Ben-DutkaFor over a decade now, Sony and Microsoft have tangled in the video game world. From the moment the original Xbox came onto the scene in late 2002, PlayStation and Xbox followers have been in opposite camps.
But is it this industry's greatest rivalry? In sports, rivalries are popular and ultimately, very healthy. And gaming has had its share of rivalries over the years, ranging from software franchises to consoles and PCs, so what do you see as history's greatest gaming rivalry? And by the way, I don't think Console vs. PC should count…it's just too damn broad.
Personally, I think it has to be between Nintendo/Sega and PlayStation/Microsoft. I mean, could it really be anything else? I still remember the vivid arguments from elementary school and beyond; I remember the SNES vs. Genesis war, which was just so much fun, especially because Nintendo had owned the market free and clear for several years with the NES. Then the two 16-bit systems collide and all hell breaks loose…ah, good times for all. I still say there wasn't half as much hostility as there is now, but I should probably just blame that on the evils of the Internet. And things were more lighthearted in the ol' days.
Throwing Sony into the mix in the mid-90s kinda messed with things, as long-time gamers just didn't know what to think. It had been Sega and Nintendo for quite some time, and the newcomer was met with some suspicion. Same thing happened again when Microsoft joined the fray. But I don't think it was ever PlayStation vs. Nintendo, unless you count the PS1 vs. N64 battle, and then you'd also have to include the Dreamcast. Really, I think it comes down to Nintendo vs. Sega from the late 80s and early 90s and Sony vs. Microsoft over the past ten years. But if you had to pick one, the one rivalry that has had the biggest impact on this industry, which would it be…? What's your argument for one or the other?
I remember during my NES days I had a friend who had a sega master system, I hadn't even known it existed.
I think Nintendo verses Sega is the "greatest" because it lasted over a number of generations and there was still some mutual respect for the hardware and exclusives on both sides of the aisle.
I still think that the greatest is between Nintendo and Sega. Like World said, it spanned over a few generations, and the types of gamers were all very similar. With PS3 and XBox I find the people are distinctly different types of gamers, if you know what I mean 😉
That as well as with the exception of a few exclusives, most games are multiplat and the quality between the two systems are pretty similar for the most part, thus weakening the rivalry a bit imo.
*my winner picks in ( )*
"1st place":
Sega/Nintendo(Sega)
"Runner up":
PS3/360(PS3)
"Honorable mentions":
PSP/DS's(PSP)
Intellivision/Colecovision(Colecovision)
Atari Jaguar/3DO(all makers)
(3DO)
"Computers"
Tandy/Commodore(a draw)
It's a heavier battle these days for sure. The gaming industry is several times today compared to what it was during the 8 and 16 bit era.
Today, the audiences are broader. Game systems offer more. There's simply more at stake (mmmmh steak) these days. There was a more juvenile feel to the competition back then. The BIG games that stood out and got people excited often were games like Mario and Sonic. The big sellers anyway. I remember Mario 3 was such a big deal. Definitely the talk of the school bus and kids. Eventually stuff like Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat came along giving rise to a massive draw for fighters. There were so many types back then. The PSX era also saw a ton of them. I remember Final Fantasy III really adding momentum to jRPG's. There were some hits like Dragon Warrior, Star Tropics, and Phantasy Star etc. Some even liked Mystic Quest. But FF3 on SNES was where the catalyst happened imo. It had this buzz. The gen was sorta late. Finding new and interesting games were beginning to wain. Then FF3 popped on shelves with it's unique packaging. It's thick weighty box. You picked it up and it was like, "whoa, beefy." Then there was that intro that was like, "wow, epic" Oh and the opera house part. That was never before seen. Awesome. Most people's firsts with FF happened with FFVII. For me it was on SNES and FF3. I traded my brother my Rock Hydra, Magic card to play it first before he did. Hehee well worth it. That card wasn't worth much anyway =p
As for Sega, their death came after the Saturn pretty much. The head's of the company had two very different visions of their future and the DC was birthed without the consent of several. It probably should've never released seeing what it was needing to meet to survive(I'm glad it did =) Even 10 million consoles sold on it's first year wasn't enough to save their hardware market from collapsing. I'm not certain what kind of numbers SEGA was expecting but the DC was high risk right from the onset.
