...great comments. I agree with robbo918 & Dlacy13g that it will be difficult for MS to make the goal of 50 million from 17+ million now, unless it sticks around a long time. A much more realistic goal would be 30-35 million by 2010, and by then we should all know about the "720."
I also agree with hotshot127 that MS cannot win the console war without Europe and Japan, and would add that I think MS is aware of that. The writer made a great point that MS will ...
...a great article, with lots of interesting points without being particularly anti-Sony, anti-MS or anti-Wii. Nice touch. True journalism....
...in my own personal Netflix Hell I have been waiting for MONTHS for Blu-rays like "Live Free and Die Hard," and "Superbad," among others. This decision by Netflix could really suck for HD DVD and Blu-ray fans alike....
...does MS come out with a new Xbox 360 next spring! They will alienate the fans left who weren't alienated by the multiple SKUs, who didn't jump ship over RROD. It would be like "cutting off your nose to spite your face", or "shooting yourself in the foot..." you get the idea. I agree that there will be future versions of the 360, with wifi built-in and bigger hard drives, but now that MS is making a profit on the 360, don't expect it to go anywhere soon....
...but I agree that while being first in the market might have paid off in the short-term, it was a "think about the future" long-term mistake. It was almost a year before the 360 took off in sales anyway; they could have waited a year for a rock-solid reliable machine with HD DVD/HDMI built-in... Sure, maybe $100 more expensive, but no RROD, no multiple SKUs, and HD DVD could have really taken off. Still, what if they do all that and Blu-ray still wins and they don't have a year...
...Sony's gamble has paid off big time for PS3, it is clearly their time now. Don't know if they can catch the Wii, but it seems inevitable now that they will catch the 360 unless MS does something drastic. Now that Sony has won the format war, they need to concentrate on the games. They have some killer-apps upcoming, but they need to turn around the trend of slower selling games, maybe through more promotion or more GAMEPLAY previews. How the killer-app games SELL this year will go a lo...
...who is NOT so optimistic about Blu-ray winning this format war? Now a movie studio itself is in control of the next-gen disc format, so do you really think that prices are going to keep coming down? I wish HD DVD had been able to keep the fight for another year so that prices ON BOTH SIDES would continue to have come down.
About Netflix, once the status for HD DVDs changes from "(In Stock) Now" to "Long Wait," I'm out. Ironically enough, most of the Bl...
...a MEGATON bomb, for sure, EA and Microsoft, and it kinda makes sense. Microsoft does need a major move right now; in terms of buzz among gamers and game journalism, PS3 is getting all of the buzz, while in sales the mighty little Wii is running off by itself. This is the kind of story that would lead off news programs around the world, not to mention set the internet on fire. Still can't see EA walking away from Sony money like that. I guess in the end it would depend on how well PS3 G...
...is on Sony's side right now. MS had a brief window where they could have BURIED the PS3, but for whatever reason they wavered. It seems that the great Blu-ray gamble has paid off for Sony, and in 2008 they are poised to reap the rewards of their victory. Sony's upcoming AAA line-up cannot be denied. You know the initials... MGS4, KZ2, ROM2, GT5, FFXIII... this coming soon exclusive killer line-up, the price cut, Blu-ray, and Microsoft's 2007 troubles as well as lack of killer instinct ...
Relientk77 you got me spitting out my drink laughing with the "YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK!" I remember that the crowds would get so loud with that that you could barely hear Angle speak into his microphone! And it didn't matter if he had just done something good either....
BUBBLE FOR YOU!!!!! Gears of War 2 is being worked on... NOW?!!! Cannot wait for that game, and I know that MILLIONS of other 360 gamers feel the same way. My brother still only has that game in his 360 at all times....
...some of these probably won't make it in '08, if at all. The sad fact is that with the costs and stakes getting so much higher now, the gaming business is at a crossroads where one low-selling game can derail a company, or at least get hard-working people fired. Sure, there is plenty of money to be made, but considering the millions that are invested in many releases, can you blame these companies for waiting for the right window to release their game? Would you want your game to come ou...
...and that doesn't even factor in time! I'm so busy right now that the four games I got for the 360 as Christmas presents, Mass Effect, Call of Duty 4, Stranglehold, and Assassin's Creed, HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN OPENED YET!!!!!!!!! Yes, all of my wonderful family and friends know full well that JP is a longtime hardcore gamer. Covenant, you hit the nail right on the head, BUBBLE FOR YOU. Never been a better time to be a gamer, if you have got the money AND the time....
...I'm more than a little worried that those games didn't make the list, especially since they are AAA titles that are extremely integral to MS's success this year. Hope I don't break my fingers keeping them crossed for these games--- not to mention Gears of War 2 and Halo Chronicles--- to make it out this year....
...the #1 cause of not only PC "instant death" but also the #1 cause of blindness in males 13-25 in North America and Europe....
...but it ain't the "perfect storm" that was 2007. Still, a lot of gaming to look forward to for the 360. Agree that this was not really a "Hottest Games of 2008" article, but a release date article. My top games to look forward to on 360 in '08:
Ninja Gaiden 2
Grand Theft Auto IV
Rainbow Six Vegas 2
Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Saints Row 2
Iron Man
Prototype
Star Wars: Force Unleashed
Fracture
Fal...
... that DLC is definitely the future of all entertainment, even if not anytime soon. Your example of the music industry is brilliant, BUBBLE for you. The CD is pretty much dead because of downloads, with artists bragging about selling a couple hundred-thousand CDs in a few weeks when they used to sell millions in the same time-frame. Now DVDs are starting to drop in sales, and the movie industry heads think that ending the HD format war will somehow spur sales. Yeah, good luck with that....
...I still play NFL 2K2, Outrigger, and Marvel vs. Capcom (among others) on my Dreamcast. Absolutely LOVED the Dreamcast... People who invested in HD DVD shouldn't feel bad, instead just enjoy your investment and rub your hands waiting for the HD DVD disc fire sales... while waiting for Blu-ray players/PS3 prices to come down to where you want, assuming you don't already have one....
...HOTT GIRLFRIEND? And what the hell were either one of you doing at Hollywood Video? LOL at the guy demanding to know why there are three times more Blu-ray than HD DVD in the middle of Hollywood Video. That hott chick does need a real man... you should have stepped up and slipped her your card. They keep closing them (and Blockbusters) here in Miami. I thought everybody was using Netflix by now... Just me, but I figured you'd be at home having "More More More..." with your ...
...trust me. MS has just begun to turn a profit on the 360. Would it be wise now to be in a hurry to replace it? MS made their bed, and shouldn't risk alienating millions of fans by rushing another console into the gaming market. A gaming market that while making record profits, developers and publishers alike are struggling with the mounting costs of making games, with companies folding or being acquired to survive left and right. Does it matter if they beat Sony to market again if thei...