Gamers are particularly thin-skinned when it comes to their choice of platform. Ultimately, these arguments reduce to an attempt to justify the purchase of new hardware. Face it, if economics were no obstacle you'd go out and buy one of each console. Since that's not an option for many gamers, the rationalizations come fast and heavy. Are you a sucker for dropping $600 on a PS3? Is the Wii just an impulse buy for toddlers and the elderly? Should Microsoft be hung from the nearest tree for rolling out a crippled Core System at a headline-friendly price point? Was the Dreamcast the apogee of console gaming, and everything else is for n00bs? As long as we live in a multiplatform world, we'll be forced to listen to surly fanboys recite factual proof that Console X shits on the face of Console Y.
Console manufacturers are not your best friend, as they'd have you believe. They're in it to make a buck, and they'll manipulate you and your loyalties any way they can to keep you coming back for more. This cycle of codependency has been the source of gamer angst since Atari squared off against Commodore. In 2007, next-gen is now current-gen, so spend your cash and sharpen your tongue. Look for our full-featured history of the console wars on Tuesday.
Video games are probably the most expensive entertainment option out there. As soon as The Man realized that he could get people to open their wallets, he began shamelessly exploiting gamers' love for their hobby. By the time developers get their heads around a platform and start turning out really kick-ass games, its time to up and migrate to a new system. Does the endless parade of new hardware lead to better games, or does it amount to bleeding cash-strapped gamers dry? The economic dimension of the console market manifests itself as defensiveness and irritability among the gaming masses.
Console manufacturers are not your best friend, as they'd have you believe. They're in it to make a buck, and they'll manipulate you and your loyalties any way they can to keep you coming back for more. This cycle of codependency has been the source of gamer angst since Atari squared off against Commodore. In 2007, next-gen is now current-gen, so spend your cash and sharpen your tongue. Look for our full-featured history of the console wars on Tuesday.
