Next Gen Consoles are Coming

Posted on Monday 11th April 2005 at 15:22 by Mr Thou

As stated at The Register (much thanks to Iceman for linking us to the article), Sony and Microsoft will be presenting their new consoles, respectively the PS3 and XBox2, on May 16th.

Sure fact? Well, not exactly, as none of the companies said why they would want to make a press conference, but the fact that the E3 starts the very next day hints towards that direction. The real deal is probably when the two consoles will be available for sales: Christmas, early 2006...? Nonetheless, the E3 will probably emphasizes a lot on the two new consoles, which would make it an interesting event.

Posted in: Gaming Industry News

Written by	Mr Thou
	Former Staff Writer / Forum Moderator
	Member Since: 2003-07-19
	News articles posted: 4
	More articles by Mr Thou

Comments

Racthoh	Comment 1: 2005-04-11 18:27
	That sounds interesting, can't wait to see what happens. I just hope that they change the names of their new consoles. PS2 was alright, made a cool logo. But to go PS3 and XBox2... surely they aren't paying someone to come up with those brilliant names.
Phunbaba	Comment 2: 2005-04-11 23:12
	Seems like nintendo is a step behind the game again according to this.
Silverlance	Comment 3: 2005-04-12 00:44
	Quote (Phunbaba @ 11th April 2005 18:12) Seems like nintendo is a step behind the game again according to this. They'll have a lot of catching up to do. They fell back majorly when they brought up the N64: whereas every other system had migrated to CDs, they stayed with expensive, restrictive cartridges and lost major support by a number of important publishers, including Square (who balked at the idea of making FF7 on 128 meg cartridges.) This continued lack of proper publisher support continued with the Gamecube, which was somewhat better received. Seems most companies were weary of it and very careful in their dealings with it. While Nintendo can pump out awesome games, they alone can't compete with every other company out there and without the full support of some of the major players in game developement, the Gamecube fell behind somewhat. If you owned a major video game franchise and were looking for a platform to consider for your next-gen games, which would you pick? The one that, while promising, has had relatively bad success and a small share of the market with its previous two consoles, or the one(s) that stayed ahead and gained a relatively better series of profits and consummer support? At best you might release a few games for the company that had a rough time keeping up with the competition for the sake of tapping a larger share of the market (while being careful not to spend too much effort on these games; why spend more money than a game will bring in? Bad risk!) The majority of your games will be reserved for the systems holding a larger share of the consumer market, where they'll most likely bring in more money. Just my two cents; I've only been loosely keeping up so I dunno what'd be in store for Nintendo next. But my guess is, they can make it back uphill if they can produce enough quality games to win back a big enough slice of some market-flavored pie, and rebuild publishers' confidence in them in preparations for their next console. A bad move that would put them behind Sony and Microsoft could easily mean a very bleak future for them, though, so I wouldn't be surprised if they'd put a lot of effort into this one. Again, my two cents.
Racthoh	Comment 4: 2005-04-12 05:01
	Perhaps Nintendo is behind in their development, but to me it seems like the majority of games on that platform are party games. The graphics don't need to be anything that special, just something to occupy the player with. There are very few games with the "Mature" rating or even "Teen" for that matter. A system that draws parents towards it to purchase it for their children. Also, the price of gamecube was low compared to the other two. And maybe its just me, but the next Zelda game makes me drool. Final Fantasy has lost it's magic (to me anyway), and XBox never appealed to me mainly because of the massive controllers the size of a Gamecube! That and its lack of RPGs. As someone who has experience the development of games since Coleco, graphics mean nothing to me. A good storyline and gameplay are all that matter to me. Odds are most games will just be a feast for the eyes, leaving your hands to starve. Wait, I just contridicted myself by saying I don't care for graphics but the next Zelda game makes me drool ... Well, from what the trailers show the gameplay looks great.
Rubicant	Comment 5: 2005-04-13 19:46
	Yay for incorrect information. Microsoft is unveiling their new console before Sony, in an MTV special hosted by Elijah Wood, and the Killers will also perform on the show. The special is taking place on MAY 12th, not the 16th. Quotes from GAF: Quote Microsoft has announced that it will not be unveiling the Xbox 2 (codenamed "Xenon") at E3, as was previously expected. Rather, it will be revealed on May 12 in a MTV special. Sony's PS3 and Nintendo's Revolution are expected to be unveiled at E3 on May 16. "It doesn't make sense to unveil the product behind a closed door, at a trade-only event. We wanted to talk directly to the consumer first," said Peter Moore, Corporate VP of Worldwide Marketing and Publishing for Xbox. The MTV special will be hosted by Elijah Wood, star of The Lord of the Rings movies and feature a performance by the rock group "The Killers." Many other celebrities and athletes will be on hand to show off the new console. MTV will air teaser spots prior to the event and screening parties will be held in countries in which MTV airs. Moore stated that the launch decision is to not only "feed the core" gamers, but also to "captivate the masses." The unveiling on MTV is a "signal of the strong change in the way we do business." Themes of optimism and community will be stressed in the campaign, said Moore. This meshes with what Ourcolony.net, the ilovebees-like marketing tool for Xbox 2, states. "Colony isn't about alternate reality gaming, it is reality. It's about the reality of your world, your friends, your life. Colony isn't political, it's global." Moore also stated that the companies behind games for the Xenon's launch will be based all around the world. The Xbox has done very poorly in Japan, and Microsoft wants to change the idea that Xbox is an American brand. Xenon is expected to launch in October/November of this year.
