XBox 360 better than the Wii and PS3, at least in availability
Sunday, December 10, 2006
I've been looking for a Nintendo Wii for Gabriel. I haven't really looked too hard, but if I find one, I'll buy it.
Today I realized Microsoft beat Sony's PS3 and Nintendo's Wii to the punch line. Comparing these three systems, some would say that the 360 system is better in most respects, including the number of games available. And if you look at the supply of hardware, the XBox 360 is everywhere. Microsoft has saturated the market in a world where the PS3 and the Wii are nowhere to be found. It's almost painful to call this "market competition."
I understand the need to limit the supply in this case, as to increase marketing hype of the machines, however, when you have a strong competitor with deep pockets and countless systems that have been available for almost a year in every electronic store ever opened in North America, what's really the point of launching?
Perhaps, this is the point: limit the supply, and get a foot in the "next generation" console market share by claiming to be "better" than the next guy. I think the timing may be off and the quantity to really compete may be to small, so it will be an uphill battle to catch up with the main alpha dog in town. (I should clarify that the problems to bring new products to the market are many and there are operation limitations that have led to Sony and Nintendo delaying and limiting the number of consoles. In other words, it is not just about timing, it's about the realities of new product development.)
I can attest to not being loyal to any technology, really. If it works for me, I'll buy it even for a premium. But the point is that it should be available.
This afternoon, I needed paper for my printer and visited the local Best Buy big-box store by my house. I like going to these type of stores (electronic stores) and I think my 6 year old son is getting a taste for them as well (he makes me proud). We check out the video games that he may like and, as I said, I was looking for a Wii, but I almost bought a 360, just for the fact that they were available--literally, a wall built with hundreds (OK, maybe not that many) brand new shining XBox 360 consoles.
Was I looking for a 360? No, not really. I wanted a Wii, but I think Microsoft understands the technology market, and knows that by putting a product substitute in the hand of the consumer they will be able to out-sell non existing PS3s or Wiis regardless of the technological differences.
So, for this round, Microsoft 1; and PS3 and Wii
i, where
i is the representation of the square root of negative 1 (imaginary numbers), for being as elusive as pink unicorns or a wet
phoenix.
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