Console Wars
<div class="IPBDescription">which do I choose?</div>This is a very open topic, I'm essentially looking for peoples take on which console if any is worth getting. That said I have certain criteria with which to determine what "worth getting" really means.
To start off, I have this feeling that if I get something like a PS3 I'll be getting a handful of PS3 exclusive titles that won't be worth the price of the system. I would argue similarly against the 360. Many of the games I would play on those consoles (assassins creed, bioshock, GTA 4, Alan wake, and eventually Halo 3) I can play on a PC. In fact I'd rather play them on PC because I'm a mouse and keyboard type of player.
So then I turn to the wii, which may not be the powerhouse here, but that's ok, graphics are not everything. It's got an innovative controller which I feel will offer me something unique in both the media and the medium with which my games are delivered to me. Simply porting controls from controller to mouse/keyboard doesn't alter the experience as much as having motion sensitivity and a much more vivid connection to the game. Many of the wii's games seem to be exclusive titles as well, of note are the mario games which I think I would enjoy.
Reading this it probably seems like I'm totally biased for the wii. Well, I basically am, especially with it's competitive price (which is a major attraction). That's not to say I won't get anything out of feedback; I'd like to have someone to play the devils advocate here and preach to me in as much of a fan boyish way as they like about their beloved PS3, 360 or wii.
So preach to me people, what's the deal?
To start off, I have this feeling that if I get something like a PS3 I'll be getting a handful of PS3 exclusive titles that won't be worth the price of the system. I would argue similarly against the 360. Many of the games I would play on those consoles (assassins creed, bioshock, GTA 4, Alan wake, and eventually Halo 3) I can play on a PC. In fact I'd rather play them on PC because I'm a mouse and keyboard type of player.
So then I turn to the wii, which may not be the powerhouse here, but that's ok, graphics are not everything. It's got an innovative controller which I feel will offer me something unique in both the media and the medium with which my games are delivered to me. Simply porting controls from controller to mouse/keyboard doesn't alter the experience as much as having motion sensitivity and a much more vivid connection to the game. Many of the wii's games seem to be exclusive titles as well, of note are the mario games which I think I would enjoy.
Reading this it probably seems like I'm totally biased for the wii. Well, I basically am, especially with it's competitive price (which is a major attraction). That's not to say I won't get anything out of feedback; I'd like to have someone to play the devils advocate here and preach to me in as much of a fan boyish way as they like about their beloved PS3, 360 or wii.
So preach to me people, what's the deal?
Comments
I don't have one (yet), but I would suggest the 360 over the Wii. biggest number of games for any of the current console crop, and though many of them are on the PC too, many of them are exclusive. also, the whole Live culture is alluring, and the ability to download a zillion demos and videos and shows and full games right to your box is very tempting. I'll probably have one before x-mas for rock band, at the very least... and I want to see what Gears is like, and Halo 3, and Dead Rising, and all the rest... I'm a huge mouse-and-keyboard gamer, but console gamers make it sound like the switch to controller isn't that hard, and the ability to play online while on the couch is a powerful draw =p
I won't even mention the PS3. possibly fewer worthwhile games than the Wii, for like 3x the price. unless you're into blu-ray quality movies, but I don't even have a big screen TV personally =p
XBOX 360: Great games, graphics, features, and peripherals. Terribly faulty hardware: expect <i>at least</i> one repair return in the life of the console, perhaps within the first year.
Wii: Gimmick. Low quality graphics, poor game selection, simplistic gameplay. Unsatisfying for all but the casual gamer.
PlayStation 3: The cheapest Blu-Ray player available, but that's not saying much. Has a lot of potential for connectivity with the rest of the PlayStation technology tree. It is unfortunate that the console is made by SONY, as little of the aforementioned potential will begin to be realized until the console is already outclassed.
My choice for best console is:
PlayStation 2! Still going strong, with good graphics and great gameplay, along with a very cheap price. Games are still being designed for this console, even though a newer version in this line is available and rotting on the store shelves. While it doesn't offer the most satisfying online play, its single-player gaming options are good enough to make the console worthwhile. If I were to purchase any of these consoles, it would be this one (and I plan on doing so).
