Thats right! Next Gen!!
keep your cheerleading for your wussy obsolete current gen HD (SD???) consoles/duct taped gamecube(s) out of here.
this thread is to report on next gen rumours and to speculate and theorise about what direction the console manufacturers could take their gameboxes as we plod towards the eighth generation of videogaming.
Nintendo (home console) Part 1
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showpost.php?p=13168697&postcount=21
Sony (home console)
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showpost.php?p=13155559&postcount=6
Microsoft
The great satan has proven to be a fearsome competitor this gen sinking billions of dollars into kockblocking Sony from getting the lucrative hardcore approval. This is shown in the long list of million selling games in their catalogue and their core customers' remarkable brand loyalty despite the outrageous RROD failures.
They had a viable strategy this gen, come in early and build a sizeable marketshare with early adopters and eventually implement an aggressive pricing strategy to win over the mass market leaving its competitors in its wake.
but who saw the Wii coming..... and is it any wonder.....have you seen the size of the little white engine that could?
"hey fatties .....leave me some room!!!"
but should Microsoft really be feeling threathened?
They risk diluting their brand and street cred with their core market if they lurch too far into the casual-happy region. You only have to look at the sales failures of games like Grabbed by the Ghoulies and Viva Pinata
For this reason, it would be anathema to copy the Wii strategy and to go cheap and underpowered next gen and I believe that some key points of their future console could include:
1)A traditional moderately expensive entry price -
It should be high enough to fund a true next gen console that is powerful enough to retain its hardcore street cred and be graphical competitive throughout its lifecycle. It should not however be so batshit insane like Sony to dig themselves into an unprofitable blackhole.
2)Heavy investment into middleware and userfriendly development kits -
One of the saddest things about this generation is the trainwreck of unprofitability the steep development costs of HD games has left many companies.
Furthermore, the global economical crisis will have struck a killerblow to the industry. It used to be a common sight for maverick publishers to borrow heavily and fund the AAA titles that are so craved for by fanboys. If their gamble paid off, they quickly became the Activisions and Ubisofts of the world. On the other hand if their investment flops, its not a big deal to just borrow more moolah to fund their next videogame gamble.
With easy the easy credit all but gone, it will be increasingly difficult to raise capital for such a risky investment like videogame development. If the majority of publishers are already bleeding cash in current generation technology, how is Microsoft going to coax them into making games for their new console?
One way is to develop an industry standard middleware like EPIC's Unreal engine to cut down drastically the long and costly development cycles of modern videogames. Microsoft could subside this engine and recoup their money by charging a higher license fee for companies who want to use this carrot. Venture capitalists and banks would look more favourably at this reduction in risk when deciding on lending capital and publishers would find it easier to develop profitable games.
3) Embrace Digital Distribution -
I'm not sure if any Bfers noticed this interesting development in downloadable content. The GTA 4 addon will be marketed in brick and motar stores as well as online. Customers who buy the retail version will receive a serial number which will allow them to download the addon on Xbox Live.
This will be a great idea imo to slowly lure the mass market consumer online (since the pricedrop, around 50% of consoles sold has been the offline arcade version), while at the same time diminishing the influence of piracy. Microsoft could sell two versions of a game at brick and motar stores to target the laymen customer: the traditional disc version and a less expensive DLC edition. Once online, cheaper games could be the carrot that lures the consumer towards the lucrative subscriber cash cow of Xbox live gold. If the customer is used to buying games online, it will be more likely that they will see value in other digital distribution of entertainment like Netflix.
Imo this is a great way to differentiate yourself from Nintendo and target the mass market without damaging your image with your core demographics.
uhm...
discuss? >,>
keep your cheerleading for your wussy obsolete current gen HD (SD???) consoles/duct taped gamecube(s) out of here.
this thread is to report on next gen rumours and to speculate and theorise about what direction the console manufacturers could take their gameboxes as we plod towards the eighth generation of videogaming.
Nintendo (home console) Part 1
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showpost.php?p=13168697&postcount=21
Sony (home console)
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showpost.php?p=13155559&postcount=6
Microsoft
The great satan has proven to be a fearsome competitor this gen sinking billions of dollars into kockblocking Sony from getting the lucrative hardcore approval. This is shown in the long list of million selling games in their catalogue and their core customers' remarkable brand loyalty despite the outrageous RROD failures.
They had a viable strategy this gen, come in early and build a sizeable marketshare with early adopters and eventually implement an aggressive pricing strategy to win over the mass market leaving its competitors in its wake.
but who saw the Wii coming..... and is it any wonder.....have you seen the size of the little white engine that could?
"hey fatties .....leave me some room!!!"
but should Microsoft really be feeling threathened?
They risk diluting their brand and street cred with their core market if they lurch too far into the casual-happy region. You only have to look at the sales failures of games like Grabbed by the Ghoulies and Viva Pinata
For this reason, it would be anathema to copy the Wii strategy and to go cheap and underpowered next gen and I believe that some key points of their future console could include:
1)A traditional moderately expensive entry price -
It should be high enough to fund a true next gen console that is powerful enough to retain its hardcore street cred and be graphical competitive throughout its lifecycle. It should not however be so batshit insane like Sony to dig themselves into an unprofitable blackhole.
2)Heavy investment into middleware and userfriendly development kits -
One of the saddest things about this generation is the trainwreck of unprofitability the steep development costs of HD games has left many companies.
Furthermore, the global economical crisis will have struck a killerblow to the industry. It used to be a common sight for maverick publishers to borrow heavily and fund the AAA titles that are so craved for by fanboys. If their gamble paid off, they quickly became the Activisions and Ubisofts of the world. On the other hand if their investment flops, its not a big deal to just borrow more moolah to fund their next videogame gamble.
With easy the easy credit all but gone, it will be increasingly difficult to raise capital for such a risky investment like videogame development. If the majority of publishers are already bleeding cash in current generation technology, how is Microsoft going to coax them into making games for their new console?
One way is to develop an industry standard middleware like EPIC's Unreal engine to cut down drastically the long and costly development cycles of modern videogames. Microsoft could subside this engine and recoup their money by charging a higher license fee for companies who want to use this carrot. Venture capitalists and banks would look more favourably at this reduction in risk when deciding on lending capital and publishers would find it easier to develop profitable games.
3) Embrace Digital Distribution -
I'm not sure if any Bfers noticed this interesting development in downloadable content. The GTA 4 addon will be marketed in brick and motar stores as well as online. Customers who buy the retail version will receive a serial number which will allow them to download the addon on Xbox Live.
This will be a great idea imo to slowly lure the mass market consumer online (since the pricedrop, around 50% of consoles sold has been the offline arcade version), while at the same time diminishing the influence of piracy. Microsoft could sell two versions of a game at brick and motar stores to target the laymen customer: the traditional disc version and a less expensive DLC edition. Once online, cheaper games could be the carrot that lures the consumer towards the lucrative subscriber cash cow of Xbox live gold. If the customer is used to buying games online, it will be more likely that they will see value in other digital distribution of entertainment like Netflix.
Imo this is a great way to differentiate yourself from Nintendo and target the mass market without damaging your image with your core demographics.
uhm...
discuss? >,>
