380°

10 Video Game Consoles That Failed Miserably

Gamers all remember the successful game consoles that have come and gone, but these massive failures slipped through the cracks.

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gamerant.com
Jimboms2068d ago

I don't get why the Dreamcast was a fail. We all loved it here in the UK

Prince-Ali2068d ago

We REALLLYYYYY diiiid!!!!! Sega really ruined that consoles chances!!

2068d ago
Minute Man 7212068d ago (Edited 2068d ago )

No western 3rd party dev support + PS2 hype killed the Dreamcast, not SEGA

mcstorm2068d ago

@Minute Man 721 Sega did kill the DC with the Saturn and it had a big impact on 3rd party games. For me the PlayStation lost its spark with the ps2 and onwards. I don't think any were bad consoles but for me the psx seems something special and I perfered what Microsoft and Nintendo had to offer the gens after the psx.

For me though the ps2, gc, DC and xboz gen I felt more impressed and spent more time gaming on my DC than the others.

Tech52068d ago (Edited 2068d ago )

duplicate

darthv722068d ago

Sega failed it before it could fail itself. I believe they should have weathered the storm, they could have come out the other side.

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ProjectVulcan2068d ago (Edited 2068d ago )

Lots of factors. Lots and lots. Cost of the hardware was steep for Sega so they lost a lot on it, and didn't recoup enough on software sales.

This could partly be attributed to the fact you could run copied games incredibly easily once pirates had learned how to defeat the simple software measure that had been put in place. Other machines needed a mod chip, the Dreamcast would just run the correctly packed titles off cheap CD ROMs.

If you were really determined to pirate early on say a PS2, you would rip the machine apart and mod chip it. That put off casual users, having risky surgery on their new $300 machine. But any pirated disc would just run on Dreamcast only a year after launch lol.

Then you have the whole wind of change at that time. Gamers were waiting for the PS2. Most people at that time had a PS1, and so they were not jumping on a machine until they had seen PS2. PS2 hype really killed Dreamcast in the West.

Then other smaller things like how Sega were associated with arcade style games when the trend was towards deeper RPG elements (even in racing games like Gran Turismo) and plot driven games. The lack of a DVD player, when that was something Sony marketed hard for PS2.

Necr0philiac2068d ago

The Sega Saturn should be lower on that list then the Dreamcast. It sold more units then the dreamcast at twice the price. It probably sold more games in total over the Dreamcast. The Saturn was popular in Japan and had years of support and new games after they gave up in the USA. A lot of Saturn games were not released in the USA.

The saturn was even easier to pirate games then the dreamcast. All you had to do was swap a burned game with the real game after the Saturn title screen

FlyingFoxy2068d ago

Sonic Adventure 2 was the first game i admittedly downloaded after getting 128k or 256k broadband in 2002/2003.. I did have quite a few legitimate games at the time, i was surprised it ran without a boot disc/ mod chip after burning it to CD.

Needless to say it was a buggy version, I'm assuming some troll messed with the pirated copy because i could only get so far at the end, passed Final Rush and one of the stages starts with you falling through the floor, repeatedly until game over. I only finished it once i got it on Steam.. I still have that buggy burnt to CD version by (i think) Echelon or whatever the groups name was.

SegaGamer2068d ago

SEGA had plenty of money, they still do, they were just really bad at marketing in those days.....actually, they aren't much better at it now. It's taken years for the Yakuza games to gain attention, and even then, I think those games could be doing much better than they are. Nobody has a bad word to say about the Yakuza series, but it's still not selling like many other AAA games. If SEGA marketed them better, then they would be even bigger than they already are.

Tech52068d ago

" don't get why the Dreamcast was a fail."

an interesting mystery. the console had plenty of exclusives and new IPs.
my thoughts gathered, too many consoles on the market became a factor.
eventually there would be 4 consoles by the time DC would be 2 years.
DC appeared dated to late adopters.

