Why is it that the system with the worst hardware always wins the generation?

Alright, this wasn't true with the SNES and Genesis, but think about it...

The PS1 won against the N64 (using sales as the measure)

And the PS2 won against the Xbox and Gamecube...

Both previous Sony systems had the worst hardware of the other console options, and yet they were the most popular.

Now we have the Wii, which is steamrolling the competition, and the DS, which sports lesser hardware compared to the PSP - both of which are doing better than their competitors combined.

Why does the worst hardware always seem to win out?

The Dreamcast did not win jack.OreoMilkshake

The playstation1 was more powerful than the n64 if I am not mistaken..

Also,the ps2 won because of its games..This gen,the games have been very spread out over the 3 consoles

The playstation1 was more powerful than the n64 if I am not mistaken..

Also,the ps2 won because of its games..This gen,the games have been very spread out over the 3 consoles

krato_sephiroth

Genisis had the worst hardware, it lost. Saturn had the worst hardware, it lost. Dreamcast had the worst hardware it lost. Moral of the story? Plenty of weak hardware has lost, specifically sega hardware.

The worst hardware always had the best software, thats why it sold the most. with the exception of this gen.DBhova23

[QUOTE="DBhova23"]The worst hardware always had the best software, thats why it sold the most. with the exception of this gen.GundamGuy0

This thread is going places. I doubt this will end well though. To TC, most basiically there is no trend, its completely random and there is no pattern. Forget this BS that there is.

[QUOTE="GundamGuy0"][QUOTE="DBhova23"]The worst hardware always had the best software, thats why it sold the most. with the exception of this gen.ActicEdge

This thread is going places. I doubt this will end well though. To TC, most basiically there is no trend, its completely random and there is no pattern. Forget this BS that there is.

Gameplay >>>> Graphics

question answered.

Only reason why Wii has so many sells is because old ladies get a thrill from shaking the wii remote.

Us veteran gamers should know its Ps3 vs 360.

I just Hate my wii in every way.

[QUOTE="ActicEdge"]

[QUOTE="GundamGuy0"] Perhaps the Wii does have the best software for everyone. The Core gamer is only a small (very small) part of the gamer demographic. bronxxbombers

This thread is going places. I doubt this will end well though. To TC, most basiically there is no trend, its completely random and there is no pattern. Forget this BS that there is.

Gameplay >>>> Graphics

question answered.

whitey_rolls

but whats the wiis reason then?

while 360 and PS3 have gameplays and grpahics both at a prime the wii only has gameplay and not even that is as strong as the PS3 or 360.

[QUOTE="whitey_rolls"]

Gameplay >>>> Graphics

question answered.

dragonfly110

but whats the wiis reason then?

while 360 and PS3 have gameplays and grpahics both at a prime the wii only has gameplay and not even that is as strong as the PS3 or 360.

Genisis had the worst hardware, it lost. Saturn had the worst hardware, it lost. Dreamcast had the worst hardware it lost. Moral of the story? Plenty of weak hardware has lost, specifically sega hardware.

topgunmv

This. The TC is clearly discriminating systems to favor his logic.

In regards to the PS1 vs. N64 comparison. While technically speaking in some areas the 64 was more powerful, the PS had a lot of things going in its favor that the 64 just couldn't do. Such as full motion video, superior sound, and astoundingly cheaper games to produce and purchase.

Genisis had the worst hardware, it lost. Saturn had the worst hardware, it lost. Dreamcast had the worst hardware it lost. Moral of the story? Plenty of weak hardware has lost, specifically sega hardware.

topgunmv

The reason the Wii is winning this gen is that it's games appeal to a much wider audience, not to mention being or perceived as less expensive than the other consoles.

According to wikipedia, "Compared to the PlayStation, the Saturn's hardware was difficult to work with because of its more complex graphics hardware and lesser overall performance". Edit: It does say the saturn was better at 2d games, but inferior at 3d.

[QUOTE="topgunmv"]

Genisis had the worst hardware, it lost. Saturn had the worst hardware, it lost. Dreamcast had the worst hardware it lost. Moral of the story? Plenty of weak hardware has lost, specifically sega hardware.

savebattery

[QUOTE="whitey_rolls"]

Gameplay >>>> Graphics

question answered.

dragonfly110

but whats the wiis reason then?

while 360 and PS3 have gameplays and grpahics both at a prime the wii only has gameplay and not even that is as strong as the PS3 or 360.

