Kotaku Australia » console war

David Reeves – We All Have Very Sharp Swords

Mike Fahey — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:20:00 +0000

Man, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe boss David Reeves is an analogy machine! In a recent interview with Eurogamer, he put his powers to task in summing up the current state of the console war.

“I prefer to talk about the fact that, yeah, we’re competitors, but the competition really has made people so much sharper, and if I can use this analogy, if you’re fighting in a war that’s, say, Boeing versus Airbus, it’s almost like battleship against battleship and you’re fighting from 15 miles away; if you’re fighting in the car war, it might be that you’re fighting in tanks and you’re one kilometre away; in the videogame industry, if there’s a war, if there’s competition, it’s almost like hand-to-hand fighting, but it makes you sharper. You want to have a sharper sword, you want to have a sword that feels just about right, and everyone is very sharp, and what they’re doing is they’re looking for high ground, low ground where they can get an advantage”.

So the console industry is like melee combat with swords…or is it like shoes?

The winner is the consumer, and I think that’s great. That’s why we are not going to slag off Microsoft or Nintendo at all, because again it’s rather like the trainer market: one year it’s Reebok, next year it’s Nike, and then suddenly it’s Adidas; it’s cyclical, but in the end everyone wins in five to ten years.

See? He’s like one of those guys who is really good with analogies. Just reading his words has sapped me of my will to explain one thing using another thing as an example!

Of course what he is trying to say is that Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are equally matched in terms of what they have to offer the public and are just jockeying for position, but he makes it all seem so poetic, doesn’t he?

Incidentally, for those of you who don’t keep up with Brit slang, “to slag off” is equal to “to dis”. Also, trainers are sneakers, and David Reeves might be the only English-speaking games industry exec who needs a translator when addressing English-speaking markets.

Interview: Sony’s David Reeves [Eurogamer]

Microsoft: “The Battle For The Core User Is Sort Of Over”

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:30:00 +0000

Ah, here’s what was missing from Microsoft’s post-NPD gloat: fightin’ words. Speaking with Next-Gen, Xbox group product manager Aaron Greenberg has been talking all kinds of shit about how Microsoft has already won the battle for the core gamer.

I think the battle for the core user is sort of over, if you will. We’re heading now well beyond 20 million in console sales.

I feel we’ve secured that core buyer, and that gives us quite a bit of an advantage versus PS3, which is late to the game and still at a price disadvantage relative to the Xbox.

Much better, that’s the kind of talk I expect to see on NPD Thursday. He bases his point on Sony’s games lineup, which he thinks is “trying to go after a consumer that has already bought an Xbox 360″, and while MGS fans will rightfully disagree, MGS fans should also be aware they don’t speak for the great unwashed of prospective console buyers, either.
INTERVIEW: MICROSOFT’S CONSOLE WAR [Next-Gen]

Why The Xbox Hate?

Mike Fahey — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:20:21 +0000

GamesRadar is dedicating the entire week to the fine art of hating, with a series of features tied together as one giant Week of Hate. To this purpose, they’ve cobbled together a video demonstrating 100 reasons why gamers hate Xbox consoles. They make a good number of completely valid points, giving PlayStation 3 and Wii fanboys a leg up in the console war that rages across forums to this day. Don’t worry though, Microsoft fans. Nintendo and Sony will be getting the same treatment as the week goes on. Until then, just kick back and wait for the next Halo to come along. 100 Reasons Fanboys Hate Xbox [GamesRadar]

PS3 Sold Faster Than Xbox 360 In Same Period

Tori Floyd — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:00:00 +0000

In a recent report released by VG Chartz, it was found that the Playstation 3 sold better in its first 14 months than the Xbox 360 did during the same period. According to VG Chartz, the Xbox 360 took four months longer to hit the 10 million units sold mark in its cycle than the PS3, which hit 10 million units worldwide in January. The numbers also show that the PS3 has been selling more consistently worldwide, rather than the Xbox 360’s predominate strength in the North American market. February is turning out to be a whole host of good announcements for the PS3!

Report: PS3 sold faster than Xbox 360 for same period [Gamepro.com]

A Medal Of Honour For Console War Veterans

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:46:00 +0000

What better way to show you’re a survivor of the casualty-heavy Console Wars of the eighties than with this commemorative medal featuring the clear winner of the 8-bit home console conflict, the NES. Sporting an NES controller and signature cross-pad backdrop, the “Console War I” medal from Supermandolini is the “first in a series of limited edition ‘pin’ medals” that the jeweler has planned.

