If you're an MMO player, there's a good chance you have at least one video game console in your home. Personally, I have a Wii and Xbox 360 on the shelf under my television for those times I just don't feel like sitting in front of my PC to play games. I even have most of my older systems, ranging back to my original NES, for when I get nostalgic. But with the current trend of companies such as Sony Online Entertainment pushing for console MMOs to become commonplace, will there be a time in the near future where players are more likely to pick up a controller than a keyboard to enter a virtual world? It's certainly a possibility, but the slumping sales of the PlayStation 3 may make it difficult to entice gamers to try out an MMO from the comfort of their couches when their PCs will do just fine.

Let me get one thing out of the way: I was an avid player of Final Fantasy XI on my PS2. I carted that console around to play the game at a friend's house where our static party would jump in Vana'diel on a combination of PS2s and PCs. That cross-compatibility of systems to enter the same world was a key factor for us and, in my mind, shows that console MMOs can certainly be successful and fun. Despite the fact PS2 support has kept the graphics of FFXI lagging behind the competition, the game still sells on the Xbox 360 and has a loyal fan base. But will upcoming games such as SOE's DC Universe Online, The Agency and Free Realms garner the same loyalty considering the sales figures and price tag of the PS3?

With the decline in sales of PS3s, that may be difficult to accomplish. A recent report from the NPD Group (via Ars Technica) shows that video game sales in the U.S. remain strong, but Sony's console was the only one of the big three to see a decline in sales from January 2008 to January 2009. During that time period, the sales of Nintendo Wiis skyrocketed from 274,000 to 679,200. In the same period, the sales of Xbox 360s climbed from 230,000 to 309,000. In stark contrast, the sales of PS3s dropped from 269,000 to 203,200, which limits the growth potential for the system. Will MMOs be able to benefit from a console with declining sales? It's possible, but may be a futile effort. For those who are curious, the PSP and PS2 sold 172,300 and 101,200, respectively.

The Xbox 360 even went so far as to beat the Wii and PS3 in sales in Japan for the first time in five months last week, Reuters reported today. This was due to the release of "Star Ocean: The Last Hope" since role-playing games tend to drive sales in Japan. According to Ascii Media Works, Microsoft sold 21,013 units of its Xbox 360 last week, compared with 16,900 units of the Wii and 15,967 units of the PS3.

The steep price of PS3s has always played a factor in its sales figures. According to a GameSpot article, "In November 2006, computer hardware research firm iSuppli initially estimated the production launch-day cost of each $599 60GB PlayStation 3 as being $840.35." Sony was able to get the production cost down to $448.73 by December 2008 for the $399 80GB model. These costs have kept the company from turning a profit on the hardware.

On a similar note, GameIndustry.biz reported yesterday that, according to Janco Partners' Mike Hickey, a $100 price cut of the PS3 could be announced in the next couple days. "If Sony does not cut the price of their console, we expect the continuation of languishing PS3 hardware sales and the potential for publishers to accelerate their reallocation of resources away from the PS3 console," Hickey said. This is certainly a valid point. On the other hand, Hickey mentions there is talk of development of a PS3 unit without the Blu-ray drive, which seems ridiculous because quite frankly, Blu-Ray is one of the PS3's greatest strength. Regardless, this price cut could boost sales and potentially draw more MMO players to the console.

Of course, the PS3 isn't the only console out there for MMO fans. For example, Bill Roper, the design director for Champions Online, spoke with the MTV Multiplayer Blog last week about possibly porting the superhero game over to the Xbox 360:

"We've got it running on Xbox [360]. But to a degree, it comes down more to the business side stuff. There's no technology-based reasons we couldn't be playing [PC] at the same time with Xbox right now. We definitely want to be on consoles. It's easier to move to Xbox than PS3, but we would love to be on as many places as possible. I think that consoles are ripe for a good MMO, just in general."

Roper's comment of wanting to be in as many places as possible reinforces that I'm a proponent of giving the PC and console versions of an MMO access to the same virtual world. When I attended the DC Universe Online panel at the New York Comic Con this month, Senior Producer Wes Yanagi could not specifically say whether the game would co-exist on the PS3 and PC, but he did say it was technically possible and would be a cool feature to have. In my opinion, separating the virtual worlds of the same game between consoles and computers will just alienate players. Gamers want to play with their friends, and the social aspect of MMOs benefits from having access to the largest group of players as possible.

Speaking of DC Universe Online, while ports for all sorts of games ranging from Warhammer Online to Lord of the Rings Online have been churned through the rumor mill, SOE has openly focused on the PS3 for its MMOs. In fact, SOE President John Smedley told the MTV Multiplayer Blog that all of SOE's MMOs will also appear on consoles from now on.

Among the many topics discussed in the interview was the dreaded subscriptions question, which can always make or break console MMOs. Here's what Smedley had to say:

"We're starting to actually do [microtransactions]. We introduced a trading card game to our "EverQuest" and "EverQuest II? players and they got the idea of microtransactions very quickly. We put it in there in a way that wasn't harmful to gameplay and it actually gave them a benefit, so that's how we're going to convert existing players. Getting a console player to pay for a subscription, I think that's an interesting question. I think it's about making a great game, but we also believe that there's a chance, maybe [the games] won't be subscription-based. Maybe the free-to-play model is the right one to use there, too. We don't know yet. We're going to find out with "Free Realms," and adapt as we see things go."

SOE has already implemented its microtransaction-based Station Cash system into EverQuest II, to mixed reviews. And at the DCUO panel, Yanagi said the subscription fee for the game had not been finalized and also mentioned the microtransactions model. Regardless of the sales figures for the PS3 and Xbox 360, actually keeping gamers playing through the subscription fees will be another hurdle entirely. Many players tend to focus on one or two MMOs; how many will actually sign up to play all three of the upcoming SOE MMOs on the PS3?

Also, as this recent IGN article on the "epic fail" of console MMOs points out, Xbox 360 owners may have some extra problems when it comes to playing this genre of games. First of all, the Xbox 360 Arcade doesn't come with a hard drive. Second, most players are already paying $50 a year for Xbox Live. How many constant fees can developers expect players to pay? Even though video game sales are strong overall, the PS3 slump should signal that gamers can indeed be frugal and selective.

There's no doubt MMOs will be released on consoles, and honestly the thought of broadening the player base for these social games is a good thing. But between declining PS3 sales, subscriptions fees and even technological limitations (what I wouldn't give for a graphics update for FFXI), computers may remain the primary source of MMO entertainment for the foreseeable future.

The editorial you've just read contains views that are the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of ZAM.com

Darryl "Togikagi" Gangloff
News Reporter
ZAM.com