1st May 2005, 9:45 AM
Quote:I stated said logic myself, you know. I said that it's stupid logic done just to sell more units. Sure, it's my opinion. But what's wrong with stating my opinion? I mean, it's obviously pretty silly to say a game is exclusive when it isn't. Attempting to fool people into thinking it is -- that is, to increase game sales and make more cash -- is the obvious reason why it's done. Sure, they use flimsy excuses like "stuff was added so it's "new", but they're about as weak as they sound...
Listen to that logic for a second... just read that once again, keeping in mind what I've told you already.
The home console market does not target the hardcore PC gaming crowd. Not at all. If this were the case then obviously, Doom 3 would not say "exclusive for Xbox" on the case. The people this is done for are the main home console audience, and it's not about lying to them because it's on the PC--the PC is not even in the equation. It's about telling them that Doom 3 is not available for the PS2 and Gamecube. That's all they care about.
Quote:Advertising is the main way that you target your market (to tell them what your product is and who it's best for). Well, of course first comes game design (and some other factors), and tailoring your game for the audience you are intending it for, but that's just as sales-oriented as marketing is (that is, they do what they think will sell the most units / make the most money), so the difference isn't that large.
That is, you design the product with some market in mind, do your best to make sure that market will like it, and then advertise in a way to attract that market to buy your product...
Yes of course advertising is a part of the overall equation, but it is irrelevant to the topic at hand. You are still confusing advertising with marketing in the sense that I am trying to explain to you.
Quote:Ah, I misinterpreted it a bit. But hardcore CONSOLE gamers make up a tiny fraction of the console market (number-of-people wise, money-wise it's more for both platforms), so that's not really saying anything... sure, there are pc gamers who don't play console games and console gamers who don't play pc games. But among the hardcore market, I'd think that most would play at least some games on PC. Perhaps they wouldn't buy lots of pc games, but something with mass popularity like Halo 1 (considering that it does have an additional feature in online play)? Much more likely (than some hardcore pc game).
Yes, the hardcore console gaming crowd is basically the same as the hardcore PC gaming crowd, and if everyone were like that there would be only one gaming market, because we are consumers of every gaming market. But that's not the case now is it? Most people choose one or the other.
That make sense?
Quote:You mean aim more for the older audience, like PSP is? Stuff like the DS dictionary, pda-like utilities, etc that they've got in Japan? Nintendo can try, but it's a console... the DS can't escape that fact. And as a console the vast majority of its market is squarely in the traditional handheld market -- though perhaps it is expanding it a bit, I wouldn't think it'd be very significantly.
Not really an older gaming crowd like the PSP, but an older crowd that doesn't play games.
We shall see if they become successful or not.
Quote:Oh, I see what you're trying to say, OB1. I quite well understand your point. As I said, though, I just don't think it tells the whole story.
I guess the question is if we're talking about us or in general. If we're talking about us (the people here), DJ's point is completely valid and correct. And I'd expect that that's who we'd be talking about... I mean, DJ has an X-Box and a PC. So how is it possibly wrong to say that it's wrong to say that an inferior version of a game is a selling point for a system? Your point is only correct in a sphere that is irrelevant to the people involved in the discussion.
This would be true if I was talking about whether or not DJ should buy an X-Box. But I wasn't. I was talking about the merits of the X-Box, and not just to a hardcore gamer.
Quote:Oh yeah, and really, as I said, there is only one market... it's just broken up into categories. But it's really all one thing, of course. Yes, most people won't buy a console for one game, but some will, and they'll be taking money away from the other systems that they own... is there any more direct way that systems compete? Not likely. Sure, PCs are much more expensive, and gaming pcs especially, and that's probably one of the biggest reasons that pc games sell worse. But many of the games are the same, and many of the gamers buying those games are the same... The console and PC markets have differences, but they are not completely seperate. As I've been saying, there's a lot of overlap. Yes, most people won't buy that X-Box just for Halo. Or that new graphics card for their PC just to get Halo and play it online (even if they already own the X-Box version). But the ones that do prove that there is overlap.
Of course they are a part of the same overall market. Groceries and cars are also a part of the same overall market, with overlapping there as well. Now PC games and console games are a lot closer together than groceries and trains are, but they are still separate and disctinct markets. You are thinking in very broad terms here.