PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 finances tell a tale of two consoles
- October 24, 2008 00:00 AM PST
The latest financial numbers for the PS3 and Xbox 360 tell two starkly different stories that could be harbingers of things to come for console owners.
It's far too early to tell for now, but nevertheless there are indicators appearing today that hint Microsoft and Sony's console divisions are setting the table for an uncertain future.
The thing is, while one company enters the uncertain territory of a profitable console business, the other, known until now for its powerful, unfaltering brand, is entering what appears to be its most uncertain, darkest days yet. Also uncertain is what you, the gamers, should expect from your investments going forward. That's a whole lot of uncertainty going on.
For Xbox 360 owners, the future looks, in a word, "brighter."
On Thursday, Microsoft was quick to tout its latest numbers, which revealed a $15.1 billion revenue record. Better yet for Redmond was the news that Xbox 360 shipments were up to 2.2. million units, compared to just 1.8 million this time last year.
The gains come at a good time for Microsoft, which today is on the verge of releasing a major Xbox 360 interface update, called the New Xbox Experience (NXE). Featuring Mii-like avatars, a new menu system, and enhanced multimedia features, NXE is a risky play for the current Xbox 360 audience, but increased sales and console price cuts could help the update cement new non-traditional gamers in the Microsoft corner.
The recent success comes at a price, however. Earlier this year, Microsoft was forced to issue a costly multi-billion dollar restructured 3-year warranty program due to prohibitively high Xbox 360 failure rates. This was also the year that saw the console's year-long head start over the Nintendo Wii evaporate into nothingness.
So it was a hard knock life for Microsoft in 2007, but these continued profits--surely a strange, but welcome, feeling for Xbox execs--should translate into new games, technologies and R&D for the platform (as they have for Nintendo). In many respects, it has already stared--see also: Final Fantasy XIII for the Xbox 360.
Sony, on the other hand, would probably like to forget this week ever happened.
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- Oct 24 2008 at 11:56:47:AM PST
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Meh, both have a strong brand and as proved by nintendo, any company can rise from the ashes. (gc to wii)
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Not really a big deal to me. The first-party games for both systems aren't on my immediate to-buy list. For example, this year I plan on getting Call of Duty, Fallout, LittleBigPlanet, and Prince of Persia. Only one of those was exclusive. I own both systems, and I think the only exclusive game I own right now is Mass Effect.
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i hope all do well. we need sony nintendo and microsoft to do well. that would mean better games. it's the fanboys who come in here and bitch that need to die. I hope that the next one(fanboy bitch) that comes in here and complains that Bioshock went to the Ps3 or Tekken went to the 360(or any exclusive for that matter), dies a painful and long, agonising death.
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i hope all do well. we need sony nintendo and microsoft to do well. that would mean better games. it's the fanboys who come in here and bitch that need to die. I hope that the next one(fanboy bitch) that comes in here and complains that Bioshock went to the Ps3 or Tekken went to the 360(or any exclusive for that matter), dies a painful and long, agonising death.
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Damn it nerm2k took my first lol. Anyway I think having all three consoles doing good is better than just having one company rule all of gaming. When companies compete it's often the comsumers (or in this case the gamers) who win. Right now all three try and have the best consoles and the best games so they can be ahead so that means better products for us but if there was only one company then they wouldn't be as concerned with putting out good games because they would all ready have the market covered.
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I imagine that what will hapen is the ps3 will stay the same price for awhile then xbox will release a new system and sony will sit on the ps3 since the tech in the ps3 will be good past 2010 when microsoft plans to launch their new system.
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slickjames wrote:
First!!! I'm slickjames b**ch.
YOU PHAIL!...cocaine's a hell of a drug...huhuhuh...
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don't care about nintendo(no good games),hope the ps3 and 360 do well. i'm not being a fanboy either,i own all 3 consoles and nintendo is by far the weakest of the 3.nintendo=gimmick!
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