Reviews

Playstation 3
"Excellent system. Graphics and interface are amazing and innovative. The PS3 features free online service along with game play along with full HD and a blue-ray player. This is definitely a better buy then other systems."

"The console is way too expensive at the present time. The graphics are no better than the Xbox 360. The controller is poorly designed and has a cheap feel to it. Sony's online service is clunky at best and comes no where near Xbox Live."

Xbox 360
"Game Library, Live Marketplace, Best online support bar none"

"Overheats, the cooling fan gets real loud. When it does overheat, the system will lock up or crash some other way"

Nintendo Wii

So which is Best?

I have concluded that it is impossible for anyon to say which is best. The Xbox has a wide range of games and its online play is excellent. The PS3 provides internet browser, boasts a free online service and has Blu-ray capabilities. The Wii is a unique interactive way of gaming and is lowest in price and has totally new experiances for the consumer.
This is down to the fact that personal aspects play a key part in the gaming industry. Items such as customer loyality and personal choice.

Handheld Gaming or Second War

Both Sony and Nintendo have released handheld gaming devices in which their sales trounce the games console sales.
Game Boy Advance: 81.06 million
Nintendo DS: 70.6 million
PlayStation Portable: 25.39 million (Wikipedia)
Does this mean that handheld gaming is better than games consoles or is it merely a combination of lower prices and a desire to fulfil peoples drudgery of modern day living. It is clear that the graphics and features of these systems are much lower but the sales dont reflect this. It remains evident that these consoles are key in the gaming industry.

The Console Wars

"Console wars" is a term used to refer to periods of intense competition for market share between video game console manufacturers. The winners of these "wars" may be debated based on different standards: market penetration and financial success, or the fierce loyalty and numbers of the fans of the system's games. Although it is almost impossible for anyone to confirm which is best, there is a huge competition for the gaming manufacturers to out do eachover. There are various pros and cons and all consoles boast there own unique qualities.
It has been suggested that in fact thereis no major difference in peerformance of these consoles.
Bill Gates: "We have a Ferrari, they have a Ferrari….but ours will leave first"
This most definately suggests that Microsoft feel that they have the advantage purely because there console was released first.

Case study feedback #2

Mark - well done, this is a solid start. You have found some useful statistics, but you must cite their source if you want to use them in the exam.



While this is a start - you do have some way to go yet to complete the case study by Monday.

Good luck

CF

Output and Graphics

One of the most important aspects in the seventh generation of gaming is the graphics output of the systems, this is particularly relavant to the Xbox 360 and PS3. There has been a major battle between the systems to obtain the best output capabilities which has involved a massive gamble by Sony to include BLU-RAY rather than Microsofts HD DVD which is provided by Toshiba.
BLU-RAY vs HD DVD
It would appear that the gamble has payed of for Sony as the Xbox has now abandoned the use of HD games and instead released an adapter for the console. Although it has been suggested that this will play a major role in the downfall of Xbox in the console wars. This article explains how Microsoft see it differently.
The company reiterated in a statement that it does not believe Toshiba's conceit to Sony's Blu-ray format "will have any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace."HD DVD is one of the several ways we offer a high definition experience to consumers," said the statement, referring to its Xbox Live Marketplace digital download service, "and we will continue to give consumers the choice to enjoy digital distribution of high definition movies and TV shows directly to their living room, along with playback of the DVD movies they already own."
Although they seem to suggest that it will have no impact on there position in the marketplace it is clearly 1 nil to Sony and the PS3.

Internet and Social Networking

All three seventh generation of consoles offer some kind of Internet games distribution service, allowing users to download games for a fee onto some form of storage, typically a hard disk or flash memory. Recently the console manufacturers have been taking full advantage of internet distribution with arcade games, television shows and film trailers being available.

• Sony's online game distribution is known as the PlayStation Network (PSN). It offers free online gaming, downloadable content such as classic PlayStation games. A networking service, dubbed PlayStation Home, is due for release in Spring 2008. They have also announced a video/movie service and music service for some time in 2008.
• Microsoft's Xbox Live service includes the Xbox Live Arcade & Xbox Live Marketplace, featuring digital distribution of classic and original titles. These include arcade classics, original titles, and games originally released on other consoles. The membership cost around £30 annually.
• Games are currently being emulated on the Nintendo Wii console through Nintendo's Virtual Console service. Nintendo also plans to have original content available for download in the future through their WiiWare service.

Sales and Prices

The Sales of a games console will determine its success

• The Sony Playstation 3 has sold 10.49 million units worldwide as of January 2008 since its launch in November 2006.
• The Microsoft Xbox 360 has sold 18 million units as of February 2008 since its release in November 2005.
• The Nintendo Wii has sold 20.13 million units as of December 2007 since its worldwide release in November 2006.

Based on sales figures from Enterbrain, NPD Group, and GfK

• The Playstation 3 was originally sold in two configurations, one with a 60 GB hard disk drive for USD $599(£400) and the other a 20 GB HDD for $499(£300). This has now changed as the 60gb and 20GB modeld no longer in circulation and a 40GB model now being introduced and sold for $499(£300).
• The Xbox 360 2oGB is sold for $299(£200) and this is the only model available without upgrades which cost vary greatly for.
• The Nintendo Wii will cost $499 (£266), while a premium model will sell for $599 (£320). These prices are upon release of the Wii prices have now dropped around £50 on each

The 3 consoles

The three consoles i have chose to investigate are Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. There are key areas of debate within these consoles and vast competition between them.
Here is a breif outline of the consoles

• The PlayStation 3 is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment
• Xbox 360 is the second video game console to be produced by Microsoft
• The Wii is the fifth home video game console released by Nintendo

They all compete as part of the seventh generation of video game systems.

There are key areas of involved in these consoles which i will investigate.

• Price
• Hardware and Storage
• Output and Graphics
• Internet and Social Networking
• Features
  

Questions

1.Citizen Journalism
Citizen journalism, also known as public or participatory journalism, is the act of citizens "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information," according to the seminal report We Media: How Audiences are Shaping the Future of News and Information, by Shayne Bowman and Chris Willis. They say, "The intent of this participation is to provide independent, reliable, accurate, wide-ranging and relevant information that a democracy requires. Citizen journalism is a specific form of citizen media. as well as user generated content.

2.Emily Bell
In her article Emily Bell empresses key opinions and views about citizen journalism. In particular she shows concern for lack of quality information, as well as concerns for the possible use of bias and lack of truth in the article or digital media. It is also a risk from the impact of exaggeration. This is also a major concern becuase of the fact that the information is not checked or edited so the information could be opinion rather than fact. She also writes that the 9/11 terrorist attacks begain the infatuation with blogging with the use of digital media and personal accounts of the events

3.GoogleZon
This video is clearly expressing the power that the internet has and also predicts the future of growth that the internet will have. The idea that merges will continue to happen between ig internet companies and technogies until it is at the point where these groups no everyones personal details. It predicts the merge of Amazon and google which entail would make the details of people public