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Well the current-gen has been going on for around 3 years now (well, a bit over 2 for  the PS3 and Wii, a bit over 3 for the 360), and it feels like it’s just about the right time to take a good look at each current-gen console, their merits, their faults, and just analyse the current situation in the video game industry.

We’ve got powerful polygon pushing consoles, and someone who changed their whole marketing schemes and that is trying something relatively different (sounds familiar….), but what state is the industry in, and what are the consoles like after a few years on the market?

Now I want to make this an analysis mostly around the gamers, consoles and games, so I won’t go around talking about sales statistics and all that crap.

Check out what I’ve got to say on this.

First, let’s look at the consoles themselves.

Microsoft Xbox 360

Ah, the original Xbox. How I liked to hate it. After the lameness that was what trolls would call the “FPSbox”, I was expecting a less than stellar showing from Microsoft once again. It took me quite a while to actually get one, but recently I got my own Xbox 360, and I must say that I am relatively impressed. The first Xbox wasn’t a really good console. Huge controller, boring game library for the most part consisting mostly of Halo and other FPS, with only a few gems (Ninja Gaiden, a censored version of Conker’s Bad Fur Day… amongst oa few others and probably a others I might not know about) and some good multi-platform titles. Overall though there wasn’t that much variety and, in my mind, it failed even more than the Gamecube.

But the 360 proves that Microsoft is able to get it right. Incredibly robust online(full of useless features that people love), hard drives for game saves and demos and such, the new NXE which makes it slightly more appealing to the masses with the new avatars(worked for Nintendo with the Miis) and a library of games to be proud of. No longer is the Xbox the home of mostly FPS, there’s lots of variety now. A bunch of RPGs, action games, some previous Sony-exclusive series getting their game on in the green box. The Xbox 360 is definitely a great system for gamers who like just about any genre.

But it’s not without its problems. The hardware is constantly getting problems, I don’t think I have much more to say than RROD. Good thing Microsoft give a 3 year warranty on that. The other big problem with me is the online. It’s really good and stable and all, but having to pay 50$ a year is a rip-off really. When you consider that you have to pay your ISP AND Microsoft to use your 360 online… it’s kinda stupid and not very cost effective for the average consumer. I mean, the PS3 has relatively stable online with a store that offers a bunch of stuff, and it’s free to use, can’t the 360 do the same? When I think of wasting 50$ on a feature like that, I also think that, with that 50$, I could buy a game instead.

Sony Playstation 3

The playstation. The first catered gaming to a new audience, aiming a bit more at the “cool kids” and “jocks” and basically non-gamer kids/teenagers, bringing a new group of gamers to make new types of game and appeal to larger masses. Until the playstation, video gaming was always a nerdy thing, but the playstation’s marketing broke that categorization. Though there was still enough for “oldschool” gamers on the playstation, it was no longer considered “stupid” by “cool people” to be playing video games.  The Playstation 2 built on that and offered even more for the “true gamers” that were there before the Playstation, and it dominated the competition easily. 

Hoping to do the same this time, they released the PS3 with high hopes that the developers would learn to use the PS3′s new Cell processor to its fullest. But that…. didn’t work… at least not for a while. The first year was less than good for the giant Sony gaming division which has dominated for 2 whole generations. The Cell was harder to program for than other processors, so there were a lot of watered-down ports of 360 games, or “less good-looking than the 360 version” multi-platform games, with very few exclusives that stood out. As it went on developers lost hope and started making their exclusive PS3 games go to the 360 as well(though I’m pretty sure Microsoft offered some… incentive to do so).

It looked glum for quite a long time, but it finally picked up in 2008. MGS4 came out, various other exclusives started showing off the potential of the PS3 and developers seem to start getting used to it. Around the time MGS4 came out I got my own PS3, and I am impressed. Despite the slow start, this is a very good console. Robust and FREE online(with a few hiccups here and there), good and easy to navigate interface, lots of cool “media center” functions in addition to gaming, and it’s a Blu-Ray player (No longer the cheapest on the market, but still a great choice). Overall the Playstation 3 is a great gaming console, but still lacks a bit of variety in the gaming library, seemingly taking the original Xbox’s place as an FPS machine(though there’s still quite a lot of great non-FPS games on it).