According to wikipedia, "Compared to the PlayStation, the Saturn's hardware was difficult to work with because of its more complex graphics hardware and lesser overall performance". Edit: It does say the saturn was better at 2d games, but inferior at 3d.

[QUOTE="savebattery"][QUOTE="topgunmv"]

Genisis had the worst hardware, it lost. Saturn had the worst hardware, it lost. Dreamcast had the worst hardware it lost. Moral of the story? Plenty of weak hardware has lost, specifically sega hardware.

topgunmv

True.

The Playstation was better at 3D than the Saturn. The Saturn only had 2D power going for it, but having said that the arcade port of Street Fighter Alpha 3 was better on the Playstation. So... yeah.

[QUOTE="GundamGuy0"][QUOTE="DBhova23"]The worst hardware always had the best software, thats why it sold the most. with the exception of this gen.ActicEdge

This thread is going places. I doubt this will end well though. To TC, most basiically there is no trend, its completely random and there is no pattern. Forget this BS that there is.

Well because high-end hardware and graphics where never that important to people as they once thought. A simple, appealable, cheap console whilst still attaining quality titles thats what the majority opt for. The PS2 had all these properties, and Sony threw it all away.

[QUOTE="ActicEdge"]

[QUOTE="GundamGuy0"] Perhaps the Wii does have the best software for everyone. The Core gamer is only a small (very small) part of the gamer demographic. Alpha-Male22

This thread is going places. I doubt this will end well though. To TC, most basiically there is no trend, its completely random and there is no pattern. Forget this BS that there is.

Because the "worst" hardware isn't really much different to the other systems.While the PS1 has inferior graphics, it's not a huge gap. With the PS2, you can't really tell the differences that much between GC and Xbox. So really, it's not the "weak hardware" that wins, the it's the games.

EDIT: Also, the SNES was stronger than the Genesis/Mega Drive iirc.

The PS1 was the best hardware of the N64 era. Cartridge format crippled the N64.

you are disregarding the fact that the PS2 was released in 2000 and the GC as well as the Xbox in late 2001

the PSone had an even more extreme headstart

so it was pretty much the first one to be there won (although of course DC and Saturn fumbled.. )

the Wii, 360 and PS3 situation is a rather new one id say..

Alright, this wasn't true with the SNES and Genesis, but think about it...

The PS1 won against the N64 (using sales as the measure)

And the PS2 won against the Xbox and Gamecube...

Both previous Sony systems had the worst hardware of the other console options, and yet they were the most popular.

Now we have the Wii, which is steamrolling the competition, and the DS, which sports lesser hardware compared to the PSP - both of which are doing better than their competitors combined.

Why does the worst hardware always seem to win out?

TheElfChild

The fact is, at the end of the day, that we so-called 'hardcore' gamers that drool over high FPS and poly counts and won't touch any self-proclaimed 'Party Games' that don't star plumbers and dinosaurs are the minority. I worked in Games retail for 6 years and the best-selling games we had were games that appeal to everyone. Singstar, Dance Dance series, games based on movies etc etc were all smash hit sellers while things like Psychonauts sat on the shelf. The Wii is winning from a sales point of view purely because of the marketing techniquest applied by Nintendo. They really tapped into an unrealised market with the DS and have continued that trend on the Wii with amazing results.

When you look at sales figures, you can see how comparativley little games sell. Books like the Twilight franchise have sold in excess of 25million copies, whereas games franchises like Gears of War only 11 million. If you can get all those Twilight-reading tweens to buy a copy of 'Generic Party Game 12' you're going to sell more. It's not cricket, but these people are, at the end of the day, here to make money.

[QUOTE="TheElfChild"]

Alright, this wasn't true with the SNES and Genesis, but think about it...

The PS1 won against the N64 (using sales as the measure)

And the PS2 won against the Xbox and Gamecube...

Both previous Sony systems had the worst hardware of the other console options, and yet they were the most popular.

