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?
