Talk:Killer application
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Would you say that car navigation was a killer app for Pocket PC based PDAs? Traditionally, PDAs were only used for taking notes, addresses, phonebook, etc.
what would be the killer application on mobile handset ? Is their a need to look away from mobile handset( which needs to be outdated), while coming out with some other device like a data communication device , which holds all of mobile phone , palm top / PDA and laptop features.......
[edit] Defining Criteria
Instead of constantly debating and editing if a game should/shouldn't be included in this list I propose coming with a unified "bar" to define a "killer app".
Reception: A game must have overwhelmingly positive reception to be considered a killer application, so lets say games that only games that reach a ~90% or higher in combined review scores (cheking gamerankings, metacritic, gamestats) can fit the description.
Sales: A game should move a considerable amount of units, a game that has sold less than a million units can hardly be described as a killer game if people really didn't bought it. (checking http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_selling_game#Consoles should be a good start)
Exclusivity: A game should be exclusive (at least for some time)for a single platform otherwise its impossible for a game to define a console.
In case of franchises meet the criteria (Mario, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Halo, GTA, etc) we should limit to the earliest release on a given console which meets the criteria since it probably had the biggest impact, or otherwise list as a franchise.
Agree? Disagree?Lethalwiki 22:30, 22 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Killer apps
By definition a killer apps are exclusive to a console (at launch at least), are critically acclaimed AND have a very good sales. Resident Evil 4, while a good game is not quite a killer app for the ps2 since A) it was released first in the GC and b) sales were quite low compared to other titles in the list (less than 2 m. units in the ps2). Please refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_selling_game#Consoles in case of doubt of sales.Lethalwiki 05:10, 28 February 2007 (UTC)
Deleting Metal gear for the gameboy colorLethalwiki 06:24, 28 February 2007 (UTC)
[edit] PS / PS2
Ok I'm I the only one how finds really silly the lack of games for these two consoles? Here's some for starters. Gran Turismo, Gran Turismo 3, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear 2: Sons Of Liberty, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy X, Tekken 3, Devil May Cry, Grand Theft Auto 3, SSX. 201.211.241.19 04:40, 23 February 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Gears of War?
Gears of War should not be on the list of important killer apps. If it is, why aren't FF7/X, MGS/2, Wind Waker and SSBM on the list? All of those are games that should come before Gears.
Because none of those are on the 360. The one's you mentioned are all from well established franchises that were releases later in each respective consoles life. Gears is new IP which has obviously been driving the sales of the 360 since it's release in November. You've got to remember that the next gen consoles haven't totally established themselves, including the 360. Until we have the entire library of each Next Gen console, we have to just list what games are noticably driving sales of the consoles, if any are. Hope that helped, if not, sorry.
[edit] Who popularized this term?
I've always wondered.
- I've looked around a bit, and found that it might even have been Apple that coined the term application for "computer software to solve a user need", and this is also why on the Mac operating systems, programs are usually called applications while Microsoft have traditionally used the term executable instead. I've also seen signs that it was also Apple that coined the term killer application for this very reason, and it coincides well with how Apple indeed was the first to actually market software as "killer applications". But this is mostly from word of mouth in newsgroups and so on, so I didn't want to put it in the article just yet. If true, however, articles like software application could also use an update though. - Jugalator 09:53, Apr 22, 2005 (UTC)
- There's nothing wrong with noting Usenet posts as examples of use of a term on Usenet, if you feel up to trawling Google Groups - David Gerard 13:54, 6 September 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Last edit is wrong...
"Killer app" doesn't mean "best app / game". It means "people bought the system just for that app / game". Halo 1 is such a game for the X-Box, so removing it is wrong. And, surely, nobody kept off buying the PS2 for all these years just to buy it now for Metal Gear Solid 3. Dehumanizer 12:16, 9 Jan 2005 (UTC)
Not true, The reason i got a PS2 was for Metal gear solid. Great game.
Halo is available on PC --SunTzu2 11:41, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)
- The PC version was announced and released months after the Xbox version. There is widespread agreement that Halo was an extraordinary incentive for people to buy the Xbox. Until the release of Halo 2, it was still high in the sales charts. Phils 10:04, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)
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- I will have to agree here. Halo was a system-seller, by a large margin. The XBox would not have an userbase if it wasn't for it. --Sn0wflake 14:35, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)
Guess I'd have to agree then... --SunTzu2 02:41, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)
I'm not sure about the word "useful" in the first sentence. (Did people buy Halo because it was "useful"?) I'd think it has to be something general, like "good," but that doesn't sound particularly scholarly. Any ideas? Uttaddmb 21:54, 1 Apr 2005 (UTC)
- I added 'or desireable' to include both productivity apps like VisiCalc and entertainment apps like Halo. Rodeosmurf 20:30, 18 May 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Killer App for PC Upgrades?
Would anyone consider games/apps that cause people to upgrade their PC to the top of the line just so they can play that particular game, a Killer App?
Recent examples are Doom III and Half-Life 2, people also did it for UT2003/4, Quake III, Half-Life, UT, DOOM, Duke Nukem 3D, Falcon 4.0.
