Which is gonna go first?
 

Of the 3 systems out right now, which one is going to pull out first? PS2 is the dominate leader so they're not going anywhere. X-Box is funded by Bill Gates incredibly deep pockets. GameCube has Nintendo behind them and they at least have some pride knowing they are the ones who started the console boom.

To state my question again, which system is going to go first?

All three are in it for the long haul, and are profiting from their forays into the console market. Personally, if I bought one, it would be an X-Box because I dislike Sony, and Nintendo are price-fixing-nazis.

good thread idea but... all three are getting old. hmmmmmmm
i'd say Nintendo

None. Not in this round and not likely in the next either. Then it's to far in the furture to guess.

Absolutely. the Playstation 2 is alive because of it's timely release and it's exclusive titles, most notably the Final Fantasy sagas and Grand Theft Auto.

Nintendo is held aloft by it's massive catalog of established moneymakers, Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc....

And the X-box is likely around for a while simply because Microsoft has spoken, a couple of good games and it's 'other' uses.....media center...mod chips....etc.

If I had to guess....I'd say Playstation 2. The X-box graphics are so much better, and if they were to lose those exclusivity rights they're history. I had one for about a month. After Final Fantasy X I lost all interest in the Playstation 2.

I read online that Ninentendo has not hot any of its target sales with gamecube and is making most of its money from the gameboy. I wonder if they might go the Sega route and become a software company (at least on the platform side). It seems to me that they would make a lot more money porting their games to other consoles.

There was a rumor, and their was an article but i was unable to find it, that EA games is going or was to buy Nintendo.

Well PS3 is being developed for aprox. the year 2005. Sony cofindence for PS2 reflects Sony is doing quite well currently. X box hasn't had a top 20 selling game since Halo which placed 18. In order to sell their machien, Microsoft had to cut the price of Xbox without reducing the production cost white Sony was able to improve their production and lower their price to increase profit. It's hard to say. Currently, i'm just looking forward to the PS3 :)

they shall all crumble and only the PC shall remain. since the PC is by far the best gaming system out there.

20 years tops, then there wont be any new console because TV's will be PC's.

It says so in Revelation in the Bible.

I heard that all 3 were coming out with new consoles in 2005. Look for Sony to hit the market with the PS3 first then Microsoft will counter with the Xbox2, Nintendo doesn't really know what theirs is called yet or at least I haven't heard. As far as they go now GC is faster than the PS2 but lacks the game titles. I love Xbox, I like the little things that can be done with it. I know that in the next 6 or 7 months they are planning on 100 new titles to be released..we'll see about that. Xbox is going to get better and better as far as game titles are concerned..who knows what nintendo will do. I think Nintendo is more concerned with the "childrens" demographic. Microsoft seems more aimed at the Mature and Sony is somewhere in the middle. The only reason that sony survives is because of their game titles.

I don't think it will be ps2...at E3, they talked about how sony got tons exclusivity rights...they got the next grand theft auto only for ps2 forever (or so the news people said)...and they got all EA, or it might have just been EA sports...i didn't really look into it, I just saw a thing on the news about it. They also showed some clips of gran turismo4 which i'm sure will sell tons. Also, I'm pretty sure the ps3 is not the name for it. There's been a bunch of rumors of what it will be, but the people with sources all say it won't be ps3

Personally, I kind've pissed at myself for getting the Xbox instead of the PS2. Granted, the Xbox performs better (IMHO) but I would much rather have games to play. Xbox has one, a single, viable game franchise: Halo. Personally, I would like to play the Grand Theft Auto's, the Final Fantasies, the Gran Turismo's, the Metal Gear Solid's, the Devil's May Cries and even some of the stand alone (thus far) games like SOCOM and THe Getaway, etc. Personally, I would like games to play. An outstanding Xbox game comes out once every nine or ten months. Panzer Dragoon Orta was the last game of note that was released to general acclaim. Good game but there simply aren't enough of them. To quote Dennis Miller, "Awww.......fuck it who wants pie!"

