Nothing would stop today’s gamer from hoarding like a badger if consoles and games were reasonably priced. The X360 has a launch price of $500 for the Core system and $649 for the Premium, but since nobody’s lining up 12 hours outside K-Mart to get their hands on the Core, let’s just leave it to collect dust at the back of storerooms worldwide. Games and peripherals clock up a hefty bill on their own and since the average gamer will want a few games, an extra controller and a few other handy items like a plug and play set, the launch package will easily cost in excess of $1000.00.
Can you resist?
Corporate Vice President of the Xbox Product Group, Todd Holmdahl informed Reuters of Microsoft’s decision to slash the price of the 360 every year, in a bid to keep the competition fierce. With this knowledge, as well as knowing a fair few of the desirable launch titles will go platinum in the near future, holding out for a short while may save you upwards of $200, especially with many speculating the first price cut will be issued in retaliation to the PS3 launch, which has just been announced as November.
Of the available group of launch titles, 11 are multiplatform - and chances are, that you have played the superior version already - which means that consummate gamers will only have 8 prospective titles to choose from. EA are coming under fire from gamers and critics alike for relieving their games of certain modes in order to accommodate the visual face-lift.
Time to do a bit of weighing up here: would you be more excited to see FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup in all it’s hi-def glory, or be more disappointed to see that your only gameplay options are practice, tournament mode and Road to Fifa World Cup? To see the sweat pouring off your team’s face’s in NBA Live 06, or to see that franchise mode (a staple of sports games) is nowhere to be found? What about seeing uncanny resemblences to your favourite NFL stars, or be shot down at the discovery of no Mini-Camp mode to while away the hours online in Madden NFL 06, as well as a lack of other in-game options previously available to you on ‘inferior’ systems?
Hello gameplay...are you in there?
When the March 23rd delay was announced, David McLean, the regional director of Microsoft’s home entertainment division, commented on the amount of launch titles Australia was likely to get. “About 30” was his remark – and how many are we getting (including titles released before the release date) – 19. That’s more like 20 rather than 30 wouldn’t you say, Dave?
Meanwhile, the big M saw a future with DVDs with their first incarnation, but now see a future in High Definition. So much so, that the system has been built from the ground up to bring you gameplay optimised for high definition, leaving standard definition to decompose into mediocrity. As xb360info.com eloquently put it: “So many of the graphical improvements are tied into how smoothly the games run in high resolution. Without that, most of the games will look pretty close to a regular
Xbox game. You'll notice a lot of graphical tweaks, but it's not nearly the jump that you'd get if you were playing the game in HDTV.”
If you’re fortunate enough to own a HD display already, then jolly good. For those who are in need of an upgrade to their pixelated antiquity, add this to your running total to take full advantage of what the 360 is offering. While you run the risk of soiling your eyes with Standard Definition, plasma and LCD prices are going down, down, down, making HD more attainable. Again, a little patience is required to take advantage of a price cut.
Between shortages in the US, to mass production of 360s to satisfy the simultaneous launches in both the UK and Japan (being only 8 days apart), Microsoft haven’t had time to scratch their own bums, let alone iron out all the bugging and overheating issues. That is of course, if the allegations are true.
Be afraid...be very afraid!
We all fear the error screen of death, but what are the chances of it happening to you? No official figures are, and probably never will be available, but if the notorious first shipment stigma isn’t enough to put you off, hearing the horror stories of 360s that have simply ceased functioning should be enough to make you re-think your purchase. So unless you can push your need for instant gratification aside, purchase at your own risk.
The frugal gamer, whose hard earned dollars aren’t leaving the bank anytime soon, will be able to make an informed decision based on the pending E3 bonanza. They will be the ones with enough left in reserve to make a sensible choice, whether it be a 360 or otherwise. Having the wisdom to wait places them in a perfect position for a satisfactory outcome in the long run.
While Sony have given us their preliminary offerings, Nintendo have opted for the slow reveal. From what we know, Sony and Microsoft are passing off next generation as this generation, but with bigger hard drives, better graphics and a slightly modified controller. Nintendo have thrown conventional gaming out the window and gamers far and wide are eagerly awaiting how Nintendo and other developers will take advantage of the controller.
Come May, if you have fallen under the 360 spell and already made your investment, you may well end up suffering buyer’s remorse as E3 this year is sure to be the ‘big reveal’ for Sony and Nintendo’s ventures into the upcoming generation.
The PS2 will still be gettin' some lovin' next year...apparently so will Sora
Although the next generation is beginning, this generation is far from over. With highly anticipated offerings such as Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Kingdom Hearts 2, Painkiller and Final Fantasy XII all for the current generation of consoles, these inevitable platinum sellers are sure to help tide you over until your vote is cast.
So once again why should you wait?
- the inevitable price slash on the console and top selling games
- letting all potentially buggy consoles pass you by
- having a better library of games to choose from
- being more informed when buying your first/only console of this generation
- being able to save for and purchase items that will enhance your gaming experience, such as HD displays
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Want to read the other side of this debate? Click here.
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