I can't believe the PS2 still has more units sold. If the Switch can't do it, then what can?
this post was submitted on 07 May 2024
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The theory I've read about the PS2's success is that a lot of non-gamers bought one because it could play Blu-rays for cheaper than a dedicated Blu-ray player because Sony sold the PS2 either at cost or at a slight loss unlike their other Blu-ray players.
I think for a console to surpass that success, it would need to do something with popular appeal and do it as good as a dedicated device for a similar price. The Steam Deck might have been that if laptops were in higher demand at its release (e.g. if it released just before the pandemic when students needed computers for remote learning.)
In my opinion, a future console would have to basically be a smart phone and a mini-Switch. It would have to run Android or iOS because few people would migrate without support for their current apps.
If said device could run games with at least a 3DS-level of fidelity, it might be appealing enough to draw developers and players. But it would have to support more than just the current mobile game slop.
PS2 wasn't Blu-Ray. The PS3 was the first to use Blu-Ray disc. Perhaps it's just that it was an entertainment centre. Then again, why didn't the Wii outsell it? I think the Wii supported DVD playback.
The Wii didn’t officially support dvd playback (and didn’t support hardware video decoding of typical dvd codecs, so few dvds worked with the homebrew software to enable it)
Ah yes, my bad. I thought that timeframe felt weird. I was only 7 or 8 when the PS2 released, and only remember watching movies on my older cousin's system. I Should have double-checked that.
Good point on the Wii. Maybe, by then, enough other devices played DVDs for cheap that it wasn't as much of a selling point. At the time the Wii released even dedicated portable DVD players were relatively cheap. And many other devices were combo DVD players, even SUVs started to sell with gimmicky built-in theater system upgrades.
Additionally, as successful as the Wii was with a general audience, it didn't grab as much of the "core-gamer" audience (in my opinion) because of the gimmicky control scheme which was mandatory in most games. It also didn't have as robust online multiplayer support as the Xbox 360 or PS3. It was also comparatively underpowered and so didn't get ports of many popular titles.
I think appealing to both general and core audiences is key, especially now with how mainstream gaming has become. If the Wii had functional multiplayer, feature-complete ports of popular titles, and enforced a traditional control-scheme as a fallback, I think it would have outsold the PS2.