With the next-generation of gaming set to begin later this year with the Xbox 360, I've been wondering exactly what is the most important factor in a video game console. I have my own ideas, but I'm curious to see what everyone here. Here are the options I've giving: Power- Pretty self-explanatory option. A console with the most power typically has the best looking games, especially when it comes to multiplatform games. Perhaps someone who just plays EA sports games, or other popular multiplatform games like Prince of Persia or Splinter Cell may value this more than anything. Exclusive Games- Again, pretty self-explanatory. A console may not be the most powerful, but it has games that are exclusive to its console. People who like the GC for Zelda/Mario/Metroid, the PS2 for Gran Turismo/Metal Gear Solid/Final Fantasy, and the Xbox for Halo/Dead or Alive/KOTOR may value this as the most important aspect in a console. Online Experience- This is something new that Microsoft has really been able to capitalize on this generation and wants to continue the trend into the next-generation, while Sony and Nintendo will most likely attempt to try something similar. Downloadable content as well as the thrill of fragging some 12 year old from Korea may be something that some gamers value. Extras- I couldn't think of a better term to call this, but basically this includes everything a console offers. The Xbox allowed people to watch DVD's, and it provided gamers with a hard drive and built-in broadband. Compared to say something like the Gamecube, which more or less was just a video game console, the Xbox offered more than just gaming. Is this all-in-one view of a console the way to go? Price- Another pretty self-explanatory choice. This console most likely isn't the most powerful console and may not offer too many extras, but it is cheaper than other consoles. The Gamecube and the Dreamcast comes to mind here. Other- I may have left out some important choices for some. Maybe some people will buy a console based on how it looks, perhaps preferring the slim PS2 to the big and bulky Xbox. This could include controller designs too (EXS2 controller is the best!), as well as innovative features such as the Eyetoy or the GBA/GC interactivity. If you pick this, feel free to explain why (hope I got most of the big reasons though). Screw consoles, I'm a PC gamer- For those of you that can afford to update video cards every 6 months and play Half-Life 2 at maximum settings, maybe PC gaming is the way to go.
it's not even about 'exclusive games' most of the time. if you can't even get regular third party support for your system, you're as good as gone. nintendo has been lucky since it has history on their side with great name recognition (mario, metroid, etc). that's why systems like turbo grafx 16 (which i still own hehe), and to somewhat of an extent, N64 failed.
I dont have one main thing I look for in gaming. I just am looking for the all around best console. Which would be the XBOX
Yea, It's not about exclusive titles. It's all about third party support. The company with more third party support will win. Why did Nintendo do so well until Sony showed up? Third party support. Look at the gamecube and xbox. The GC has almost zero third party support and sells the worse. Xbox has some third party support, but will never beat the PS2 because the PS2 established itself from PS1 and has been around longer. The only game I want to play on xbox is ninja gaiden, I think halo 1 + 2 is grossly overrated. To me its not worth plunking down 150 for a console thats bigger then a vcr to just play one game.
Most of my gaming is done on my pc. Mainly because online gaming is FREE. Games cost less. And are cheaper sooner than the Console versions (NBA LIVE etc.)
What about City of Heroes? ....i have a friend whose little brother bought COH not knowing it required online fees (even though its says it multiple times on the box), only to realize it after he had opened it. Gamestop won't take back any opened PC software new or used and he refuses to pay the fees, so he's basically screwed. Not to mention the fact that I doubt his pc would be able to handle COH anywze. Read everything on the box before you buy it...guess he learned that the hard way.
I'm in for power, cause when I switched from PS2 to Xbox I noticed a huge difference in load times and graphics, etc...and that alone turned me into an xbox lover. Exlusive games aren't that big of a deal, prob cause I'll end up buying the system for those games if I really wanna play 'em, which is why I have a GC (metroid, mario) and Xbox (Halo, NG) and wish I had a ps2 (GT, GTA, MSG:Snakeater, got Twin Snakes for GC ) Online isn't a factor for me yet cause I can't afford the monthly fees quite yet....but soon. Extras are no factor for me. I buy consoles strictly for video games. I'd prefer one that is devoted to it, cause I'm not gonna use it for a dvd player or cd player, etc. And really, in terms of home theater/entertainment equip, I buy equip solely for one purpose. My feeling is that one piece of equip that can do a lot of things can't do it as well as individual pieces of equipment that do one thing. And price is not that much of a factor cause I usually wait for that to come down anways. And by then, I wouldn't let the price get in the way of getting it. Another thing that is important to me is reliability. I switched from a PS2 to Xbox cause my PS2 was beginning to crap out on me (and I treat my equipment as if they were babies). And I've constantly heard that Sony's first line of playstation units always have bugs in 'em. So I'd be reluctant to buy a PS3 until the 2nd or 3rd line.
that;s a MORPGM or whatever they are called. Something like that. Those cost money, just like consoles. But games like Battle Field, BFV, Counter Strike, (and other HF add ons) are all free. Mainly, the FPS games are all free online, and simulators (flight etc.) , Strategy games.
I'm still a Nintendo fan even if I'm not too satisfied with my Cube and my N64. It's still a great party console, and I have a decent graphics card to play Half Life 2 in 1280x1060.
