Video game console Essay Example for Free

Video game console Essay I got my first video game console in the summer of 1991. My parents purchased it from SEARS for my birthday and at which point I had no idea what it was. A couple of the kids and their parents knew that it was and were shocked that my parents spend $100 dollars on something like that. It was still in the box until one afternoon I came home from school. I set it up in the living room, only room with a television. Popped in Super Mario Bros, this simple 8-bit game would change the entertainment industry. I did not become a fanboy until I attend Florida AM. Besides my classes and football schedule, I usually spend my free time in my apartment. One of my friends back home told me about Microsoft’s Xbox gave gamers the ability to play against each other and they did not need to be in the same living room. Walked into a Game Stop and walked out with my first console since the Nintendo my parents got me so many birthdays ago. Once at my apartment, plugged everything in and started playing. Completely different from what I remember when I was eight years ago. Xbox became my gateway drugs, from hours of study, from the beating my body would take from football and boredom. History of Sonys gaming console. Before Sony entered into the gaming industry they establish Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) in mid-November of 1993. SCE main purpose was to handle production, RD (research and development) and the sale of both hardware and software for their video game consoles. This introduction took place a year before Sony launched their first video game console, Playstation. Playstation shipped to Japan first, in December of 94 and it was not until September 1995 when it shipped to the rest of the world. Playstation joined Nintendo 64 and Sega Saturn as the fifth generation of gaming consoles. Playstation sold for over nine years and sold over 100 million units worldwide, 2004 was the last year that Sony produced a Playstation. In 2000, SCE launched their second console, Playstation 2 (PS2). A decade later PS2 would be most popular console even well into the seventh generation console like Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. At their initial launch, PS2 only competition was Sega’s Dreamcast, which made $97 million on its release date. SCE closed the gap quick with PS2, which made $250 million on launch day. What helped a lot with the PS2 success was the console’s backward compatibility, gave gamers to play a lot of their favorite Playstation on their new PS2 and it was equipped with a DVD-player. With this feature, it helped expand SCE audience beyond their target audience, from the everyday gamers to someone wanting to upgrade their home entertainment system. With PS2 initial success and continue success, Sega’s Dreamcast had no room to grow and finally discontinuation in March of 2001. PS2 remaining the only console on the market for six months until the announcement of Nintendo’s GameCube and Microsoft’s Xbox. By this time, PS2 had huge advantage over the two, so to complete with both systems. SCE marked down their prices by $100. Towards the end of 2006, Playstation 3 (PS3) hit store shelves for the holiday season. This was the only console on the market that used a Blu-ray disc drive to run their software (games). With the launched of PS3, SCE introduced an answer to Microsofts Xbox Live online gaming service, Playstation Network (PSN) and it was free everyone. This system was also backward compatible with pervious Playstation games. SCE developed PSN to help Playstation gain ground with online gaming and downloadable content (DLC). What I liked about PSN was that it allowed it’s user to download the full game and gave the gamer a trail period of 60 minutes. This was a lot better than go out and spending $60 dollars on a game that would eventually turn into a paperweight. Last year SCE introduced their fourth installation of Playstation, Playstation 4 (PS4) and released a week before Microsoft’s Xbox One. PS4 only other competition is Nintendo’s Wii U. Nintendo since GameCube focused more on younger gamers because it could not keep up with the mature rating games that both Sony and Microsoft released. With Nintendo taking a back step, PS4 only real competition was Xbox One. Playstation 4 has not looked back since their launch date. By early February 2014 they have sold over five million units, compare to Xbox One three million units. History of Microsoft’s gaming console Late 2001 Microsoft took its first steps in the gaming industry. They announced their first gaming console to the world Xbox. Not since 1996 has, an American company offered a gaming console. By early 2002, Xbox completed with all of the sixth generation console Nintendos GameCube, Segas Dreamcast and Sonys Playstation 2. In all honestly, Microsoft only real threat was Sonys Playstation 2; as both consoles were designed for the advanced gamer. With the launch of Xbox, Microsoft also ventures into the world of online gaming, with their service Xbox Live. Unlike Sonys Playstation 2 and Segas Dreamcast, Xbox Live charged a fee to play online against players across the world and gave subscribers the ability to download gaming content to gamers. Like the other two consoles, gamers were required to have their own broadband connection. Before Xbox discontinued, it has sold 24 million units worldwide. Four later after the successful launch of Xbox, Microsoft introduced Xbox 360. With the success of Xbox and the video game industry entering its seventh generation gaming console, only three major players where left in this industry; Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. Microsoft launched Xbox 360 with Xbox Live, as they did with Xbox. With the introduction of Xbox Live, not only did it change the way gamers played their game but also changed how the industry produce