The Battle of the Console Prices

Point One: All consoles are essentially well priced.

When the XBOX 360 came out, the Gametrash staff was amazed to note the prices of the system, especially on Internet Auction giant eBay. The XBOX 360 was nowhere near worth $1000, like posted on eBay- yet the demand for the system generated itself in such away as to create a false inflation, and many gamers shelled out huge bucks to buy the shiny white console. Some people, like myself, intend to wait out and play other's consoles until we can actually afford the system- but, last Christmas, the XBOX 360 created demand- and the whole world of gamers was willing to pour their hard earned money into it.

Gamers need to remember the number one rule of electronic products, and that is that they will be expensive- generally especially related to their capabilities. For example, a PC that is top of the line will obviously cost $4000 or so, whereas a PC that is normal-of-the-line will probably cost $2000- it doesn't matter how literally powerful it is numerically, it's just a standard. So, it stands to reason that Nintendo's system, that is going to purposely be made of “standard” parts, will be much cheaper than the XBOX 360, which is made of “Advanced” parts. Companies will try up and down to try to calm this kind of gradient, but there is no way to do it- that's just how it is. Kinda like the difference between a Honda Civic and a Ferrari.

But let's face it- no matter what console you like, every single console that will be launched is priced fairly. In a realistic perspective, actually, ALL companies are taking hits on their consoles, be it Microsoft, or (In the future), Sony or Nintendo- that's how the companies generate the low prices in comparison to the parts. Essentially, what the companies do is bet on your attraction to the lowered price, and are willing to bet that the revenues will be made back in the games and accessory market. So, when you hear on any website a rant about the prices- be it on Sony (The biggest target for this kind of thing), Microsoft, or even Nintendo.

Point Two: Sometimes, paying a little more pays in the long run.

This is by far not a slam to Nintendo, but when a company makes a game console, a lot of attention needs to be paid when it comes to the ability to adapt to future technologies. When the PS2 was made, Sony did not have in mind the strenuous demand current games like “Black” would have on the system- there is no way they would have realized they needed advanced particle physics, or even stunning lighting effect capabilities. In that same thought, the people at Microsoft on the XBOX 360 project have no idea what will be in the future- and we cannot expect them to inherently know it. But, we do know one thing:

It is better to have a powerful system and plan for things than to go cheap and become outdated faster

In that sense, The XBOX 360, even though many consider it useless, going to live a very long time. While we have not seen close to what it is capable of, the XBOX 360 is powerful, and has the ability to easily handle what we consider next-generation. This promise is virtually a contract via Microsoft that promises gamers good content in the future, and is a very good stepping stone for them in the market- their ability to prove to gamers that yes, their system has been proven good, and will continue to do so for a very long time.

Now to slightly rain on Nintendo's parade. I think the Wii is going to be a great system, but I think Nintendo has forgotten the above rule in italics- and that they will definitely suffer for it later in the selling years. While Nintendo's graphics are good NOW, I think it will be difficult for, in about four years, Nintendo to convince gamers that their system will deliver the latest in gaming technology. Nintendo has limited itself to the control scheme, and once gamers “bore” of the uniqueness of this feature, there will be not much going, tech-wise, for the small shiny box. While Nintendo may have some good stuff going for them, this is what I consider to be the critical flaw with the system.

And now for the Playstation 3. Yes, the PS3 has a lot going for it technology wise, but I've promised myself this article will not be a elongated rant about PS3 love. The PS3 technologically is the best of the bunch, and promises to last the longest, just as the PS2 has worn and torn for the last 5+ years. One of the key issues that many bring up, which is a good point, is the complexity of the system- that is, the fact that the PS3 is so radically pumped up that many developers would have a problem handling it, and if they created a “Really good” engine for the PC, it would be difficult to port it to the Playstation 3. As I have not seen the PS3 dev environment yet, I cannot say yes or no- but I can say that Sony needs to be careful.

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