With the introduction of .50 cal and .43 cal (Kingman training and RAP 4 Markers) is .68 now going to start fading quietly away now there is more choice?
Your thoughts please.
Your thoughts please.
Is .68 cal on the way out?
- Thread starter Dusty
- Start date
everyone i know still uses .68
and so dose my site,
the new PE, dye and proto are all .68,
as far as my paintball gose, no its not.
and so dose my site,
the new PE, dye and proto are all .68,
as far as my paintball gose, no its not.
I think its a bit of a premature question to ask.
The first thing we need is proof that the new 50 cal does work as well as 68. If thats true then 50 cal at least has a chance of success.
I say the new 50 cal, as opposed to the 50 cal many people have already experienced from days of old, which would not be suitable.
Well having shot .43 i found it ok, but for now lets assume .50 cal does perform as claimed until proven otherwise.
I think it all hinges on how well its going to perform on the fields,if it breaks as well,marks as well.
And from a sites point of view the cost of replacing numerous markers hoppers packs ect.
But from a players point of view it doesn't really make much difference as we buy new kit several times a year
I think both will run for some time until one is phased out by the other.
And from a sites point of view the cost of replacing numerous markers hoppers packs ect.
But from a players point of view it doesn't really make much difference as we buy new kit several times a year
I think both will run for some time until one is phased out by the other.
As I mentioned in another thread, the whole .50 cal debate is predicated upon the following: does it perform as well [if not better] and is it cheaper?
Paintballers are notoriously picky when it comes to performance, I think we mirror many other sports or hobbies where people will pay waaaaay over the odds if they believe they get extra performance.
In a lot of cases, people spend fortunes on the notion of an improved performance even if the reality is somewhat different.
The 'selling' of an idea is as, if not more important than the product itself.
We may just find there is more than a little substance to the .50 cal bandwagon.
If we assume for the moment, the .50 cal performance is improved over .68, then I know full well, guys who play this sport at the top end will not only use it, they will demand it .... and rightly so, if there is an improved product out there and you are competing in an environment where hardware performance is an integral component, then you better get your ass down to the store and buy the improved product ... cos if you don't, your competition sure will.
This dilemma has grabbed all competitors by the bollocks in every sport imaginable.
When I first begun talks with Richmond concerning this subject, I mentioned the notion of a critical mass being acquired in terms of uptake.
This basically describes a critical number of players who decide to use the new product and begin performing on the circuit.
Richmond knew full well what I was on about and also knew full well, his product had to perform better to give it the best possible chance for success.
Richmond wasn't looking to unleash a product that performs as well as .68, he wanted improvement;
And if you need proof of this strategy when it comes to Richmond's style of innovation and marketing, just take a look at the effect of Procaps when it came into the marketplace with its Draxxus range of paintballs, he set new standards that's for sure.
And then, he unleashed XBall onto an unsuspecting world creating a format that was entirely designed for television.
This format was the only way competitive paintball was gonna make it on TV and gave us all the best possible chance.
Anyway, If my initial assumption is upheld, in that the new product performs better, the critical mass number is reached relatively quickly and an avalanche of sales ensues as everybody who competes moves over so as not to keep having their ass handed to them by a superior product.
A similar situation developed some years back when we all went from pump to semi ... the critical mass was reached extremely quickly and I think it was within less than a year later, the vast majority of players had launched their collective ass over to Semi'sville, Arizona.
Paintballers are extremely fickle when it comes to parting with their hard-earned cash but at the same time, they ain't slow in coming forward if they genuinely believe a product outperforms what's already on the market.
From what I have seen and been told, .50 cal will actually live up to its hype which is quite rare in any market.
I know what Richmond is like, he won't waste any time whatsoever being an also-ran, he is all about innovation and improvement; that's his hallmark.
.50 cal is here to stay. it just remains to be seen how long the transition takes.
Mind you, .68 ain't dead, not yet anyway, but I tell ya what, there's a whole new ball game in town and .68 would do well to avoid any showdowns ..
Paintballers are notoriously picky when it comes to performance, I think we mirror many other sports or hobbies where people will pay waaaaay over the odds if they believe they get extra performance.
In a lot of cases, people spend fortunes on the notion of an improved performance even if the reality is somewhat different.
The 'selling' of an idea is as, if not more important than the product itself.
We may just find there is more than a little substance to the .50 cal bandwagon.
If we assume for the moment, the .50 cal performance is improved over .68, then I know full well, guys who play this sport at the top end will not only use it, they will demand it .... and rightly so, if there is an improved product out there and you are competing in an environment where hardware performance is an integral component, then you better get your ass down to the store and buy the improved product ... cos if you don't, your competition sure will.
This dilemma has grabbed all competitors by the bollocks in every sport imaginable.
When I first begun talks with Richmond concerning this subject, I mentioned the notion of a critical mass being acquired in terms of uptake.
This basically describes a critical number of players who decide to use the new product and begin performing on the circuit.
Richmond knew full well what I was on about and also knew full well, his product had to perform better to give it the best possible chance for success.
Richmond wasn't looking to unleash a product that performs as well as .68, he wanted improvement;
And if you need proof of this strategy when it comes to Richmond's style of innovation and marketing, just take a look at the effect of Procaps when it came into the marketplace with its Draxxus range of paintballs, he set new standards that's for sure.
And then, he unleashed XBall onto an unsuspecting world creating a format that was entirely designed for television.
This format was the only way competitive paintball was gonna make it on TV and gave us all the best possible chance.
Anyway, If my initial assumption is upheld, in that the new product performs better, the critical mass number is reached relatively quickly and an avalanche of sales ensues as everybody who competes moves over so as not to keep having their ass handed to them by a superior product.
A similar situation developed some years back when we all went from pump to semi ... the critical mass was reached extremely quickly and I think it was within less than a year later, the vast majority of players had launched their collective ass over to Semi'sville, Arizona.
Paintballers are extremely fickle when it comes to parting with their hard-earned cash but at the same time, they ain't slow in coming forward if they genuinely believe a product outperforms what's already on the market.
From what I have seen and been told, .50 cal will actually live up to its hype which is quite rare in any market.
I know what Richmond is like, he won't waste any time whatsoever being an also-ran, he is all about innovation and improvement; that's his hallmark.
.50 cal is here to stay. it just remains to be seen how long the transition takes.
Mind you, .68 ain't dead, not yet anyway, but I tell ya what, there's a whole new ball game in town and .68 would do well to avoid any showdowns ..
This is easy. If the industry wanted to make 50cal happen, all they have to do is make silver or gold shiney shiney paintballs, and people will buy it in their droves regardless of performance. This is what happens with most other equipment.
Of course.....I wish I were joking.
Of course.....I wish I were joking.
