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The Six Ways Each "Next-Gen" Console Fails

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"Here are six ways that I think each of the current "next-gen" consoles fail. The order goes from most familiar console to least (I don't own a Wii personally), and from biggest failure to smallest. This is just my take on it, what do you guys think? How would you change them?

Xbox 360:
* HD-DVD: It should have come built-in. It would have allowed more room for games, disc-based HD movies, and the format may have actually survived if one of its two biggest backers actually got behind it.

...

Playstation 3:
* Better UI than the XMB: Sony, would it kill you to use some icons with color? After all, it is one of the key ways for people to quickly identify items (see #6). The XMB is about as intuitive a way to tie together hierarchal lists of functions and data as any OS's file system. Playing music should not use the exact same UI as your friends list.

...

Wii:
* Lackluster motion control: FYI, I really don't enjoy playing the Wii. It isn't that the concept is bad, I think the concept is great. The motion control is just so terrible though. For proof look no further than the existence of a first-party add-on to fix the motion control.

..."
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pseudosavant.com
peskypescado - contributor
Published: 499 days 3 hours ago | Article | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | Wii
 
 

Showing: 1 - 15 of 15 Comments
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Jamie Foxx - 499 days 3 hours ago
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1 - MORE MEMORY FOR TEXTURES?
why do so many reporters who know absolutley nothing about game development talk things they may have heard on a forum from fanboys and run with it? mgs4 had unbelievable graphics, killzone has proven that upclose its textures are amazing so has uncharted.shows how credible he is as a reporter!

its nothing to do with memory its to do with getting to grips with the architecture.

why complain about if 360 had hddvd when that format was dead and buried along time ago?its still got good games, its like me saying if your dad was your mums brother you would have been concieved out of incest

sorry this guys a douchebag
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blacsheepxx - 499 days 3 hours ago
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1.1 -
could not have put it any better

bubbles
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mindedone - 499 days 3 hours ago
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1.2 - This man also fails to mention
that if Xbox had HD-DVD, then it would not have had the commercial success it has now. The only people who would have come up ahead is HD-DVD and Sony.
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JUUKENS HOT - 498 days 23 hours ago
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1.3 - comment of the week
why complain about if 360 had hddvd when that format was dead and buried along time ago?its still got good games, its like me saying if your dad was your mums brother you would have been concieved out of incest

LMFAOx2
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Voiceofreason - 499 days 2 hours ago
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2 -
Attention seeking article.. Just ignore it. I doubt this guy has any kind of console experience at all. Dead wrong on all 3 IMO.
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lento - 499 days 2 hours ago
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3 -
only thing i agree with for the ps3 is to include some kind of high def cables... everything else. meh
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kinggeoff - 498 days 22 hours ago
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3.1 - seriously
that was my only WTF moment upon purchasing a ps3

not even component cables? cmon
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MaximusPrime - 498 days 23 hours ago
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4 -
only thing i agree with is Xbox 360. Yes you should have integrated HDDVD and look what happened.

The other two consoles i do not agree with.
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AclayPS3 - 498 days 23 hours ago
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5 -
I can't stand it when people like this B*tch and moan about stuff they can't control.

As far as the Hi-def cables with the PS3 goes, you can use your old Component cables for the PS2 with the PS3 if you have them. My HDTV didn't come with a HDMI cable, plus, Sony isn't even making money on PS3 sales yet, and I can understand if they don't include a HDMI cable because just the PS3 alone with nothing else for $399/$499 is a good deal.

I do agree that the 360 should have HD-DVD built in, but Microsoft just weren't much of a risk taker like Sony was when it came to pushing a new disc format.
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kinggeoff - 498 days 22 hours ago
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5.1 - MS was not in the same
position that sony was when building their next gen console. Sony was riding high on the insane success that was the ps2. They could afford to go balls to the wall tech wise. They had the install base, the investor backing, everything they needed to make the most advanced console.

MS was just out of a risky outing that was the Xbox. IT was their first entry into the home console market. They went into MASSIVE debt just to get that thing off the ground. So when making the 360, they had to get out of the gate EARLIER and CHEAPER than their largest competitor: Sony.

Not only did MS go into EVEN MORE massive debt with just the R&D of the 360, but they began selling them at a big loss. If they included as much top of the line tech in their system as Sony did with the PS3, the 360 probably wouldn't have survived.

MS played this generation the way they had to. It is what it is. They wound up with hardware issues up the ying yang because of it and pissed a lot of people off.

