Money Matters, Simplified.
Game console makers gear up for a bigger battle
by Jaspreet Virk - September 26, 2009 - comments
Currently, Wii is the best-selling game console with more than 52 million sales worldwide up to the end of June. But both Sony and Microsoft have announced the launch of motion control innovations
New York, September 26 -- The video game war is hotter than ever. With the holiday season around the corner, the three major players -- Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo -- are gearing up to register maximum sales.
Further the three video game giants are gearing up for a major motion control battle next year.
Video game consoles are getter cheaper amid declining sales. The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii have all have introduced price cuts in recent weeks.
Timeline of price cuts
The first move came from Sony, which in August cut the price of its PlayStation 3 (PS3) by 25 percent to $300. Sony will discontinue the 80GB and 160GB versions of the PS3, and has slashed their prices to $300 and $400 respectively.
Not to be beaten by Sony, Microsoft a few weeks ago dropped the price of Xbox 360 Elite by $100 to $300. The company is also phasing out Xbox P360 Pro model and has cut its price by $50 to $250.
Finally, Nintendo Co. on Thursday announced price cut on its popular Wii console by $50 following cutthroat competition from Sony and Microsoft.
Revamping product lineup
In order to rev up their market share further, the video game giants are overhauling their product line up. Sony and Microsoft are taking direct aim at Nintendo's motion sensing game console Wii.
Currently, Wii is the best-selling game console with more than 52 million sales worldwide up to the end of June. But both Sony and Microsoft have announced the launch of motion control innovations.
Sony's Kazuo Hirai, president and group chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment, have assured the release of motion-sensitive controller for its PlayStation 3 console in April next year.
Further, Microsoft is also expected to introduce its new motion-control camera system, dubbed Project Natal somewhere in the upcoming year. Game console publishers like Activision Blizzard, Konami, Electronic Arts, Namco Bandai, Capcom, Disney Interactive etc have already pledged support to Microsoft and are working on games for Project Natal.
Colin Sebastian, an analyst with Lazard Capital Markets said, "Nintendo faces the prospect of enhanced Xbox and PS3 platforms next year, effectively raising the competitive bar," he said. "However, we believe that it is likely that Nintendo has a few tricks up their sleeve as well in the form of a Wii console refresh."