Now we have the Wii, which is steamrolling the competition, and the DS, which sports lesser hardware compared to the PSP - both of which are doing better than their competitors combined.

Why does the worst hardware always seem to win out?

Unassigned

This used to be the case, but it's generally accepted that the Wii has a terrible line-up compared to the Ps3 and 360. Everyone I know owns a Wii as a secondary console. The Wii has managed to sell because they're trying to sell to people that wouldn't normally buy games, whereas the Ps3 and 360 seem to be trying to appeal to the existing gamers.

The playstation1 was more powerful than the n64 if I am not mistaken..

Also,the ps2 won because of its games..This gen,the games have been very spread out over the 3 consoles

because the worst hardware is the cheapest to the consumer

It doesn't - the PC has won every generation in both sales and games :| .subrosian

It doesn't - the PC has won every generation in both sales and games :| .subrosian

EDIT: I take the first part of my reply back. From what I said we couldn't count PS3 sales because some people buy PS3s completely for movies. I guess we could count Microsoft's Windows sales as gaming sales. Meh.

[QUOTE="topgunmv"]

According to wikipedia, "Compared to the PlayStation, the Saturn's hardware was difficult to work with because of its more complex graphics hardware and lesser overall performance". Edit: It does say the saturn was better at 2d games, but inferior at 3d.

[QUOTE="savebattery"] Saturn was more powerful than PS1. It just had very complicated architecture.KhanhAgE

True.

The Playstation was better at 3D than the Saturn. The Saturn only had 2D power going for it, but having said that the arcade port of Street Fighter Alpha 3 was better on the Playstation. So... yeah.

[QUOTE="KhanhAgE"]

[QUOTE="topgunmv"]

gameofthering

True.

The Playstation was better at 3D than the Saturn. The Saturn only had 2D power going for it, but having said that the arcade port of Street Fighter Alpha 3 was better on the Playstation. So... yeah.

[QUOTE="subrosian"]It doesn't - the PC has won every generation in both sales and games :| .Nerkcon

EDIT: I take the first part of my reply back. From what I said we couldn't count PS3 sales because some people buy PS3s completely for movies. I guess we could count Microsoft's Windows sales as gaming sales. Meh.

The fact is, at the end of the day, that we so-called 'hardcore' gamers that drool over high FPS and poly counts and won't touch any self-proclaimed 'Party Games' that don't star plumbers and dinosaurs are the minority. I worked in Games retail for 6 years and the best-selling games we had were games that appeal to everyone. Singstar, Dance Dance series, games based on movies etc etc were all smash hit sellers while things like Psychonauts sat on the shelf. The Wii is winning from a sales point of view purely because of the marketing techniquest applied by Nintendo. They really tapped into an unrealised market with the DS and have continued that trend on the Wii with amazing results.

When you look at sales figures, you can see how comparativley little games sell. Books like the Twilight franchise have sold in excess of 25million copies, whereas games franchises like Gears of War only 11 million. If you can get all those Twilight-reading tweens to buy a copy of 'Generic Party Game 12' you're going to sell more. It's not cricket, but these people are, at the end of the day, here to make money.

wraithbladeuk

Yeah, you get it.

The hardcore gamer is a tiny segment of the population. When any media is embraced ... it's not what the most hardcore like, as they tend to have tastes that are out of the mainstream, and their `coolness factor' means quite little in the overall scheme of things.

Just compare to critically acclaimed movies that are outsold by blockbuster action flicks ... while a small, critical minority might like something, that doesn't mean that it appeals to most people.

And gaming has quickly become most people, which is a great thing for gaming ... perhaps not for hardcore gamers [self-claimed ones] - but as someone who has been playing consoles for 32 years, I'm happy with how things are going. I like having more people I know understand why I can love playing games so much, and to be able to share it with more people [even if my tastes and theirs might differ at times].

[QUOTE="wraithbladeuk"]

The fact is, at the end of the day, that we so-called 'hardcore' gamers that drool over high FPS and poly counts and won't touch any self-proclaimed 'Party Games' that don't star plumbers and dinosaurs are the minority. I worked in Games retail for 6 years and the best-selling games we had were games that appeal to everyone. Singstar, Dance Dance series, games based on movies etc etc were all smash hit sellers while things like Psychonauts sat on the shelf. The Wii is winning from a sales point of view purely because of the marketing techniquest applied by Nintendo. They really tapped into an unrealised market with the DS and have continued that trend on the Wii with amazing results.

