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Picking Sides In the Console War 119

Posted by Zonk from the choose-but-choose-wisely dept.
If you're having trouble picking, the reviews are beginning to come in for the PlayStation 3 and the Wii. Chris Morris at CNN offers an analysis of the Wii launch games and some frustrations about the PlayStation 3. Chris Kohler at C|Net offers a side by side comparison of both systems ... and some frustrations about the PS3 controller. Finally, 1up offers a look back at Sony's launches, and a similar look back at Nintendo's launches in an effort to judge how the weekend will go.
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Picking Sides In the Console War More

Picking Sides In the Console War

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  • Why pick sides, just buy both systems and call it a day.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Thansal ( 999464 )
      Because I don't have the cash to buy both and buy games? (food/rent/etc also fit in there somewhere)?

      Because I am not interested in spending $500 for a game system that I can not make use of some of the key selling points (I do not have, nor want, an HD TV)?

      Because the launch line up (lincluding those announced for 2007) looks relatively pathetic on the PS3 and looks relatively good on the Wii?

      Because I am a nintendo fanboy and thus want Mario/Zelda/Metroid/SSB:B?

      Are those all enough reasons?

      If I had horrib
      • Because the launch line up (lincluding those announced for 2007) looks relatively pathetic on the PS3 and looks relatively good on the Wii?

        Because I am a nintendo fanboy and thus want Mario/Zelda/Metroid/SSB:B?

        Ehhh... I think you've made your choice. Why even visit a "Which console to buy" thread?

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by Dev59 ( 953144 )
          Because console fanboys of any bent insist on bashing the competition at any time the opportunity is given. Fanboys should have "mute" buttons.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Thansal ( 999464 )
          I am a Nintendo fanboy, I love their stuff. I am also a Valve Fanboy, I love their stuff.

          That does not stop me from also admiring/liking other things. Of the past gen I actualy liked the PS2 the best, why? best games on it (largest variety). I admit, I only have a GC (specificly for Zelda/Metroid/Mario), however, I still tihk the PS2 had the best games.

          Of the current gen I think the 360 and PS3 have AMAZING graphics, the only problem? I don't have the $$ to buy a HD TV. Also, of the 2 systems, the 360 h

          • Re: (Score:1)

            by Psiven ( 302490 )
            I admire Valve for the same reason I do Nintendo - impeccable gameplay design. Did you know they built and scrapped Team Fortress 2 twice before settling on the current version? It that kind of dedication and innovation that makes a brand. You really have to respect that.

    • Re: (Score:1, Redundant)

      by MtViewGuy ( 197597 )
      I believe that while the PlayStation 3 will cater to high-end gamers, the Wii will cater to value-oriented gamers and those who want a "different" gaming experience, thanks to the Wii's unusual (but innovative) game controller.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Meagermanx ( 768421 )
      Why pick sides, just buy both systems and call it a day.
       
      I'm a college student, you insensitive clod!!
    • Yes, think of all those airline miles and rewards points.
    • I suspect this comment is a joke.

      Note: at the time of posting you can't (for love or money) buy either system and call it a day :)

  • Isn't picking sides like choosing b/w Ford & G (Score:3, Insightful)

    by r_jensen11 ( 598210 ) on Thursday November 16, 2006 @04:18PM (#16874770)
    They're both consoles, they both do the same thing. Neither is completely "better" than the other, but rather that customers have to compare their perceived values? Besides, any Slashdotter that's getting a PS3 has been waiting for the past few days outside their local national chain with 10 bags of Doritos and lifetime supply of delivery pizzas
    • Check out the CNet comparison. Look at the rankings from the editors vs. from the readers. Whoops, just noticed the article actually links to Wired when it says it links to CNet. No matter, here's the CNet side by side comparison: http://reviews.cnet.com/4321-6464_7-6551960.html?t ag=cnetfd.mt [cnet.com]

      Here's how the editors ranked the systems:

      1. PS3 (8.8) 2. Xbox 360 (8.4) 3. Wii (8.2)

      Here's how the readers ranked the systems:

      1. Wii (8.0) 2. Xbox 360 (7.5) 3. PS3 (7.1)

      Aside from the full one-point "grade inflation" the readers ranked the systems in exactly the opposite order that the editors did. Is this because the editors are playing on machines they didn't pay for? And with HDTV equipment most users don't have? Is it perhaps related to the relative advertising might these companies are flexing at CNet? Are CNet gamers more casual and fun-oriented compared to more hardcore CNet editors?

