Console Wars

Sony brags of 2011's 20 PS3 exclusives

2011-01-11T16:32:00.000+00:00

Sony's boasted that it's got at least 20 PS3 exclusive titles coming this year - and it's put a big list on the internet to prove it.

"Here's an updated list of 20 games you'll only play on PS3 in 2011, using the latest publicly available information," Sid Shuman, SCEA's senior social media specialist wrote on the US PlayStation Blog.

"Of course, schedules can shift and plans can change - as always, we'll keep you posted. For the moment, though, this is where we stand for 2011."

On the roster is of course Uncharted 3, Killzone 3, Resistance 3 and absolutely no more games with '3' on the end. It's a pretty amazing line-up, to be fair.

Here it is:

Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel (March)

Hyperdimension Neptunia (February)

The ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection (Spring)

inFAMOUS 2 (2011)

Journey (2011)

Killzone 3 (February 22)

The Last Guardian (Holiday)

LittleBigPlanet 2 (January 18)

MLB 11 The Show (March 8)

MotorStorm Apocalypse (Spring)

No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise (Fall)

Pixeljunk Shooter 2 (2011)

PlayStation Move Heroes (2011)

Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One (Fall)

Resistance 3 (September 6)

SOCOM 4 (2011)

Sorcery (2011)

Twisted Metal (2011)

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (November 1)

Yakuza 4 (March 15)

Biggest Year In Gaming History Will Be 2011, Massive Game Release Schedule Unveiled

2011-01-06T16:55:00.000+00:00

You know what? I’ll call it: 2011 will usher gaming into new realms. From 3D gaming, the Kinect revolution, which, by the way, technology developer PrimeSense is taking to PCs. We have the PSP2, the 3DS and probably the WiiHD or Wii2 coming all this year. That’s on the hardware side of things alone.
As for software, 2011 trumps all the years before it like a bulldozer ridding a piece of land of its grass. This year alone we’ll have Killzone 3, Gears of War 3, another Call of Duty, not to mention Black Ops DLC. Bulletstorm, Uncharted 3, Resistance 3, inFamous 2, Dead Space 2, Mass Effect 2 and so on.
Thankfully, GameInformer’s forged up a massive list featuring a release schedule for all platforms this year, including the DS and PSP. Apparently, according to the author, Far Cry 3 will be released in August of this year. Don’t know where he got that from so we’ll have to wait to hear more.
Either ways, hit the link, I think you’ll get to understand better why gaming’s all the buzz this year, and why it’ll leave many a gamer broke. Dead broke.
Here’s the full quencher:

January
Dead Space 2 (360, PS3)
Breach (360, PC)
Two Worlds II (360, PS3, PC)
Mass Effect 2 (PS3)
DC Universe Online (PS3, PC)
LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)
Stronghold: Kingdoms (PC)
Plants vs. Zombies (DS)

February
Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike Map Pack (360)
Test Drive Unlimited 2 (360, PS3, PC)
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (360, PS3)
Bulletstorm (360, PS3, PC)
Knights Contract (360, PS3
Killzone 3 (PS3)
Ape Escape Fury! Fury! (PS3)
de Blob 2 (PS3, DS)
MotorStorm: Apocalypse (PS3)
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (PC)
The Conduit 2 (Wii)
Duke Nukem: Critical Mass (DS)
Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation (DS)
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSP)

March
Fight Night Champion (360
Dragon Age 2 (360, PS3, PC)
Homefront (360, PS3, PC)
F.3.A.R. (360, PS3, PC)
Crysis 2 (360, PS3, PC)
Yakuza 4 (PS3)
Shogun 2: Total War (PC)
Pokémon Black (DS)
Pokémon White (DS)
3DS launch
God Eater Burst (PSP)
Patapon 3 (PSP)

April
Portal 2 (360, PS3, PC)
Mortal Kombat (360, PS3)
Stronghold 3 (PC)
Hunted: The Demon’s Forge (PC)

May
The Witcher 2 (360, PS3, PC)
Red Faction: Armageddon (360, PS3, PC)
Hunted: The Demon’s Forge (360, PS3)

