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Originally Posted by Sty
Dualshock 2/3 is SO much better than any XBOX controller I have controllers from both system.
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Pff!
Dr Mario Kart, that's a damned good and well structured post. I like the data angle, so I thought I'd add some of my own.
First, from
this link regarding November 2007 sales:
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The Wii came out on top with 981,000 consoles sold and the DS sold a staggering number. No surprise there, despite Nintendo’s cautious comments about how it is unable to fill demand. The Xbox 360 turned out a very strong month, while Sony’s price cut and introduction of the 40 gigabyte model didn’t do much for them at all. I think it’s a clear signal that Sony didn’t have the games and it didn’t have the console everyone wanted. But, as Sony rightly points out below, it got a nice pop in November sales versus October sales. But I don’t think that’s enough to signal a turnaround in market share loss, considering how much bigger Xbox 360 and Wii sales were in the month.
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If I hadn't mentioned it before, I used to be a staid and true Sony fanatic. They never did any one thing specifically that made me stray... their business practices overall in a multitude of divisions alienated me against them as a brand and a business.
First of all, pricing. Overpricing isn't something new to Sony with the advent of the PS3. In the Audio/Video marketplace they often have identical-quality products (good quality, nonetheless) for a price 10-15% higher than other Tier 1 competitors. Same in the Computer/Laptop market.
Secondly, their SOE division does not listen to it's client base. Star Wars Galaxies is a prime (but not singular) example. They made vast changes that pushed away swaths of subscribers very rapidly. Planetside is another... the concept is pure gold. Basically an MMO version of Tribes 2. It was a certain win... except it failed miserably. I'm not sure precisely what their largest one-time subscriber base was, but it was never very large.
The VAIO line of PCs. As mentioned above, the price for performance scale is simply askew. Dell, HP, IBM and other Tier 1 OEMs have similar or identically spec'd systems for less money. Sony really does have a massive head in that market.
On to the PS3. Development has been a disaster with a very few developers sticking up for them (it's not hard to dev on the PS3 platform) and many saying exactly the opposite. You have to wonder when very Japanese oriented companies like Square Enix and Konami start making 360-exclusive titles. I mean, a few years ago if someone asked Square if they had planned an Xbox-exclusive game, I'm sure the interview would've been all but over. We're not talking diversifying either... we're talking straight-up platform exclusives.
Online capabilities are another issue wholly. Live is a tried and true, well rounded and well liked platform. The matching service is far and away the best out there (even compared to PC game-matching services). The array of XBLA games and services are already in place and growing as quickly as the PS3 network... so how will Sony catch up? Plus with the Games for Windows initiative slowly growing and allowing cross-system (360 vs. PC) gameplay, a new market of competitive gaming may grow quickly.
I've voiced my opinion many, many times about the HD format wars. Honestly, my dislike of Sony has little to do with choosing HD-DVD over Blu-Ray. I'm sure it colors some part, but from a technophile perspective, i really do want the best format. If Blu-Ray was vastly (or at all) better, I would swallow my pride and take the leap without hesitation. It's not. Technically, it's not. Theoretically, it's not.
Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox. It's a hot issue for me on many levels. I hope you understand, too, that I am by no means a Microsoft fanboy. While I admire their growth as a US business, I also think that they spent the past two decades (until recently) not giving a shit and a half what the consumer needed or wanted. I see signs that that may be changing, but the jury is still out.