What is Digg?117 Comments
- barc0001, on 11/05/2007, -2/+41Depends if it's in your core competence or not. If it's something you're buying for you, you probably already know. If you're buying it for someone else, like a lot of parents buying kids consoles this holiday season, could be a huge problem.
Here, to illustrate the problem of buying something with little or no useful information, try the following: You're a friend of mine and you want to get me a welding rig. Many low duty welding rigs can be had for betwen $300 - $500, so it's pretty much in line with the various console package spreads. I need one so I can finally fix the exhaust on my old british convertible that sits out in the carport. Do you buy me:
a stick welder
a mig welder
a tig welder
And once you've got that sorted, what kind of power source is the welder going to use, and can where I work on the car supply the correct voltage?
So, unless you know exactly what I have for power hookups, and my skill level with a welder, and exactly what I am going to be welding with it, you probably won't be making an informed choice just by guessing. But that's what a lot of parents will be doing this Xmas, because they do know their kids want an Xbox or a Playstation, but won't really know about the differences in the packages, and I am betting there will be a LOT of people a tad bit disappointed that their new 360 has no hard drive, or their new PS3 isn't backward compatible.
Although there's only one Wii SKU, so that one's a slam dunk... - noseeme, on 11/03/2007, -2/+33GRAAAAH! I can't choose whether I want the Wii (normal edition), or the Wii (normal edition)!
- estvir, on 11/03/2007, -2/+22People have all these theories and logical deductions that "Hey, there's a few SKUs, I'm sure consumers will be confused!" but does anyone actually know of anyone who is confused? I know a ton of my family's friends who've purchased 360s, Wiis and PS3s, none were 'confused' as to what model to get.
For the Wii there is no choice, for the 360 they got the Premium model if they wanted to spend more and get the HDD (Which was more or less all of them) and if someone actually wanted a PS3 they'd buy the only model available. I've spoken to some people I know who work at EB, GameTraders, etc and they also say aside from the usual mum who comes in and says "My son wants game Mario on PS2" there's no great amount of confusion.
Is anecdotal evidence poor? Yes, but are theories with no actual data also fairly poor? Yup. Maybe in America with the PS3 it's confusing otherwise I really doubt there's much ACTUAL confusion. - Mythrl, on 11/05/2007, -5/+24I agree. Just recently I went into a store and was so confused by all the console choices I fainted. My brain simply could not handle this.
I find I have the same problem with milk. I mean not only can I choose from 1% and 2%, but there are also skim, and whole milk. This doesn't even begin to address the confusion created by adding options such as cream, half and half, and buttermilk.
WILL THE MADNESS NEVER END??? - bCabulon, on 11/02/2007, -3/+22littile johnny will be happy enough to get any of the xbox or ps3 consoles. Parents should just buy the cheapest models (unless the parent is into games). If the kid bitches, take his cables away and let him stare at a console he can't play.
- TiMMY8765, on 11/03/2007, -2/+20most parents will think "this one is cheaper and little johnny will never know the difference" then the kid gets the crappy version with wired controllers and no hard drive
- maduin, on 11/05/2007, -1/+17"Hardcore gamers" are arrogant dumb little pricks who think that everyone who buys a video game console should have their RSS feeds loading with game sites and should follow every newly released console 2 years before it's ever released.
Every time I go to a house party and notice that there is a PS2 there, I check out the games. Tiger Woods, Madden, Guitar Hero, and a handful of games that received a 6 or lower on metacritic, and I realize that these are the people who spend money on games, these people are the anti-hardcore, the average gamer. These are the people who are buying more games than you are because they are affected by advertising, they see a game on TV that looks fun, and they go and buy it. They don't research it for months before release, they don't visit IGN or any other gaming site to read previews, watch videos, and check out reviews. These are the people that are the money makers for Sony and Microsoft and Nintendo and Activision and THQ and Rockstar, not you, not the hardcore gamer, average Joe is the money maker.
You know why so many people own an iPod? Not because it's better or more rich in features than its competitors, but because of its flashy ads and pretty colors. Average Joe is affected by advertising, being popular, and being cool. Average Joe will see a commercial for some product while watching their favorite show and go to Best Buy with their next paycheck and buy said product. Average Joe is affected by salesmen. While you or I might find extended warranties to be a rip-off, average Joe can and will be talked into buying an extended warranty if someone will take the time to pitch it to them.
I'll stop writing now, since I do realize this will be dugg down due to the fact that gamers on digg are mostly idiotic dicks, and anything that I write will just be lost in the noise of stupidity here. - Gndoab, on 11/03/2007, -1/+17then, to complete their punishment, lock them in the basement and make them do pushups.
- nonsequitor, on 11/03/2007, -3/+18Raise your hand if you're delaying buying a PS3 until there's a game you absolutely have to play so you can get one that runs cooler and is less expensive?
*raises hand*
Its become the same as buying a new computer, you wait until you absolutely need one so you can get the best one. Consumers aren't confused, they're waiting for this console generation to stabilize. Would you buy a PS3 tomorrow if you thought the version coming out next week would also work as a tivo? When you bought a PS2 you knew there wouldn't be a better PS2 out in a couple months. - KibibyteBrain, on 11/05/2007, -7/+21It confuses me as a developer. The whole point of a console is to fix the problems in multimedia development for computers in having to code for a large variety of hardware configurations. You can literally do anything in direct assembly assuming anything and everything, down to exactly how your memory map looks in hardware. While the hardware variations thus far do not impact this ability, it just seems to go against the whole idea of a standard platform.
Even more confusing is why some of these configurations exist. PS3s with bigger HDDs when you can just add your own for less? XB360s only being appealing because you don't have to pay as much for the overpriced addon disks and stuff? It just seems more like nickel and diming you to death more than offering better hardware. - AxeSwinger, on 11/03/2007, -2/+15The problem is you should not have to research every game console flavor. Some of us have lives that do not revolve around the latest console tweak. I just want to be able to buy a console and have it work with the games I buy, if I have to start tracking usb ports, wifi, chipsets I might as well buy a computer that can do much more than a console could ever do. I agree making a informed purchase is important but after I figure out which platform is best I don't want to spend time (which is a premium for me) deciding which teir of system is best as well.
- WiseWeasel, on 11/05/2007, -5/+16I'm frightened and confused... Get off my lawn, you damn kids!
- estvir, on 11/03/2007, -0/+11And smarter uses.
The PS2Slim was released in 2004 and original PS2 was in 2000, right? That's a 4 year difference as opposed to how many PS3 models in a single year of which they add/remove functionality, etc? - maley, on 11/03/2007, -4/+14Yes. They'll just use the excuse that it gives consumers more options. When it comes down to buying a video game system most people buying it for their OWN use know what they're doing. The problems arise when parents want to buy one for their kids and they see 7 SKUs between the 360 and PS3 and just go wth?
- Gizza, on 11/03/2007, -2/+12The problem comes where the various models add restrictions. For example, the Core 360 not having a hard drive now makes it hard for anything to use the hard drive because not everyone will have one.
How long before low end model consoles come out with slower CPUs to save even more money. Then games will be labeled "Premium version console recommended for best experience".
Its a slippery road to just becoming pre-packaged PCs with customs OSs. - Bdog2g2, on 11/03/2007, -1/+10God bless you, you saved me a lot of typing.
- spyd3rweb, on 11/03/2007, -7/+16Only people that buy Apple products would be 'confused' by product options.
- AbsurdParadox, on 11/05/2007, -0/+9Buried for "iPod age"
- jiub, on 11/03/2007, -0/+9I know people that are disappointed in their choice, not confused. It goes both ways too. Some people wish they had a large HD; other wish they had saved $100 because they only use the drive for save games.
- astrixx, on 11/03/2007, -0/+8There are actually 7 versions of the xbox. The arcade version, premium,premium with table tennis, premium with 2 games, premium with hdmi, the elite, and the halo edition.
- tnoy, on 11/03/2007, -1/+9If a kid's parents buys him a console, he needs to not be a ungreatful little ***** and be happy that he got anything in the first place.
- Bdog2g2, on 11/02/2007, -0/+8Then the parent should just find an old NES from Ebay and give the kid only Super Mario Bros.
- grumbel, on 11/05/2007, -1/+9The problem isn't so much that there are too many version, since that happens before (see all the different colored GBAs and stuff like that), the bigger problem is that the differences between all those versions are very subtle. You not only don't get a bigger harddrive, you might also lose a few usb ports, the HDMI port and a wireless controller along the way, maybe backward compability too, the rumble controller and a bunch of other tiny detail depending on which console or model you buy and when. And this gets extremely confusing, especially since the models themselves change too, so buying an XBox360 today might get you a different machine then in a few month (60nm etc.).
- Cubedude04, on 11/03/2007, -3/+10It's the same as anything. Everything has different versions that do different things. You don't hear people saying, "There are too many cleaning sprays by one company i am confused". You buy what suits you.
- estvir, on 11/02/2007, -0/+7In Australia till not too long ago there was [more or less] only 1 model which costed over $1000AU, as of like a week ago though I think there's another model available.
How can I be as clueless and over-assuming as you ? - mracid70, on 11/03/2007, -0/+6Nono man, are you new around here? You won't be dugg down because you mentioned getting dugg down!
- greatblackowl, on 11/03/2007, -4/+9They're becoming too much like computers. I've always been preferential to computer gaming than console gaming, mostly because I like the style of games better that I find on computers (with the exception of Japanese RPGs for consoles-- love them). The fact that consoles are becoming so much like computers offers me (at least) less incentive to go the route of the console. I need a computer anyway, preferably a good one. I'd rather spend an extra $400 or so on a higher-performance computer than invest in a separate console.
- inactive, on 11/02/2007, -0/+5I hear SMB is really fun.
- aywwts4, on 11/03/2007, -0/+4and soon to come, the 65, and then the 45 nanometer versions that hopefully wont overheat. So that will probably triple the number of Xbox variations. And I don't see anyone in the know going "Yes I would like that broken xbox please" after the new versions come out.
- petebert, on 11/09/2007, -0/+4funny you say that because just yesterday I was in line behind some douche bag trying to figure out the difference between 2 360's. This is at a Air Force base BX so they dont keep them under lock and key. So anyways he's(40+ year old fat guy) holding up the line looking at these two boxes with some guy from electronics, dont know why he didnt do this back in electronics. He decided to go for what ever one rings up at $408, he seemed to like how it had some platinum account.
- Goombellaofgoom, on 11/03/2007, -0/+4Is that so?
- dragon76, on 11/03/2007, -0/+4I got dugg down about 2 weeks ago when I said I couldn't keep track with 360 or PS3 versions to buy the right one. Now it's on the front page. FASCINATING.
- Chicken2nite, on 11/03/2007, -0/+4Plus, the PS2 Slim, wasn't exactly an improvement as it lost functionality in terms of hard drive support (even though the hard drive was never supported much, it was still there). I would equate the Slim in the same vain as the DS Lite, the new model took over as the sole version being released, hence they kept the Single SKU market going.
- nreynolds, on 11/03/2007, -4/+8"and if someone actually wanted a PS3 they'd buy the only model available"
dang, how can I be as unbiased as you? That statement isn't even true for any part of it, really. - plod, on 11/04/2007, -0/+3http://www.aarp.org/bulletin/yourlife/many_choices ...
- JonForTheWin, on 11/03/2007, -5/+8***** consumers are dumb
- SharkyTech, on 11/02/2007, -1/+4Are consumers too easily confused?
- dansmeek, on 11/02/2007, -1/+4I think Resistance: Fall of Man, Motorstorm, and Ratchet and Clank are all killer-apps.
They all have excellent gameplay, graphics, and sound. I have both a 360 and now a PS3, and I pretty much have stopped playing the 360 because of it, even though I really want to beat BioShock.
I'm just a graphics whore and the PS3 is simply quite a few notches better than the 360. - zachshmack, on 11/03/2007, -1/+4I don't think so. As the price of consoles goes up every generation, they become more of a serious investment, like a television or any other appliance. They *should* have different models available so that the consumer can choose which one fits them better.
- Whiteknight117, on 11/03/2007, -16/+19How hard is it to research a product?
- willyjlyles, on 11/02/2007, -0/+3I don't want anything to fall on my dick. As a matter of fact, in the event that anything is falling toward my dick, I usually either move out of the way, try to catch it, or at least block it with my hand. If a game console was falling towards my dick I would probably try to catch it.
- xino, on 11/03/2007, -2/+5How can you be that clueless? Easy. Don't research how many different versions of various products you can find in each country of the world that you don't reside in or attempt to buy from. Once in a while I will know some thing about the foreign version of a product if I see it being brought up on digg or some where else online, but I don't keep up with every region. As far as game systems, I just keep up with what's offered in the US since that is where I am and where I intend to buy them from. Also, he didn't say where in the world there was one version of PS3 so as I read it, I took it as if he meant one version worldwide. Sure he mentioned it might be confusing in the US at the end of his comment, but that still doesn't say why it would be confusing in the states compared to other regions.
- Goombellaofgoom, on 11/03/2007, -0/+2"Slam dunks" can be hard to get, though. It could be a lose-lose situation: hard-to-find, or hard-to-choose?
- dansmeek, on 11/02/2007, -0/+2I recently bought a 60 GB PS3. I really didn't do much research b/w the units; I just knew about the $100 price drop at the time. When I went to Best Buy and the guys explained to me the difference between the two -- "well, the 80 gig, you'll have both more memory, and you get motorstorm! And sony is going to release that new online software soon, so you want that extra memory."
I thought, I was missing something. Like maybe the 60 gig didn't have wifi. or backwards compatibility. or it had some defect.
Then I find out not only is it a better deal by this criteria alone, but it also has backwards compatibility (hardware) unlike the 80 gig. C'mon Sony, people are not that dumb. - jayayeem, on 11/03/2007, -0/+2Right.. If I wanted to deal with the effort of figuring out 'will this work on my box' I'd buy PC games. Console games should just plug in and be ready to play.
- maduin, on 11/04/2007, -0/+2that's when you dumb it down for them, you have to keep in mind that average consumer has no idea what they want or need. They have money and they want to buy something new to make their lives happier. You tell them, this has more storage space so if you want to download more games you get this version. If you don't want wires running around your house, you get the version with Wi-Fi. You tell them if they had a PSone or PS2, they want this version because it'll play their old games. You find what they think they want, and give them what you think they'll need. Simplify..... MAN!
- Okari, on 11/03/2007, -0/+2People who actually listen to Best Buy are dumb.
- plod, on 11/04/2007, -0/+2It's interesting that companies release so many flavors of their consoles. Research has shown that typically as you increase choice people end up less happy and in some cases even decide to not buy anything.
- kinerry, on 11/03/2007, -2/+4thats not how marketing works my friend
- staticneuron, on 11/02/2007, -0/+2Are you serious? The bigger hard drives are actually cheaper for sony so they try to recoup some cost. Even as such the 360 and PS3 throught any of their configurations do not alters the core functionality. From the start each companies set guidlines on what companies can expect and that hasn't changed. So as a developer none of this should bother you.
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