Yeah, I dont believe any console manufacturer is going to go down in this generation (and most likely the next as well).
In contrast to MahlerIsGod, I love my xbox. Getting a Live account makes it that much better. Sony is realizing the power of the online community (as you can see here), and apparently is trying to copy Microsoft's Live network. Sony also has plans for a handheld (to compete with Gameboy and Nokia's nGage.)
The power struggle in the console market is indeed an interesting thing to observe. Only thing we can do is speculate and watch.

This fight is gonna go 15 rounds. All 3 companies did fine last year and this year looks to be the same. Somebody is gonna have to make a major marketing mistake for there system to get pulled.

And what's even better is that every system as of the moment I write this has something different with there product.

PS2 is just awesome. Lots, and lots, and lots of titles. All most anytitle that you would want to play on XBox could be played on the PS2. And you don't have to pay anything for a DVD add-on.

XBox while the graphics are better than PS2's 3 out 5 times, doesn't quite after the blind follows of the PS2 or Gamecube. But will Bill Gates running the show those blind follows will continue to grow and grow.

Gamecube is Nintendo...that's about all that you need to say. Nintendo was here before PS2 and XBox and if they keep putting out Zelda and Mario titles they'll continue to make money.

After carefully considering all 3 systems I chose to buy the PS2. Why? Because I bought a console because I wanted to play games on it. X-Box has incredible graphics, but very few titles worth playing (again I bought a console to play games not to look at the pretty graphics). Gamecube has too few games targeted towards adults. I asked myself what system was I going to be most satisfied with, looked at all the good points and bad points of the systems and chose PS2, based on what was important to ME. That doesn't mean that any one system is "better" than the other, just that one system suited MY needs better than the other two. If I had to pick one that was gonna go down, I'd have to say X-Box. Before the X-box crowd flames me let me explain my thinking. History has shown us that no matter how incredible a system might be, if it doesn't have the titles to support itself, the system is doomed. (think sega here) Based on that and the fact that MS is counting on game sales to make a profit on their system, it appears doomed to me.

I'd say X-Box will die first because Gates ,though very rich, is new to the console gaming scene. When X-Box came out it struggled just to stay alive because it had so few games out. It had to rush onto the markets to compete with Gamecube coming out much more developed.

Now you all probably wonder why I didn't choose PS2. Even though PS2 is the eldest of the three its the most developed. Also when Gamecube and X-Box(if it lasts long enough) are as developed at PS2 Sony will probably be releasing PS3!

So in short, Gates= inexperience to platform gaming. Thus he is lose!

I think thats naive to assume that since Microsoft is new to the platform industry that he's going to go down.

You all seem to forget that when Sony introduced the PS to the market, we all went "WTF?" and wondered what the hell Sony was thinkin trying to get in the fray with Nintendo and Sega. Sega owned the market with its Genesis system. Little did we know that 2 generations later, they were going to throw in the towel.

We all cant forget that Microsoft has impressive assets to back it up, much like Sony. A large contributor of Sony's success was also its agressive marketing tactics (thanks to its previous experience of being a major force in the electronics market). Sega quickly followed suit. Soon the US was soaking in a barrage of "shock-advertisments". Microsoft not only has resources, marketing and electronics (computer components, more importantly), Its certainly not going to go down without a fight.

Although, this isnt saying that Microsoft has the next defining console, none are (with the exception of the GameBoy for the handheld market). I'm just saying that its near impossible to know at this moment.

in 20 years, who knows. i agree with you, but I'd not doubt if we get passed a PC stage. how? no idea!

virtual reality still looks good...... but has been for decades.

i think if Sony puts out a third system by 2005 they'll be okay. if not, and Nintendo holds off, i see sony going down 'first'. if any do.

Sony is a huge business, but they make GOOD stuff. the PSX, though now huge, was just a 'yawn! i'm bored' project that went insanely well. the ps2 is still holding polls, but the X-Box is truly kicking......

Nintendo is in trouble, BUT they are the oldest of the three. they've done well, but they need o do a few things... and think, Nintendo is hurting NOW and they just got done releasing a Mario last year, a Metroid last year, and Zelda -this- year.

if you can't win a poker game with a straight, you can be in trouble.

X-Box won't die for a long time out of the fact that bill gates is the anti-christ :)

hell.......... i didn't think the X-Box would work at all and i have been prooven very, very wrong.

we'll see.

