What current system do you feel is 'losing the battle"

[swlovinist]

With E3 going on right now, the public is going to see where each current system is going with their gaming. With the current consoles being out now for over a year and a half,(PS2 a year more) What system do you feel is going in the wrong direction? Feel free to be passionate and speak your mind, that is what this country is all about!!!

[digitalpress]

@swlovinist: hope you don't mind - I turned your thread into a poll. It just seemed very appropriate!

[Six Switch]

I know both Xbox and GCN are losing money so it is between them for me.I am having more fun with my Xbox so I am gonan go with GCN,but not by much.

[digdug]

I think that Sony is going in the wrong direction. Yes I know they have outsold the other two by a large marign, but they have had the most problems with their systems. I work at a retail store and we sell all 3 about equally, however, I see 3 to 4 times more defective PS2's on a weekly basis than I do the other two.

My point being this would be the 2nd console Sony has made that has had problems. What I don't understand is how can they cheat their customers the way they do. I had a problem with my system and had to pay for shipping and repairs and shipping back cost me over $100 just to get my system back. NOT very good service.

I have all 3 and would honestly say I play all 3 equal amounts. However, unless Sony starts to improve quality of their system they will see there competition slowly getting closer.


Just my 2 cents.

Dig Dug

[Videogamerdaryll]

I love all 3 of the new systems..I play/use them about the same..

But..If I had to say one of them was losing the battle..It would have to be the GameCube..
But I still think it's a Kick ass system..with many games that I love to play..

[AB Positive]

Sony is at least in the wrong direction. I apparently lucked out *knock on wood* with my PS2 not having any issues, but dammit the amount of defective ones my store gets in are insane. Dear gods...

However, the two systems getting the most play from me lately are my Saturn and GBA SP. Go figure...

-AdamG

[hezeuschrist]

I voted Gamecube even though its my favorite current gen system. Nintendo has made some serious mistakes in the past years, first being making N64 a cart-based system. Too expensive, nowhere near as much room to work with... then they made the gamecube. I love it... I have 8 wonderful games for it and I plan on getting quite a few more before the system runs its course... but when they made it really small, marketed towards kids or not, it looks like a toy. I know they've tried completely in vain to convince people it's not a kids toy, but people don't listen.

If their next system isn't the biggest, meanest, most intimidating console on the market, they're done. Many of the developers have already stated they wont work on games for non-nintendo platforms... so I hope they get it right next time around. You know what though, I hate saying that. Point is, videogames aren't for little kids anymore. Little kids don't want to be playing little kid's games, they want to play what their big brother/sister or mother/father is playing.

If they don't have a seriously mature excellent launch title for their next system that has fangs and will eat your cat if left unchecked, say goodbye to Mario, Samus, Link, Fox and all the other nintendo mascots, they won't be on any other platform.

As for E3, Gamecube is kicking serious ass, but only the gaming community knows that, the people who have their Xbox with halo and a couple sports titles, or PS2 with Tekken Tag, GTA and a couple sports titles don't care... and they account for a huge chunk of system sales. Sucks, but it's true.

[Arqueologia_Digital]

GC for me...

[petewhitley]

Again, though I love the system, the Gamecube seems to be on a downward spiral. Several companies are scaling back or cutting out releases altogether, and this new focus on GBA-Gamecube connectivity (as fun as that Pac-Man update sounds) just doesn't seem like it has a chance in hell of catching on sales-wise with the general public. And oh yeah, I hate them for rationing out their popular titles (Starfox, Mario Kart, Metroid) to the tune of one-per-season.

[TheJuggala]

I would say the PS2.

[Sylentwulf]

REALLY surprised at the amount of PS2 replies (even if the votes don't show it)

Gamecube has a decent lineup for first party games, but face it, Nintendo is going uphill through molassess in winter with a broken leg both ways to school. Gamecube has the american wannabe's and some sports fans, and PC gamers who don't like console games. Nintendo is trying for kids still, and STILL won't admit that most gamers AREN'T kids...

[Drexel923]

I know both Xbox and GCN are losing money so it is between them for me.I am having more fun with my Xbox so I am gonan go with GCN,but not by much.

As far as I know, Nintendo has made a profit every year for a while...but I could be wrong.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. I love my Gamecube. I play it the most out of the 3 systems and I think it has the best games, but I'm sad to say its the losing system. Nintendo has always been and will always be stubborn when it comes to change and it will eventually do them in. But as long as they make games, I'll buy them.

[zemmix]

I voted Gamecube as well. System I've been playing the most is the Xbox. System I still have yet to buy is the Playstation 2. I was hoping for a bigger price drop to be announced for the PS2. I want one now that Koei released PTO IV for the PS2 only. Ooooh well!

[hydr0x]

aaaah guys, don't look only at the american market ***** :D

if this question means losing the most money, it's by far the xbox, no discussion possible

if it means losing ground in the console market, it has to be a close fight between ps2 and xbox, ps2 because it is not half as dominant as the ps was and it has so much problems, technically, if not all those kids who started playing videogames with psx had bought the ps2, it would be a major flop

xbox is ms first console but it does not do half as good as ms wanted, and afaik ms has not yet decided wether to make a xbox2 or not, bigN and Sony have

the winner of this war really is the cube, just compare it to the n64 and u'll see what i mean, PLUS nintendo doesn't make any loss on their cubes (something ms and sony can just dream of)

[Pop Culture Portal]

I love all my new "modern" systems, but the financial "troubles" the Xbox is having lately would make my vote go towards the Xbox. Maybe it's just where I live, but I don't see may new releases for the Xbox either. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the same thing (or at least similar) happen to the 3DO and the Jaguar? That's what all this Xbox money woes reminds me of for some reason.

The fact that Sony and MS have dropped their prices on their consoles so early in the year (traditionally closer to the holidays) seems fishy to me. No plans from Nintendo to cut their prices on their cube, but announcing a Cube 2 already? That's seems awfully quick. I don't know. The whole video game market seems wonky lately, IMO.

[dreamcaster]

I'm voting for GameCube from an Australian market perspective. I know it's doing great in the US, Japan and Europe - but it's dying here in Oz.

Remember the last days of the Dreamcast? That's what the GameCube situation is like here. Stores are heavily discounting software and hardware. Some stores are no longer stocking GameCube. Many rental stores no longer have GCN games. Some stores only have limited software variety (ie: first party titles). Accessories are becoming impossible to find.

The situation is terrible, plus add a lack of advertising and Nintendo Australia's unwillingness to do anything about it just makes matters worse.

Plus I'm dissatisfied with the GCN's software lineup. All their 'premiere' titles have lacked longevity (eg: Super Mario Sunshine, StarFox Adventures, Eternal Darkness, Pikmin). GCN also seems to have the crappiest third-party software of the lot. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was a complete disaster/flop in my opinion. Never liked it from the start. Currently, the only good recent release has been Metroid Prime - top notch stuff there. Future games wise the only two that I'm looking forward to are F-Zero GX and Namco's StarFox.

That said, since the GCN's doing so poorly here, it means good news for Australian collectors (eg: me).

[ghsqb]

My point being this would be the 2nd console Sony has made that has had problems. What I don't understand is how can they cheat their customers the way they do. I had a problem with my system and had to pay for shipping and repairs and shipping back cost me over $100 just to get my system back. NOT very good service.


I would take issue with that, based on my experience, their service is awesome.
I bought a PS2 on launch day, of course I had the well known problem with dual layer DVD9 movies skipping.
Because I had other DVD players in the house, this just wasn't a big issue.
Last Nov. I decided that it really was an issue, so I called Sony and told them that I had bought a launch date PS2, and that like so many others, I had problems with the DVD playback.
I explained that it had always done it, but it never really concerned me until now.
I also explained that I was an owner of a PSone, a PS2 and several other Sony Electronics products and that I wanted to make sure I was giving my business to a company that stood behind their products.

I was told to send my console to the Sony depot in Whitby, Ont.
I sent it by courier it cost me $16 Can.

48 Hours later I had a brand new v4 console.
I had sent them a launch day v1 that I had purchased over two years ago.
It was not under warranty anymore, they just sent me a brand new console.
How is that not GREAT service?

