Console Wars

[MGS4FAN_I]

Who do guys reckon will steal the show at the end of 2010, mostly between the Ps3 and X-Box 360 since so many bad titles have released for the Wii. I can see the motion-controller being that momentum that Sony needs to take the first half of sales in 2010. I can still see things shifting back to Microsoft with Project Natal.

[Agent Helix]

Who cares?

The Wii is probably still going to sell a bajillion units like it always does, and enough quality games come out for each system to make silly arguments like this completely moot.

[Mike Pothier]

Neither motion controlling for the PS3 or the 360 will catch on like the Wii's because they aren't integral to the system. Next generation, if they make their system based on motion control.

[jesse_custer]

Who cares?

The Wii is probably still going to sell a bajillion units like it always does, and enough quality games come out for each system to make silly arguments like this completely moot.

No, this argument isn't silly. It's essential to our intellectual discussions.

You should be ashamed of yourself, you casual gamer!

[comicsmetal]

No, this argument isn't silly. It's essential to our intellectual discussions.

You should be ashamed of yourself, you casual gamer!

Uhm no ,it is a silly argument because it will be another fanboy war.Every one has a preference to a certain type of system.

And anyway with the 360 and ps3 most of their games are on each systems.

[Mike Pothier]

Uhm no ,it is a silly argument because it will be another fanboy war.Every one has a preference to a certain type of system.

And anyway with the 360 and ps3 most of their games are on each systems.

Psst... sarcasm...

[comicsmetal]

Psst... sarcasm...

:biggrin: Opp,I am pretty bad with sarcasm.

[Ned McDodd]

i don't take that console wars so seriously at the moment, but i'm happy that Nintendo has success with their wii console, after all the years behind Sony and Microsoft i was worried they would give up like Sega did with their consoles.

[MGS4FAN_I]

I still don't see the Wii being able to top the momentum that Sony has built and that Microsoft may get back with project Natal. Its very unlikely that Nintedo is going to start production into a HD console right now, but they may be considering it a little earlier than the X-Box 720 and the Sony PS4. Though the anWii is interactive d for that purpose appelas to a wider range of audience, I still think that the PS3 and 360 will manage to sell more units just bthis year because of all the interesting add-ons and growing awareness and increase of interactivity

[Lester C.]

With the exception of a couple of exclusive titles, If you have a 360 you don't really need a PS3 or vice versa as so many games are released for both systems. I can't comment on the Wii as they don't make games that appeal to me, though it is impossible to deny Nintendo dominance for this generation of gaming. From the very start they have outsold both Sony and Microsoft and unlike the other two systems they actually are in the black with each unit sold.

[jesse_custer]

I still don't see the Wii being able to top the momentum that Sony has built and that Microsoft may get back with project Natal.

Nintendo is likely developing something big right now.

Besides, the Wii and the DS are still doing very well.

[Tadhg]

I suppose it's possible that combined PS3/360 sales will outstrip Wii sales this year though I don't think I'd place money on it.

[Mike Pothier]

I still don't see the Wii being able to top the momentum that Sony has built and that Microsoft may get back with project Natal. Its very unlikely that Nintedo is going to start production into a HD console right now, but they may be considering it a little earlier than the X-Box 720 and the Sony PS4. Though the anWii is interactive d for that purpose appelas to a wider range of audience, I still think that the PS3 and 360 will manage to sell more units just bthis year because of all the interesting add-ons and growing awareness and increase of interactivity

The problem is that add-ons and peripherals don't have market penetration. Even the best selling peripherals (guitar hero controllers) only sold a tiny, tiny amount compared to the over all console sales. Unless Sony and MS start giving way their motion-controlling hardware for free, it simply won't have the support needed to overcome the Wii. They might give both companies some additional momentum, but not nearly enough.

[Jessygirl88]

If it's gonna be a battle between sales, Nintendo Wii will most probably top it (sadly) because of so many kids, not including the kid-acting adults, who wants the games on it so bad. Oh I forgot to mention families who consider playing Wii together as their bonding time so there...

[Jmacq1]

Wii still sells. Particularly to lots of people that otherwise don't give a hoot about video gaming. It doesn't matter how much "momentum" 360 and PS3 build up, Nintendo owns the casual gamer market that's far, far larger than the "hardcore" market, and the other two are going to remain distant second/third in this generation, and quite possibly the next. Wii is the PS2 of this generation, and will probably run strong for years to come.

[Agent Helix]

I love how people seem to somehow resent the fact that the Wii has more kids and families playing games now.

[Jmacq1]

I love how people seem to somehow resent the fact that the Wii has more kids and families playing games now.

