The Top 5 Worst Business Decisions This Generation

OXCGN:

"This has easily been one of gaming’s most monumental and interesting generations, showcasing a skyrocket in gaming prosperity and attention.

From the United States Supreme Court‘s decision to protect video games under the First Amendment to the disbarment of Jack Thompson, we’ve seen many ups over the past seven-odd years.

Unfortunately, we’ve seen just as many downs."

[Proeliator]

Pretty solid list. I agree with the point about handhelds; smartphones are becoming ridiculously powerful and it's harder to justify a dedicated handheld.

[RubyToTheMax]

Sure smartphones are powerful, but they are in no way replacements of dedicated handheld devices, atleast not until they have BUTTONS.

There are many flaws in this article, most notably in the handheld part. Such as:

"Unfortunately, the Vita launched with a weak lineup..." WRONG. The PSVita launched with one of the biggest list of games available for any console, something for everybody.

"Why carry your bulky Vita with you when you can get games of the same production quality on your iPhone, and for cheaper?" Let me ask this question instead, "Why eat garbage when you can eat real food?" Games on the iPhone and Android are incomparable to PSVita games, in terms of quality and user end experience. Never will someone play a game on their iPhone or any cellphone for over 20 minutes. Touch gaming simply sucks. Cellphone games do not have the same replayability as dedicated handheld games.

I point my finger and laugh at the people who compare smartphone gaming to dedicated handheld gaming.

GAMEBOY > TELEPHONE

[Hooshuwashu]

you make points sir, but don't you think he was probably addressing it from a market standpoint?

surely when you look at it through that lens he makes a bit more sense; look at how much the App Store makes and I'm sure it may be more than Nintendo makes from its portable market (purely conjecture, feel free to prove me wrong)

[MaxXAttaxX]

For example:

""The simple fact that I can’t voice chat with a friend while in-game""

Umm yes you can. I do it all the time.
Note that he didn't say 'cross-game' or anything like that. So as far as the ability to voice chat while in-game. Yes you can.
And what does this have to do with "worst business decisions"? PSN has a higher number of active members and PS3 has tied.

And are we skipping Nintendo's Wii...online...friend code thing? I thought the Wii was considered part of this generation as well, smh.
____

The PSP, at nearly 80mil units sold worldwide, is the most successful non-Nintendo handheld ever and the #6 best selling system of all time. Nintendo never cut the price of their handhelds as quickly as they have once Sony came into the scene.

Vita's launch line up was actually quite strong.

Games of the same production quality on your phone? Haha GTFO.
You see those new Nintendo and PlayStation handheld exclusives? You're not playing those on your phone.
I emulate old-school 2D games on my phone, but even still, touch screen controls suck.
So throw away complex commands that require actual buttons out the door.
Casual phones games are great from a market and business perspective. But as a gamer, no.

It's actually pretty easy to justify dedicated handhelds :)

[givemeshelter]

This article is looking from the perspective of the business market as Hooshuwashu has said.
When you look at this list from that perspective, it makes some degree of sense. I disagree with some points, such as Phone games having the same quality as dedicated handhelds. That's rubbish. Dedicated handheld games have higher production values bar none, HOWEVER that's also a double edge sword for that industry. Why? Because if those high production games do not sell (and quite a lot of them for the Vita are not selling to give them a ROI) Game developers will move to a cheaper and more profitable platform. The Cellphone. And they are doing just that.
Look at the number of developers now moving in that direction. The hard cold reality is Dedicated Handheld gaming is on the decline and will further follow that route sooner rather than later unfortunately. Core/Hardcore gamers are NOT the majority buyers for this market anymore.

What most of you on this site and other game sites fail to conceive is the majority of sales for mobile gaming now comes from these mobile Phone and Tablet devices.
Age demographics has RADICALLY changed because of the iPhone/iPad and Android.
It's called convergence.
More casual gamers want an all in one device to do most of their needs now.
Just take a look on public transit and the public at large. How many 17+ do you see playing a Vita or 3Ds compared to that same age demographics playing games on their iPhones or Android Phones?
Throw in the cheap cost of those games and you have the perfect storm for dedicated handheld systems not being around in the near future.
It\s sad...but it's true.

