Could the gaming tides be turning against Sony and the PlayStation 4? For the past two months, the Xbox One has outsold the PS4 in North America - the first time it had sold more than its rival in almost a year. Admittedly, price reductions - due to retailers clearing stock to make way for the Xbox One S - most likely contributed, but it does indicate a general upward trend in the Xbox One's fortunes.
Sony's bad news continues, however, in the wake of its "PlayStation" meeting last week, where it unveiled its own slimmed-down console, and announced the PlayStation 4 Pro - a machine that, if you read the news sites and social media - nobody really wants or understands.
A further test of Sony's hardware will arrive next month in the form of the PlayStation VR, which, by all accounts, is having something of a "soft" launch. For "soft" read "snuck out".
Is it game over for Sony? Not yet. But you only need to look at the history of gaming to know how relatively quickly the fortunes of a market-leading console giant can turn. And perhaps the greatest series of bad-wrongs ever perpetrated by a games company was the litany of errors which led to the decline of Sega. Here are their five biggest mess-ups.
Sony's bad news continues, however, in the wake of its "PlayStation" meeting last week, where it unveiled its own slimmed-down console, and announced the PlayStation 4 Pro - a machine that, if you read the news sites and social media - nobody really wants or understands.
A further test of Sony's hardware will arrive next month in the form of the PlayStation VR, which, by all accounts, is having something of a "soft" launch. For "soft" read "snuck out".
Is it game over for Sony? Not yet. But you only need to look at the history of gaming to know how relatively quickly the fortunes of a market-leading console giant can turn. And perhaps the greatest series of bad-wrongs ever perpetrated by a games company was the litany of errors which led to the decline of Sega. Here are their five biggest mess-ups.
MEGA-CD
There had been nothing like the Mega-CD before the Mega-CD: a hardware add-on for a phenomenally successful console, which brought CD-ROM, a whole new format of gaming, to the masses. However, it's fair to argue that people were curious about it, rather than excited. Even Sega seemed to release the thing with a sort of muted fanfare - like blowing into a bugle that had been bunged up with a pair of lederhosen.
Also, for all its vaunted power, it was a dodgy and underpowered bit of kit. The grainy full motion video it offered was soon superseded by the 3DO and other systems, and the general sense was that developers weren't really sure how to be utilise the storage and capabilities... beyond offering better sound, and video clips.
While Sonic CD is, arguably, one of the best Sonic the Hedgehog games ever, Mega-CD games were generally pretty ropey, as developers struggled to find a way to best utilise the hardware. It was poorly supported, and what support it had was, generally, poor.
Barely a year after its launch - just as it was being released in Europe - Sega all but cancelled development for the device. It had sold just over two million units before Sega discontinued the hardware to focus on the Saturn. Oh! But then it got distracted by something called "Project Mars" - the equivalent of driving to Disneyland, but taking a six-month detour through a Harvester car park.
Also, for all its vaunted power, it was a dodgy and underpowered bit of kit. The grainy full motion video it offered was soon superseded by the 3DO and other systems, and the general sense was that developers weren't really sure how to be utilise the storage and capabilities... beyond offering better sound, and video clips.
While Sonic CD is, arguably, one of the best Sonic the Hedgehog games ever, Mega-CD games were generally pretty ropey, as developers struggled to find a way to best utilise the hardware. It was poorly supported, and what support it had was, generally, poor.
Barely a year after its launch - just as it was being released in Europe - Sega all but cancelled development for the device. It had sold just over two million units before Sega discontinued the hardware to focus on the Saturn. Oh! But then it got distracted by something called "Project Mars" - the equivalent of driving to Disneyland, but taking a six-month detour through a Harvester car park.
32X
In the history of gaming disasters, the 32X was arguably the biggest. It's appropriate that the thing was vaguely mushroom cloud-shaped, as it was nothing less than an apocalyptic disaster for Sega.
Codenamed Project Mars, it was billed as an affordable way for Mega Drive owners to play 32-bit games. Certainly, the initial titles offered a better reason to buy it than the Mega CD ever did - although Star Wars Arcade, Virtua Racing Deluxe, and a stripped-back Doom weren't really doing anything that the Super NES wasn't already doing with its Super FX chip. As the months wore on, Sega offered fewer and fewer reasons to own one.