That being said, IMHO, the console getting its a$$ handed to it is GCN.

I look back and at the time of the NES, Nintendo was the dominant vg company in the world.

The mistake Nintendo has made since that time, and which is amplified on the GC is that they still cater to the same market they did with the NES.
Sony on the other hand, cashed in on all the gamers that Nintendo hooked with the NES, by growing with them.

The younsters playing NES in the late 80's are now 20-30 somethings who want to play games like GTA or Tekken or MOHAA or whatever.
Now, todays youngsters see their parents/siblings playing these games and they want to play them.
Nintendo in a way is a victim of its own early success, much of the enthusiasm for video games it inspired with the NES is being harvested by Sony.
To offer an analogy, the first Star Wars film in nearly 20 years, the Phantom Menace, was blasted for the annoying (in the eyes of many) Jar Jar Binks.
In the first installments, cutesy type characters like R2 and C3PO, appealed to the young audience for which it was intended.

20 years later those youngsters are grown ups and the new gen cutesy character is annoying as hell.

Maybe not the best analogy but one that serves as a reminded that you should always remember the audience you are playing to.

Not that there is no market for kids games, but there is little market (as GCN is finding out) for exclusively kiddie games.

/rant off

:)

[YoshiM]

Oooo, hard to answer objectively. The PS2 so far isn't showing any sign of "losing ground". Both Xbox and Gamecube are both struggling for the next rung in the ladder. Both of those systems, in their own ways, are losing ground.

The Gamecube, as others have mentioned, is having an identity crisis when it comes to who their audience is. I don't see this GBA connectivity thing really getting off the ground and becoming as popular as Nintendo hopes. With companies questioning their exclusitivity in their titles for the GC and with a majority of the bombshells already been dropped, it doesn't look all rosey for the Cube and I don't think Pikachu and company aren't going to save it.

Xbox, while it is a solid system, is losing money hand over fist. Few major exclusive titles, somewhat lackluster 1st party games, many major titles not being released until 2004- it's not pretty. There are some pretty kick-ass games coming to the system, but will it be too late to make an impact?

[The Unknown Gamer]

Without question it is the Gamecube. Don't get me wrong the Gamecube
has some great games, Metroid and the lastest Zelda game just to name
2. But if there sales don't pick up soon, I fear the Gamecube will go the way
of the Saturn.

[punkoffgirl]

I feel it's the Xbox because they haven't made any money on it yet.
And I'd also say the Xbox if I go by my brothers/friends/people I know/etc.
Everyone ran out and got a PS2 or picked up a Gamecube. Locally, Willie is the only person I know with an Xbox.

[NvrMore]

While the GCN isn't tearing up the market, in relation to overall market performance I have to say the XBOX. In terms of hardware alone it's haemorrhaging financially like no other piece of gaming hardware ever has, plus considering the time it's had and the obscene amount of cash that's been thrown at it there's certainly no excusing it's respectivly poor market performance.
Granted the cash burning is meant for the purposes of gaining mindshare for the sake of recoup in the next generation, but when it fails to even place you decisivley in second place against a console which is not only spending way less on promotion but also turning an actual profit, let alone giving you the footing against the market number 1 you need for the next gen in order to recoup such losses it's a total disaster.

Add on top of that the enormous expense, effort and focus it's put into it's online functionality, which with an investment of 1bn only has just over a million users O_O

Plus there's the hefty price paid to a main rival for one of their second party developers (RARE), which hasn't yet produced a title for the platform and many of whom's key staff jumped ship upon the buyout to create a new company and immediately went straight back to said rival and teamed up with them, thereby essentially leaving MS with a brand name most famous for types of games that don't fit the targetted XBox demographic and image @_@

Then there's the notable delay of it's key title while it's rivals continue to produce their key titles and make headway with the support said titles provide their systems..

..and then there's the fact that regardless of the ridiculous financial outlay, it's being absolutely murdered in a key market which is vital in order to generate key developer support both for itself and the next generation machine which desperately needs said support and an opening in such a lucrative market if it is to live up to expectations.

[Nature Boy]

It's all perception. And, like a lot of people here, the 'cube is my favourite machine and yet I also think it's the one in the most trouble.