I would definitely not invest in a PC for gaming. PC gaming is going the way of the dinosaur. Last year console game sales totalled 5 billion vs. just 1 billion for PC games. Sooner or later publishers/developers will stop making PC games - it's just not profitable.
There will always be a market for PC games. Console games might be more profitable, but there's less barriers of entry on the PC. Plus, you have those hardcore PC modders always looking to make their computer faster.
I don't really see PC gaming going away either. Besides the obvious advantages to PC gaming (better graphics ~6 months after console releases, better for FPS's, RTS's, etc.), I would think developers would probably just stick games on both the PC and consoles, especially if XNA and Sony's OpenGL/COLLADA efforts are worth anything. Once a developer is done with a game, they should be able to port the game across the platforms, making the necessary tweaks for each one. It should be easy money to port it to the PC, even if there is a smaller user base. Plus, if the physics processor stuff takes off, then PC's may have an even higher advantage in the graphics department later in the upcoming generation.
I'm a little surprised at the results of the poll to be honest. When I made this poll, I expected one option to get nearly all of the votes, which would have been the "Exclusive Games" option. That, IMO, would be most important in making a great console, and it seemed like everyone I knew had the same views as well. However, I was curious to see how much influence the other options had in a console, particularly "Power." Basically, Sony should be taking over the spot as most powerful console next-gen, while Microsoft wants to get some more exclusive games for their console. Whether or not Microsoft can get those great exclusives, it appears as though they could be losing a little bit of their user base due to being potentially the least powerful console next-gen. Or at least, that's what would happen if our little BBS poll with just ~30 votes is indicative of what people around the world will do. Another interesting part of the poll is the online votes. Microsoft pretty much spent the whole time talking about what the Xbox 360 would offer from an online perspective, but it doesn't seem as though that matters too much. Pushing that along with the HD-era thing may be a waste of time, especially since they are going with DVD. This is a very interesting quote for me at least. If you guys can notice the difference in PS2 and Xbox graphics easily, then I would assume at least the same for next-gen (IMO), if not much, much more. Some people are saying that the PS3 power advantage won't matter too much since the graphics won't look significantly better, but I don't really see the Xbox graphics being significantly better than PS2 graphics. I'd still like to see some stats on how Sony's consoles are worse than the others, or at least Microsoft's (Nintendo does usually have reliable hardware, although maybe at the expense of top-of-the-line hardware). If any console is trying to come out with great technology in it, chances are that it will have some bugs in it. I want to say the DC had some revisions (at least the JP one to the NA one), and the Xbox had some initial problems with the hard drive, IIRC, as well as some overheating issues. Plus, the whole power cord issue doesn't help matters for Microsoft. It isn't a bad idea to wait until later revisions to get a PS3, but the same applies to the other consoles IMO, except for maybe Nintendo. To put it another way, the Xbox 360 will launch here first, while the PS3 will be out in Japan before it comes to NA. Yeah, I know it is pretty stupid/crazy to post a poll just to get data and use it to make a theory on next-generation consoles, but I was really bored. Wish E3 would hurry up...
this became the downfall of sega the dreamcast was one of the best systems when it came to graphics and all, at the level of ps2 and far superior than ps and n64 and around the same time. the problem was that since the sega saturn flopped, sega lost a lot of their third party licensing. this forced sega to rely basically on itself to create games for the dreamcast. outside of capcom and namco i cant think of another third party licensee that made games for the dreamcast. people are stuck into buying their brand, whether it be madden,sonic,mario,tomb raider etc... sega could not put that out there for the dreamcast. each system will have its exclusive games and all but the # of games and third party licensing would seal the deal for me.
Other, I'm looking for a well rounded system. Games, power, online and other features that make the console fun. I like when I'm playing a game like Prince of Persia 2 and a friend will send me a message to play Halo 2. Also, brand loyalty. The XBOX did me right. Sony is enticing me with God of War, though.
1. power is very important, naturally. More is better. 2. exclusive games: maybe initially but when a console gets 2 years or more into it's lifecycle, it probably has more good games than you could ever play or buy anyway. Some of the very best games are multi- anyway. The hardcore fanboys for each system trumpet this a lot - but if a game is good and fun to play, I don't really give a **** if somebody else can play it on another system 3. Online- not a huge deal for me but can be very fun and adds lots of replay value 4. Extras - who cares? Is loading time or an HD so I can store music & custom soundtracks an extra? if so I care I guess. 5. Price - as you become an "adult gamer", as embarrasing as that is, price becomes a non-factor; I drop the equivalent of a console retail price within 1-2 nights of drinking & carousing on a weekend in NY so it makes no difference to me. 6. Design is nice, but not a huge issue at all for me. Unless the design is a girlie purple cube, ha. Just kidding. 7. PC gaming - I just don't have time or energy to keep up w/PC gaming. There's just something simpler about console games - you don't have to worry about mods, patches, or hardware upgrades. As you get older your tolerance for those things drops.
I remember the first time I played Playstation, I honestly thought it would never catch on because of the load time. It took so long. At least now they fill the load time with cut scenes. The only game I ever play now though is Halo 2.