When you look at sales figures, you can see how comparativley little games sell. Books like the Twilight franchise have sold in excess of 25million copies, whereas games franchises like Gears of War only 11 million. If you can get all those Twilight-reading tweens to buy a copy of 'Generic Party Game 12' you're going to sell more. It's not cricket, but these people are, at the end of the day, here to make money.

CoralMark

Yeah, you get it.

The hardcore gamer is a tiny segment of the population. When any media is embraced ... it's not what the most hardcore like, as they tend to have tastes that are out of the mainstream, and their `coolness factor' means quite little in the overall scheme of things.

Just compare to critically acclaimed movies that are outsold by blockbuster action flicks ... while a small, critical minority might like something, that doesn't mean that it appeals to most people.

And gaming has quickly become most people, which is a great thing for gaming ... perhaps not for hardcore gamers [self-claimed ones] - but as someone who has been playing consoles for 32 years, I'm happy with how things are going. I like having more people I know understand why I can love playing games so much, and to be able to share it with more people [even if my tastes and theirs might differ at times].

Well said. The "US VS THEM" menatllitly many "core" gamers exhibit is absurd. Anything to grow the medium as a whole is good in my eyes. The more gamers period, the more potential sells period. Even with core gamers being the "niche" games like FF, Gears , COD and Halo's, and GTA's all being in the multi millions of sales games like them are not going anywhere. Even if more "cooking" and "dance" games do appear.

[QUOTE="CoralMark"]

[QUOTE="wraithbladeuk"]

The fact is, at the end of the day, that we so-called 'hardcore' gamers that drool over high FPS and poly counts and won't touch any self-proclaimed 'Party Games' that don't star plumbers and dinosaurs are the minority. I worked in Games retail for 6 years and the best-selling games we had were games that appeal to everyone. Singstar, Dance Dance series, games based on movies etc etc were all smash hit sellers while things like Psychonauts sat on the shelf. The Wii is winning from a sales point of view purely because of the marketing techniquest applied by Nintendo. They really tapped into an unrealised market with the DS and have continued that trend on the Wii with amazing results.

When you look at sales figures, you can see how comparativley little games sell. Books like the Twilight franchise have sold in excess of 25million copies, whereas games franchises like Gears of War only 11 million. If you can get all those Twilight-reading tweens to buy a copy of 'Generic Party Game 12' you're going to sell more. It's not cricket, but these people are, at the end of the day, here to make money.

Metalscarz

Yeah, you get it.

The hardcore gamer is a tiny segment of the population. When any media is embraced ... it's not what the most hardcore like, as they tend to have tastes that are out of the mainstream, and their `coolness factor' means quite little in the overall scheme of things.

Just compare to critically acclaimed movies that are outsold by blockbuster action flicks ... while a small, critical minority might like something, that doesn't mean that it appeals to most people.

And gaming has quickly become most people, which is a great thing for gaming ... perhaps not for hardcore gamers [self-claimed ones] - but as someone who has been playing consoles for 32 years, I'm happy with how things are going. I like having more people I know understand why I can love playing games so much, and to be able to share it with more people [even if my tastes and theirs might differ at times].

Well said. The "US VS THEM" menatllitly many "core" gamers exhibit is absurd. Anything to grow the medium as a whole is good in my eyes. The more gamers period, the more potential sells period. Even with core gamers being the "niche" games like FF, Gears , COD and Halo's, and GTA's all being in the multi millions of sales games like them are not going anywhere. Even if more "cooking" and "dance" games do appear.

[QUOTE="gameofthering"]

[QUOTE="KhanhAgE"]

True.

The Playstation was better at 3D than the Saturn. The Saturn only had 2D power going for it, but having said that the arcade port of Street Fighter Alpha 3 was better on the Playstation. So... yeah.

Cherokee_Jack

The worst hardware always had the best software, thats why it sold the most. with the exception of this gen.DBhova23

The wii only won this gen because the grannies all bought one too :lol: