Console Wars

And today, for once, we will be talking about something other than TV---which is amazing, because really, TV was my first true love and is still, to this day, the driving force behind much of my creative spark.

But today, however, we will move on from television and talk about another thing: video games. Or, more specifically, console wars---which is really more about something I hate, because I have kind of thought the whole thing was stupid from the beginning.

Now, first off, this whole discussion is going to mostly ignore the Wii U. This has nothing to do with whether I think the Wii is a current generation console (it is, dammit, because it came out this generation) or how much I like the thing (which is not much, both because I think that it's main innovation is a complete farce next to the awesomeness that was the Wiimote and because its failure as a console has kept the price of the Wii from falling and me from getting a Wii so I can play the 2 or 3 Wii games that I really enjoy). Instead, it has to do with the fact that the Wii U really isn't competing with its next generation console companions, the Playstation 4 and the Xbox One (or the Xbone, if you prefer---which, I believe, is supposed to be a derogatory nickname but is one I actually still find kind of fun and charming). The big question has been, ever since the new consoles were officially announced, Xbox or Playstation?

Secondly, I will openly admit that my husband and I pre-ordered an Xbox One. In fact, we did it even before Microsoft reversed course on the whole always online, kinect required thing. Why? Because while it was poorly advertised (Microsoft marketing FAIL) and could have been implemented better than it was, their whole digital-only games thing was actually pretty cool and would have worked better for me (and, yes, we cough up for very high speed internet and both our Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are always online anyway) than the current disk swapping regime. I was sorry to see it go and I do hope they bring it (or at least the family sharing plan) back at some point in the future.

Anyway, moving to the real point here, the console war itself, the thing that really drives me crazy about the whole thing is how the dynamic of the whole thing is working---I've been on Kotaku a certain amount lately, and all the console war seems to be is people accusing one another of being fanboys (ug) and talk about gaming policy/who's trying to screw over the gaming community harder. It seems that very few people are talking about games, which has been driving me crazy from the beginning, in part because Playstation trolls (not people who happen to plan to get the Playstation 4, but those who have to openly declare to the world that anyone getting the Xbox One must be an idiot---which is to say no one that I've actually talked about this with on either Facebook or in real life) have been claiming from the beginning of this madness that real gamers will get the Playstation 4.

Let's get one thing straight here, "real" gamers care about playing the games they like. Real gamers will get the console that will have the games they really want the most---you know, so they can actually play them. It's really that simple. For me, that's the Xbox One because of Halo (I get to play Spartan dress-up! Yay! Powered armor is so cool and I can make it my favorite color and I can make my character a girl . . .) and Forza (I have owned every game in this series and love all of them---and yes, I love it more than Gran Turismo, which I have played). For you, that may be the Playstation 4. People's tastes are different and when you're spending your money (and let's face it, both consoles have a pretty hefty price tag, even if the Xbox is definitely the pricier of the two), what matters is that you get what you want out of it. Figure out what consoles have the exclusives you want (which, I will note, is actually a pretty anti-consumer move in and of itself and both Sony and Microsoft do it) and then buy that one. Or, if you're into new, innovative indie games, then buy the console you feel supports that best (which apparently, according to the internet at large, is the Playstation, although I'll admit to being a bit skeptical based on all the misinformation about how the original Xbox One game sharing policy was going to work still seems to be believed by so many people). For me, I'm not, because I can't really think of the last "indie" game I liked. Maybe my definition is odd, but it always seemed like they were just a bunch of cheap, crappy looking games available through Xbox Live, for the most part. Again, not for me, but if it's for you (and I will also admit to being somewhat skeptical of those who are so in love with the Playstation's indie game policy but never seem to talk about their love of indie games, but this may be colored by my own preference for more mainstream games), then buy for that!

The point here is, do what works best for you and remember what really doesn't matter here even if it does seem to be at the heart of the debate right now:

Which company has the true interests of gamers at heart. Newsflash here, folks, neither of them do. They're both big evil corporations and they both only care about making money for their shareholders (in fact, they're pretty much legally obliged to). Much like Microsoft's varying reversals about the Xbox One, Sony's moves are less about making us happy and more about getting us to spend money. Are the two connected? Yes, because we spend money on what makes us happy, but if the two ever diverge I can promise Sony will go for the money. So will Microsoft. Like I said, they both suck. Really, the difference between the two of them has more to do with Sony being better at figuring out what will get people to spend money (better marketing, which, again, Microsoft completely failed at) than anything.

Hardware. Yes, the Playstation 4 has better hardware. No, it won't matter. Why? Because most games will be cross-console anyway. Developers won't be making two different games just so they can take advantage of the slightly better graphics offered by the Playstation 4. It's too expensive. That's why no one did that for the current generation either and games pretty much look the same on both consoles. There's no reason that will change for this generation. Honestly, the only way in which hardware will really matter for the person actually playing the consoles is in terms of controllers. Which controller works better for you is important, because, again, most games will be cross-platform and your control scheme is your window into the game experience. Getting the controller that works better for you (or doesn't have features you hate, like my own dislike of the PS4's touchpad), is definitely important.

So, what's the takeaway here? No console, even ones as similar as the Xbox One and Playstation 4, is one size fits all. They are different and they do both have different things going for them---with many of the things that are bonuses to one customer being detriments to the other. We're all different and if you're going to bother to get a next gen console, you should get the one that will really work best for you, from day to day, rather than worrying about all this crap knocking around the internet about how either console is stupid. They'll both do well. They'll both be great. They will both play games well and they will both have good games. Pick the one that works best for you and then game on.