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GameCube (Games) PlayStation (Games) XBox (Games) Entertainment Games

Xbox Price To Shadow PS2, Not GameCube 55

Posted by simoniker from the the-wonderful-world-of-console-pricing dept.
Thanks to Reuters for their story indicating Microsoft won't necessarily act on Nintendo hardware price reductions. Xbox boss Robbie Bach, in a Tokyo news conference, suggested "...the company's main benchmark when it comes to pricing would remain Sony... and not Nintendo", and added "We've been selling at a price premium to GameCube since the first day and I don't think that's going to change." Elsewhere in the news conference, Bach talked about the long-term growth of consoles, estimating that "...video games have a penetration rate of about 40 percent, but that rate can grow to 80 percent over the next decade if games become more appealing to a wider audience."
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Xbox Price To Shadow PS2, Not GameCube More

Xbox Price To Shadow PS2, Not GameCube

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  • No Surprise. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Rudy Rodarte ( 597418 ) * on Friday September 26, 2003 @08:42AM (#7063107) Homepage Journal
    Esp. when you consider that Microsoft loses $$ on every console sold. Either way, I hope the new $99 price gives the gamecube some more US market share. I have never been an X Box fan, but if the XBox dropepd to $99, I may consider getting one.
    • Well I know Nintendo is gonna sell at least one more console because of that drop, to me. Already got xbox and ps2, gotta catch em all yanno. As far as xbox is considered, I deffinately think mine was a good purchase. Also if you are interested in online console gaming xbox is the way to go. Oh, and I deffinately agree that this is no suprise, and in fact not /. worthy.
      • Make that two, picking one up tonight.

        Nintendo has been cranking out some high quality games for the Cube lately and looking at the fall lineup things are just going to get better. Screw the 3rd party support, all they seem capable of putting out nowadays is GTA3 clones anyways. Nintendo may have a smaller library, but I honestly believe that they have a better lineup than the PS2 (and definately the Xbox) with that smaller library.

    • If the XBox drops to $99 I'll definitely buy one. Of course, I'll use it for something else than a gaming console. I have no intention on growing XBox real market share.

      I already have a GameCube and I love it.

  • My gut tells me that if the Gamecube were more of a market player then Microsoft would react to the recent price drop of the Gamecube. The truth is that Nintendo is becoming less of a player and therefore will not influence others as much.

    • Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Friday September 26, 2003 @09:17AM (#7063413)
      Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Re:Gamecube losing relevance? (Score:5, Interesting)

        by psyco484 ( 555249 ) on Friday September 26, 2003 @10:05AM (#7063842)
        I'm about to buy a gamecube simply because it's $100 and I definitely couldn't justify it before, seeing as how I would play maybe five or six games at the most. I can't justify dropping $50 everytime a game comes out for one, especially when that game might be buggy, and unplayable. But, there are games that I've played for the Gamecube that I really like and think it's worth it, so $100 to play those games isn't that much of a burden. I still can't justify dropping that much money on an Xbox since most Xbox games I'd play end up on the pc anyway, and at least on the pc I can get patches if they're needed (I'm not about to drop another $xx a month/year to be able to do this through Xbox live)

        I think you're mainly right about people people not really caring about 3rd party games as much for the Gamecube, except I can't say I've noticed much, if any, difference in quality between the Xbox, PS2, or Gamecube. Though it cold easily have been the different TVs I was playing it on, but Soul Caliber 2 looked smoother playing on the Gamecube than it did on the Xbox. It probably was just the TV or something, but even still, assuming the actual quality is equal if you standardize a testing environment, the price difference is more than enough to pickup a copy of the game for the Gamecube. Then there's that whole controller thing. I haven't used an Xbox controller that I've liked yet, and I've used what I think are the three main ones. The Gamecube one is just much easier to work with. Can't really argue about the PS2 controllers though.

        While this definitely isn't a death to the Xbox, when I go to the store and see $99 for the system that can play the games I can't play on my PC, and $150 for the system that can play most of the games I can play on my PC, plus hundreds more I could care less about, the choice isn't exactly hard to make. Microsoft has been used to being on top and being able to dictate prices for their products because there typically hasn't been too much commercial competition. They've made their software the standard and they're only just starting to lose that position. Console gaming is completely different than selling operating systems and word processors since their main market knows they have a choice and you don't have to learn how to use a Gamecube, because it's just not really any different from any other console. Microsoft doesn't seem to understand that they can't just dictate market price when they have competition unless their competition is in on it too. They're going to start losing market share even more if they keep up with their current mentality. As it stands, I can't find many things that the Xbox offers as unique. It had Halo, but guess what my friend is going out to buy later today for his PC?

        Consumers will throw money at what they want, but most consumers who either don't know the difference, or just don't care, are going to pick up the cheaper of the two, that's common sense. MS is either going to have to make a real reason for owning their system, or start being competitive, if they want to do well.

