Press start to continue: Console Wars
For everyone who is new to “Press Start to Continue,” this is a short article designed to spark some imaginative and intelligent video game discussion. Read through the article, pick out what you like and what you don’t like, do some research, than click on the “Start” link below. We are all gamers here and we all want to know what you have to say. Fan boys beware, be prepared to defend your honor. So let the games begin.
Alright. This topic has been over two years in the making, so I may as well get to it. The PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360, and, anticlimactically, the Wii, (I guess) make up what is known as the “Console Wars.” Since launch, these consoles have pitted brutal fan based wars across the web and sparked some of the fiercest gamer rage I’ve seen to date. So who’s right and who’s wrong? Which console of the big three… er two, tops them all? Well that’s a question you’ll have to answer yourself because I’m not touching that.
What I am here to discuss this week is the existence of the Console Wars. Is this a good thing? Is this a bad thing? Well, lets find out.
Lets start with what’s good about the Console Wars. The most powerful and persuasive argument would have to be competition. Look at any business out there. Competition is good for any consumer. Usually if we’re talking money, rival companies will drop the prices of their product in order to persuade the consumer to buy their product. In this situation, price isn’t too important. Most games sell for about the same for other factors. But when companies compete to try to make the better games for their consoles, you usually end up with epic titles like Halo, God of War, and Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Without this console pride would we end up with more games like Street Fighter the Movie, the Game?
Hold on a minute, I have to pull you all out of this article to comment on this. Street fighter is an epic game. The movie is well known for how horrible it is. The game based on the movie - what? seriously? OK, why does this exist? It’s bad enough that the movie was made to rake in a little extra dough for the Street Fighter franchise, but a game based on the movie? What the f*** is wrong with these people? If you don’t believe me, go check it out. Or better yet, take a look right here.
Ok, back to the topic at hand. Now for the down side to Console Wars. Well, it’s pretty obvious. Come on, it’s in the name. Console Wars is a war among gamers. Sometimes we’re too busy bragging about how our console is so high and mighty. This blows the actual value of modern consoles way out of proportion. Ps3 fans think that their console is the greatest thing since the wheel, and Xbox 360 fans think their console is the second coming of video game Jesus. The Wii? Well, the Wii is so far ahead of the game, or behind the times, that most gamers just don’t conceder it part of the “war”. Think about it, this should be a good thing. The Wii isn’t at war with anyone because the fans are too busy having fun with their console. We should learn a lesson from these fans. War is bad in any case, so can’t we all just get along?
Alright, you know what to do.
- Edited by Rusty
171 ayes and 0 nays.
I thought up until now that is was all a made up war in the minds of lonely and bored gamers but recent events have made me to believe otherwise.
I don’t think the game industry or gamers will ever give up the fight and it will remain a hot topic as long as there are reasons to support it, pointless or not.