      Whatever's going on, it looks interesting to me.

      -stormin (shameless self-promotion, I covered this discrepancy in my blog yesterday: http://kiriath-arba.blogspot.com/2006/11/editors-v s-gamers.html [blogspot.com])

      • I don't get it (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Chris Burke ( 6130 )
        The very first line of that article confused the hell out of me:

        " The Xbox 360 finally has some competition: The PlayStation 3 hits stores (in extremely limited quantities) on November 17, followed two days later by the Nintendo Wii."

        Is he using the past tense for future events? Today is the 16th of November. Did that quantum entaglement experiment work and this was our first message from the future? Seriously, what the hell.

        As far as I know, the PS3 is only out in Japan and the Wii isn't out anywhere.
        • I'm pretty curious about that too. There are hundreds of read reviews - over a thousand total. Are these just folks who've gotten hold of pre-release copies, or is it (as you surmised) possibly just wishful thinking.

          I wish I knew.

          -stormin
          • Sorry I will be wrong the loop cannot be avoided
            The best you can do is alter them slightly but it breaked causality so it was possibly worse than it was going to have been.
            Go get laid !
            • In about a month, an improbable experiment about sending a message back in time will go terribly wrong.
              The message will fail to be sent in the past but the entanglement will be enforced.
              As a result, the 42 bits message supposed to be the future reference will stay in the present, but the rest of the universe will be accordingly time shifted in the past to compensate.
              The universe will keep running CRC checks on the 42 bits, and error correcting algorithms which are based on the universe's 'current present
        • I don't know if you can play a PS3 anywhere, but I played Excite Truck on the Wii at a Gamestop last weekend. It was pretty fun, aside from the fact that I'm really bad at racing games and the new controller didn't make me magically better.
      • Or maybe its because editors are playing on machines they actually have, and the rest are speculative fanboys?

        Nahhhh....
        • Seriously - Of all the readers who submitted scores, how many have actually PLAYED one, let alone OWN one.

          Come on, people - they haven't even been released yet. The vast majority of "Reader reviews" are wild-ass "OMG THIS SYSTEM IS GOING TO BE SO AWESOME!!!!!" speculation.

  • Sides? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Kamineko ( 851857 ) on Thursday November 16, 2006 @04:19PM (#16874782)
    What is this with 'sides'?


    Don't pick sides, pick games.


    Everything else will follow from there.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Fozzyuw ( 950608 )

      Don't pick sides, pick games.

      If you want to try to predict games, here is an interesting news article [businessweek.com] on the Wii that was from a later /. article. Just some snippets that I found most interesting...

      Miyamoto: We started work on the Wii around the time the GameCube went on sale in 2001. [Internally, the Wii had the codename "Revolution."] We started with the idea that we wanted to come up with a unique game interface. The consensus was that power isn't everything for a console. Too many powerful consoles c

  • Electronic voting (Score:5, Funny)

    by whoop ( 194 ) on Thursday November 16, 2006 @04:20PM (#16874802) Homepage
    Pick your side in the Console War 2006:
      ( ) XBox 360
      ( ) Playstation 3
      (X) Wii
     
    Thank you. The current tally is:
      0 XBox 360
      1 Playstation 3
      0 Wii
    ?

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by chrismcdirty ( 677039 )
      I see you've been using electronic voting machines supplied by IGN.
      • It's like sex, except I'm having it!
        So I was recently at Cedar Point standing in line for the latest tallest/fastest/most intense coaster EVER! I'm standing in line and the latest train of riders comes to a screetching halt next to us and this guy on the train yells back to his friends "Its better then sex", so I yells back, I yells "You're not doing it right". We all had a good laugh.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Thansal ( 999464 )
        and by IGN you are reffering to 1UP (and other organizations owned by the Ziff Davis group), right?

        IGN actualy seems to be giving decent reviews all around (especialy the Zelda:TP review)....
        • I actually mean all major review sites. 1UP seems to have people who hate games reviewing them. IGN seems to be reviewing Wii games based on PS3 criteria. They seem disappointed that games are only 480p and 16:9 widescreen and the graphics aren't stunning.
    • Hehehe, wow, similar experience to mine!