August
Resistance 3 (PS3)

September
Disgaea 4 (PS3)
Rage (360, PS3, PC)

October
The Grinder (360, PS3, PC, Wii)

November
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (PS3)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (360, PS3, PC)
Aliens: Colonial Marines (360, PS3, PC)

Q1
Stacking (360, PS3)
Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 (360, PS3)
Bodycount (360, PS3, PC)
Alice: Madness Returns (360, PS3, PC)
Child of Eden (360, PS3)
Ico/Shadow of the Colossus Collection (PS3)
Bloodline Champions (PC)
Fable 3 (PC)
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution (PC)

Q2
I Am Alive (360, PS3, PC)
L.A. Noire (360, PS3)
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (360, PS3)
Shadows of the Damned (360, PS3)
Brink (360, PS3, PC)
Colin McRae: Dirt 3 (360, PS3, PC)
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (360, PS3, PC)
Driver: San Francisco (360, PS3, PC, Wii)
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (360, PS3, PC)
Operation Flashpoint: Red River (360, PS3, PC)
Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC)
Torchlight II (PC)

Q3
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (360, PS3, PC)
Gears of War 3 (360)
Batman: Arkham City (360, PS3, PC)

TBA 2011
XCOM (360, PC)
Dungeon Siege III (360, PS3, PC)
Spec Ops: The Line (360, PS3, PC)
Inversion (360, PS3)
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon (360, PS3)
True Crime: Hong Kong (360, PS3, PC)
Hitman 5 (360, PS3, PC)
Metal Gear Solid Rising (360, PS3, PC)
Top Spin 4 (360, PS3, Wii)
Saints Row 3 (360, PS3, PC)
Battlefield 3 (360, PS3, PC)
Fez (360)
Kingdom Under Fire II (360, PC)
DotA 2 (PC)
Diablo III (PC)
Duke Nukem Forever (360, PS3, PC)
Max Payne 3 (360, PS3, PC)
Grand Slam Tennis (360, PS3)
Forza Motorsport 4 (360)
Mass Effect 3 (360, PS3, PC)
Assassin’s Creed III (360, PS3, PC)
Twisted Metal (PS3)
Infamous 2 (PS3)
SOCOM 4 (PS3)
Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One (PS3)
The Last Guardian (PS3)
Agent (PS3)
The Agency (PS3)
Guild Wars 2 (PC)
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)
Valkyria Chronicles III (PSP)
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy (PSP)
Monster Hunter Portable 3 (PSP

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010-12-31T16:25:00.000+00:00

As the new year approaches us, we the gaming nation brace ourselves to for some awesome new games!

Here is a list of some of the major new games heading our way in 2011:


