Don Reisinger published an interesting editorial today on News.com entitled “The Xbox 360 should win this console war”. Yes.. a sure fire way to start a flame war on a website! Without going too much into details of the article (which you should just read for yourself if you’re interested), Mr. Reisinger believes Microsoft should win the current next-generation console wars due to a few key things: price, third party support and of course content. Reading this article got my mind spinning a bit.. I started recapping where we came from in terms of the console wars and what the current state of reality really is like for the three major players. Ultimately, I found myself asking this simple question “does it really matter anymore who the real winner is?”. Each of these consoles might have started from a common background but the end results have been mixed and definitely not what anyone originally conceived of. 

A look back..

Let’s recap first. Three years ago the buzz in the gaming industry was all about the upcoming next-generation console wars. Which console was better spec wise? Which console had more titles coming out? Which console was going to kick the living daylights out of the other in terms of raw graphics performance. Yes.. these were fun times indeed.

In fact, the three companies involved were coming from altogether different places in life. Sony was the clear leader in the console gaming market with the crazy success of the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 platform. Microsoft was playing catchup with the Xbox console and Nintendo.. well these good folks were just trying to stay relevant.

First out of the gate was Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console and yes.. the console got fairly positive reviews initially. Lines were long for the console and there were a decent number of solid titles for the Xbox 360. As time went by, the 360 grew stronger and stronger primarily due to the growing number of gaming titles and the ever increasing capabilities of the console. Every new Dashboard update brought with it many new features for the Xbox 360 console.

Sony, on the other hand, ran into problems with the PS3. It was late. It was hard to program against. It was expensive to manufacture. It had less than stellar launch titles.. and finally, it was a year behind the Xbox 360 and more expensive. Yet, when the PS3 came out in late 2006, things were not necessarily lost on Sony. It still had one thing that the other consoles did not have. It had Blu-ray built right into the console which would ultimately change the face of the console. However, along the way, Sony also changed the specs on the PS3 console. Originally, the system offered backwards PS2 compatibility. Then in cost cutting efforts, we saw the compatibility disappear. Then we saw delays in the online community for the PS3 (while we saw a growing and thriving Xbox LIVE community for Microsoft). Ultimately, Sony had to bite the bullet and offer cheaper PS3 consoles with smaller storage amounts which were still more expensive than the Xbox 360. Yet.. there was Blu-ray.

Then there was the little console that could. The Nintendo Wii. Who knew that this small non-descrip looking unit would capture the world’s attention thanks to the Wii Remote and the included WiiSports game? While the console was pitiful in terms of graphics performance, it won over hearts simply because it was fun to play with. Who knew that it would be fun to bowl at home with your friends? Who knew it would be fun for your girlfriend to strike you out in Baseball? Who knew??  Oh yes.. the Wii also was cheap.. and THAT my friends certainly helped the appeal of the device (not to mention that the inability to get one only drove up the hype for the console!).

So that brings up to today. The Nintendo Wii is clearly the numbers leader (in terms of number of units shipped) with the Xbox 360 and Sony PS3 bringing up the rear. Yet, the Xbox 360 is PROBABLY climbing up faster thanks to recent price cuts.. and thus quite possibly will become the eventual winner in the consoles wars according to number of units shipped.  Thus yes, Microsoft will probably be able to say one day that they are the leader in terms of the console wars.

However, does this really matter today?

Reality Today

Let me explain why in many ways none of this matters.

When the Xbox 360 first came out, the talk was all about the graphics horsepower and the title breadth of the platform. When the PS3 came out, people instantly took snapshots between comparable games on the PS3 and the Xbox 360 to see which console was BETTER graphically. The argument continued as to which platform provided more horsepower. Yet when the Wii came out.. people realized that in many ways, graphics didn’t matter IF the game was utterly fun. Nintendo changed the gaming world to recognize that innovative thinking could out-trump raw horsepower. Nintendo also showed the world that you could be innovative AND cheap.. thus driving sales beyond what Microsoft and Sony could have imagined.

Yet, Microsoft quickly saw the opportunity to praise Nintendo – not necessarily compete against it. Executives from the company talked about how families would buy two consoles – the Xbox 360 and the Wii because they wanted two very different experiences. (oh yes.. the old joke was you could buy an Xbox 360 console and a Nintendo Wii console for the same price as a single PS3). The Xbox 360 would give a full reaching multimedia experience – everything from gaming to video on demand capabilities to Media Center Extender support while the Wii would be great for parties and fun simple games that didn’t require intensive graphics rendering capabilities.

Ironically enough, this segmentation is pretty much what happened. The three consoles are being purchased based on their strengths and weaknesses and thus, it’s not simple to declare a single winner in the gaming industry.. because in many ways, it’s not about gaming anymore. It’s about delivering some sort of entertainment experience.

Consider the PS3. Quality titles for the PS3 are somewhat woeful. Sure, there’s Metal Gear Solid but let’s face it PS3 fans – the Xbox 360 trounces your library. Yet there is one thing that the PS3 has that no one else has and that’s the built-in Blu-ray player. In fact, this ace in the hole is often how Sony markets the console player. Also, consider the following. If you’re thinking about getting into Blu-ray for the first time.. would you rather spend $400 dollars on a standalone Blu-ray player OR would you rather spend $400 dollars on the PS3 which delivers Blu-ray, gaming, and an online experience? I thought so.. the PS3 right? RIGHT.

Yes, the Xbox 360 and the Sony PlayStation 3 certainly overlap one another quite a bit when it comes to features and capabilities. Both platforms deliver video on demand; Both consoles play back a variety of multimedia files; Both consoles deliver an online community for gamers. Yet.. the purchasing audience is at times rather different between the two consoles. The Xbox 360 attracts more gamers simply because of the title breadth and the wonderful online experience that is Xbox LIVE. On the PS3 front, there are more families coming on board simply because the console has Blu-ray built right in.

Oh but wait.. if you have a little money left over after buying a PS3 or an Xbox 360, you could even get yourself a fun Nintendo Wii because well.. it’s fun!

So who’s the winner here folks? It ultimately depends on how you look at the big picture! Sony wins when it comes to Blu-ray (unless of course Microsoft releases a Blu-ray external drive which seems doubtful at this time). Microsoft wins when it comes to delivering an extensive multimedia experience. Nintendo wins because it’s affordable and some of the games are just fun to play with.

Thus perhaps… the real winner in the console wars is actually us the consumer. We’ve received platforms that are rich in capabilities yet diverse enough for us to possibly want them all. In the end, it really doesn’t matter anymore who will win the console wars. Publishers are delivering most of their gaming content across all the consoles so it’s a matter of which console meets most of your needs. Thus, it’s about matching the consoles capabilities with the needs of the individual and that my friends is different person to person.

Technorati Tags: , , , , ,