Console wars

There is a war brewing. Make sure you are on the right side.

The console wars are under way and things are heating up. The Wii is in its own category, but taking away sales from PS3 and 360. The Wii is the leading console around the world right now. 360 is in second and PS3 is bringing up the rear. As a matter of disclosure, I own the 360 and have no intention of owning either of the other consoles. I have considered getting a second 360 if I get another HDTV, but thats a dream for another time. I don't like the way Microsoft (MS) released its systems with multiple SKUs and then after 6 months released a 360 with HDMI output. My TV does not play full 1080p through the component cables included with the original 360. It shows in 1080i, but would look a smidge better through HDMI. I was a little miffed about that. The other major problem I had with the 360 was the core system (and now the arcade?) which does not have a hard drive. Programmers have to make a game that does not utilize the HD, because not all the owners have one. Big mistake that MS did not make with the original Xbox. On to Sony's problems and there are many. Lets start with releasing the most expensive system ever and not having software for it. The PS3 came out at such a high price point, but other than Resistance Fall of Man, Sony seriously lacked games. Also, Sony stuffed the Blu-Ray down consumers throat. They claimed a uniformity for the purpose of programming, but games are not really using the Blu-Ray capacity. Sony may be putting the games on Blu-Ray, but I would like to see if they are actually using more than what could be put on a dual layer DVD. The Blu-Ray drive in the PS3 is actually Sony's way of winning the Format War (look for more on that in future features). BR increased the price of the PS3 tremendously. Sony threw out that the 360 would be just as expensive if you add the HD-DVD drive and wireless internet and piss on a couple hundred dollars and set it on fire. Sony doesn't understand the MS gave consumers a choice (should still have made all 360s with hard drives and yes I may mention that later on down the road). A year later, Sony has come out with 5 different SKUs and confusing systems (something they tried to trash MS about at launch) some with backwards compatibility, different number of USB ports and with and without memory card slots. They are also still lacking in games. There are some nice games for the PS3, don't get me wrong, but for a system that is over a year old it does not have nearly enough good games. The PS3 is still getting leftovers that came out on 360 6 to 12 months ago. There are some exclusives that Sony has, but some of them have been moved to timed exclusives which will release on 360 in 3 to 6 months. Am I happy to wait 6 months for Unreal Tournament 3? No. I will wait and get it on the 360 though. EA has pissed on Sony by releasing games on PS3 that play at 1/2 the framerate of the 360. You can say programmers have had more time to get used to the 360, but part of the problem is the hardware of the PS3 and Sony's lack of aid to programmers. The 360 is very akin to a computer, programming-wise, so many people had no trouble coming out of the gate with good looking games. Insomniac (Resistance and Rachet & Clank) has been able to do great things with the PS3. Why are so many other studios falling short? I would love for more programmers to take advantage of the PS3 hardware because I believe that will spur better games on the 360. I don't hate the Wii or PS3, but neither one of them are for me. Sony has a lot of loyalty carried over from PS2 days and Nintendo is trying to hit the casual gamer market. I don't fit into either one of those categories. I like Xbox Live which is head and shoulders better than Sony's free online service. Some people bitch about paying for live, but it comes out to less than $4 a month. Not a big expense at all and so easy to use. Sony will continue to lag behind as long as they continue to have so much difficulty producing good games, cause thats what a gaming console is built around first and foremost. MS really should have included a hard drive in all its systems, but we all make mistakes. Right?