PS3: Casual Gamers Console Of Choice?

CantGetAWii · 03-09-2008, 01:12 PM

Quote:

For the past year, the console wars have raged on, and so far, one clear choice has emerged as the casual gamer’s console of choice: the Nintendo Wii. Casuals have flocked to the friendly line-up of easy-to-play minigame compilations and non-traditional games, leaving the PS3 and Xbox 360 pretty much to more hardcore gamers.

But it's not the Wii that may end up being the casual console of choice. It may very well be the PS3.

Why? There are six strong reasons that could appeal to casual gamers:

1. Nintendo has lost total control over the Wii's developers.

They're now content with pumping out waggle-enhanced minigames and ports instead of focusing on original titles, and in the end, it will cripple the Wii as the console of rehashed crap. The PS3, meanwhile, continues to see new franchises pushed to the front, even if they do end up sucking like Heavenly Sword. Even having that tiny bit of something new that's great from a first or third-party developer helps push the PS3 ahead of the Wii. I'm already growing sick of my Wii and have spent many more hours playing games on the 360 because Nintendo won't clamp down and tell their third parties to stop doing this. It's almost like Yamauchi is still running the show and using Iwata as a puppet.

2. Blu-ray.

The PS3’s biggest selling point since its debut, Sony now stands alone in the next-gen DVD format wars. Their PS3 is already the cheapest Blu-ray player on the market, and until the 360 becomes Blu-yay enabled or Blu-ray player prices drop, will be the easiest option for movie buffs who need a Blu-ray player. However, some of these buffs might also be gamers, and the fact that the PS3 is a Blu-ray player that’s also a gaming console might make it tantalizing. Sony employed a similar situation with the PS2 – making it the cheapest DVD player on the market – and it worked amazingly well. Who’s to say that strategy can’t succeed again? All they need to do is push Blu-ray as important.

3. Free online.

The Wii has free online, but it’s limited and arguably pretty complex to get to work sometimes. Xbox Live is much simpler… but also costs you $50 per year to play multiplayer. Sony has managed to take the best of both worlds, offering a simple, yet free, online connection service that will only improve as this generation wears on and Sony fixes some of the issues with their online service. Casuals may be willing to pay for their online service if they play a lot of games that use it, but the fact that Sony has free online for their games (and that games like Warhawk make great use of it) might be tempting to the casual consumer.

4. Comparable choices for casual gamers on PSN.

When Xbox Live Arcade launched, it set the standard for what downloadable content services were to be, but the Playstation Network store has caught up to the 360. Many XBLA releases find their way to PSN, and the ones that don’t seem to be making the jump are a mixed bag. Some are great, while others are just awful. However, the PSN has built up a fine network of exclusives, including Super Stardust HD, Everyday Shooter and the upcoming LittleBigPlanet. XNA might tilt the advantage back in Microsoft’s favor, but we’ll have to wait and see if that happens.

5. Home as more than a gimmick.

Home started out looking like nothing more than a cheap gimmick, an attempt to steal a little bit of thunder from the Wii’s Mii feature. But the more we’ve learned about Home, the more impressive it has become. Warhawk, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Resistance: Fall of Man will all have features exclusive to their Home lobbies that add an interesting twist to the service. Whether it’s being able to stroll through the game’s levels at your leisure or get together in a pre-game war room to discuss strategy for upcoming matches, Home brings something unique to the PS3 that neither the 360 nor Wii can match at this moment.

6. A strong 2008 line-up.

Metal Gear Solid 4, Resistance 2, The Agency, Gran Turismo 5. All reasons to buy a PS3 in 2008, as all are expected to come out this year for the PS3 and PS3 alone. Add to that multi-platform titles like Grand Theft Auto IV, Prototype, Fallout 3 and Soulcalibur IV (with the PS3 getting fan-favorite Darth Vader), and the PS3 looks incredibly strong this year. Expect big software sales to come with increased console sales in 2008.

Source

VidyaVince · 03-09-2008, 01:20 PM

I highly doubt that'll happen. HIGHLY.

Dorkfish · 03-09-2008, 06:17 PM

I agree with 2,4, and 6. Rest are just rubbish.

wii maniac · 03-09-2008, 06:27 PM

I agree with the blu-ray really helping the sales and the free online but I dont see it as the casual console.I beleave the wii would sell even more IF they can get that one game that can say BUY THIS CONSOLE (almost like Gears for xbox,MGS4 for ps3) could really help get the hardcore gamers alittle more.

jledesma · 03-11-2008, 10:53 AM

The only thing the author of this article forgot to say is that casual gamers are looking for a cheap easy to use console. I'm sorry but the PS3 is neither of these.

If this premise isn't true the rest is just a lot of bull.

TheAnswerI · 03-12-2008, 08:33 AM

I definitely wouldn't call the PS3 the casual gamers' console of choice. The casual crowd is more attracted to the Wii or even the 360 if you ask me.

raisinghelen · 01-26-2009, 07:10 PM

Well it's pretty clear now that the article was way off. The big software or hardware sales never happened and the PS3 still doesn't attract the casual crowd due to its higher price point.

