![]() The Lovers, the Dreamers, and Wii
Submitted Saturday, October 21, 2006 - 4:04:26 PM by Klaitu
Duck and cover kids, get ready to do your part, because war's a-comin.. the console war!
You long-time readers know that the console war is one of the more prolific topics here on Special K. I think that's because I find them so darn interesting! While companies battle for dominance, it means that their chosen weapons become more effective.. and more attractive! With the imminent release of the PS3 and the Wii next month, I thought it a fitting time to share my insights into how the seventh-generation of consoles will fare.
X-box 360
I know a lot of fans of the 360, it's certainly got a following.. and some cool features like wireless controllers, internet connectivity through ethernet cables, and a hard drive. The Microsoft console sports a wide variety of sports games, first-person shooters, and racing games. It's also been the first to market, and has the largest selection of games at present.
A big draw for 360 fans is Xbox Live, an online service which allows online multiplayer as well as digital purchases over the internet. It's a subscription service that has been around since the original xbox.
The 360's main limitation is the optical drive, it's your standard 9 GB DVD-ROM drive. Microsoft has announced an addon for the 360 which would allow you to play HD-DVD movies on the system, but the 360 can only broadcast the lowest quality HD signal, making the addon less attractive. Addditionally, Microsoft has stated that the addon will not be used for games.
Playstation 3
Everyone knows it's coming, it's been in the news, you know. the Sony juggernaut of gaming system's third iteration hits store shelves briefly on November 17. Despite the fact that it is the most expensive console, it will instantly sell-out and appear on ebay for thousands more than it was originally priced at.. not that this is suprising, the 360 did the same thing just a year ago.
The PS3 sports a 60 gb hard drive, wi-fi internet connections, a Blu-Ray drive, and true HDMI connections. That is, the premium PS3. The "cheap" PS3 only has a 20gb hard drive, and does not have wi-fi. PS3 also has wireless controllers using bluetooth technology. The controllers have motion sensitivity The PS3 is certainly the most technically superior of this particular console war. It also happens to be backwards compatible with PS2 and PSOne games, and it interfaces with the PSP.
With Microsoft's success with Xbox Live, Sony has developed the Playstation Network, an Xbox Live-type service that is free of charge.
The PS3 isn't just intended for gaming, it sports an internet browser, and can play multiple types of streaming video.. it can even serve these videos out to your psp. It can display pictures in HD clarity in any one of several unique slideshow displays.. Not to mention it can playback Blu-Ray discs (which makes it the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market).
The main detractors from the PS3 are it's limited availability (only 400,000 of them in the US) and, of course, it's price (the fancy system runs $600, the "watered down" system runs $400). Both of these problems will likely be resolved in time, as consoles tend to drop in price over time, as they become more available.
Wii
There was a time when the Nintendo Wii didn't really interest anyone. Of course, that all changed when Nintendo announced that the Wii controller was motion-sensitive and there was a new Zelda game you could play with said controller. the Wii console itself is technically the weakest console, using current-gen gamecube graphics. The Wii's strengths lie elsewhere.
The Wii features internet connectivity, but to date, few games use it for multiplayer.. in fact, only games made by Nintendo themselves are allowed to be multiplayer at present. The Wii does, however, have compatibility with previous nintendo consoles.. the NES, SNES, 64, and gamecube games are all compatible with the Wii, though some of them require an additional controller (one that is an actual controller and not a remote control), which is sold seperately. Of course, there is no physical cartridge slot for these games, the will be provided online for download to your Wii for a modest fee.
The main attractor to the Wii is also its greatest detriment, the controller. It's a motion sensitive controller that looks like a remote. the controller features few buttons, and most input is done through moving the controller around. The controller can also act as a light-gun in a "point and shoot" capacity, allowing players to drive cars, shoot aliens, and wield samurai swords by merely moving the controller in the appropriate motions.
While the controller is innovative, it presents Nintendo with some serious problems. First, the controller system requires an additional perhiperal known as the sensor bar. It works in much the same way as the Power glove's sensing system. the controller must be calibrated to the sensor bar, and should the sensor bar be moved in any way, recalibration is required. Another problem is that of developers. The 360 and PS2 feature similar controllers with similar buttons, but the wii controller is primarily devoid of buttons and relies on motion for much of its input. Developers may be unwilling to invent entirely new control schemes for their console ports. The most common reported problem with playing the Wii, however, is that it's difficult to play for long periods of time because of all the energy the player must expend to operate the game. The Wii is a console best played standing.
How will it go down?
I've probably laid out my predictions before, but for the sake of completeness, I'll lay them on you again, because I know you all are entirely interested.
The Playstation 3 will sell the most units. Sony has a great system, and even though the console is expensive now, it will be less so in a year or 2. Sony has great marketing and presence all over the world, worldwide dominance means more PS3's need to be made to ship all over the world, which means Sony is geared for higher production, which means materials become widely available, and that in turn means haper prices here at home. That's how Sony wins every time.
The 360 will be the second most popular console in the US, and domestically, at least, it will continue to have plenty of great games that make it a solid investment. It won't get very far in Japan (it didn't even sell out at Microsoft's own Japanese 360 launch event) which means fewer ports from that part of the world on the console.
The Wii is not to be underestimated, it will outsell the 360 in Japan, and be a close contender to the 360 in the US. Parents and small children alike will flock to the cartoonish graphics and seemingly simple controls of the Wii. Older players will enjoy the novelty of the old nintendo games.
Whatever the selection, all 3 consoles are decent pieces of technology, and gamers can look forward to a bright future.
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