Mortal Kombat Set for release in March 2011 and in development by NetherRealm Studios, Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon returns as creative director for the latest installment in the franchise.	Expected: Apr 2011	PS3, X360
SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs Zipper Interactive returns to the SOCOM series with a new installment on PS3. The first SOCOM to allow motion controls using Sony's motion controller, "Move".	Expected: 2011	PS3, PS3N
Max Payne 3 The long awaited third installment in Remedy's beloved series, Max Payne.	Expected: 2011	PC, PS3, X360
Brink Bethesda and Splash Damage are teaming up to deliver a class-based first-person shooter called Brink, which focuses on a new concept for team play.	Expected: Q2 2011	X360, PS3, PC
Diablo III Diablo III returns to the world of Sanctuary twenty years after the events of Diablo II with a new generation of heroes that must defeat the demonic threat from Hell.	Expected: 2011	PC, MAC
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Link descends from his floating continent home to explore the dark and dangerous world below with the help of a magical blade, in this reboot of the storied Legend of Zelda series made exclusively for the Wii.	Expected: 2011	WII
Forza Motorsport 4 The next installment of Turn10's racing franchise slated for release in Fall 2011 and will be compatible with Kinect.	Expected: Q4 2011	X360
Duke Nukem Forever Duke Nukem Forever, the long awaited sequel to Duke Nukem 3D, has been in development since 1997 by 3D Realms. Following the studios closure in 2009, DNF is now being developed by Gearbox Software. The game is scheduled for release in 2011.	Expected: 2011	PS3, PC, X360
Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 Nathan "Rad" Spencer returns with the ability to jump in order to face an evil general bent on launching a missile strike.	Expected: Q1 2011	PC, PS3N, XBLM
Torchlight II The co-op focused sequel to Runic Games Torchlight. Set for release in Spring 2011.	Expected: Q2 2011	MAC, PC
Gears of War 3 The third and final installment in the Gears of War trilogy. Taking place on the apocalyptic planet Sera, 18 months after the ending of Gears of War 2, players will once again take control of C.O.G. soldier Marcus Fenix as he takes on the Locust threat and their Lambent rivals.	Expected: Q4 2011	X360
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim The fifth installment in Bethesda's Elder Scrolls franchise, Skyrim will use an "all-new" gameplay and graphics engine.	Nov. 11, 2011	PS3, X360, PC
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception On an expedition to find the mythical "Atlantis of the Sands" in the heart of the Arabian Desert, Nathan Drake and his partner, Victor Sullivan, encounter a deceptive organization lead by a ruthless dictator. Terrible secrets unfold, causing Drake's quest to descend into a bid for survival.	Nov. 1, 2011	PS3
Rage Developed by id Software and running on the id Tech 5 engine, Rage blends first person shooting with third person vehicular combat that is set in an apocalyptic wasteland on a planet hit by an asteroid.	Sept. 13, 2011	IPAD, IPHN, X360, PS3, PC, MAC
Metal Gear Solid: Rising Metal Gear Solid: Rising is the first console game in the Metal Gear Solid series without Kojima in a directorial role. It features Raiden as the protagonist once more.	July 3, 2011	X360, PC, PS3
Star Wars: The Old Republic A MMO in the vein of the acclaimed KOTOR series, The Old Republic is a story-driven MMO set three hundred years after the first two KOTOR games, focusing on the battle between a new Sith Empire that has arisen and the Galactic Republic struggling for control of the galaxy.	June 16, 2011	PC
Portal 2 Portal 2 is the sequel to the acclaimed first-person puzzler, carrying forward its love of mind-bending problems and its reckless disregard for the space-time continuum.	April 21, 2011	MAC, PC, X360, PS3
F.E.A.R. 3 In development by Day 1 Studios, F.E.A.R. 3 is the latest chapter in the F.E.A.R. franchise and continues the twisted story of the Point Man and Paxton Fettel.	March 22, 2011	PC, X360, PS3
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Human Revolution tells the story of Adam Jensen and his mission to figure out why his company was attacked. Players will take a journey through a world dripping with conspiracy theories and cyberpunk themes.	March 8, 2011	PS3, X360, PC
Dragon Age II In this sequel to Dragon Age: Origins, players take control of a new character named Hawke and embark on a decade-long adventure.	March 8, 2011	PC, X360, PS3
Homefront Kaos Studios is developing this first-person shooter which will take place in 2027 as an American Civilian Resistance fights to reclaim American soil from North Koreans.	March 8, 2011	PS3, X360, PC
Bulletstorm An upcoming FPS being developed by People Can Fly where stylish kills (combos, using the environment, etc.), are rewarded.	Feb. 22, 2011	PC, X360, PS3
Killzone 3 Killzone 3 continues the story of the aggressive invasion of the planet Helghan. The game will support 3DTV technology and the PlayStation Move.	Feb. 22, 2011	PS3
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds After a decade-long hiatus, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 continues the popular crossover fighting game series characterized by fast-paced gameplay, complex tag teams, and elaborate combos.	Feb. 15, 2011	X360, PS3
Dead Space 2 Dead Space 2 is the sequel to the 2008 surprise hit Dead Space. Now actively hunting the Necromorphs, a no-longer-silent Isaac Clarke travels to a city-sized space station called the Sprawl which has become infested by the mutated dead.	Jan. 25, 2011	PC, PS3, X360
LittleBigPlanet 2 LittleBigPlanet 2 takes the original concept of "Play, Create, Share" and drastically improves upon all elements by adding even more tools and a new story campaign.	Jan. 18, 2011	PS3

Some thoughts by me...

