The “Seventh generation of Console Wars,” as some people like to call it, is finally upon us. The Xbox 360 is currently booming, and even if Microsoft isn’t exactly raking in the profits from console sales, they’re getting there. The PlayStation 3 and the Wii are both heavily in production (well, at least the Wii is) and are ready to launch on Nov. 17 and 19 respectively.
So, what else is new? It’s Nintendo vs Sony vs Microsoft as usual … right? Right?
Truth is, it’s not.
For one thing, this console war began far before either the PS3 or the Wii were even playable. Ever since E3 2006 back in May, the tension has steadily been on the rise. Verbal fencing matches have ensued constantly between Sony and Microsoft, covering all kinds of topics ranging from HD-DVD to online play to pricing. Hell, Microsoft even took a few stabs at the Wiimote and SIXAXIS back in the day. Press conferences have been held, games have been demoed, and companies have been sued.
But now, the time for talk is over. The Cold War that has been looming over everybody’s heads is starting to escalate into something bigger … something brutal. The night is almost at its end, and dawn is approaching. As the sun starts to rise in the East, ranks of soldiers line up on opposing sides of the battlefield, preparing themselves for a long, drawn out, maybe eternal war, against both, longtime adversaries, as well as newly acquired enemies. For some, this battle is merrily something that could not be avoided. It is a necessary evil, meant to purge all pretenders and remove them from the battlefield. For others, it’s personal. It is a means to settling past scores and getting even; maybe even expanding territory.
While one might get the impression that the three armies comprise of the executives down at Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, their technical teams, their marketing staff, and indeed, even their coffee brewers, that isn’t entirely the truth. Sure, Kaz, Reggie, Peter and the rest are all in there leading their troops, but just who exactly are those troops?
They’re us.
We’re the ones taking the brunt of the damage in this crazy slugfest.
Now, a lot of you might disagree with me on this, but PERSONALLY, I get the feeling that we’re all being suckered into supporting just one console. We bitch, we whine, we hold flaming matches, we verbally beat the shit out of opposing “fanboys” and then we spit on their corpses and stand tall with pride, knowing that we have just won a small battle. Truth is, we’re only screwing ourselves in the process.
It’s been emphasized time and time again. Each console manufacturer is taking a COMPLETELY different route this time around. There is no BETTER, there’s just DIFFERENT. It’s like comparing a DVD Player to a PC; Sure, they might have a couple of things in common (like playing DVDs), but apart from that, they’re targeted at different people with different needs, and are, thus, different from one another … in terms of price, in terms of technology, in terms of marketing … you name it.
Similarly, the PS3, the 360, and the Wii have been created with different purposes in mind.
The PlayStation 3 is priced at $599. Fine, so that’s pretty darn expensive for a console. Or is it? Look at all the stuff the PS3 does. It plays DVDs, Blu-Ray discs, runs games, and has amazing graphical capabilities to support some sweet looking games. The PS3 is going to last people a long time … maybe not ten years like Sony claims, but a long time nonetheless. It is an INVESTMENT.
The Wii is priced at $250. OK, so it doesn’t play DVDs, it doesn’t have killer graphics (though they’re more than enough to make games look really good), and it doesn’t look all cool and shiny like the PS3. It’s not meant to do all those things. It’s different, it’s affordable … it’s FUN.
Similarly, the 360 is priced at $399. It doesn’t play Blu-ray discs, it doesn’t have a motion-sensing controller, it isn’t as affordable as the Wii. What it DOES have are Xbox Live, XBLA, a fine library of games, and also the potential to bridge the gap between PCs and consoles. Once again, it’s DIFFERENT. It is targeted at a certain kind of consumer.
We all just assume that the PlayStation 3 is targeted at “hardcore” gamers and the Wii is targeted at everyone else. Not true. Even within the category of “gamers”, there exist several different kinds of consumers. Maybe I’m a PC gamer. Maybe I don’t care about consoles … from that angle, maybe somewhere down the line, the 360 will start to look appealing because it’s trying to cater to my needs on some level. Or maybe I don’t want “next-gen” graphics…maybe I just want to have fun. Maybe I want something different … I’d go in for the Wii, then.
As consumers, we have a right to pick and choose what system we want to buy, but that’s no reason for us to claim that our choice is the best and that everyone else sucks. Hell no. For all I know, all those PS3 fans will be laughing in my face for getting a Wii a few years down the line when the PS3 is still going strong and Nintendo has to release an add-on to compete with its graphical hardware. Or maybe the Wii will just be so much fun (like the DS) that it’ll put a serious dent in Sony’s sales. Anything could happen.
Keep in mind; the people who manufacture these units are far from stupid. In this day and age, it isn’t about what you CAN or CANNOT do; it’s about what you CHOOSE to do. The GameCube was technologically superior to the PlayStation 2. What makes you think Nintendo lacks the know-how to go in the same direction with the Wii? The PS3 is expensive as hell … what makes you think Sony isn’t already aware of this?
Each company is contributing the gaming industry in their own way. Microsoft is emphasizing online play and connecting PC gamers and console gamers, Sony just took a huge step forward in achieving life-like graphics, and Nintendo keeps the industry fresh with ideas and innovation.
Sure, we’re all welcome to our opinion, and more than welcome to stand by the choices we’ve made, but we’re not achieving anything by being the rabid fanboys some of us tend to be. In fact, we’re only closing ourselves off to other options. A PS3 fan could just as well pick up a Wiimote and find that it’s actually a lot of fun. A Nintendo fan could just as easily be highly impressed by the visuals of the PS3 and the online capabilities of the 360.
Are we making gaming less fun for ourselves with all this bullshit? Are our expectations a little too high? Are we always going to bitch and whine and complain about everything Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft do, and never be satisfied?
I sure hope not. I know I just want to enjoy games as I once did without all this other nonsense getting in the way.
Contest:
11:31 AM on 10.29.2006
| 
