One just days away, the video
game console wars are poised to rage anew. The past generation of
consoles has lasted a relatively long eight years, so it's been a while
since gamers practiced the time-honored tradition of defending their new
console of choice to the death. Peacetime (1977 – 1981, 1983 – 1988)
As video game consoles came into their own during the late 70s and early
80s, hardware was basically dominated by a single superpower at a time.
The Atari 2600 flourished, the industry crashed in 1982, and Nintendo
came in with the NES to pick up the pieces. Sure there were other
consoles, like the fledgling Sega Master System, but none could even
come close to breaking Nintendo's stranglehold on the market. With only
one console worth buying, there really couldn't be any console wars.
Sega Does What Nintendon't (1989 – 1994)
Determined to make a name for itself in the 16-bit era, Sega went on the
offensive, starting the next-generation early with its second and most
popular console, the Sega Genesis. This console war, filled with attacks
ads, catchy slogans, and made-up features like "blast processing," is
still the war by which all others are judged. Schoolyards became
battlefields of Sega kids arguing with Nintendo kids over who'd win in a
fight: Mario or Sonic. And off to the side there was a TurboGrafx kid
hyping up Bonk.
The infamous "Genesis does what Nintendon't" campaign came about when
the Genesis was still going up against the outdated NES. With the launch
of the more technically capable Super Nintendo, Sega played up how hip
and edgy its console was. Its mascot was faster and cooler, its sports
games were better, and its version of Mortal Kombat still had blood.
While it never became more than the number two company, it was the
number two company that never missed a chance to take potshots at number
one. It was the Pepsi to Nintendo's Coke, or to use a more recent
analogy, the Samsung to Nintendo's Apple.
A New Challenger (1995 – 1999)
The coming of 3D allowed a new challenger to enter and shake up the
status quo. After being burned by Nintendo during a failed deal for a
SNES CD-Rom add-on, Japanese tech giant Sony decided to just create a
new console of its own: the PlayStation. With its polygonal graphics and
then-revolutionary disc-based format, the PlayStation became the first
console to sell more than 100 million units. Sony ended these console
wars before they even got started. Like Sega, it promoted the coolness
of its console but in a more mature way. With a PlayStation, it was okay
to game even if you weren't a kid. Meanwhile, the Sega Saturn's failure
marked the beginning of the end for the company, and though some of the
most influential and beloved games of all time are on the Nintendo 64,
even it couldn't halt Sony's rise to the top.
Microsoft Makes its Move (2000 – 2004)
Sony once again swept a generation with the even-more successful PS2
launching right in the middle of the DVD boom. The GameCube offered the
Nintendo faithful some great titles but ultimately fared worse than its
predecessors. The final Sega console, the Dreamcast, would eventually
find a devoted audience, but only after its life was cut short. However,
this generation saw another new fighter step into the ring: Microsoft's
Xbox. Initially short for DirectX Box, the Xbox sought to combine the
PC power Microsoft was known for with the simplicity of a video game
console. While the first Xbox did only slightly better than the
GameCube, it gave Microsoft a foothold in an industry it would soon make
greater use of.
Red Waters and Blue Oceans (2005 – 2012)
Riding high on the success of its first two consoles Sony' had plans for
the PS3 that were arguably a little arrogant. Even its pioneering use
of Blu-ray couldn't make up for the high $599 price point, complicated
processor infrastructure, and bafflingly condescending quotes from
executives telling cash-strapped consumers to work a second job. Sensing
weakness, Microsoft became the next company to take a page from Sega's
book and jumpstarted the next generation early with the Xbox 360, just
four years after the Xbox. During these wars fiery debates centered less
on games and franchises—since most were on both platforms—and more on
technical aspects of the machines themselves. Was the PS3 really more
powerful? Was the 360 really easier to develop for? Was the PlayStation
Network really that much worse than Xbox Live? Did 360s really break all
the time?
While Sony and Microsoft battled in the red waters of competition,
Nintendo chose a new path: a blue ocean strategy for its next console.
Although the Wii was dismissed by hardcore gamers for its motion
controls, underpowered non-HD graphics, and more casual appeal, it was a
massive success, joining the PlayStation in the 100 million-units-sold
club. The PS3 and 360 were ultimately both pretty big successes in their
own right, but it's hard to argue Nintendo didn't reclaim its crown
this generation.
The Frontline (2013 – Present)
This brings us back to the present and the frontline of a new console war which is anyone's game. The Wii U
has struggled for half the success the Wii enjoyed, but will its
price-cut and steadily expanding library of quality games put it back in
the race? The PS4 garnered a lot of goodwill at this year's E3 and Sony even brought back ads that attack competitors
almost by name, but will players turn on it after it's out? The Xbox
One had countless messaging problems around its stance on used games and
always-online play, but now most of those issues have been cleared up
will its tarnished image improve?
Source : PCMag
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