So anyway, yah, MS and Sony is more intense. MS managed to really damage Sony going into this gen and I'm curious if any will deliver the KO blow next gen. Oh I hope Sony lives!
Last edited by Temjin001 on 11/23/2012 11:40:38 PM
I'm still glad the DC existed.
There's no rivalry that I'm aware of. Sure, the two big console makers are competing, but everyone I know thinks there's really no difference between a PS3 and 360 anyway. They're basically right.
hehe I bet you'll get a down vote record 😉
Even if most games plays roughly equal on both it doesn't mean they are not rivals. One can say that Pepsi Cola and Coca Cola are practically equal too. Still, there most definitely is rivalry going on.
Last edited by Beamboom on 11/24/2012 2:25:43 AM
But Pepsi and Coke don't have identical products. They each offer something different. We can mention exclusives – Demon's Souls and Valkyria Chronicles vs. Halo for example – but the experience on both consoles is almost exactly the same.
I think it's safe to say Sony and MS are in competition for sales. Then you have fans that tend to play favorites, so yeah that's a rivalry.
The experience of the same game on the two consoles are very similar, yes. That is true, Poet.
Still I'd say the two consoles are more different than the two cokes, and that is because of more than just the exclusives. We only have to mention the blu-ray drive to clearly separate the two, even from a casual/mainstream perspective.
And then there is the design, the network services… These are *clearly* two different products within the same category.
(BEN! Can you guys please please with sugar on top fix the avatar bug? I hate having lost mine! Buuhuu *sob sob*)
Last edited by Beamboom on 11/24/2012 12:43:19 PM
I feel like the Nintendo/Sega (SAY-GAH!! – I still hear that in my head everytime I say that word) was a better rivalry and it had more mutual respect. Back then it was all a lot of people creating an industry and it really seemed like they enjoyed what they were doing, and just making games for fun.
Today everything is immature and the rivalry is ridiculous and too hard core. If you like the PS3 then you almost have to hate the 360, where as back in the day you could own both systems and not get blasted for being a traitor. Now it's all about making money on all fronts – it's turned from creating an industry to sqeezing every dime out of the consumer.
I guess in a way some of the hatred is "deserved" though. Initially my loyalties were to Nintendo, they had everything I needed and always delivered. Then Sony stole my heart with FF on the PS1, and they had a completely different variety of games than the Nintendo systems….so I switched and now I'm loyal to Sony. Then Microsoft came around, and I feel like they were the last ones to the party, but they're trying to drink all the punch and eat all the cookies. And they are winning the PR battle where they have convinced America that they have the system to buy – yet they have no games to back it up.
I feel like the Nintendo/Sega feud was a more civil rivalry – and whether that's due to company strategy or fanboy flaming is yet to be determined.
Thank God for emulators though!! Love all my old games wherever I go!
I agree with everythign here, except *partially* the comment about how they seemed to make games for fun.
Whilst it is true that most developers (the artists and creationists) made games for fun, back then publishers didn't really know any better. As the industry expanded and publishers mastered how to reel in mass profit from any situation, business began overshadowing art. Now we see blatant milking schemes and future prospects that horrify me; I sense the only way for them to learn is to have some sort of a near gaming apocalypse – a revolution to restore the balance.
Until then I suppose currently we can only absorb what is put out, but damnit, I'm going to make sure I make a contribution to this industry in positive ways.
lol, I said "creationists." Totally not what I meant.
Spectrum 48k versus Commodore 64k. I remember that time well… (Ok getting a bit hazy now!)
I do think that Sony has the better tech with the PS3 but the worse PR than Microsoft. The money is with the casuals unfortunately.
ZX Spectrum versus the C64, oh yes that rivalry I remember too! Haha wow it was fun seeing the "Spectrum" name again. 🙂
Last edited by Beamboom on 11/24/2012 3:17:44 AM
hell no, the wars were WAY more bloodthirsty when ninty and sega were under the helmets!
allot of people are universal, like where i work for instance we all own pretty much every system.
back in the day though, to say that was to put your head in the guillotine!
Now that they made the PS3 fugly and cheap-looking, I think the Xbox 360 is now the "sexier-looking" console…though I still wouldn't buy one.
ColecoVision vs. Atari FTW!
Nintendo-Sega. I dont think the focus was so much on the hardware than the games. It prompted innovation and the gamers were the ones that got the best deal. Now it seems to be focused on who has the prettiest graphics. I like games to look nice, but if all I get from it is pretty, its makes for a handy dandy frisbee.
COD vs Battlefield anyone 😉 Granted it's been a few short years, some of the arguments i see between both sides of these games are some of the most heated i've seen in the industry.
I don't think people were in different camps with the ps2 and xbox. Everyone of my friends, including myself, had all 3 systems. They were cheap and the games were cheap as well. You didn'y go to gamestop or wherever spending 320$ on 4 games. I remember buying re1 remake, windwaker, SSB melee, and metroid prime echoes for like 60$ from hollywood video. Those days are long gone clearly. I spent like 500$ last year on a bunch of games i don't even play anymore. Dead island, skyrim, battlefield 3, hunted, resistance 3, revelations, uncharted 3, saints row 3, and many others im not remembering. I do still play dark souls, disgaea 4, and a few others though. Mainly japanese made games. Lasting appeal i think is much superior to "Live fast, die young" Because most of the top sellers don't live very long for me after i play them.
I still remember the playstation is way better the N64 or gameboy vs game gear with tv hook up! 😉 so many great memories!!
For me it is clearly the NES/Sega days. The rivalry was just as heated as todays rivalries(even more so then today) except you didn't have the internet so people just assume it was more friendly, it really wasn't. I remember me and one other friend had the money to get a Genesis and everyone else had the Nintendo, only reason was I had a job and he had a rich aunt. A lot of people called us dumb for getting those systems, yet, they always wanted to come over and play on it. It was great! No one would admit that the system they owned was inferior, young fanboys in the making.
Plus you really could see the rivalry back then. You look at the systems and you seem massive jumps in the tech, unlike today, and the games were just so much more creative, though most of todays games are better the creativity back then was just far superior even though it was limited by the tech. I'll never forget those days where as this gen will be easily forgotten.
And without a doubt Sega was the winner to me.
Does anyone think there will be a day where there is no competition in the gaming world and there is going to only be the one console which dominates any other console?? It happened in the wrestling world and ultimately watered down the product, hope there will always be something for playstation to compete with.
Only reason M$ was able to jump into the competition and succeed is because of their marketing power. Sony jumped into the competition with great games and technology (CDs) with the PS1. They did however revolutionize online gaming, but now with Sony's PSN, it's kinda mute now.
The way I see it is that Microsoft is just a better business company than Sony, more so than the two company trying to compete in the video game world. If Microsoft wasn't such a good business company they would stand no chance against Sony's array of major exclusives, superior technology, superior value, and free online play in the video game world.
What hurts the most for Sony is that with M$ great marketing power, it was a major "hurt" for them to be one year late this gen because I think Sony would clearly have the upper hand if they weren't. People fall into marketing, and one year is a whole lot of time for your competition. They CAN'T be late again.
This generation is a huge clash of Marketing Power vs. Tech Giant vs. Gimmick.
The saddest part is that Sony is no more the tech giant it used to be.
The next console era will be *very* interesting. The way I see it Sony can't fail now. They can't stumble, or irreversible damage might be inflicted upon them.
Last edited by Beamboom on 11/25/2012 7:42:07 AM
SNES/Genesis was a rivalry because both consoles were great.The PS3 is just plain better than the 360 and only competes with it sales wise.