      • Soul Caliber is a good looking game- but please steer your attention to 'Voodoo Vince'. I got the demo, and this game looks absolutely fantastic. The game looked *nearly* as good as the cinematics. The game is cartoony, so they weren't going for realism, but I thought it looked better than any game I have ever played- even on my PC. Screen [gamespy.com] shots [gamespy.com]

        Dino Crisis 3 though was a complete, steaming, pile of crap. Horrible.

        Metal Arms- awesome game. Great graphics. It will be on all 3 platforms. Metal Arms

    • The truth is that Nintendo is becoming less of a player? How so? Sales of the Gamecube have actually increased from 2002 to 2003, as opposed to both the PS2 and the XBox. So if the Gamecube is selling more, how can Nintendo be headed in the "less of a player" direction?

      You're also ignoring the handheld market that Nintendo continues to dominate.

    • I see people changing their views on the GCN - going from obscure and small to a must have console here in Sweden.

      GCN contra XBox:
      The problem I had, and most friends (besides the Nintdo lovers) were the lack of games for GCN at the release - and then Ikaruga poped up and I bought the GC, and now F-Zero, Zelda and Metroid, add Killer 7 and some other games that are coming to the GCN and you have a strong reason to buy.

      Played Halo, and it is a good flagship for the X-Box, but it is overated, or atleast I

  • What market is Microsoft trying to get? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by cdneng2 ( 695646 ) on Friday September 26, 2003 @09:20AM (#7063442)
    Assume that every single casual gamer has a system (Xbox or PS2). The console market is now mature, and PS2 dominates this market.
    This leaves two markets left: the non-gamer, and the hardcore gamer.
    The hardcore gamer would want to buy a second system. He'd select this base on game exclusives. As Xbox has a handful of must-haves (eg. Halo, and KOTOR)... A lot of Xbox Xmas releases have been delayed, and in addition to this, a lot of the titles are multi-platform for Xmas. With the Nintendo price at $99 and with the most original first party games (eg.Mario Party 5, Double Dash, etc.), who do you think will win as the second console?
    Finally, the non-gamer would choose his console most likely based on price and broader appeal for his family... most probably the Gamecube.
    The Xbox will never get market share as the PS2 (it's too late), so it compares itself against Nintendo constantly. Yet, in this press release, Bach wants a wider appeal of videogames from a penetration rate of 40% to 80%. Based on the above, how well does it look like the Xbox will fare this Xmas season?
    • Actually, speaking as a hardcore gamer, I already have all three consoles.

      But your assumption here is correct -- I buy games for specific consoles when they are:

      A) Exclusive to a particular console

      B) One offers an advantage in graphics

      C) One offers game bonuses (extra levels, etc.)

      If all things considered are equal, I will choose a game on the basis of ease of use, meaning PS2 because I prefer their controller setup.

      Again, this is from the perspective of a hardcore gamer with sufficient di
    • Your 'most original first party games' list is exclusively games that have had at least 3 prequels? Come on. No one seriously buys a Gamecube for original games, because it really doesn't have anything significant that wasn't already on the N64, SNES, etc. or a clone of a popular game (Pikmin = Lemmings). There are plenty of logical reasons to own a GC (you have small hands, really like your GBA, only buy a few games a year, you belong to a Nintendo-mascot worshipping cult, etc.), you don't need to make one

  • New news today (Score:3, Funny)

    by Creepy Crawler ( 680178 ) on Friday September 26, 2003 @09:32AM (#7063534)
    PS2 Price To Shadow GameCube, Not XBox

  • Missing the Point (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward

    if games become more appealing to a wider audience.

    I found this funny coming from the company whose conole is most blatantly marketed at the 18-24 year old horny male market. How many people who weren't already gamers were brought in by Halo or DOA3? I'll admit right now that the GameCube doesn't have nearly the appeal to the same market group. However, everytime I meet a forty year old housewife or an eight year old boy that has just started gaming,it's usually on the cube. The XBox may be doing what

  • Wider audience (Score:4, Insightful)

    by tycage ( 96002 ) <tycage@gmail.com> on Friday September 26, 2003 @09:44AM (#7063654) Homepage
    "...video games have a penetration rate of about 40 percent, but that rate can grow to 80 percent over the next decade if games become more appealing to a wider audience."

    Which if it's anything like television means making simpler, blander games which require less thought to play.

    *sigh*
  • If Sony drops the PS2 to 129.99?
    I'd love to see the effects in M$'s balance sheet.
    Don't get me wrong, I'd like the Xbox to stay (the more competition, the better for consumers), but obviously they want to demerit the Nintendo.
  • Its a fairly well known fact that most games out there are aimed for a male in their mid-teens to early twenties age bracket. The Sims is a good example of games that do appeal to females... When will the gaming community develop more games for girls? When more girls get into the industry. Most people who develop games are passionate about their work, hence the reason why there are so many RPG's, RTS's and FPS's. I know I'd have trouble getting excited about working on the next Barbie RTS game, but I'd be e
    • 1. The Sims is NOT a game. It has mistakenly been labeled as such and you are perpetuating a myth. Please stop it. It's like calling Shakira's singing "music"

      2. Trust me, most people who develop games are passionate about receiving a paycheck. There are true visionaries but they are few and far between.