Nintendo has been struggling since last generation's N64 with their GameBoy helping them trememdously, as noted further up in the thread. Their Mario, Zelda and Metroid franchises producing a VERY loyal following. I see them as the Apple Computers of the console world. Funny how they both have Mr.Gates to compete against.
As for Mr.Gates, his xbox is also struggling. The Live network is producing a very strong following as well.
I see it that as long as these companies continue to be able to produce quality stuff, it should at least keep their heads above water.
Personally, I dont want to see any of the console manufacturer "going down". I consider myself a gamer in a general fashion. Not loyal to any one platform, not against any one, either. Competition between companies force them to not only keep prices in check, but also have them fighting to make a "better game" than the other. Now, if there was only one... how do you think the quality of products be like with nobody to compete with?

Xbox team is out to dominate, they've heavily invested and want a piece of the action. I don't see them going away any time soon.

Playstation has been on top for a good while. Lots of good games and companies pumping more of them out. I can't see this one going either.

Gamecube is the kiddy machine in my opinion, I think nintendo is going to go, if any of them has to. I doubt all 3 will leave any time soon, but if any I pick Nintendo.

while i dont wish for anyone to lose their jobs, and i dont wish grave fancial misfortune on any companies.. I ultimately would like to see the Xbox go. I fully believe that the mentality of multifaceted companies such as Sony and MS will be the death of the gaming community as a whole. Sonyand EA churn out more crap each year than any other 3rd party/Console maker, but It seems that they are beginning to start to take chances on innovative new titles in the future. MS on the other hand must be holding thier cards until the end, or really dont have much in store for the future. I think that it's obvious that MS game studios is out to muscle their way into our livingrooms and have a large impact on all aspects of home entertainment. IF they had said this first and introduced the Xbox at CES and not trumped up the fact that it's a console, vs an highly evolved consumer elctronic.. it wouldnt be so bad. I'm very dissapointed with the current state of affairs..

I'm very happy with my Xbox purchase. If you look on the racks at Best Buy lately, the edge that PS2 had in title count is fading fast, and we're starting to get all the games that the PS2ers used to lord over us. Except guess what... THEY LOOK BETTER OVER HERE!!

Oh, and Halo2 may be the only big thing coming to Xbox any time soon, but.... IT'S HALO 2! It's frigging WORTH IT!!!

Well let's put it this way, Sony has sold about 45million consoles, xbox and gamecube (believe it or not) are approximately equal in console sales (at about 5-10 million)
(my numbers may be off) but anyways, mocrosoft and nintendo have the same console sales in north america....

you all are just condidering the north american factor when what you need to consider is the world-wide factor. microsoft has sold less than 1 million consoles in japan, while nintendo is almost as strong as ps2 in japan.

nintendo will be able to stick around almost singularly because of their ability to make money on not only software, but on the actual console hardwear also. microsoft eats about $100 on each console sale and they expected that people were going to assist them in buying softwear....without softwear microsoft will fall faster than a fat man after a twinky in the sewer (i'm tired....)

however, if the endless pockets of mr. antichrist realize that they are going to have to leave their current arrangement of buying as many 3rd party softwear companies as they possibily can, and they start to actually research into some decent games and prifitable hardwear, then look out, microsoft won't be going anywhere for a long time...if they don't realize this soon, then microsoft will be the first/only one to go.

nintendo will never go anywhere because of their ability to make money in hard times....i mean come on....nintendo has been around for over 100 years (they started with trading cards in the 1800's)

sony has enough selling power that it won't be going anywhere in the near future....unless they make a similar mistake that sega made and keep trying to "add on" to their systems, they will be here for a long time.

wow....i don't think this is making any sence at all...

Since when has there had to be one player in a market? I love the argument that Xbox will have to fail because Sony just has "such a big lead."

Oh, maybe they'll win because they've got so many games! And Xbox isn't catching up, cherry picking the best franchises first? Or will PS remain dominant just because it's got GTA? I don't think so. Next year's e3 will have more GTA clones than you can shake a stick at. One or two of them could well be better than the original formula.