Ultimately, what the 32X managed to do was muddy Sega's message: do you stick with it and the Mega Drive, or upgrade to the imminent Saturn? It fractured Sega's focus, and when the Saturn was released six months later, development for the 32X all but dried up. It damaged the faith of Sega's rabid fanbase - and the company would never quite recover.
Codenamed Project Mars, it was billed as an affordable way for Mega Drive owners to play 32-bit games. Certainly, the initial titles offered a better reason to buy it than the Mega CD ever did - although Star Wars Arcade, Virtua Racing Deluxe, and a stripped-back Doom weren't really doing anything that the Super NES wasn't already doing with its Super FX chip. As the months wore on, Sega offered fewer and fewer reasons to own one.
Ultimately, what the 32X managed to do was muddy Sega's message: do you stick with it and the Mega Drive, or upgrade to the imminent Saturn? It fractured Sega's focus, and when the Saturn was released six months later, development for the 32X all but dried up. It damaged the faith of Sega's rabid fanbase - and the company would never quite recover.
SATURN
With Sega's focus and message being decidedly wonky by the time the Saturn was released, the machine never got off to a great start. It managed to beat the rival PlayStation to market with a surprise North American and European release, that upset unprepared retailers - some dropped Sega products from their shelves altogether - and allowed Sony to undercut the Saturn by $100 dollars.
Despite a near decent launch title in the shape of Virtua Fighter, Sony's price, more aggressive marketing, and incentives for third-parties to support their new machine, meant that it went on to dramatically outperform the Saturn.
Within days, the PlayStation had sold more than the Saturn had managed in the previous five months. Further indignity came following unfavourable comparisons between the PlayStation's Ridge Racer and Sega's Daytona USA - which led most to conclude that Sony had the more powerful hardware.
The price of the Saturn was cut to match the PlayStation in early 1996, but Sega's hardware was more costly to manufacture, and damaged the company's bottom line. Further unforeseen badness came in the way Sega dramatically underestimated continued interest in the Mega Drive/Genesis, turning its back on its most successful system far too early. The release of the Nintendo 64, and Super Mario 64 in particular, simply rammed home the message that the Saturn was the gaming equivalent of a bum-scented candle.
Hope came in the form of Sonic X-Treme - the 3D debut for Sega's mascot - but despite extensive development, the project was cancelled, leaving the Saturn without a flagship game for the company's most famous brand.
Following the botched launch, the Saturn struggled for the remainder of its life, crawling around an Accident & Emergency room begging for coins.
Despite a near decent launch title in the shape of Virtua Fighter, Sony's price, more aggressive marketing, and incentives for third-parties to support their new machine, meant that it went on to dramatically outperform the Saturn.
Within days, the PlayStation had sold more than the Saturn had managed in the previous five months. Further indignity came following unfavourable comparisons between the PlayStation's Ridge Racer and Sega's Daytona USA - which led most to conclude that Sony had the more powerful hardware.
The price of the Saturn was cut to match the PlayStation in early 1996, but Sega's hardware was more costly to manufacture, and damaged the company's bottom line. Further unforeseen badness came in the way Sega dramatically underestimated continued interest in the Mega Drive/Genesis, turning its back on its most successful system far too early. The release of the Nintendo 64, and Super Mario 64 in particular, simply rammed home the message that the Saturn was the gaming equivalent of a bum-scented candle.
Hope came in the form of Sonic X-Treme - the 3D debut for Sega's mascot - but despite extensive development, the project was cancelled, leaving the Saturn without a flagship game for the company's most famous brand.
Following the botched launch, the Saturn struggled for the remainder of its life, crawling around an Accident & Emergency room begging for coins.
SONIC ADVENTURE
The Dreamcast, Sega's follow-up to the Saturn, was a fine piece of kit. Sega did a lot right with the Dreamcast - decent price, decent hardware, decent games - but it was too little too late. With the GameCube and heavily-hyped PlayStation 2 just over the horizon, most people were content to adopt a wait-and-see approach to the Dreamcast, having been burned by the Saturn, and what was fast becoming Sega's tendency to ditch hardware too soon.