Nintendo Wii

Ah, the Wii. Most “True gamers”(who are most likely the evil “cool kids” that came in during the first Playstation’s dominance) are saying that it’s single-handily leading the video game industry to total destruction. Now, I don’t entirely agreeing with that, but I also think that it’s taking 1 step in the right direction and many steps in the wrong direction at the same time.

Wii surprised everyone with the ability of motion control out of the box and the potential for really innovative games, or innovative takes on old games/genres. The addition of the capability to download games of the old, from NES to N64 and other systems in-between including some third-party console (Genesis and NES games on the same console? That’s impossible!!!!), the system had a lot of appeal to old-school gamers (who haven’t already resorted to emulation or just using their old consoles to play old games). With the promise of a new Zelda (well, that was actually promised on the Gamecube first but both got it anyways), Mario, Metroid and Brawl, what could’ve gone wrong?

Well, quickly(AKA when they first used it) people realized it didn’t exactly have to 1:1 motion controls Nintendo led us to believe it would have, making the motion control nothing more than “waggling the wiimote=pressing a button”, and a lot of the “motion control” is controlled by the sensor bar and has more to do with the pointer than the remote itself. With few games taking full advantage of it (a few exceptions like Metroid Prime 3). The Wii-motion plus is supposed to make the motion sensing a lot better, but we’ll see. The Virtual Console, well it’s hard to say anything bad about it. An increasingly large library of games to interest any gamer, though people always find something to whine about (just be patient dammit, Earthbound will come someday).

The big problem here is the non-VC library of games. Sure, you have Mario Galaxy, Zelda, Mario Kart, Smash Bros Brawl, Metroid, but otherwise, most of the games are mini-game compilations or really lame “brain games” made to appeal to non-gamers. Some games come to break the cycle of bad cash-ins that sadly sell a lot though. No More Heroes, Wario Land, Tales of Symphonia, there’s still a little bit to interest the “core” gamer or even just the Nintendo fan (which Nintendo clearly don’t care about). Hey, did you see that? In all the good games I listed for now, only 2 of them are third-party. Yeah, the third-parties are scared of the Wii. They see that the userbase on the Wii would be uninterested in games that aren’t mini-game compilations or published by Nintendo, so they are reluctant to develop for the console. Add to that the really lame online system, the huge amounts of accessories needed to play certain games (add the Wii Motion Plus in not too long), and the basic cost of controllers… It’s an expensive console, even compared to the PS3.

Overall it’s not a bad system at all. But third-parties need to give it more of a chance, the userbase needs to look beyond “mini-game compilation number 882894″, the core gamers need to be patient, AND Nintendo needs to listen to its fan-base. We don’t want gamecube games with revamped controls, we want new games that use the Wii controls in an original way and that are fun to play. We want better online. You’ve got a system that’s really weak compared to the opposition, at least try to use the system’s strong points to make it appealing to gamers. But that’s not gonna work, since th Wii is more popular than Jesus, so Nintendo will keep swimming in money while us Nintendo fans get left behind the hordes of old people playing bad games. Happy to see third-parties are finally starting to take a chance with Wii in 2009.

Portable gaming

Pretty much a passing mention on this. Though their “generation” started earlier, the DS and PSP are important to the current-gen. You have 2 big contenders. The DS is basically the god of portable gaming. There’s a huge variety of games on it, with titles that vary from casual-bait mini-game compilations/brain games to old-school games to innovative games that use the touch-screen to RPGs to… anything. If you like any type of game, you’ll find something satisfying on the DS.
The PSP is really a mixed bag. It got no more than 3 good games in 2008 and doesn’t get much support (though there seems to be a few good games on the horizon right now). The games you find are…. pretty much what you’d find on the PS2, and remakes/ports of older games. Though it’s a weak system library-wise, it still has some good stuff and it needs more support. 

Portable gaming is the perfect way to complement “normal” gaming, with the ability to play anywhere. With the DS with the huge variety and the PSP with its…. huge potential(?), they are an important element in gaming today, and the current systems have more than enough to interest any gamer. Now let’s see if the iPhone can get any popularity in the gaming market.

