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Thursday, March 16, 2006

Microsoft Declares "Greatest Launch Ever"

Kotaku got official word on Microsoft's response to the PS3 delay, wherein they declare that they ... and I'm quoting here ... "blasted out of the gate with the greatest launch in the history of video games."

Right, greatest launch that was plagued with defects and supply problems while not meeting estimates and burying most consumers in idiotic, overpriced bundles. So, in other words, second greatest to the PSP ... which had all the same except for selling better. Better launches include the original PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and even the original Xbox. Maybe they are talking about the original Xbox?

Whatever. Still annoying. But as Mark Twain said, don't let facts get in the way of your opinion.

I am, however, inclined to agree with others that the current PlayStation 3 plans seem unrealistic. I'm guessing that before November, Europe gets taken off the table and even then we'll see shortages leading up to Christmas.




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3 comments:

Unknown said...

Um, I know gamers have ridiculously short attention spans, but hello? Playstation 2? Name another platform that rode the shirt tails of it's predecessor so successfully. Not only did it sell out at launch, it did so to enough people to make it the dominant platform, at launch.

I've never played a Playstation 2 game other than We (heart) Katamari this past February , but I know I'm in the small minority. That was the greatest launch ever.

Josh said...

Yeah, the PS2 was an extremely solid launch.

My favorite, I think, is the Nintendo 64. Not that I think it ranked as greatest ... but because it did so well with virtually no launch library.

People still like to say that the Xbox "beat all odds" with "an amazing strategy" or whatnot. If by odds they mean "insanely expensive manufacturing sold dirt cheap" and strategy they mean "sell so deep into the red you can't wash your finance sheets with your whites" ... then I guess they have a point.

Josh said...

It depends on how you measure.

The PS2 and N64 didn't have great launch libraries ... especially the N64 which basically just had Mario 64 ... but the PS2 especially sold like hotcakes, had plenty of supply and very quickly became a staple item.

The Dreamcast, on the other hand, had a decent launch library but never sold as well as Sega wanted.

Comparitively, the 360 launch failed on almost every level. Poor launch library, defects, horrible supply issues, bad sales.

Oblivion will certainly help some ... but it can't help much until they get these things on shelves. The fact that it's mid-March and I still can't walk into a Chicago Best Buy and walk out with a 360 is not good for a platform. They could release Jesus On A Stick: World Tour ... it wouldn't matter to me because I can't buy one, I don't know anyone who has one and I don't know anyone planning on getting one anytime soon.

Greatest launch? I'm still waiting for it to launch at all.