Doesn't bother me. It isn't as though it's stopped developers from catering to the "hardcore" market, and just as systems like the Atari 2600/NES/SNES were gateways into "hardcore gaming" for previous generations it's entirely possible that the Wii will give birth to another (larger) group of "hardcore" gamers in the future. It's just that the nature of the "hardcore" game may change considerably.

Besides, the developers are always going to know there's a big market for folks that want to sit on the couch moving nothing but their fingers while they play video games. They'll never stop marketing to them entirely, even if I'm quite certain that Sony and Microsoft's next-gen systems will almost certainly be tailored to try to tap into that "casual gamer" market.

Well...maybe. I could just as easily see Sony and Microsoft deciding that "3D gaming" is the wave of the future.

[StoneGold]

I love how people seem to somehow resent the fact that the Wii has more kids and families playing games now.

Because it's not satisfying their immediate needs, and therefor it sucks.







Well, that and it does drain money away from production on titles that they like, but I doubt very few people are actually thinking that. I mean, if a company can make an assload of money on something as simple as Farmville, why in the world would they want to spend millions of dollars on a AAA title which has just as good a possibility of tanking as succeeding?

[Black Atom]

Who cares?

The Wii is probably still going to sell a bajillion units like it always does, and enough quality games come out for each system to make silly arguments like this completely moot.

To be fair to the OP, he's at least attempting to make reasoned argument about the subject. I think talking about which consoles will perform best or even which consoles we each prefer can be worthwhile as long as doesn't degenrate to "Nintendo pwns Sony 4 free! Mario roxxx"

I don't think the motion stuff is going to give either Sony or Microsoft much more traction at this point, though.

[Astonishing X-Fan]

Depends on what you mean by "winning" the console war. If you mean sales, the Wii has definately won every year and will most likely continue to do so. If you mean as far as actual game lineup goes, it's down to personal opinion, and IMO the Wii lost every year so far and will probably continue to do so.

But it's not like the Wii doesn't have good stuff coming this year. New Mario, new Metroid, and possibly new Zelda, for starters.

[jesse_custer]

Going by fun (and not any of the overvalued secondary stuff like cinematics and voice acting and atmosphere), I would put Madworld, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, and House of the Dead: Overkill against any of the top 360 and PS3 games from last year, with a few exceptions like Street Fighter 4 and Flower.

I don't have a problem with families and old people playing the Wii, and I don't care if companies cater to them. I'm having fun playing other games on the Wii and don't really give a shit that it doesn't have the newest high-profile first-person shooter that still feels like a retarded Doom clone without any real action or suspense--or even if it gets the latest broken RPG or boring third-person action title (Assassin's Creed, cough, Grand Theft Auto 4, cough). The 360 and PS3 have great games, too, but some of the crap that gets publicity is often the opposite of everything a video game is supposed to be about. If the mainstream video game press knew what a fun game was, it would still be sucking off Earth Defense Force 2017.

And really, if I'm looking for the most fun, I don't even play any of the home consoles. The DS has so many fun games from nearly every genre. If you ask me, it's been winning the war, and it still is.

[Ned McDodd]

But it's not like the Wii doesn't have good stuff coming this year. New Mario, new Metroid, and possibly new Zelda, for starters.

really looking forward to these games too. I agree, the games lineup from Wii is not always spectacular, but at least many games from Nintendo for Wii are great ones imo.

[jesse_custer]

Sin and Punishment 2. Anything by Treasure is good. Even the Bleach game I tried on the DS, of all things.

[MGS4FAN_I]

The problem is that add-ons and peripherals don't have market penetration. Even the best selling peripherals (guitar hero controllers) only sold a tiny, tiny amount compared to the over all console sales. Unless Sony and MS start giving way their motion-controlling hardware for free, it simply won't have the support needed to overcome the Wii. They might give both companies some additional momentum, but not nearly enough.

I still see the gaming industry as a cycle. Some years Nintendo may have an edge and others Sony and Microsoft may, its just a matter of "out with the old in with the new". i think whoever can be more innovative and cost effective will be the giant of the market. I don't neccesarily see the development of an HD console feasible for Nintendo right now, particularly because they are doing so well with the Wii against HD competition. I can see Sony and Microsoft definitely tweaking the big stuff to make owining a PS3 and 360 more worthwhile.

[Astonishing X-Fan]

but some of the crap that gets publicity is often the opposite of everything a video game is supposed to be about.