Though initial sales were strong in the US and Europe, it struggled in Japan, and with weak third party support - it failed to have the backing of Electronic Arts - sales ultimately fell two million short of what Sega needed for the system to be viable.
It might be controversial - given that the Dreamcast had many games now considered classics (Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Shenmue) - but I'd argue that Sonic Adventure also served to damage the company's long-term fortunes. Though it went on to become the best-selling game on the Dreamcast, Sonic Adventure was a weird and glitchy mix of on-rails platforming, dull fishing games, excruciating voice acting, and an achingly tedious open world, where the player just wandered around having conversations. It wasn't a terrible game, but it didn't feel like a Sonic The Hedgehog game, in the way that Super Mario 64 felt faithful to its origins.
Sega's mishandling of its Sonic brand continues to this day.
Though initial sales were strong in the US and Europe, it struggled in Japan, and with weak third party support - it failed to have the backing of Electronic Arts - sales ultimately fell two million short of what Sega needed for the system to be viable.
It might be controversial - given that the Dreamcast had many games now considered classics (Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Shenmue) - but I'd argue that Sonic Adventure also served to damage the company's long-term fortunes. Though it went on to become the best-selling game on the Dreamcast, Sonic Adventure was a weird and glitchy mix of on-rails platforming, dull fishing games, excruciating voice acting, and an achingly tedious open world, where the player just wandered around having conversations. It wasn't a terrible game, but it didn't feel like a Sonic The Hedgehog game, in the way that Super Mario 64 felt faithful to its origins.
Sega's mishandling of its Sonic brand continues to this day.
EVERYTHING SINCE
Sega finally got out of the hardware game in 2001 - the last good decision it made. Most of us were hopeful that the new software-only Sega would have the space and resources available to create the sorts of games it was once famed for.
Unfortunately, years of bad decisions had taken their toll, and Sega were haemorrhaging money. Its first third-party release was a port of Chu Chu Rocket for the Game Boy Advance, followed by Sonic Advance - neither of which made much of an impact. Its first major multi-format release was Sonic Heroes in 2003, for the GameCube, PS2 and Xbox, but it was a long way from being the sort of Sonic game people expected or wanted.
Continued financial woes led to the company merging with slot machine manufacturer Sammy in 2004, but since then Sega has struggled with its identity. It purchased Creative Assembly, best known for the Total War series, Football Manager creator Sports Interactive, and more recently Relic Entertainment, the team responsible for Company of Heroes. The games were a far cry from the sort of arcade-focused titles Sega was famed for. It's as if Sega no longer knows who it is, or what it's for.
Indeed, a look at Sega's corporate website is an exercise in self-administered depression, underlining its continued dedication to brands which seem an ill-fit for a company with such a history. It continues to roll out Sonic games to an increasingly disinterested marketplace.
Sega is these days focusing on mobile development and digital platforms - though even there it's hard to identify its achievements - but it's a minor player in an industry it was stood astride like a colossus. Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo... be warned.
Unfortunately, years of bad decisions had taken their toll, and Sega were haemorrhaging money. Its first third-party release was a port of Chu Chu Rocket for the Game Boy Advance, followed by Sonic Advance - neither of which made much of an impact. Its first major multi-format release was Sonic Heroes in 2003, for the GameCube, PS2 and Xbox, but it was a long way from being the sort of Sonic game people expected or wanted.
Continued financial woes led to the company merging with slot machine manufacturer Sammy in 2004, but since then Sega has struggled with its identity. It purchased Creative Assembly, best known for the Total War series, Football Manager creator Sports Interactive, and more recently Relic Entertainment, the team responsible for Company of Heroes. The games were a far cry from the sort of arcade-focused titles Sega was famed for. It's as if Sega no longer knows who it is, or what it's for.
Indeed, a look at Sega's corporate website is an exercise in self-administered depression, underlining its continued dedication to brands which seem an ill-fit for a company with such a history. It continues to roll out Sonic games to an increasingly disinterested marketplace.
Sega is these days focusing on mobile development and digital platforms - though even there it's hard to identify its achievements - but it's a minor player in an industry it was stood astride like a colossus. Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo... be warned.
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