[miyamoto]

the Vita launched with a flawed line up

[r1sh12]

but handheld gaming is changing.
Im not sure about apple and the iphones but I know with android phones there are accessories being released which gives the phones analog sticks and buttons.
They are cheap addons, so in total the entire cost will be lower.

[knowyourstuff]

Oh great, another list about business decisions written by someone with poor reasoning skills and no business credentials. Show me your business degree then I'll take you seriously when you criticize business decisions made by companies run by people much smarter than you. Yes, believe or not, there are people out there smarter than you. It's just so obvious that this is written by with a whiny consumerist mindset. Yeah we all want things to be free, but businesses are in it for one thing - making money above all else. The only way they listen is when you speak with your WALLETS. You don't like the way a business does business? Stop feeding them dollars out of your pocket.

As consumers we want everything to be as cheap as possible. As Business Owners we want everything to be as expensive as possible given what the market is willing to pay. Gamers, more than anyone else, seem to be the most childish. This is especially true when it comes to console releases and DLC. Even when they are given something clearly superior in technology and features, the last thing they are willing to do is pay for them. Like what, are you still working a paper route? That's like buying a Honda Civic every time you're going to buy a car, and one year being offered a Ferrari and crying like a baby when you're expected to pay just a tiny bit more for it. Just ask all those people willing to pay 700 dollars or more for the next iPhone or iPad. It's marginally better, with maybe 1 or 2 new features. Plus their old phone is nowhere near 5 years old, and they still dish out hundreds of dollars. How much better was the PS3 compared to the PS2? It had a list of new features a mile long and the outrage amongst the gaming media was so unprecendented, the outcry like nothing you've ever seen. People were thinking they were going to need a second job... for an extra 100 dollars for the highest end system. Sure they had another version which was the same price consoles usually release at, and still had more features than the xbox. Sony went broke trying to appease whiny gamers to spend an extra hundred bucks - unbefreakinglievable. Ask a PC gamer how much they spent on their top of the line PC and you'd sh*t your pants if you thought 600 was too much for an entire console.

[Jazz4108]

Another financial expert on n4g. No one needs to look any further then sonys 10year support of psp go.

[Hooshuwashu]

if only BF3 were on steam... I disagree about DLC though. Sure, there's a lot of instances of on-disc content and so forth, but honestly it helps more than it hurts

[vortis]

I don't see how it helps me not feel ripped off when I have $110 worth of completed content on a disc but have to pay in segments to unlock it all...as opposed, to you know, just playing the game and unlocking content like in EVERY SINGLE GENERATION OF GAMING IN THE PAST.

[gaminoz]

DLC is a mixed bag: some of it is so worth it and extends interest in the game (eg Gears 3), but some is just a rort.

It's hard for consumers to know which is which as there is often less publicity and reviews done for them than the actual games.

[claud3]

I believe their is more than 5.... but a nice list overall

[HebrewHammer]

I agree with PSN especially. It's starting to feel dated, and limited. I feel like my Vita network is more fulfilling.

[jeeves86]

Just because another sector of the market is eating into portable gaming doesn't mean that Sony or Nintendo should abandon it.

I can't think of any modern cell phone that doesn't have a camera, but there are still point-and-shoots on the market. Or a better example would be that DSLRs still exist and sell well. There will always be a market for dedicated handhelds. Both Sony and Nintendo's issue is that they haven't pushed the consumer into wanting one badly enough yet. If I didn't already have a 3DS, I couldn't see me buying one now.

[nevin1]

From that list, the PS3's launch price tag is the most deserving.

I think you people are looking at it this from a customer stand point.

MSOFT releasing 1st wasnt a bad move as the goal was to come out before PS3. The goal was to expand the Xbox brand into more homes.

Lol, DLC from a business standpoint is doing well as you people keep buying it.

The 3DS is selling well and The Vita long term should do well so dedicated gaming handheld is not a mistake.

[deletingthis34675334]

I will never buy a game from Origin but then again I don't even play EA games anymore.

Xbox Live is still a rip-off. I don't understand paying just to play your system online when it is free everywhere else. Just because it has cross game chat or that it is somehow better than PSN it doesn't justify MS bilking money from the masses, but then again the masses are the ones with the money and they brought it onto themselves. PC gaming has cross-game voice chat and it is completely free, oh and the online play is so vastly superior to XBL it is stupid. You can't even watch Netfix on your Xbox without paying for XBL, either. That is criminal.