No offense, but who are you to decide what a video game is "supposed" to be? Just because something isn't appealing to you doesn't mean it was wrong of the developers to make it. Video games are a hugely diverse medium just like anything else, and are not "supposed" to be any one kind of thing.

You seem to be taking this "the only things that are fun are the things I find fun" stance, and it's kind of silly. "Fun" is entriely subjective. There's tons of people that find the games you find "boring" to be all kinds of fun.

That's why I basically said above, that if you're trying to decide the winner of the console wars by games, and not by sales, it's just going to come down to personal taste.

[jesse_custer]

No offense, but who are you to decide what a video game is "supposed" to be?

A game is supposed to be entertaining/fun. I don't believe this is an outrageous statement.


You seem to be taking this "the only things that are fun are the things I find fun" stance, and it's kind of silly.

No, I simply have a different viewpoint than you.

I didn't say people can't have fun with Doom clones. I said I don't care if those types of games make it to the Wii.

[Astonishing X-Fan]

And lots of people find those games "entertaining" and "fun" so saying that the developers don't know how to make a video game the way it's "supposed" to be made seems pretty ridiculous. And that other people "don't know what fun is". You didn't just say what you thought was fun, you took this antagonistic approach to what other people think is fun.

And how are these games Doom clones anyway? That's like saying Ratchet & Clank is just a Mario clone, or Tekken is just a Street Fighter clone. Call of Duty, for example, is a hell of a lot different than Doom.

[jesse_custer]

And lots of people find those games "entertaining" and "fun" so saying that the developers don't know how to make a video game the way it's "supposed" to be made seems pretty ridiculous.

When did I say developers can't make fun games? I said all three systems have great games, but sometimes people aren't willing to look at them because they're too focused on hype, "realistic" polygons that don't even look real, etc.


And that other people "don't know what fun is". You didn't just say what you thought was fun, you took this antagonistic approach to what other people think is fun.

I take an antagonistic approach to the mainstream video game press and its relentless erections over games that aren't really that original or fun. If this opinion bothers you, I'm sorry, but I'm not changing it.


And how are these games Doom clones anyway? That's like saying Ratchet & Clank is just a Mario clone, or Tekken is just a Street Fighter clone. Call of Duty, for example, is a hell of a lot different than Doom.

They're Doom clones because I feel like I'm playing Doom again, only this time it's trying to be more complicated. The only thing Call of Duty got right was Nazi Zombies, which is pretty excellent.

[Astonishing X-Fan]

Maybe the "mainstream press" is gushing over them because they actually do find them fun?

Of course there's always hype in entertainment media, but it's not like most of these games don't have large followings of fans that get plenty of enjoyment out of them. So you don't, okay, that's fine. But I see no need to act all bitter towards people that do.

[jesse_custer]

Maybe the "mainstream press" is gushing over them because they actually do find them fun?

Of course there's always hype in entertainment media, but it's not like most of these games don't have large followings of fans that get plenty of enjoyment out of them. So you don't, okay, that's fine. But I see no need to act all bitter towards people that do.

Maybe the mainstream press enjoys all of these games, sure. If that is the case, I don't always understand the reasoning, as some of these games are dreary.

I have friends who like some of these games, too. I don't act bitter toward them.

I act bitter toward people who act bitter toward what I enjoy. There is a visible group of people who dislike the Wii, and it sometimes suggests that one has nothing to play but shovelware and Nintendo titles on the console (which is nonsense, as I showed earlier with my examples of Madworld, House of the Dead, and Muramasa). Agent Helix referred to this group as well, so I don't think I'm imagining things.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Personally I don't care about the Console Wars . I have owned a regular Nintendo , Super Nintendo , Nintendo 64 , Playstation 1,2, and now 3 ...and a Sega Genesis over the last 20 years. I have no loyalty to any 1 brand . If a game looks good for the PS3 , I'll buy it.

Right now im countin the days for Final Fantasy XIII ! Hell yeahhh...

[Astonishing X-Fan]

Unfortunately, the Wii DOES have a lot of shovelware, moreso than the other two. But that's more or less because of it's popularity in the first place, just like with the DS. If a developer wants to crap out some shitty Horsez game or whatever, they just throw it on the system with the most market penetration because it's going to reach more kiddies and people who don't really care too much. So some people see this and have a hard time looking past it.

Personally, I still think it has the weakest lineup, shovelware or no shovelware. But the people who try to say good games aren't there are just plain wrong.

[jesse_custer]

The thing is, I haven't played hardly any of these party/kid/family titles, so I tend not to be too hard on them. I did try Tanks on Wii Play, which is a blast.

[Agent Helix]

For the record, I thought MadWorld was shit.