Kevin Bachus talks about Next-Gen Console Wars

MCV recently got a chance to talk with Kevin Bachus, the former Microsoft Exec, who played a big role in turning the Xbox from a concept into reality.

And what did he have to say ? Well I’ll quote him here, “Like most people, I believe that regardless of who comes out on top this time, the margin will be the closest it’s been since the heady days of Nintendo and Sega. And as always, the winners will be the consumers and the publishers.”

And if you’ve been in the know for some time, you’d probably agree with him. For the last few years, Sony came out trumps with its PlayStation. The Xbox fared well, but still got owned by the PS2. And Nintendo ? Well, I think I’ll leave it at that.

But this time, it’s different. Microsoft has more knowledge of the industry. Nintendo has been doing some great innovation, which they hope will pay off. And Sony ? Well, they’re not having the best of times. When asked if the 360 will trample the PS3 this time, he replied by saying that although it had a chance of winning, it wouldn’t be certain.

“If our industry’s brief history has taught us anything it’s that there are no set ‘lawsÂ’ regarding console adoption – despite what the manufacturers might claim. This generation will be decided not on production capabilities or on technology, but on brand, price and content. If Sony can leverage its brand, aggressively cut prices on both hardware and software, and deliver just a few platform-driving franchises as they’ve done in the past with Final Fantasy, GTA and others, they can quickly reverse Microsoft’s early lead.”

He agreed with Sony’s decision of doing a worldwide launch with the PS3, “I think that Sony really had no choice but to announce a global release for PS3. At this point, any delay to the launch in any territory is going to create bigger challenges both for Sony and for its publishers. Sony’s greatest strengths historically have been manufacturing and retail and one would expect them to muster everything they can between now and the November launch to take full advantage of those strengths.”

And what does he think about the competition when it comes to online capability ?
“Sony is clearly playing catch-up in this area, but it’s unclear whether online is the console purchase driver that Microsoft believes it to be. There seems to be a growing awareness that bad behavior of online gamers has become an impediment to online gameplay”

But at the end of the day, it’s the games and price which decide the success of any console. And neither of the 3 companies can say that they’re perfect in that area yet. I believe he hit the nail right on the head when he said that this generation will be one of the most closely fought of all time. Lets just hope that all 3 companies get their act right. I, for one, can’t wait to see the competition once the PS3 and Revolution comes out.

MCV recently got a chance to talk with Kevin Bachus, the former Microsoft Exec, who played a big role in turning the Xbox from a concept into reality.

And what did he have to say ? Well I’ll quote him here, “Like most people, I believe that regardless of who comes out on top this time, the margin will be the closest it’s been since the heady days of Nintendo and Sega. And as always, the winners will be the consumers and the publishers.”

And if you’ve been in the know for some time, you’d probably agree with him. For the last few years, Sony came out trumps with its PlayStation. The Xbox fared well, but still got owned by the PS2. And Nintendo ? Well, I think I’ll leave it at that.

But this time, it’s different. Microsoft has more knowledge of the industry. Nintendo has been doing some great innovation, which they hope will pay off. And Sony ? Well, they’re not having the best of times. When asked if the 360 will trample the PS3 this time, he replied by saying that although it had a chance of winning, it wouldn’t be certain.

“If our industry’s brief history has taught us anything it’s that there are no set ‘lawsÂ’ regarding console adoption – despite what the manufacturers might claim. This generation will be decided not on production capabilities or on technology, but on brand, price and content. If Sony can leverage its brand, aggressively cut prices on both hardware and software, and deliver just a few platform-driving franchises as they’ve done in the past with Final Fantasy, GTA and others, they can quickly reverse Microsoft’s early lead.”

He agreed with Sony’s decision of doing a worldwide launch with the PS3, “I think that Sony really had no choice but to announce a global release for PS3. At this point, any delay to the launch in any territory is going to create bigger challenges both for Sony and for its publishers. Sony’s greatest strengths historically have been manufacturing and retail and one would expect them to muster everything they can between now and the November launch to take full advantage of those strengths.”

And what does he think about the competition when it comes to online capability ?
“Sony is clearly playing catch-up in this area, but it’s unclear whether online is the console purchase driver that Microsoft believes it to be. There seems to be a growing awareness that bad behavior of online gamers has become an impediment to online gameplay”

But at the end of the day, it’s the games and price which decide the success of any console. And neither of the 3 companies can say that they’re perfect in that area yet. I believe he hit the nail right on the head when he said that this generation will be one of the most closely fought of all time. Lets just hope that all 3 companies get their act right. I, for one, can’t wait to see the competition once the PS3 and Revolution comes out.