Business, Console, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, PSP, Playstation 3, Sony, Technology, Xbox 360
Problems with the Console Generation
Normally, I constantly believe that the video game industry is on the edge of innovation. Each generation of consoles have accomplished feats that most believed in impossible. From the Pong to the Nintendo Entertainment System and from the Super Nintendo to the Sony PlayStation; these leaps were amazing. But now with the current next-generation system in the midst of their shelf lives, I don’t see the innovation happening again.
Though I say there is a fear in the lack of innovation, I believe that all of the big three are at fault for the lack of innovation in the video games industry. I know everyone needs to make a profit; after all the industry is a business, but profit and creativity can be combined.
Microsoft
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is a solid gaming console for this generation. The price points were always solid, Xbox Live translated well from the original Xbox, and the lineup of titles has surpassed the PlayStation for some time. The issues though rose as soon as the Xbox 360 was released. The red ring of death, the still necessary payment of Xbox Live, and mass payouts for exclusive DLC.
The red ring of death can only be attributed to Microsoft’s fault at proper quality assurance. Though they have gone through lengths to correct the problem, The RROD should have never appeared in such a large amount of 360s. They have assisted owners at replacing and repairing the damaged systems, but shouldn’t they have tested the Xbox 360 in a variety of conditions before it was released? Most gamers don’t have a clean room with always adequate airflow, and testing the system’s stress should have been a priority.
When I owned an original Xbox, I never played on Xbox Live. I thought that paying for online content or multiplayer was a slight to the gaming community. The Xbox was always considered the most PC-esque console, so why would a gamer have to pay, unlike most PC titles with included multiplayer? PlayStation Network’s free access is where gaming should go, you already have a connection to the internet, and that should be enough. Though Microsoft’s revenue from Xbox Live can’t be argued, it still shouldn’t be there.
The string of exclusive DLC comes down to two things: money and ease of development. Microsoft payed Rockstar Games an astronomical amount for the exclusive Grand Theft Auto IV DLC, and other titles have followed the Xbox 360 only venue. This is where ease of development arises.
It is well known that the PlayStation 3 is difficult to program for when compared to the Xbox 360, but titles have shown that with proper utilization, PlayStation 3 titles can surpass what the Xbox 360 is capable of. Exclusive DLC is a slap to gamers everywhere. It shouldn’t harm the gamer on which system they choose, they should be allowed to make their purchases without thinking about possible DLC content in the future, especially for mulitplatform titles.
PlayStation
PlayStation 3 hasn’t failed entirely, but Sony is not sitting in a great position with it. As with the PlayStation 2, which was difficult to program, the PlayStation 3 chose an entirely different architecture for its new console. I was amazed by the idea of the Cell processor and the potential abilities it contained and I was prepared for the programming difficulty backlash when it came.
But Sony doesn’t seem to be assisting developers in easing those issues even now. Obviously with console exclusives, Sony will back their PlayStation brand, but with the mulitplatform titles, the PlayStation 3 versions usually lack a lot of the finish that their other brethren do.
PlayStation Portable. Why have you been put into the trashcan of development? The possible abilities of this system were so widespread, but after one year of strong development, you have no games worth purchasing and the multimedia functionality is poor. With all the rumors of the PSP2, there still isn’t any hope for the Portable brand. Honestly, it’d be better to announce yourself as a failure then try to convince the gaming public you’re still doing well. Monster Hunter may be the IV keeping you alive right now, but what else will bring you out of your coma?
Sony has a great team of publicists. Internal development teams are doing well with optimization of the titles they release. But Sony needs to help other development teams. As long as PlayStation 3 titles look the worst when compared to Xbox 360, those numbers will always fall to it. Also, when Sony decided to create the PlayStation 3, how long was their plan with keeping the console so expensive?
Even now it’s still the most expensive console, and I am well aware of all the extra functions that the PlayStation 3 has; hell, I use it as a media center more than a gaming console. Sony needs to rethink it’s marketing plan and push the PlayStation 3 by creating an online community that at least equals the Xbox Live. And I do not mean PlayStation Home, which will probably always remain a beta.
Nintendo
Nintendo failed the last console generation. The Gamecube never found its stride until the end years of the past console race. The Nintendo Wii found Nintendo the best marketing scheme possible by pandering to the “casual” gamer, but what was the cost? The lack of solid titles.
When you look at the Wii in terms of games, there aren’t many with solid positive scores. Most games that are released are hastily developed motion control games that scrape the bottom of the barrel.
What kind of game is this supposed to be?
Nintendo DS also follows this trend. Nintendo has tons of new titles that release, but how many of them do you actually need? Probably around five percent.
Some Stereotypes are True
Nintendo needs to tighten its approval process and make sure that even the casual gamer is purchasing a worthwhile title. Just because it makes profit doesn’t mean it’s good for the industry.
