My past Work (Part 2)

The Crackdown: Judgment of the Three New Consoles

By Matthew Szlapka

Almost as well-known as the introduction of videogames into our modern culture, one of the strongest forces which define the future of this industry is the advertising campaign known as the Console Wars. Beginning with the two old-school giants: Nintendo and Sega in 1995, the console war has always been a major event ever since the inclusion of a third front, to the predictable release dates during the holiday months. The true battle is in the gamer, which must decide on the best system, and purchase accordingly.

Unlike console wars in the past; however, the 2005-2006 console war is much more relaxed. The three competing systems: the Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3, and the Xbox 360, have all taken completely different approaches to the idea of gaming. Which of the innovations will be most appealing depends on the buyer, since no system has a clear advantage over the others this holiday season. As the sales came to a close, I looked at the new systems and what they were capable of, to attempt a judgment of the superior system this console season. Let’s look at the statistics.

Wii:

Nintendo’s last hope for console greatness, the Wii (which is the first Nintendo console not to place its name in the title, which refers to the console’s ability for everyone to be entertained.) made a tremendous showing at E3 with a library of familiar character and an innovative control. Using a sensor at the front of the Wii Remote, the player assumes control of a character’s simple actions, such as swinging a sword (LOZ, Twilight Princess.) or determining the power of your drive. (Wii Sports, Golf.) The sensor also controls the system’s console function, turning your hand and wrist into a mouse pointer. Although it takes a while to master the control scheme, and the requirement of a standard controller to play control-heavy games is financially frustrating, it is a very marketable innovation which has incredible potential.

The hardware in the Wii is the most impressive seen thus far for Nintendo, proudly using an ATI Hollywood graphics unit. ATI is well-known for the Radeon series of graphics cards for high-end gaming computers. This is not the first console the graphics giant has worked for, and the quality of their units proves they will be going nowhere.

Quite possibly the most interesting feature of the Wii is the use of its wireless connection to download older games at reasonable prices. Nintendo has not only teamed with Sega, but also the buried Turbografx from Japan to release games that many old-school gamers have waited patiently for a successful return. The potential for such a system is high; the appeal for the older gamers is already strong, but it also provides a resurgence of interest to the new generation.

Overall, the Wii has achieved a strong hold in sales, having sold all released systems within 44 days of the US launch and year’s end. Its control scheme and downloadable content are strong selling points for Nintendo, but its library of titles relates to the release of the DS: the games are interesting, but fail to stand out. Legend of Zelda came the closest in terms of a launch title, selling eighty-six percent compared with the Wii, but the game was also released on the Nintendo Gamecube, which lowered interest. This system is taking it’s time, similar to Nintendo’s handhelds, to release the more enticing and better-developed titles at a later date.

Xbox 360:

The Xbox 360 broke the cycle by releasing a year earlier than any other system. They had hoped to use their superior graphics, audio, and software to completely outshine the other companies before their new console launch. However, an incredible amount of hardware bugs along with a lack of games from well-known Japanese supporters such as Square Enix or Capcom led to a very humbling experience. The Gamecube and Playstation 2 stayed afloat, although the Xbox managed to sell 10.4 million units with the promise of refunds for hardware repair and the re-creation of certain games which were played on the Xbox (Battlefield 2, Burnout 3.)

A year later, the Xbox 360 has redeemed itself with new games that began with Dead Rising and shall hopefully continue, along with beautiful graphics and impressive online capability through Xbox Live. With growing support from game companies overseas, the competition for international gaming quality has truly begun. The Xbox has attempted to appeal to the older gamers, by adding downloadable arcade content from Namco such as Pac-Man or Galaga.

Having the most money for hardware development gives Microsoft a distinct advantage in compact visual and sound-related fields. Using a PC-level processor designed by IBM, and also relaying on ATI for their graphical abilities, the Xbox 360 has the most advanced hardware overall. This is mildly important to the gamer, since the quality of a game requires multiple factors to interest a player, not just the beauty of the impressive graphics.

The Xbox 360 took a major chance and failed, but has returned with better games and a new direction. Microsoft has already made a lot of money with this system, and it stands to make a lot more with the inclusion of Japanese gaming companies and the maintenance and improvement of Xbox Live. But this potential is very slow and that makes the gamers anxious. The delay of Blue Dragon, the Xbox’s first Japanese role-playing game originated by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, until June has annoyed hundreds of eager fans. Although Microsoft has attempted to alleviate the situation with great games like Gears of War and Lost Planet (Capcom), it is this journalist’s judgment that this stall tactic for better games will not last.

Playstation 3

Out of all the systems, the Playstation 3 seems to excel at the area of raw media. From the first few screens at E3, its graphical capabilities outshine the Xbox 360 on several different levels, and it came through brilliantly.

The system’s visual superiority is shown though the Blue-ray Disc system that is standard in every console. Using a different laser from its predecessors, the Blue Ray disc holds far information than any other disc type on the market. Along with a twenty GB hard drive, the system is capable of much more storage than any other system. Along with an internet browser, the ability to play your own music and DVD’s, and the promise of backward compatibility, the Playstation 3 looks to be a very impressive media system.

But it lacks in its primary function; gaming. At the very steep price of 600 big ones, the only people who bought the system did so in order to sell it back. The system’s Blue Ray disc, which is worth a grand up-front in a normal DVD player, was the only defining feature. The games were lackluster, and the gamers knew it. A week after the releases of the PS3 and the Wii, gamers went to their local to find PS3’s available, but Nintendo products completely gone. This has not happened since the Playstation came and took Nintendo’s SNES and N64 from 1995-1997. It seems to me that the tables have turned.

If Sony wants to make this work, they will need to start releasing good games sooner than later, as well as dropping their idea of an interactive control as original. A week after the report of the Wii’s controller, Sony announced their plans for a controllable, movable controller as well. Get your own ideas, Sony.

So, there you have it. Three systems with their own strengths and weaknesses, but with no clear victor. These next couple months will decide not only who will reign supreme, but also how the industry will be defined in the years to come. Everyone has to bring their best, or they will be brought down fast. That is for certain.