DerfDerf2068d ago

There were a ton of reasons why it failed. The main reason was the simple fact that the PS2 played DVD players. Many videogame stores in Japan at the time actually shifted heavily towards DVD sales and were advertising the PS2 as simply a DVD player, With the PS2 being sold as the cheapest DVD player on the market that also happened to play games it really put a damper on the Dreamcast (after it broke sales records at launch). Then there was the fact that the GD-Roms could be ripped easily and copied. That was the final nail in what was an incredible console. Sega was at it's peak during that time and to this day the Dreamcast still has some of the best, most innovative games ever created.

KazHLooksRetarded2068d ago

PS Vita and PS VR should be tied for #1

ApocalypseShadow2068d ago

PSVR is still selling monthly, is compatible with next gen and will get a new version for PS5.

Nice try.

PhoenixUp2068d ago

Dreamcast was the console that marked Sega’s exit from the industry

It was a failure

sevilha822067d ago

it´s a mistery really....it was a great console,bad timing i guess,with the brutal rise of the Playstation and xbox at the time.

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YodaCracker2068d ago

The Xbox One sold three times more units than even the best performing console on this list.

Thundercat772068d ago

Still a failure compared to its competitors.

XtaZ2068d ago

@Thundercat77

Xbox One's competitors are PS4 and WiiU. WiiU flopped and died at 14 million consoles sold which forced Nintendo to jump start 9th gen while the PS4 is just inferior in every aspect.

thexmanone2068d ago

Yea ok, what ever makes you sleep better.

darthv722068d ago

It isnt on the list because its currently the 2nd best selling xbox system.

2067d ago
DazaMc2067d ago

@Thundercat77

"Xbox One's competitors are PS4 and WiiU. WiiU flopped and died at 14 million consoles sold which forced Nintendo to jump start 9th gen while the PS4 is just inferior in every aspect. "

Except sales figures.

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StormLegend2068d ago

I feel bad for SEGA they really did try to compete with Nintendo, but ended up losing to even the new kid on the block which was PlayStation. The sonic franchise has gone downhill since the early 2000's

Einhander19712068d ago

Dreamcast was an amazing system which never saw it’s true potential. Why because most fell for the ps2 hype that Sony was selling us. Granted the ps2 was better, but not nearly as much as we were led to believe. Obviously developers were holding off waiting for ps2, by that point Dreamcast was in a limbo state which unfortunately became to late. There was definitely room for both to coexist it just wasn’t meant to be:(

bloop2068d ago

I think the PS2 having a DVD drive played a huge factor, but it also had arguably the greatest library of games ever released for any console even to this day. There was a time that one or even two must have games were releasing almost every week for the PS2 and I don't think any console released could have competed with it.

Necr0philiac2068d ago

A huge reason the Dreamcast failed also was Becuase of the hype for GTA 3. That Sony bought exclusivity

thexmanone2068d ago Show
darthv722068d ago

Its the 2nd best selling xbox so it doesnt belong on the list. But thanks for commenting.

RizBiz2068d ago

So then shouldn't both xboxes be on the list?

XtaZ2068d ago

XOne is the most successful Xbox console so far generating more money for MS than ever before. Why would it be on the list?

2067d ago
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90°

Xbox May Update: Retro Classics Come to Xbox Game Pass, PC Gaming Updates, and More

A variety of new updates are available this month across the gaming platforms. Coming today, Retro Classics games are available to play for Xbox Game Pass members. Players who stream on the Xbox app on PC now have an additional streaming option with GeForce Now. Game Bar introduces quick settings, visual updates for Widgets in Compact Mode, and coming soon, Microsoft Edge Game Assist, an in-game browser that brings an immersive game-centric experience to Edge. And Xbox gift cards can now be redeemed for any amount via Xbox Rewards.

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news.xbox.com
darthv7212h ago

While i appreciate the gesture.... all of these retro classics have been made available everywhere else. I am hoping to see some other Activision properties make their way out of the shackles of the 5th, 6th and 7th gen. Licensing be damned... bring back the Transformers Cybertron games.