Personally, I'd happily settle for the number two position in the *world's biggest industry* (outside porn).

What we are seeing here are the early rounds of a much bigger fight. It's all about content, managing content, and having an enveloping relationship with users in their homes.

Sony makes a good games machine, but does it have the power to compete with MS in the bigger game? Not if you look at their stock charts.

There's no way Microsoft will pull out of this race. If they do, they know they'll lose all credibility and never be allowed back in.

Nintendo is the fall guy here. There's no strategic medium-term power there at all, and a plethora of small handheld devices (like mobile phones) will continue to whittle away at their control over the kids' market.


....oh but wait a second, there *is* an example of one company actually dominating a market!

...Ever heard of Windows? My money is on Microsoft, and frankly the world could use the competition rather than tolerating a Japanese duopoly.

PS2 will be the first to "go". Not cause it failed or Xbox was doing better. Come 2005, it will be the PS3 and the PS2 will go the way of the Playstation (still selling systems and games). Microsoft and Nintendo will probably release their systems again around the same time. But by the time they're releasing their 5th generation titles, PS3 will be taking sells from them. That's my take on it.

i say gamecube will the the first to go, unless ps3 comes out

I don't think anyone is going anywhere. However, if you look at it, X-Box has been going from day 1. M$ plans to lose 2 BILLION dollars before they start making an X-Box profit. Sony have the huge empire outside of Japan, however it is mostly due to it being released a year or so before GC and X-Box. Nintendo and M$ both plan to have their next gens out 2005, same as the PS3. Looking at it games wise, Sony has the most titles, some are absolutely brilliant but the vast moajority of it is total fap. X-Box is like the N64 - some excellent titles but the ratio of good:crap is not good. Gamecube has the least titles, however nearly all of them are very good. The only crap ones tend to be bad PS2 or X-Box ports (*ahem* Wreckless *ahem*)

Microsoft bought up the Tekken series, so the X-box will go far on that alone.

As for PS2, Sony should be alright as long as they stick to what they did with the PS1 - a shitload of games. Some of the most gaming fun I've had has been with the PS1, a bunch of friends and some semi-crappy low budget game.

Nintendo better have a second gear hidden somewhere. My guess is that both Sony and Microsoft will be going for the "cute" market soon.

nintendo is planning on putting out a new system by xmas of 2004... because GC is doing so poorly...

Xbox, love it. cant wait for the next one.

PS2, good games, but not near the power of the X...


and comming out of no where with a steel chair, wait whats this??? DREAMCAST... lol i wish it would make a come back... a year before ps2... better graphics, better games (for what it had), and a built in modem... sigh... i miss sega...

Power doesn't mean anything... Perfect example is Dreamcast.

The reason why PS1 and PS2 do so well is because of the library.

I think that the X-Box will be the loser in this little war.

the reason why PS2 got a running star on EVERYONE else in the begginning was because they had backward compatibility. if games were too expensive...you had a shiney new toy to play Grand Turismo (1 &2) on or MGS1. that was it. no one even tapped the true potential of the PS2 until MGS2 came out (that hideo kojima...what a guy)

Nintendo: Great Graphics and billion dollar franchises - but the minidisc thing fucked them over because it couldn't play DVDs.

XBOX: Halo, more powerful then a locomotive, Lots of money. However, it's big and heavy as shit, and the titles blow for the most part. They would do better if they had better lawyers. I mean if they managed to maintain exclusivity on games like DEAD TO RIGHTS they'd have tons of money. (gotta look forward to Ninja Gaiden!).



Xbox would do much better if they had better lay

Nintendo has been hurting financially for quite awhile. The N64 and Gamecube both had relatively poor sales, so thy've been hurting for awhile now. The gameboy is now Nintendo's biggest asset, and they aren't really getting much competition in that field.

Unfortunately, I'll say Nintendo cause they're not making games that the majority would buy. PS2 hit the market first so they're winning. I think this is why Nintendo is in such a rush to get their next console out before it's competitors.

My vote goes for nintendo.

For all the previously mentioned reasons.

Nintendo goes first, Sony will go next by being bought up sometime in the next decade by Microsoft and the PS4 will be renamed PSXbox4.

