it boggles my mind how folks continually post things trying to affirm to themselves that their console is best, and the competition is worthless, or "can't stack up" in some way; folks, even if you're like me and can only afford one console, you do NOT want it to kill the competition; we NEED that competition; i own a 360 but i have no desire for the ps3 to fail; i need the competition to keep things moving forward. gamers should always desire this competition; look what happened with windows, it has basically killed the competition (thank goodness apple and linux are making a comeback) and MS basically controls most of the world's personal computing; you may not know how this affects you day to day, but it's pretty destructive; competition is key in every sense of the word



good luck ps3
good luck xbox360
good luck wii



and best of luck to open source!

This is true. But fanboys only think of what they have. I usually get all the systems since that is the only way to play ALL the good games. If you gotta go with one, go with the one that has the games you want to play.

For me the decision was simple. I love RPG's and PS3 is the console for RPG's. I am not a huge fan of FPS games and that seems to be the biggest theme for most X360 games. I like Resistance but admittedly i stink at it since i have a hard time co-ordinating my movement and the camera. But give me a Final Fantasy or other RPG anyday :) I am also a huge fan of the Gran Tourismo franchise, i read that the new version would be "photo-realistic" but wow, that demo.. i feel like they took photorealism to the next level.

Software is what sells me on a system, i bought a Wii for the Mario and Zelda games i love to play, and i Bought the PS3 for the future titles that i know i will love. The fact that MS and Nintendo are giving so much competition right now is a GREAT thing as it will keep Sony on their toes and we will reap the benefits from the competition.

I personally don't care who is #1, or who is the market share leader all i care about is that the console i choose has the software and specs for me to enjoy playing games on the console.

it boggles my mind how folks continually post things trying to affirm to themselves that their console is best, and the competition is worthless, or "can't stack up" in some way; folks, even if you're like me and can only afford one console, you do NOT want it to kill the competition; we NEED that competition; i own a 360 but i have no desire for the ps3 to fail; i need the competition to keep things moving forward. gamers should always desire this competition; look what happened with windows, it has basically killed the competition (thank goodness apple and linux are making a comeback) and MS basically controls most of the world's personal computing; you may not know how this affects you day to day, but it's pretty destructive; competition is key in every sense of the word



good luck ps3
good luck xbox360
good luck wii



and best of luck to open source!
agreed, competition is everything.

There is also one additional thing that needs to be noted here - due to very expensive development of HD games, it is very important what game system ends up with more users, because then game publishers will end up designing games for it first and then port it to other systems.

If Sony doesnt sell 10-12 million systems by this time next year, they will be in position where a lot of games will be designed for Xbox first. If Sony sells 16-20 mil, then MS will be in hard position.

So I dont think that having HARDWARE competition is really good for SOFTWARE /games, because if there was one single hardware platform, game publishers would have more time to make games better on that platform.

Good post, I agree. I have my preferences and I wanted Sony to be taken down a notch so we got better choices and I believe we are at that point but I never wanted a console to fail.
Except maybe the Phantom. lol.

I agree....I would hope all three companies fare well over the next few years and continue to introduce new systems for all to enjoy. This bulcrap of the 360 is better than the PS3 and vice versa is ridiculous. :cool:

Competition is great! I firmly believe that xbox360 owners would not have a HD-DVD add-on if it wasn't for Sony pushing the benifets of HD movie playback.

Competition is great! I firmly believe that xbox360 owners would not have a HD-DVD add-on if it wasn't for Sony pushing the benifets of HD movie playback.

Agreed. Hell look at Blue Ray, if not for HD-DVD and their use of VC1 we'd probably be stuck with MPEG2 Blue Ray films forever simply because it was cheaper and there was no alternative to compare it to.

Emotional investment in a consumer product is the province of idiots.

Agreed. Hell look at Blue Ray, if not for HD-DVD and their use of VC1 we'd probably be stuck with MPEG2 Blue Ray films forever simply because it was cheaper and there was no alternative to compare it to.

Emotional investment in a consumer product is the province of idiots.
there is nothing wrong abotu emotional investment in any product, we just humans afteral. However, emotional investment in any corporation is what is pretty wrong, because all that Sony or MS want to do is make most money possible. Thats end goal for everyone.

it boggles my mind how folks continually post things trying to affirm to themselves that their console is best, and the competition is worthless, or "can't stack up" in some way; folks, even if you're like me and can only afford one console, you do NOT want it to kill the competition; we NEED that competition; i own a 360 but i have no desire for the ps3 to fail; i need the competition to keep things moving forward. gamers should always desire this competition; look what happened with windows, it has basically killed the competition (thank goodness apple and linux are making a comeback) and MS basically controls most of the world's personal computing; you may not know how this affects you day to day, but it's pretty destructive; competition is key in every sense of the word



good luck ps3
good luck xbox360
good luck wii



and best of luck to open source!

2 systems is good for competition... 3 is just hard on the wallet...

how much easier would life be if microsoft bought Nintendo (or just went away)?

I agree,competition breeds innovation.Look at what's happened to the Madden series since EA got that NFL exclusivity deal a few years ago.The series IMO has been positively mediocre ever since.

Seconded,

Competition is what has produced all of the really great games we have enjoyed over the years that excelled at what they do. And competition will drive future great games and innovation.

A monopoly is the worst thing for the consumer. After all, no one wants to be stuck with windows xp, viruses and the Blue Screen Of Death forever.

Probably the most alarming thing about a monopoly in gaming is the advent of microtransactions through xboxlive. It is just the kind of thing I would expect from a genius like bill gates. If this goes unchecked it could ruin gaming for everyone. Please don't buy their crap and just make it go away. If it becomes a viable business model we are all screwed. All the consoles and game developers will follow suit and offer us unfinished products and make us buy the game in pieces a microtransaction at a time and it will end up costing a lot more. I better stop or I am going to get pissed.

there is nothing wrong abotu emotional investment in any product, we just humans afteral.

Just human is a broad spectrum. I've found the ones with massive emotional investment in a game console to be rather poor examples of the species. A number have found their way to this forum hence the vastly increased mod presense and massive decline in both the maturity and the A/V related knowledge of the average poster.

2 systems is good for competition... 3 is just hard on the wallet...

how much easier would life be if microsoft bought Nintendo (or just went away)?
then we wouldnt have the wii, would we? :-).
A lot of innovation is coming from all 3 of the companies.

But I still think people dont understand that games ! = hardware. For game producers, less options would be much, much better.

2 systems is good for competition... 3 is just hard on the wallet...

how much easier would life be if microsoft bought Nintendo (or just went away)?
More is always better. You don't have to get /all/ the systems (especially at launch), but like spwolf just said, variety breeds innovation. It's always better when the consumer has more choices.

Think of it like Windows / Mac / Linux. Three very different ways of using a computer, all in different price classes, but all are insanely popular, with each pulling ideas from one another for their next build.

Three may be the sweet spot.

You forgot the PC gamers so that makes 4 :p

I agree with you 100 % however I do want MS to keep it's lead because it is an American company, and we should all support the cause in that regard. Still I have the PS3 and the 360 with plans to buy a Wii next month.

I agree with you 100 % however I do want MS to keep it's lead because it is an American company, and we should all support the cause in that regard. Still I have the PS3 and the 360 with plans to buy a Wii next month.
lmao!!

Yes, MS will shrivel up & die without our support for their gaming console. Just like buying a Nissan supports factory workers in Alabama, a PS3 also plays games made in America. :rolleyes:

May the best consoles succeed, regardless of origin.

You don't have to get /all/ the systems (especially at launch), but like spwolf just said, variety breeds innovation. It's always better when the consumer has more choices.



I do if I want to play Metal Gear, Halo, and Zelda. 2 systems is plenty. Take a look back... the Super NES and the Genesis had one of the most legendary, bitter system battles of all time. There was no lack of innovation and the consumer was able to stay much more focused.

In fact, I would argue that only under the current industry dynamic, Sony vs. Nintendo vs. Microsoft, could 3 systems survive at the same time... and its only because Microsoft's game division is willing to go into the red to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars every year in order to compete. No other company could do that. That is why Sega bowed out of the race 6 years ago. Sony moved in and took over, and someone else had to move out.

2 systems is good for competition... 3 is just hard on the wallet...

how much easier would life be if microsoft bought Nintendo (or just went away)?


Without Nintendo, the PS3 would not likely have the motion sensing controller.

Viva la Wii!

Competition does lead to innovations. They say that neccessity is the mother of all invention. In this case that neccessity is making a profit and surviving/flourishing as a company.

But competition also does two other things, economically speaking. First it weeds out those companies with a bad business model (product quality, marketing, financing, pricing, etc.). Second it forces some companies to evolve or die, in other words they have to find a niche.

Finding a niche in any industry is one way to continue to be profitable amidst increasing competition. By further refining/narrowing what is "special" and "unique" about your product, you more strongly appeal to the desires of a target market (the population that your product is aimed it).

The big three have done that successfully so far this gen, so all will continue to exist. MS's niche became community, and this was built upon the Xbox Live experience. They wanted their gamers to feel connected to a social scene.

Nintendo's niche became innovative fun that doesn't take itself too serious. The Wii exemplefies innovation in terms of how you play and how fun is derived when you game.

Sony's niche is to have the technologically most advanced hardware. They have decided to create a box that offers more in terms of technology, and to attatch a premium price to that. Their focus is on the "power" of the PS3 via the cell and BR drive.

So far MS and Nintendo are successful, and we will need more time to see if Sony's niche turns out to be the right move. With their brand name and the big games due out late this year, late 2007 and 2008 could very well be Sony's time.

Without Nintendo, the PS3 would not likely have the motion sensing controller.

Viva la Wii!
Facts?
Link?

I do if I want to play Metal Gear, Halo, and Zelda. 2 systems is plenty. Take a look back... the Super NES and the Genesis had one of the most legendary, bitter system battles of all time. There was no lack of innovation and the consumer was able to stay much more focused.
Ahh that's true, and there were even ports from one system to another (MK, Earthworm Jim, SF).

It may be too early to tell how many can survive, but I admit it would be nice to not have to pay an extra $250 just to play Twilight Princess when it can be done on the 360, with 5x better graphics.

As for now, we have to bite the bullet & start bringing lunch to work to get our immediate fix... unless you can wait for price drops. :p

Facts?
Link?

what, are you serious?