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Nobody's perfect. Even the best and the brightest make a mistake here and there.
Video game companies are no exception. While they may be owned and operated by some of the most brilliant and creative minds on the planet, even they are wont to make some bone-headed decisions now and then.
Some bad decisions have sunken whole companies and even the entire industry (we're looking at you, Atari, and the video game crash of '83). But this list is about companies that are still around today in some shape or form. We'll tell you now, though. None of these are pretty.
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10. Microsoft's history of faulty hardware.
Who did it: Microsoft
The XBox 360 turned out to be a phenomenal system.
It was better than the XBox in every single way. Except one, and that's the red ring of death. Chances are that if you had a white XBox, you saw it at least once (If not multiple times).
This was such a huge mistake on Microsoft's part because it was just so damn widespread. Gamers all over the country knew exactly what you meant if you said, "I've seen the ring." They knew you weren't talking about a girl crawling out of a well, that's for sure. Microsoft, for all their problems with the red ring of death, at least handled it well. Gamers would send in their consoles and get them fixed or maybe even cop brand new ones. It was a huge mistake for Microsoft, but they made the right choices to fix it. Gamers like that.
9. Sony's online network gets hacked.
Who did it: Sony
To many, XBox Live was the gold standard (do you see what we did there? Gold, like a gold account) when it came to online gaming.
The PSN just never came close. But the nail was put in the coffin for many when the Playstation network was shut down after it was found out that many people's accounts had been compromised. Sony shut down its network because of hackers.
This is besides the point that an XBox Live Gold account cost money, while PSN's regular service was free. People were irate and didn't trust Sony for a long time after that. The company has since made PSN better than ever, especially if you have a plus account, where they give you free games aplenty. But people to this day feel that Microsoft offers a better service.
We'll see how that all pans out with this next console generation, though...
8. A new system serves up migraines.
Who did it: Nintendo
Nintendo sure is on this list a lot.
After the success of pretty much every console before it, Nintendo decided to do something different. They wanted to take gamers into a world of 3-D! Unfortunately, said world consisted of red lines that hurt the eyes and gave you a headache. The Virtual Boy didn't really last long enough to be considered a major player in the gaming business. Most wrote it off and didn't take it seriously. It was Nintendo's first major fumble. Unfortunately, it wasn't their last.
7. The outrageous pricing of a new console.
Who did it: Sony
It says a lot when future consoles won't cost as much as past consoles at launch, but for an astonishing $600, you too could have had a Playstation 3 on day one.
Sony, riding high off the success of the Playstation 2, assumed that they could release their next console for any damn price they wanted, and they settled on 600 smackaroos, which was unheard of at the time.
Did it work? Well, yes and no. The PS3 did sell a lot, but it didn't sell as much as it could have as many decided to wait for a price drop. Sony could have been much better off if they had only started off at a lower price. Sure, the Blu-Ray player was great, but most would have probably been happier, on launch day, at least, without it.
Or at least with two versions of the console, one with a Blu-Ray player, and one without. Sony looks to have learned from their mistake, though. The PS4 will be $200 cheaper at launch.
6. Allowing Sony to make the Playstation.
Who did it: Nintendo
Cartridges were Nintendo's bread and butter for years.
The NES, the Game Boy, the SNES-cartridges were here to stay. Until they weren't. Knowing that pesky CD's were on the horizon, Nintendo went to Sony to create a new CD-based console for them. Everything was going well until Nintendo decided that, nah, they weren't going to make a CD-based console after all and were going to stick with cartridges. Well, you don't just shun a powerful company like Sony and expect nothing to happen.
Sony decided to make their own CD based console, which would eventually become the Playstation. And we all know what happened after that. Nintendo, in cutting ties with Sony, ultimatley created one of their worst enemies. In the end, Nintendo ultimately made a CD-based console with the Gamecube, but it was too little, too late. Fortunately for Nintendo, the Wii was a boon for them. Hopefully, the Wii U can find its footing.
5. Atari lies about their system.
Who did it: Atari
If you are of a certain age, you probably know nothing about the "bit wars".
A short time in the early 90s when both Sega and Nintendo had two 16-bit systems on the market at the time. The Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo, respectively.
