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Let's Data Mine Google: What Gamers Want to Know About the Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3
Andrewh
Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Editor's note: Andrew wrote this before today's announcement about Netflix coming to the Wii, so while not all of his conclusions are right, the data's oddly prescient.... -Demian


Where are the movies on the Wii? Is the Xbox still not cheap enough? And forget about the ten-year cycle, the people are ready for PlayStation 4!

Using the very non-scientific method of "typing some junk into the Google search bar and seeing what suggestions come up," I have identified exactly what the general public wants out of the console manufacturers!

First up, the Wii:

 

Right off the bat, you can see people want the next Wii to come out, and they certainly want better resolution than 480p. But what surprised me most is how people expect this device to be their movie player as well. I guess they want some reason to use the thing. Oh!

Next up, Microsoft:

So people want Xbox 720 and they want Natal, but we can also see people aren't happy about the price points! Can Microsoft go cheaper? Yes, but they probably won't any time soon. And will Xbox Live ever be free? [Stifles laugh]. Moving on....

Now for Sony's turn:

Well that's it. The PlayStation 3 is done, long live the PlayStation 4. I don't think this ten-year-cycle stuff is really going to fly. The only question is, will PS4 be backwards compatible? The public seems savvy enough not to ask that question, probably because they will never get a straight answer.

 
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Comments (13)
Default_picture
January 13, 2010
Are we really ready to move on to the next generation of consoles already? I mean, shouldn't we give the Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 another five years to hit their technological peak? Personally, I think that we're almost on the cutting edge of technology as far as graphics go... right?

Also, when is the Dreamcast 2 going to come out?
Default_picture
January 13, 2010
Isn't there a blog that makes fun of how asinine the common Google searches are?
Oh yea, there is. Also need I remind you of Yahoo Answers for further proof of how messed up the majority of the internet is.
Jeffcon
January 13, 2010
That says "Google Canada" so I don't think this stuff actually counts. I kid!

Great work, as usual.
Default_picture
January 13, 2010
I really want sony to have a 10 year plan with this PS3 as I don't want to upgrade any more
5211_100857553261324_100000112393199_12455_5449490_n
January 13, 2010
If the ten-year cycle doesn't pan out for the PS3, I guess there's always the Playstation 2. That's still got a couple years.
January 13, 2010
While some of the PS4 and 720 searches are by innovators waiting for the next wave, I personally think there's another reason.

What if these searches involve some consumers' fear of wasting money. As in, "should I spend $300 if a new one is coming out just next Christmas...?"
Default_picture
January 13, 2010
Ready for the next generation of consoles?

I am glad the successors to the Xbox 360 and PS3 are awhile off. Games from 2009 are still pushing the boundaries of the systems and the technology they offer.

I agree the Wii's waggle "gimmick" has run dry but I don't think HD is the biggest thing it needs.
Andrewh
January 13, 2010
@McKinley - I wish!

@Jordan - My favorites are when people search for urls instead of just going to them.

@Bryan - I think they pulled backwards compatibility, because the PS3 group were jealous.

@Keith - Very clever, and I don't think you're not right

@Timothy - It's kind of hard to think about how they could get better! But then again, I guess we thought the same when the SNES came out, the N64, the PS2... Hell dreamcast games still look amazing to me, so I'm not sure what they could offer.
Default_picture
January 13, 2010
I have a feeling that we will see a successor to the PS3 before any other console. Why do I think that? Well the PS released a whole year before it's strongest competitor and it's total units sold ended up being 102 million compared to 33 million for the N64 according to Wikipedia. The PS2 released released a whole year before it's strongest competitors and it's total units shipped currently 138 million. The GameCube's total units sold ended up at 22 million and the Xbox at 24+ million according to Wikipedia. We all know how the PS3 has struggled since being released and I guarantee you Sony won't make that mistake again.
4540_79476034228_610804228_1674526_2221611_n
January 13, 2010
"When will playstation home be released". I laughed. Proof of how much of a joke home is and how Sony have utterly failed to market it.

I'm not ready for next gen yet. I feel like the current gen is just starting to get good. 2009 was a sizzler!
Default_picture
January 13, 2010
While the data aren't scientific, they show at least something about Google users. It's probably safe to say that most of the searches were done by people who don't own the consoles yet, and who don't know very much about the game industry anyway.

Also, weird how India has its own place in the PlayStation suggestions.
Default_picture
January 13, 2010
When will the Playstation Store come to India?
Default_picture
January 14, 2010
I just want to inform the world that if you type "Why does" into google the first thing is "...my vag smell." Just a sophomoric tidbit for you guys!
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