180°

The Console War – What's the Point?

LazyGamer's Philip Dunkley writes about the worthlessness of fanboyism:

"So the debate rages on. Which console is better, which one has more power, and which one has the better library of games. Fanboys across the globe wage verbal wars with each other, using sharp edged words and bombs of Fact and Fiction. But the question I ask myself this week is; Is it all worth it, and what's the point? Every time a game is announced or a new development is mentioned, the response columns and forums fill up with raging attacks about which platform is going to be better, which one will have better frame rate yadda yadda yadda."
gaminoz - contributor
Published: 579 days 7 hours ago | Article | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | Wii | Gaming
 
 

Showing: 1 - 36 of 36 Comments
Shut this user up Let user speak
Maddens Raiders - 579 days 9 hours ago
1 - What's the point? -
I swear the internet has a way of fleshing out all of the people that never paid attention in school or just never went all together.

Before you ask that question, take a look at free markets like Pacific Rim, the EU, AU, or North American Union, and then one like...say North Korea or Cuba, or Myanmar and ask again what the point of a free market is.

Now ask yourself how you like your consoles. Free and independent or one big stinkin' pile of non-vision, unreliability, and no impetus for innovation whatsoever? Yeah I'm a fanboy for independence -- Jeesh.

lazygamer, stop being so damn lazy and start thinking for yourselves.
Shut this user up Let user speak
MURKERR - 579 days 6 hours ago
1.1 - CERTAIN SITES KEEP THE WAR ALIVE BY BEING DISHONEST
in reviews-kotaku,gamespot,1up and more recently gamerailers with there ridiculous scam of comparison videos come to mind.
Shut this user up Let user speak
Sayai jin - 579 days 5 hours ago
1.2 -
Liking a specific brand or name is not a bad thing, but when you blindly follow it like it is the second coming. Or when you put another product down simply becuase it's in competition with your favorite brand is ridiculous. The question you have to ask is what do you get if your console wins this console war?
Shut this user up Let user speak
The Dark Knight - 579 days 5 hours ago
1.3 -
Im so over the console war

yesterdays news
Shut this user up Let user speak
Richdad - 579 days 4 hours ago
1.4 - Yeah
Really there is no point in console war I have 58 games till now and all are good but still I get into fight sometimes and I am hungry for more, whereas back in 2004 I had 4 games for PC and I was way to contended and heck do I cared for any comments or exclusiveness.
Shut this user up Let user speak
xg-ei8ht - 579 days 4 hours ago
1.5 -
Well said.

But at the end of the day, everything comes down to the math= money!
Shut this user up Let user speak
Richdad - 578 days 16 hours ago
1.6 -
No more than money its fun for me that is why I spend my money.
Shut this user up Let user speak
edonus - 579 days 7 hours ago
2 - The Point is....
I could explain but it would take to long. I'll just say. These companies arent going to will fully share the market so each one has to cut out its own piece, take care of it and not abuse it(enough were they loose it). For consumers its a way keeping the brands you want at the quality you like. Example: Ninja Gaiden was one of my favorite games last gen. If MS was destroyed to the point were they couldnt comeback with the 360, 85% chance I wouldnt be getting sequel, even if a sequel was made since it wasnt one of the other consoles IPs they wouldnt really put the resouces in to make of the quality I would want from it so 95% chance it would be of the quality I want it. Since this gen the 360 has been a proven success I can expect it will be of the calibre I want. Thats a very small part of it but its about getting the thiings you want at the quality you want them.
Shut this user up Let user speak
gaminoz - 579 days 7 hours ago
3 -
And competition between the consoles and companies keeps the pressure on to come up with great games...
Shut this user up Let user speak
Sayai jin - 579 days 5 hours ago
3.1 -
This ia true. Thats why fanboysthat are like the PS3 will die or the Xbox 360 is dead, makes me laugh. We are all benefiting (the consumers) from the battle from these companies. It's business for them.
Shut this user up Let user speak
TapiocaMilkTea - 579 days 6 hours ago
4 -
What we all need is a course of Economic 101 and psychology 101, then the world will be at peace.
5 Big Jim | 579 days 6 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
Shut this user up Let user speak
DJ - 579 days 6 hours ago
5.1 - Well you can't exactly own a Jack Nickolsan
Or a Tiger Woods...
Shut this user up Let user speak
Meresin - 579 days 5 hours ago
5.2 -
I'm sorry, but no one is better than Aria Giovanni.
Shut this user up Let user speak
OC Shock Value - 579 days 6 hours ago
6 - FIGHT
money power and respect.. thats the reason.