P_Bomb4h ago

Love the Cybertron games! TF games have been shit lately. Would love to see that era revisited. I even did the multiplayer!

Obscure_Observer7h ago

Metaphor on Gamepass just announced! O.o

Seriously, this is the best generation of Xbox ever!!!

We can´t catch a freaking break from awesome games arriving all the time!!!

Deathdeliverer4h ago

It’s a HELL of a game. If you like JRPGs in the family of Persona, you will be in heaven… that is until you hear the various battle music…. then you’ll be somewhere BEYOND heaven!

290°

Former PlayStation boss says 'stupid money' crippled the game industry

Shuhei Yoshida offers his take on the recent industry implosion and ponders whether there's light at the end of the tunnel.

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gamedeveloper.com
Jin_Sakai22h ago(Edited 22h ago)

Greed crippled the game industry and other things I won’t go into.

DarXyde13h ago

Ironically, so did tech advancements.
New tech creates pressure to take full advantage of the power for people to feel a box is worth it. That expectation bloats team sizes (and by extension, costs) and to be more secure in a high risk-high reward project, they play it safe (which is why I think a lot of the industry is facing creative bankruptcy). Few franchises are proper exceptions because they're damn near entitled to a ROI.

But other than that? I'd say the adoption of Blu-ray in the PS3 kind of acted as the architect to some of the things some of us hate today. The decision to adopt it resulted in painfully show loading times because the drive was slow in the PS3. The result was mandating every console to have an HDD for installs, and Xbox 360 then discontinued those arcade models and every console came with an HDD. That adopted standard lead to a lot of games that were physical only to be available via download and that laid a path for digital distribution and the gradual death of physical media we're witnessing now. It was always going to be this way eventually, but it's hard to think that guaranteeing a HDD didn't lay some important groundwork. And now with crazy fast SSD storage and download speeds, it's gotten worse and now we're bloody streaming games via cloud computing.

Rage7710h ago

Really great take on how we got to this point. Will add that the weaponizing/monetizing of the "console warring" concept, accelerated/facilitated all of your points. When you take what used to be simple bantering and jabbing between different fanbases and throw money/resources at it as the most effective marketing tool, instead of improving any areas that might add longevity to your products, you only improve sales while creating a destructive environment. Which now has come full circle. Gaming media/tech sites capitalized on this as well. So we now end up in a landscape where we get less for more, nobody is held accountable (unless you are Nintendo in which case, you will always be blamed for everything including world hunger) and what you now call and parade as "greed" to defend you own greedy company is years upon years of every asshat that has paid in $$$ what these companies get away with today, but yeah that "burn" or "you got ratioed" or "fanboy" this and that was worth it huh.

ZycoFox22h ago

It's also screwing over gamers with limited budgets for PC hardware, well Nvidia is trying to at least.

Knushwood Butt21h ago

OK, but what did Shu do about this while he was working in the industry?
If he felt so strongly about it, why didn't he quit sooner?
I'm honestly getting a bit tired of seeing this guy come out with all this stuff, week after week, yet he didn't seem to do anything about it when he was a prominent figure IN the industry.
*I got passed over for the CEO role and sidelined into an Indies CRM role, but I just sucked it up and did it for several years.* Great.

Lightning7721h ago(Edited 21h ago)

"If he felt so strongly about it, why didn't he quit sooner?"

Jim Ryan held him and down and demoted him to Indy role as you pointed out. We all wondered why Shuhei was never put in charge in the past and everyone else seemingly passing him up in high position's. Everyone getting promoted except him. He also spoke up about the LS awhile ago then folded and was actually help make Concord.

If it's not making the most money and attempt to have conversation that maximize profit they won't promote. Why? Because Shuhei was seemingly for the ppl.

Despite his 80$ comment on games.