Arkin	Comment 6: 2005-04-14 02:10
	Quote (Phunbaba @ 11th April 2005 18:12) Seems like nintendo is a step behind the game again according to this. The reason why nintendo has been behind is because its been working on the new zelda for the last 5 years. Which comes out 10/1/05. Thank you gamestop.com!
Silverlance	Comment 7: 2005-04-14 02:51
	Quote (Arkin @ 13th April 2005 21:10) The reason why nintendo has been behind is because its been working on the new zelda for the last 5 years. Which comes out 10/1/05. Thank you gamestop.com! Hopefully for them they're not staking their company's immediate future on a single game... 5 years of effort is a very serious investment, and with nothing more than a game to show for it, they're going to be left in the dust once the more popular games migrate to Sony and Microsoft's new consoles... Not to mention the sales from a single game do not outweight the sales of a couple of consoles and games.
Ejoty	Comment 8: 2005-04-14 18:48
	Yah.... well I haven't given any thought to getting a Nintendo system in the past 8 years or so if that says anything. Anywho, I take it as good news that Sony and Microsoft have let their current systems have a healthy run, you know, being fair to our wallets and such...
laszlow	Comment 9: 2005-04-14 19:30
	I remember reading in some gaming mag that a Yale professor of economics speculated that games will cost an average of five to ten bucks more in the next generation of consoles, because of the currently increasing prices in games only getting higher when the new systems come around. Would you still get a PS3 if the games cost 60 to 65 bucks? I still have old (we're talking n64 and ps1 old) games to play, fellas.
Elena1999	Comment 10: 2005-04-14 23:20
	Quote (laszlow @ 14th April 2005 12:30) I remember reading in some gaming mag that a Yale professor of economics speculated that games will cost an average of five to ten bucks more in the next generation of consoles, because of the currently increasing prices in games only getting higher when the new systems come around. Would you still get a PS3 if the games cost 60 to 65 bucks? I still have old (we're talking n64 and ps1 old) games to play, fellas. I'd still get one but my gaming library would be quite small and I'd only get new games every once in a while probably. I'd also probably play back through all my old games. In a case like $60-$65 a game I'd probably buy them as I beat them. But if everyone remembers, we used to pay this much for NES and SNES games. I now understand why I only ever got those games for birthdays and christmas and never for the heck of it. I believe my brother paid $70 for Chrono Trigger when it first came out or something.
laszlow	Comment 11: 2005-04-15 00:46
	Quote (Elena1999 @ 14th April 2005 18:20) ...But if everyone remembers, we used to pay this much for NES and SNES games.... Yes, but in this day and age cheap bastards like myself are used to cheap, relatively easy-to-manufacture CDs that drop in price wonderfully quickly. I almost always get games really late, waiting for them to fall to twenty bucks at the most. If the next generation of consoles ups the average price of games, that's another few months before I'll wait to spend my hard-earned money from my summer job.
Silverlance	Comment 12: 2005-04-15 00:53
	Meh, really, what's $60+ for a game? Unless you're a fickle gamer (like the vast majority of people who believe everything on the internet should be free...) and get bored of your games after a few days, paying $60 a month for quality entertainment is no biggie. I'm STILL playing GTA3 and bought it two years ago. And I've only recently started a new game in FF6. BoF2? Still playing it every once in a while. FFT? CT? Diablo? They're all games that've lasted me many months. $60 is nothing considering how long they've lasted. And given the ratings on most of these, by the time you're old enough to play, you should have a job that makes spending $60 every month or so easy enough. If not, you should've played less video games in your childhood, or learn not to spend $200 on a new bike just because your old one's a little rusty and the back breaks need to be changed.
The_Pink_Nu1	Comment 13: 2005-04-15 03:03
	No one seems to have faith in Nintendo. I believe that Nintendo's next-gen console (the Revolution, I believe) will be a great system. I don't think I'm worrying about who Squenix is going to develop for after FFXII is released; the relationship between Sony and Squenix is souring, and with Dawn of Souls on GBA and FF3 going to the DS, I think it's safe to say that Squenix will be developing for Nintendo. Plus, as others have pointed out, the new Zelda game looks fantastic. I'm sure their next Mario, Metroid, Smash Bros., or Star Fox will also be great. Screw the faulty hardware and overpricing found in other systems, I think I'm going to go with Nintendo.
Rubicant	Comment 14: 2005-04-15 20:13
	Quote (Phunbaba @ 11th April 2005 19:12) Seems like nintendo is a step behind the game again according to this. By the way, who unveils their system first means absolutely nothing. Microsoft can unveil their X-Box 360 TONIGHT and it'd mean jack if they didn't release it on the market first. So far, word is that Microsoft will not be first this time around, and they won't be last, either. Looks like Sony is looking at the last release spot, with Nintendo taking the first release spot, according to their schedules. Nintendo has suffered the most from a late release, and you better believe they are working overtime to make sure it doesn't happen again.
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