A Game of Games

A Game of Games

Ethan Black, Staff Writer

Gamers have a lot of conflicts right now. We are under fire from the government and concerned parents everywhere about the violence in video games and the effect it can have on players.  We are arguing with the greater art world for the right to call video games ‘art.’ However, the conflict that is probably the biggest is the one we wage amongst ourselves: the dreaded “Console War”. The recent release of the PS4 and XboxOne have created a major battle in this war.

If you’ve been on the internet anytime in the past twelve years, you’ve probably heard of the Console War. This war is waged between the fans of Sony’s Playstation game console and the fans of Microsoft’s Xbox console. Both groups claim their favored console is the best, and neither will agree that the other console is just as good.

The next generation of consoles are bound to fuel the flames. So far, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding se newest consoles and the companies’ design decisions, and early on, it appeared that the PS4 would win out. The XboxOne requires a constant internet connection and registers the games to only one console so they can’t be played on more than one Xbox. These features deterred all but the most hardcore Xbox fans, so Microsoft later changed these features. On the other side of the playing field, The PS4 still has one big advantage: its price. The PS4 only cost $399 at launch, $100 less than the XboxOne will.

I’m going to go ahead and admit it: I am a little biased on this topic. I have been faithful to the Playstation from the beginning and have only played Xbox a few times. Therefore, I have a certain fondness for Sony’s console. However, in my experience, neither console has a major advantage. Each has things they do well, just as each has things they do poorly. The Xbox generally has slightly better graphics and processing power, while the Playstation usually has a wider range of game genres and more memory.

Now, I know some of you are wondering why I haven’t mentioned the other two big gaming platforms in the arena: Nintendo’s WiiU and computers. However, these platforms are not really a part of the “Console Wars”. PC gamers do believe their choice of platform is best, but they generally disregard consoles as a competitor. PCs don’t really fit into the “game console” category, as gaming is not their primary use. Nintendo, however, does make game consoles, like the WiiU, their current entry. Nintendo’s consoles are generally disregarded by the core gamer community because they are geared more toward casual gamers and families with younger children. While Nintendo has some games for more mature, hardcore gamers, they are usually multi-platform titles, meaning those gamers would probably rather play those games on another console.

The real Console Wars are coming to a head this week. Just a week ago, Sony released their next-gen console, the PS4. The launch was rather successful, with only a few problems with faulty systems. Microsoft released their next-gen console, the XboxOne, a few days ago. We will soon see if the console can live up to its predecessor and claim the majority of the hardcore gamer crowd. In short, this could be the generation of consoles that decides the Console Wars. To victory!

Title picture courtesy of Gilles Bone Illustrations.