It’s been a while. Nice to see you guys.
I‘ll need to see more details, but overall this current shift in multiple SKUs and games being played on multiple devices makes a lot of sense to me.
$400-$500 consoles every 5 years with no compatibility for developers to scale & bring games to other platforms simply isn’t sustainable. Look at the libraries of the Xbox One and PS4. Take away all of the multiplats and/or games that are available to play on PC. The number of
true exclusives are FAR less than both system’s predecessors. This upcoming shift is honestly pretty logical.
I was thinking about the 2000s for gaming due to PlayStation’s 25th anniversary blogs. That decade had 3+ entries in various non-yearly AAA franchises, with some being all within one gaming generation. These days we’re fortunate to get just one entry during a gen; And two entries during a gen? Rare and/or highly unlikely.
I see some mentioning “developers being held back...”—the thing with this though is that AAA game developers have to be held back in some way due to how expensive it is for AAA games to be made these days. So in terms of this topic, it’s a AAA game needing to be laid out well in order to scale it to other platforms
—OR— a AAA game that’s only for an expensive system with a low(er) userbase, thus creating a situation in which a developer has to “play it safe” and take fewer creative risks for financial reasons. I personally think the former is better for getting more game releases on a regular basis; especially since improved visuals and performance will happen either way, and this is something that a large portion of console gamers (the majority?) want when buying a new console. I think the most creative/fresh console brand exclusives this decade have come from Nintendo anyway—regardless of Nintendo never having the most powerful hardware. That’s me though.
More people playing games is the safest way to get more made. I hated seeing multiple new exclusive AAA IPs that released in 2013-2015 become “one & dones” in part because they were only for $400+ consoles with low(er) userbases. That caused less variety in the libraries of both the Xbox One and PS4. Things should be different this time around though thanks to scalability and compatibility.
Now in terms of where the Lockhart fits into this, I think there are many that can’t afford a $500 console, but would love to be a part of “next gen buzz” and play games that still look far better than what they play on their current console(s) to not feel left out. It’s like what we see with phones... Some people can’t afford the most expensive iPhone model, but they still want to be a part of “new iPhone buzz” and get a phone that‘s better than what they already have. Hence why these people get the standard versions of new iPhones instead of the top of the line model. Lockhart could be an ideal console for this audience. I could see the breakdown being like this...
Xbox One S (& all digital): $99-$149
Xbox Lockhart: $349
Xbox Scarlett: $499
Those prices would almost speak for themselves in getting people to know the differences between each model. Xbox One S for people that just want a dirt cheap box to play games casually, Lockhart for the more core gamers that want an upgrade from the console(s) they are currently playing on, and Scarlett for the hardcore gamers that want the “best of the best”. Alongside of this, I personally can’t see Sony ever releasing a PlayStation SKU without a disc drive. Lockhart opens the door for Microsoft to have a brand new Xbox system/SKU that’s a cheaper price than what the PS5 will be right when both consoles launch. We’ll see how it all plays out. I’ll be getting both the PS5 and the new Xbox—very pumped for 2020.