my D*** is bigger then yours

If ur not first.. THEN YOUR LAST!!

Money

Those are the only reasons i can think of really. This generation has been full of more trash talk and BS the any that i can remember. I guess this is what its like when no console is clearly winning or losing. In the other generations you could clearly see when someones winning or losing. this gen all companies seem to be putting up the fight of there lives.
Shut this user up Let user speak
LazySAGamer - 579 days 6 hours ago
7 - It's fun.....
It's fun debating the merits of each platform and I honestly believe that without this 'war' we wouldn't be seeing the emergence of PS Home or the truly superb graphics that are appearing in the world
Shut this user up Let user speak
el_bandito - 579 days 6 hours ago
8 -
In every market there is competition. Monopoly rarely exists. Competition in actuality render customers (in this case, gamers) as the primary beneficiaries. How? Simple: It affects the productivity of all the console developers in a good manner and for the best cause. In other words, they compete to bring out the best product for the consumers.

Consequently, for a gamer, this MS-Sony-Nintendo slugfest would result to lower prices, better hardware, more innovations, better perks and freebies, and ultimately, better games.
Shut this user up Let user speak
Meresin - 579 days 5 hours ago
8.1 -
That's exactly why, every time I hear some idiot wax poetic about a "one console future," I throw up in my mouth a little.
Shut this user up Let user speak
SilentShank - 579 days 6 hours ago
9 - Helping the needy.
Hurts me inside to think people still own an XBox 360. I remember a time when people bought consoles or PCs. Then bought games to play on said consoles or PCs. Microsoft was the first company to come in and charge extra for things we should be getting for free. Even when it comes to their own hardware faults inside the 360, we the consumer are expected to pay for it one way or another.

This is coming from a hardcore gamer who's owned all the consoles at once. My 360 died on me and was quickly pawned off to an unaware Game Crazy. My Wii lived a short life inside my home, its features and games grew lame only 2 weeks in.

Now I game on the most well rounded console of this generation, the PS3. Along with my monstrous gaming rig, which can't wait to get its HDD on the new COD4 maps. (Yes COD4 is better on the PC, 1920x1080p @120hz is beautiful)

http://screenshot.xfire.com...

Sure I might be called a FAN BOY. But the truth is I'm a man. A man that makes smart decisions about his favorite hobby. Why pay for online competition when you can get it for free right? Why pay for themes among other things on XBL when you can get them for free? Why buy a console that is meant for kids, old ladies, and vapor ware. Why buy a console that is meant to rake in dough at any means possible, including breaking intentionally. Again I am concerned with the direction this industry is going. END RANT JEEBUS! Kinda zoned out for a minute. O_o
Shut this user up Let user speak
sak500 - 579 days 5 hours ago
9.1 -
GOod luck with ur pc and ps3. Both require patches and installations before you get to play games. My console of choice was 200$ cheaper then the competition, have played next-gen games since 2006. Amazing game library for last 2 years and great lineup for 2008. Doesnt even require installation. Works fine with DVD9 with having same content and 95% times better multiplatform games then the competition. Only bad thing was reliabilty which was covered by 3 year warranty on RROD and almost fixed up in the newer consoles.

And i believe it hurts u cuz u made a booboo of choice for your next gen console.

