Week 3 EOC: Boston Consulting Group - Video Games

The video game industry has been affected by the global recession in the last three years. Many of the video game consoles manufacturers have been constantly changing and thus falling into slots of the Boston Consulting Group Growth-Share Matrix for an indefinite amount of time until, hopefully, the video game market heals itself. Starting off, the iPhone and/or iPad, although not technically video game consoles, have begun to up rise and make a name for them in the video game industry. Why? Well, who would want to pay $60 to $70 for a video game copy? Video game console sold separately. My point exactly, Apple has become an alternative to gaming consoles especially because of the easy and affordable access to entertainment sources. “Streaming mirroring has the potential to turn the iPad 2 from a gaming machine into a game console, just like a PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii or Xbox 360.” (http://www.appolicious.com/articles/8294-new-features-could-make-ipad-2-ios-5-a-contender-against-game-consoles). This places the iPhone and iPad in the question mark slot. Apple needs to decide if they want these devices to turn into stars, which eventually may become cash cows.  For Sony’s PlayStation 3, one would have to classify it as a cash cow, simply because of its ability to maintain itself above other consoles such as Microsoft’s Xbox 360. They maintain themselves up in part due to the “free goodies” they come with such as a Blu-ray Disc player and the accessibility of online gaming without an extra charge. But, Kinect really pushed Microsoft’s Xbox 360 into a cash cow too, adding to the gaming experience. Without Kinect, the Xbox 360 would be a dog without a doubt, partly in due to the fact of the many missing “freebies” the PS3 has to offer. “To really rub it in, it also adopts BD-ROM (Blu-ray Disc ROM) with maximum storage capacity of 54 GB (dual layer), enabling delivery of entertainment content in full high-definition (HD) quality, under a secure environment made possible through the most advanced copyright protection technology.” (http://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/how-to-shop/playstation-3-vs-xbox-360) As for Nintendo’s Wii, I would classify it as a dog by far. Mostly because it is a video game console targeted to a younger crowd, but it still has potential to become a star and even become a cash cow with its upcoming Wii-U, Nintendo’s new HD console. “EA boss John Riccitiello says that Wii U is a ‘stunning breakthrough’ that ‘speaks directly to EA Sports games’ and boasts ‘brilliant HD graphics’.” (http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/consoles/wii-u-all-the-latest-details-591807)