E3 is coming up in about a month or so, and everyone is already screaming about the future. Who will live? Who fails? What technological masterpiece will represent the greater gamer population this time? Well, no one knows, and everyone with an opinion is posting it on the internet. And every time I see one of these articles, I can't help but read it and wonder what drug induced fanboy madness could generate such thoughts. The most recent of these was an article saying that Sony was this generations Sega, and that the PS4 will fail. While this isn't impossible, it most certainly isn't likely. Sony has held a huge place in gamers homes since the PS1 launched, and I don't see that changing. The PS3 was a harsh learning experience for Sony though. They had to see that having a colossal ego wasn't the route to take for getting a console off of the ground. Now they are doing fine, despite dumping millions of R&D dollars into a short lived motion control program (thank God that the Move is pretty much no more). Nintendo isn't in a much better place, though. As the Wii has wound down in sales and visibility in preparation for the release of the WiiU, they have released a follow up to the successful DS line with the 3DS, which had a harsh start to what has turned into a success, and there is unending doubt surrounding the WiiU. As a longtime Nintendo fan, I can't help but feel the same. The rumors of technology on par with the 360/PS3 don't do much to help Nintendo stay appealing to the so-called Core gamer. Sure, the tablet controller is an interesting interface and could do great things when applied well, but we don't see that yet. We know that games that have been announced for current consoles are due on the WiiU, but that's it. The lack of information doesn't lend itself to Nintendo's favor, so the outlook is bleak. But nothing is concrete. I will keep watching it, because it does look interesting.
Microsoft is the company who needs to watch themselves.
As with Nintendo, Sega, and Sony alike, there have been decisions made for each of these three companies that have ended up causing more harm than good. Nintendo stuck with cartridges, which made production costs high, and development difficult due to the complex architecture of the machine. Sega entered their third generation with a chain of failed products targeted at toppling the Nintendo giant, and ultimately drained finances from their company, and focused on a very small target audience: arcade gamers. Sony entered their third generation with a egotistical marketing campaign, paired with an expensive piece of hardware that was difficult to develop for, and had a small amount of interesting exclusive titles, and a collection of buggy ports from the 360. While Microsoft hasn't played its cards for the next generation, or even given a peek of their hand, there is much for them to look out for. One of these concepts is the idea of preventing used games from being played on a console.
While I don't prefer used games, they are a necessary evil. The problem is tied to the cost of new games. When your console still plays DVD's and you are pushing a sixty dollar price tag without including instruction manuals (as EA has done), I don't see where the price of product can make any sense. Yes, it costs millions to make a game, and market it. But that sixty dollar price mark on war-shooter-game-eighty doesn't make me want to play it. Next, the push for digital distribution only doesn't help the collection mindset, which ultimately keeps a console in the gaming landscape for decades to come. Also, sequels have to make money, and those used copies of war-shooter-game-seventy-nine would definitely get people prepared to play the samey crap that major developers are pushing these days. All of these things have a place and its time to find a balance to them all. If you want to sell one of those irritating online pass things, give an incentive. Sure, Alice: Madness Returns isn't that great of a game (per reviewers), but the online pass includes a copy of the cult classic Alice. That's worth ten bucks the EA can make without breaking a sweat. It's an old game past its lifespan, and its a way to make quick money. But EA is essential the video game version of Satan, so this is a moot point.
But we have to wait for these things to happen, folks. No console is in trouble yet. There are things playing against everyone this generation. While this has been one of the most financially fruitful generations in gaming since its inception, its time is fading. The deck has been shuffled and the cards are still being dealt. No one is going to topple anyone until all the systems are on the market, and the bets are being made.
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