BusinessWeek weighs in on the looming 3-way video game console battle coming this holiday season in their article titled "Console Makers: Move It or Lose It." The article touches on each console's pre-battle position in what Pacific Crest Securities senior research analyst Evan Wilson calls "the most competitive holiday season in the history of video games."
They feel that the outlook for Microsoft seems strong, but there are a few concerns:
Microsoft may be the one embarrassed if it's not able to solidify its No. 1 position this holiday season. "If this lineup of titles can't move boxes off the store shelves come January," writes David Cole, president of gaming research firm DFC Intelligence, "we will have to seriously revaluate Microsoft's long-term position in the marketplace." If that happens, Cole believes Microsoft could be in danger of becoming a distant third in the battle for market share in the video game business.
BW points out that Sony may not have enough coming to prevail this holiday:
Although Sony has some noteworthy game launches coming up, including the reintroduction of the classic Warhawk franchise, two of its heaviest hitters—Metal Gear Solid 4 and the next Final Fantasy game—won't be on store shelves until next year. That could be a problem for Sony and provide a competitive advantage for Microsoft, says Pacific Crest analyst Wilson.
Much like the rest of the non-gaming press, BW doesn't seem to have much in the way of negative statements about Nintendo and the Wii, but we didn't need Business Week to tell us that Nintendo is going to have a killer holiday season. What's more important is that gamers will win this one.
[Via BusinessWeek - thanks, Justin]
Dale North is Destructoid's Editor-In-Chief, a founding editor, and specialist in Japanese gaming. An accomplished musician, Dale was reporting from Japan during the earthquakes of 2011. Luckily, he got the fuck out alive and is home in America now with his wife and beloved corgi, Einstein. Dale is also a co-founder of Destructoid's sister anime site
Japanator. Likes Corgis, Sega Saturn, PSP, iPhone, Photographic tools.
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Contest:
11:20 AM on 08.14.2007
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And then of course we have Assasins Creed comeing up...
...isn't it? :(
@ Topher Cantler i tough the same for the pic :))))
nintendo will have a blast next hollyday season
I wouldn't be suprized if I were wrong, as I am not close friends with any hardcore gamers so I don't really have my hand on the pulse of the Halo 3 crowd. But from where I stand, I see Halo 3 being some what of a sales dissappointment. Most of the time, if the third installment of a game or movie series does not either re-invent or totally surpass it's prequels, people tend to get pissed and turn their backs on their once beloved.
Matrix 3, Spider Man 3, abnd Resident Evil 3 (the game) immediately come to mind.
And I'm sure there are a fair number of people who haven't bought a 360 yet because they didn't have any real reason to, and are, in fact, waiting for Halo to come out.
Sure having a cooler running chipset will be nice, but waiting for Halo 3 was certainly a large part of it. And like Mike said: "The game already had over one million preorders."
@brainderailment Gears is not the end-all be-all of 360 online games. I find the multiplayer to be subpar when compared to the pure fun of Halo 2 or R6 Vegas.
Consider this, Halo 3 has had preorders in equal to one-tenth of the total amount of consoles sold. Between Halo 3, Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, Bioshock, Call of Duty 4 along with the sleeper hits you know will be out there, Microsoft is looking as stacked as the New England Patriots are in football.
Now if only they could fix those damn rings.
To tell you the truth PS3 has the most to gain since it hasn't had such a great amount of solid titles yet. Sony could take the cake during this holiday season, but I still think 360 will probably sell more software than any other console.
The Wii will probably do well also. Smash Brothers will definitely sell its share of units. So all in all it seems like its anyone's game this year.
that Nintendo can afford to space out Metroid, Smash Bros, Galaxy, and Kart.
If I was Nintendo I would release Metroid Prime 3: Corruption in August or even late September.
I would release Super Mario Galaxy in December knowing that parents and Grand Parents would definitely buy it in droves for their kids and grandkids recognizing "Super Mario."
I would delay Mario Kart to somewhere during the 2008 summer dry spell to boost sales and so not to interfere with the sales of Mario Galaxy released back in December.
Lastly, I think Nintendo could get away with, in Reggie's bullshit speak, "Making sure it's perfect" by delaying Super Smash Bros. Brawl till Christmas 2008, with no online play.
Think about it, Smash Bros. is the most hardcore of the hardcore franchises Nintendo has. It will sell a shit-ton whether Nintendo releases it this year, in 2008 or even 2010 regardless whether it has online play or not.
I don't believe Nintendo will release the big three this year. I may be wrong. But I think Reggie will be informing us of this soon enough.
So I'm prepared, as a prospective Wii owner, to possibly not see any of the big three this year due to the booming sales.
I think this Holiday season belongs to Microsoft.
I won't count the PS3 or Wii out of the race until after next year's (2008) Holiday season.