After putting some thought in to this i could never think of a time when anymore than 3 consoles were competing in the same generation so that made me wonder if the market would be better if there was more or even less. Really the last 2 generations have been unique compared to the ones in the past(including this one) when the n64 was out so wasn't the Dreamcast and the ps1 but as we all know the Dreamcast failed (which i still find amazing) and ps1 had better technology than the n64 and thus it gave Sony a huge edge in the market but in all honesty the last too generations have consisted of 3 software company's releasing 3 systems at about within 1 year of each other. Now you have 3 systems again with Nintendo on top which is honestly something that they really needed since they are a game only company.
On that note i belive the market is perfect as is it gives gamers plenty of options on what kind of console there looking for if you have too many consumers go in to seizures get confused and end up buying something they really don't want. Also posting on the handheld market is acceptable to.Just looking for everyone's thoughts/words of wisdom

I think this post gave me a seizure mate.

I think three is the magic number really. It's the maximum number that can legitimatly survive at once, it gives people choice but draws them into clearly defined ones. It gives developers choices but no so many that it fragments all the software on disparate systems.

There are two distinct rounds here. Basically, choose "am I hardcore, mature-oriented, violent gamer or cute, cuddly cartoon gamer who likes established franchises?" If latter, choose Wii. If former, ask self "Japanese or Western?" If former, choose PS3. If latter, choose Microsoft.

I think the whole scene is quite nicely poised. There is a furious fanboy war raging outside the door, pushing sales into the stratosphere across the board, and all the while the warriors of each tribe seem blissfully unaware that we're ALL winners (not least the evil corporate warlords they defend!). Meanwhile, the Wii burrows into a zeitgeist which sees cool, active, free-spirited 18-30s with spiky hair indulging in a pastime once the sole reserve of pallid-skinned virgins skulking in their parents' basement.

It's a good time to be a gamer; we're lucky.

So what exactly do you want...

Seriouslt I can't even make it out. The title confuses me even more

Three's a crowd.

I'd prefer if it was Playstation vs. Nintendo again.

Not that I have anything against xBox - it's just that if one has to go I'd rather it be one that could still find an outlet in computer games.

Now, I hate monopolies as much as the next guy, but to be honest I would rather there be just one high end console. Either the PS3 or the 360. One or the other (I prefer the PS3 mainly because of the controller).

Mainly because of the exclusivity gambit. Too often I see a game that looks like fun, but unfortunately it's on the other system (granted the opposite happens too sometimes).

3 is fine, they all have different strenghts. The wii is a great 'fun' console the xbox360 has great line of games for grownups plus a great online multiplayer experience, the ps3 has a legion of delusional fanboys who wont accept it's really not very good and that no one cares about blu-ray.

So the universe balances out with 3. If there were only 2 what would the ps3 fanboys have to do with their time? If they actually had to play games on their console they may realise it's not even one third as good as they make it out to be and start to realise they should have saved $400 and bought an entry level 360 or even a wii instead.

More hardware using the same software would do it for me

I'm happy with 3, but I would like a new SEGA console at some point in the future. For old times sake.

3 consoles for the market seems to be OK, neither would it have hurt if Sega hadn't thrown a strop and drop out entirely. It's at the right balance between competition and not choosing a doomed console with all the wrong exclusive titles.
Sega should give it another shot (they won't). It's not their fault Dreamcast failed, it just didn't fit squarely into one generation or another. By the time you knew about it, you had an N64 or Playstation. When it came out, you were anticipating the "sixth generation".

I like how Nintendo and Sony make some connectivety between their home and handheld consoles, but it really doesn't affect me at all if I don't own both of the same flavour.

i think right now the whole console "contest" is too overhyped. but seeing how the video game business is doing more business than ever and continuing to grow at an awesome rate, it seems the 3 consoles are a great thing for gaming. i mean there's a console for each kind of gamer out there. you have the 360 and ps3 for your more hardcore fanbases and the nintendo for a simpler style of gameplay. the market's exploding, so i say we sit back and enjoy all the success that the fans have brought to it. enjoy some great games in the future.

falcontwin:
3 is fine, they all have different strenghts. The wii is a great 'fun' console the xbox360 has great line of games for grownups plus a great online multiplayer experience, the ps3 has a legion of delusional fanboys who wont accept it's really not very good and that no one cares about blu-ray.

So the universe balances out with 3. If there were only 2 what would the ps3 fanboys have to do with their time? If they actually had to play games on their console they may realise it's not even one third as good as they make it out to be and start to realise they should have saved $400 and bought an entry level 360 or even a wii instead.

If you're going to make flame bait, don't make it obvious.

As for the question at hand, I think three's a good number but I would rather prefer two going at each other, more money in my pocket and it just seems more balanced like that somehow.

2-3 mainstream consoles is about right.

any more, and the extras will fail, any less and you don't have the competition keeping the quality up.

nintendo seriously needs to either start making more hardcore games or stop making consoles
seriously they are just embarising themselves

bleachigo10:
nintendo seriously needs to either start making more hardcore games or stop making consoles
seriously they are just embarising themselves

I'm sure it must suck having all that money.