2010-12-25T16:01:00.000+00:00

This is like comparing Counterstrike 1.6, Condition Zero and Source. All are FPS of same type but different in the way they are presented. PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii, these consoles are the same, better be said these gaming systems are all the same just the difference is the bling and cling. Can they really be compared? Should they be compared?

Well first lets just separate the odds for it. One side is the high definition (Xbox 360 and PS3) and the other (pretty strong), experimental next generation technology gaming console (Wii). Let’s strip all the three and put down what they got for us.

First the bling thing, high definition (HD) Consoles. Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360, both fall in this category. Ding! Probably the next question in your mind, “Why are they HD consoles?” High graphics for better graphic output specifically made for high definition televisions and games specially made in HD quality that’s what are HD consoles. Stored in disks specially made to fit the HD content, Blu-Ray for Sony which gives developers the liberty to stuff up 50 gigs of High quality sound and video with loads of game features. And dual-layer DVD or HD-DVD for Xbox 360 does the job.

Talking of what they got inside. Sony has worked hard since Microsoft joined the race of consoles with Xbox and beating all the odds, sooner smashed the market with Xbox 360. Let me try to sum up what Sony got inside their console. One multi-threaded cell processor (3.2 GHz) and seven single threaded processors (3.2GHz), an unimaginable Nvidia ‘RSX’ custom made graphic processor and whole lot of memory to work all of them together.

Done, I tried to make it as simple as it could be. (Took me six hours to get this line). With Wi-Fi access and possibility of 7 Bluetooth controllers working together, there can’t be much fun than this. Well reading this you might think ‘This console is excellent worth my penny’. Well read on I haven’t concluded yet.

Microsoft launched Xbox 360 a little early. But sure this was a strategic move. Blah blah… well don’t worry I am not going to talk about the marketing crap. What’s inside the box really matters. The box got 3.2 GHz triple-dual-threaded core Xenon processor, ATI ‘Xenos’ GPU and lower price tag than PlayStation 3,making Xbox 360 a really good console. The Xbox Live and loads of internet facilities this console might be the perfect one. Phew!!! Is this the end? Bet no. The third and final console is yet to enter.

Here comes the cling thing. Where to start and where to end? Nintendo’s’ Wii can be called technologically advanced gaming system. Graphically way behind the HD consoles, Nintendo’s Wii has stuffed a simple processor, ATI ‘Hollywood’ GPU and a motion sensitive Wii Remote. What makes it ultra different? The revolutionary Wii Remote is first of its kind in consoles.

The motion-sensitive gameplay options with the controller as simple as a television remote to use, gaming is Wii is real easy. Well selling at almost half the price of HD consoles and Nintendo limiting the resolution because of its low hardware configuration. Nintendo can stand in the market for a while until HD TVs become the mainstream in televisions.

The console companies aren’t at war, we gamers are at the state of war. Its not a battle for which console is the best, its the battle for which console to go for. Let’s make it pretty simple. Now we know the contenders, so the verdict is almost out. Let’s try juggle up the best one.

If you love graphics more than actual games, PS3 is the best option for you. Best possible HD output (if you own a HD TV), heart thumping sound, and above of all the guarantee by Sony for top quality gaming experience. You would never regret at least for next few years for buying a console like this. But is this the really what fun and enjoyment should cost? Now if you are a son of Ambanis’ or Birlas’ or Tatas’ sure this is what you are born for. No personal grudges with Sony, but this console is real expensive regardless you are a true console gamer it costs a lot.

Don’t worry PS3 is not at all a bad choice if you already own it. But think this way, almost the same graphics and excitement at a cheaper price? Sounds good to me. For the same scale of gaming experience, Xbox 360 is made for. A cheaper option but purely effective one, Xbox 360 can complete your thirst for gaming at a lower cost.

But if you really understand the traditional and psychological reason behind the term ‘games’ and ‘gaming’ then Nintendo Wii is an excellent choice. For classic games which deeply do the job of games, stress busting, exciting, funny and addictive. The best virtual gaming choice, Nintendo Wii can win anyone’s heart.