For price to content ratio, 99% of all DLC is an extreme rip off.

[ALLWRONG]

I bet you pay for PSN+ though right?

[smashman98]

Ps + is worth it you get 1000s of dollars in savings a year

for only 50

Xbox
Live allows you to get features that are free everywhere else with some discounts and early stuff

[AtomicGerbil]

I think you missed the point of his problem with Live. May I suggest you read it again then explain your reply.

[rpd123]

@ Smashman98

You definitely don't get 1000s of dollars in savings each year. You get a few old games for free. You don't even get them, you have to keep subscribing to PS+, so you are essentially renting them. It may be better than XBL but you are overblowing how good a service it is.

[Lvl_up_gamer]

@ smashman98

In order to get those "1000s of dollars" of savings, you have to SPEND "1000s of dollars" to get those savings.

You don't save ANYTHING unless you SPEND on something.

Also, like rpd123 said, those old free games are basically just a rental...a rental that you have to keep paying for even AFTER you have finished the game and never plan on playing it again....It's the rental that never ends...it just goes on and on my friend.... :)

[insomnium2]

And XBL is a rental for online gaming so I don't really see how you could win this rpd.

[Lvl_up_gamer]

@ insomnium2

True, but you get more for the initial cost with XBL then you do PS+.

In order to capitalize on the cost of PS+ you have to spend MORE money after the initial cost.

With XBL, it's a one time payment and you have complete access to everything. You don't need to have to keep spending money on DLC or full games to reap it's benefits. As a "bonus", XBL also offers savings for DLC and full games outside of it's original cost AND everything you buy....You keep.

Big difference. To benefit from PS+ you have to keep spending more money. To benefit from XBL you don't have to keep spending more money.

[rpd123]

@insomnium

I'm not trying to win anything. Not everybody has to take sides like you. I'm just saying there is no way in hell PS+ saves thousands of dollars and that the "free games!!" that everyone raves about aren't free at all. Just because that's true for PS+, doesn't mean it isn't true for XBL. Learn to be unbiased and objective, then come talk to me.

[handsome_muthafuqa]

Every decision nintendo makes is the worst decision of the generation.

[ElectricKaibutsu]

It sure makes them a lot of money though.

[omarzy]

On N4G, money only matter if Sony makes it. If Nintendo or Microsoft make money, they did something wrong.

[sdozzo]

Really with PSN. You are ridiculous. Who the hell plays music while gaming... That's not gaming. PSN is boss fool.

[Eske]

Based on my experiences in Call of Duty, every other person plays music while gaming. I just wish they'd turn off their mics when they do :P

[ExCest]

I could listen to music while I game on my PC. Doesn't mean I do. Often times it ruins the game. When I want music, I listen to the game music which usually fits the game, not my electro house while I play something like Civ5.

In other words, I concur, good sir.

[TronEOL]

This is exactly how I feel on the topic of "in-game music". Out of all the time I've played on PC, or even Xbox360, I've rarely ever turned on music while playing a game.

I've actually caught myself listening to music off my iPod (at the time) while playing Xbox360 instead of using the in-game soundtrack thing.

The only reason either of the features (in-game music, and cross-game-chat) get listed as a reason XboxLive is better is to check off a box. They know the PS3 doesn't have it, so they use it as an excuse when most people probably don't even use the damn feature.

:EDIT:
Oh, and it's worth noting Sony has checked off both these features on the Vita (improved, as well, allowing for cross-game-chat with voice and text), and they don't require a subscription to use them. I still don't use them.

[ALLWRONG]

"Who the hell plays music while gaming"

everyone who owns a 360

[jetlian]

yup I mean why not. Play any kind of fighter gotta have fighting music(rocky) So long as its not story heavy I play music.

COD can be played with music too not BF though.

[insomnium2]

Who? Mostly people under 20 yo.

[kB0]

I don't get how you can whine about a free sevice? PSN is free that's like bitching about a free coffee lol.

