As of late we’ve read about Natal for the XBOX 360 being treated like a new console with the number of games Microsoft plans to launch with it, now we’re hearing about Sony’s plans to do the same with their Motion Controls (does this thing even have a legit name yet?). One question that comes to mind is the pricing that is planned as both consoles will give current titles a facelift supporting Motion Controls, but also will sport a new lineup of games at launch.
Microsoft has already said that they planned on pricing Natal as a new console to go with the number of launch titles they have slated to be available as of day 1 of natal. But how can they price Natal like a new console when the 360 Elite is currently $299 and shouldn’t be cheaper than say $199 when Natal drops sometime next year. How would someone go about picking up natal and the 360 at the same time? In our most recent Vice Weekly Podcast (around the 17 minute mark), we discussed certain scenario’s for the 360 and Natal as far as launch pricing strategy would go. This sounds rather complicated because Natal would be approximately $199/$249 and a 360 Elite would be $199 at best, so would it be safe to say we’d see a 360 Elite/Natal bundle go for $399 at launch?…The plot thickens…
The next thing that comes to mind is how much would Sony charge for Motion Controllers bundled with the Eye Camera? Sony has left this window wide open for speculation while planning to release this add-on in March which is right around the corner. Would it be safe to say we’ll see a $399 PS3/Motion Controls-Eye camera bundle in March? Then we’d have a $399 XBOX 360/natal bundle later in 2010 which would push the current console war into a frenzy with the ridiculous prices.
Followed by a Wii2 slated for the holidays for 2010 which would sport Blu-ray support and HD gameplay for a probable price of $249. Nintendo would once again looking to come out of the current console war all sparkly and clean – which is how they started it. They started it with the Wii catering to the casual market while once again when Sony and Microsoft start asking for more money. We’ll have a new console from Nintendo which offers something that even hardcore gamers will want – a new Zelda in HD.
When it’s all said and done, I fully expect Sony to offer the best lineup of games and gameplay as Microsoft’s Natal will offer something unique and innovative, but Nintendo will be the most profitable. This generation has been like no other and now that it seems that we’ll see the 1st generation that has more than one phase, we’ll get to see what each company is most agile and can endure the most.
These motion controllers could be a complete failure for Sony and Microsoft, thus wasting their time and money based on the Wii’s success, these new add-ons could end up going the way of the 32X, or we could be in store for a real treat. So I will conclude this with an outlook of the implications this may have on this generation and the next.
In one respect, the 32X was just an add-on that led to another add-on which should have been a brand new console altogether rather than a cartridge add-on that could also work with a CD add-on. Before I even heard about Natal, I expected to hear Microsoft introduce a new console for 2010 at E3 and get the jump on the competition once again in sales. Instead of doing that, they brought an innovative device in natal to the forefront and made that the focal point of E3 which was both genius, yet still shortsighted.
The XBOX 360 has had such failure rate problems since it forst came out that I believe the best route would be in bringing out new hardware which made Natal part of the console, rather than another add-on that you would have to purchase which would allow Microsoft to start a clean slate with a new console. Instead, they are still banking on the 360’s succuess, while hoping to expand on the gaming experience and make it better.
The Playstation 3 on the other hand has pretty much just started getting on a roll and the motion controls that Sony has in mind seem fitting for what Sony wants to do, and while it isn’t as innovative as Natal, the depths you can reach on screen with the device is quite unique. Motion controllers might be something Sony doesn’t need, but everyone seems to want to capitalize on the success of the Wii and they could very well be a dollar short and a day late.
In conclusion, the Wii’s success probably had to do with a bit more than motion controls – the attractive price point coupled with the fact that it was a new console helped Nintendo catch lightning in a bottle. So expecting consumers to pay “new console” money for Natal might be a bit much, but also expecting PS3 owners to go out and buy more accessories for another feature for games could prove to be a bit foolish as well. But will these decisions be foolish enough to drive these peripherals the way of the 32X? Only time will tell, but I hope not.
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