rumblings of something huge going on with SEGA
- Thread starter Megadrive1988
- Start date
Shogmaster said:
You overestimating the BC factor, people won't buy a PS2 for playing Psone. BC is a "plus" not a "killer" option.
They might buy the PS2 because they want to play the sequels of their favorites psones games...
People will/might do the same with PSP buying the machine because they know that they going to get their Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy, Winning Eleven, Madden, etc...
You're underplaying the Umd-video, and forget about the fact that it's also a MP3/Atrac player that's not a little feature when it comes to a handheld.
Shogmaster said:
It doesn't start from scratch, it's a PLAYSTATION product, The brand is speaking itself.
DC was cheaper, more focused and on shelves before PS2; GC is cheaper, more focused on gaming, and with better IQ than PS2.
Shogmaster, pure logic has nothing to do with marketing, Sad but True like metallica would say.
Ty: Have you considered that Sega themselves have quite a collection of game studios and franchises to work with for this hypotetical DC-portable?
I think they could get the ball rolling under their own steam and convince 3rd parties later.
Although it is feeling a bit silly to argue about since it's not going to happen anyway.
I think they could get the ball rolling under their own steam and convince 3rd parties later.
Although it is feeling a bit silly to argue about since it's not going to happen anyway.
Shogmaster
Regular
Ty said:
I think devs didn't abandon the DC until PS2's marketshare had well surpassed DC's (especilly in Japan). DC had a pretty healthy support for the first 2 years. PS2 overcame DC in marketshare rather quickly despite the high pricetag mostly because it was also a DVD player back when the cheapest DVD players were around $250. A very opportune time in the marketplace IMO. PSP does not have such a advantage. Any decent hendheld CPU does MPEG4 decode playback. Whatever PSP can do, a "DC portable" will do just as well.
I think many also moved on when they needed a much more powerful platform to develope on. In the case of portables, if a dev wants to push the 3D enigine envelope, they'll go to a proper console like the GC/N5, PS2/3 or XBox/Xenon instead of developing on a portable.
Yikes! What's that based on? Blind brand loyalty?
I think it could reach $150 rather easily, although I do also have doubts of $125 for a MBX handheld, as I do $250 for PSP. It all depends on the right hardware combination. A low clocked ARM CPU (~200Mhz) along with a 100Mhz MBX and 16MB of SDRAM and QVGA LCD of current PPCs would allow for $150 pricetag in early 2005 for a MBX portable console IMO.
Well, the rumors in question are saying that this thing would be branded a major hardware OEM with a Sega branding as a sub brand. That might work. Something like: "Panasonic Game-man, powered by Sega games". Yeah, I know, Panasonic is usually associated with Nintendo, but play along with me here.
The PS2 - DC situation is far different than the portable gamescape for the reasons I've already mentioned. And in portable gaming realm, Sony's name is just as "weak" as Sega's. This is Nintendo country, not Sony's.
Well we are talking about an imaginary product afterall.
They don't, but they haven't made those games for a PowerVR hardware since the 2kX era. They would have to port those 2kX engines.
Shogmaster
Regular
Acatully BC played a BIG part in PS2 's early success in Japan, since major titles to hit PSOne like Enix's DQuest7 (or whatever it was) was abled to be played on PS2 as well. Allowed for gamers to invest in PS2 without any hestiation.
I think the proper console sequels of those franchises would take most of that mindshare. I think folks would be just happy to get decent 3D titles on their handheld right now.
Those are pretty much "free" features for any handhelds with decent CPU power and a flash card slot. DC portable would play video and music from a flash card as well. No big deal these days.
It doesn't start from scratch, it's a PLAYSTATION product, The brand is speaking itself.
DC was cheaper, more focused and on shelves before PS2; GC is cheaper, more focused on gaming, and with better IQ than PS2.
Shogmaster, pure logic has nothing to do with marketing, Sad but True like metallica would say.
The difference is, DC didn't benefit from the mad DVD rush of the late 90's like PS2 did. With a hypothetical DC portable, all those little side features would be out of the equation since they all would be able to do them well.
I don't think DC portable would be a great idea for marketing standpoint...
