I just came across a comment here on dtoid that I come across often almost everywhere I
go. The wording varies slightly, but it's always the same general idea. It goes a little
something like this:
[quote]I have all 3 consoles so I'm better than you. You are poor for not having all three
consoles, and the only people who care about sales figures are people who want to
reassure themselves since they cannot afford all 3 consoles. lulz Just buy all 3 consoles and
don't care about 360 vs. PS3 vs. Wii.[/quote]
No. There are two reasons why this ever popular logic is wrong. First of all, sales
figures and comparing exclusives is just as enjoyable to follow as any other gaming
information, and it's not done for reassurance (all the time). If you care to go into it, seeing
if Sony's bold move of adding Blu Ray and launching at "599 US Dollars" actually paid off in
the face of Microsoft's early launch with less value is just
interesting. That's all.
Watching as Wii dominates the charts because it's doing everything right to appeal to non
gamers while doing many things wrong to hardcore is just as entertaining. The online is
messy, the graphics aren't up to par, many of the games have low quality standards but it's
winning, and the other two guys are running around trying to figure out what the hell it is
they can do to secure second place. Add more casual appeal? Steal the other guy's games?
Develop more in house titles? Add more value to the console and market it as more than
just games? "What the hell should we do!?"
Sorry, but that's fun.
Second, it's not about money. When I hear "just buy all consoles and be done with it"
mentioned during a civilized discussion over which console is the better choice for a person,
it annoys me. I had all three consoles last gen. Guess what? I barely touched my
Gamecube or Xbox. It was mostly about the PS2. Having all the consoles served as more of
a distraction than anything because
who really has the time? I can go buy a PS3
right now, but I know I don't have the time to play it's games, my 360's games, my PSP
and my Wii, and I honestly don't see the point in buying another console if I'm not going to
use it.
So many games have gone multi platform and Microsoft and Sony have both stepped up
their exclusives' quality that for the first time, a customer looking considering one of the
two can pick a console that suits their gaming interests best and not really be missing out
on much. There is simply no settling for less between these two for gamers. That's
something great, especially for the person who is busy with college, work or whatever the
case may be.
So enough with this logic? It may be about the money for some people, but overall, it's a
weak attempt at making a point since it's more about time and what works for the
individual person.