Edit: @heyhey

Guess we'll just have to wait and see. MS is not sitting idle on its high chair mind.
Shut this user up Let user speak
heyheyhey - 579 days 5 hours ago
9.2 -
you'll probably get banned for that

but you preach the absolute truth, apart from the bit about the Wii- the Wii has plenty good games, you (along with many others) just didn't give it a chance

have you even played SSBB? or Zelda?

and you got rid of it too early- it still has some legs and there will be more AAA titles on it

@sak

yes the 360 was great for a while, and its got enough legs to last the year for sure

but it's running out of steam, come 2009- the PS3 will be the only way to go

EDIT: i guess we will, and im sure they're not- i shall reserve such judgement until after E3

but tbh, i think MS is running out of options- they're only choice now would be to use their mountains of cash and buy a high-ranking company like EA

which will probably happen

@chris

God of War 3 in March 09 anyone? LBP? Res 2? KZ2?

yes and there's FF13 like you mentioned, and FFv13

and the FF7 remake (come on, we know it's coming)

don't be so blind

EDIT: yes 2008 IS the year of the PS3

it's selling more, meaning more people want it for the year

wether the line-up is better is better than the 360's or not is purely subjective

i say PS3 has the better line-up, you say the 360- we can argue all day about that one

and yes the PS3 has SOCOM, Res 2, LBP, WKS, Motorstorm 2 and maybe Tekken 6 hitting this holiday

what has the 360 got that's worth menitoning again? Gears 2, yep thats about it

however 2009 will not only the year of the PS3, it will also be the year of the year of the PS3 like 2007 was the year PS2 when there was no Xbox counterpart

who can argue with God of War 3, Uncharted 2, KZ2, FF13, FFv13, LA Noire, Twisted Metal, Getaway 3, ICO project and more
Shut this user up Let user speak
ChrisGTR1 - 579 days 5 hours ago
9.3 -
nice... you say free is alot better just cause its free. since when is free food better than paid food? since when is finding free sneakers in the trash better than buying some from the store? since when is psn better than live?? a service where you cant even read (text) messages withought quiting the game and a service where 1/40 people have a mic. you know, shure 360s break but they get fixed for free within 3 years... ps3s break also and your screwd, sony dosent care. shure you can say ps3 is the most rouded off console .. if your into movies. it makes up for all the lack of AAA games the ps3 is lacking . however for us people that only care about games and not movies the 360 is the best choice with the better single player, ports,games , online. it may not have blueray or cell but it shure does deliver with the AAA games. something ps3 still dosent have to date. mgs4 is to be the first exclusive AAA game the ps3 has... a year and a half in, with no upcoming AAA games in site i might add. other than maybe FF sometime in november 09

lmfao @ heyheyhey
"come 2009- the PS3 will be the only way to go"

so wtf happend to the " 2008 is the year of the ps3" LMFAO!! ps3 is a major dissapointment 2 years in a row.the only major titles hitting this holiday are lbp and resistance 2... seriously.. thats it.... wow i really cant believe thats all..honestly.
Shut this user up Let user speak
SilentShank - 579 days 3 hours ago
9.4 - One and Only Reason
I understand the following text will fall upon blind eyes. The eyes, and their beholder of course, battered and beaten both physically and mentally by that horrendous red strobe better know as The Red Ring of Death.

I'm sorry but I've never, ever, EVER experienced anything quite like the 360. Don't misinterpret that last sentence, the 360 is nothing to celebrate. I greeted its release with a turned up nose. Being of PS2 and PC decent, I welcomed the 360 very harsh, bashing everything about it.

Until I bought one. Bought the charge adapter cable, stole a second (cabled) controller. I then bought Guitar Hero 2, rented Gears of War 2 along with Rainbow Six:Vegas, and Call of Duty 3. None of my rentals were granted a return back to their home at HollyWood video.

Until my 360 shone its true color. RED. Now this happened to occur right after my warranted ended. Lucky me eh? Not really. Lucky that I could scam this machine for some store credit? Yes.

The store credit of course was used to buy a PS3, the machine I put off month after month because well... I had a 360. Nothing the PS3 had interested me at the time, even MGS4! Little did I know how much greater the PS3 actually was. The fact that my PS3, among many others, is still running to this day, is the first and best reason, why the PS3 is better.

