The Age Of Console Gaming Is At An End?

[Fogel]

Not too mention that many video cards are even more expensive than a console system. I mean, that's usually what we upgrade first when we want to meet newly released PC games.

Quite true!

 

you can't just include hardware sales. If you look at it from another viewpoint, the software side, you'll see a difference that generally evens (balances) everything out. Look at how many games the average 360 or PS3 owner has and then the average number of games a Wii owner has. I am probably about average...I've got 3 retail Wii titles (not counting the Wii Sports that comes bundled) and had it about a year after I bought the 360. My 360 I have something like 25 games for. Same for my Xbox previously, I've still got over 20 game discs in the drawer and it hasn't been plugged in since I got my 360.

I included the software side, maaaaaaaan! Look at those stats again. Look at stats 2, 4, 5 ...and 6. Only the 1st and 3rd set of stats are hardware. Stats should be more interesting this year for ALL consoles as finally some real home run hitting titles are out now. Well some already launched for the 360, but it came out waaay ahead both of both the PS3 and the Wii. PS3 has suffered from crappy title after crappy title but its finally starting to get some good titles. The new Metal Gear Solid game should help it out.

 

Since we are comparing personal stats...

 

XBox 360 - bought in 2006

- 6 XBox 360 games

- 5 XBox 1 games to go with my 360

 

Nintendo Wii - bought in April 2008

- 5 Wii games

- 5 Virtual Console Games - least 1 more now that Double Dragon is out

[Silverfox]

I have 13 games for my Wii! Don't shoe-horn me into a crappy demographic

[Verran]

I have 13 games for my Wii! Don't shoe-horn me into a crappy demographic

I have 3 games for my Wii. Shoe-horn not necessary

 

But I think the attach rate for Wii is an unfair comparison. First of all, without attach rates, the 360 and PS3 profitability is negative. This is not the case for Wii. Wii does not rely on attachments to make money (at least not solely). Apart from that, it's a very different demographic. Comparing the junior high school kid that slags through 4-5 360 titles a month to the casual gamer that took over a month to get through Twilight Princess is unfair. The Wii is marketed towards a demographic that admittedly buy less games (mostly due to lower play times (and higher social life and libido )). But that's not stopping them from making money, which -is- the bottom line. It also doesn't mean that I, with my three titles purchased, am unhappy with my Wii (I'm VERY happy).

[Silverfox]

I have 3 games for my Wii. Shoe-horn not necessary

 

But I think the attach rate for Wii is an unfair comparison. First of all, without attach rates, the 360 and PS3 profitability is negative. This is not the case for Wii. Wii does not rely on attachments to make money (at least not solely). Apart from that, it's a very different demographic. Comparing the junior high school kid that slags through 4-5 360 titles a month to the casual gamer that took over a month to get through Twilight Princess is unfair. The Wii is marketed towards a demographic that admittedly buy less games (mostly due to lower play times (and higher social life and libido )). But that's not stopping them from making money, which -is- the bottom line. It also doesn't mean that I, with my three titles purchased, am unhappy with my Wii (I'm VERY happy).

 

I got my Wii last October ... still not completed Twilight Princess , still got a load to do on Mario Galaxy, barely played Mercury Meltdown Revolution and Brain Academy, gave my sister Endless Ocean and Tiger Woods 2008 (god it was poor), played a reasonable amount of Lego Star Wars Complete Saga, played a bit of Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles with Jammin (2P ftw!), but not even started Red Steel, Resident Evil 4, NiGHTS or Metroid Prime

 

Wii Sports and Play are most frequent in the console, though Mario Kart is wh

[QMax]

You think that PS3 is expensive? Compare it to a new computer and now that PS3 doesn't look so expensive. That $400 PS3 will play all the latest games for 3~5 years. A computer worth $1000 today will play the latest computer games for 1~2yrs. After that you're sacrificing heavy on graphic settings.

 

Look at it this way. In my situation I have no TV, no console and a laptop. To buy a 26" LCD it would cost me $700, a PS3 $400 that totals to $1100. Now that's a small TV, anyone who is really into it will want a 36" TV which is probably closer to $1100, now I am at $1500. I don't want cable because watching TV is boring to me. So I am paying $1500 to just get the TV and console that can only play games and movies.

 

On the other hand (the route I have chosen), I can get a new high-end custom-built PC for $1500. I can play my favourite games I own already, get a few more that I think will be fun (orange box - $39.99) and use it for all other functions. Watch movies, surf the net/email (OCC :thumbs-up: ), chat, use it for a free phone connection, and get back to my hobby of 3d art (before I melted something in this laptop from rendering). To me the decision is clear, I don't want to buy a huge(if you consider 36" huge, I do) TV and a console to just play games, the PC is way more diverse and the same price. I'll never invest in a TV/console.

 

But of course that's only my situation, I know where the appeal is to others for a console but it's just not for me.

[Branjo]

I also think that its entirely possible for consoles to fade out or at least evolve into a more "PC like console" I mean add a keyboard and mouse and your almost there now

Our generation (25-40) has a soft spot for consoles cause we grew up playing them, from the crappy ones right up to today's eye popping graphics.

I think the consoles days are numbered because a parent (largest purchaser of consoles) has a choice when buying their kids something for xmas or Bday, a console, strictly for games and movies or a PC which has a huge potential for education. My kid owned a gamecube and bless his little heart he loved it, but take it away from him and he is a 3ft crackhead in need of a fix. I really didn't like the way it made him act. The gamecube has been given away to an older family member and I got him a decent little AMD 3500 and 1Gb RAM desktop and now he plays educational games and watches his non violent DVD's where no one has to die.

 

I loved the PS1 but had no PC at the time, when the PS1 died thats when I bought a PC, I hate consoles now I find them completely boring and limited. I would buy one if someone could make something to let me use it as an external graphics card, now that would be sweet. The Wii might have breathed new life into consoles but I really don't think it will last, Although it makes you more active while playing, in a short while our lazy asses will just want to sit down and be lazy again. I compare a console to a PC like a fixed blade killer hunting knife Vs a fully loaded swiss army knife. I actually just bought a swiss army CyberTool 34, waiting for it to arrive, the ultimate PC GEEK tool but anyway.

 

I guess it comes down to choice of the individual, but bang for buck you can't hold a candle to a PC for the amount of uses. Then again computers will be the death of us all one day too.