Report: Console Exclusives Don't Drive Sales

[GonzoGamer]

Doesn't number 3 technically mean the same thing? I mean, they're not buying the console for a specific game, but for a number of exlcusives they've always wanted to try. This survey is way too generalized to give any insight on how exclusive titles move consoles, I'd rather go on some statistics instead.

That's exactly what I was thinking too. Nobody buys a console for one game but for a "library available" it's reasonable.

But my choice in console wasn't driven by any exclusives. I picked the ps3 mostly because (at the time) half of all 360s were spontaneously combusting and I didn't want to pay a monthly fee for online.
If my choice was dictated by exclusives, I would've gotten the 360 for the gta4 "exclusive" content which ended up being so overpriced, I never bought it anyway.

 

[Woe Is You]

I see tons of WRPGs, but next to no JRPGs. And PCs basically have infinite backwards compatability.

Still, that's why I said "of the consoles".

There are some JRPGs; they're mostly covertly released in small quantities, though. Square and Falcom games for the most part. There's also been a recent surge of such games by western developers, games like Aveyond for insance.

 

[Korhal]

Well I bought my XBox 360 two years ago, at the release of GTAIV. My motivation for choosing 360 over PS3 was the price point.

About 4 months ago, when my 360 red ringed, instead of getting it fixed, I sold my library of games and bought a PS3 because I wanted Heavy Rain, Demon's Souls, and a few others.

But I'm with SteelStallion and GonzoGamer on this. "The library" means, for the most part, exclusives (or if not exclusives, games with extra content over other the same game on another system). So sure, only 12% of respondents buy the console for one particular exclusive, but many more will buy the system for the sum total of the games library, of which I'm sure "The games I can't get elsewhere" is a big part.

 

[ranger19]

I like the library of games available - 62%

Umm okay so what about that one? It could just mean they aren't looking at one SINGLE exclusive, but several of them.

My thoughts exactly when I saw the statistic. Either someone is bad at understanding statistics, or someone was looking for a deceptive headline to draw readers in. Shame on you, Escapist, I expect better... But also:

I want the Blu-ray capabilities - 65%

Now, this may be a little facetious, but aren't blu-ray movies PS3 exclusives as well? I mean, sure, you can get them on other machines, just as many 360 exclusives are out for PC, but blu rays don't play on 360 or Wii. So, the top reason people want PS3s is for their exclusive blu ray library.

 

[Warped_Ghost]

That may be so but Mass Effect is the only thing keeping me from not getting a ps3.

 

[MarsProbe]

Well, I bought my 360 because I wanted to play Mass Effect, Gears of War, Fable 2 and the like. The (at the time) exorbitant price of the PS3 wasn't a deciding factor.

So, it may not drive sales for some people, but it was the factor that drove the sale of a 360 to me....

 

[theownerer]

The problem is they didnt interview people who already had a console like a 360. I bought my 360 a long time ago and then recently bought my ps3 because it was at a point where there were alot of exclusives I wanted to play on it.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

I would be a definite minority in that study then. To me a gaming console is a gaming console first, and anything else the console does is just secondary. If I was handed a gift card that was good for either a 360 or a PS3 (as I own neither), my decision would be based purely on which one has more games that I want to play, which would include factoring-in exclusive titles.

 

[TPiddy]

Correction:

Report: SONY Console Exclusives Don't Drive Sales

Exactly... and according to this survey, Sony developing a proprietary high definition disc format and then bullying its way to victory in the DVD market sells consoles....

I bought a 360 for Oblivion, but I also made sure that there were other titles coming for it that I would enjoy. At the time they were Dead Rising and Gears of War 1. When I switched to the Elite, I once again, had to look at the games library, and titles like Mass Effect 2, Alan Wake, Crackdown 2 and Halo: Reach convinced me to stick with the box.

 

[The Shade]

Well, I bought a PS3 for Heavy Rain.
I bought a DS for Scribblenauts.
My favourite game system, of course, is my 360, and I bought it for most of the reasons on that list.

 

[Rayansaki]

So they fail at reading their own statistics?
If I buy a PS3 just for GT5, I'm being influenced by the exclusive on my console choice, but if I buy because it is the console with MGS4 and GOD3 in the library, then I didn't chose the PS3 because of the exclusives? Looks like fail to me.

 

[thiosk]

I found the anti-nintendo dig to be a little on the ugly side.

Why not use Mario Galaxy 2 as an example, instead?

Units moved will be much higher, for sure.

 

[RicoADF]

Yes but surely exclusives count towards the 3rd most popular answer, I like the library of games available - 62%. So whilst a single exclusive doesn't matter on it's own, together with other strong exclusives it contributes towards 62%. That's pretty good surely?

Not all of those games would be exclusive tho.
I wouldn't get a system for a few exclusives, besides between the PS3 and a good PC 95%+ of good games are open to me