Sony's Future?

Perfect Stu · 05-27-2003, 03:20 PM

Sony is undoubtably the king of console gaming today. They've announced a handheld multimedia player (games being its main focus) to enter that realm. I can't see how they CAN'T be a success in that area, if not the market leader in 5 years or less. And finally, we all know that the PS3 is coming probably in 2006. What do you see for Sony's future in the gaming industry?

PS2
The system will continue to outsell its competition until next gen. Franchies like Metal Gear, Final Fantasy, Grand Theft Auto and Gran Turismo will be the backbone through the years 2004 and 2005 that will lead a long list of millionselling software titles. Sony might buy out some development teams like Insomniac, Zipper and Lost Boys to strengthen the SCE brand. Over 100 million systems sold is my projection.

PSP
PlayStation Portable is released at a pricey $199 price tag, but software titles cost only $20-$25 each. After some tremendous sales, some movie studios decide to try some of their movies on the PSP media format. Record companies follow suit, and soon the PSP will be used as a handheld game, music and movie player. Nintendo realizes that their GBA system is outdated and before the end of 2005 announce and new handheld gaming system.

PS3
Unveiled at E3 2004, PS3 promises some awe-inspiring visuals, sound and hardware muscle. Developers stay close to Sony and begin developing for the system ASAP. System launches Fall 2006 with broadband, HDD, High Definition and Digital/Optical Sound support built in. Sony unveils a television brand that 'works best' with their Playstation system. After year one for PS3, Sony again sets a pace their competition can not keep up with

Happydude · 05-27-2003, 04:07 PM

i saw this coming

and yes, sony is no doubt the King of console gaming...

Jonbo298 · 05-27-2003, 04:52 PM

ZeroCool51 · 05-27-2003, 04:56 PM

bobcat · 05-27-2003, 05:10 PM

I thought I'd go with the flow

I'm interested in the Ps3 for sure. Who wouldn't be.

Xantar · 05-27-2003, 06:42 PM

I have my doubts about the PSP. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy that Sony is jumping into the business. If nothing else, the competition should get Nintendo jumping instead of just porting SNES games. But there are too many unknowns with the PSP, and what we do know doesn't make me think that it will definitely, without a doubt, become a success.

1. Current specs lead me to believe that the PSP will eat up power like there's no tomorrow. Yes, it has a rechargeable battery, but it'll have to be one heck of a battery to last long while the machine is procesing 3d graphics.

2. All that power and all those features are expensive. If Sony sells the PSP at the same price as the GBA SP, you can be sure that they will lose a lot of money on the hardware. That in itself doesn't make the business plan invalid, but it does make the venture rather risky.

3. You can be sure that development on the PSP will be more expensive than it is on the GBA. The mere fact that games will have to be 3D ensures that. Don't count on the PSP getting more third party support than the GBA just because it has Sony's backing.

4. While you're at it, don't count on Sony being able to leverage support for the PSP off of the Playstation brand either. If Sony said to (say) Konami, "Develop for the PSP or else we won't let you release Metal Gear on our console," Konami's response may very well be, "Screw you. We'll put Metal Gear on one of the other consoles and give it a big boost against your console instead." That's a very credible threat because after all, Sony's consoles live and die on third party support. They would not be doing well to alienate developers.

5. The PSP will probably make a decent mp3 player, but I don't think it will sell as a movie playing device. Its screen resolution is higher than the GBA's but still not as good as a TV's. Movies won't look too good on that thing. And if the screen size isn't very big anyway, people might prefer to just get a dedicated movie player.

6. If Sony launches the PSP in 2004, they will basically be taking on the GBA at the height of its power. There's a lot of shovelware on the GBA, but it also has a dozen triple A titles that I can think of off the top of my head. That doesn't seem to be the best timing to me.

These are not insurmountable problems. The PSP could be a success because, after all, there's a lot that we don't know about it. But declaring that the system can't fail is quite premature at this stage. There are lots of ways it can fail, and the biggest mistake anybody can make is underestimating the vise grip Nintendo has on the market. If a low resolution, black and white handheld can defeat other handhelds with higher resolution and color, why is it inconceivable that a 2d handheld could beat out a 3d one?

