PlayStation 3 Fires Latest Salvo In Videogame Wars
Posted November 13, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
There’s plenty of fighting and competition in video games, so it stands to reason there would be just as much in the massive gaming industry.
It’s been the case since the business of gaming consoles exploded in the 1970s, but 2006 could well go down in history as one of the most competitive years yet, since the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii are both due out this week and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is still fresh, unveiled at this time last year.
The PS3 is the most expensive of the trio, which comes as no surprise since it has some of the most cutting-edge technology.
But the Wii has positioned itself as an alternative to the more costly systems.
An official at Atari says if you compare the three systems to cars, the PS3 would be a Formula 1 racecar, while the Wii would more be like a Mini Cooper or a Beetle. The Xbox 360 would be something like a Toyota or a standard GM car.
The difference is, even though three such vehicles would rarely compete for the same customers’ dollars, these three gaming options certainly will.
Odds are good that PS3 will be the strongest out of the box, and likely have videogame lovers lining up for its launch. The same, to a lesser degree, will probably be said for Nintendo’s new toy. But Wii’s popularity may rise quickly if Nintendo can effectively market it to a younger crowd, less concerned with graphics and status and more interested in playability.
One thing’s for sure though, all three of the key players in the videogame wars are pulling out all the stops to market their products, and if history is any indication, their efforts seem to typically works pretty well.
PS3 debuted in Japan over the weekend and the combination of long lines and short supplies had clerks at one electronics retailer walking around with megaphones, trying to keep the crowd from pushing.
Sony had just 100,000 consoles ready for the opening week rollout in Japan. When it goes on sale in the U.S. later this week, it’s expected that roughly 400,000 consoles will be available.