      Pick your side in the Console War 2006:
      (X) XBox 360
      ( ) Playstation 3
      ( ) Wii

      Thank you. The current tally is:
      0 XBox 360
      0 Playstation 3
      0 Wii
      1 George W. Bush

      wtf?

    • Pick your favorite Console in 2006:
      ( ) XBox 360
      (X) Playstation 3
      ( ) Wii

      [...click...whirrrrr...bee-eep...]

      Thank you for voting!
      -----
      The current tally is:
      Microsoft XBox 360 has 0 votes.
      Sony Playstation 3 has 0 votes.
      Nintendo Wii has 0 votes.
      Diebold AccuVote-TS has 35,959 votes

      sysmsg(1): Ha-ha! Victory is mine!

      Don't worry. It's just jealous of all the attention.

    • Pick your choice for the best /. post ever:
          ( ) CowboyNeal
          ( ) AKAImBatman
          (X) whoop

      Thank you. The current tally is:
          1 CowboyNeal
          0 AKAImBatman
          0 whoop


      I tried, I tried...

  • I find this whole "war" thing funny. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by CyberLord Seven ( 525173 ) on Thursday November 16, 2006 @04:23PM (#16874856)
    Why should we, as consumers, care?

    I have a, still functioning, Sony Betamax. I have a, still functioning, Sony PS2. I have a, still hasn't set the house on fire, Xbox 360. I would like a Wii.

    I don't care who "wins". I just want a machine I can play fun games on.

    I don't own stock in any of these companies. I don't work for any of these companies. I have been on the "losing" side of these "wars" before. Just note my admission of owning a Betamax above. When Sony stopped making the players and stopped making the tapes, my machine continued to function quite well. In fact, I still watch my recordings of the original airings of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I watch for the old commercials more than for the show. Those who lived in the Oakland/SF Bay Area in the 1980s will know what I'm talking about when I mention "Paul, from the Diamond Center".

    • Is the betamax your primary source for viewing recorded shows/movies or is it, at this point, a novelty system to *only* watch your old, recorded star trek episodes? It does matter who wins and who loses because not everyone out there can buy a system that fails, shrug their shoulders and go 'oh well, let's buy another $250-$600 piece of hardware and hope for the best.'

      • ...before Sony abandoned it. So I got a LOT of use out of it.

        It's not like I just shrugged my shoulders and bought another system. Besides, VHS recorders had dropped dramatically in price by the time that happened, so I bought one of those after I found it difficult to buy Betamax tape. It really was no big deal. It's sort of like the situation I'm in now. The PS2 is about to die. I have an investment in the PS2 in the form of games that I continue to play. My sister and I are patiently waiting for

    • Meh. (Score:3, Insightful)

      by JMZero ( 449047 )
      I don't care too much about this "war" either - but that's because I don't spend as much time (or percentage of income) on gaming as I did when I was young.

      Sure I didn't own "stock" in Sega when I was 10 - but I had a Master System. To a 10 year old, that's the equivalent of owning a lot of stock, because it's not like you're going to get two consoles. And the value of that stock is very apparent to you when your friends are playing Mario 3 and you're playing some incomprehensible turd (though Shinobi was
      • Sure I didn't own "stock" in Sega when I was 10 - but I had a Master System. To a 10 year old, that's the equivalent of owning a lot of stock, because it's not like you're going to get two consoles.

        It's fine to disagree with Zonk but implying that he's a 10 year old seems a bit trollish to me.
      • ...my position assumes (and you know what happens when you ASS-U-ME don't you?) that you won't buy a system until there ARE GAMES YOU WANT TO PLAY. It also assumes (there's that word again) that there are enough games to justify the expense of the system. That's the biggest reason I won't buy a PS3. I just don't play enough games to make me go crying and begging to my wife for one. There are a LOT of other things I'd rather spend $600.00 on than a game system alone.

      • Sure I didn't own "stock" in Sega when I was 10 - but I had a Master System. To a 10 year old, that's the equivalent of owning a lot of stock, because it's not like you're going to get two consoles. And the value of that stock is very apparent to you when your friends are playing Mario 3 and you're playing some incomprehensible turd (though Shinobi was good..).

