Good, Bad, and Ugly news for Console Gamers

[Acehigh]

Hey guys I just found some news on the next round of consoles that are in developement.  With an aging PC, I have turned to the consoles for most of my gaming needs.  And frankly the PC market has been pretty slim lately.  For the latest news on all 3, yes 3 developers in the console wars click here:
http://news.com.com/FAQ+The+next+video+g...ag=st.prev

(hopes that link came through right lol)  I'm a bit surprised to see Nintendo still hinting around at a next gen machine.  The gamecube didn't do so well against the xbox and playstation 2.  But the big N's best selling point this cycle may just be that they are quoting the most attractive launch price.  I don't know about you guys, but I think it's ludacris to pay over $300 for a gaming console.

Ohhh one little side note here as well.  There is also an article on happypuppy.com in the news section quoting EA's next gen sports titles will come out of the gate at $70 a pop.  That's insane. 

*S*  Ace reporter me signing out! 

[Man53]

Considering nobody spoke up, I'll make a point, these companies, if they do try to push $300 +, they will have a great deal of dificulty, as most of us console gamers that they have targeted are highschool/college students.

The PS2/Xbox/GameCube $200-350 was already a push for many hardcore gamers. I spent a lot of time fasting to save money for my PS2 and got lucky with my GameCube

almost all console game systems have started around $200 even back to the SNES and Genesis and even before that. To raise the general release price for these systems I think would almost be insane. Even with the massive improvements, technology is continually getting cheaper, I can get the same computer my dad bought for $2,600 6 years ago for $15 today. Honestly these predictions can never be guarnteed, and we basically just have to wait it out and see.

It may just be me, but I dont particularly see these systems being released at anything more tha $250.


A friend of mine just pointed out to me that with the new X-box (Xenon) they most likely wont keep a huge price on the system, if it is released with X-box Live 4.0 because the next gen is supposed to have video capabilites for X-box live, however people "might"be able to move their profiles over, however it is uncertain. If microsoft is "smart" they will allowi it for free or for a service charge. X-box live is such a huge focus point for sales, and it probobly brings in multi-millions every  month because it too has the pay-to-play system like many of the new and old MMORPGs do. You buy the game, and then you have to pay for online access, and then for x-box live access. There are very FEW games out right now that require an online subscription like the MMORPGs (Fantasy Star Online) however they might release several new ones that use a similar system, pay-to-play for X-box live, and then pay-to play for the game itself for the online options and such that it presents to the gamer.

[Acehigh]

I couldn't agree more.  Was thinking along similar lines when I read that article.  There's no way highschool/college students can shell out over $300 for a system.  Let alone how little value you get when you buy the hardware these days.  The NES, Genesis, and even Atari systems felt like you got the most out of that $200.  You got two controllers, the console itself, and at least one game so you knew if it worked or not.  When I got my xbox I spent darn near $400 because I had to by the extra controller so I would have 2 ($30), I had to buy a game ($50), bought the console itself ($300), and I got a two year warranty from best buy ($40).  That basically took my whole paycheck for that half of the month lol.  I'm a sub teacher right now so believe me I know what you mean about fasting to get a console.  Honestly I wasn't very impressed with what the gamecube had to offer, but if those price quotes turn out to be accurate I might be a big N fan again.  Two things that have me worried about the xenon are 1) rumor has it microsoft doesn't want to include the hard drive(huge selling point of the first xbox), and 2)they don't think they can make their hardware backplay compatible (a feat sony already has promised forever). 

I'm also worried about the future of the software for all the hardware that comes out.  To me it seems companies are focusing to much on multiplayer modes and half arsing the single player component of their games.  For a poor man like me that can't afford high speed internet and an online account for my console, this really shortens the replay value of anything I can afford to buy. 

[M1A2Tanker]

It's all about the profit margin.  If they can make big bucks for a pretty game that's really pretty bad...they still won.

[Man53]

Definitely true, and as far as the online play, you're 100% correct, in the past X years, who knows how many, I've only replay'd and beaten a handfull of my games, because they were WAY too focused on the multiplayer aspects. I don't expect to be purchasing a Xenon, as I never purchased an X-Box. I sit here with my good ol' PC., GameCube, PS2, and SNES (Quite happy might I add).

Also Tank presents a VERY true point.

[Acehigh]

I've been quite happy with my xbox.  I got it because it was the only console that had an internal hard drive.  No more messing with those crappy memory cards.  And the Halo series, Mech Assault Series, Kotor series, Crimson Skies, and the sports games (have sharper graphics and great gameplay)keep me pretty busy.  I've never gotten bored with the Halo games and Kotors for sure.  I'm planning to get a xenon unless there's no hard drive, and it's above $350.  Then I'll have to look at the others more seriously. 

just found an article at http://www.xbox.com about some new features and a little bit of news about the zenon.  highlights are that the xenon processor is going to support a teraflop of power.  also they are doing everying with the "HD era" in mind.  My question to this is what about us poor folks that can't afford an hd tv or hd tv service?