This thread is not a PS3 4TW, XBOXXOR thread, rather its for debating a serious issue in gaming: multiplatform releases and cross platform play. Please, keep it civil or GTFO.
When I was gifted a nintendo in early 1988, I remember the most visible gaming icon at the time was Mario... I recognized him from my Atari "Mario Bros" game, and a new game with a new setting was a grand thing. My cousins had this system and game as well, and we had a hell of a time getting through all those levels. Other systems began to emerge and I had a few relatives that picked one or the other up, particularly the sega master system and the turbografx 16. Now, the sega was purchased by a 21 year old relative of mine who had just been discharged from the navy, and I watched him play a few times, not really finding the whole machine very interesting, or for that matter attractive. For my cousins and I, it was all about mario and link, and excite bike. My cousin with the Turbo-16 spent a fortune getting that machine, and to be honest, when we all saw it, we thought it was one of the biggest wastes of plastic we had ever played on... the games were pedestrian at best, the capability of the machine was great, but far ahead of its time, and much more expensive than our middle class parents were going to drop on a video game machine (It kept us quiet, and they were willing to pay nintendo for that one).
Nintendo and Sega had a vicious console war in the late 80s to mid 90s which resulted in the creation of some of the best and worst gaming devices, games, and characters. Some of these characters have maintained specifically on nintendo. I still believe that nintendo will win, and continue to win, every console war, video game format battle based off their 25+ years of experience and dynamite sales/promotion team. Sega is dead now, and the two contenders fighting for the position of video game maid of honor appears to be the Xbox 360 and Sony's PS3.
These two companies are not primarily "gaming" companies, they are a high end electronics manufacturer and a software development firm respectively. They forayed into video games for the purpose of reaping profit and gaining a share in a market dominated by Nintendo almost exclusively. I believe that they had to know that they would be up against what can only be termed fairly as a juggernaut, and that their move was mostly spurned by the technical inferiority of the 64 and the gamecube compared to the PS, the Ps2, and the Xbox respectively in their eras. nintendo relied on cartridges as the primary media changed to disc, Nintendo eschewed several gaming titles to remain "family friendly" (remember mortal kombat for SNES anyone), and nintendo decisively seems to go after the traditional video game market that they've continually held: ages 4-15 and adults that casually game. To this end, they created the Wii, a motion sensing, visually low tech machine with its own style and inventive design. The Wii to date, has outsold Sony and MS by a vicious margin. I know people that still fight over the machine reserve certificates at different stores where the console is sold.
Nintendo has essentially ceded to Sony and MS the "above 15 serious gamer" genre, and gave it a good slap on the back for good riddance. I believe this partly has to do with the fact that the 15+ serious gamer market is saturated with titles all designed to achieve the same thing: Kill things and go fast in a graphically intense manner. There is little difference to me between the GTA titles except for story line, with the exception of a selected few games that I actively wanted to buy, my PS3 library is rather thin compared to my PC Game library, which consists of 2 spindles of disks and my steam account. I am convinced that nintendo sees the fact that the 15 and up market is still dominated and will continue to be dominated by PC gaming. The console giants fighting for second place seem not to really get this, nor do their fans, who degenerate into rabid fanboyism over the exclusive release of one title over another, and the loss of an icon of one brand... its almost like the WWF/WCW wars of the late 90s. I think its mostly caused by the fact that most fans cannot afford more than one machine. Those of us who are wealthy or white enough to have all three, or two of them, or even (as myself) one console and the PC can form a seperate opinion however.
The bottom line is, I love my PS3, but in a pinch I'd pick my PC.
Primarily, I got the PS3 because my PS2 died, I have small hands, and do not like the large X box controllers. I have many PS2 titles, which are backwards compatible with my machine, and I saw that HDDVD lost the format war, and wanted to get a BR player. In addition to this, many of my cousins have a PS3, which we keep in touch with online and game together. To this end, I've really come to like the PS3 because it allows me for the first time in many years to have weekly and sometime daily conversations with relatives that I do not often get to see. I really could care less that metal gear solid 4 is exclusive... because I own it, and beat it, and it exclusively sucks my right ass cheek. The story is too long and it suffers from "ZOGM Nucrear horrorcorst in nippon" syndrome. I would have preferred the game appear on the other consoles as well personally, just so there would be enough of a backlash about the 30 + minute cut scenes of homo-erotic dialogue to maybe get Kojima to get off his fucking high horse and just make a good game.
Do I think Sony is a superior machine to the Xbox? As for reliability, to ME, yes. I am a finicky person by nature, and (ask red) the concept to me that a machine I paid out the ass for may die and RROD me is simply disturbing. I think the PS3 has more crap inside it than the Xbox, but as detriment to the machine no one knows how to use it yet.
Think back to the release of god of war, one of the later PS2 games, and tell me that compared to MGS2 Sons of Liberty, God of War doesnt blow the game away in sheer brilliance. It takes a while to learn to use all the crap in the machine and to program to maximize the machine's architecture. On a side, my PC is a Quad core. I know that games are not there yet, but games finally went "dual reccomended" (See DOW2 reqs... and I am nearly certain now SC2). What the hell is the point of buying nearly outdated machinery (dual core) which is hard to upgrade... I'd rather replace my stock 256MB vid card later, than have to get a new Mobo and processor any day of the week. This is kind of the way I feel about Xbox.
Don't get me wrong, I think the machine is a fine piece of machinery, and by no means is it less capable at the current moment, but give it a few years, and any system will show its age, especially if it is not future ready.
As for sale points, Xbox has killed sony, and I will openly admit that it is SCEA's fault entirely.
Fact: Sony could have released on time, or within a month to three months of Xbox's release. They held on for a whole year, including the holiday season. This is essentially suicide for a console. Allowing Xbox to have exclusive dominion means a LOT of people are going to get that machine, and blow their wad on the X instead of the black box.
Fact: When sony DID release, their price point was nearly 1/3 higher than Xbox AND their flagship game (MGS4 would not release for nearly 2 years) every other game that was released in tandem with the PS, with the exception of Warhawk, was a console port of an already released Xbox title.
Fact: Sony's price point, coupled with the cost of manufacturing, while making a technologically superior (in theory and future readiness) machine, made one that they could not sell far below that price point without incurring heavy losses.
Fact: Much like with me, many gamers that DID get a ps3 would NOT have gotten one BUT for the backwards compatibility, something the 40 Gig does NOT have.
Fact: By taking 100 fucking years to release, SCEA had lapse many of its exclusivity agreements with some of the best gaming companies that signed the agreements in 2000-2002 prior to the first Xbox. Good going Sony, you completely garage sale'd your best ammunition to hook gamers.
In short, Sony neutered itself. Its not a matter of Xbox being superior, or microsoft being a better company, its simply that SCEA completely dropped the ball and was getting its pants OFF when Xbox had already gangbanged the public.
RE: dual platform releases. FFXIII (for those that are interested) is going to be a multiplatform release. Let me start by saying I am HAPPY about this. FF is a good game series, and imho more sales means more money for development of a better next game. I have seen a couple SCEA fanboys going rabid about this issue. I feel however, that the multiplatform release can only be a good thing, as the game will receive even more scrutiny and criticism.
My dream to be honest, would be cross platform play. What do you guys think of this concept? I think its what truly keeps PC as the dominant Genre... all you need is a comp that can run the game and a connection and you are good. Consoles, being proprietary, do not have this option, at least not now.
This is simply MY story. Being the grand forum that we are, I want to know what you think. How do you feel about this? What are your ideas on this issue? Please, no fanboy flaming.
