Rebuttal: Console War Trials

by Bohdan Kanicki

You made some decent points, but there are quite a few things you said that I disagree with strongly. Dreamcast is already out, and doing okay. The system had a wonderful release (Phenomenal considering the performance of its predecessor) and also sports a GREAT lineup of incoming games for a system start. Can't disagree with that...with the upcoming systems guaranteed to completely smack around the DC hardware wise, Sega needed a very strong launch to even have a shot. They did just that. However, remember, the DC is absolutely getting killed in Japan, getting outsold by the N64 (last time I checked). The pricetag will be a hurdle, but not really a big one. I doubt Sony will let it go for more then $300. Personal opinions aside, even if it does come here at $370, people will buy it. Take for example the Saturn, no one seems to remember that the Saturn came out at $400! People still bought it, many people. True, but with the Dreamcast launching at $200 dollars (cheapest launch I remember), and the Dolphin estimated launch price around $100-200 dollars, the consumer has grown to expect a cheaper launch. The Saturn had better overall specifications then the Playstation, but it bombed, mostly due to its utter lack of game library. No it didn't, not really. The Playstation had better 3d hardware, and the Saturn had better 2d hardware. The only future I can see for Dolphin, is that of the N64's, fewer more-expensive games. How do you figure? The Dolphin is using the EXACT SAME format as the PS2. It'll be just as 3rd party friendly as any system. Remember, if the Nintendo execs had decided "Gee, you know, let's use CDs instead of carts", the N64 would probably be the market leader now. Square would have stayed with Nintendo, as would Enix, and other RPG developers. This would have pretty much guaranteed the Japanese market for the N64. Plus, it would have lured other developers, such as Konami and Capcom; both of whom had good relations with Nintendo. And like you said, Nintendo has a fierce group of loyal fans. The N64, with a pathetic launch, lean software library, NO good RPGs, NO good fighters, and a hefty price tag on any game, STILL managed to do pretty well in the console race. And remember....nintendo has the best first party titles of any company. Though I will say, it's going to be really hard to try and wrench Sony's control away from Square and the other big name developers. Truthfully, I want all three to do an outstanding job, the resulting competition between three solid companies could result in inovations we never even saw coming. This could take the game industry into a renaissance. Ahhh, I couldn't agree more. The more major players in the race, the more competition. The more competition, the lower the prices. And most importantly, better games.