        Phantasy Star. R-Type. Alex Kidd in Miracle World. Sonic. Castle of Illusion. Ghouls 'N Ghosts. Golden Axe. Tri-Formation. Streets of Rage. F-16 Fig

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by JMZero ( 449047 )
          I'm not saying the Master System was entirely turd - but it didn't have many titles that stirred my 10 year old mind. Even Golden Axe was a little lame on the SMS (no multiplayer, etc..), and I think many better games (eg. Gunstar Heroes) were just never sold or promoted where I lived. I think the SMS generally flopped too hard in Canada for it to get much attention.

          Also, as before, the SMS didn't have Super Mario 3. None of my games had movies promoting them.
    • I have a, still functioning, Sony Betamax. I have a, still functioning, Sony PS2. I have a, still hasn't set the house on fire, Xbox 360.

      You have a, still, annoying, itchy, comma finger.
    • It's nice that you can keep watching your old shows over and over again, but what happens when you want to watch a new movie?

      The one reason I can see for people to care is that it can matter whether or not you picked the winning pony. It'll suck for me if I get a Wii because I want to play Zelda and Super Mario Galaxy, but nobody else buys one, and so two years from now there are no good new games coming out for it. So instead of spending $50/pop on new games, I have to spend a couple hundred on another c

      • When I want to watch a more recent movie...I watch DVDs just like you and everyone else.

        Please don't buy a system based on what you think your friends are going to buy! If you want to play Zelda more than any other game, buy a Wii and nothing else. Buy a system if and only if it has the game or games you want to play. Nothing else really makes any sense.

        Think of it this way. If you have a Wii and your bestest friend in the whole world has a PS3 your gaming enjoyment may have actually increased because

        • a) DVDs vs tapes in general is a different situation. That's more comparing the PS2 or Gamecube to the PS3 or Wii - new generation of technology, of course it will eclipse the old. Back in the early 80s, did you have to buy a VHS soon after buying your Betamax because you couldn't find new movies on Beta anymore? Some of us would rather not have to (or can't) buy expensive new electronics every year.

          b) I never said you should buy what your friends buy or any of that crap. I was just saying that it's one r

    • For the English folks on Slashdot, does anybody else still have old Betamax tapes of 'Rolf's Cartoon Club', and 'Woof'?
    • Here's a place where you can sign up for a chance to get a free Nintendo Wii Console. They give one away per day. http://nintendo---wii.notlong.com/ [notlong.com]

  • Toasted PS3s (Score:4, Interesting)

    by AKAImBatman ( 238306 ) * <akaimbatman@gmaYEATSil.com minus poet> on Thursday November 16, 2006 @04:25PM (#16874914) Homepage Journal
    Once you've plugged in and configured your PS3, you'll have to update the system software. Some (but not all) launch games will include that system update, which means the process will take 5 minutes or so. If not, you'll download and install the upgrade from the internet (as I did). This method takes more than 10 minutes. It's frustrating, especially having spent this much.

    This reminds me of a conversation I overheard at a game store the other day. Apparently, this kid had borrowed a PSP game from his friend. The game had a firmware update on it that had failed to install properly. His PSP was absolutely toasted, and wouldn't even boot. The guy behind the counter was explaining to the kid's dad that it would cost almost as much as a new PSP to have Sony fix it.

    I wonder how many PS3's will go the Way of the Brick(TM)?
    • That is completely ridiculous. I will never buy a PSP.

  • Dupe (Score:1)

    by kirun ( 658684 )
    Typical Slashdot dupe, we picked our side [slashdot.org] months ago! Wii it is!

