E3 2009 Assessment: Nintendo Conference

A four-player 2D Mario for the Wii was a good start.

As with the other systems, in my pre-E3 assessment for the Wii I broke the console’s strengths and weaknesses down into three categories: Hardware, Software (Hardcore) and Software (Casual).  With the Nintendo press conference out of the way (which should cover all their significant announcements) I’m going to take a look at each of those categories again and see how Nintendo fared (in my opinion).  After that is an assessment of each individual item revealed/shown, and my verdict on the conference as a whole.  Click through for details.

E3 2009: Assessment: Sony Conference

Uncharted 2 made for a great opener.

As with the other systems, in my pre-E3 assessment for the PS3 I broke the console’s strengths and weaknesses down into three categories: Hardware, Software (Hardcore) and Software (Casual).  With the Sony press conference out of the way (which should cover all their significant announcements) I’m going to take a look at each of those categories again and see how Sony fared (in my opinion).  After that is an assessment of each individual item revealed/shown, and my verdict on the conference as a whole.  Click through for details.

E3 2009 Assessment: Microsoft Conference

The future of gaming?

In my pre-E3 assessment for the 360 I broke the console’s strengths and weaknesses down into three categories: Hardware, Software (Hardcore) and Software (Casual).  With their press conference out of the way (which should cover all their significant announcements) I’m going to take a look at each of those categories again and see how Microsoft fared (in my opinion).  After that is an assessment of each individual item revealed/shown, and my verdict on the conference as a whole.  Click through for details.

Pre-E3 assessment: Wii

As mentioned in the PS3 and 360 posts, I’m taking a look at each of the consoles ahead of the E3 event next week and discussing what I perceive to be their weaknesses, and what they could announce at E3 to improve things.

As before, each console will broken down into three categories: hardware (concerning the actual console itself), hardcore software (with “hardcore” being shorthand for the dedicated gamers who read video game news sites and are part of gaming communities) and casual software (with “casual” being used to describe both the gamers who enjoy the hobby but don’t immerse themselves in it, and the expanded audience that has been attracted to gaming by the Wii).

Wii

Hardware

Current Problems: There aren’t really any.  The console is acceptably cheap for the masses (and makes a profit on each unit sold) and is relatively free of hardware trouble.  Generally the main criticisms that could be levelled against it are that it’s not HD (making it forever unattractive to a certain portion of the hardcore market), its storage solution (using SD cards as additional storage space) is inelegant, and its online and community features are lacking.

Pre-E3 assessment: 360

As mentioned in the PS3 post, I’m taking a look at each of the consoles ahead of the E3 event next week and discussing what I perceive to be their weaknesses, and what they could announce at E3 to improve things.

As before, each console will broken down into three categories: hardware (concerning the actual console itself), hardcore software (with “hardcore” being shorthand for the dedicated gamers who read video game news sites and are part of gaming communities) and casual software (with “casual” being used to describe both the gamers who enjoy the hobby but don’t immerse themselves in it, and the expanded audience that has been attracted to gaming by the Wii).

Xbox 360

Hardware

Current Problems: The 360 is still selling quite well despite an absence of major software releases.  In the April NPD the 360 saw its first year-on-year decline in its US sales since the price cut, but it was a minor one in a month that saw larger declines for the Wii and PS3.  The 360′s main hardware problem is its horrendous failure rate in early models, which will serve as a major deterrence for those gamers yet to purchase the console.

Pre-E3 assessment: PS3

The 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) begins in a few days, so I’m going to share my opinion on the state of each of the consoles as they are now, and what might be revealed at E3 to improve things.  After E3 is over I’ll look at what has been announced and see how I think they all fared.

Each console will broken down into three categories: hardware (concerning the actual console itself), hardcore software (with “hardcore” being shorthand for the dedicated gamers who read video game news sites and are part of gaming communities) and casual software (with “casual” being used to describe both the gamers who enjoy the hobby but don’t immerse themselves in it, and the expanded audience that has been attracted to gaming by the Wii).

PlayStation 3

Hardware

Current Problems: In one word: Price.  In many words, the PS3′s current price point is too high, making it unattractive to the average consumer.  In months where the 360 and Wii sell well the PS3 sells merely okay, and in months where the 360 and Wii sell merely okay the PS3 sells poorly (as evidenced by the most recent NPD data).  Even the release of the biggest console exclusive this year, Killzone 2, did not help the PS3 outsell (or even match) the other two consoles, despite them not having comparable releases.