Nintendo also needs to embrace the “M for Mature” This is where Nintendo could bridge the gap of the majority of the gaming population and bring the “hardcore” gamers to the Wii. I’ve played the Wii, but I find it boring after fifteen minutes. Just think about motion control possibilities with M for Mature titles? And I’m not talking just about violence, I’m thinking about all adult situations. There’s just a abscess in that portion of the Nintendo Wii’s library.
The current console generation is trudging along. There’s nothing really amazing that matches all the promises made before the consoles were released. Basically all three are copying each other with what works. I challenge Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony to do something drastic to make gaming exciting again. Otherwise, I’ll just stick to board games with friends. At least I’ll work on my people skills.
Tags: Innovation, Nintendo DS, Playstation 3, playstation portable, Wii, Xbox 360
You hit the nail on the head with the pros and cons of each system. I have had the luxury of owning all 3, and I feel that my opinion is unbiased too.
The first system I recently sold of the 3 was the ps3. Everyone knows that it has a blueray player, and that it is a great media center. But, look at the future of movies. In a few years, movies will be distributed mostly over broadband connections, and HD movies will be the downloadable norm. Blueray is a lost cause, and Sony knows it. Also, Sony’s customer service leaves a lot to be desired, and their online multiplayer community is totally underdeveloped, neglected even, as one should expect when something is free.
I have recently sold a 2nd of my 3 7th-gen consoles. I sold my X-box 360. Microsoft’s online gaming community is well organised. They charge you for admission and you get what you pay for. I know that Microsoft finally fixed the ‘red ring of death’ system failures, but they did this 3 1/2 years too late, and they frustrated A LOT of people in that time. The honorable business strategy would have been to test and test again their product before putting it on sale. Is it too much to ask for an honorable business? Unfortunately, Microsoft has really disappointed me in the last few years, with their Vista, Xbox failures, their lack of customer service ethic, and frankly, their downright arrogant attitude releasing an unfinished system and then bribing those gamers back after their system crashes. Microsoft new their consoles would fail and they sold them anyways. That’s just plain cheap.
So, that leaves me with the Wii. My last system for this generation. A lot of people are saying that the Wii is not a hardcore-gamer system. I disagree. Granted 95% of its titles are pure crap, the other 5% are great, which is actually not much different a stat from any other game systems’ game releases. The Wii has all of Nintendo’s hardcore gamers PLUS a whole new wave of new gamers. The most important thing for me about Nintendo’s products is this; I have NEVER had any issues or problems with any Nintendo system since they came out with NES way back when. They make a quality product, they are innovative, and they are dedicated to producing mature games in the future on the Wii. Everyone should own a Wii and experience the new thing.
@D. Weiss
I actually don’t think you ever owned any of those systems. I have a wii and ps3 and I have’n't touched my wii in around a year. And the funny thing is I get free games for that system (its hacked, big whoop). I play the xbox 360 frequently at my friends house but I still love my ps3 the most. 360 is fun but all of their games have this weird feel to it (plastic graphics?), while ps3 feels much better for me (this is my personal opinion). I admit that the wii has a great line up for 2009 (its true, look it up on youtube), but I honestly don’t see myself playing it for more than an hour (it seriously hurts your head if you play the wii too long). end of story, D Weiss never owned any console besides the wii (he’s too poor), and he’s one of those nintendo fanboys ( I used to be one too, until the wii came out). This article is a fail, probably because it was written around a year ago, (the info of this article feels old and is pretty much Outdated). So that leaves us with a big old FAIL!!!!
Actually, it was written this week. And these are my impressions from playing all three systems. I’ve been a gamer since Pong and Atari 2600. Went through the NES, then to Genesis, then to PlayStation where I’ve stayed since. I only have a PS3, original launch PS2, and first gen PSP.
If you feel the article is outdated, then I apologize; I spent all last week attending the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco and didn’t see anything truly revolutionary other than OnLive; but since I’m not a PC gamer, I’ll stick to consoles.
The article’s just an opinion, and if you always believe the marketing campaigns of every console publisher, then obviously you’re the demographic they’re aiming at.
[...] post by Chris P [...]
I had all three systems as well and I’ve owed almost all the originals since pong. I’m showing my age. Each system has a following but like others have said it comes down to what and the kids decide to play on a regular basis that hold value. The first to go was the Wii (sold it on e-bay) it sat around getting dusty. Sure I put a couple of months on the machine but I just got bored with the poor graphics and the kids wouldn’t touch it unless a group gathered at the house and a neighbor mentioned they wanted to play it for the first time. The second to go was the PS3 (sold it to a friend at work when his died). Actually it was my second machine as well the first had issues right out of the box. I waited for good games that never seemed to come. Everything I wanted I was already playing on the xbox 360 weeks before. But the real decisions was when I heard the kids (teens) fighting over the xbox 360’s controller. I mentioned to them the other systems but they insisted this was the one they wanted to play. So I bought a second one. So far it was the best choice. I ended up buying a third for my own use (not a fan of split screen) so I can whoop up on the kids from my theater room and down load HD movies for the projector.