Good morning/afternoon/evening N4G,
What attracts us to gaming platforms? More of the same or stark contrasts to what we knew and loved/hated? We tend to be a little heavy-handed in a console's assessment after buying it and somehow we seem surprised at what the product offers. Common ones this generation are "PS4 is just a more powerful PS3" and "XBOX One is just an XBOX with a better camera". Well, yes and no. There's a clear effort to incorporate touch, motion, and position into the player's experience, but more on that in a bit.
Consoles aren't arbitrarily named. Quite often, the names communicate a level of vision for the product, and I think we overlook that. Look at Nintendo: NES to SNES (a more powerful NES) to N64 (use of 64-bit, third-dimension graphics, 4 controller ports, and a thumbstick), GameCube (dual thumbsticks, mini-discs, GameCube for Broadband, LAN), Wii (completely modified control input, bluetooth, DVD9, self-loading slot, and multiplayer focused experience) and Wii U (play with others but with a more centralized experience thanks to the Gamepad, adding a more definitive layer of a "we" experience, or a "you" experience; HD graphics with HDMI output). Each console in this case builds upon experiences of previous models, but when the names really differed, it warranted substantial changes in the product offering.
So back to what I was saying before (PS4/XBOX One = more of the same). You can't criticize them for that. Let's look at PlayStation 4. The product is communicated as "PS3, and more" and, according to my research, 4 is in fact greater than 3. Sony has added some great features to PS4, and we can totally appreciate that. It's not meant to produce an experience that alienates PSOne, PS2, or PS3. In fact, it's more of an addition to the family, much like most games and their sequels where many core mechanics are [at least intended] to have been improved in later iterations. iPhones are another piece of hardware that share this pattern, each one within a family meant to improve upon the previous iterations. Although, PS4 may not be a particularly accurate name for long with the advent of Morpheus. Obviously, Sony wasn't happy with the PlayStation Portable (an oxymoronic name, if you think about it) and completely recreated their vision for a handheld with Vita focusing on life: staying connected, fast, and ever in motion.
Regardless! The Super Nintendo was basically the NES improved and the N64 was different from the SNES in many ways as the GameCube was radically different from the N64 as the Wii is drastically different from the GameCube and the Wii U is comparable to the Wii.
Microsoft's XBOX line has extremely similar input by design with the name specifying its vision where XBOX 360 focused on global connectivity and XBOX One strives to be a living room representative. The controllers, services, and focuses are largely analogous with each other in the XBOX family just as is the case with the PlayStations (1-4).
My point is, can we really criticize a company for doing "more of the same"? If PlayStation 5 comes to fruition and is an improved upper-tier PS4, would it be a surprise? If the next XBOX is realized and it is definitively similar with camera and controller, would you be shocked? Probably not, and you shouldn't be. A different name would really constitute a company extending quite far outside of their comfort zones. Nintendo retired Gameboy and created the DS, succeeded by the 3DS and are quite different from Gameboy yet similar in many ways to each other.
Not that any of this particularly matters to the well-informed consumer, but I just figured it was good food for thought. So let's not berate manufacturers for being literal. If you didn't catch that, well...I'm sorry...?
Have a great one, gamers.
Sony Interactive Entertainment's PlayStation Stars is experiencing outage, as previously earned reward points have vanished for users.
i hope its back up soon want to pre-order a few games and renew my ps+ as a "new" member on tuesday with the discount
Looks like the epic console wars might be coming to an end, and a new battlefield is heating up: the Handheld Wars. With heavy hitters like the Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion Go, and the trusty Nintendo Switch, portable gaming is taking the spotlight. These handhelds bring the power of consoles to your hands, offering a variety of gaming experiences for both casual and hardcore gamers. While PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo aren't going anywhere, the rise of handheld gaming is giving us more ways to play than ever before.
Console wars, and possibly handheld wars, may seem silly, but they persist because there will always be passionate fan.
Is it implied that "console wars" refers to the fans warring vs. the war the platform holders are constantly in?
Obviously the platform holders have been at war and will be as long as they have to compete for our dollars.
They're fine, as long as you know this isn't REAL. I can say how much distaste I have for MS but still have a best friend that only games on Xbox. Its not that serious .
Console wars were great when it was SNES vs Genesis. Was always a great topic in the school yard. You got the Genesis port the friend got the SNES port. Always fun to compare who was better. I always looked forward after the school week and rent a game for the SNES. Now the console wars are pretty much done and over with PS3 vs XB360 was pretty much the last of the console wars. Anything after that is pretty much one sided with almost everybody going PS4 and PS5. To me the console wars started to drop after the PS3 and XB360 ran their course. Be interesting to see the handheld wars I am in the market for a new handheld system.
The SNES vs Genesis days were definitely memorable. I was lucky to have both consoles :) It's interesting to see how the focus is shifting now. Handheld wars could bring back some of that excitement. Which handheld system are you considering?
The "golden age" of gaming to me was between 1995 and 2000 when it was a 3 horse race between Sony, Nintendo, and Sega. For me, there WAS no console war because I genuinely loved all 3 platforms, with each bringing something unique to the table. I miss that era.
I would say with the defeat of Xbox and Nintendo being it's own thing in family friendly handheld gaming, the console wars are over. For those of us that enjoy that kind of entertainment and are aware of this aspect, it was fun while it lasted.
There is no handheld war Nintendo owns the handheld landscape.
" There is no handheld war Nintendo owns the handheld landscape "
If the Xbox handheld is true I won't how it will do against Nintendo, even Sony couldn't keep up and the PSP was fantastic
In a handheld war, Nintendo cannot be beaten.
PSP was a surprisingly robust effort, and it came the closest... While doing half as well as the DS.
The gaming community is abuzz with excitement as Warhorse Studios and Deep Silver unveiled a brand-new trailer for the highly anticipated sequel, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, at the Summer Games Fest. Titled Saints and Sinners, the trailer offers a glimpse into the rich and perilous world that awaits players.
I always find things like this interesting. I remember seeing some articles on marketing psychology related to branding and how powerful a name can be and vice versa. Not only names, but color palettes and even "buzz" words that are associated with products. It's very interesting. That being said, I STILL can't get with the name Wii. It just didn't really register! LOL
The "i" in the iPod craze is the reason for the Wii's name. They put two "i"s to make it seem better than that subconscious thought of iPod and iPad being a positive thing. Even PEPSI changed the font on their logos in 2006 so they could capitalize on the iPad iPod subconscious of being elite or more sophisticated. The little "i" is still having a good run.
In Sony's case, the names of each of their consoles is no surprise since each one has been a huge seller and 'Playstation' is literally a great description for what the product is and does.