Re: before E3 I thought Sony Would own the marketshare again this gen
"Dismal and pathetic" might be a bit of an exaggeration, but of the three big console manufacturers at E3, Sony had the weakest presentation. It didn't help that their new console is priced way out of the range that many people are willing to pay, even for early adopters.
One shouldn't underestimate the power of the Playstation name. Sony's market foothold is extremely strong, and that name recognition may, for those that can afford it, be like investing in a new car from the brand you trust.
Sony should silence its top brass, though. Ken Kutaragi, SCEA's president, was recently quoted saying that the PS3 is probably "too cheap". That may be right technically if you do a cost analysis of the new technology behind the system, but you don't want to send the message to your consumer base, "you should be taking out a loan for the privilege of owning our technology, but we're giving you a break and only charging you up one nostril." Not smart.
As for Microsoft... it knows its audience, and is doing a great job of delivering exactly what that audience wants, primarily war and driving games for younger males. This is a very strange time for gaming. The line between consoles and computer systems is blurring, and some of the problems associated with PCs are now crossing over into console territory. Can't say this excites me much, despite all the pretty graphics. It's going to be really exciting in a year or so when the 360's hardware problems are ironed out and it starts hitting a stride and expanding its genres. I hope it gives Sony a run for its money.
Nintendo's not in the Microsoft/Sony console race. The "Wii" is on a completely different track, and they're coming in first because they're the only company there. Wonder if anyone will show up? Their console with the terrible name got more buzz than Microsoft at E3.