Also my 700$ PS3 still works:)
Let's not forget the ps3 was 700$ with 60 GB HDD, Wifi and Blue Ray Player. The 360 was around what 400? With no wifi (100$) like 20 GB HDD and not even HD DVD (150$) and subscription (50$) add it up and you get 700$ minus the 40 extra gigs + terrible quality. I went through 6 different 360s until I finally got the Jasper model <3 Jasper!

I do have to say that PSN needs a paid subscription side, for those that want extras. XBL i miles ahead in terms of both performance and features, but it can only be compared to itself...since it's the only paid service.

[ExCest]

PSN does have the paid version. It's PS+ and it's awesome.

[kB0]

PS+ is fantastic (although it was a slow start), but I'm talking about server reliability wise. I do tend to have a bit less laggy moments on my 360 than ps3:)

I honestly can't wait to see PS+ on my Vita!

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

PS+ has an edge on XBL. Can download a few full games and play them aslong as ur part of PS+. XBL never let me download a full 360 game for Free being apart of gold.

[3-4-5]

handhelds really ?

[Hicken]

Some people should not procreate. This guy is one of them.

[PurpHerbison]

When the panties get all bunched up on N4G you know the writer of this article is laughing.

[telekineticmantis]

the rest of that list is crap. Will Sony learn is the question. They can't afford to launch late and at a high price point.

[2pacalypsenow]

This Gen sucked and it doesnt look like it will get better I miss the late 90's and early 2000's

[DivineAssault]

thats cuz pac was still alive in the 90s.. But u have to look at the internet revolution, media revolution, HD revolution, all happened this gen.. Nx gen will be flooded with more games from indies, AAA devs & 1st party using these techs theyre familiar with.. It was all new this gen & i think they did good..

[smashman98]

So true I'm really excited for next gen

[MSpence516]

In reality, Sony launched at the right price. Lets not forget a stand alone Blu Ray player at the time was $999. This is one of the main reasons I was an early adopter.

[tachy0n]

dot forget to mention the specs the PS3 had, it was well worth the money thats why i was an early adopter too!

ill take the old PS3 over the new super slim any day!

[AngelicIceDiamond]

MS problem this gen prod. Nintendo's, none future proof system. Sony's, Overpriced console.

Pretty much sums it up for the big 3.

[smashcrashbash]

Okay first of all the decisions went the greatest ever bit the WORST? Really? I think that is kind of over dramatic. For instance DLC the worst decision EVER? I am sorry but it is not that black and white. Depending on what you are talking about DLC can be a blessing to extend the game when used properly. Also since it gets the company more money from the game even when it is later on I would think actually that is good business decision seeing that the goal of a business is to make money.

Also making handheld because the phone business is thriving is not the worst business decision either. Why give up the market that still remains just because another market exists? There are still several things Sony can do to save the VITA but like every ignorant person knows the moment something doesn't jump out the first time you instantly abandon it.You see you talk as if you are an ignorant fanboy making your article null and void. In a business you don't just abandon things and do something else just because someone else has a market or because it may seem bleak .

If you went with the philosophy of many modern gamers then Sony should never have made the PS1 because Nintendo and Sega were the big guys back then and had the market or Sony should never have made the PSP because Nintendo had that market too and every other handheld failed.I suppose that would have been seen as a bad business decision at the time too.Or trying to compete with DVDs with a new format. Sorry but your article fails a whole bunch.You need to rewrite it and say 'Worst business decisions in my opinion' because some of those things you mentioned are only a bad decision in the eyes of a gamer.

[Exceed]

As a late buyer and a person who hasn't used Origin I can't comment on those but...

When it comes to PSN services I'm surprised the PSN outage in April last year isn't mentioned. The fact that Sony did not inform their customers of what was happening until almost a week later is in my opinion one of the worst business decisions this generation. Granted, I do not know what happened during that time inside the Sony conglomerate (i.e. whether they knew it was a hack before the passing of a week), but that delay I feel still cost them the trust of many customers.

DLC is a mixed bag for me. I was very happy with the little bits and pieces of downloaded costumes and tools for LBP. In contrast though, I felt that some DLC like the Lord of Shadows extra's did not match the price and the playable content which was offered. Also some DLC are all together in another category for me. Prime example being Asura's Wrath. I was dissatisfied that the content was not put on disc, but after playing it, I felt like that 'content' itself had been worth every penny. For businesses DLC thus becomes viable, but for how long? If your price tag and content don't match, customers will eventually wise up.

