Cheap electronic games: Could they hurt consoles?

[7800Lover]

I've really noticed many "plug and play" coming out nowadays. You've got stuff like the sports games (Baseball, football, etc.) and the classic game collections like the Atari Paddle, Atari games, Namco titles, etc. coming in Plug and Play format. But I'm wondering if these could possibly slice into the console market.

 

There was a first video game crash in the late 1970s (before the big one in 1984) that was caused by an availability of such games like cheap handheld titles and Simon. People bought those instead of plunking down money on consoles like the Atari 2600.

 

Do you think these plug and play games could cut into the console gaming market and trigger any sort of "crash"? Why or why not?

[Fretwobbler]

I think the game industry has some troubled times ahead due to rising cost of production.

 

If there is trouble, that will be catalyst, definately not cheap handhelds.

[joeybastard]

The handheld have such limited appeal, I can't see them really cutting into a console. It would be like Pong units cutting into sales of the VCS, it wouldn't happen.

[Mr Egg]

i dont think the handhelds can compete with consoles . is like puting a jakks miss packman against an xbox. handhelds have theri place but they will never replace consoles. same way computer did not replace consoles.

[christianscott27]

no danger, they just broaden the video game market. i think we all fall into trap of thinking too much about the game business. hang around online gaming forums like this and its always panic -

 

microsoft is making a console AGGGH!

 

2-D gaming is dead AGGHH!

 

there are no more arcades AGGGH!

 

online gaming is ruining everything AGGH!

 

games cost too much to make AGGHH!

 

meanwhile back in the dollars and cents world gaming is going strong, we have 3 healthy consoles sharing the market, two powerful handhelds coming out the gate and more mainstream acceptance than ever. just look at the huge launches of GTA-SA and halo2, big budget sequels yes but still the industry has never looked more robust. many things will change but the console market is here to stay.

[maibock]

If anything, those silly handhelds might free up some classic consoles and games. The casual gamer who wants to scratch a classic gaming itch, might just get the hand held, be satisfied and move on to collecting star wars figures or something. Before the hand helds, said person would have to ebay a system with games..

[onkyo_emu]

@christianscott27: I agree with you. The gaming industry is here to stay. Not only is it going to stay, but it's changing entertainment as we know it. Look at Halo 2's opening day sales. There are movie studio execs driving around in their Ferraris wondering how in the hell they can turn those numbers with their product. Even if Halo cost tens of millions to make (which it didn't) it's still a tidy profit. Of course every game can't do this, which is why you will see dominant "studios" come out and really dominate lead the pack. (Thing Bungie and Rockstar as Sony Pictures and Paramount.)

 

Ultimately, there will be a convergence of the two industries in one form or another. It may take 30-50 years, but I truly believe that when I explain to my grandchildren that we used to pack 400 people into a room and just stare at a screen for two hours that they won't believe me.

 

It's not that improbable. Just think back 20 years ago when you were playing Adventure on your VCS and some guy from the future tells you that you can play a game that looks better than most tv shows of the time against some kid in Tibet over your phone line. . .

[Flojomojo]

meanwhile back in the dollars and cents world gaming is going strong, we have 3 healthy consoles sharing the market, two powerful handhelds coming out the gate and more mainstream acceptance than ever. just look at the huge launches of GTA-SA and halo2, big budget sequels yes but still the industry has never looked more robust. many things will change but the console market is here to stay.

I've spent some time this week trawling Target, looking for an Atari Flashback system early release around here. In the electronics aisle, there are the big boy consoles that make money through software sales -- Cube, XBOX, PS2, GBA, PS1. There are a few Frogger plug and play units in there as well; I wonder if Majesco is paying to have them stocked where they are?

 

Around the corner is the toy aisle. There's a whole wall of electronic games: not just the Jakks and Radica stuff, but also little LCD keychain versions of Tetris, Uno, and other card games. Most surprisingly are cheaply-priced reissues of handheld games from when I was a kid: Mattel Football, Merlin, Simon, and some others. I suspect these cost next to nothing to manufacture. They're cheap enough to be impulse buys, and are good for a quick fix, but they're not even the same type of experience as a megabudget Playstation game like Final Fantasy ##.

