• 10Aug 12

  Wii U Wins

  Got your attention?

  I don't post anymore on gaming forums. It's not because I hate my fellow gamers, it's because forums attract the people who are the least in-touch with the gaming world. The fact of the matter is, consoles don't matter anymore. Harsh? It's the truth. PC Gaming has rocketed ahead in terms of innovation. The latest trend-setting games: Farmville, Minecraft, DOTA 2, CS:GO, Guild Wars 2... they're all on PC. Equally important are tablets, where a host of multi-million dollar games, from Angry Birds to Scrabble, define what's hot.

  Consoles just don't shake a stick at it, and the NPD numbers show.

  So why the, would Wii U matter? Well, because Wii U is a console. Strange? Not really. In patent filings Microsoft has already made clear the next Xbox will be an upgradeable device, one where users dump in more money for fancier graphics, more storage space and other ammenities. If this sounds familiar, it's because it's a PC. There's nothing special that distinguishes a PC from such a device... except a PC isn't tied to a single OS, vendor or hardware configuration. I can choose to buy a Mac, Windows PC, build my own or tinker about with various free operating systems. I'm not tied down, so like the guy with the cool car and the glow kit, I'm free to define the hardware for myself.

  Sony is in the same boat, selling us an outdated PC with much the same games, and software features, bundled in... and it's showing in the sales. Why should consumers pay $60+ a year for Xbox LIVE to get features like "Facebook, Netflix, and more!" when, the same features are available on cell phones, tablets and PCs without a fee? Why will consumers buy expensive hardware ($300+ for the next gen consoles) when their existing devices off them the games they want already? Much like 3D movies, the fad of graphics won't hold up, especially when more functional android and apple devices offer impressive quality in a mobile package that also provides more day-to-day functionality.

  -

  So why then, does the Wii U win?

  Frankly, three reasons:

  1. It's cheap

  2. It's aimed at families and children

  3. It does something different, and does it well.

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  Theses are killer points, and ones that Sony and Microsoft will need to address with their own consoles. The original Wii didn't compete in the marketplace against the Sony / Microsoft crowd because it couldn't appeal to the same audience. The lack of full HD support, the lack of commentary games, and a controller that didn't want to support traditional play worked against it for major titles. However, the Wii U rectifies these problems, and goes a step further, it adds something that allows play that won't happen on rival systems.

  Imagine the Wii U decides to launch at $250 - it's an easy holiday pickup for parents looking for a fun system to play with their kids. The games are oriented to parties, and it does something that existing systems don't do... and more importantly, PC and tablet don't do, with its group multiplayer and arcade-style entertainment.

  While I'm always skeptical of consoles in general, I put my money down to pre-order a Wii U. Come November, it's the only next gen console I see doing something different that makes me actually want to drop some money. While my 360 and PS3 gather dust, I know that I'll at least get my money's worth of entertaintment from the Wii U, while continuing to see tablets and PC as the "real" gaming platforms... and that's something Sony and Microsoft should truly fear.

  • Posted Aug 10, 2012 10:47 pm GMT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 4Feb 12

  See Ya

  Many years ago I believed that forums presented an opportunity for gamers to communicate with each other, share ideas, and improve the gaming world by presenting a collectivist consumer that demanded quality. Sadly, that dream has died, a collection of marketing firms using careful brand, loyalty and viral marketing have effectively denied the idea of uninfluenced exchange. Intellectualism has been replaced by argument, thoughtful dialogue has been replaced by feverish loyalties, and the spirit of friendly competition has died to outright trolling.

  The games themselves have come a long way. Gaming has reached a point where the quality of our games is outright fantastic. If our "sellout games" like Battlefield, Modern Warfare, and Gears of War are this good, if our "games of the year" like Skyrim and Old Republic are of such uncompromising quality, then the "discussion" is moot. We've come a long way from the days of E.T 2600 or trying to get Quake to run on your Pentium.

  People ask why I don't bother to post anymore, or why when I do, all of my effort is spent attacking people who, by all accounts, are the scum that lead to the decline of the forum culture. There's simply no need. Do I miss that gaming culture once demanded forums as a means of exchange? Sure. Do I miss being able to find great people online through the forums? Absolutely. I miss when my grandparents weren't on Facebook and all of the photos were of great parties and sexy girls too... but employers and the march of normality drag on.

  Our lives aren't made worse by the death of forum culture, they've just moved on - my group of friends expands, life gets better and the quality of our games is at an all time high. So GameSpot has gone the way of IGN... do professional reviews even matter anymore? So forums have gone the way of 3chen do forums even matter anymore? Play on friends.

  subscriber @ bondar crystal ....seriously why aren't you playing SWTOR yet?

  -sub

  • Posted Feb 4, 2012 12:26 pm GMT
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• 24Dec 11

  Old Republic

  sub @ bondar crystal

  -

  I'm playing with SO MANY BANELINGS (we also play WoW on Stormreaver). If you play either game, roll a toon and join up, as we're leveling right now for Operations in SWTOR, and of course we're almost done with DS in WoW (5/8 Heroic on 8 hours a week... yeah we're damn good).

  • Posted Dec 24, 2011 10:12 pm GMT
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