Controllers are real important in any gaming consoles. They should be comfortable to use and motion sensing controllers are real easy to play with as such you don’t need brains to learn to play with them. PS3 has motion sensitive controller but Nintendo Wii is the winner here. Xbox 360 doesn’t have motion sensitive controller but the wireless controller they provide is stable and sturdy for the gameplay.

Second important thing is how the gaming experience each of they provide, simply how interesting is the gameplay. Now each console stands out pretty much the same so gameplay concerned, each console has its best as well has its worst. All three of them are the winners here with their hybrid and mind jolting games.

Okay personal and selfish reasons aside, in this world of high speed internet (India soon catching up), online gaming does matter a lot. Playing with millions of users and sharing your game statistics and competing theirs is as charming as it sounds. With Xbox Live you can play with ten million users and they also provide free games to you making your leisure time more resourceful. Sony does provide online gaming that good and tie-ups with certain companies will make you shell some money to play their games (like MMOs in PC).

Nintendo here lags behind with no online gaming for any game as yet. Just the classics can be downloaded from Nintendo Online. Besides all these, PS3 as well as Xbox 360 can prove to be your media entertainer too, with DVD movies and HD content spreading everywhere these consoles can play movies too. But Blu-Ray winning the disc competition of being standard media , Sony’s PS3 is the winner here.

Now the hardest part, the Final Verdict:

If you are ready for variety and complete gaming experience then Xbox 360 combined with Nintendo Wii can save your buck as well as give you actually what you need. But if you want to feel the ecstasy of gaming coupled with eye popping HD graphics Sony’s PS3 is the ultimate choice. If you think relatively for a cheaper option, Xbox 360 is a deal to steal. And if you need fun gaming added with cheaper possible price Nintendo Wii is the choice. Till then, Happy Gaming!

The Sumary Box

2010-12-25T16:00:00.000+00:00

The Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii both jumped into the game console ring this weekend to compete against Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Who is going to win?

Everyone’s watching to see how this battle plays out, because each company is pursuing a very different strategy. Sony and Microsoft are gunning for pure performance systems, while Nintendo is shooting at fun, playable games that rely more on its unique controllers than impressive graphics hardware.
The consoles’ prices follow the features and product strategy of each company:
Sony PlayStation 3.Sony’s PS3 is the most expensive, because it includes a standard hard drive, a high definition Blu-ray optical drive, HD video output, Bluetooth wireless controllers, and–in the premium version–WiFi wireless networking.
Sony is setting up the PS3 as a PC alternative. The premium model has a memory card reader for not only Sony’s own Memory Stick but also–in what must be an incredible first for the company–Compact Flash and SD memory cards, making the PS3 a digital hub for photos; with a USB keyboard and mouse and the included web browser, it can serve as a basic PC.
Sony originally announced plans to ship the PS3 with Linux pre-installed, but currently user installation of “another operating system” is only a boot option. Use of another OS isn’t currently supported by Sony, and would of course need to be specially designed to work on the PS3’s specialized Cell processor architecture.
The PS3 is also the new HD core of Sony’s modern take on the stereo system, offering 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround and true 1080p high definition video playback from prerecorded Blu-ray movies.

PlayStation 3 (Includes 60GB Hard Drive, Blu-Ray Drive, WiFi)
PlayStation 3 (Includes 80GB Hard Drive, Blu-Ray Drive, WiFi and Motorstorm Pack)

Microsoft Xbox 360.Introduced last winter, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 uses a standard DVD optical drive, and only includes a hard drive and wireless game controller in its premium version. Microsoft recently updated the 360 to provide support for full HD, 1080p video output to match the PS3.
Rather than positioning the Xbox 360 as a standalone PC alternative, Microsoft pairs it with its plans for Windows Media Center, allowing the 360 to be used as a media extender to stream music and movies from a central Media Center PC.
Microsoft has plans to offer HD movie playback both with an optional HD-DVD player in an external box, and over the web through its online Xbox Live video store.
However, the Xbox 360’s optional, external HD-DVD player is $180, pushing the 360 up to the same price as the PS3. Further, the core Xbox 360 systems can’t use Microsoft’s online video store because they don’t have the required hard drive to save downloaded movies.

