Microsoft and Sony, too late for success?

[quietchat]

http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/696614/If-Microsoft-And-Sony-Dont-Aggressively-Bundle-Their-Motion-Tech-It-Will-Fail.html

Recently at E3, both Microsoft and Sony showed new motion controlled systems, Microsoft with Project Natal, and Sony with a yet un-named dual wand-with-orbs controllers. I think I may have also talked about it being too late for them to effectivly get into motion control games after 3 years of Wii dominance in the market. So, do they stand a chance?

According to the above linked article, they might. However, they have to bundle their new tech and do it well if they want it to live longer than as a fad. The reason being is that if you introduce this technology, and you're making it an optional inclusion, you aren't getting it into the hands of consumers as much as you want it to. The wiimote for example comes with every wii system. The upcoming wii motion plus is already schedualed to be bundled with like at least 4 different games (Wii Resort, a tennis game, a golf game, Red Steel 2)

So do you agree with this article that Sony and Microsoft should follow suit with their new hardware? Do you think they will have resonable success without following trend?

[wilsonx94]

I'm kind of stuck in between. They could follow suit with Nintendo's Wii, but they would have to have the interactive remote with the console, like you said. Of coarse, following suit would make Sony look loke they're running out of ideas. :serious:

[Corwin]

I think the problem lies in the timing of it. I understand their need to adapt to the current market where the Wii is dominating in terms of it's motion control system, but at the same time, if they try to push the motion control without a solid line of great games that only work with it or at the very least play better with them than with the normal controller to entice people to use them, it's going to fail. I think they would have been better of doing extensive marketing, testing, and tweaking to get the system perfect, and put the motion control in the PS4(and whatever the next Xbox is called) in 2-3 years, that way it will be firmly entrenched technology when the system sells.

As for the argument that they are running out of ideas, yes I can see where it might seem that way, but at the same time it's always been the case with market economies to mirror trends that are working at other companies, the idea being to either cash in while it's hot, or be on the bandwagon early on in case it turns out to be the future of that market. In this case motion based gaming is liable to be a staple of gaming in the future, leading eventually into some sort of fantastic vr we hope. That means of course that because of the differences in the systems and the programming they might use and the engines they are running, that if they don't get at least working on the concept now, they will be too far behind later on to catch up. So it's in both companies best interests to appear to mirror the Wii now in an attempt to surpass it later. Besides, I don't think you can compare Microsoft's Project Natal to the Wii, it's clearly the more superior version of the concept, granted that's only because they were able to bring it to the table after seeing what went wrong and right with the Wii. So while we can applaud them for innovation in the field, points lost for holding back.

Having said that, yes Sony's version is reminiscent of the Wii, but I'll have to reserve judgement until I can get a hands on test to see how much is similar and how much they've improved the system. And of course, regardless of who was first or last, and who has the best out of the three(assuming all 3 work phenomenally) it's going to come down to what games they can provide. And let's face it, if Microsoft and Sony can continue to churn out the games with the incredible visuals and add in the concept of motion controllers on rpg's like Final Fantasy, Lost Oddyssey, Last Remnant, or action-adventure games like Assassin's Creed, Grand Theft Auto and Prince of Persia, or even the racing games like Forza and Need for Speed, then it doesn't matter if Nintendo was the goose that layed the golden egg or if they were sitting around with their thumbs up their asses. Sony and Microsoft will win almost hands down, they have the publisher's, the games, and the money. So as long as they don't screw up, Nintendo is likely to be back of the bus again churning out disney games and clones of DDR based on the most recent tween pop star.

[wilsonx94]

I see where you're coming from. Microsoft and Sony can gain a lot by following suit in this case. But I would put my money with Microsoft this time. I don't think that Sony's version will turn out to be all that great. And like you said, they'd have to pump out some pretty good games that actually go with the motion based controlls.

[Koopaking]

Natal = Eyetoy
Sony Motion = Wiimote

It seems that nobody comes up with original ideas any more. Hell like 3/4 of the games at E3 were sequels, and this too. Rehash after rehash is the most of what we get now. I'm gonna state right out that these new motion controllers will probably fail. Nintendo has been the "casual" company pretty much since the DS started to pick up momentum and then with the Wii. The consumers that motion control was centered on, the casual market, have been playing Wii for almost 3 years now. Then suddenly these guys come up with these new controllers to get a piece of the action. They're too late though.

Microsoft and Sony have spent the last 2 generations flexing their muscles about how they are all about core gamers, and haven't taken any major innovations between the generation besides graphics. Then they suddenly come up with all this? I guess they are following true to the old axiom "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" after they have seen Nintendo's success.

If a 360 or PS3 owner wanted this sort of thing, they would have already gotten a Wii for it, and played that for motion, and their other consoles for other games. Casual consumers that wanted to play games would have already gotten a Wii or focused on that because up until now PS3 and Xbox have seemed so "hardcore" to them.

Sure some people will buy it, but unless something truly extraordinary happens with these new motion controllers, they will just become needless peripherals of this generation. These things could work on their next consoles, but trying to add them this late in the game seems clumsy and forced.

[wilsonx94]

well... this website has nothing to do with this discussion. but, it does have sony in it.


http://www.theonion.com/content/video/sony_releases_new_stupid_piece_of


enjoy.

[analogZero]

They're too far gone. They both seem to be scrambling, seeing the wii as a hot ticket. It's a basic game of envy, where they want to capitalize on what they're missing out on because nintendo came out with a good idea first. There's nothing in the way of true improvement, just the capability to act out the effects of the wii on a different platform. And as said, if you've got crap games to go along with your stolen idea, then you're going to land flat on your face.
The best idea is to come up with something that's going to improve gameplay for your system, not something for another system. If sony and microsoft would take a look at their own grass rather than the grass on nintendo's side, they might be able to chalk up something good for themselves.