Sony at E3 2013: The PlayStation Trifecta

IGN - Sony must learn from its previous mistakes and take PS4's momentum into E3 in order to wow gamers at the big show.

[DivineAssault]

Although its a no brainier for me to buy PS4, Sony MIGHT have a tough nx gen battle.. If the new kinect wins over the casual market the way wii did, they can lose.. Winning isn't what's important to me, games are & Sony made the RIGHT decisions building the machine so I doubt they will lack great titles but the casual market is massive & MS might have it in their sights

[LOGICWINS]

Actually, the casual market getting bigger doesn't bode well for either companies. More casuals = more consumers that are satisfied with $1 iphone/Android games = less people buying consoles.

[Cam977]

Furthermore, people's phones are getting more and more advanced. Why would a casual gamer buy a console if their IPhone plays films, music and as LOGICWINS said, plays the cheapest games around?

In order to win next gen the winner will have to innovate and show the casual market that their phone is limited compared to the power of the manufacturer's console.
How this is done? I don't have a clue.

[JoySticksFTW]

I don't believe more casuals = less console buyers.

They're two different markets.

Console buyers don't buy consoles for one dollar games. They buy them for more robust experiences; either through core titles (core gamers) or new unique, exciting play experiences that catch their eye (casuals with Wii and Kinect controls).

If anything, they probably help each other more than hurt.

A lot of those one dollar game buyers started off their gaming career with consoles when they were younger, or after being introduced to gaming through Wii. And now we're seeing little kids that grow up playing on parents' smart phones and tablets are begging for consoles with the bigger, better looking games.

Maybe things will change if/when smart phones and tablets can control as well as dedicated console game pads with comparable graphics. Right now though, one dollar gaming is like the arcade games of old (not a bad thing, in fact was very fun times), but console buyers won't be satisfied with "quarter munchers". There are many casuals that will always want new flashy "look ma, no hands!" gaming, and core gamers want full budget game experiences, and only consoles will provide these for now.

[GribbleGrunger]

There are two stages to marketing: Making people 'want' your product and making people 'need' your product. Once it's at the need stage people begin to buy your product even if they never even considered it before. That is where the danger lies. If profits from the casual side of the business begin to influence future investments, then you have the worrying possibility that you're going to have to rely on multiplats to keep you happy (if you are a 'core' gamer). However, if you can convince yourself that those other casual features are pretty neat too, you then in turn justify the shift to 'casual' and further cement the perception of the console.

As an Xbox user, that's all I'd be worried about.

[Conzul]

Nah LOGIC, people who are easily satisfied with .99c games were never in the market for a dedicated gaming console anyway.
Your reasoning is what has the stockholders all in arms, forcing devs to add stupid shit like microtransactions and other BS.

They are two crowds. They don't mingle, mix, or overlap. No, just no.

[HakatoX]

in retrospect; I would like to bring up the fact that the mobile market has no hardware longevity...
Hear me out, The iPhone you bought 4 years ago wont play newer games.

You buy a console for that generation... it plays all games for that generation...

Mobile hardware upgrades too often to be held as a solid contender against PC or console gaming.

Sure that dollar game is selling like hotcakes.... but it takes like twenty of them to get to even CoD numbers.

[brave27heart]

The article points out one obvious truth: The core wont go away. The casuals loved Wii because it was accessible, but that market is moving to phones and tablets. Cheap quick easy gaming. The core is where the battle should be fought. The company who recognises this and aggressively goes after that market will have the biggest market share, but to be honest I think 5 years from now the sales difference between the two will be less than 5 million

[Chaostar]

Absolutely right, the casual market is extremely fickle and chasing them could be a huge gamble. Both Sony and MS know that they need to secure the core gaming audience before they chase the fleeting casual, marketing toward casual from the off would be a mistake.

I expect nothing short of total gaming focus from both companies come E3.

[cedaridge]

Friendly developement is the key ingredient. And Sony have taken care of that issue. Sony bout to take us on a ride wit the still kicking ps3 and future ps4. psn: cedaridge

[Darrius Cole]

This is my theory on this. I don't have any inside info this is just my theory.

I don't think Microsoft and Sony are going after the same market this time. I believe Sony is going after the individuals who bought PS3's and 360's this gen, and Microsoft is looking to add women and casuals sort of like Nintendo did with the original Wii. I think Microsoft believes that they can do more with the casual audience than Nintendo did. That's why were are seeing them tie Kinect into the system; they want to make it easier use for women who are not intimate with using a controller to use it. If Microsoft gets as many of them as the Wii did then they believe that they can keep them with their TV services, etc.