 

I kinda like the split. Not every electronic toy has to be a state-of-the-art bump-mapped-online-fancy-shaded-millions-of-polygons mini-movie. They seem to be selling well, but not so well that they're feeding off each other ...yet.

[figgler]

There can be little doubt that the TV games are taking some slice of the video game market. Sure it's carving out some market of it's own, but there is competiton here. Not significant mind you, but it's there.

If nothing else, it is at least cutting into some software sales. Like how many people are going to buy Namco Museum for a console when the already own the Ms Pac Man TV game for instance? We're not talikng huge competition, but the pie is only so big.

[Flojomojo]

Like how many people are going to buy Namco Museum for a console when the already own the Ms Pac Man TV game for instance?

 

but I'm an idiot. And I think I'm finally done doing that.

 

FJMJ, who just got XBOX Live Arcade in the mail for $5, including Ms. Pac-Man, which he already owns on about 47 different formats already.

[Fretwobbler]

 

games cost too much to make AGGHH!

 

meanwhile back in the dollars and cents world gaming is going strong, we have 3 healthy consoles sharing the market, two powerful handhelds coming out the gate and more mainstream acceptance than ever. just look at the huge launches of GTA-SA and halo2, big budget sequels yes but still the industry has never looked more robust.

 

I agree the hardware market is healthy, but only because there are two of the worlds biggest corporations subsadising it heavily (although I appreciate this isnt really an issue), yes, the hardware market is strong.

 

 

Couldnt disagree more with the software side of things. Yes, Halo 2, GTA:SA, great, two fantastic multi-million titles floating in a sea of studio's being closed and industry wide consolidation, the negative effects of which can be and have been seen accross many differant industries.

 

Consolidation = reduction in choice = worse deal for consumers

[chrisbid]

the industry is ready for a downturn, people only spend so much money on video games, and there are new titles every week that fail to recoup the cost of developing the game.

 

while i do not think there will be a total crash like there was in the 80s, no industry can grow at the rate of the video game industry without eventually suffering losses

[IronMongeR]

No.

[ninjarabbit]

All that money spent on Halo 2 and GTA SA is money not spent on other games. Don't get me wrong I'm happy for those 2 games since they are good games but my biggest fear is that with the next gen and development costs going to the 10's or potentially 100's of millions like the movie industry we're going to only see a few big games instead of a decent variety. It'll be more about how you market the game rather than how good the game is, with crap like Enter the Matrix, State of Emergency, and Tomb Raider selling multi million copies because they have the marketing while good games like Prince of Persia, Ico, and Beyond Good and Evil get pushed to the weyside because they don't have the marketing or PR. It's starting now and will only get worse in the future I fear.

[ninjarabbit]

Let me expand on my point a bit, this holiday season you have Halo 2, GTA SA, Metroid Prime 2, Mario Power Tennis, Nintendo DS, World of Warcraft, Gran Turismo 4, and Metal Gear Solid 3, that doesn't leave a whole lot of room for anything else so I guarentee a few 4 star games will be swept to the wayside and the companies making those games will have less revenue for future project, so those companies will stick with safe projects instead on taking a risk or two.

[Fretwobbler]

Let me expand on my point a bit, this holiday season you have Halo 2, GTA SA, Metroid Prime 2, Mario Power Tennis, Nintendo DS, World of Warcraft, Gran Turismo 4, and Metal Gear Solid 3, that doesn't leave a whole lot of room for anything else so I guarentee a few 4 star games will be swept to the wayside and the companies making those games will have less revenue for future project, so those companies will stick with safe projects instead on taking a risk or two.

[Cobra Commander]

These little games are just a novelty item that parents see in the toy isle and say wow! ooh!. While their looking at toys for their kids. Your average 8 year old dosent have nostalgia for them. Its a niche market.

[Laner]

Like how many people are going to buy Namco Museum for a console when the already own the Ms Pac Man TV game for instance?  

 

Right here! I bought the Ms Pac Man stick on impulse, plugged it in, and realized it sucked. So I bought a copy of Namco Museum which, while not perfect, is much better than the Ms Pac Man stick, and considering the number of games, is far better. OK, there's no Xevious, but I can live with that