At My Limit: The Console Wars

The current generation's console war has been a long and bloody one. The Wii, Xbox 360, and the Playstation 3 have been fierce competitors. But how do we know who is winning? I know this is going to be a very controversial topic, because lets face it, we all have our favorites. I'm not going to take the time to cite all the information I present, so feel free to disregard it with any number of excuses or counter arguments. In fact, I encourage that. The overall point of this series is to get you to think. So, lets jump on into this and get it over with.

The Facts

• The Wii has topped the sales charts since its release.
• The Playstation 3 has had the worst overall sales of this generation.
• The Xbox 360 has had the second most sales, and is considered the favorite among most console gamers.
• The Wii has the most exclusive titles, and the biggest fan base to support them.
• The Playstation 3 has the second most exclusives, and receives consistent, good reviews for them.
• The Xbox 360 has the least exclusives, and only half of them receive good reviews.
• The Wii successfully reinvented motion controls which cause both Sony and Microsoft to incorporate motion controls into their consoles later on.
• The Playstation 3 brought forward a new type of media storage disc, which has been so successful as to be the new form of video and game storage over the next generation.
• The Xbox 360 revolutionized the console gaming world by refining online gaming for consoles.
• The Wii is a reliable console with a low failure rate since its release.
• The Playstation 3 has had the lowest failure rates since its release.
• The Xbox 360 has had the highest overall failure rates, but are now back down to an acceptable level.
• The Wii has the most family friendly games and opens up gaming to pretty much anyone because of its simplistic control schemes.
• The Playstation 3 has games for a fairly well rounded audience, but has complex controls for most of its games which can be difficult for new gamers.
• The Xbox 360 is mainly geared towards more mature audiences, and also has complex controls.

So what does this tell us? There's pros and cons to each system. Hmm, I wonder if all the consoles could actually be equal? Nah, that doesn't sound right.

The Opinions

Warning! That which follows is filled with biased, snark, stereotypical, and sarcastic remarks. Reader Discretion is advised.

The Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 is obviously the best console. I mean, you've got Gears of War and Halo! What could be more hardcore than running around as beefy guys in this fancy space armor stuff shooting aliens! Its so awesome that I barely notice their two dimensional personalities and the poor storytelling. Plus, it doesn't have those stupid rainbow colors like kids games, its all dark and gritty.

Oh yeah, and Xbox Live is so awesome dude! You only pay like $5 a month and you can shoot people online and then T-bag their bodies to rub it in their faces. Plus, you can make fun of people online with one of those fancy Turtle Beach headsets, which are obviously so good because they cost a lot of money. Anyways, you can make fun of people online and they never see your faces. All they see is your gamertag, which you can make something awesome like "Xx_1PWNN00BS_xX".

The Wii

I always knew that the Wii was going to be the best console. I mean Nintendo hasn't ever disappointed me. Besides, motion controls are so intuitive and interactive, it really makes me feel like I'm actually in the game. Also, I can relive my childhood memories by playing new versions of old games that I grew up with. Not to mention I don't have to deal with those first person shooters that are all the same.

Oh! And did you see how you can swing the Wii-mote like a sword in the new Legend of Zelda! But really, what's up with this Metroid Other M stuff. They completely butchered Samus' character. She was so well developped in the previous games, as this cold, independent, strong woman, and they make her cry from seeing Ridley? She's supposed to be as two dimensional as all the other cool action heroes of gaming.

I totally knew the Wii fit was going to be a success. I mean, a video game that helps you lose weight? Everyone wants that!

The Playstation 3

Y'know why the Playstation is the best? Cause its more than a gaming console. It can do everything. You've got a bluray player, web browser, you can play music, movies, anything you want. You can even stream stuff from your computer to the PS3. And the hardware, give me a break. It has 7 processors, and the 360 only has 2, that automatically makes it better. Plus most of the games are made in 1080i so you can experience them in full HD.

Y'know what else you get when you get a PS3? Uncharted, its like the best adventure game ever. Its like playing a game where Indiana Jones and Malcolm Reynolds fused together and went looking for ancient artifacts! Then you've got games like Gran Turismo, where you can race cars and feel like you're in a real race! And you've got Metal Gear Solid, which is so awesome. And now they made this game called Playstation All Stars Battle Royale, which is totally not a rip off of Super Smash Brothers. Its not... Really... Its not...

The Truth

Ok, sarcasm aside, the console war is over. The first console of the next generation was released, and it was Nintendo who got the first strike. But who won the last console war? Honestly, there's not really any specific way we can determine a winner. We don't have a judges panel sitting around deciding who won. All 3 consoles are still around so there's no victory through elimination. So really, its all up for debate, and mostly only backed by opinion. But if we go by popularity, sales, and overall impact, like we have in the past, the Wii has won.

The Nintendo Wii has the highest sales, and successfully implemented a new way to play games. It was so successful that the other consoles to their own crack at motion controls too. This has changed the world of console gaming for the foreseeable future.You can argue it as much as you want. I'm not saying that this is law, but this is how we decided the PS2 was the best console last generation, so I'm just applying the same standards.

In any case, why does it matter? Does having a console other than your favorite regarded as the best really impact your life? A video game console identifies who you are, no more than what kind of breakfast cereal you eat. Not to mention, Valve has announced they will be releasing a specialized gaming computer to compete with the console market, and console gaming can't even compare to the PC gaming world.

In the end, each console serves its own purpose, and each has its own fan base. There is really no point in saying that one is better than another. It just turns into a bunch of little kids arguing who's dad could beat the other's dad up. VIDEO GAMES ARE TOYS! Yes, some of them can be considered an art form, or even a sport, but in the end, they were originally designed as a children's toy. The console war is pointless, some people prefer one game to another, just like some people prefer McDonalds to Burger King, but in the end, one getting better reviews does not change your life. The war is over, if you want it to be.