1. The 'Console Wars'
Back in the 80's and 90's there were dozens of gaming consoles on the market each with their own string of games; where did they go? While some big producers got bought out i.e. Sega by Nintendo others simply vanished off the market due to their dwindling resources and lack of support by the gaming community. Nowadays it's down to big 3; Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. Each console is quite unique with their own library of games, support and community. Sony and Microsoft seem determined on one upping one another while Nintendo (the oldest developer in the war) sits in the background on its mountain of money and watches on. I must make an honorable mention to the PC of course but this point focusses specifically on the consoles themselves. As a gamer who has all 3 current generation consoles and a partially functioning gaming laptop there are pro's and con's to each developers console but I love each and everyone of them. Only now though as we take the next step into the future am I really starting to pick a side in the war and fortunately for Sony, I'm with them.
2. Exclusive games
All the consoles out there support a multitude of games however there are the few games that are exclusive to that console only, the problem Microsoft has is that a lot of those game exclusives you can get on a PC with better graphics, better capabilities and most likely cheaper. The playstation on the other hands has a solid library of exclusives all of which make the gamer want to buy the console just for that game; Metal Gear Solid 2 did it for the PS2, Metroid Prime did it for the Gamecube and I even bought a 360 just for Gears of War. To be honest I didn't think Metal Gear Solid 5 would coax me to buy a Playstation 4 but I've been wrong before, wow that game looks amazing. Then there's faithful Nintendo, always playing it safe by sticking to same library of games and innovating their consoles just a little bit each and every time. You've got to hand it to them, they certainly know how please the masses and considering they're ve been doing it for over 25 years that's no surprise. In summary I feel Microsoft are losing out the most here and 360 and PC emulators Xbox One exclusives will become prehistoric, it's just a matter of time.
3. Next Gen capabilities
So let's talk about the PC now, haha, here's an issue that's plagued the consoles since the dawn of time. PC's will always have far superior graphics, it's just a fact, but is it all about looks? To a lot of gamers this is the most important feature of a game, me on the hand it's the second...the first being the story. However, and this is a BIG however, sometimes I honestly wish the next generation consoles were just about more power and better graphics. Let's take a step back and think for a moment; the Nintendo 64 blew our freaking minds, 3D capabilities, better graphics and sound and 64 bits bitches! That's a lot of bits! Then comes Playstation, Xbox, PS2, Gamecube, PS3, Wii and 360; each bringing more power and better graphics to the table. No one was complaining as long as the games looked better every time. Now I understand developers are trying to be more innovative with social networking, movement control and voice commands but it's freaking console for christ's sake. If I want to network I'll use my computer, when I play my games I want 3 things and that's it; me, the controller and the TV. I don't need all this extra distraction and other features, sure it's cool at times but I play my consoles to game and gaming is what I like. Getting back to graphics it's not always about picture, sure the technology in the consoles will become obsolete but that doesn't mean that we have to rule them out entirely. Sure it makes it easier on the eyes but I'd still pop in Silent Hill 2 and combat it's blocky graphics any day.
4. Price
One of the important features about a console of course is its price. As someone who had all previous consoles bought for me (yes it's a hard life I lead) I'm faced with the difficult decision now of which one to buy with my own money. Naturally I'm going to want the best console with the best features for the best price. Recently the prices for both the Xbox One and PS4 were revealed and it was a big blow to Microsoft. The Playstation is now not only beating the Xbox in terms of accessibility but now it's also going to be cheaper! In Australia we can expect a PS4 to retail for about $550 while the Xbox One is going to retailing at about $600, a WiiU on the other hand currently at places like JB Hi Fi sits at about $400 for a starter pack. I feel that Microsoft were definitely planning on the PS4 to be more expensive to at least level the playing field but now the console war is becoming very one sided. Nintendo again comes out being the cheapest whilst still being innovative and user friendly.
5. Accessibility
The last point of order is accessibility or 'user friendly' is other words. While all the consoles seem to useful in the respect of you-controller-game-tv there's still a few issues that need to be addressed, the first major issues being game sharing. Microsoft what were you thinking? Mindless money grabbing has only further helped them dig their own grave, while Sony are simply sticking to what already works; You want a game, friend? Here you go! Thanks! Microsoft's game sharing limitations and pre-owned penalty fees for games only further make me frustrated at the desperate clambers they're making for money. If you want the gamers to like you and you're company don't take more of their money. Touching on the social media aspect again that Microsoft seems to love at the moment I feel that they're blurring the fine line between the Xbox and PC. If you want to make money and keep your customer base then the best thing to do is keep those two demographics as far apart from one another as possible. The Playstation and WiiU still manage to keep the system down pat...here's a game; play it using this controller, simple and easy. No fees, no frustrating limitations and no annoying add on's that need to mandatory in order to simply play a game. It's an interesting time we're in with all the arguments and speculation, it will certainly be an interesting year in the gaming community.
Also just a personal thank you to Gametrailers, Screwattack, The Escapist and Kotaku who have been exceptionally on the ball with all the latest information and images surrounding this discussion. Now while there's no knowing what the developers have planned for us gamers in the future I feel that this discussion closely reflects a lot of current opinions on the matter and while I could be wrong about the future of the consoles I want you all to remember 1 important thing...you, the gamer are the most important thing and if you're not happy then that's a major problem. Until next time!
Accessibility, exclusive library and price are the 3 most important features for me...
Playstation 4
Accessibility: 9 / 10
Exclusive Library: 9 / 10
Price: 9 / 10
Xbox One
Accessibility: 5 / 10
Exclusive Library: 5 / 10
Price: 4 / 10
Nintendo WiiU
Accessibility: 9 / 10
Exclusive Library: 9 / 10
Price: 9 / 10
PC
Accessibility: 10 / 10
Exclusive Library: 9 / 10
Price: 5 / 10
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