The only one that they were even close with was the Blueray, as a lot of PS3s seem to have been bought to be used to watch movies rather than for gaming.

2009 could be a big year for the PS3 though, with God Of War 3 being the big exclusive. However, if that doesn't sell in big enough numbers then the exclusives could dry up and the PS3 might never reach its full potential due to developers initially designing their games for the more lucrative 360 and then porting them to the PS3.

Bio · 01-27-2009, 12:47 AM

Now that it's 2009 and the article is nearly a year old, it seems that it was way off the mark to say PS3 could be Casuals' console of choice. Games like LBP might be catering to casuals, but the system needs more than that to win them over, like, say, a casuals-friendly price point for starters.

I still say it's not the end of the road for PS3 quite yet, however.

Shadow*91 · 01-27-2009, 01:03 AM

all the points you said are true. the PS3 should be the casual gamers console of choice. but only 1 thing stops it and its never mentioned in the quote: price.

with even the cheapest of PS3s being more expensive then a 360 or Wii, a casual won't really bother with one. then add on high game prices as well as paying for some of the DLC and the PS3 loses a bit of the 'casual' appeal

03-09-2008, 01:20 PM	#2
VidyaVince vidya gaems Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 444 Friends: 0 8294-6630-1949-8016	I highly doubt that'll happen. HIGHLY. __________________ Brawl FC: 2707-1283-4208 If you're online frequently, send me a PM that you added me.

03-09-2008, 06:17 PM	#3
Dorkfish I'm Good at Games Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: In the Boondocks Posts: 1,084 Friends: 15 3041-8420-1576-4112	I agree with 2,4, and 6. Rest are just rubbish. __________________ My Face------------------------------------> Weeeeeeeeeeeee Add my PSN for some good shit~iDorkfish

03-09-2008, 06:27 PM	#4
wii maniac Canadians In Action Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 242 Friends: 0 3878-8321-2254-6089	I agree with the blu-ray really helping the sales and the free online but I dont see it as the casual console.I beleave the wii would sell even more IF they can get that one game that can say BUY THIS CONSOLE (almost like Gears for xbox,MGS4 for ps3) could really help get the hardcore gamers alittle more. __________________ PSN-kingofdoom95 XBL-FlyingM0nkey007

03-11-2008, 10:53 AM	#5
jledesma PS-What? Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mexico Posts: 164 Friends: 0 6520-0310-8610-0194	The only thing the author of this article forgot to say is that casual gamers are looking for a cheap easy to use console. I'm sorry but the PS3 is neither of these. If this premise isn't true the rest is just a lot of bull. __________________ En México ya nos DESPEJAMOS!! <-- Local Joke

03-12-2008, 08:33 AM	#6
TheAnswerI WiiChat Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 32 Friends: 0 6394-7935-9781-6435	I definitely wouldn't call the PS3 the casual gamers' console of choice. The casual crowd is more attracted to the Wii or even the 360 if you ask me. __________________ SSBB FC: 1590-4354-8694 PSWii60


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01-26-2009, 07:10 PM	#7
raisinghelen WiiChat Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Calgary Posts: 918 Friends: 0	Well it's pretty clear now that the article was way off. The big software or hardware sales never happened and the PS3 still doesn't attract the casual crowd due to its higher price point. The only one that they were even close with was the Blueray, as a lot of PS3s seem to have been bought to be used to watch movies rather than for gaming. 2009 could be a big year for the PS3 though, with God Of War 3 being the big exclusive. However, if that doesn't sell in big enough numbers then the exclusives could dry up and the PS3 might never reach its full potential due to developers initially designing their games for the more lucrative 360 and then porting them to the PS3.

01-27-2009, 12:47 AM	#8
Bio WiiChat Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,098 Friends: 26	Now that it's 2009 and the article is nearly a year old, it seems that it was way off the mark to say PS3 could be Casuals' console of choice. Games like LBP might be catering to casuals, but the system needs more than that to win them over, like, say, a casuals-friendly price point for starters. I still say it's not the end of the road for PS3 quite yet, however. __________________ Brawl Code: 3566 3531 3273 Official Recordkeeper of the 1v1 League Want to compete in Smash Bros. on WiiChat? Join the League now! =) (I am NOT accepting Friend codes.)

01-27-2009, 01:03 AM	#9
Shadow*91 I'm just ash in the wind. Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Busy, too busy to tell you. Posts: 1,942 Friends: 56 0000-0000-0000-0000 Blog Entries: 3	all the points you said are true. the PS3 should be the casual gamers console of choice. but only 1 thing stops it and its never mentioned in the quote: price. with even the cheapest of PS3s being more expensive then a 360 or Wii, a casual won't really bother with one. then add on high game prices as well as paying for some of the DLC and the PS3 loses a bit of the 'casual' appeal __________________ Sig was made by me! Click here to see more I've made!

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