D&D 4E Will 4E be the PS3 of D&D?

[babomb]

As to the OP, yes, 4e's biggest competitor will 3e, so in that respect the PS2/PS3 analogy is apt.

So, yeah, 4e will be like the PS3... which outsold the 360 in july btw.

Correction: Some analysts predicted the PS3 would outsell the 360 in July. The numbers just came out, and it turns out the 360 was still ahead, although the PS3 narrowed the margin considerably from last month.

* Nintendo Wii: 425K
* Nintendo DS: 405K
* Sony PlayStation 2: 222K
* Sony PSP: 214K
* Microsoft Xbox 360: 170K
* Sony PlayStation 3: 159K
* Nintendo GBA: 87K

For comparison, PS3 sold 98,500 in June versus 360's 198,400.

The PS3's sales increase is related to the $100 price drop. I EXPECT that its numbers will gradually drop over the next 3 months to more normal levels (but still higher than before the price drop) before jumping back up (along with all the other systems' sales) for the holiday season. Regardless, the sales for ONE MONTH don't matter much.

Let's just hope its not like the dreamcast

At least in terms of sales figures! The Dreamcast was a good system, though. The Dreamcast of RPGs is probably Dogs in the Vineyard or Spirit of the Century: well-received critically and beloved by a cult following, but could never hope to enjoy the popularity of D&D or WoD.

I suppose in this analogy, 3e is the PS2 and WoD is the XBox. It doesn't necessarily follow that the new WoD is the 360 and 4e is the PS3, though. Purely in terms of sales figures of those consoles (so far), I'd expect it'd be the reverse. I guess that makes GURPS the Gamecube? I don't think there's an analogue to the Wii.

Just wait until Home comes out for the PS3- then you'll see some shifting in that market. (Probably, anyway- I'm looking forward to it, at least.)

I don't mean to beat up on the PS3, but I've seen the beta of Home, and I'm not interested. Personally, I don't find a 3D avatar adds anything to selecting things or socializing (and in fact detracts from it). The only thing aspect I'm interested in is the trophy room (the analogue of 360's acheivements).

What system DO you think is more applicable to 4th, and what do the others represent? IE, if the 360 is 4th, what's the DS?

What's the DS? The most popular beer-and-pretzels game you can think of--or Munchkin.

 

[DonTadow]

It isn't a computer game, no, but from what I've seen thus far of the functionality of the Virtual Tabletop, it certainly seems like something that could as easily be ported to a console as on a PC.

XBox and the PS3 are not just "gaming machines". They are designed to be multimedia platforms- that's why they handle so many things like playing DVDs, CDs, have keyboards and hard drives, etc. (FWIW, I hardly use my PS2 for gaming- I mostly use it to play music and dvds.)

So color me as one not thinking it's a silly question.

But right now, the question is like asking will Microsoft Office be on the ps3 or xbox live? Yes the machines can handle it but their primary function is videogame playing.

Then lets look at the logistics. Most people who will use a computer at the gaming table will use a portable laptop. Maybe even a projector. The benefit of putting it on a video game machine is nil.

Heck, they aren't even making a Mac version. Programming a ps3 or xbox version would be a nightmoare for non programmers.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

But right now, the question is like asking will Microsoft Office be on the ps3 or xbox live? Yes the machines can handle it but their primary function is videogame playing.

Okay, I see where you're coming from- you are talking more about some of the organizational aspects of the DI, rather than some of the aspects that I'm talking about.

Specifically, I'm looking at their depictions of the Virtual Game Table and what they've said its uses could be for finding and gaming with people over the internet (ie, in a non-tabletop, face-to-face sense).

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the way it was presented at GenCon in the video (or just haven't seen enough of their plans), but my take was that it could be used not just as a DM/Player aid to tabletop gaming, but could be used to simulate the tabletop environment in a virtual world- so that you could generate and play with players from around the globe. In such a case, it seems to me that it would be useful to make it cross platform compatible, especially with the newer generation consoles that are designed to be multimedia devices.

Heck, they aren't even making a Mac version. Programming a ps3 or xbox version would be a nightmoare for non programmers.

I don't think they have non-programmers working on these- they were advertising for programmers some time ago (in preparation of the DI, one presumes), and I can't imagine they would just let this project go ahead without the proper technical support in any case.

XBox probably wouldn't be quite as difficult to do as the PS3, because from my understanding its software is pretty much what you'd expect to get from any Microsoft product.

Also, I'd have to double check, but I believe I've heard that the PS3 is actually easier to program and design for than the XBox.

 

[Tharkun]

Expensive enough to buy a PC and not even worth the price? No way. It will be more like the NES or Wii an instant classic I think.