Feature: Enough Is Enough: Too Many Game Consoles!
In the iPod age of customization and choice, there's something to be said for giving the consumer a wide range of buying options. iPods come in many shapes, sizes and colors, but not every product should follow the same formula.
Table of Contents
- The Problem....Page 1
- Xbox 360...........Page 2
- PlayStation 3....Page 3
- Conclusion.......Page 4
Videogame publishers used to have it right, particularly Sony. The PlayStation and PlayStation 2 each had one hardware SKU (stock keeping unit, lingo for "model"), and both dominated the console hardware market for years.
"The 40GB is cheaper but the 80GB has backward compatibility. What should I do?"
Now the PS3 is on its fourth version after barely a year on the market. The Xbox 360 also released its fourth version (five, if you count the limited edition Halo 3 model) since its introduction into the video-game marketplace two years ago. Enough is enough, already!
Nintendo seems to get it. The Wii is leading the videogame hardware market with one console SKU: when you buy a Wii, you buy a Wii, period. Consumers understand the Wii, and more importantly, so do parents and older adults, two groups that are propelling Nintendo's explosive growth in the casual games market.
You might think that hardcore games would welcome a wide array of console hardware choices. But that's simply not the case. Why? The differences between the multiple versions are negligible. The choices are confusing and expensive. Let's take a look at how Sony and Microsoft got it wrong.
And that's not even half!
![Screen Update: Aion: The Tower of Eternity [PC]](/screens/118841/206445-1-1.jpg)
![Screen Update: Fable 2 [Xbox 360]](/screens/122041/206430-1-1.jpg)
![Screen Update: Mushroom Men - The Spore Wars [Wii]](/screens/135221/206427-1-1.jpg)
![Screen Update: Saints Row 2 [Xbox 360]](/screens/140161/206440-1-1.jpg)
