12-23-2006, 11:01 AM
Quote:For a long time, Ive had a theory that theres always room for two-and-a-half game consoles in the market that is, two main contenders battling for first place and an also-ran that survives but never stands a chance of doing better than third. Being either first or second is normally good enough to guarantee healthy sales and long-term survival. The more critical question is, who will be the also-ran?...
So now were at another generation. The Xbox 360 came out swinging early, and its a good solid machine. Then theres the PS3, which is undoubtedly the most powerful game console ever built but too expensive, and the Wii, which has taken a radically different approach. Wholl end up as the also-ran?
The answer will have to do with a lot of factors beyond a game designers, or any game developers, control. Sad to say, while the quality of the early games for a console does matter, good games alone cannot guarantee a consoles success. More important are its price (to the casual players), its hardware features (to the hardcore players), and even its form factor...
full article: http://www.gamasutra.com/features/200612...s_01.shtml