Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

During our 11th and 12th podcasts we toyed with the idea that the high marks earned by Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction might make it a “system seller” for the beleaguered PlayStation 3. In the days since each of those podcasts I kept finding myself thinking about what would constitute a system seller for the console and — more broadly — for each of the three consoles now at retail. When someone decides to buy, however, isn’t always just about the killer app or system seller. It’s also about when the buyer’s desire for the system reaches a tipping point beyond which the system is now worth getting.

System sellers basically bypass this tipping point by tilting the balance all the way to the “buy” side. We’re talking about a game that someone sees and/or plays and feels they must purchase a particular console to have that game. It can be a console exclusive, but if it is a multi-platform game and done “better” on one console than another then it need not be exclusive.

On the other hand there are what I’ll call tipping point games. These are games that tilt the balance for a console significantly closer to making it worth owning. These can be tricky to define and often depend on the kind of gamer you are.

Here’s what I think I’ve figured out: the concept of system-seller is different for each console in the current generation of systems. This is what is makes trying to define one so difficult, but let’s give it a shot.

Common Denominators
For all three current-gen systems a system-selling game must be a relatively bug-free title with some play length and/or significant variety and replayability. It should also play to the strengths of the given platform. If it transcends the weaknesses of a platform or sidesteps them entirely in addition to these factors well, then you probably have a very big seller on your hands.

The tipping point game is related to the system seller in that it has nearly all of its strongest characteristics and weighs heavily in favor of buying a system. These games could be cross-platform but must be high quality. The gist of it is that enough of these on a system can sell it to someone eyeing the system already.

Let’s start with the easiest definition and then forge onwards from there into rougher terrain. I’m sure by the time we’re done you’ll have more than a few suggestions on some things I might have missed, and please throw your suggestions into comments at the end of our presentation once you’ve heard me out. And of course, as time goes on, these rules may be broken by an important game that stretches what will sell a particular console.

Nintendo Wii
The primary trait of the Wii is its motion controls and its secondary trait is online connectivity via integrated Wi-Fi. Graphics and sound features are significantly weaker than the PS3 and 360. For the Wii, a system seller has to have very fun motion controls that are easy to learn. Online play is not required and popular characters are a plus, but not necessary. The Wii Virtual Console is not a system selling feature. It really doesn’t get any more succinct than this, but it’s still not easy to pull off.

The prime example of a Wii system seller is perhaps the luckiest system seller in history — it’s Wii Sports, the very game that ships with the console. Another system-seller is likely Super Mario Galaxy. Tipping point games for the Wii might be Rayman Raving Rabbids, Guitar Hero III, and Zack and Wicki.

Xbox 360
The key strength of the Xbox 360 is the Xbox Live online service. Its Achievements cross-game scoring system combined with a friends list augmented by Microsoft-provided cross-game and in-game messaging and voice chat are extremely compelling features. The system’s ethernet port and optional Wi-Fi support this connectivity. It also has powerful graphics and sound capabilities, has media playback support, and has a Video Marketplace standard-definition and high definition movie rental service. An optional HD-DVD drive gives high-definition movie disc playback options, and could be considered a tipping point feature.

All system-seller games on the 360 absolutely must have strong online multiplayer capabilities. They must have high-quality graphics and sound. They are almost all a hardcore action game offering like a first person shooter or third-person shooter, but less hardcore offerings like annually refreshed sports titles tied to online play options can be a system-seller for some. No single Xbox Live Arcade title is a system seller.

The prime examples of system sellers for the Xbox 360 are Gears of War, Halo 3, and for sports fans Madden. Tipping-point games could include Guitar Hero II and III, Crackdown, Oblivion, Call of Duty 4, Rainbow Six: Vegas, GRAW 2, and a few of the very popular Arcade offerings like UNO.

PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 has powerful graphics and sound; a high-capacity Blu-ray drive for games and high-definition disc movie playback; integrated Wi-Fi and ethernet support; online gaming capabilities requiring any and all matchmaking lobby and voice chat to be provided by publishers; a standard hard drive; multimedia playback capabilities; and SIXAXIS tilt controls.

Because of the 360′s very strong online capabilities, considerable installed base, and similar (so far) graphics and sound capabilities, simultaneous cross-platform releases are not expected to be system sellers for the PlayStation 3. A PS3 system seller will be an exclusive title with high-quality graphics and sound, strong online play options, and possibly extensive downloadable content integration via the standard hard drive.

If this description sounds a little esoteric it’s because to date the PS3 has not had a clear system selling title. I don’t see anything that very clearly by itself would drive someone to buy a PS3, but there are some tipping-point games. Guitar Hero III, Call of Duty 4, Rainbow Six: Vegas, GRAW 2, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, and even Oblivion could all be considered tipping point games.

Your Turn
My descriptions might seem a little bit clinical in how I’ve tried to narrow things down, but I’ve deliberately left upcoming titles with undefined feature sets out of consideration. Fans of each system will no doubt have their own future system-seller titles to add. Feel free to pile on in the comments section below and tell me what I might have missed.