Ben-DutkaWe keep talking about the impending generation, despite insistent claims from Sony and Microsoft that a new machine won't arrive any time soon.
But what if the generation ended today? Who would you say came out on top? Of course, gamers have more criteria than overall sales numbers; those come into play of course, but the fans care most about their quality of entertainment. So which manufacturer has given you the most entertainment? The best entertainment?
We assume we know what our readers will pick, but defend your choice! Give a rational explanation. Anything can be considered a factor: maybe your machine crashed a bunch of times, maybe some games didn't turn out the way you had hoped, maybe you had a bad experience with customer service. Maybe you feel you spent too much and weren't justly rewarded, or maybe you have something against a certain business policy, or aren't convinced about a certain service (for instance, the stability of the PSN).
My reasons bounce all over the place. There are many reasons as to why PlayStation has been my platform of choice for almost 16 years. For the PS1, it was simple: I was a huge role-playing fan; it's basically all I played at the time, and the PlayStation was the undisputed king of the genre. The N64 didn't really even have one (arguably), and the Dreamcast didn't have many, either. Besides, I hated what Nintendo did with the N64 after the glory that was the SNES. Actually, I haven't liked Nintendo since those 16-bit days. Sadly, we have parted ways .
The PS2 gave me all the RPGs I still craved plus a huge, diverse library and a reliable machine. Same goes for the PS3, although I will say I wouldn't have bought the PS3 when it launched if I hadn't needed for work. I didn't really care about any of the launch lineup and I thought $600 was ridiculous. But over time, the PS3 has once again given me ample reason to keep gaming on a continual basis. How's about you?
That's easy Ps3
Yes, for us its the PS3.
More so, because Sony managed to come back from the early grave that many in the media wanted to put the PS3 in. They bashed the system ever since it launched with a retail price that they considered to be excessive. They started rumors about rootkits and for many sites, the PS3 was their favorite punching bag.
For instance, Slashdot branded the PS3 as "nothing but a DRM in a box". Some others even went as far to accuse Sony of having a "boyz-in-basements' sexist image". EGM featured several editorial and articles mocking the PS3 (remember the cover with the PS3 hit by tomatoes?. I could go on and on about how the media bashed the PS3 during its first 2-3 years of life.
But after some false starts, Sony finally fought back and created an advertising campaign – with Kevin Butler – that put to shame anything else in the gaming industry.
Sony deserves praise for what they did. Unlike Microsoft, who spends BILLIONS to drive the market into a particular position (like they did with the Kinect – 4 billion to advertise it, including give aways), Sony is actually now making a profit with the PS3. And more importantly, they will not end in the RED as MS will.
However, I am man enough to give credit to MS and especially Nintendo, for this Japanese company did what many thought was impossible. Put the Big N on the top of the hardware and software charts again. If they only did so by catering to non-gamers and casuals. It was basically the only option they had to survive. So I give them kudos for that.
And I give them credit, because I want the traditional gaming market to continue being the driving force in the gaming industry.
I would hate to see Apple and the other time-wasting game makers out there, to replace our way of gaming.
Boondocks are coming back
Dreamcast.
4 Life.
FOREVER.
Its all about the games. DC 4 LYF.
I wanted one soo bad, and saw my couz in college have one…think I was 13? Couldnt afford it myself sadly, but soon after that my parents get my the PS2. Glory days!
that easy 3DS XDlol
Honestly, I'd say either DS or PSP if we're talking about all the toys because I love me some RPG goodness, but if we're talking consle only, I'd prolly say… Wii… Really, Nintendo is the only 1 to really put out solid games this gen so far, they've put out Mario games, Zelda, DK, and a whole lotta others that have just been good games. Sure the Wii isnt the strongest system out there, but when it comes to exclusives, Nintendo is king still, plus you can buy all those great games from older Nintendo systems with their online store, pure win baby!
@Phoenix
Man, oh, man, are you joking??
Seriously man? I mean preference is ok, but really?
Has to be sarcasm from Phoenix, don't think we have to worry about that ;). That, or they need some _serious_ counselling (speaking as a Wii owner here).
No really, when it comes to exclusives this gen, ps3 just doesnt do it for me, and xbox… well, enough said… Atleast the Wii has FUN exclusives.
Looking at my PS3 titles , I honestly cant find 1 that I couldnt live without, this is a 180 from past sony machines… I dunno, I just want a great RPG I guess, and I aint getting em.
"The one who ultimately wins a battle is the one that never realised there was a battle to begin with."
Hey I have some chopsticks in my back pocket if you want to go catch some flies.
I do that already in my spare time =P.
PS3. Best library, 2nd most reliable, more than likely second best sales NOT including 2nd+ consoles, best graphics, best online features, best controller… It's the clear winner.
If you mean Sales overall: The Wii it's the crack for little kids and hipsters.
If you mean games and quality: The Playstation 3 first party games stellar. And third party companies are taking advantage of what the PS3 can do. Free online, PS Home and internet browser.
If you mean All Cattle no Hat: The 360 is the champ a system that stays a float with two series and treats COD as an exclusive even tho you can get it on the PS3 and the Wii.
This.
I agree with these facts. And it is interesting to see the 360 above the completion with just Halo, Gears, and CoD
I don't even like the fact that u have to pay 60 bucks a year just to play online. 360 is more of an multiplayer machine, the way I look at it.
Sony is the industry leader. No matter what. The PS3 has THE Best Exclusives. The clear winner to me. It is in growth mode as well which will allow it to survive longer than the others.
To be fair, Microsoft has entered the industry strong and has aquired substantial market share in a short period of time. I must commend them on that. They play dirty but they have accomplished their goal.
Nintendo sold many Wiis!
They are all winners, but the biggest winners are us GAMERS!
Last edited by FatherSun on 9/9/2011 10:25:27 PM
My 80 gig (now 500) fatty has never so much as hiccuped at me. Sony has brought the best exclusives a human being of varied taste could possible ask for (not just shooters), I don't have to pay for online, I don't have to put batteries in my controller, my PSP has somebody to have sex with, PSN has the best available innovative experiences plus PS1 games, and on and on and on.
Who wins? I do.
If you win World, that means Sony has won this generation hands down 🙂
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
Haha!! It took me a while to figure out what you meant by "my PSP has someone to have sex with"
can u put a terabyte in a PS3?
Last edited by AcHiLLiA on 9/10/2011 12:12:31 PM
500 GB isn't a terabyte, 1000 is. But still, if you can find a laptop drive that contains 1 TB of space, then it will fit in your PS3. I recently bought a 500GB HDD for my PS3 too, but I've also seen 2 TB ones on the market. I just don't need one. My 500 GB laptop isn't even full yet, and believe me, I try.
You'll need a 2.5 inch HDD. Look up online to see what speed it needs.
Some people have reported issues getting their PS3 to partition off any more than half a TB. I'm not sure if it has to do with slims vs. phatties, or if it had more to do with the HDD itself.
Either way, the information is easily accessible online via google searches.
I'd have to say PS3 just because of the exclusives. We've had 3 stellar installments of Resistance, about to have 3 amazing Uncharted games, 2 Ratchet and Clanks plus a downloadable one, Heavy Rain, Gran Turismo 5, Little Big Planet 1&2, God of War 3, Metal Gear Solid 4, 3 Motorstorm games, and I know I'm probably missing some.
As far as XBox 360 goes they've had some Halo, Gears of War, Forza, and Alan Wake. I think that's about it.
If they moved to the next generation?
Easy.
PS3. Why? Because no one will buy 360's anymore. PS3 will continue with Sony's support as they promised, JUST like the PS2 did.
So, you want to know which "GAME" console is the winner? Clearly PS3, because well, you know… Uncharted, Heavy Rain, Motorstorm, LBP, God Of War, Twisted Metal, Resistance etc… yup definetly the best "GAME" console.
PS3. easy
Wii doesn't exist and 360 stopped being interesting like over the course of a year.
Though, from 06-08 I preferenced 360 and it's games for several reasons. The strength of their early multi-plats. Exclusivity of major beloved franchises like DOA, Ninja Gaiden, Halo. With other hot headline grabbing hits like Mass Effect hitting the seen. Exclusive, like Gears. Others loved games like Bioshock, where it would later come to PS3 suffering as a port. MS's early momentum seemed so much more on top. Back then Xbox lIVE was actually a lot more established it had compared to PSN. It had Netflix way sooner. Trophies didn't exist and PS owners like myself had to really clamor for games that actually made good use of PS3's hardware.
Then things started to change….
The RRoD debacle was for real. I can't tell you how many console cycles that went by with supposed system failures being voiced by small but very loud individuals, which were by and large false. But as soon as all of my friends and my brother started having their system die, even multiple times. It was reality. THe 360 was built like garbage. Then MS just sort of gave up with Rare. They also gave up on so many of their home grown gaming ventures. And then many of those at one time 360 exclusives started pouring over onto PS3 with enhancements–NGS2 thank you very much =)
THird Parties were getting a grasp of the PS3, some multi plats were actually turning up better on PS3. And all of Sony hard fought for efforts in launching tons of new IP's, or restoring them, started bearing much fruit. Then the heavy dogs like Killzone 2, Uncharted 2, and GoW3 land. Hits every one of them. And MS is out to lunch bringing little to nothing new to the table. They're in such a sorry state right now. It's like they just didn't have a plan for this year and next. Well, there's KINECT… but that waste of time and money is joke to the audience they've bred. They're looneys now. Now I read about their bullish publishing guidelines and now I think they're a bunch of jerks. I no longer want to pay for LIVE. I no longer want to even give them my money because they're directionless and so worried about throwing money around to protect their visibility and perceived identity in the market. I really don't care to engage in any more CoD talk or BF3. It's tired. It's over for me. It's a sport. It is. Military online shooters is basically today's new football. But more for teenage kids and slack off gaming junkies who are always the nation's best in something. Anyway, like I said, it's like a sport. It won't go away. It won't change. Testosterone fueled men will always think it cool to shoot people competitively in a military theme. I know, over the last several months I've worked in a facility with tons of the military as a civilian. The US military and shooting games are PB & J.. okay. I'm done. I rented Deus Ex. I'm going to relax and eat a bowl of Colossal Crunch Berry cereal.
Sorry my post is grammatically written like crap. I'm tired. don't care.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 9/9/2011 10:31:54 PM
You sound tired, but you're right. MS has kind of become your mentally unhinged Uncle who is trying to get you interested in his new and hopeless business venture (Kinect). Their lack of first party support is so bad it could make them completely harmless in the next generation if they aren't careful. Since 3rd party exclusives are dead now and MS doesn't have squat for game making studios there won't really be a reason to own a 720 over a PS4 unless you love paying for online that much.
@ World
That is so true, MS has bribed everyone, made enemies of many small developers and dismantled their first party holster… They got nothing on Sony for the fight for the next-gen.
I just hope Sony learns something from this generation, and keep the development process for the PS4 similar to that of the PS3. Just give us a supper PS3… more Cores, More memory, a built-in Fixed SSD + a regular HD, a supper powerful nVidia Fermi GPU and we are in business. Well, try and keep the price down to 400 bucks and they have the next-gen in the bag. This being Sony the games are a given 🙂
Last edited by Karosso on 9/9/2011 11:10:28 PM
I think I read the MGS4 guy they got to work on Halo 4 left 343 because he felt so creatively restrained. hehe
Anyway, yeah, I got some food in me, sleep comes soon. Less crabby then. Anyway, Deus Ex is cool. Don't think I'd have the game doing what it does from 1st to 3rd person like that, but I can get used to it… I think. But anyway, yeah, MS just isn't doing it for me these days. It's like they've totally redesigned their strategy from a few years ago and their model has taken full shape. It's a boring bleak one, with redundancy and over priced DLC. Anyway, I'm beginning to think their next Xbox really needed to be readied for next year. They just aren't doing much with the hardware they have outside of the silly motion camera.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 9/9/2011 11:59:23 PM
I use to be a 360 only kind of guy but then I finally bought my PS3 which was only for exclusives at the time. Well that lasted for about six months and then I sold my 360 and went exclusively PS3 for everything. That was 3 years ago and I love the system and have never looked back.
I now have over 100 retail games and probably about 100+ PSN games. I see nothing but greatest in the future for the PS3.
Top notch exclusives and great multiplat's, imo the PS3 wins hands down. I will still be growing my collection even after the PS4 come out ( i got a backlog a mile long i'm still trying to catch up on).
Gamers are the real winners. This Gen had and will continue to have great games. The only thing we seen to he missing this Gen is the Epic, story driven, Turn-Based RPGs, which were more abundant in the previous generations.
For me, a major factor in determining a console purchase has been the controller. Growing up I had an NES and then an SNES (good times). Upon the PS1 and N64 releases, I opted for the PS1 since the controller resembled the SNES controller more closely and so I felt a sense of familiarity. I didn't even know how to hold the N64 controller.
With the ps1 came an interest in racing and rpg titles (GT, Legend of Legaia). I got a ps2 mid-cycle as I had to save up for it on my own. With it I got GT3 and FFX as my first titles. Onimusha, Devil May Cry, God of War, and Prince of Persia titles would follow.
Upon graduating college in 2008 and getting a real 'job' I realized that though I could get both the 360 and Ps3, there were several turn offs from the 360, namely the controller, the abundance of FPS titles and the fee to play online. On the Ps3 side I saw a blu-ray player, free online gaming and a reliable piece of hardware. I didn't care for the Wii as it was too casual.
As Tretton said at E3 in '08 or '09 "It's all about the software." I've been following some of these franchises for a while and I will continue to do so on their console(s) of choice. My current ps3 library is about 30 titles, most of them exclusives in varied genres. So while I could easily go out tomorrow and get a Wii and a 360, I still can't justify either purchase. To be somewhat fair, I'm still not sold on the Move either…waiting on more titles *cough 'Sorcery' *cough
Perhaps I've become too biased in Sony's products, but hey, I've enjoyed countless hours of fun and enjoyment. Also, see my first note on the controller.
HMMMM,
Out of the 2,120 games I have on 36 consoles & handhelds, 1,182 of those games are all from the fine family of Playstation!
That's over 1/2 of the games totaled, from all my collections combined.
"Enuf said!"
Damn man!! If you played those games for an average 10 hours each, that's a total of 21,200 hours (or 883 days) of playing time in your life!!!
Of those games, how many make up your 360 collection? Just curious.
Dancemachine55,
That would be 115 for the 360.
But besides a few Halo's, GearsOW 1&2, ME1, GTA4, Alan Wake, and a few others, basically the rest of them are just cheap used older under-privileged bargain bin buys bought as fill-in's for my collection(whether I liked/played them or not).
Last edited by BikerSaint on 9/10/2011 2:28:12 PM
Xbox 360, because sales are all that matter. Even multiplatform games sell better on the 360 90% of the time, and who cares about the PS3 exclusives. They're all overrated anyway.
/s
No, PS3 by no small margin, if only because of the games. Sure, the 360 has a few that are well worth playing: Alan Wake, Tales of Vesperia, Gears, etc., but they don't match up to the likes of Uncharted, inFamous, Valkyria Chronicles, Heavy Rain or LBP. Reliability is better, Blu-ray puts the PS3 in the top tier of home entertainment. It really is a no brainer.
Microsoft will always be a massive failure to me because everything they produce is either an obvious ripoff or a glorified imitation.
On the rugby world cup website you need to install "microsoft silverlight" to watch videos- you'd think they'd be normal and have embedded youtube like everyone else.
Though one thing I love doing is using the Bing search engine to get to google- try it, it's surprisingly very satisfying.
Last edited by kokoro on 9/9/2011 11:44:29 PM
lol, Bing is so gay.
all the systems have had their problems so it's tough to say. nintendo came out of no where which was a surprise to many. the problem there it was not a hd system and it had a lot of shovelware. the 360 has picked up a lot of marketshare and has best online service(paid) and in general has better multiplats. they also had the rrod fiasco but strangely did not seem to take much of a hit for it. the hardware is much more stable now but ms has to be called out for making such unreliable hardware at the start of this gen. i also don't like a lot of ms tactics as well…they stuck their noses in jrpg market for no other reason than to cock block sony which i think helped hasten the demise of jrpgs.
finally we get down to the ps3. it's hard to call it the winner when sony went into this gen with so much momentum then kind of fell flat on their face with one of worst luanches in recent memory. ben saying he would not have bought a ps3 at luanch unless he needed it for work says a lot. they are in last place which is surprising considering how popular the ps1, and ps2 were. to their credit they have turned it around and have great exclusives. i'm a sony fan but it's hard to call a system that has faced such an uphill fight and is in last place the winner.
in the end the ps3 is the best platform for me. it has a lot to offer outside of gaming and is great multimedia device as well. the multiplats are much improved and the ps3 enjoys great software support. the only thing it is clearly lacking is cross game chat. in general i think sony will do a lot better next gen. they have weathered the storm, and i am sure they have learned some painful lessons this gen. i think all the first party developers they have lined up positions them for a great luanch next time.
Last edited by Excelsior1 on 9/9/2011 11:54:11 PM
Why does it seem everyone is so quick to attack Sony's first year of PS3 games where 360s first year was worse?
Many of those early 360 games were more like half step generational games. It took until GRAW before glimpses of the future came into view. Then it finally materialized with Gears at the end of year one. Out of the gate Resistance was better than every 360 FPS at the time. Year 1 of PS3 capped off with Uncharted and Ratchet, leading up to that a better version of Oblivion. Other games like NG:S, Heavenly Sword, Warhawk, Motorstorm, VF5, and Burnout Paradise all debuted during PS3s first year.
Anyway, not to cram crap up butts but Ive been tired of seeing all the lamenting of how terrible ps3s first year was, implying that 360 fans somehow had it better from the start. Maybe you didn't mean that exactly, I just saying. Food for thought.
EDIT:: so burnout was like just outside of year 1, big deal.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 9/10/2011 1:31:45 AM
I stopped reading at cross game chat…
J/K, I agree with a few of your points. But don't agree Sony (PS3) is in last place. Maybe here in NA in comparing sales but it's a very, very different story in Japan. So you could still say the PS3 is on top, even if it is elsewhere. Sales don't mean anything in this argument because that's not what this is about. It's about why the console wins this generation by providing the gamer with satisfaction. At least thats what I got from the article. But sales should be considered just not as a whole.
The PS3 has come the furthest since it's launch, which means it's come the furthest in the shortest amount of time with its direct competitor. They've added so much to what the system can do, and we've seen so much progression not only as a home entertainment system, but also in terms of software development. You can't say that about any other system out there. The 360 is At a stand still with new software both graphically and introducing nothing new or great, but promoting multi plat games (cod) as exclusives and continually pushing Halo (great series for the console). The 360 is doing nothing innovative, and don't try and tell me kinect is, when the technology was introduced in the PS2 era. Motion gaming was very relevant with the launch of the PS3 and came with the six-axis and although it struggled as a large part of gaming and developers didn't take full advantage, and the wii did very well with it (wand and nunchuck), the ability was still there in the six-axis controller. Also with the introduction of "move", Sony set a whole new standard in motion gaming, and critics largely agree, again contributing to the fact the PS3 has come so far!
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 9/10/2011 1:50:17 AM
@temjin
it wasn't just the games on the ps3 at luanch. it was how they looked and $600 price point. the ps3 was supposed to be more advanced but there were really no games that showed it. that combined with price point really turned people off i think. i remember even in the official playstation magazine they expressed real concern about that. they said rfom was the best luanch game but did not look nearly as good as the likes of gears of war. maybe it wasn't fair to compare a second gen 360 game to a ps3 luanch title but people were. they were also comparing the multiplats. cod looked worse. madden was running at 30 fps compared 60 fps on the 360. it's no wonder some people turned on ps brand. it was just an awful luanch as whole…tons of negativity around the ps3 at luanch that seemed to linger for awhile. i agree the 360's luanch was mostly unimpressive, but was by no means the train wreck the ps3 went through. i never really seen anything like it before…it seemed like every media outlet out there seemed to revel in sony's demise. anybody remember the famous egm issue that featured a tomato splattered ps3 on front?
but hey what doesn't kill you makes you stronger right? i am almost positive sony will make sure their next system is easier to develope for. if they show up for a more expensive system i'm pretty sure there will be games that justify it. sony deserves tons of credit for righting the ship, and are well positioned going into next gen. the only reason i bring up cross game chat is i know it is a small factor in why some go for the 360( at least my friends always bring it up), plus i enjoy online gaming. cross game chat just makes it easier to get a game together. i'm almost positive sony will add that feature next gen.
@big railer
i know many 360's are just door stops but they still count as a console sold technicly. i also know ms has given out a lot 360's as well. i agree ms sales numbers are artificially inflated.
Last edited by Excelsior1 on 9/10/2011 4:42:38 AM