February 19, 2010
The Year of the PS3?
By J. Matthew Zoss
Can Sony keep up the momentum
after a strong 2009?
Every few months, someone who
doesn’t yet own a current-generation gaming console asks me for a
recommendation. They typically know what the Wii has to offer and want advice on
whether they should get an Xbox 360 or a PlayStation 3. I always ask the
questioner what they want in a console, explain the advantages and disadvantages
of both and give them my opinion. In the past, I’ve generally recommended the
Xbox 360 more often than the PS3, as I’ve felt that the feature set and game
selection of the 360 is generally stronger.
“What about Blu-ray?” they
inevitably always ask. I’d typically counter by saying that I’d rather have the
Xbox 360’s Netflix streaming than the PS3’s Blu-ray drive. After all, that
service offers thousands of movies for the price of a couple Blu-ray discs.
But in 2009 those conversations
began to change, thanks to some shrewd moves on Sony’s part. The company dropped
the price, redesigned the console and added Netflix streaming. Strong exclusive
titles like Uncharted 2, Infamous and Demon’s Souls began to appear. Sony
unveiled a witty, likeable new ad campaign. And I found myself recommending the
PS3 far more often than ever before.
In my mind, there are two types of
consumers looking to buy an HD console in 2010:
-
The first primarily wants a media
player that might as well play games. -
The second type of consumer could
be considered “gamers” who haven’t yet purchased a current console for
whatever reason.
For the latter type of customer, I
still typically recommend the Xbox 360. Maybe high-profile games have rekindled
a lapsed interest in games, maybe external situations like college or family
obligations kept them away. It’s a matter of taste, but I still feel that the
360 has a stronger catalog of games and a better online experience.
But for the former, it’s hard not to
recommend the PS3, especially since the addition of Netflix. It streams movies.
It plays Blu-ray discs. It streams music and has a web browser. To borrow a
sentiment from the ad campaign, it does almost everything.
Sony’s efforts to bolster the PS3
are clearly working, as reports have indicated that the console is increasing
its market share around the world. But as much as the PS3 has become the clear
console of choice for the media player crowd, has Sony done enough to reach the
lapsed gamer group?
There are high-profile PS3
exclusives on the way in the coming months, such as Heavy Rain, God of War III
and The Last Guardian. All will undoubtedly be critical hits, but none has the
mass-market appear of Microsoft-exclusive juggernauts such as Halo; and
multiplatform games still sell unquestionably better on the 360.
That being said, Sony picked up so
much steam in 2009 that I’d be surprised if the company didn’t have big plans to
win over more core gamers in 2010. If Sony unveils some new high-profile titles
that those gamers can’t resist, then Microsoft better start worrying. Sony is
winning the media player side of the HD console war. If the company can continue
upping the quality of PS3-exclusive titles, it can close the gap on the gamer
side as well. And it will get harder and harder for me to recommend the Xbox 360
to my friends looking to get into the console market.
