In those halcyon days of 2000, when the internet was young and consoles mostly did not have online connectivity (Dreamcast’s Phantasy Star Online was a good one), China banned the manufacture and sale of gaming consoles. In the time since then, there’s most obviously been a technological revolution in the consumption of digital media; think cell phone games, PC, Steam, and all the like.
So today, the Chinese government has officially lifted the console ban. According to reps from the Big Three, Sony is excited, Nintendo is exploring their options, and Microsoft was too busy trying to revive the Zune that they didn’t comment. My prediction – Sony will make a bundle, Nintendo will do well, and Microsoft will be a footnote – sort of modeled after the console sales numbers in other Asian countries like Japan and South Korea.
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