It's funny how if you've been around long enough, you begin to see the same situations crop up over and over. The relationship you know is going to end badly, the sales pitch that sounds too good to be true (and is), the highly devout politician busted for something totally amoral, etc. Well, I've come back across one that I thought I'd never see again.
In 1990, I bought a Sega Genesis. I'd had a great time with my NES, but hot damn, there were 16-bit graphics to be had. Nintendo Power's PR campaign was in full swing with teasers galore, but a Toe Jam & Earl in the hand is worth two in the bush. Yeah the new Mario game would be cool, but Genesis had an X-Men game! Eat that, Nintendo. Even after the SNES launched I was content with my choice. I played Sonic and Phantasy Star every weekend for months straight. Things couldn't be better.
And then all my friends got Super Nintendo's. Those back stabbing jerks. Everyone was happy to come over to my house and play the Genesis, but as soon as they got a competing system, it was nothing but Console War smack talk on the playground. When we'd all had an NES, we'd swap games on a regular basis. It'd become an event; go spend Friday night at somebody's house and while you were there, trade a game for a week or two. By being first and not backing the right horse, I'd broken the cycle.
So what did I do? I begged my parents to buy me a SNES. They told me tough; only one new system in the house at a time. I loved my Genesis and the exclusives it had, but I saw how sweet the SNES games were and had to make a choice. We didn't have a game store around at the time, so I packed all my games and system up and sold them at a local video rental store. With the sale of my immaculate Genesis and six games with case, I could just afford a SNES and one game. I felt gypped, but suddenly I was back in the loop again, the console war smack talk died down and people were offering to loan me games. If there was a lesson to be learned, it was that children are mean little pricks and peer pressure works better when you're young. Also don't back the wrong horse.
...Eighteen years later...
The PlayStation 2 was such a strong system that I thought I could do no wrong when my co-workers convinced me to get a PS3 to play Call of Duty and Rainbow 6 with them. I'd been unimpressed with the original Xbox and I considered my self too savvy a consumer to purchase a 360 what with the RROD and massive failure rating. Little Big Planet looked fantastic and I figured the best of the PS3 was just around the corner. Six months into it I realized that my co-workers only wanted to play CoD:W@W and RS6:V2. Six months after that the Jasper chip set came out and all my close friends started buying Xbox 360s. Crap.
So now I've got a Xbox 360. My friends and I loan each other games all the time. My co-workers keep asking when I'm going to pry open my wallet and pick up COD:MW2. I just feel I'm lucky to be able to afford them both. Valkyria Chronicle and LBP are string incentives for me not to trade it in. It'd be like loosing Toe Jam & Earl and Phantasy Star all over again.
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Or games for that matter.
And I still have my Mega Drive today, dodgy cartridge slot and all. <3
Multiple consoles FTW!!
Get Sonic Ultimate Mega Collection on the ps3, you'll get back Phantasy Star at least.
My 360 is used to play the xbla exclusives, and that's it.
But yeah... trading your console is like... selling one of your friends! You can't do that! ... Just buy more friends when you have the money. :-P
For example, the Genesis had better versions of many of the multiplatform games I cared about, such as Earthworm Jim and Samurai Showdown. However, I still wanted the SNES more because of its exclusive games.
Of course, in a 'size of library' and 'market dominance' comparison, the X360 is clearly more like the SNES. I just feel that the SNES was the first system that taught me I should always judge a system based on its exclusives first, and I feel that my preference to the PS3 is based on that.
The bottom line is the grass is always greener elsewhere, but you should look at what you got and enjoy it (or, in simpler terms, STFUAJPG).
Then I had a Nes, and he a Master system, and both were crappy so everyone was together. Until Sega Megadrive and SNES, and I'd be like "Yooooohhhahahah, you can't get Streetfighter 2 on the Megedrive!" and he would say "Vernyaaahahahah, Sonic is well fast, and Mario is well slow!!" Then I had a 3DO, and he a PSone, and I was like "Weloooooohhahahah, 3DO got much better sprites!" and he'd retort "blingohohohohohoh, PS has a smooth 3D engine" and then I got into PC gaming, and he stayed with his consoles, and naturally I had the upper hand from then on ;o). Until I bought a 360, and he's got a 360 too, and we love our 360s, but we're both like "Titititititihhihihihihhahahahahahohohohohooh, The PS3 haz no GaemZ!!"
I'm 34 now and everybody hates me.
Plus, my parents have always warned me to wait and see how a product does, then make your choice.