The Last Straw

HIM: I apologize for this blog in advance.

Okay, so I don't spend a lot of time checking out video game hype or surfing the web for game news (except for Resident Evil on the Wii...), but I came across this article and it made me remember why today's consoles make my blood boil. First, I want to preface this discussion with the note that I currently own an Xbox (the OLD one, not 360) and a Wii (which I am VERY happy with). My aunt borrowed my PS2 and it turned up missing... Regardless, I was lucky enough to have a Commodore 64, Atari, and Nintendo in my more formative years, and a Sega Genesis later on. Having been there since the beginning of console gaming (and the discovery of the wheel, as some of you may suggest... ;) I can say with a clear, unbiased view that some companies in today's gaming industry are disturbingly irresponsible (dare I suggest, much like certain finance organizations) and unworthy of the benefit of a bargained for exchange of cash for goods...

Microsoft Xbox 360
I loved playing Halo in co-op mode with my little sister Annie on the original Xbox system. She rocked and I'd love to have her at my side in a deep space firefight. "There's a grenade on your LEG!" =) However, the current system's stole away my faith in the franchise. At a $400 minimum for Microsoft's Xbox 360, the company wouldn't let purchasers return it to retail stores for a refund because they new gamers would take their business elsewhere. Junkbox 360 owners had to mail in their machines to a central storehouse that would process it and then mail them back someone else's defective and "repaired" machine. It was offensive to me, hearing that so many friends were waiting months for their 2nd or even 3rd "refurbished" Junkbox. I was a faithful Xbox owner before the 360's release, but wouldn't trust Microsoft to make a widget now. This article shows the depth of executive problems at the heart of Microsoft's management. This won't change, no matter how they try to sweep it under the table. I imagine shareholders should be rightly sceptical of in-house research suggesting "gamers have largely forgiven" Microsoft's poor development and support, no matter how tightly the company clings to the Halo franchise. Unless I can get a WORKING (1 in 10 still are not...) model for $10, I doubt I could forgive execs for knowingly shoving a broken product out to the loading dock. In the course of typing this paragraph, my Internet Explorer (also a Microsoft program) nearly crashed twice... lol

Nintendo Wii
Sebastian and I visited a game store and played a demo version of Mario Galaxy (which we still haven't purchased yet!) we had a hard time finding a Wii when we were looking. That seems to be a huge marketing strategy for Nintendo. If demand is high, then prices will remain there also. At the time that the other systems were being consumed, they were clearly aware that it was possible to keep a half-next-gen system on the same shelves. If it weren't for the fact that the wiimote is so darn cool (think arcade games in your living room) it would be hard to compare the system to the other, clearly, next-generation consoles. Developers seem to say that Nintendo, as a whole, is not very accomodating. Also, it appears that the company is not very good about getting the same new releases as other consoles. Good stuff. We'll be using our Wii for a while.

Sony Playstation 3
I don't have much to say about the Sony Playstation 3, it seems the least offensive of the three other current-gen systems. I had a playstation 2 (which seems to be going stronger than it's latest incarnation...), so I had a stake in Sony's success, but Great graphics, effective marketing, lots of supported new games, and a GIANT price tag to reflect it ensure that you're probably better off keeping your PS2 under the TV and your cash in-hand.

Consumers: All this being said, the market determines how much a console system goes for (or used to anyway...), and if consumers actually want to pay the money for a shoddy product it's their own fault for not letting demand fall flat and waiting for the inevitable price drop. Every three-to-four years, companies release a new system at temporarily laughable prices with plenty of bugs. Plan accordingly.

Developers: We'll wait for a good product. Don't sign off on it when it's not ready. It makes us mad. We won't buy your next-next-gen system. =) Seriously.