This article is a continuation of last issue’s, discussing the future of gaming systems, memory, and media. Gaming changes so often with each generation of system that you really can’t make predictions about what the next generation will bring until they announce it – but let’s try that anyway.
In my last article I talked about the hope for a universal gaming media, a single disc that would be able to play on any system – console or PC. If that actually came about it raises a very interesting problem for the industry, how do you differentiate your system from the competitor’s? Currently the biggest difference between systems is in the online experience and exclusive games. Microsoft has all the big name games, plus exclusives like Halo, Fable, Crackdown, and others. Sony also has the big name games, plus exclusives like Killzone, Resistance, Motorstorm, and others. Nintendo has Mario, Zelda, and, well that’s about it. Just kidding, Nintendo has dumbed down versions of a number of the big name games.
With the ability to release a single game that would play on every system, a publisher would be crazy to try and introduce some kind of code to limit the disc to only play on a single system. I’m sure this would be possible to implement, probably using the same kind of technologies as with DRM, but it would lead to a lot of public outcry against a company. Currently, a company can make an excuse that they developed the game for a specific system architecture, or that it cannot be ported to another system without losing quality. However, if all systems used the same programming methods and a universal media type, then the only reason for a game to be an exclusive is if the company was bribed into doing it. I really can’t see a company doing this – it just doesn’t make sense to me – but then it has happened in the past. When Halo was first being developed, it was going to be released for Mac, but then Microsoft saw how much opportunity there was in the game so they bought the studio and suddenly Halo became an exclusive for Microsoft’s new Xbox console system. Of course, this is a case where the company really doesn’t need to bribe the developer, as they already own them. This is the only situation where console exclusives could continue to exist in the future if a universal media was introduced.
Maybe it is more realistic to abandon hope on a game media that would be cross platform compatible with all major consoles, but it could already be underway for integration between the Xbox 360 and PC. As I discussed last issue, Microsoft has mentioned the possibility of playing Xbox 360 discs on a Windows 8 PC, but here they have the advantage of developing the operating systems for both platforms. There is nothing special about the DVD drive in the Xbox 360, or the DVDs themselves – the difference is in the way they are encoded and whether the platform you read them on can actually access the program. If Microsoft made this kind of integration between their two platforms possible I think they would have an incredible advantage in the gaming marketplace, both from a manufacturing and attachment rate standpoint. I’m sure any tech company would jump at the ability to cut their production costs in half (well, not in half exactly, but significantly), and having a single disc run on two different systems would be a great way of doing that. Instead of producing millions of Xbox 360 disks in one factory and millions of PC disks in another they would be able to produce a single disc, and with that, only one set of packaging and other included things. I have previously mentioned attachment rates, but that was a few years ago, so here’s a basic explanation. Most companies price their consoles so that they are taking an initial loss on every unit sold. As manufacturing prices come down, the companies can eventually reach a point where they are making a profit on the actual system, even with discounting over its lifetime. In the early years of a console’s lifespan, companies mostly count on peripherals and game sales to make back the money they lose on the consoles. The controllers we buy for $60 don’t cost that much to make, so there’s some profit, and every single game disc costs a few cents to produce, but we pay another $60. True, that $60 is split up into cuts to the developer, the publisher, manufacturing, advertising and stuff like that – but a portion goes to licensing the use of the Xbox 360 system, so Microsoft gets a cut for every single disk sold. All of these little items can lead to a company making a profit even when they lose on the console itself, so companies will often discuss both the number of consoles sold as well as the attachment rate per console – the average number of games and accessories sold per console.
Here is where the benefits of a multi-platform disc could really benefit the industry, selling games and peripherals for a console without actually selling the console itself, or selling duplicate accessories (a Kinect for your Xbox and your computer). Think of all the people who might want to buy a game but don’t want to pay the money for a console just for that one game they want to play. That would normally be a lost sale, but not if the person can still buy the game and play it on their PC, then play it on an Xbox if they eventually do buy one. No more problem with losing individual sales, less manufacturing costs, and all while making the consumers happy – now that is a great business move.
Let’s quickly get back to the universal multi-platform disc I was talking about at the beginning, the one that could work across Xbox and PS3 platforms in addition to PC, is that really possible? I am not about to try and make guesses on a possible co-operative development between Microsoft and Sony on the gaming front as they have been rivals for a very long time, but it would definitely be interesting. As for PS3 games working on a PC that would first of all require a Blu-ray drive, not a barrier really to new computers but it could be an issue for any computer more than a few years old. Second, Sony would need to create some kind of emulation software to allow the games to play. This is most likely how the Xbox 360 system would work to, but there Microsoft has the advantage of complete control over both operating systems – the emulator can just be built into the Windows 8 operating system. Sony would either need to release an emulator program that would be able to install on a Windows operating system, or they could go the physical emulation route. Physical emulation works by actually having the hardware onboard to play a game, this is how the early PS3’s offered backwards compatibility until the feature was discontinued. If Sony went the physical emulation route they would really only be able to implement it in Sony manufactured computers, which severely limits their potential market. So maybe it really isn’t worth Sony looking into their own system, they may have to work with Microsoft if they really want to compete with Microsoft’s system.
I really don’t know how the next generation of gaming systems will evolve, and this idea of cross platform functionality is really just a dream for now. But you never know what the future might bring, so in the meantime, Keep on Gaming!
Sell games
Amazon is another good option as many look for both old and new stuff in the website. In order to be able to sell games, though, you must have to register at these websites. Don't panic because these registrations do not usually come with fees. There are more websites available that also allow marketers/gamers to sell games for cash such as Craigslist, and the like, but it's important to keep in mind that in these less or fairly popular websites, other people will try to make transactions with you. So unless you want to be bugged while you are busy with your own marketing, it's advisable to stick to eBay and/or Amazon.