Is the Console War Good for Gaming? - Page 3 of 3

Is the Console War Good for Gaming?

Home : Games : Articles

Where's Nintendo in all of this? Well, think of them as Post-World War II Japan: Nintendo, once the dominant force in the videogame industry, made some weird decisions (Phillips CD-i, anyone?), and ended up in a worldwide conflict.

Having lost two straight console generations (think: N64 as Hiroshima, GameCube as Nagasaki), the company branched off into a new direction, looking to lose its previous isolationist mentality. Japan rose to become an economic powerhouse once their new direction hit the mainstream. As we've seen with the DS, Nintendo's new direction has the potential to gain a much wider audience and, therefore, sell much more units. Will the Wii have the same success? Only time will tell.

I'm not saying this will happen soon. It may happen 5, 10, or 15 years from now. But, if history - both of the videogame and world variety - is any indicator, the console stockpiling of "weaponry" will undoubtedly produce a "Soviet Union." But the question I ask you is: Does good competition offset the loss of great companies? Did videogames become better when the Dreamcast surrendered? Can you truly say you'd easily take better technology if one console had to go because of it? I know I wouldn't.

The console war brings with it great competition, which has created some of the best consoles around. But the console war has also had its share of casualties - some of which were some of the best consoles around. And that is why I think the console war, despite all of its good intentions, is not good for gaming.

Opinion piece by Seleeke Flingai.
Aug 21, 2006

Send this article to a friend.

<< Previous 1 2 3

Add a new comment below

Recently added articles:

September 30, 2008

Nicholas DePalmer Interview
We interview Pro-Gamer and Razer employee Nicholas DePalmer.

4 More Games We Want Remade
It's round two in for games the we want to see remade.

September 27, 2008

EA Makes ESPN Stars Virtual
You've seen the stars of ESPN pre-game shows and other TV spots deliver their entertaining analysis. Now, because of EA Sports, you'll see them in the virtual world with players doing the same thing.

Four Shooters That Made the Dreamcast Awesome
In keeping on with our Dreamcast love, we take a look at four shooters that made the system an arcade shooting powerhouse.

September 26, 2008

Why Comic Book Video Games Suck
Comic book characters have often come to life on the big screen in very successful adaptations. However, turning comic book stories into video games often ends in disaster.