As for the handheld market... I think the main question everyone wants to ask is, can a phone substitute for a dedicated gaming device? The answer currently in my opinion is no. Why? A lot of reasons really, but my personal reason would be the game library. My personal desire is a 200 hour monster hunting god eating phantasy star-ing romp rather then a five minute burger stacking bird throwing temple run. As long as phones cannot do the above to the same level as a dedicated gaming device, I will opt for carrying that bulky vita which I know will have a game library which fulfills this desire of mine better.

That said I think it's undeniable that there is a spill over effect between the two markets. Phones are competing, even if indirectly against gaming devices by being bundled together with gaming features. It's not stiff competition at the moment in my opinion, but who knows? I think portables ought to take a good long look at what phones are offering and learn from them. Whether it's apps, connectivity or just the status symbol attached to it, there's a lesson to be learned. After all it's not the ability to 'phone' itself which allows phones to gain a share in the market, but all those other features which come with it as well.

[Run_bare]

PSP GO is the worst mistake.

[air1]

Im glad i didnt get that thing!

[kB0]

It was honestly an amazing system but very poorly executed.

The screen was miles ahead of both the 2000 and the 3000...and it was extremely compact!

Too bad the Digital only didn't work!

[WheatBread]

This article is one of the worst N4G mistakes.

[KingWilly105]

It's an interesting list, but I wouldn't call the 3DS a PSP-level system when it's outperforming what the DS was doing during the same timeframe.

[MoreRPG]

I stop reading this article the moment he started whining about not being able to play music in video games.
Btw the cross chat thing is getting old.

[Straightupbeastly]

1. PS3 hardware structure/Bluray (High price tag)
2. PS Vita
3. PS Move
4. 3D compatible
5. PS Online service (let's not forget it got hacked)

Sony is in the entire top 5. They better get their act together next-gen.

Don't even try and bring up red ring of death. It did nothing to Microsofts rep and if anything got them more console sales.

[kB0]

Wow I can't believe how well your able to type on a keyboard full of MS' Jizz.

+1!

[sjaakiejj]

1. Resulting in BluRay, a technology in which Sony heavily invested, winning the HD format race. What a terrible decision!
2. Bad decision, but not on the grounds of what you think. The 3DS was a bad decision as well.
3. Agree
4. Not a bad decision. Again, technology that is in Sony's interest to break through to the mainstream market. Problem is that it's too soon after BluRay.
5. Yeah, cause getting hacked is a business decision.

Finally, RROD did damage Microsoft as a brand. Their products are now seen as less reliable, and as such it was a bad business decision.

[iHeartHelloKitty]

Every game is an MMO on Xbox 360 and so is Netflix, Crackle, Hulu Plus, YouTube, and any other apps. Paid with subscription. :P Stop attacking Sony gawd...Xbox gots cross chat GOOD deserve it after you pay so much.

[born2live]

I'm surprisd nobody mentioned the region lock as being a bad business decision - from the gamer's perspective, at least.

[Slugg3r]

I lost the last bit of faith I had in Origin when my first buy, Crysis (was 5€ cheaper than Steam version, was unplayable. Kept just saying that I should log on to my account even though I was always logged. Did some research and found out that this was a common problem and it didn't even have any cure. EA's customer service did nothing: "Reinstall it", they said and I did, even though I had dine the same countless times before and in the end, it did nothing. Finally the only solution to my problem was to download a crack. Crack to a game I paid for. Still doesn't work properly to this day...

[sjaakiejj]

With the exception of the first item, none of the items on the list were "bad business decisions". All of them resulted in a higher profit margin for the company in question, which makes them sound business decisions.

I mean honestly, do you really believe EA cares if you logged 30 hours or 100 hours in Battlefield 3? You already bought their game, they have your money, it doesn't make a difference to them in terms of business if you play it 1000 hours or 2.

[Kos-Mos]

This was a rather boring article.

[Neko_Mega]

Lame list, I like how system failure they had PS3 and 360. Last I check 360's fail rate was much higher then PS3's.

As for smartphones and that junk, I don't see that beating consoles. Thats like saying my smartphone will replace my PC (keep dreaming).