E3 is over. The next-gen consoles have been introduced. The controllers displayed, games demoed. The console wars are going to begin in earnest November 2006. The winner will take years to decide but at the end of the day, the consumer wins no matter what.
Microsoft 360 has 6 months to lock down a stranglehold on the industry and grow in Japan which has been reluctant to embrace the technology. They have shown with their upcoming library, including Grand Theft Auto 4, Halo 4 and Gears of War, along with growing accessories of cameras etc that they have every intent to take advantage of the breathing room. Thanks to the quiet of Nintendo on price and the bombshell from Sony, sales will likely increase now that the reluctant know what is coming. Despite this lead-in, Microsoft does have some disadvanges to overcome including a still lingering rumors of the consoles unrealiability, costs of games, and small library. For them the graphics are king..but it may not be enough.
Nintendo finally introduced the Wii. The name is silly but its potential is not. The Wiimote has shown a great potential in gaming and could start a new era in creativity for the console market that has been pretty dry for years lost in the deluge of shoot-em-up and beat-em-ups. Nintendo is also assembling launch titles second to none with a new Mario, Zelda, Smash Bros, and Metroid games. They are not slacking in the handheld market with the upcoming release of DS Lite. To support this "new" system they have also added the US premier of Final Fantasy III, new Mario related games, Castlevania, and many other titles. As the Wii and the DS show, you want innovation and imaginiation you go to Nintendo. However, the sacrifice is graphics. The Wii is clearly inferior to Sony and MS offerings and are clearly hoping that the Wiimote, virtual library and price will overcome that glaring shortcoming to consumers. Nintendo created a momemtum at E3 that it didn't have before but may lose it if it continues its history of missing launch dats on key games and the price isn't nearly the bargain they say it is.
For Sony, E3 was a disaster. It was supposed to be the coming out party. A celebration of the next leap in technology, a repeat of the reception they recieved when first introduced the PS2. Instead it became a defensive battle of trying to justify a $600 console with a old-style remote that blantently steals from Nintendo's ideas. Working for the PS3 though is its clearly gorgeous graphic capabilities that just barly edge out the 360 and stomps all over the Wii in ability, and if Blu-Ray is embraced like Sony hopes, it could become the pricing steal they claim it is. Also helping in its war is its library, with Final Fantasy XIII and Metal Gear Solid 4. The PSP continues to grow, especially with a PS One emulator being added to allow for classic games to be played on the handheld. However, Sony still hasn't quite figured out the "portable" concept as many of the games seem to be indirect ports of existing PS2 franchises. Really though, Sony is buried in a ditch it wasn't aware existed. The announced library is small and barely functional. Its huge games, FF and MGS are notorious for taking years to develop and likely will not see the light of day until a year + after launch. The price, regardless of the bells and whistles will drive consumers away. Long story short, for Sony to overcome all these stumbles, it will have to deliver and deliver big on everything promised at E3.
The video game market is a billion dollar industry, and while all three consoles can co-exist together and make oodles of money, being King of the hill is always the goal. This fight will be long and bloody and will take at least a year before a leader emerges.
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