their games. Per Colin Moriarty, Senior Editor at IGN. com, he reported that by October of 2013 Xbox 360 has sold 80 million units and still climbing. With this success, it made Xbox 360 the seventh best gaming console, behind both Sonys Playstation and Sonys Playstation 2. This showed the video game industry that Microsoft, like Sony once before them, was a major player and was there for the long run. From its release date, Microsoft made sure to lock down exclusive titles and become the first with new downloadable content (DLC). Exclusive games like Halo and Gears of War, gamers were jumping ship and trading their Playstation consoles to purchase these titles. Then in 2009, Microsoft released and again shocked the gaming industry with the introduction of Kinect. This gave gamers a glimpse of the future for the industry. Unlike Nintendos Wii, Kinect was completely motion censored and voice commanded. This new accessory gave Xbox 360 new arsenal to complete with Nintendos Wii and Sonys Playstation 3 new Move project. Over ten years since the launch of Xbox, in late May 2013, Microsoft announced Xbox One was to follow Xbox 360. Later that year, in November, Microsoft launched their third gaming console. This is was also the beginning of the new generation of gaming consoles. Upon its conference at E3 2013, Xbox One took a lot criticized for its initial digital rights management policies (put restrictions on the resale and sharing between gamers); along with Kinect usage, requirements and a higher price tag than its competitors. Receiving a lot of criticism, Microsoft dropped all the restrictions before release November 21 2013. Microsoft’s Xbox One vs. Sony’s Playstation 4 @ E3 2013 Every year at E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony hold a larger conference to display their new hardware or software. Microsoft announced that the Xbox One would launch in November 2013 and would retail at $499. They also announced the end of Microsoft Points and replaced by actual currency. Microsoft also announced a redesigned Xbox 360, available in stores immediately, which looks similar to the Xbox One. During the event did not spend any time discussing the hardware upgrades nor the policy on used games. A topic that was hurting Microsoft since they announced it earlier in the year. Priced at $499 putting Xbox One at the higher end of both consoles and this was because each console came with Microsoft’s Kinect accessory. SCE showed the world what the Playstation 4 would look like and priced at $399 in the US ($100 less than the Xbox One). SCE also discussed used games strategy and Sony announced there would be no DRM (Digital Rights Management) or protection on used PS4 games. They could also trade freely and play after initial purchase. Sony also announced that the PlayStation Plus subscription membership is now required for online gaming. 2013 let the console wars between Playstation and Xbox begin. Both consoles were release in November, giving PS4 a one-week (November 13) lead on Xbox One (November 21). At the end of 2013, the PS4 sold a little over four million units and Xbox One managed to sell over three million units. At the end of the console cycle, if Sony only managed to sell 1. 2 million more consoles than the Xbox One, Microsoft would be happy to take because it give them a tie. However, those sales come at the end of 2013 and only had about a month and a half in the shelves, and the figures would have always ended up somewhat similar due to the rush of pre-sales and limited stock. Now that the early rush is over and both consoles are easier to find, the January sales figures would be more telling regarding the popularity of the consoles. At this time, Microsoft has yet to release Xbox One in Japan and other European countries, with a release date sometime in late September 2014. What was Microsoft thinking? What is currently hurting Microsoft sells of Xbox One, are issues that they did not address at E3? The gaming community was not ready for the advance changes and radical ideas that Microsoft was trying to introduce. The public did not approve the idea of having to buy a game brand new. This idea was taking business away from a lot of video game store, big stores like GameStop and smaller privately own stores. This was also going to restrict gamers to lend games to each other. Sony just sat back and watched how Microsoft’s ideas fail. The gaming community turned away from those ideas. These ideas and plans were the cause of many people canceling their pre-order of the new system, even hardcore Xbox fans were jumping ship. Microsoft went into damage control before launch date. All the systems were to be updated before release and updated patches were uploaded on launch day. Consoles: Xbox Xbox 360 Xbox 360 w/ Kinect Xbox One Playstation Playstation 2 and Playstation 2 Slim Playstation 3 slim and Playstation 3 1st edition Playstation 4 References: Microsoft Confirms Next-Gen Xbox Announcement. IGN. April 24, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2013. Xbox One ignites a new era of games and entertainment this November. Microsoft. June 10, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013. Retailers Sell Out of Initial Xbox 360 Shipments. Retrieved October 14, 2008.EXCLUSIVE: Xbox One Confirmed as Name of Microsofts New Console. Retrieved May 7, 2013. Microsoft: Kinect SDK Coming In March. Gadgetsteria. com. February 21, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2011. New PS3 has sold over one million. Eurogamer. Retrieved November 7, 2009. â€Å"PlayStation 2 Breaks Record as the Fastest Computer Entertainment Platform to Reach Cumulative Shipment of 100 Million Units (PDF) (Press release). Sony Computer Entertainment. November 30, 2005. Retrieved June 8, 2008. â€Å"PlayStation 2 manufacture ends after 12 years. The Guardian. January 4, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2013.