- I dont think so. Killer apps are revolutionary, not just the latest game that has come out. For that reason I find the inclusion of GTA III in the article to be a real stretch, the game was not a killer app for the PS2 hardware. Remy B 12:11, 9 March 2006 (UTC)
[edit] The table in the end
The table in the end isn't killer apps'. People don't buy bluetooth just because they want to use a headset with it, bluetooth isn't really a separate product. That table only shows common uses for general technology and it's pretty trivial. We need other examples.
However, I can't think of any at the moment.. d'oh. Any ideas?
And I can't quite wiki-phrase it, but this article really needs a reference to Seinfeld - the one where Jerry buys his parents a PDA but they only use it for its calculator app to calculate tips in restaurants.
AilaG 00:01, 2 April 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Merge
A merge with killer game was proposed by User:Mosesroth
- Agree - Jak (talk) 03:10, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
- Agree - "Killer games" is little more than a subset of "Killer apps", imo - Darric 01:20, 24 July 2006 (UTC)
- Disagree - Such topic is more related to computers and has diferent audience. Video Games are not computers, people may search for diferent things than "killer apps" when come to "killer games", wich is more related to blockbusters in games MFillipe 13:48, 01 August 2006 (UTC)
- Agree - they're both the same concept, just with a different product. -th1rt3en 00:04, 7 August 2006 (UTC)
- Agree - Both articles can be subsets of each other. Throw 16:21, 8 August 2006 (UTC)
- Agree - Never even heard of Killer Game, I know it as Killer App. The latter should take over. JaffaCakeLover 16:12, 14 August 2006 (GMT)
[edit] Merged
I've merged the two pages. I made most of the content of the killer game page a section within the killer app article. mosesroth 19:37, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Killer games
Should we add a list of killer games? There are many examples: Super Mario Bros., Tetris, Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit), Halo: Combat Evolved, Super Mario 64, Final Fantasy VII, Super Smash Bros. Melee... igordebraga ≠ 23:09, 18 September 2006 (UTC)
What's the evidence that Zelda is a killer game for the Wii? Isn't it a bit early to say that? --81.178.85.14 22:29, 16 October 2006 (UTC)
- There’s a Zelda fan on the loose in this section. They might be good but not one Zelda game is the killer game for its system. And yes, all Wii and PS3 games should be removed for now. Bombot 11:01, 7 December 2006 (UTC)
I removed the following in the killer games section:
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Super Smash Bros. Brawl - for Wii
- Gears of War - for the Xbox 360
- Blue Dragon - for the Xbox 360 (in Japan)
- Resistance fall of man - for the PS3
It cannot be determined yet if these games will have such an impact. Nobody here is a psychic. BirdValiant 07:39, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
I have to agree that those shouldn't be listed as killer apps. Both because it's too early to make such a determination and just from my own personal opinion. I've saved a bit of money and could buy a next generation system (well, maybe not that PS3, because wow that is expensive, but that's not the point), but I can't decide which or even if I should get any because there's no game that makes me go "wow, I have to have that". I imagine that I'll think that about Grand Theft Auto IV, Halo 3, or Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but none of those are going to be released any time soon. Just my opinion, probably too long winded. --24.114.252.226 07:25, 20 November 2006 (UTC)
I removed the Wii and PS3 killer games because this quarter is not yet over, we have yet to see whether the games will have an impact on the hardware sales. I believe we should wait until after the holiday before putting them back in. Further, I'm not entirely certain that Twilight Princess fully qualifies for the reasons: 1) It is not solely available for the Wii 2) It does not prove the hardware since its runnable on a previous generation of hardware 3) Last it may be that the hardware sales for the Wii are impacting the sales of Twilight Princess, rather than the sales of Twilight Princess are impacting the Wii. It does seem the current best choice of selection for the moment for the Wii, It may be prudent to wait until a few more hit games come out and see if Twilight Princess still has an impact. In any event I think waiting is the best option for now.--66.68.238.13 03:09, 4 December 2006 (UTC)
I have to agree with the thoughts of others. There's no proof that games such as "Resistance: Fall of Man" are killer apps (do we have a good definition anyway?). Granted it's a very good game, but it's suspect that people are picking it up because simply there's nothing else on the PS3 to compete with it. Ditto for Gears of War - The X360 didn't really have any other top-tier shooters this season. People who have a system or planned on buying a system likely picked it up, but is there any proof that it's "driving" system sales. Not to my knowledge. User:Anonymous:Anonymous 8:28, 28 December 2006 (UTC)
- So why haven't they been removed now? or has someone put them back.. also, for the N64, although Mario 64 and & Zelda were hugely succesful, the killer app, which led non nintendo fans buy the console, was Goldeneye.. Romanista 15:49, 23 January 2007 (UTC)
Someone put them back. I removed them again. If anything the Wii's killer app is WiiSports, which seems to have a lot of appeal to people who wouldn't otherwise be in the console market. BCoates 09:53, 3 February 2007 (UTC)
I'm not certain a list should even be there, but there shouldn't be games there that haven't been released yet. Can't assume every big budget ps3 app gonna motivate sales. Also based on game sales, Wii version of zelda didn't sell as well as wii sports or wii play did. It clearly did not motivate sales of the hardware.--66.68.236.16 08:18, 22 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Redirect?