I have a lot of counter points to all my replies, but it doesn't matter, the PS3 is the console of choice for SMART people, and sales are finally starting to reflect this.

-SS
Shut this user up Let user speak
boodybandit - 579 days 1 hour ago
9.5 - CGTR1
Are you kidding me with those analogies?

"since when is free food better than paid food?"
Who said anything about free food? You can't live without food but you can live without online gaming.

Food is fuel. If people viewed it that way instead of a crutch or luxury obesity wouldn't be such a problem. I will take free anytime with how bad the economy is in most areas around the globe.

"since when is finding free sneakers in the trash better than buying some from the store?"

Dumpster diving a hobby of yours? That explains a lot about you. ;-)Again people "need" shoes. It's a necessity and not a luxury.

"since when is psn better than live??"

Since when is XBL better than PSN. The only (and I mean only) option XBL has over PSN that is needed is XMB.

"a service where you cant even read (text) messages without quiting the game"

Definitely an option I would like on PSN. Although I don't do much text messaging on XBL. I hate it when someone sends me a text message while I am playing Gears or COD4. Can't you people see I am playing?!

"and a service where 1/40 people have a mic."

You say this like it is a bad thing. Personally using a mic is an individual preference. Most of the guys I game with don't where their mics on XBL or PSN unles they are playing with friends. There is simply too much nonsense and way too many kids online spewing crap. They literally take the life (overall enjoyment) out of games for adults like me and my friends. If I wanted to babysit I would turn off my systems and go upstairs. Although my kids are well behaved when they play online. I keep both eyes and ears on them when they are on XBL.

"you know, shure 360s break but they get fixed for free within 3 years..."

SIGH... being a person that has gone through several repairs early on ( i have 3 360 units in my home), it rubs me the wrong way when I hear someone mention MS and their "limited" (and forced) warranty. It only covers RROD which is the biggest problem with the 360 but far from the only problem.

Why do you think so many people force RROD with a towel over it? Because MS wont repair the other problems. And let's stop hinting or just coming out and saying how great MS is for this "limited" warranty. They did it to avoid a ton of class action suits and or a total recall.

Personally I enjoy both my 360 and PS3 equally but then again I'm not a fanboy. I just read this article to see if it shared similar points of view that I myself do. Fanboyism is childish. I don't understand why people get so caught up in loving one while hating the other. I am a HUGE sports fan that doesn't dislike any franchise out there.

I never could understand why anyone has to have disdain for the competition.
Shut this user up Let user speak
heyheyhey - 579 days 5 hours ago
10 -
people like debates, people like being involved in a particular "war" and siding with a console

you anti-fanboys may think we suck and we're losers, but the truth is- the console war makes my time at N4G... fun

if it wasn't for the strong competition N4G would just be.... informative

i like debating every controversial article with 360 fanboys, i like a good laugh at their expense too

it's just a bit interweb fun

i have a life, i am a fanboy- and i am happy

oh yeah and as SilentShank said- we need to help the poor, delusional souls see the light

that being said- fanboys like Nasim and poos3 just ruin the experience and annoy the hell out of you- which is why there's an ignore button
Shut this user up Let user speak
DailyAddict - 579 days 5 hours ago
11 - There is No Such Thing as a Console War
What's funny is that people actually believe that there is a such thing as a console war in the first place. The definition of 'war' in Console War implies that there has to be a clear and present victor. Let's take the 'Format War' for example. Why was that a war? Simple. Consumers are not going to want to own/spend money on having two Disk Formats in their house. It would be completely frustrating to have to buy one movie for Blu-Ray and others for HD DVD. What happens when you go to a friends house who only has one of the formats? You can't watch some of your movies. So, for the Format War, that was actually a war because for the sake of simplicity, there can only be one.

Consoles, however, will never see just ONE console. Every new generation people talk about the console war as if it really matters who is the victor. Sony won last generation, what did it mean? Nothing really, besides bragging rights and so far for generations before it.