It might be pretty impressive from technological standpoint, but the DC name itself would be not so ideal when you are trying to come back to sell hardware again.
I really don't think Sega would sell portable anyways...They haven't been successful in that area and probably wouldn't want to try again.
It might be pretty impressive from technological standpoint, but the DC name itself would be not so ideal when you are trying to come back to sell hardware again.
I really don't think Sega would sell portable anyways...They haven't been successful in that area and probably wouldn't want to try again.
I think people are miffed at the idea of buying another Dreamcast, and buying the games again. If Sega released a handheld called the Sega PocketSonic or something, which was, say, roughly as powerful as the DC, would it make a lot of you happier?
And THEN, companies could port all their old games if they so desired. Just like the PSP, just like the GBA.
And THEN, companies could port all their old games if they so desired. Just like the PSP, just like the GBA.
keegdsb said:
That would only come IF consumers bought the portable in the first place, which I don't think enough would.
keegdsb said:
Well you never know. I'd LOVE a Sega portable. I just don't have faith it would do well.
Shogmaster said:
Well by "abandoned" I don't mean complete withdrawal from every developer. I think most decided to take a wait-n-see attitude towards it. Sure, maybe they put out a title or two but overall I think the support for it was anemic at best.
Shogmaster said:
I think that was one of the reasons. I think another reason is that it was coming hot off the heals of the stupendously successful PS1 which stomped all over the Saturn. Consumers remembered how much "better" the PS1 was and felt that the PS2 would do the same to the DC. Just so you know, I have a console museum in my office and the Saturn is the only one I play with any regularity (heck, I don't even have a PS1).
Shogmaster said:
I don't think you or Sega can convince the buying public of that though ('Whatever PSP can do, a "DC portable" will do just as well').
Shogmaster said:
I prefer realism, thank you very much.
As I mentioned before, the DC was the first console from this generation that I got. Almost 2 years later did I get a GCN. Another year later I got an XBox. I still do NOT have a PS2. Blind brand loyalty?I have no doubts that a DC portable could be cheaper (by how much I have no idea). Of course the PSP is marketed as so much more than a simple game machine. The last I heard, WiFi (802.11b) is still in the picture as well.
Shogmaster said:Well, the rumors in question are saying that this thing would be branded a major hardware OEM with a Sega branding as a sub brand. That might work. Something like: "Panasonic Game-man, powered by Sega games". Yeah, I know, Panasonic is usually associated with Nintendo, but play along with me here.
Imo, it would need to be one of the other two (N or MS) for this to make much of a difference. I.e. as mentioned by someone previously, if Nokia were the "major" player then I doubt it would make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things.
Shogmaster said:
When you think of cool game machines, do you think DC? I think most equate that with the PS2 (the mindshare I speak about all the time). Therefore a PS2 portable would likely stomp all over a DC portable as the DC has zero consumer mindshare.
Shogmaster said:
But I think they would still use the ESPN name since the 2k designations sold very poorly (I thought).
Shogmaster said:
Personally, I know I'd get one, even for that price. You may call it blind brand loyalty - I call it merely having faith in the PlayStation brand that has proven how successful it is and the support it is getting from just about every 3rd party developer. As a PS2 owner (mind you, there are close to 70 million people outthere in addition), I like the games and most likely, most devs are likely to support the PSP platform aswell (I think recent reports also confirm this with Criterion and others supporting it). Sony is primarely targeting exactly their 70 million fanbase that has bought a PS2. Who would be Sega targeting? Sony's fanbase? Nintendo's fanbase? Their own fanbase? Either way, I don't think Sega has what it takes to actually appeal to Sony's fanbase - with what anyway? Support has already started for PSP - how soon could Sega launch a DC portable (if they were to, anyway). Time is certainly running out and with that, a chance of being successful in competing in some way is getting smaller by the day.
Shogmaster said:
I don't think Sony is primarely targeting Nintendo's fanbase. If they go through with that relatively high price and the features from MP3 player to movie compatable - I think it is clear that they are targetting their own fanbase which have bought close to 70 million PS2s. Which audience would be Sega targeting?