Cost to you? Just €18.00 (about $US 26) plus shipping from, I believe, Greece. Expect to be chatted up and admonished by real veterans when you wear it!

Console Wars I [Supermandolini]

Google Zeitgeist Shows Most-Searched Game Consoles

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 09:11:42 +0000

Google’s Zeitgeist 2007 is a snappy little feature the monolithic net masters are running which captures the spirit of 2007’s times in the form of search results. Of interest to you readers, fanboys and casual videogame industry observers is their data on consoles, and which of the big three was most sought out by searchers. For most of the year, it’s the “Xbox”, with the Wii following close behind. The PS3, well, it’s happy doing its own thing. Then we get to October. More people, normal people, start hitting up Google. The kind who want/NEED to know where they can get a Wii, and how much it’s going to cost them. As you can see, there are many, many people like that.

Gamers Rule [Google Zeitgeist, thanks balls187!]

Retailer Survey Says Microsoft Has Best “Attitude”

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 01:13:00 +0000

UK outlet MCV chatted it up with retailers to get a frontline perspective on how Console War VII is shaping up. According to their findings, those in the retail space are quite taken with Xbox 360 manufacturer Microsoft. Some 49% of them pegged the Xbox 360 as the winner of the “next generation battle” and a majority of them pointed to Microsoft as having the best “overall quality and attitude” toward retail outlets this year. Making gobs of cash from the Halo 3 launch may very well have helped that, but it’s nice to know they care.

It’s less than exciting news for Sony, however, as UK retailers point to both the PlayStation 3 launch and the performance of the PSP as two of the bigger disappointments of ‘07. The biggest? Lack of Wii stock. Is that all you guys care about? Money?

MCV Retail Survey 2007 [MCV]

“Easy To Move To The 360″

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:50:45 +0000

Once upon a time, Devil May Cry 4 was a PS3 exclusive. Now, it’s not. Capcom is putting it on the PS3, the Xbox 360, PCs and cereal boxes if it could. But was it hard to move what was once a PS3 exclusive over to the 360? Nope! It was simple. DMC4 Hiroyuki Kobayashi explains:

It [the engine] is not a 360 engine. It’s not an engine for the 360. It’s the internal engine that we use at Capcom for next generation machines called the MT Framework [note: MT stands for multi-target]. That actually runs on PC. As you know, we did originally plan to have this title just on PS3, but actually the development was done on a PC, not on a particular console. So because it’s all done on the PC… it makes it very easy to move it put it on the 360 and use the power of that machine, or to put it on the PS3 and use the power of that machine, each in different ways. It’s really pretty easy to do it, developing it from this PC base.

It so easy that we really doubt we’ll see Capcom exclusives outside of Wii and DS games. Porting those ain’t so easy!

Sympathy for the Devil [Level Up]

PS3 v 360 (The Orange Box Round)

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:49:32 +0000

Not much debate surrounding the 360 version of the Orange Box. It’s great, if you don’t have it, you’re a sucker. But the PS3 version? It raises people’s ire. Ignites controversy. Some believe it’s all busted up. Others, like our own Michael “Once Was A Teenage Hair Model” McWhertor, didn’t really mind the PS3 version’s technical hiccups, and had a blast. Who, then, do you believe? “Why Mike, of course” is the correct answer, because a low-res embedded clip is no substitute for, you know, actually playing the thing. But if you really must come to these conclusions on your own, please see above.

Capcom Still Believe In Third-Party Exclusives

Luke Plunkett — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 06:30:00 +0000

Games cost a lot of money now, there’s not as many people owning current-gen consoles as owned stuff like the PS2, competition between the three platforms is closer than last gen, blah blah blah. In short, the third-party exclusive is dead. We’ve heard it all before. Capcom have heard it all before, too, and do you think they care? They couldn’t give a rat’s arse. Capcom marketing VP – and exquisitely-named gentleman – Nique Fajors:

Exclusives are driven by gameplay functionality and cost. If you get your gameplay functionality and costs right, exclusivity can work.

How right he is! Phoenix Wright, Dead Rising, Lost Planet, Devil May Cry…oh, wait…
Capcom: Third-Party Exclusives Still Viable [Next-Gen]