  • Kids, PLEASE buy a Wii, 360 or PS3 today =) (Score:5, Insightful)

    by dryriver ( 1010635 ) on Thursday November 16, 2006 @04:32PM (#16875038)
    With the FPS kiddies and casual gaming boobs migrating off the PC platform, PC gaming may actually go back to the more complex, cerebral, mature games we used to be able to buy.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Thraxen ( 455388 )
      Like what? MUDs and the old text adventure games?
    • But we were kids when we could buy them.
      Cerebral games like Civilization came out around 15 years ago. Sim City about the same.
      The point and click adventures of the Sierra genre (yes, genre) were mostly in the late 80s to early 90s.
      Hell, even the most cerebral of games, Digger and AlleyCat, are from the mid 80s. OK, maaybe these ones aren't quite as cerebral, but it does require strategy to get the food from all the bowls on a hard level or figuring out which hole in the swiss chees the mouse would come
    • Oh, yea, how I long for those cerebral days of DooM and Quake. And Scorched Earth.
    • "With the FPS kiddies and casual gaming boobs migrating off the PC platform, PC gaming may actually go back to the more complex, cerebral, mature games we used to be able to buy."

      Or alternatively commercial game developers move away from PCs altogether as Consoles increasingly have PC style functions and no driver issues.
  • Video games are supposed to be an escape from reality, like books and movies. To sit and squabble and argue over which one is better just taints the entire experience for me. I am so sick of people picking sides in a war that doesn't need to be fought. I can't wait until all of this launch BS dies down and people can just get back to enjoying what each console has to offer.
    • Video games are supposed to be an escape from reality, like books and movies. To sit and squabble and argue over which one is better just taints the entire experience for me. I am so sick of people picking sides in a war that doesn't need to be fought. I can't wait until all of this launch BS dies down and people can just get back to enjoying what each console has to offer.

      Tee-hee, you said "taint".
  • Pixels are so boring, and all those colors just confuse me. :-)

  • I already voted (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Phoenix666 ( 184391 ) on Thursday November 16, 2006 @05:42PM (#16876294)
    by buying Nintendo stock. I figure anyone who wanted a souped-up PS2 already bought a 360. Those lining up to buy the PS3 would line up to buy socks if they were hyped enough.

    Non-gamers and gamers alike are using words like "revolutionary" and "fun" to describe the Wii in every review I've read.

    Personally, I already have a PS2, and don't need a PS3 plus. I'd rather have something totally different.
    • I voted too. I shorted Nintendo. I think that this is going to be an incredibly short-lived flash-in-the-pan gimmick that will go down in history as a *huge* mistake. I can't imagine anybody using that controller for more than 10 minutes before getting sick of it, quite honstly. Remember the infamous Power Glove [wikipedia.org]?

      • I can't imagine anybody using that controller for more than 10 minutes before getting sick of it

        Why, exactly? I mean, how is moving your hand slightly (over-exaggerated arm motions are optional, but not required) significantly different than moving your hand slightly when playing a game that uses a mouse? Yet very few people get "sick of" playing PC games because of it.

        Remember the infamous Power Glove?

        You mean the same Power Glove that was not made by Nintendo, and which was not designed from the

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by mgblst ( 80109 )
          Sure, there isn't a great deal of difference, except that you rest your hand on the mouse, whereas the wii controller is ment to be waved about in the air. How much extra strain will this add, who knows? I guess we will find out soon, how many people get sick of it.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by LKM ( 227954 )
            except that you rest your hand on the mouse, whereas the wii controller is ment to be waved about in the air

            Except that it isn't. While you can wave the remote around, you can play the Wii with your hands resting on your legs, like you play a "normal" console.

      • Well, as of now you are out some money. Nintendo stock just hit an all time high. Possibly because investors see that Nintendo is the only company poised to make any money from this generation.
        • Exactly. Perfect time to short. In about one year when the stock is in the toilet, I'll make out like a bandit.

      • I can't imagine anybody using that controller for more than 10 minutes before getting sick of it, quite honstly.

        That's somewhat strange, considering that people are already playing the Wii and not getting sick of it after 10 minutes.

        In my experience, the Wii is the only console ever that got lots of non-players excited. Suddenly, people come to me and ask me about games. These are people who never held a controller in their hands. Where I live (in Europe), a major electronics retailer is doing a midnigh

  • Last week I wend to a videogame expo. I got tickets so I could be among those who are lucky to get in 2h earlier than the unwashed masses. Now lets describe the PS3 and the Wii demos:

    Wii: Very open stand. multiple consoles, multiple games, free to try, reasonable lines. Lines weren't a problem since you could easly watch the games around you, seeing someone play the wii is much more fun than watching anyone playing on any other console. Once you've seen this, you'll understand.

    PS3: Big black enclosed s

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