In order:
1. PlayStation 2
2. XBOX 360
3. PlayStation 3
4. Wii
Really as far as I myself would go, none of them are worth it. The Wii's alluring but there's not enough games, the 360 has some cool stuff but most of the awesome is avialable on the PC, and it breaks all the time, and the PS3 is an elaborate joke. If Force Unleashed for the Wii delivers on that lightsaber dueling, though... I might be looking at my first console ever.
Really as far as I myself would go, none of them are worth it. The Wii's alluring but there's not enough games, the 360 has some cool stuff but most of the awesome is avialable on the PC, and it breaks all the time, and the PS3 is an elaborate joke. If Force Unleashed for the Wii delivers on that lightsaber dueling, though... I might be looking at my first console ever.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Even the Gamecube can deliver vastly superior graphics to the PS2, and the Wii is two Gamecubes taped together! (olol)
As a PC gamer, the choice should be obvious. The Xbox 360 and the PS3 are basically inferior clones of your PC, the games developed for them are (with a few exceptions) inferior clones of the games you play on your PC. The Wii is the only one that offers you something that you don't already have.
This isn't a glowing endorsement of the Wii - it currently has no games other than Metroid and Zelda, but it's the lesser of three evils. Besides, now that every developer (who initially assumed it would bomb) is scrambling to develop for the Wii, there will be a flood of games in a year or two. I'd actually recommend waiting until then to buy anything; you might even get to take advantage of a price drop.
If you wanna just have fun and you have roommates or family, get a Wii- its cheap, the games are cheap, the fun is big and *every* game turns into a multiplayer game, 'cause people wanna try it themselves after watching you play.
360 right now has the best stable of the current generation games. Here is my buying plans for Christmas, for example:<ul><li>Halo 3(bought)</li><li>skate.(bought)</li><li>Forza 2(bought)</li><li>Assassin's Creed</li><li>Mass Effect</li><li>Project Gotham Racing 4</li><li>Bioshock(bought)</li><li>Call of Duty 4</li><li>Rock Band</li></ul>
PS3 right now, to me, basically looks like a ######ty thing. One game thus far I have any interest in owning(Resistence), only 3 games on the horizon that I care about(Killzone, FF13, the next game by the Shadow of the Colossus team), and otherwise a few ideas that are neat(Home). One game I used to care about and don't after playing the demo was Gran Turismo 5, which has taken the good controls of GT1-4, and skull ######ed them.
PS2...holy ###### batman, <$100 console, with tons of great games for <=$40, and has a great lifespan.
Don't listen to the non believers. Pick the Wii, because it's the will of the swarm. Also, nintendo has been here from the start. and... let's just say I know they deliver quality. (What? Gamecube? Don't be silly. I know no such thing...)
As the other people said, The Wii differs from the other consoles by delivering gameplay as it used to be... special, Just like me (I know I'm special). While PS3 and the 360 is more like alternates to those who don't own a gaming PC.
360 for solid single player and online multiplayer. It's not too fun with friends.
A PS3 is good if you have down syndrome and lots of money.
Its is way cheaper than the ps3. Its has no hardware problems as the xbox360.
As soon as the ps3 is being sold for 300$ Nintendo is going to sell the Wii2 for 250$, which will be as powerful as the ps3 but without the blue-ray drive. Wii2 will be of course fully backwards compatible.
So if you buy a ps3 now you will pay 600$. But if you buy a Wii now and then a Wii2 later on you will pay only 500$ and enjoy the great control scheme right from the start.
If microsoft actually solved the xbox360 hardware issues i would say get a 360. It has lots of games and if you fear the wii controller it is certainly right. But i know a bunch of people that had their 360 spend more time with microsoft support than with them at home.
Also: you need to pay for xbox live, while wii has free online access.
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Disclaimer: I dont know whether nintendo will sell a wii2. But i think that nintendo is smart enough to see this.
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Time to answer my own question!
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All 360s will succumb to the red ring of death eventually. Whether it happens the day you buy it or 2 years from now is a crapshoot, but it is inevitable. The problem isn't just a few 360s overheating and burning out, it's a design flaw. A certain part melts under temperatures that would be fine otherwise. And it <i>will</i> happen to your friend's 360, it's just a matter of time.