Well, Atari, which had partially been the reason for the video game crash of 1983, decided to stage a comeback in the console making business. But instead of making a 16-bit system like the competition at the time, they decided to market a system that would be far more advanced than either the Genesis or the SNES combined.
It would be known as the Atari Jaguar, and it had a reported 64-bits under its hood. Their ad campaign at the time was "Do the Math". Well, people did do the math, alright, and the purported 64-bits of the Jaguar didn't look any better than the 16-bits that were already on the market. It was embarrassing to say the very least. The Jaguar was a massive flop and Atari has since stayed out of the console business for good, which, if we do the math correctly, equals zero new consoles from Atari in the year 2013. Hmm.
4. DLC comes packaged without your permission.
Who did it: Capcom
Capcom is one of the greatest third-party companies of all time. Nobody will dispute that. Street Fighter, Mega Man (poor Mega Man), Ghost and Goblins-these classics are enduring for a reason.
Yes, their games are amazing. It's just their busines practices that many people have a problem with, namely their recent debacle with fans. DLC that's already on the disc you've just bought. Now, the whole point of DLC is to add content that doesn't come with your initial gaming experience.
It's something extra that comes after you've already played the game, if you choose. So when it was discovered that Capcom had DLC in mind for Street Fighter X Tekken, but that it was already on the disc YOU ALREADY BOUGHT, people had a right to get angry. And they did. Many fans used this mistake as yet another reason to rail on Capcom. It looked like another money-grubbing scheme from the company that put out like a million iterations of Street Fighter II.
Since then, Capcom has tried to make good with fans by releasing Street Fighter X Mega Man for free. It was a step in the right direction, for sure. But the company still has a long ways to go with gamers. A long way, indeed.
3. Releasing a new handheld without a big Mario title.
Who did it: Nintendo
The 3DS is doing fine now. In fact, it's probably the only thing from the big N not currently hemorrhaging money from the company.
But when the portable system was first released, it was met with skepticism and low sales. The company had to do a sizeable price drop early on its cycle just to get most people interested in it. So what was the big problem? No Mario games at launch, that's what!
While there were a few good titles on day one (you'll never hear us complain about Street Fighter IV, never), the system could have sold like gangbusters if they just relased Super Mario 3D Land on day one. It was a game that truly showcased the potential of the handheld, and if it had been out from the very beginning, Nintendo could have kept any price they wanted. People still would have bought it. That's what happens when you're not patient. A great launch title is key.
2. DRM and the problem with an "always-on" console.
Who did it: Microsoft
Granted, Microsoft has since listened to the people and removed a great deal of the features they originally intended for the XBox One, but as of a few weeks ago, Microsoft was pretty much enemy number one with most gamers.
The main problems centered on Digital Rights Management (or DRM for short). A lot of people thought they wouldn't be able to purchase used games like they used to, and that there would be limits to what they could and could not do with their games once they owned them.
Many gamers didn't like that. Couple that with a console that had to be signed in online at least once every 24 hours, and many gamers felt that Microsoft was taking things a bit too far. Recently, Microsoft decided to heed what the consumer was saying and have since decided to let used games be as they were. You also don't have to sign in once every 24 hours and the internet doesn't have to be on to play games.
And the people rejoiced. Reservation sales have since gone up.
1. Sega releases the Saturn way ahead of schedule.
Who did it: Sega
A blunder so bad, you're left wondering, "What was Sega thinking?"
Following a string of poorly conceived add-ons (ahem..Sega CD and 3DX), the Saturn looked to be the salvation for the company that once went toe-to-toe with Nintendo.
Sure, Sony looked like it could potentially be a threat with their at-the-time upcoming Playstation console, but people knew Sega. It was a brand they could trust. Or so they thought. Originally scheduled for Saturday (er, "Saturnday), September 2nd, 1995, then Sega of America President, Tom Kalinske, recanted those statements and said that the system was to come out immediately.
The move backfired terribly (it cost $100 more than the Playstation, companies like Walmart and KB Toys weren't even included in the early launch, and most didn't even know the system came out), and it basically ruined the trajectory of the system's sales. Sega would ultimately release the beloved Dreamcast a few years later, but the damage had already been done with the Saturn. Sega never recovered and later had to leave the console business altogether. Shame, too, because the Saturn was one hell of a system.