Perfect Stu · 05-27-2003, 06:56 PM

Sony doesn't have to negotiate with developers like your Metal Gear reference. Playstation 2 is, and will continue to be the most attractive platform if you want to sell units of software. If anyone would have to make those type of negotiations, it would be Microsoft or Nintendo (like they did with Squaresoft).

And I don't think Sony is trying to steal GBA's audience as much as it is to appeal to a whole other range of people. The Playstation brand took gaming much more mainstream...I believe the same goals will be set for their venture into the handheld market. For example, if there are 40 million people worldwide willing to buy a handheld gaming machine today, they want the release and progression of the PSP to reach a broader audience, and capture say 30 million others who like the ability to play 3D games, or music and movie playing capabilities.

Oh, and Xantar...do you know how much a quality portable DVD player costs? :eek:

GameMaster · 05-27-2003, 07:18 PM

At least he's optimistic

I enjoy reading fiction

Perfect Stu · 05-27-2003, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by GameMaster
I enjoy reading fiction

How in the world could preditions be fact? And if you're about to claim that you're an old ugly female psychic, save it

Joeiss · 05-27-2003, 07:31 PM

Fiction means fake... not fact...

Perfect Stu · 05-27-2003, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Joeiss
Fiction means fake... not fact...

yes, I know...my point was that how could predictions NOT be fiction

GameMaster · 05-27-2003, 07:35 PM

Ok, let me reword my phrase...

I love reading predictions that will never become accepted facts or theories among society.

Happy?

Quote:

yes, I know...my point was that how could predictions NOT be fiction

Easy, they are evaluated and the results of the evaluations prove them to be true, or in your wording, non-fiction.

Perfect Stu · 05-27-2003, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by GameMaster
Ok, let me reword my phrase...

I love reading predictions that will never become accepted facts or theories among society.

Happy?

Easy, they are evaluated and the results of the evaluations prove them to be true, or in your wording, non-fiction.

Care to back your stance (or, add something insightful to the thread :eek: ) instead of popping in and out of the ground like a prairie dog?

Predictions can turn out to be fact. But when someone is making a prediction, it simply can NOT be fact until proven so.

Xantar · 05-27-2003, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Perfect Stu
Sony doesn't have to negotiate with developers like your Metal Gear reference. Playstation 2 is, and will continue to be the most attractive platform if you want to sell units of software. If anyone would have to make those type of negotiations, it would be Microsoft or Nintendo (like they did with Squaresoft).

I think you may have missed my point here. The Playstation 2 will undoubtedly continue to be the most attractive platform to develop for. But when it comes down to the PSP or the GBA, which do you think developers will choose? Well, the GBA has a vastly larger userbase and is cheaper to develop for. So how's Sony going to get games for the PSP? You might think that they'd negotiate with developers and pull a sort of reverse of Nintendo's tactic (whereas Nintendo said, "Develop for our console or we won't let you develop for our handheld," Sony might put it the other way around). All I'm saying is that tactic won't work.

Quote:

Oh, and Xantar...do you know how much a quality portable DVD player costs? :eek:

Yes, I do. And if I'm not mistaken, the PSP will not be anything like a replacement for a DVD player of any kind. Aside from its relatively low resolution screen, it doesn't play DVD size disks.

Rndm_Perfection · 05-27-2003, 08:11 PM

I was planning on buying the GBA based on the fact that it is the only portable console (assuming that's not a conflict of terms). However, this PSP is stealing my attention! Movies, music, and games brought to you buy the makers of the Playstation? I'm in! $199 may sound like a bit, but I say it's quite worth it. A portable system/media center seems worth more to me than the Gamecube itself. I'd say the GBA will need to get on its feet to keep support.

Perfect Stu, I like your posts. In fact, I respect your opinions quite a bit. This topic is just another example of your strength of opinion. That is, I agree that Sony is king! I have believed it since I've first seen the Playstation at work. I, too, am looking forward to a bright future with the PSP, PS2, and PS3. *saves up some cash*

Let's just hope the PSP ports some classic PSX and Sega Saturn RPGs (If that's remotely possible).

And a smilie for the crowd: