How does the Interactive Entertainment Market look like in the future?
Who are the main players in the console market today?
The mainplayers in todays market (2005) are Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.
What are differences between these mainplayers?
1. Sony PlayStation: Populair, family and party oriented console
Strengths:
- DVD compatibility
- Backwards compatibility
- Firewire/USB compatibility
- PlayStation reputation
- Currently in bed with SquareSoft
- Eye-toy camera for interactive gaming
Weaknesses
- Expensive when compared to competition
- Allegedly hard to develop for
- Needs more A-list titles
2. Microsoft: Primary target market, gamers who want high performance
Strengths:
- Backed by Microsoft
- Embraced by PC development community
- Includes modem/hard drive for online connectivity out of the box
- Based on spec sheets, the most technologically advanced console in history
- Massive advertising budget
- Easy to port games from PC
Weaknesses:
- Japanese developer support fairly small
- Microsoft relatively unknown outside of PC circles
- Abundance of PC-styled games may turn off typical console gamers
3. Nintendo: Primary target market childeren
Strengths:
- Easy to develop for
- Exclusive Nintendo 1st party titles
- Inexpensive ($99-$149?)
- Portable gaming
Weaknesses:
- Nintendo often labeled as a "kiddie" company
- Range of 3rd party support unknown
- Heavy reliance on existing Nintendo properties (Mario, Zelda, etc)
What are the software revenues by platform?
According toDFC Intelligencethe world wide software revenue per platform is as follows (for 2003):
Sony playstation 44% Nintendo gamecube 10% Nintendo GBA 11% Microsoft Xbox 11% PC games 19% Others 5%
What are the advantages & disadvantages of a game console?
Advantages:
- A console is a fixed, unchanging platform
- Ease in use play a game within minutes
- No operating systems to configure or drivers to update
- Many people prefer to play games sitting on the couch consoles are extremely well-suited for this.
- Console games tend to have a relatively low learning curve. You might need fast thumbs, but you certainly won't need to spend hours to understand which buttons to use.
Disadvantages:
- Launch prices of game consoles are almost equal to the price of a simple PC (mac mini)
- The price of a game is higher than a pc game
- Consoles perform only one task really well (gaming)
- There is a distinct lack of inter-connectivity between the different console brands. Many games are available for one type of console but not others, and when it comes to online play, each is typically restricted to its own network. This means that people with Xboxes can only play against other people with Xboxes. So maybe in the future: cross-platform gaming?
- How will each game consoles brand develop in the future?
- Who are the secondary competitors or substitutes for the next generation game consoles?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of the secondary competitors?
- What are consumers looking for in the future? (integrated, portable or separate game console)
- How do consumers choose for a game device?