Teh Retard:
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/6527/xbox360pack29if2rp.jpg
Looking at PS2 vs. Xbox why wouldn't you expect the core system to become the eventual standard Xbox 360?
The 85/15 launch breakdown should give you early adopters no comfort. Remember that the original Duke controller was in 100% of the initial Xbox systems sold (100/0 breakdown) and yet the mainstream consumers chose the controller-S in the end. The controller-S became the standard Xbox controller even though the Duke was the only controller on the market for the first year. The way that MS initially distributed the system didn't influence or control what the mainstream consumer eventually chose. In a similar way the Xbox core system with wired controller and no HDD very well may become the default standard Xbox over this generation. And why wouldn't it?
Since when did the mainstream consumer care about "value?" The Xbox was a better value than the PS2 and yet the mainstream chose PS2 over Xbox by a huge margin.
-Did the mainstream consumer care that the Xbox had a HDD standard and the PS2 didn't?
-Did the mainstream consumer care that the Xbox could load games much faster than the PS2?
-Did they care that you could download massive level expansions for the Xbox games and you couldn't for PS2?
-Did they care that Xbox games could stream data off the HDD to allow for larger worlds and store greater details on the HDD to remember the location of people and items in those worlds?
-Did the mainstream consumer care about added expenses like having to buy a crappy memory card for the PS2?
-Did the mainstream consumer care about having only 2 controller ports by default?
No! So why wouldn't you expect the core system to eventually become the default standard Xbox 360?
As someone on this message board pointed out, when the mainstream consumer picks up Madden for his core Xbox 360 console it's going to play perfectly fine on the core console, he's going to be able to log onto Xbox Live with the free silver membership and download all of his roster updates at no cost, and he's never going to see any reason why he needs a HDD. Now some of you might say "that's great, see the Xbox 360 is giving people choice and catering to everyone's needs," but you're forgetting something. That Madden gamer, he represents the majority. We the people who see value in the HDD and the potential it opens up for games and functionality of the console represent the minority. The mainstream "Madden gamer" outnumbers us 10:1 and so the HDD may just be here at launch to just lead us the faithful hardcore gamers into the next-gen with Xbox 360. Whether the HDD will be well supported by game developers over the Xbox 360's life is uncertain and completely depends upon what the mainstream gamer chooses.
Just as the Duke controller was slowly phased out of the market so too may the HDD, eventually. As I pointed out before it doesn't really matter what percentage of Xbox 360 owners buy a HDD system at the launch of the console,
what really matters is what percentage end up having a HDD system by the end of the generation.
The existence of the core console has created great reason for fear, uncertainty, and doubt with regards to the future of the HDD.
Everyone who runs out and buys a HDD or Xbox 360 premium edition at launch should do so only with the understanding that there are no guarantees that that HDD will be well supported and regularly used by developers over the next 5 years. Judging by how the mainstream consumer chose the PS2 over the Xbox there is a very good possibilty that the core console will in fact end up as the default system for Xbox 360 owners.