Knushwood Butt20h ago(Edited 20h ago)

'then folded and was actually help make Concord'.
Right, so once again he just sucked it up and went against what he thought was the correct path.
He also clearly didn't turn things around for Concord.
Seriously, if he felt so strongly about this stuff he should have quit ages ago; not just suck it up for years and then bitch about it to the public AFTER he quit.

zaanan11h ago

Agree.
It’s easy to armchair QB other people’s decisions, but it’s all speculation. Maybe he loved Sony and wanted to see if things would turn around. It’s also hard to leave a place when you have been there so long. You think you have friends who will help you out, until you don’t. The corporate world really is dog eat dog. Having obligations like family also makes you do things you may not want to do in a perfect world. But this world is far from perfect, and so are we. So I will cut Shu some slack.

Lightning7720h ago

"Right, so once again he just sucked it up at went against what he thought was the correct path."

I mean yeah. He didn't have much of a choice. It was either go with what Jim wanted or get fired.

He went against LS but had to help with it anyway. Probably talked about all the bad spending that Sony was doing (and still are.) Corps don't want you to talk sense, they want to I to talk cents. That's goes for everybody.

Not sure why he didn't leave earlier he probably wanted to wait for the right opportunity to leave on a high note or leave on his terms. Much better than getting forced out.

Knushwood Butt15h ago

Yeah, and sure, leadership don't want anyone rocking the boat; they just want 'yes' people through the ranks, but Shu didn't quit and make a point; he sucked it up for months or years. Nor did he go out on a high note.
If he felt so strongly about this stuff he should have told Jim to shove it, and join xbox, but he didn't.

thorstein18h ago

At least he's talking about it and it's not just some anonymous internet person. That's why I posted his take. He was on the inside.

He knows better than most what's going on.

We live in a weird world where primary sources don't mean anything, evidence and reason hold no weight, but rumors and speculation hold the day.

Knushwood Butt15h ago

Yeah, agree in general, but pretty much everything he's said since he quit could have been covered in a 30 minute interview.
Next week:
In a new interview, Shu reveals that he knew factions was going to get canned months in advance, but was powerless to do anything about it so just sat back and kept his mouth shut (and getting a juicy salary).

SO71D15h ago

@Knushwood You don't work do you?

Knushwood Butt14h ago

I don't work for a corporation.

Outside_ofthe_Box11h ago

@SO1D

Was just going to say this. You can say this about anybody. Anyone on n4g that complains about greed but are doing nothing at their jobs to stop it... How dare you!

Knushwood Butt1h ago

@ Outside

It's not just greed though; it's flat out bad decisions and poor leadership, and Shu was one of those leaders.

Christopher8h ago

Because everyone knows you can really change the industry by quitting and being an outsider. I mean, his comments now aren't changing the industry at all. What would have been the advantage of doing it 8 years earlier?

Knushwood Butt6h ago

He didn't, and doesn't, have to be an outsider though.

And great job by him calling out all of this stuff in hindsight. 'The Embracer thing turned out to be a train wreck'. Was he predicting this as it was happening?

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Lightning7719h ago(Edited 19h ago)

As gamers we also need to make it clear what we want. Do we want fancy RT and RT
shadows, global illumination etc? Oh that's right we have to do the internet thing and brag about all those things. What we need is innovative gameplay mechanics and deeper more dynamic story telling and reactive realistic worlds and characters imo. Emphasis on Innovative gameplay mechanics. Expedition 33 was made by a tiny group of 30 ppl. Not sure what the budget was but I know it wasn't no 400m$ project or nothing crazy like that.

They join the Baldurs Gate team for being independent and releasing great game with out corporate meddling and stupidly big budget's that kills jobs and studios. If more groups get to together remain independent and create games for gamers and fans this industry would be better off in the future. Again it's about getting away from big corpos because corpos aren't gonna change, ever, they're just not. Scary to be out on your own? Yes but high risk high reward again as we've seen.

anast14h ago

I like how they talk like this is a recent phenomenon.

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40°

Sworl leverless controller hands-on preview [SideQuesting]

The team goes hands-on with the awesome SWORL leverless controllers at PAX and are ready to place some orders

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sidequesting.com