear for so many years.

Granted, both handhelds may have been hurt by the lack of games vs. the Game Boy as well as their higher prices but why were people content to play green and black games that were sometimes difficult to see over the more superior consoles?

At least Sega tried hard to get people to see the light with their commercials. It seemed like the Game Gear was on the verge of eating away at Nintendo's handheld market share but it never happened. I'm vexed on how the Game Gear wasn't more successful.

[Aswald]

The Neo-Geo was mentioned here earlier, but isn't that an unusual situation? From what I can tell, wasn't the "home console" simply the arcade machine without all of the fancy hardware? This was why home versions were the same as arcade versions- the game itself was the same?

This made it very expensive, but it was aimed at a niche market- those who had the many hundreds to spend for the games (if not thousands).

Given this, wouldn't the only question be not so much numbers sold- it was probably one of the least-numerous home consoles sold because of the price- but whether or not it, in the arcade and home formats, made the company money?

Did it, by the way?

[Coptur]

Personally, I couldn't stand the N64. The polygon style graphics look like vomit.

[Arkhan]

Personally, I couldn't stand the N64. The polygon style graphics look like vomit.

they mimic the shape of the controller.

[Rob2600]

Personally, I couldn't stand the N64. The polygon style graphics look like vomit.

Many N64 games - like Conker's Bad Fur Day, Wave Race 64, Mortal Kombat 4, and Rayman 2 - still look very good today.

[Poofta!]

Your individual experience doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I owned a 360 for a little over a year and a half and went through four systems. Does that make me think all of them broke? No, but it's pretty clear from reports online the system has a high failure rate. And you're making a very ignorant statement to think that it's some small vocal minority. It doesn't mean the system is a failure, but when that can retract from sales from people who consider the risk too high - you have a problem.

actually im agreeing with you. experience varies. i simply stated mine. i am not ignorant to the failure rate (and neither is microsoft - they extended the warranty twice, and pretty much everyone can get their RRoD fixed for free).

Further more, why are discounting the Xbox Live price? You might be able to find a year subscription for $35 if you're a smart shopper, hell if you wanted you easily pull off never paying if you simply took advantage of the many ways to get free month cards, but that doesn't take away from the fact that 95% of the time you walk into a brick and mortar store the price is $50.

B&M stores are important, of course, but how many people, gamers, use the internet? especially a demographic as hardcore as teh 360's. do you think these people never heard of amazon.com? c'mon. fact is, online the sub is 35$, its simple and easy to find.

The Wii isn't competing with the PS3 or 360? People still feed into that bullshit? What is Kinect and Move? They are attempts to capitalize and compete on the Wii's market. When internal funds are moved to focus on these products it goes to show that yes they are competing and in fact they got man handled by Nintendo because the market changed and they didn't adapt accordingly.

the wii ISNT competing w/ 360/ps3... the 360/ps3 are beginning to try to compete with the the wii. they feel (properly) that since such a large amount of people have both (a wii and a ps3/360), why not have people just own their system, if they can provide a wii-like experience? i dont see nintendo coming out with a GoW (gear or god!) and halo/killzone clones and boosting their graphic horsepower...

Furthermore, since when is the 360 such a huge cash cow? The entire Xbox brand hasn't been profitable until (finally) the past year or two. Although that has been Microsoft's choice in order to penetrate the market that doesn't necessarily make the system an undeniable success. Is it a failure? Not even close. I'm not arguing that, but I've read this thread and you clearly have a biased opinion on the matter, not to mention posts filled with inaccurate information.

well the 360 has hardware problems (rrod) that prevented it from being profitable from day one. if it wasnt for that, the 360 would been profitable from day 1. MS rushed the console to market and it paid off (even with all the replacements)

Stop taking people's opinions personally and acting like a child.

now now, that was unnecessary. dont be a jerk

im not biased, i buy every good ps3 exclusive and enjoy it as much as every 360 one. the 360 simply has a better community online, which to me, means a lot, so obviously i will prefer it over the ps3.

[Poofta!]

@ Poofta

You may not be a teenager but you sure type like one. Honestly, what adult types everything in lower-case? Or are you 12?

its faster. ive been typing like this for years. last time i checked im not at work and no longer in school. why cant i relax and just type? id rather keep it uniform lower case than miss a punctuation mark or capital and make it look even worse.

Small portion of it's games are download only, mainly indie games. Plus the other current gen systems all have it as well.

plus, these games are games that otherwise would never see a console release.

mass-pleasing

thats all it takes.


i wont start listing games because its silly. if you cant find a great exclusive game on the 360, or a multiplatform game thats better on the 360, im just at awe.