In a recent post over at CNet Digital Home, Don Reisinger argues that Microsoft should make Xbox Live free. To an extent, I actually agree with him. Of course, I don’t think the situation is as clear-cut as Reisinger believes. Yes, Xbox Live will eventually be free, but that won’t happen until Microsoft has a legitimate reason to do so. And no, the current multiplayer implementations by Nintendo and Sony in no way compete with XBL.
Wii vs 360
First off, let’s just forget about Nintendo. It’s clear from their ridiculous friend code system that they have no interest in achieving the same sort of seamless multiplayer integration that Microsoft has done with Live. Nintendo is far too steeped in their irrational “family friendly” corporate philosophy–to the point where I don’t believe they want to help gamers connect with one another.
Case in point: Nintendo made a big announcement last year declaring that they were going to simplify Wii online play by using Gamespy’s technology. But for some strange reason, I can’t find any further reference to that partnership besides the initial press release. And even if they did secretly start implementing Gamespy’s technology, it’s still based on friend codes–the biggest part of Nintendo’s multiplayer failure thus far. Read the rest of this entry »
Today Sony announced that they would be selling and renting video content over the Playstation Store, and I suppose if this was a year ago, that news would have actually been somewhat interesting. But coming off the recent Netflix/Xbox 360 announcement, wherein the 360 would become a Netflix streaming device this fall a la the Roku, any impact from Sony’s announcement has been practically nullified. The sad thing is that this isn’t a new trend for Sony with the PS3, and along with the constant delays of Home, it’s clear that this situation isn’t going to improve anytime soon.
As I’ve stated before, Sony’s main competition this generation is Microsoft. Nintendo is clearly off in their own territory with the success of the Wii, and neither Microsoft nor Sony would gain much by competing directly with the Wii’s low price, motion controls, and mainstream appeal. Instead, they need to scrap it out for dominance among the more regular and hardcore gaming crowds.
In this particular fight, it seems the Playstation 3 will always be left behind. Sony started off a year after the 360, and they also didn’t have the benefit of a strong online platform in the PS2 generation like Microsoft did with the Xbox 1. MS learned a lot from the original implementation of Live, and in doing so they were able to craft a much more polished product for the 360. We may take it for granted now, but I’ll always consider the 360 Live’s focus on online multiplayer to be a major turning point for console gaming. Read the rest of this entry »
One of my most popular posts from last year predicted that 2007 would be the “Year of the 360“. A recent Kotaku post argues just that, they believe the 360 “won” 2007:
The console might not have sold the most units or captured the attention of the mass media, but as a platform, it’s provided the most complete experience of the year while executing titles with the most successful track record.
Looking back at 2007 I can’t help but agree. While not all of my predictions in my original post came true, the gist of the article rang true throughout the year. It was clear that Nintendo was content with their now usual crap third party support, and Sony’s lineup throughout the year was sadly lacking of many “system sellers”.
Kotaku points out that the 360 had more quality games and a vastly superior networking component in Xbox Live. They also mention the innovative Xbox Live Arcade Releases, although in that respect I believe Sony is putting up a decent fight with Microsoft. PSN has actually done a decent job of putting out creative independent games. It’s just a shame that they tend to be much more compelling than the vast majority of the PS3’s actual game lineup.
So what will 2008 bring? The PS3 will become more of a competing force, and the Wii will get a healthy injection of long-awaited Nintendo titles. It’s certainly going to be much more difficult for Microsoft this time around. More on this soon…
Image by Omeburo via The Rabbit Snare
Engadget is reporting on a recent Nintendo business presentation wherein company President Satoru Iwata announce his plans for more “practical” applications on the DS. The announcement implies that the big N wants to move even further away from games and at the same time strengthen their relationship with casual and non-gamers. You may recall my previous post on the their enthusiastic contentment with the Wii’s board-game characterstics — this just drives that point home even further.
Of course it’s just good business to grab even more unclaimed market share, but is anyone at Nintendo as concerned as I am about these new trends the company is taking? While the DS has certainly seen it’s fare share of real games, the Wii is looking to end up just like the N64 and Gamecube with its dearth of third-party support. It probably won’t die the same ugly death, though, because it will survive on its current appetite of casual and repetitive party games.
From the WSJ article:
Mr. Iwata said he would consider practical uses for the Wii and DS, but that it made sense to focus on the DS first, because it has sold far more.
“This is the first device that is portable and wireless and anybody can use. And with so many devices out there, it would be wasteful to not turn it into a tool,” he said.
The article is fairly short so I may just appear to be grasping at straws, but honestly anything that proves that Nintendo is really thinking less about games has me worried. On the one hand I’m excited to see what Nintendo can do by using their hardware in more creative ways, but on the other I know that if Nintendo casts a wider scope in their purpose, the games we’ve grown to love will suffer.