Actually, not completely. It depends on the environment and use of the machine. Furthermore, lots of them aren't having the problems for any melting or heating issues, but for the same reason PS2s had a hellish early day: Laser problems. And just like the PS2s, you can fix it yourself relatively easily.
<!--quoteo(post=0:date=:name=Faskalia)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Faskalia)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Its has no hardware problems as the xbox360.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<img src="http://www.wiidamage.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/wisconsin_tv__1.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Or are you trying to say that you have problems holding a tiny piece of plastic? Hell, even my little sister can do that. Or maybe you are using it wrong? The wristband is not meant to be hold onto it and then flail the wiimote wildly around.
(What? Gamecube? Don't be silly. I know no such thing...)<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
LIES! I see it in your pictar!
Also everyone should know that the SNES is the best console ever! Next-gen, next-next-gen and of course next-next-next-gen have nothing on the SNES! well maybe the emulation, but still!
Also the Dreamcast should've been way more then it was (it actually was next-gen for it's time), stupid sega and their marketing.
I honstely have no idea if I will ever get another console...
By and large, it depends what you want to DO with this console. If you're a casual gamer and are interested in quirky, fun, gimmiky but largely kiddie-friendly games, get a Wii. If you like what Yahzee at <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/zeropunctuation/1383-Zero-Punctuation-Console-Rundown" target="_blank">Zero Punctuation</a> described as "big manly games" and want to play said big manly games with your friends, get a 360. I myself will be getting one as soon as I have teh monies.
Rainbow 6 Vegas has nice coop (as do all the other rainbow 6 games) And then you have, hidden and dangerous series (although that is quite buggy) hl1 mod: Sven coop <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /> and unreleased hl2 mod: Blackmesa
And Left 4 Dead is coop, come to think of it I haven't heard much from that game as of late... Heck even doom1/2 and duke3d/SW have coop <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /> I do agree coop really is a nice feature to have for a game and xbox does have a few games for coop...
The wii having mainly "cutesie" games doesn't bother me. As long as they are fun, I can get my does of manly games through my PC. I'm thinking now that even If I were to get a console I'm going to hold off and let a more fleshed out gaming catalog for each system to develop. I guess that means sometime next year. I'll probably be getting a new computer around that time too so I'll find it hard to justify getting a console also.
My friends have the consoles anyway, I guess I'll just mooch for now.
However, the 360 is tempting to me. There are a good number of games for it, the power is there, it has online capabilities, etc etc.
TBH, the biggest draw AND turn off for me is Live. I like the idea of one simple way of joining everything together (much like Steam is TRYING to do currently), however the price turns me off. Combine that with the fact that I DO have a good gaming PC and I really just can't justify buying a 360 (and I am going to be pining for rock band).
The PS3 is too damn expensive with no good games, and I don't want a BluRay player.
That leaves me with the Wii.
I admit that the Wii is failing to live up to all of the promises currently. There are not enough good single player games for it yet (Paper Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and 1 or 2 others depending on taste). There ARE a good number of multilayer games, however all of them are party style games. Playing Wii Sports, Mario Party, etc with a group of friends is INCREDIBLY fun.
Also, the promised line up is promising. Smash Bros (with internet play finally), Mario Galaxy, GH 3, and others.
for now, I would say you are safe to hold onto your $$ and wait until there are more good games out. Or just buy a PS2.
And the other 2 are NOT? (ok, so the PS3 is just a bluray player and not a toy <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />)
[insert long rant about games being things you play, supposed to be fun, and that things that you have fun with are Toys]
[insert long rant about games being things you play, supposed to be fun, and that things that you have fun with are Toys]<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Ok, bad wording on my part. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" /> What I meant to say is that the Wii feels like it provides more light-hearted fun than the 360, with the loads of party games and the likes. On the 360 I got Dead Rising, Gears of War, Call of Duty and Bioshock which can keep me glued to the screen for hours. When I play the Wii I mostly just pick it up for a few minutes of light fun or play it with friends. (With the exception of Zelda, which I love. So yeah, this is all subject to change if/when there are more "serious" titles released.)
And yeah, I do have fun with my consoles, so they're all toys, technically. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink-fix.gif" />
It's quite hilarious that Yahtzee's 360 went and bricked itself.