Phil said:
That is pure and utter nonsense. You're telling me that a considerate part of that 70 million doesn't own a GBA? That contradicts not only sales numbers but also large software house releasing games for GBA and PS2 only.
Make no mistake Sony is going after Nintendo's marketshare and so far it is looking pretty good for them. Of course, they could screw up by totally overpricing the PSP. But I doubt it.
hupfinsgack said:
True as owning one does not preclude owning the other but the difference I see, however, is that 20-somethings are the targeted audience for the PSP. They want something "cool". A PS2 portable would fit that bill. A DC portable would be a joke to them.
hupfinsgack said:
Sure but the way they're marketed is completely different. The GBA though a great device (I have two) isn't exactly "cool" to me. A PSP portable (if those artist renditions/mockups are accurate) sure does look "cool".
hupfinsgack said:
I came to this conclusion by simply looking at the going price of PSP which will be at the very least $200 or higher - certainly no where near the price range of a GBA or even GBA-SP OR the upcoming DS. I may be wrong, but I am quite confident that sales data confirm that the age-group of Nintendo's handheld sales is considerably younger than PS2. The target group I feel Sony is targeting, is exactly the average PS2 user that is in his late teens (18 up until mid 20ies) - probably the other considerable part of those 70 million that doesn't have a GBA. If this is wrong, please post some actual sales numbers that show the age-group. Looking at many friends and people over the web that I know, only few that own a console actually own a Nintendo handheld as well. Doesn't mean anything of course, but unless you have data that proves the age-group is quite similar, I will just assume that the average age-group is infact quite different.
Another point to consider is the different look of the PSP which is more like a portable high tech, expensive and delicate gadget - compared to a GBA (excluding SP though which is the first step in the more mature market with its sleek design).
Add mp3 support, potential GPS functionality, movie playback and I'd be interested to see how Sony would be possibly targeting the average GBA customer outthere. Of course, it is only a matter of time until GBA's primary market matures and/or Sony lowers prices to compete directly with Nintendo - that's why I used the word "primarely" though (Sony is not primarely targeting (...)).
If anything, I see the PSP / GBA to be a more extreme situation than PlayStation / N64 when gaming became mainstream as the target audience started to change and the style of games introduced started to change rapidly.
It would certainly be interesting to see some actual sales data and what the age of the average consumer of GBA is. Shouldn't be too hard to find PS2's - I've seen them before.
PC-Engine said:
...and they [these features] are about as comparable as the camera add-on for Gameboy compared to a real digital camera or that of a MMS capable mobile phone that can take pictures in VGA resolution. What PSP could potentially offer is leaps and bounds above anything what would be even remotely possible on a GBA. The point was just to illustrate, that Sony is indeed going after a much more mature audience than Nintendo does currently with GBA/SP.
Phil said:
The quality of the implementation is mostly in the software. Just look at the PC and how it can play DVD movies using mostly software not to mention MP3s. You act as though the PSP will have built-in Burr-Brown 24-bit DA convertors or something
Edit: UMD-ROM = MP3 from Memory Stiks
This is my opinion about what Sega's announcement will be. Someone claiming to work for has already said Sega will team up withan unnamed console maker to co-develop a console. But what is that company? I believe that Sonic already gave the name of that company away. Sega will codevelop a console with Sony, and exclusively make games for it. The gpu would probably be PVR-based. And do you remember Sony very recently licensed PowerPC? The main cpu will probably be a PowerPC. But why would Sony want to team up with Sega? Don't they already have the Cell-based PS3? Well, I can think of two reasons:
1. The rumor that Microsoft and Nintendo will share a commpn next-generation platform is true, so Sony needs to respond to this threat.
2. Perhaps Cell is turning out not as powerful as expected as I have speculated previously. And perhaps now that Sony has an idea how powerful Microsoft Xbox2 is going to be, they need to develop a completely new console quickly.
1. The rumor that Microsoft and Nintendo will share a commpn next-generation platform is true, so Sony needs to respond to this threat.
2. Perhaps Cell is turning out not as powerful as expected as I have speculated previously. And perhaps now that Sony has an idea how powerful Microsoft Xbox2 is going to be, they need to develop a completely new console quickly.
Shogmaster
Regular
bbot said:
