Next Gen Buying Plans as of May 2005

[jpr27]

I will wait for final specs and game line-ups to make my final decision.

Although I tend to buy every system and upgrade my PC to play cutting edge games in the first place so where is the all of the above selection?

 

[Natoma]

I always get Nintendo consoles. That's a given. I can't live without Nintendo's quality software. Metroid, Zelda, Mario, F-Zero, SSB, et al. Gotta have em.

PS2 didn't impress me. I sold it very quickly after launch. Frankly the only game that really impressed me or made me want to buy the system (again), that wasn't available for GC, is God of War. That game looks absolutely amazing.

XBox has some games on it that have seemed very interesting to me, but I've been an avowed "stay away"-er when it comes to MS. They're the "version 3.0" company.

If XB2 wows with the games I'll definitely get one. But right now it's in the PS3 boat for me. Show me the goods. Nintendo just gets a pass from me in practically everything they do, just on the strength of their first party offerings.

 

[Deepak]

Come whatever may I'll buy PS3 in 2009 based on histoical evidence.

 

[DuckThor Evil]

I'll buy X360 and PS3 and will look closely what Nintendo offers, if it's more interesting than this gen I might just buy it too.

 

[Druga Runda]

ps3 looks like the one to get for me :? but who knows maybe I will skip consoles again this gen, but more likely will end up with two this time around

 

[j^aws]

I picked all three consoles so I don't have to make any awkward decisions and justify them later!

Haven't decided if they'll all be at launch yet, 'coz I'm quite merrily trying to finish a backlog of games still...

 

[Shifty Geezer]

One consoles good enough for me, and PS3 looks to offer as much a I'd want. But I won't buy on launch. I'll wait till prices drop and there's software I want for it. If there's no software, I won't buy.

 

[PC-Engine]

I'm getting Xbox360 this year for exlusive Xbox games like PGR3 Forza2 GOW etc. and Revolution next year for Nintendo games.

 

[Clashman]

As far as console designs go, I think the PS3 looks pretty damned fugly. I don't know enough about games yet, but so far nothing's caught my eye.

Xbox 360 is a definate possibility, as I think I'm going to have to play Shenmue 3, (which appears headed for it).

Nintendo I really don't know about, although it sounds like it's going to have the slickest design, (by default). I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out more about it.

 

[phat]

I'm going to buy at most two consoles next generation. The PS3 makes the Xbox 360 highly redundant (PS3 is more powerful, will have better developer support, and is a better HD entertainment hub) so it's definitely the PS3, and then possibly the Revolution for the Nintendo games.

The fact that both PS3 and Xbox 360 are trying to be the home entertainment hub kinda hurts the 360 in my eyes, because in my living room, there can only be one.

But then there's my bedroom. Maybe the 360 will find a home there.

 

[DemoCoder]

All three. I find it silly to own just one. Consoles are about the killer title exclusives. There will always be titles on all 3 that I will want to own, and therefore, I will own all three consoles.

 

[Reznor007]

I'll probably get Rev first, then decide on another system later in the generation.

 

[PVR_Extremist]

For me it all depends on how each of the consoles realises online play. Xbox live is an excellent start although certainly not perfect. At least with a closed platforms cheaters are virtually eliminated.

If X360 supports external keyboard and mouse I see no reason personally to spend as much as I do on PC upgrades anymore.

 

[DemoCoder]

I hope XB360 is as hackable as XB, and I can install Linux (or Mac OS X/Darwin!) and new Dashboards, and all that fun stuff.

 

[wco81]

There's an interview with Steve Ballmer on Engadget. He says they may have a next-gen drive on the X360 somehow. He won't commit to a Mark II X360 but he said it would be "wrong-minded" to think they'd go through a whole generation without some capability. He also said Sony has picked a "non-standard" drive which may go the way of Beta.

He thinks they will have market leadership, maybe over 50%, even though Sony will "outperform" MS in Japan.

Well on the one hand, you can't promise an upgraded model with a blue-laser drive, because it would splinter the X360 installed base and maybe make some prospective purchasers hold off. On the other hand, they can't be seen as offering something lesser. But they think launching first is crucial so they may have accepted the possibility that their product will be seen as inferior for only having a DVD drive.

Later in the interview, he says some publishers have told him that within two years, they will need "massively more storage." So they will figure out some way to deliver that but for "this Holiday" they're going to concentrate on one configuration. Again, he can't say there will be other configurations but he's got to leave the impression that there will be some kind of upgraded SKU later. Robbie Bach is there and chimes in from time to time so it's not a case of Ballmer going off message.

 

[jvd]

Well on the one hand, you can't promise an upgraded model with a blue-laser drive, because it would splinter the X360 installed base and maybe make some prospective purchasers hold off. On the other hand, they can't be seen as offering something lesser. But they think launching first is crucial so they may have accepted the possibility that their product will be seen as inferior for only having a DVD drive.

They can easily add a new model with a hd-dvd / bluray . They have to add a model fast enough first .

Then after that it doen't matter it will only be used for movies .

If devs need more storage space use two dl dvds for what 14 gigs . they cost like 25cents or something stupid to make .

 

[pegisys]

I will probally get all 3 as long as they are regular console prices

 

[wco81]

You can bet MS would hate it if Blu-Ray won and they had to put a BR drive into their products.

Besides giving royalties to Sony, it might mean they lose out on the Java vs. IHP battle, as BR leans towards Java while HD-DVD has approved IHP, which is apparently an MS API for all these interactive features that the studios apparently want to throw at us consumers on video discs.

 

[PC-Engine]

Dual format hybrid drive makes sense.

 

[cthellis42]

There's an interview with Steve Ballmer on Engadget. He says they may have a next-gen drive on the X360 somehow. He won't commit to a Mark II X360 but he said it would be "wrong-minded" to think they'd go through a whole generation without some capability. He also said Sony has picked a "non-standard" drive which may go the way of Beta.

Interesting logic here. So going with a heavily-promoted standard that CAN be used for games in a drive that can play everything else the 360's can, MAY be used/compatible-with the HD format of the future, and will be out in every PS3 is "wrong-minded" while adding an expansion or new-model 360 in the future for the eventual standard which really WON'T be used for games (certainly I can't see developers wanting to fragment their development, though I could see "Special Editions" with various extras come out) is the "right-minded" one? What stops Sony from releasing the exact same drive expansion/update the exact same way?

The ONLY complaint would be if Sony ends up charging more for their system because of it AND BR doesn't pan out in any form. But otherwise he's just scrambling for an explanation and failing.

Damn GameCube and their "wrong-minded" choice!

(Interestingly enough, he basically sinks his own comment by saying: Later in the interview, he says some publishers have told him that within two years, they will need "massively more storage.". Unless by publishers he's ONLY talking about movie publishers, he's saying that the PS3's choice is superior for developers, publishers, and gamers alike.)