Is Innovation Dead, And Should We Care?

Today, we are seeing the same old ideas popping up again.  This time with the very unreliable rumor stating that the 360 is getting a motion sensitive controller.  I don't care who came up with the idea first, or even if the controller will ever see production, it's completely irrelevant.  The practice of technology showing up on multiple competing systems is nothing new.  Oh, sure.  One company may say they came up with it first, but who has an original idea anymore?  The consoles themselves prove the case.  One console may have a different chipset than the next, but really, how different are they.  They still operate in basically the same way.  Electronic theory isn't rewritten with each new system generation.

Small innovations do appear every now and then, but what is more common to see are old ideas used in a new way.  Take motion control.  That tech has been around a lot longer than the Wii.  Nintendo didn't invent the technology, they just used differently from the way it had been used before.   Sony has implemented similar technology in the Six-axis controller.  Now Microsoft may be considering a unique idea to differentiate themselves from their competition and give their fan base what they want, or at least something that they think the consumers will want.

I believe that we are getting promising possibilities out of these rejuvenated ideas.  One of the current innovations from the last generation seeing new life is the PlayStation Eye and the game Eye of Judgement.  It brings old ideas to new concepts, and mixes a couple of gaming genres in to boot.  Seeing what is possible with simple components will hopefully bring us a new and worthwhile experience.  Another innovator, Johnny Lee, has an amazing video explaining his use of the Wii controller to put us in the game.  Immersion is definitely something we expect while playing games and after seeing this creative thinker in action I'm excited about the possibilities.  I think that implementation of his ideas may be years way, but I can absolutely see this for the next generation. 

We need to start celebrating the ideas of the competition.  The Wii is, undeniably, different from any system that came before it.  Both the PS3 and the 360 are substantially more powerful than all the previous generations combined.  As I said before, the console makers guard their secrets, and try to make you want their system.   Because of that, you won't get everything you want with just one brand. 

The only way to be able to get all the best in tech is to give up our long held prejudices against what we perceive to be the enemy.  Xbots, the SDF, and whatever the Wii fanboys are called, are only hurting themselves by not accepting that each console, because of their differences, are worthy of purchase.  Not all generations have been able to claim that, but I believe this one is as close to ideal as we're going to get.  All the consoles were made by different people, with different ideas, but with one ultimate goal.  The goal is to give us games to play.  Accept the fact that all the consoles are worthy of your attention.  Each and every one of them has a game you will love to play.  To not have the opportunity to experience the best on the PS3, the 360, the Wii, just because of the name on the box, will only hurt you.  I don't have all the systems yet, but it is a goal of mine.

I don't believe in the concept of a console war, wars do not have winners, just losers.  I see it a different way, although, I do see a winner and a loser.  The winner is the gamer, a true gamer, that believes in playing for the fun of it, experiencing the best of the industry, no matter the name.  The loser, ah the loser.  The loser is the one that limits the possibilities, by sticking to one console.  The loser misses out on about 2/3 of the good games available.  I am not going to be a loser, are you?