What about Mac vs. PC? MS has a very hefty 85%+ of the market share. By that, they would be the victor, right? What does it really mean? Nothing. Has Apple decided to call it quits and shut down? No. Some people simply prefer a Mac and some simply prefer Windows. That has been a long 'war', but as you can see, it doesn't really mean much outside of the fact that both are profitable companies for their own markets.

Or Ford vs. Chevy. Or BMW vs. Mercedes. Or iPod vs. Zune. All wars, but at the end of the day, they all are in business for money. I always get a laugh when I'm driving my Audi S5 and owners of BMW and Mercedes always tell me I should have bought their car and they ask why I bought the Audi. Why did I buy the Audi? Cause that's what I like. End of story.

You see, unlike a Format War, gamers WILL - and always have - buy more than just one console to play the games that they want. So, there will never be a victor in the sense that they completely force their competition out of business. Besides, some developers prefer working with certain software, which is why a console war does not exist. Is it possible that one day we'll just one console. Possibly, but highly unlikely. And, if it happens, it won't be because anyone was forced out of business. Instead, it would be a business decision between all of the existing console makers to simplify and unify for the sake of profit.

The Console Wars are nothing more than bait for fanboys to help drive sales of ALL platforms. Do you really think that the PR for all these companies bragging about how their console has sold X amount more than the competition really care? No. Well, there might be a few retards that do, but then they'd actually be fanboys for their own products. At the end of the day, if Sony, MS and Nintendo see a profit, they are all victorious. The Console Wars help drive sales by spewing debates between which system is the greater or which system will have the better version of a game. When they do that, the fanboys eat it up and go out and buy the game/system for which they support to help 'aid' the Console Wars (as if it existed).

In reality, there is no such thing as the Console War. It's just incredibly smart marketing because (unfortunately) the majority of people out there are retarded and actually believe it makes a difference in the world. Microsoft I believe out of all the companies understands how it's just a marketing ploy, as their PR's everyday are spewing out how their console/games are the best in the world and people eat it up like it's hotcakes.
Shut this user up Let user speak
heyheyhey - 579 days 4 hours ago
11.1 -
Nintendo vs Sega anyone?

there is a console war because if a particular company no longer sees profit in their console projects they will pull out- like Sega

and the other console wins

and anyway a console/company doesn't need to force the other console/company out of the race to claim victory to the console war

just like how Man U ->WON<- the league, but Arsenal is still standing and going strong

there was a war and there was a winner- doesn't mean the other side are dead or something
Shut this user up Let user speak
gaminoz - 579 days 4 hours ago
12 -
Maybe it's like sport and people like to support their team? Mind you I have all three consoles so I support three teams! Yay I win!
Shut this user up Let user speak
DailyAddict - 579 days 4 hours ago
13 - Nintendo vs. Sega?
HeyHeyHey,
I'm going to assume that you're referring to the Dreamcast and if you are, I believe Sony would actually be more responsible for Sega's departure than Nintendo was. Unless I'm wrong, I'm pretty sure the PS2 was destroying everyone in sales at that time, including Nintendo.

But you're right, Sega left because they saw that it was no longer profitable for them. However, on that same note, what are the chances that you think Sony, MS or Nintendo will ever bow out of the console market? Never. Sega was a much smaller company in terms of profitability than any of the Big 3 currently. To cement a foundation for my Argument, Sony is an electronics company and the PlayStation brand is just as important to them as their TV's. PlayStation will never die. Microsoft has a lot invested in Xbox, as it secretly is a gateway product to other windows products and connections that they'll start bringing into the home via PC and other peripherals (Live! on PC anyone?). Nintendo, well that's ALL Nintendo does and at the moment they are doing it very well for themselves.

Sega, while a huge player early on the in the market, simply allowed too their competition to catch up. The Dreamcast was a great machine and technically ushered in online console gaming. However, because it was limited to dial up, the online portions of it sucked immensely, which allowed Microsoft to step in and take over that market.