Well we’ve seen the consoles, their good and bad points, so let’s check this generation as a whole

So we have the pixel-pushing power of the PS3, the slightly less pixel-pushing power but still as good looking Xbox360, and the comparetively weak Wii with its tacked-on motion controls (at least until yet another accessory is shoved down our throats to improve the motion controls). Each offers a different experience. The Wii alone is (hopefully) trying to change how we play games, while PS3 and Xbox 360 are pushing the graphics departement closer and closer to its limits, and each console defining how it is they think online play should be like.

The way games get made is changing every day. May it be to appeal to more people (FPS and way too much of them(even if some of them are really good), needlessly violent games, mini-game compilations, lame brain games) or just to experiment with new technology, the industry is in full motion to make games in a new way to make the industry evolve.

As for the gamers, I can’t see how anyone wouldn’t be pleased with the current generation of consoles. Though the PS3 and 360 have a very similar library, and both took a while to really get the library of good games going, there’s still some exclusive titles on each that make both of them worth owning. Action games, millions of FPS, lots of racing, a few RPGs here and there(few more on the 360), and actually a bunch of old-school stuff. If you have either of the consoles, just check the exclusives for the other, you might find a good reason to get the other console. 

As for the Wii, well if you like the Virtual Console(and/or are against emulation), there’s lots for you to check out. Otherwise, well the Wii is clearly marketed at non-gamers with things like Wii Fit and party game galores which interest mostly non-gamers. There’s a few good games out there, but the “true gamers” won’t have enough with just Wii games, so owning either a 360 or PS3 is better to get through this generation of gaming. If you only have a Wii, the time between worthwhile releases is really long, with barely anything between Brawl and… whichever of the 3 other good games you were waiting for that came out in 2008. Really hoping that 2009 will be different for the Wii and that developers will really experiment with it. At least we’ll be getting Punch Out!!.

Overall though, if you have either the PS3 or 360, as a gamer you should have little trouble finding something to interest you. The Wii should mostly be there for the novelty, and to play some Mario Galaxy and a few Brawl matches from time to time, it’s really just there to complement the other 2 consoles. I’d say this generation has something for everybody, and everybody should at least give a chance to every console on the market right now. And if somehow the current consoles don’t do it for you, there’s no way the DS won’t at least have SOMETHING you’ll like.

Which console is “better”?

None of them! yeah, easy answer huh? Unless you want to count the DS… But Let’s look at this closely. The Wii has infinite potential in original gameplay ideas, PS3 is the HD console done right with something for everyone(and free online), and the Xbox360 is the perfect console for online play (if you don’t mind paying the 50$ a year) and it also has something for everyone.

Each console has its strengths and they each have weaknesses (as covered earlier. Though it’s easy to hate on the Wii for its lame online and limited and frankly boring current game library, you have to look beyond that and see that, at its base, it’s a great console that, if developers actually took their time to make good games(looking at you The Conduit, you better be good), would be badass. It’s easy to hate on the 360 because of its predecessor, or because of the backwards “pay to play online” idea, a kinda weak starting lineup, the stupidly high failure rate of the consoles (mine is still safe…), but really, it’s a great system with great games and no one in the right mind would deny that. It’s easy to hate on the PS3, what with 599 US DOLLARS and the weak starting lineup and the tacked on motion controls and… I could go on. But the PS3 is an incredible console, it finally has great games, its capabilities as a multimedia device are awesome, the online is free and, besides a few hiccups from time to time, it’s quite reliable.

If you’re a gamer, no system will be “better”. You might prefer one over the others, but calling the others bad is just plain stupid and wrong.
Which console do I personally recommend? Frankly, I’d say the PS3. The hardware is really reliable, the online is free and mostly stable, there’s a lot of good games and downloadable games if that interests you and it’s a great multimedia center at the same time. But don’t disregard the other consoles. Heck, you probably prefer the 360 or the Wii, and that’s fine. They are all worth having for something.

What does the future hold?