Not sure how to program a re-direct but should be for "killer ap". If you just hear this phrase you won't necessarily know it is spelt "app" hence redirect needed. --Ethikos 17:40, 10 November 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Sense?
I took this half of a sentence out of the article because I couldn't figure out how it made sense:
, in the hope that it will be the breakthrough needed to get that the pre-paid contract model actually acted as the killer application and the wide dissemination of mobile phones since up to 80% of mobile operator's customers are pre-paid customers.
Maybe an older revision includes a sentence fragment that has since been lost? Xaxafrad 03:11, 5 January 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Timing?
Currently, the page lists "Perfect Dark Zero" as a killer app for the XBox 360. I would disagree with this, simply based on the very tepid response that game received. I don't think it could possibly be considered a reason for owning the system.
The thing is that I would argue for a killer XBox 360 app you would have to look in one of two directions: The game Gears of War, or the XBox Live Service. The issue is that with Gears of War, it was released almost a year after the system was released, and I don't particularly see any evidence showing that Gears of War led mass numbers of people to purchase the 360 on the game's merits alone. I think I case could be made for the XBox Live Service being a killer app, though that might go against expectations since it is not a game, but rather a method of connecting gamers. However, the breadth of the service certainly makes it something worth considering.
Ultimately, my big question here is whether or not there is a limit to how much time can pass between the release of the "underlying technology" and the "killer app"? I suppose for what its worth, it's hardly worth calling something a killer app if its released on a system that's already reached a certain level of presence in the market. Eurotransient 15:24, 19 January 2007 (UTC)
So, in a way Playstation 2's killer app could be its playability technology: it could play CDs, DVDs, PS1 games, and PS2 games. This was surely a major factor in its sales; hell, I wanted one only because of what all it could do, and I'm sure that other people felt the same way when getting one. A killer app, even for a gaming console, doesn't have to be specific game. What do you think? --Davidjustinlee 05:42, 24 January 2007 (UTC)
- I think Halo 3 could be considered a killer game for the 360 as well... even though it's not out yet. -DMurphy 00:29, 3 February 2007 (UTC)
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- I bought a 360 because of halo 3. Acglaphotis 21:54, 11 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] GameCube Killer App
I added Super Smash Bros. Melee as a killer app for GameCube. The game was in the Top 10 for GameCube game sales nearly every single month since the game came out and it is also an extremely popular game, even among those who aren't Nintendo fans. If that doesn't make it a killer app, then I don't know what is. Zomic_13 23:53, 19 February 2007 (UTC)
[edit] LittleBigPlanet
Seeing the reaction to this it would seem that it's already a killer app a year before it's even released, don't know if it would be worth adding, if only to make the PS3 look a little less pathetic--Shadebug 23:04, 10 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] This need some serious attention
The list at the end of this article is out of control. It is apparently run like a little-league football team, every kid gets to play some, even if he doesn't deserve it. There's a few games listed for every console, as though the title of the list were "Games for each console that sold well". Its supposed to be "killer apps". There are very few games which can make this claim in a realistic fashion. I can think of only two off the top of my head. Those being Tetris and Halo, I'm sure there are a FEW others worthy of inclusion, but not the masses given in the list. To include dozens of other games which were merely popular in that list dilutes the importance and definition of "killer apps" to merely "best selling" or "most popular". I see no reason to cater to the preferences of various fanboys by giving everyone equal representation without merit. Failing a massive cleanup, the whole list should be scrapped, as its clearly original research, and POV. In the case of Halo (and perhaps Tetris,) finding multiple notable sources, confirming it unequivocally as a true "killer app", should be a simple matter, I doubt it would be as easy with the majority of the games on the list.PreciousRoi 09:26, 13 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Sequels
I personally don't think sequels should be listed. Like for the PS2, maybe put GTA, but not Vice City or San Andreas. (I've never played the game, but the chances of all three being a "killer app" are slim.) And the "hot coffee" controversy does NOT make the game a killer app. ~Rogutaan 11:30, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Wii Sports
In my opinion, a game such as Knights of the Old Republic to the Xbox is much of a killer app than Wii Sports is to the Wii. I'm willing to bet that Wii Sports, while being a fun party game, did not influence many to run out and buy a Wii due to it's exclusivity. I know many on the other hand, who bought an Xbox to play KOTOR. I know this classifies as original research, but I beleive it's rather easy to see it. Perhaps a more worthy candidate for the Wii would be Rayman Raving Rabids. It was during the Wii's launch an exclusive. As an aside, I believe that another reason for KOTOR's iclusion would be if memory serves that it's conversation system was a the time considered revolutionary, and it's well known for it's epic story and well developed characters. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.66.35.68 (talk) 19:49, 7 April 2007 (UTC).