Phoenix Arrow:

bleachigo10:
nintendo seriously needs to either start making more hardcore games or stop making consoles
seriously they are just embarising themselves

I'm sure it must suck having all that money.

umm... are you talking about me or nintendo

bleachigo10:

Phoenix Arrow:

bleachigo10:
nintendo seriously needs to either start making more hardcore games or stop making consoles
seriously they are just embarising themselves

I'm sure it must suck having all that money.

umm... are you talking about me or nintendo

Nintendo.

Phoenix Arrow:

bleachigo10:

Phoenix Arrow:

bleachigo10:
nintendo seriously needs to either start making more hardcore games or stop making consoles
seriously they are just embarising themselves

I'm sure it must suck having all that money.

umm... are you talking about me or nintendo

Nintendo.

i thought so because my family is poor as hell

Just because you're on The Escapist doesn't mean you can get away with zero punctuation...

haruvister:
I think the whole scene is quite nicely poised. There is a furious fanboy war raging outside the door, pushing sales into the stratosphere across the board, and all the while the warriors of each tribe seem blissfully unaware that we're ALL winners (not least the evil corporate warlords they defend!). Meanwhile, the Wii burrows into a zeitgeist which sees cool, active, free-spirited 18-30s with spiky hair indulging in a pastime once the sole reserve of pallid-skinned virgins skulking in their parents' basement.

It's a good time to be a gamer; we're lucky.

Holy shit, mate. This is possinly the best thing I've ever seen someone write about the current state of gaming. Bravo!

Three's the magic number for me. Keeps the competition there and choice for us gamers.

Now is there enough competition for pc/mac market? What about a completely new type of computer that doesnt require an upgrade every two days to play the latest games, is bug and virus proof and doesn't rely on a hard drive that keeps on whirring even when idle?

bleachigo10:
nintendo seriously needs to either start making more hardcore games or stop making consoles
seriously they are just embarising themselves

no, they're not.

It think the overal quality of console games is getting a bit low, i think developers need to work harder.

Personally, I'm very dissatisfied with the current state of the gaming industry. Wii/PS3 have been out for 2 years now, any neither system has any games that I feel I couldn't live without. Less is true about the Xbox, but almost every good game that is on the Xbox is also on the PC. Even so, all the PC games lately have been shitty ports of console games. At this point, I think I would be a lot happier to just stop buying games and start playing catchup on some of the older classics.

I don't have a problem with any of the three consoles. What bothers me is when games are released for multiple systems and are forced to undergo detrimental changes & alterations in order to make them functional on each format. If each console stuck to exclusives then it'd be so much better (from a PS3 owner's perspective the best games released so far this generation have all been exclusives - Resistance, MGS4, Drake's Fortune, Ratchet & Clank...)

gibboss28:

bleachigo10:
nintendo seriously needs to either start making more hardcore games or stop making consoles
seriously they are just embarising themselves

no, they're not.

cooking mama?! from nintendo

Less games please. I can't decide what to buy... My buy list is like at 10 games now: a few more months and I'll be screwed.

I can feel that all the good games or most of them come out in the fall and then there 60 dollar games so if you buy 5 so there goes 300 dollars and my grades in one single swoop.

I'm fine with the 3 platforms (4 if you count PC) at the moment. All those that aren't too interested in games would (stereotypically) purchase a Wii, or just be content with the flash games on the Internet, and for 'hardcore' gamers, we have the Xbox 360 and PS3.

urprobablyright, falcon, Jump, etc (basically, those saying three's a crowd), I don't see the need for one of the current consoles do drop out. If you look at it, Nintendo is targeting another crowd, to the extent that it really isn't competing for the same market share as Microsoft and Sony. Taking either Microsoft or Sony would mean you end having one high-end console, meaning less competition, no need to release good games, etc.

pudpumkin:
After putting some thought in to this i could never think of a time when anymore than 3 consoles were competing in the same generation so that made me wonder if the market would be better if there was more or even less. Really the last 2 generations have been unique compared to the ones in the past(including this one) when the n64 was out so wasn't the Dreamcast and the ps1 but as we all know the Dreamcast failed (which i still find amazing) and ps1 had better technology than the n64 and thus it gave Sony a huge edge in the market but in all honesty the last too generations have consisted of 3 software company's releasing 3 systems at about within 1 year of each other. Now you have 3 systems again with Nintendo on top which is honestly something that they really needed since they are a game only company.
On that note i belive the market is perfect as is it gives gamers plenty of options on what kind of console there looking for if you have too many consumers go in to seizures get confused and end up buying something they really don't want. Also posting on the handheld market is acceptable to.Just looking for everyone's thoughts/words of wisdom

I wonder if developers feel lazy. As in there is already so much out there that creating another system would only clog the perverbial arteries that is the system market.

I would say that I also, agree that the market is fine the way it is, though. There seems to be only certain kinds of games indicated for a certain market of people.

bleachigo10:

gibboss28:

bleachigo10:
nintendo seriously needs to either start making more hardcore games or stop making consoles
seriously they are just embarising themselves

no, they're not.

cooking mama?! from nintendo

Yeah...because one game is enough to say a company is embarrassing themselves. Added to that i've played it and its fun.

1 is a monopoly. 2 is a format war. 3 is a nice competition.4 is too confusing. 5+ is the 80s *shudder*.