Recently blogger Yogizilla wrote an article entitled “Microsoft Reminds Us Why They Suck,” where he called out the corporate giant for its recent issues on Xbox Live, and listed a series of steps Microsoft should take to beg for amnesty from their customers.
Over the last several months, Xbox customers have been plagued by Red Rings of Death and poor performance of their online services. This has caused many to consider making the jump to PS3.
The problem is there are only 3 consoles out there to play PS3, 360 and the Nintendo Wii. The Nintendo Wii is easily the most fun system out there. It’s a great party machine and I for one can’t get enough of Mario Galaxy. But there’s no real online play, which is a huge caveat for me.
Sony on the other hand has become the corporate giant you want to boycott, a title previously only reserved for Microsoft. But Sony began to disrespect their audience by just not caring. They’ve also suffered from poor marketing campaigns that caused them to lose a huge minority following (the “White is Coming” campaign for the white PSP vs. the black PSP).
So, now you are left with Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Let’s step back a little over half a decade ago. The original Xbox took a while to catch on, despite having superior graphics to the last generation’s gaming giant Sony PS2. People did not want to support Microsoft because they were the de facto capitalist giant to avoid. Intial Xbox consumers only bought the system for Halo 1, a fantasy/sci fi reminder of the good old Bond days on the Nintendo 64. But for every other game they stuck to the PS2. Halo 2 came out and people made the full switch to Xbox, then to 360.
Now the decision is, do you sell your 360 and go to PS3, or just add a 3rd console to your home gaming setup? When weighed against poor Xbox Live performance and Red Rings of Death, a PS3 does seem quite appealing.
Plus, if you’re looking for a home entertainment console, the PS3 may be the way to go. Why? Blu-Ray. HD-DVD is getting dropped from most of the major studios. Using old school Microsoft tactics is possibly another reason to hate Sony. Sony threw all they had to take down the HD-DVD standard and it’s working. Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros. all seem to be jumping ship.
Someone I know bought the 360 HD-DVD player attachment yesterday and I just thought to myself, “Damn, what will you watch on that?”
In the end, you just end up with 3 systems like before. Then the question just remains which system to buy the game for. Most likely it will be whatever system gets the game you’re looking for on the market first. If the games come out at the same time, you go with the technologically better system - the PS3. Outside of same games, Sony has no real flagship games. This is the primary thing that’s keeping them from jumping ahead in the console rase.
With the storage capacity of Blu-Ray, they should consider looking at MMORPG. That could take Sony to the next level and make the Xbox line old news. Well at least until Xbox 720.
As for me, the Wii reigns supreme.
I can’t say that I know anything abut 360 or PS3 games. But I do own a Wii, and I love Mario Galaxy!!!!!
You took the words right out of my mouth, Bags!
The Wii is by far my favorite system right now but, interestingly enough, I do not own one. My reasons are simple: I don’t really play single-player games much these days, no matter how cool the stories may be. The Wii is a social system and I don’t have people over enough to make it worthwhile to keep around. Old-school NES games are a good perk but I have those on my old-school NES and my PC. Without online multiplayer, there’s not much appeal for me at the current time, sadly.
That being said, I have chosen the lesser of the greater evils. The PS3 may be the bigger, better system but it’s not about being bigger or better, it’s about being different. I think what really hurts the PS3 is the fact that Sony is focusing on the media format wars. It’s as if they’re marking the console as a movie player that can also play some games, if you like that sorta thing; after all, the console comes with a movie right now, not a game.
Sony’s marketing has been horrid but they have lucked out: the dislike for Microsoft has been enough to virtually kill HD-DVD and have people go to the PS3 over the 360. The way I see it, this console war is a two-console system. Everyone who likes recreational gaming and having a good time with friends when they come over NEEDS a Wii, if you ask me. It’s a system for casual and core gamers alike. After that, the choice comes down to whether the 360 or PS3 is the better platform.
As an old-school Sega fan, I’ve learned the hard way that having the better hardware does not mean anything. I mean, Dreamcast is still a solid system by today’s standards but where is it now? Without third-party support and some exclusive titles (one or two big games are not enough), it becomes a proverbial pissing contest for competitors.
Right now, you can argue endlessly about what system is better. Mere hardware superiority does not win the console wars in today’s competitive landscape. Developers have said that Blu-Ray may be the bigger format but it doesn’t particularly give them that much more elbow room. It turns out that the order of magnitude has gotten to a point where a significant bigger leap would allow for more quality content. For now, the development process has not caught up to the medium, to say the least.
The way I see it, it comes down to personal preferences. I am one of those weird people that is not a fan of Sony controllers so that’s a big X on the checklist for me. To me, it’s more about replay value, community, innovation, and, of course, overall fun. The Wii wins on all counts. It reminds me of the Dreamcast but with better third-party support. The combination of Sega and Nintendo is killer. Nintendo has carved up a unique market all their own so they need not get into the pissing contest with 360 and PS3. That makes me very happy. Nintendo is back as #1 and my old friends in Sega are helping them. YAY!!!
Like I have said in my articles, both Sony and Microsoft need to reconsider their strategies. Technology is nothing without the proper application of science. I still feel both systems are not putting their abilities to good use just yet but Call of Duty 4 certainly showcased some of the power and possibilities of next-gen gaming. It’s just the beginning!
Great article, Bags! I can talk about this stuff all day.. Can’t wait for more articles like this! =oD
(BTW, everyone that owns a Wii NEEDS to ge NiGHTS… What a FUN game!!)