I really don’t know what the future holds. It’s a mix of me thinking gaming will go for the worse because of the bad trend of lame games on the Wii getting picked up by Sony and Microsoft soon, or that everything will go for the better, the Wii userbase will progressively start buying games that aren’t lame mini-game compilations and maybe even (I can dream)more consoles, developers will learn the quirks of each console (more particularly the Wii and PS3), and better games for all systems will start coming out.

Really, it could go either way. But what I know is that gaming as it is will change. Hopefully for the better.
My guess is that it will actually go both ways. Sony and Microsoft will start taking a bit on Nintendo’s marketing ploys, making their systems more geared towards the non-gaming masses (Microsoft already started, with the “Avatars” partly), but will continue marketing it towards gamers at the same time. Though, going by this idea, the number of mini-game compilations and other “family-friendly” games will increase and sell just as well as actual AAA titles, developers will continue making games that will interest us “real” gamers and gaming will continue evolving in all the casual gamer side, the the “real” gamer site and the mainstream gamer side. Bigger, better-looking FPS and sport games will come out, a variety of other genres will push the boundaries set by previous titles and mini-game games might eventually start being high-quality and lead “non-gamers” to become closer to being “real” gamers themselves, experimenting with more than just mini-game compilations.

The future of gaming is, at the same time, looking up and down, and if the big 3 can make the right decisions, every aspect of gaming, may it be mainstream, “hardcore” or casual, will get better. It depends mostly on them, and a few willing third-party companies to continue making games for everyone out there. Sure, the big 3 could all go the nintendo way and eventually forget the gamers who supported the industry from the start until now, but I am keeping my hope up. The future is potentially incredibly bright. Gaming will change. If it is for the better, that is for the big gaming companies to decide.

What about the next generation?

I think it’s way too early to start talking about that. With the Xbox starting its 4th year and the Wii and PS3 starting their 3rd year, the generation still has at least 2 years to live on, and if it goes like I’m expecting, we still have at least 3 years before that.
If we’re “lucky”, this generation still has 4-5 years before going to the next. Nintendo is still selling the Wii at a stupidly high rate after so long and is still not THAT easy to find. The PS3 is almost starting to get it right, a price drop or 2 will make it truly start. The 360 is really getting in the game now, if only the failure rate went a lot lower. Each company is still working out their current console, and right now is just not the right time for any of them to start making a new console. Nintendo is swimming in money right now, and if their pool starts emptying, they can just release differently colored Wiis and the sales will skyrocket again, so they have no reason to make something new just yet. Sony is still trying to really pierce in the market now, and it would be strange for them to just stop supporting the PS3 already when it’s starting to sell better and finally getting some kind of footing. Microsoft is finally getting it right with the 360, and a new console so soon would be counter-productive and frankly it would be stupid, since it would start up at a really high price for now and the current less expensive alternatives would blow it out of the water. We still have some time before thinking about Next-Gen.

What the next-gen consoles will be like? Well by then we might start having Ultra High Def TVs that go up to over 9000p(pure random stupid speculation!), so Sony and Microsoft will both compete to be at the peak of what the technology will offer at the time. Nintendo will most likely take a big step forward tech-wise and also support whatever definition is “standard” by then but will go for less powerful hardware as the competitors to offer the lower-priced system. But, if any of the companies learned of their errors from this generation, none of them will start at anything near “599 US DOLLARS”. If we’re lucky enough, the entry-price for next-gen won’t be much higher than 300$.
When the next-gen consoles die off, Microsoft will stop supporting the 360 after  month or 2, Nintendo will get a few more titles out on the Wii, especially if it’s still selling well, and the PS3 will continue for a few years before dying off just like every previous Sony console.

The next-gen, whenever it comes, will hopefully show that the companies learned from their mistakes and will really do something incredible.
 

Conclusion

Okay, I ranted on long enough now. What I really wanted to do was to give some insight on the current-gen of video game consoles, what were my thoughts on every console, what were my thoughts on the generation in general, its fanbase, the developers and what this could bring in the future, a few “what if” things. Hope you enjoyed this read, and hope that, if you didn’t already, now have a more educated opinion on the consoles of this generation.

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