Microsoft will be sued for being a monopoly and hackers will begin creating a new console language called Consolinux.

Actually I believe PS2 will go first simply because they will be the first to reach the next platform. I believe all three will hang in there until the next big platform launch. X-Box will follow suit I'm betting, and that's when we'll see if Nintendo has the cajones to stay in it or to cash in there chips and go the Sega route.

I worked in the console market for about two years, just recently withdrawing. I was a regional rep for some major game stores, like Gamestop, Electronics Boutique, and Game Crazy. From a professional standpoint, I'd have to say that Nintendo would be the first to bow out of the console market. I honestly see them going the way of Sega, and producing their high selling first party software to Sony and Microsoft. I would expect to see one more system from them, in fact I know one is in progress as we speak.

Then we get to Sony. They're not going anywhere. The problem I see with Sony however, is that they're trying to turn the Playstation into the ultimate home appliance. They're discussing plans to use the PS as a universal remote/multimedia interface. I think to keep their current success in the market, they'll need to continue focus on gaming and not a multiplatform media device.

Finally we've got Xbox. Gates knows what he's doing. He's proven himself time and time again. He's also got near unlimited funds to make sure Xbox stays in the market. Xbox Live! is the key to the Xbox. It is what will drive Xbox into the lead position in the console marketplace. With Sony losing grips on some of their exclusive rights, Xbox will begin to emerge with their more powerful machine. We were informed recently, before I quit, that the release date for the next Xbox will be the same day as PS3. There will be no gaps between releases. Gates has been quietly collecting high dollar 3rd party software houses to make sure the new Xbox stacks up to PS3's lineup. Rare was just one of many accquisitions that Gates is making. Expect to see a serious battle between Xbox and PS3 in late 2005.

Finally, someone who sees things the way they really are. That was the best reply on this thread, and overall, it's the truth. Neither of the three systems will withdraw from the current battle, but I do believe Nintendo will pull a Sega and become a software developer. Microsoft won't give up, and Sony simply needs to concentrate on gaming instead of making the PS3 a frying pan and oil-changer.

Nice post Mikado, you nailed everything on the head.

-Lasereth

i'm thinking its most likely going to be gamecube... it seems to have the least amount of supporters... gaming-wise.

Excellent post. Thank you. My comment is direct at the info I quoted above.

It seems to me that Sony has done quite well with certain markets in branding themselves as great electronics at whatever the price. Some people think Sony consumer electronics are just the best. Personally? I'll take Panasonic at 20% less, but that's me. Many many folks think Sony da bomb.

Maybe they aren't so far off in trying to make a multiplatform entertainment device. If they could sell you their display, amp, speakers, console, computer, whatever we will find integrated into any public room of the future...maybe they have something there.

/drunken rambling, ignore at will posted. you will be fined.

Game cube will go first just because it's the goody goody of the 3 consoles, then XBox because it's more of the "DreamCast" if you will. Sony will come out on top always because of the name and the history.

I feel bad in believing that Nintendo will follow Sega's path soon, but I'm confident it's true. I'd rather see Sony leave before anyone, but that's just my opinion.

Oh, if Microsoft can get afew more high-profile names/series, and if Microsoft's new system launches the same day Sony's new system does...he he he, it'll be a war I'll love to see.

Xbox is definately going to stay with it's awesome online capabilties. PS2 is staying because of it's shear number of great games.

I'd definately say Gamecube will be out soon enough.

i havent read any of this thread, other than the first post...wanted to get my thoughts in before someone else might pursuade me :-P

Anyway, i'd say all 3 consoles have a pretty strong backing, and it'll be some time before any of them fall off. with that said, i'd say that none will go until there's a new console out that out-performs all of them. but, by the time that happens i think all 3 companies will probably have a new one coming out.

If i had to pick one to go first, it would probably be gamecube.

I have both xbox and ps2 now, and I can see myself buying multiple consoles for a long time in order to play all of the games I want. In the past I would just choose one of the current generation systems and that would be it, but I have resigned myself to the fact that I will be ponying up...

I agree that all 3 of the current console makers are in it for the long haul, they all have tons of money.

Xbox will go first, then Gamecube.