But they DID sell a sht ton of consoles and put themselves in a great place as far as their investors/shareholders are concerned.
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pegger24 - 498 days 22 hours ago
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5.2 - two things
My tv may not come with component cables, but my cable box from my provider does, not really a great argument,

As far as HD-DVD goes, it wasn't about taking risks, it didn't fit with what they thought was the most important thing, getting out early. they would have had to wait longer, been more expensive, and would not have had nearly as much success
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Topshelfcheese - 498 days 23 hours ago
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6 -
I bought HDMI cables on Ebay for .99cents, thats right .99cents and they have worked for over a year now. It is really crazy how they are like 50-100 dollars in stores.

But, anyway this guy is just another example of how Journalism is turning into an Epic FAIL...
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SaiyanFury - 498 days 22 hours ago
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7 -
OK I'm going to try and re-evaluate everything this guy says, but most of it's simple nitpicking and misinterpretation. Mainly meaning the guy doesn't know what he's talking about. I'll start with the 360:

HD-DVD - OK it didn't come built in. At the time there was an indecisive format war in which case MS didn't want to invest the money in an HD-DVD drive, making the 360 more expensive. The DVD drive solved the problem. Maybe a bit shortsighted, but at the time it was a gamble.

Better Storage Solution - OK maybe the 360 originally came with a 20GB HDD, but for me it's enough. I don't have a mammoth amount of DLC so saving my games to the original HDD is no trouble. Although I will agree MS should have made the HDD upgradable to the user by means of a non-proprietary HDD.

Headset - No comment. I don't play online games so I have nothing to say.

DVD-Noise - Nitpicking. OK I agree it's loud. You know how I solved this problem? I turn up my speakers to whatever game I'm playing so I don't have to hear it. It works marvelously.

Web browser - Irrelevant. Again, something I don't care for. If I want to surf the internet I have my laptop beside me whilst I play Ninja Gaiden II. So what if the PS3 and Wii have it. It's not a feature I ever use, even on PS3.

D-pad - This is the one area I completely agree. The d-pad on the 360 controller really sucks. I try playing Dead or Alive 4, and while I can still beat the game, the D-pad really detracts from the experience. I long for a DualShock while I wail away on my opponents. Not impossible to use, but definitely in need of redesign.

Onto the PS3...

Better UI than XMB - Nitpicking. OK do I really need to say anything? It's simple, easy, and functional. The author whines about wanting more colour? How about changing your theme, moron? Try the beautiful Okami theme available on the web.

Built in IR Eye - Unnecessary. OK this is nitpicking again. If you have enough money to spend on a Logitech Harmony remote (they START at 80 USD) you have enough to drop on a PS3 remote. OK, the PS3 doesn't support IR devices, it supports BlueTooth. I can see the author's point, but what's so hard in using the controller that came with your system?

More Memory for Textures - Inadmissible. Another case of the media running with a trend. The PS3 doesn't need more memory, it's a different type of RAM than DDR3. It was specifically designed FOR the PS3 and as such doesn't need to be changed. Still wondering about textures? Look at Uncharted. Done.

Cables - Nitpicking. Go buy a 15 dollar set of components. If you can afford the 400 dollar base price of the PS3, I don't think 15 bucks more is that big of a deal. If it is, then maybe you made the wrong purchase. I understand that no HD cables included is a bit of a headache, but a relatively minor one. Try using the components that you have for your PS2. I did it before I switched to HDMI and it worked like a charm.

Memory card readers - Contradictory. First the author talks about memory card readers for the 360 then bashes them on the PS3 saying no one uses them? Well I do, for one, and I'm sure other people do as well. Want to load music onto your PS3? Well I can tell you right now you can't save it onto your controller and plug it into the system, now can you?

Real Motion Sensing - Nitpicking. Wow, where to go here. I like the functions of the SIXAXIS when done properly (I'm looking at you Ratchet & Clank Future). When it's done improperly (I'm looking at you LAIR), not so much. But citing some meagre article from some obscure website to backup your point fails miserably in convincing me. OK, so CyberConnect2 isn't using motion sensing in Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm. Why would you want to in a fast paced fighting game? If anything it would clutter up the control scheme and add confusion to the mix.

For the Wii...

Well I'm not going to say anything more here, I've already said enough and basically shown this author had too much time on his hands when writing this article, and I had too much in writing this response, I admit.

The Wii has it's problems, yes but it's a functional system regardless. OK, it may have similar hardware to the GameCube, but it's on a whole other playing field when it comes to people who play it. They buy it, they love it. The author's pissing and moaning about every little perceived shortcoming of all of the systems should be ignored, since most of his "nitpicks" don't cause each system to fail as he claims they do. I apologize for this long response, but I felt it was necessary.
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silvacrest - 498 days 22 hours ago
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8 - am i the only one..
who think alot of this article especially the PS3 side is just personal preference/ignorances

i say ignorance because of the textures comment among other things...
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peskypescado - 498 days 1 hour ago
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9 - There is a follow-up to the post
http://www.n4g.com/NewsPend...
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