http://arstechnica.com/news/posts/1073407765.html
Windows based, inexplicably. They wheel out my oft-repeated argument about Java and consoles: why does a console manufacturer want a cross-platform environment when it means they lose exclusivity?
Cas 
Where does that post say anything about console makers worrying about losing exclusivity?
It talks about gaming publishers not liking openness because of piracy, but gaming publishers are hardly the ones that really want the exclusivity (or the console manufacturers wouldn’t have to pay them extra to not release on all platforms at once).
I kind of interpreted this [quote]PCs are one thing, but the console market is heavily populated by various platform competitors: what gaming publisher wants to publish a game on an open console environment? Piracy just got 10 times easier
[/quote]
as a license to restate my own opinion on the matter
There’s two opposing forces at work in the console world and the Java world. The developers stand to gain, outright, from writing to one platform. The console manufacturers rely to some extent on unique features in their hardware which are terribly difficult to abstract out into an API in any meaningful way. (Currently). The publishers also have a tough decision - release on multiple platforms and gain no kudos from exclusivity, or release on one platform and become an object of envy (“gee, I wish I had an X box instead of my lousy Game Cube”).
Well, that’s my take 
Cas
[quote] The console manufacturers rely to some extent on unique features in their hardware which are terribly difficult to abstract out into an API in any meaningful way. (Currently). The publishers also have a tough decision - release on multiple platforms and gain no kudos from exclusivity, or release on one platform and become an object of envy (“gee, I wish I had an X box instead of my lousy Game Cube”).
[/quote]
Ok, the lines between consoles, save the presence of a hard drive, is almost non existant. Look at StarWars III on the GameCube and tell me the XBox could do it better. The next generation of systems will close this gap even further. The value of the different platforms are tied to the content the manufacturers lock on to the platform via contract.
As for platform exclusives, anyone remember Blinx or Squeekers on the XBox? So much for envying exclusives on other platforms Seriously, envy dosen’t pay the bills. Content that manufacturers want locked to their platform will do so using contracts, not technologies. Any developer doing a large budget game needs to look at more than one platform to monetize and recoup development costs (and make some more dough in the process).
-ChrisM
As a counter-example, I bought an XBox purely to play Halo, and haven’t regretted it one bit. The only other game I’m planning to buy is Halo 2.
On the other hand, due to the loss that Microsoft were selling the XBox at when i got mine, and the fact that i got halo second hand, having the exclusive on halo probably hasn’t done them any good, at least from me.
Halo doesn’t make a good counterpoint since it incurred porting costs when it eventually got ported to the PC (it is currently also getting ported to the Mac).
Only true exclusives, like Nintendo’s Mario series, would not benefit from better portability.
[quote]Halo doesn’t make a good counterpoint since it incurred porting costs when it eventually got ported to the PC (it is currently also getting ported to the Mac).
Only true exclusives, like Nintendo’s Mario series, would not benefit from better portability.
[/quote]
EXACTLY
-ChrisM
What about the mentioned piracy issues? Interesting angle I hadn’t considered before.
Hm, that’s probably a red herring, what with proprietry disc formats and bootstrap code etc.
Cas
True exclusively is less of an issue but still exists.
Of the top selling games 10 in October (not including GBA titles) only these were “exclusive”
2 Jak II
10 Viewtiful Joe (is this permentally exclusive?)
For rentals top 10 there was only Mario Kart: Double Dash
However if you look at how players rank games allot of exclusives show up.
http://www.gamerankings.com/itemrankings/simpleratings.asp
And also November’s top console sales
Rank / Title / Console / Publisher
1 / Mario Kart: Double Dash!! / GC / Nintendo
2 / Medal of Honor Rising Sun / PS2 / EA
3 / Final Fantasy X-2 / PS2 / Square Enix
4 / Grand Theft Auto Double Pack / Xbox / Rockstar
5 / SOCOM II: U.S. Navy Seals / PS2 / SCEA
6 / Need for Speed Underground / PS2 / EA
7 / Tony Hawk’s Underground / PS2 / Activision
8 / True Crime: Streets of LA / PS2 / Activision
9 / Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. / GBA / Nintendo
10 / Madden NFL 2004 / PS2 / EA
Couldn’t find yearly totals for 2003, anyone?
On another note, here’s the Top Selling games on PC for 2002
If Will Wright had used Java, we would own the PC game technology market.
[quote]True exclusively is less of an issue but still exists.
Couldn’t find yearly totals for 2003, anyone?
[/quote]
ELSPA have just published their 2003 figures for the UK (http://www.java-gaming.org/cgi-bin/JGNetForums/YaBB.cgi?board=News;action=display;num=1073657296;start=0#0)
but IIRC you need to buy the report to get the figures (unlike IGDA etc)…
Totals for US and worldwide normally appear at the end of this quarter, don’t they? (vague memories…)
[quote]What about the mentioned piracy issues? Interesting angle I hadn’t considered before.
Hm, that’s probably a red herring, what with proprietry disc formats and bootstrap code etc.
Cas
[/quote]
Red Herring. Just ask Sony about the rampant piracy they deal with. Or Microsoft and XBox. Lame excuse to justify exclusivity. Exclusives are all about getting people to buy your box so they can lock you in. We are even starting to see this trend in cell phone services due to number portability. “Oh, you can move your number, but you won’t because we offer the best content on OUR network.”
Developers want cross platform, manufacturers don’t really care so long as they can lock certain pieces of content in.
-ChrisM