In a sense, though, I believe that each console we have today caters to a different market and specializes in different areas. For online gaming, MS definitely is the leader there and it will be pretty hard for anyone to touch them in that regard. However, where they lack is in non-FPS titles. Looking at the Top 10 games on 360 and even in the future, a majority of their games continue to be FPS titles. Sony, on the other hand, while being limited to online, I believe offers (or will be offering) a better selection of solo play/story based games. There's no denying that in any Xbox game the focus is heavily with online gaming, but Sony has a very good upcoming assortment of single player, story based games, much like they have with previous generations. Nintendo on the other hand I think offers a great machine to get a bunch of friends over and have some fun. It's got a decent amount of games that can fit into the well scripted solo play aspect, but there's no denying it's strength is in INHOME multiplayer and getting a ton of friends over to have some fun. To that argument, each console targets a different audience and/or offers different reasons to play games on them and therefore will not see a departure from the market.

What I really appreciate in this generation is Nintendo's professionalism. While Microsoft (ESPECIALLY Microsoft) and Sony continue to cross words with each other and measure each other's penis', Nintendo is standing by not battling with either of them to determine who has the biggest penis. In my opinion, Microsoft's PR's have been acting like little kids and are getting pretty damn annoying and Sony isn't doing much better. I think Nintendo understands that at the end of the day the Console War does not matter and doesn't even exist. People are going to buy the machine with the games that entice them and there's no point otherwise trying to get in people's faces trying to shove your opinions down people's throats.
Shut this user up Let user speak
heyheyhey - 579 days 4 hours ago
13.1 -
perhaps not

but my point is that there IS a war going on

if the PS3 sells 120 million by the time its discontinued and the 360 sells 40 million (for example)

you can't really say that they drew can you?

no, the PS3 would have won the war

like you example about the format war

Blu-Ray won and is the format of the future- but HD-DVD's are still being stocked and sold

not much, but that's not the point

yes i know the format war is much better example of an electronics war, but the console war exists and is a constant ongoing process

i don't think both the Xbox and Playstation brands will be here for the millions of years to come

things will change and companies will lose and drop out
Shut this user up Let user speak
boodybandit - 578 days 23 hours ago
13.2 - DA wow
You need to post more often. I read some of your history and you nail it with almost every post. I am the first to start tracking you.
bubble 4 u!
Shut this user up Let user speak
ice_prophecy - 579 days 3 hours ago
14 - I tell you what!
Back in the Day when internet was still sprouting (well for me) and my worldly views were limited, the PSX was a great machine, and I didn't have to worry about console wars because my playstation kept me happy... and It was all good.

But now? the internet has become one of those "Can't live with it, can't live without it" items >.> !

oh the agony...
Shut this user up Let user speak
dc08 - 579 days 2 hours ago
15 -
The console war exists only in the empty pockets of children
Shut this user up Let user speak
ajeben809 - 579 days 1 hour ago
16 - i have a theory of wat the console war is
basically wen u simplify it 100 times and it boils down to bragging rights with ur friends lol
Shut this user up Let user speak
sidar - 579 days ago
17 -
Because humans cant live in peace?
If we didnt had any wars( in any forms) we would make one....thats how humans are....even for the most idiotic thing humans like to start a war, wether it be a real war or a console war.

There is always one person to f*ck it up, Always one person to disagree.
Shut this user up Let user speak
TheBeginningOfTheEnd - 578 days 20 hours ago
18 -
it gives fanboys a reason to live i guess?
Add Comment (Gamer Zone)
Gamer Zone Posting Guidelines
The Gamer Zone is for members who want a more friendly and civilized discussion. This section is heavily moderated by the N4G staff, so leave your fanboyism at the door please. Members who are unable to behave in a mature and respectful manner will be temporarily or permanently restricted from posting in the Gamer Zone. Using words such as Xbots and Sony droids, or other words from the console war vocabulary, is strictly prohibited in this Zone.
Read More...
 
 
You must log in to post comments.
Username:  
Password:  
 
 
About N4G
N4G is a social game news site that covers the game industry 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
More Info... | Submit News