Xbox 360 Core Console (no Hard Drive)
Xbox 360 Console (Includes 20GB Hard Drive)
Xbox 360 Elite System Console (Includes 120GB Hard Drive)
Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter for WiFi
Xbox 360 External HD-DVD Player

Nintendo Wii.The Wii is the least expensive of the three, and includes both Bluetooth for wireless controllers and a DVD drive, but will not be able to play DVD movies. It also lacks a hard drive. Instead, the Wii focuses on physically involving games using the wireless Wii Remote paired with the accessory Nunchuk controller (below).

The Wii Remote uses accelerometers to sense how players swing, point, and tilt the controller, encouraging game titles to incorporate activity.
The Wii will also wirelessly connect to Nintendo’s DS portable game system, using its microphone and touchscreen as inputs for Wii games.
While the Wii has no movie store, Nintendo has an online store that sells classic games ($5 – 10) for the GameCube, Nintendo 64, and other previous game consoles.

Wii Console

The Last Generation.So which console is going to assume the lead, or will there be a tie? A half decade ago, many analysts projected a close race between the Sony’s PlayStation 2, Microsoft’s original Xbox, and Nintendo’s GameCube, but their prediction turned out to be wrong: Sony simply blew away the competition with its PS2.
This time around however, a number of factors have changed. For example, while Nintendo’s 2001 GameCube was also the cheapest console, its sales were hurt by a game lineup that mainly targeted the youth market rather than teens and adults, something Nintendo has attempted to address.
[The Nintendo Wii has pulled into first place ahead of the Xbox 360, with the Sony PlayStation in third.
Updated Sales Figures: Nintendo Wii vs Sony PlayStation 3 vs Microsoft Xbox 360: Q2 2007]

Here’s a quick look at the lessons learned in the last generation of consoles, how Microsoft got involved in console gaming, what resulted then, and what factors will determine how things work out this time.
How Microsoft got into Console Gaming.Microsoft’s original Xbox was largely a defensive move by Microsoft against the original Sony PlayStation, which had become so big in the 1990s that it threatened the future of Windows PC gaming.
If Sony were to continue unchecked in games console development, Microsoft feared it may lose significant PC sales supported by gaming.
While the number of PCs used primarily for gaming are a small segment of the huge overall PC industry, they represent a very valuable segment: they are higher end, higher margin machines paired with non-portable software applications:
PC Gaming is Microsoft’s Macintosh.
Games are a killer app for Windows. As described in The Apple Video Game Development Myth, Microsoft worked to tie Windows PC games to its proprietary DirectX software, to help to make PC gaming immune from encroachment by competing PC platforms such as Linux.
Microsoft plotted to use DirectX against Sony’s PlayStation 2, but failed in its attempts to port DirectX to run on WinCE for the rival Sega Dreamcast. Microsoft started over with its own console plans to take on the PS2 directly, an effort initially called the DirectXbox.
The Apple Video Game Development Myth
DirectXbox – Computer Power User
Xbox Arrives.Microsoft was prepared to to lose some serious money in presenting a challenge to Sony’s PlayStation 2. A year after the PS2 came out, Microsoft delivered its new console: the Xbox. Its marketing avoided mention of Windows and made little use of the Microsoft name.
The Xbox leveraged Microsoft’s existing PC development efforts; it was essentially a scaled down Celeron PC running a specialized version of Windows 2000, focused on graphic gaming features; conversely, it was also the first gaming console to include a common PC hard drive as standard hardware.
The high manufacturing costs of the Xbox, combined with Microsoft’s inexperience in selling hardware, resulted in a botched rollout and hardware problems that dogged the product. Further, at its release it was already a year behind Sony’s PS2.
A Monster Year for Game Consoles – BusinessWeek
Console Death Match.Sony’s PS2 had been available in Japan throughout 2000, but only went on sale worldwide in the winter; it did not have many great games available from the start.
By the time the Xbox and GameCube arrived in the winter of 2001 however, the PS2 had sold over 20 million units and a number of hot PS2 games had arrived, making it the console to have.
The PS2 was able to maintain a clear lead, having sold 115 million units between 2000 and 2006 (blue in the pie chart below), compared to only 24 million for the Xbox (green), and 21 million for the failed GameCube (purple).