Xbox is losing money for sure, but MS is all about establishing their brand at this point. I wouldn't worry about the Xbox franchise until after Xbox 2 starts flopping. If it flops that is. However their lack of GOOD exclusive games, if it continues, will spell their end before N's, that's for sure.

PS2 has such a massive market share I think it's ludicrous to suggest they're going in any wrong direction. They've got 3rd parties on board like there's no tomorrow - something MS and N need badly.

With the cube it's a market perception thing I think. The kiddie thing people on this board harp about. It's been an issue since N64 and they've not done enough to get rid of it. The Resident Evil move was a step in the right direction, but that's a franchise so long in the teeth it's not suprising it didn't turn the tide. They needed to develop more REs, Metroids and Eternal Darknesses - and market them heavily. Get enough adult oriented games to go with their kiddie (or all ages) games and they'd be sailing. Let's hope Crystal Chronicles sells well to prove 3rd party stuff can succeed.

[game-o_v_e_r]

I feel that PS2 is diffently winning the battle. They have the market when it comes to games. My personal favorite game is GTA Vice City, I hear it is coming out for X-BOX and that is cool.

PS2 is the winner

Game Cube is the loser

X-BOX is not far behind the Cube

[zektor]

I don't know here. I kind of lean toward they are ALL losing the battle. Not the battle between themselves, but the battle to create sales. Gaming just doesn't seem as big as it used to be. The 8-bit/16 bit wars were relentless, and lasted quite awhile. The 32-bit war was pretty much won by the PS1 right off the bat. And then various little battles down the line up to the recent systems...GC, X, and PS2. And while there are excellent games on each of these platforms, and they do get sales, it just isn't a battle anymore in my eyes. They are all pretty much suffering. I mean, for god sakes, Nintendo is talking of releasing a GC 2 already? PS3? Xbox 2? These systems (at least to me) are still pretty damn new, and really haven't been fully tapped into. Remember a time when a system would have an average lifespan of 5-6 years? In all of that time they would push every last bit of power they could out of it and create some phenominal games. At this rate it won't be before long that gamers are purchasing new game systems every 6 months...like how PC's are now. And I wonder how long that will last before the dreaded second crash...

[YoshiM]

I don't know here. I kind of lean toward they are ALL losing the battle. Not the battle between themselves, but the battle to create sales. Gaming just doesn't seem as big as it used to be. The 8-bit/16 bit wars were relentless, and lasted quite awhile. The 32-bit war was pretty much won by the PS1 right off the bat. And then various little battles down the line up to the recent systems...GC, X, and PS2. And while there are excellent games on each of these platforms, and they do get sales, it just isn't a battle anymore in my eyes. They are all pretty much suffering. I mean, for god sakes, Nintendo is talking of releasing a GC 2 already? PS3? Xbox 2? These systems (at least to me) are still pretty damn new, and really haven't been fully tapped into. Remember a time when a system would have an average lifespan of 5-6 years? In all of that time they would push every last bit of power they could out of it and create some phenominal games. At this rate it won't be before long that gamers are purchasing new game systems every 6 months...like how PC's are now. And I wonder how long that will last before the dreaded second crash...

I think GC 2 and PS3 are probably being released in 2005. That would be 4 years for the GC (which is historically short for a major company to release next gen hardware) but the PS2 would have been out 5 years. So it's still kinda in that 5 year range.

I do agree that current gaming doesn't have the battles that made the past more interesting (especially the 16 bit era and golden age). I remember the "we've got this, they don't" messages, the sheer number of exclusive titles. Ah, it was good. Now it seems that Sony is on top, Nintendo is humble with where it is, and Xbox is struggling to make a name for itself. The majority of software I see for the GC and Xbox are ports from the PS2. Yep, not like it used to be.

[Nature Boy]

Gaming just doesn't seem as big as it used to be.

So sales on par with the movie industry isn't big enough for you?!? @_@

Care to elaborate?

If you're talking about the head to head wars that used to happen, well, that's certainly not as prevelant as it used to be. But if you want a taste pick up "The Official Xbox Magazine" - that's usually good for an unnecessary Sony/Nintendo dig or seven...