      I'd rather mentally block the image of GI Joe RTS games from my head, if you don't mind. I do, however, hope you get employed in something as exciting as such a venture, whatever the cost to mankind might b

  • They keep saying this... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Jerf ( 17166 ) on Friday September 26, 2003 @10:54AM (#7064274) Journal
    but that rate can grow to 80 percent over the next decade if games become more appealing to a wider audience.

    You, we hear this over and over again, but rather then actually trying to expand the market, we get the same POS "women's" or "girl's" games over and over again. They fail, every time. Meanwhile, if they'd just take a look around at what women are playing, or even (*gasp!*) commision an actually scientific survey, they'd learn what quite a lot of us already know.

    Which is that A: some of it's sheer social stigma and you're mostly just going to have to wait for that to go away and B: while you can't generalize 100% women and girls seem to go for puzzle games and what I think of as "lower-stakes" games (like puzzle games).

    My wife enjoyed the original Dungeon Keeper, and her usual strategy was to lovingly craft the dungeon and built up her forces, this being the part of the game she enjoyed, so that when the final battle took place it was a massacre. She didn't really like combat whos outcome was in doubt. Those are my favorites, of course, being the male pig that I am. I can't be 100% certain "prefers low-stakes gaming" is a valid generalization (and again I remind you it's only a trend, not an absolute; women get addicted to real gambling with real money sometimes too) without a formal study but I think there's something to it.

    People often speculate that women will prefer "social" games but from what I see both genders prefer "social" games, it's just the type of "social" differs, and is only correlated with gender, not determined. Much like the real world, where we all have the same theoretical options but we all choose what we do differently, you don't need to "try" to provide "women-friendly" social mechanisms, just provide a wide variety of mechanisms and let people gravitate to the ones they like. MMORPG can be treated like a random chat, a virtually-loner game with sophisticated NPCs, a social club via clans, and any combination thereof, and that covers pretty much everything.

    And finally, 10 or 20 years of video game history shows "trying" too hard to make a game that will appeal to your highly chauvinistic view of women doesn't work, either. "35-year-old women like makeup, right? We'll make a game about applying makeup!" Sheesh.
    • My experiance with women and games can be summend up in three words.

      Women Hate Losing

      They still like a challenge but they seem to be even more frustrated and unhappy with a game when they lose. So if I were going to build a game that I would have larger appeal to women, I would tend to stick to more open ended games with less clear winners and losers. The sims fits this target and everquest on the nerf serves fits this, but I can't think of a whole hell of a lot else that does.

  • Quite a pickle for Microsoft (Score:3, Interesting)

    by chia_monkey ( 593501 ) on Friday September 26, 2003 @11:30AM (#7064603) Journal
    This poses quite an interesting dilema for Microsoft. Yes, they are indeed losing money on every XBox sold. But that's not a concern for them...they have deep pockets and what they really want to do is populate the land with XBox units. But...would they fare better by reducing the price? Yes, they would lose more money on each unit sold, but if their ultimate goal is to gain market share, why not? PS2 is already kicking their ass and if they expect to have any chance, they better do something different. Their current business model isn't doing it for them yet.
    • I think that the reason to keep the price high is not to lose less money per unit. Instead it is to associate themselves with the PS2. They are saying, "We're not a weak console like the GC, we are a top notch one like the PS2."

      My bais - I only own a GC.
  • A price would change sales significantly for the PS2 or Cube, but the XBox's demographic is FAR TOO SPECIFIC to have any real effect beyond convincing those who were just about ready to get it, should a price drop occur. Given that the main pull of the system is on graphics, fps's, fighters and sports games, you won't get many people caving in for it.

    Some people like a variety of AAA games, I'm one of them. When all your top sellers are first person shooters(Aside from ONE RPG in the last 3 years of it's l
  • I was hoping the Xbox would fall to $150 or so before the 10/8 start of KB Toys' 30%-off-everything sale. One of my employees is taking the morning off to go and buy a GameCube on 10/8 (a GC for $66+tax? What's not to love?). So, damn it, why can't M$ give me a break?!?

    Bastards.

  • Video gaming penetration will only reach the 80% level when more old people start DYING!
  • For the PS2 to come down. Followed, nearly, immediately by the Xbox. Think about it, Gamecube has thrown the gauntlet down (again) AND way before Christmas. With all the talk about PS3 and Xbox 2 floating around, its no secret that Sony and Microsoft are already planning their strategies for Round 2. Flooding the market with their older systems is just another way for them to generate hype while clearing the warehouses. (The PS2 has sold over 40 million systems, how many systems do you think are sitting in

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