The PlayStation 2 is the older generation. The Wii is the current generation. The PlayStation 2 is new at $130. It features a larger assortment of games from which to choose, with a greater variety of non-kiddie games to play. It also doesn't have a gimmick of a controller one has to use to be able to play its games (ignore this part if you like the controller: I don't, but it's just my opinion). The Wii is new at $250. It has some non-kiddie games, but when one can list them on one hand, there's a problem. It's obvious it's focused more on casual games, which is something I really don't want to spend $250 to get, when I can buy Peggle on my PC that I already have.
So, basically, I get the same experience graphically, on a lower priced console, with a wider assortment of good games for a cheaper price. Finally, I don't have to deal with a bunch of games made specifically to work with a silly controller (again, ignore this part if you like the thing). Seems like a win/win situation to me.
As far as the current generation of consoles, I agree: none of them are really worth it. But, as I've stated in other threads, I don't mind playing old games that are tested and proven to be good, as I still play FreeSpace and Homeworld, among other games. The PlayStation 2 therefore doesn't bother me, especially considering I still play the original PlayStation from time to time. Considering the widely available collection of cheap games for the PlayStation 2, it seems like the best deal. Of course, that is all my opinion.
Pretty much how I stand, though I'm considering delaying an upgrade on my PC to pick up a 360 this winter.
Playstation 3: There is no reason to buy this console, ESPECIALLY from the european territories as the software emulation is dire (we tried playing Soul Calibur III on it and it went so slowly we had to stop playing). Most of the previous 'exclusives' for it are now coming to the 360 and the few they still somehow have... well I guess those are down to personal taste but none of them really interest me outside of maybe little big planet :/
Wii: While I partially agree with the 'lack of games' sentiment I think there's still some corkers on this lil' box of fun!
I love Trauma Center to bits (already completed the DS version and the wii version throws a few curve balls to keep things fresh), and I'm double happy that it's getting a sequel WITH COOP!
Others here already mentioned some of the other goodies that are headed it's way but there's one or two titles worth a peek that don't tend to get mentioned such as Soul Calibur Legends (looks like a fun hack'n'slash WITH COOP), no more heroes (crazyyyyy :o ), Oboro Muramasa (new game from the makers of Odin Sphere :D ), Nights, Zack and Wiki (good old aventure romps for the win!) and, of course, there's the retro goldmine that is Virtual console :3
That said, currently there's still not much out now but the horizon looks fun.
Xbox 360: To be honest, while this has some good games on it I still find it gathering dust a lot. I'm looking forward to endless sonata and a few other gems but it's not owning my game world or anything. There's not a lot I can say about it personally as it doesn't reek of disaster like the PS3 and it doesn't have too much in the way of quirky stuff like the wii.
PS2 and Snes: Hell yeah! :D
Ironically the PS2 still actually has games coming out for it and I'm working my way through Valkyrie Profile 2 and Rogue Galaxy as I type this :o
The upcoming 'Fist of the North Star' fighting game on it (made by the guilty gear team) is definitely hotsauce too (as much as I love guilty gear I think the FotN game is actually a better system).
Sooooo... yeah.... I'm basically agreeing with what everyone else already said ^^;
p.s. Boo!
So, basically, I get the same experience graphically, on a lower priced console, with a wider assortment of good games for a cheaper price. Finally, I don't have to deal with a bunch of games made specifically to work with a silly controller (again, ignore this part if you like the thing). Seems like a win/win situation to me.
As far as the current generation of consoles, I agree: none of them are really worth it. But, as I've stated in other threads, I don't mind playing old games that are tested and proven to be good, as I still play FreeSpace and Homeworld, among other games. The PlayStation 2 therefore doesn't bother me, especially considering I still play the original PlayStation from time to time. Considering the widely available collection of cheap games for the PlayStation 2, it seems like the best deal. Of course, that is all my opinion.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
If games from the previous generation are to be part of the equation then you need to add the entire Gamecube library to the list of Wii games. Virtual Console can also add a substantial amount of games depending on your moral stance about emulation on the PC.
Or are you trying to say that you have problems holding a tiny piece of plastic? Hell, even my little sister can do that. Or maybe you are using it wrong? The wristband is not meant to be hold onto it and then flail the wiimote wildly around.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I've never seen someone so wildly miss a joke.