This All Looks Familiar.The game console market share pie chart looks similar to the smartphone pie chart owned by Symbian and the MP3 player pie chart dominated by Apple’s iPod; Microsoft spends a lot for its small slice of each.
Actually, this entire series of events is strikingly similar to Microsoft’s more recent recent attempts to take on Apple’s iPod using Janus DRM and PlaysForSure partnerships.
After initially failing, Microsoft again abandoned its partners and worked to build its own rival hardware with the Zune, which is also entering the market a year after Apple’s movie playing 5th generation iPod has already sold into the millions and established a market.

An Overview

2010-12-23T22:48:00.001+00:00

The games industry is in a bullish mood, with manufacturers working hard to showcase improvements to their game systems.
The most obvious extras to emerge in the last year have been in ways to interact with a console. At the E3 Expo in Los Angeles in May, Microsoft unveiled "Natal", a fully hands-free control system and Sony demoed a novel control system that works with the Sony PlayStation Eye. Both took gamers and industry experts by surprise as they revealed that both firms expected many more years of life out of their respective console systems.
By contrast Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus - an expansion device to the old Wii Remote controller, and Wii Vitality - a clip that measures oxygen content of a players blood - did not generate the same excitement.
Now, after the hype of future technology, the business of selling consoles in the run up to Christmas begins in earnest.
The gloves are off and, significantly, so are the prices. Manufacturers hope that by cutting the cost to consumers, they can tempt more people to try gaming and thus increase their market share.

Factfile: Xbox 360

Nintendo is the last of the three to cut prices, slashing the cost of its popular Wii console by 20%.
Uncertainty
At present, the recommended retail price (RRP) of the Wii is £199. If the 20% reduction in price is passed on (at present the discount is to retail, not consumers) then that would cut the RRP to £159.
By contrast the Sony PlayStation 3 costs £249, the XBox 360 Elite £199 and the Xbox 360 Arcade £159.
Of course, consumers need to consider more than just price.
Both the 360 and PS3 have a good future. It is unlikely either will be replaced by a new system in the next five years and the manufacturers have been keen to emphasise new developments in their control system as well as showcasing a range of future games.

Factfile: PlayStation 3

The future of the Nintendo Wii, in its current form, is less certain. In the past, Nintendo has declined to comment on the Wii's future, saying that it was focusing on "taking all the experience we gained over the past five years and applying that in a way that creates extremely deep game play experiences that takes advantage of motion control".
Eye candy
Visually, the 360 and PS3 have a significant lead over the Wii. But, for the most part, the consoles have been competing for different sectors of the market.
In the past, Microsoft and Sony have pitched their machines primarily at keener gamers while Nintendo's approach was to target so called "casual gamers" and families.
To date, Nintendo is still the best selling machine, with more than 52 million consoles sold worldwide - more than the combined global sales of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 combined.

Factfile: The Wii

However, Wii sales are down more than 50% in 2009, while both PlayStation and Xbox are going up, especially in light of recent price cuts.
Movie buffs
One edge the PlayStation 3 has over its rivals is the ability to play Blu-ray DVDs - a high density storage DVD allowing high-definition video - the format is growing in popularity, especially after the demise of rival format HD DVD.
But for many, one of the deciding factors will be the games, with the manufacturers vying for exclusive deals on blockbuster titles.
The biggest brand on the Xbox 360 is Halo - the first person shooter that launched the console and ranks as one of the biggest selling games of all time.
Sony used to have a plethora of exclusives, but its grip on many is slipping. That said, the firm still has God of War - a hack and slash action adventure - and MAG, a massively multi-layer shooter due for release in early 2010.
However, many of the biggest games, from Call of Duty to Grand Theft Auto are multi-platform releases, meaning they are published for PlayStation, Xbox 360 and usually PC.