Are video games companies too friendly with one another? "almost" anti-consumer

[Flame]

Back in the 90's it was dog eat dog in the video game industry. now it feels like they all buddies and looking for out each other bit too much. bit on the line of anti-consumer practices. where Sony and Microsoft dont even do a portable handheld gaming device not to step on Nintendo foot. Microsoft buying companies like its in a sweet shop. then Sony being Sony.

Nintendo took down wii and ds games which you are not able to download again. not even on newer console. its like all top three are working together to make smaller companies not become big or are the consumers just slow in the head.

this is nothing like capitalism i was brought up to love and know.

what are your thought?

 

[AncientBoi]

Not sure. You would have to think about, How would they make money without the consumer?

 

[Flame]

Not sure. You would have to think about, How would they make money without the consumer?

i think you missed understood the question. i meant they do anti consumer practices by being so friendly.

 

[AncientBoi]

lol, That explanation just made me even more confused. But ok. Eitherway, I voted UGLY, because to me, if you're "Anti-consumer", then why would I [consumer] even want to associate with you?

 

[Veho]

Sony and Microsoft dont even do a portable handheld gaming device not to step on Nintendo foot.

It's not like Sony hasn't tried. But both Sony and Microsoft's design policy would result in a $600 handheld with not enough exclusive content to be remotely worth buying.
The big three have pretty much the entire market covered.
I don't think they are playing nice with each other, but they are reaping the benefits of being the only game in town.

 

[Alexander1970]

Are video games companies too friendly with one another? "almost" anti-consumer​

.....sure.... Capcom or Square Enix......of course...

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Sony tried to do a handheld and they failed twice. Microsoft doesn't even take the console gaming market seriously, they're deeply invested in PC so they don't seem to care much about console.
I think they're all comfortable where they are. Microsoft owns the PC market, Sony owns the home console market, Nintendo owns the handheld market. They've realized when they don't have to compete, they make all the profit.
I would like to see a 4th company step in and actually be able to compete, as competition benefits the consumers. But as even Sony discovered, it's hard to compete against someone who has a monopoly on the market.

 

[FAST6191]

As above I am not sure MS or Sony could hang in dedicated handheld world (MS could not even crack phones), though phones/tablets might prove an interesting twist at some point.

As it stands I am not concerned about whatever buddy buddy actions some game devs/pubs/hardware makers are taking. I would not be surprised in the least to find some form of price fixing going on but nothing I particularly note. I will note the lack of desire to facilitate second hand sales of downloadable games but that seems like naked self interest.

Generally I would be more worried about the self styled gaming press not being willing to hold their feet to the fire - the video making set seem content to do that (leaving the self styled press writing text wondering why their readership is dropping like a stone, with only trust in them dropping faster) but lack the resources to do the really fun stuff.

 

[Xzi]

It's not like Sony hasn't tried. But both Sony and Microsoft's design policy would result in a $600 handheld with not enough exclusive content to be remotely worth buying.
The big three have pretty much the entire market covered.
I don't think they are playing nice with each other, but they are reaping the benefits of being the only game in town.

Yeah it's not so much that they want to help the others make money, it's more that they've all settled into roles where they know they can make the most money. Nintendo obviously owns the kid-friendly/portable market, Sony is the "premium" adult gaming brand, and with Game Pass Microsoft is more of the "budget" adult gaming brand. With two of the three also releasing their games on PC (and the third emulated), PC gaming is a Swiss army knife, albeit a fairly expensive one at the moment.

At least Valve is dragging the portable market into the present with Steam Deck, even if nobody expects it to sell nearly as well as Switch.

 

[Taleweaver]

Back in the 90's it was dog eat dog in the video game industry. now it feels like they all buddies and looking for out each other bit too much. bit on the line of anti-consumer practices. where Sony and Microsoft dont even do a portable handheld gaming device not to step on Nintendo foot. Microsoft buying companies like its in a sweet shop. then Sony being Sony.

Nintendo took down wii and ds games which you are not able to download again. not even on newer console. its like all top three are working together to make smaller companies not become big or are the consumers just slow in the head.

this is nothing like capitalism i was brought up to love and know.

what are your thought?

To be fair, i find it mostly an incoherent bunch of ideas that i don't think have anything to do with one another. I'm not saying you're wrong, but you've got to be more convincing to get me to believe you.

I gamed in the nineties. Sega was a bit more edgy, but that was just marketing fluff (besides: in Europe we hardly noticed what was later written in the book'console wars'). There was competition, but even so now. Sony and Microsoft had the market cornered, so if Nintendo hadn't successfully innovated with the wii and now the switch, they would've been reduced to at best a kid's market.

The failure of the vita was financially, not because they pulled the plug on Nintendo 's request. Valve would've been dead in the water if they hadn't had proton and their own store front to give them a fighting chance.

Nintendo closing shop in the wii and ds is anti consumerism, but i don't see the link with them being"buddies" with Microsoft and Sony. Same with ms buying smaller companies... So?
I might be behind on news but 'sony being Sony' isn't ringing a bell here.


But consumers are slow in the head, i won't deny that. Humble used to be the flagship of independent game companies, now it seems its itch.io (which is weird because humble is still around). Far too much games are dismissed when they're not peddled by those three companies.

I'm curious to what degree valve will become a fourth player in this club... If at all. But that's another discussion

 

[Taleweaver]

lol, That explanation just made me even more confused. But ok. Eitherway, I voted UGLY, because to me, if you're "Anti-consumer", then why would I [consumer] even want to associate with you?

The short answer would be'psychology'.
Be it nostalgia, sunken cost fallacy, peer pressure or other fanboy aspects, companies that are loved get away with much more than they would otherwise.
And there's so much money involved that these decisions become important. Nintendo shutting down old servers isn't consumer friendly... But just how many consumers are there left?

 

[Flame]

To be fair, i find it mostly an incoherent bunch of ideas that i don't think have anything to do with one another. I'm not saying you're wrong, but you've got to be more convincing to get me to believe you.

I gamed in the nineties. Sega was a bit more edgy, but that was just marketing fluff (besides: in Europe we hardly noticed what was later written in the book'console wars'). There was competition, but even so now. Sony and Microsoft had the market cornered, so if Nintendo hadn't successfully innovated with the wii and now the switch, they would've been reduced to at best a kid's market.

The failure of the vita was financially, not because they pulled the plug on Nintendo 's request. Valve would've been dead in the water if they hadn't had proton and their own store front to give them a fighting chance.

Nintendo closing shop in the wii and ds is anti consumerism, but i don't see the link with them being"buddies" with Microsoft and Sony. Same with ms buying smaller companies... So?
I might be behind on news but 'sony being Sony' isn't ringing a bell here.


But consumers are slow in the head, i won't deny that. Humble used to be the flagship of independent game companies, now it seems its itch.io (which is weird because humble is still around). Far too much games are dismissed when they're not peddled by those three companies.

I'm curious to what degree valve will become a fourth player in this club... If at all. But that's another discussion

When I created this thread. too much was happening in my head. I didn't express myself good as possible. to be bit more clear I mean like price fixing really. like you get good discounts on PC. but on consoles even its digital its all high prices. maybe my brain fried a bit.

Also like the gaming consumer takes what ever we are given like good kids. Sony is gonna bring PS3 to its PS plus soon. but its stream only. how is that different from Google's gaming service. when people know Stadia is the worst thing ever.

I mean like when it comes to Nintendo, MS and Sony. Consumer is always happy and never seems to question there actions as other companies or industries.