[Eternal Champion]

I think we're all really just guessing, based on perceptions...the top people in these companies and the market watchers know the answers. We need an analysis of the overall market and how each company is performing, in each market.

I'd agree with what zektor said to a certain extent, based on my own perceptions, having no clue about quantifiable market performance of any era...

In the Genesis/SNES war, it was only those two duking it out, and the advertising, even on TV, was relentless. Even during "adult" programming times, and on MTV. I don't think that's the case anymore. The market back then was two Goliath's battling, so it's easy for them to stick around for at least 5 years. (Analogous to the Cold War? ;) ) Once Sony entered the market, I think that showed you can't have more than 2 Goliaths. It messed up the equation. Now, with 3 heavy hitters, they're all fighting for market share. Here's my question: has the total number of buyers in the last decade increased, decreased, or stayed the same? I'm going to take a wild guess and say that it hasn't really increased. (Like movie ticket buyers, I think)

I've always thought the video game industry was crazy. 2 or more consoles, all incompatible, become obsolete in less and less time. If the GCN 2 is not downwardly compatible, I hope Nintendo goes back to making fucking playing cards. In the end, the consumer gets fucked. I see no forward thinking. It's essentially disposable. $200 for a disposable console, plus a library of disposable games? Meaning that in 2-3 years they're obsolete. When you look at computers, sure, things are obsolete the day they're released, but for most consumers that's not the case, and you can upgrade equipment, etc., and use software from 10 years ago. My home PC is 4 years old. The more I think about it, I'm glad I gave up at the end of the 16-bit era. Those are the games I've been buying lately!

[Daniel Thomas]

It's easy to point out how much money Microsoft is spending to make the XBox stick, but the simple truth is that they have the money. This is a poker game where the low man on the pole is simply bidded out. Microsoft may not have a winning hand (as if this console was wasn't over long ago), but they can keep throwing money into the kitty long after Nintendo folds. Ah, the value of monopoly -- that $10,000 they gave to Ashcroft's Senate campaign sure paid off, eh?

Nintendo, I'm sorry to say, is the odd one out. It's really just an image problem, and these days, image is everything. Sony showed the power in winning over the development community (Sega never had a chance, really), and developers don't want to spend the time and money on Gamecube. Most GC titles are just PS2 ports that, frankly, don't really look any different. That leaves the original first-party stuff, which is masterful as always. But after Mario, Zelda, and Metroid, what else is there? And what else will there be over the next 12-24 months? You can't expect Miyamoto to do everything. Throw in Sony's new handheld next year, and the writing's on the wall for Nintendo. They should cut a sweetheart deal with Sony or Microsoft and get out of the hardware business after this cycle.

When Gamestop is selling used Cubes for $79, it's over.

[Charlesaway]

digdug - just a thought, but seeing as how PS2's have outsold Xbox and GC by a ratio of about 5 to 1, do you mean there are 3 to 4 times more returns than both Xbox and GC, or just Xbox or GC?

It makes a difference, because if there is simply 4 times more defective PS2's than Xbox's for example, it actually ends up being a lower percentage of defective products.

More to the point of the thread, I don't think any of them are losing the war yet. Perhaps next year I can vote.

[digdug]

I receive approximately 4 times the amount of defective PS2's to both X-Box and GC. I understand that Sony's Marketshare is overwhelming but unless they start making a product that is more reliable they need to become wary of lawsuits.

E3 is the the foundation each year for the heavy hitters and this year is no exception. I feel that with the information I have seen, I believe Sony will be the one hurting, still.

Most people have a PS2 and with the price drop of Microsoft, and Nintendo giving a game away with the system then, people may start looking for other avenues to start spending their money.

Just a thought.

I wasn't impressed with Sony's upcoming lineup, just all sequels. Not much original, But Sony has flourished with 3rd party support, whereas the other 2 have lived on 1st party support.

Dig Dug

[hezeuschrist]

I think it really says something about Microsoft and their position in the market where they have a whopping one item that still gives them money: Halo. It's STILL $50, everywhere. Could you imagine where the Xbox would be without that game?