It's been two and a half months since that hectic November when the entire world's attention was focused on the video game industry. Sony and Nntendo launched their new PS3 and Wii consoles in North America. Microsoft's Xbox 360 console also did well, benefiting from the low shipments of the PS3 and Wii along with the sales success of Epic's action game Gears of War. Since then things have calmed down a little bit in the console wars but there is still a bit of sniping from all three sides and despite what certain financial analysts have predicted the truth is that this current console conflict is still up for grabs.
In this feature FiringSquad take a look at current state of the console war and give our recommendations to all three companies so they can come out on top.
Square Enix launches Final Fantasy X 25th anniversary site, revealing new Nomura art, books, music releases, and merchandise.
Look I know VIII has its issues and all that but how on earth can the do big anniversary events with new artwork and merchandise for VII, IX and X yet VIII got sweet f*** all.
They could have given it something during its 25th anniversary yet all it got was a single Happy Anniversary post on their social media.
they should know that we are OG fans of VIII as it sold truckload as well. not as much as VII or X. I personally didn't like IX but X and VI are my personal fav.
Shadow Hearts 2 covenant is another game I love. I hope one day someone can make remake, I would be delighted
Final Fantasy VIII is great and you are always the first to defend it in the comments
The Wii is now a retro console. Let’s get nostalgic about an often maligned system.
Crazy to think the WII is to the Switch 2, as the NES was to the WII back then. 20 Year difference.
My wife asks me to bust it out (heh) everyone once in a while to play bowling and tennis with the kids. There was a ton of slop on it but some good stuff as well.
Wii was great but boy howdy did it cause Microsoft to go on a dark walk with the Kinect and the disastrous XBox One launch that they arguably never recovered from.
Not nostalgic for me.. I was there.. anyone who wasnt a little kid realized it was a gamecube with shit tacked onto it, it was the "joke" system and was well below even the switch in terms of comparing it to the latest machines at the time. The machine was well loved by young people and "casual gamers" who now remember it 20 years on, or in most cases more of its sales came in the 15-20 years ago range not right at launch- but again its not nostalgic for people who were "gamers" then really, just for those who ended up with one in their house, the games , graphics, interface and online features were archaic already in 2006.
A brutal reset, a smarter story, and a return to what made it great—Mortal Kombat (2011) revived the series.
Underrated comment. I used to hate that game so much that any time my siblings asked me to play it, I just picked Hom and shut myself down mid-match.
15 years went by so fast. I remember playing through the story mode at launch.
Minor correction: Sony said TWO million launch units. They corrected to one only at the last moment after the two million was looking obviously unachievable. People are (again) letting Sony's PR machine roll over them. *sigh*
Pretty good article otherwise, with some great tips all around.
There is no point pointing out the lack of systems at launch on Sony's side because Microsoft had the same problem, Least Sony started to crank out more systems as soon as they could compared to the wait that I had to endure to get a 360, even had the damn thing reserved. Had to wait until March to be able to get my 360, and even then the 360 launch lineup was not the greatest, nothing truly showcased the hardware until dead rising and gears of war, sure there will be a slow down on the side of Sony, but give them a chance after all we all gave Microsoft the chance, be fair!
Sony's been keeping us in the dark about a LOT of franchies, as well as new IPs. I don't know why Mart is spreading false information about Sony's launch details though.
Sony originally promised 2 million units during launch, 4 million by the end of the year, and 6 million by March 2006. Laser-diode crap happened, but they're really cranking out those systems, so much that scalpers aren't even making any money off of them.
Pretty good article. It highlighted the positives of all 3 systems, and the negatives, as well; oftentimes the fanboys fail to see either argument for/against a system. (That's why they're fanboys).
MS has the best online service and offers the best game lineup (currently, with many good games in the pipe), but needs a price cut to accelerate sales and definitely needs to release a bigger HD soon, and at a reasonable price. Kill the Core system. They also need to address failing units (new one-year warranty helps) and their poor customer service. MS launched first, but has yet to pull away from its competitors. That's their biggest challenge now: Keeping (and extending) their lead.
Sony's got brand-name recognition and substantial last-gen dominance, along with some good exclusives (for now), but botched their PS3 launch (let's be honest, they did) and came across as arrogant to consumers and gamers alike. The high price of the system keeps it out of the hands of Average Jane and Joe, who were their bread-and-butter last generation. Blu-Ray is nice, and the higher disc capacity may be a factor in the future, but for now, it looks like an unneeded expense to the average consumer, who doesn't plan on buying a HDTV for a few more years and doesn't know Blu-Ray from a blueberry, let alone HD-DVD. More games will help (March) along with a significant price cut before the end of the year. Sony won't dominate this generation like the last, but they'll end up with a substantial user base. If they learn from their mistakes this time, maybe PS4 (or whatever they call it) will be better received.
The Wii somehow managed to find gaming's "G-Spot," if you will: An inexpensive system with broad appeal, fun games, and clever marketing, especially in light of the system's unfortunate name (insert joke here). Here's Nintendo's problem: How do you keep the Wii from stagnating, from becoming a console with a clever "gimmick" and only a few games that take advantage of said "gimmick?" Look at the ports of COD3 and Farcry...OK, but motion controls didn't do much for them. Games like Wii Play, Wario Ware, and the like may become more common than unusual...although the Wiimote is versatile enough that clever programming may find new and interesting ways to utilize it. Virtual Console is sweet, tho, and Ninty has hundreds and hundreds of games available for eventual download. And Nintendo HAS to start offering online play at some point.
My .02 worth. (Still wearing asbestos suit)