27 Ways to Save the Consoles

27 Ways to Save the Consoles

October 31st, 2007, 21:37 Posted By: wraggster

Article from Gamepro that hints at what needs improving on our Beloved consoles:

PLAYSTATION 2

Not dead yet
Where's the first-party support?
We were bummed when Sony's Jack Tretton told us that all internal development would focus on the PS3 and not the PS2. Given that there are some 100 million PS2s in the wild, that seems like something of a miscalculation. A new SOCOM expansion, a Killzone spinoff, or even a quick-and-easy port of Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection could help keep the PS2 embers glowing bright for another year at the minimum. But by dropping support now, the PS2 will have to compete primarily on price. Which brings us to...

It's time for $99...or less
Yeah, it's time. Seven years after its launch, the PS2 is finally showing signs of slowing down. But this isn't an inevitability. A well-timed price cut will do wonders for this classic console, likely buying it another year or more of interest and perhaps another round of high-profile third-party games. By shifting focus too quickly to the PS3, Sony risks losing many of its PS2 faithful to the cheaper Xbox 360 and the much cheaper, friendlier Wii. The PS2 isn't dead yet!

A handheld with big ambitions
PSP
Where's the iTunes-style online store?
The PSP has tremendous potential as a do-it-all media device, but Sony isn't putting its weight behind an online store that could do for the PSP what iTunes did for the iPod. Imagine: $1.99 retro arcade downloads, $4.99 PS1 games, and an assorted variety of mini-games, flash games, and the like, all downloadable through your PC or PS3. While Sony's at it, they may as well add video (TVs and movies) and music as well. Sony's one of the biggest media companies in the world -- a comprehensive, iTunes-style PSP site shouldn't be a huge difficulty.

Devs are overshooting
Many of the high-profile PSP games are epic, console-style games: see Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, God of War: Chains of Olympus, and Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. These are all excellent games worthy of the PS2...but that's part of the problem. Portable players expect a different breed of game, something simpler and faster to play in short sessions. Big sprawling adventures don't lend themselves well to these kinds of playing habits. Sony shouldn't discourage all console-style PSP games, but they should put the focus on more casual games -- Loco Roco, Lumines, and Castlevania being perfect examples.

Still selling, despite the glut of badness
DS
The shovelware problem
Much like the Wii, the DS is a system targeted at casual gamers. But ruthless game publishers are capitalizing on this naive new market by carpet-bombing them with shoddy, over-priced games. As with the Wii, the vast majority of standout DS titles are Nintendo-produced. What does that tell you?

Friend Codes suck
Why Nintendo went the route of "Friend Codes" beats the hell outta us, but it's a poor man's substitute for Xbox Live or PSN gamertags. They're universally reviled, yet Nintendo defends them at every turn. Why?

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