It still surprises me to think about it. By rights, I should have bought a Nintendo Switch at launch. But, no. Not yet. I have really enjoyed the Xbox consoles, but that's not where the bulk of my gaming dollars have gone. Overall, the majority of my spending on games, accessories and hardware has been with Sony. I've owned nearly every Sony console except for the PS3 and PS Vita, and I still have no idea why.
Well, that's only half true. I have some fuzzy idea of why. But the funny thing is, I'm not sure how I feel about it.
The truth is, in many ways, I am still that Sega fanboy who loved to talk trash about Nintendo. The idealogical payoff/reward of being a fanboy is being able to bask in the warm knowledge that YOU are part of an exclusive group that made the right choices about everything. You bought the right console, you got the right games, your money was wisely spent, and the future can only get brighter because Brand X will never, ever, ever let you down. They will never cancel a game you love. They will never break promises. They will always have better options/products than their competitors. In your mind, you live in a technological nirvana.
Sort of like the mentality of Apple product devotees.
But, every bubble will eventually burst. And ideological bubbles are no different. With the demise of Sega, I found myself in a fanboy's vacuum. My favorite team (Sega) was no longer a winning team. Who would I root for now??? Nintendo was the enemy. I couldn't go over to THAT side, could I?
To my surprise, I did, and I loved it.
I had several years of honest to goodness, simple fun on Nintendo hardware. And, I would have been quite happy for things to stay that way, in much the same way that I'd grown comfortable with Sega. Oops. Here comes that bursting bubble.
Then, along comes Microsoft and their Xbox, and I think everyone was fully prepared to hate them. After all, what did they know about games, right? Wrong.
Microsoft got several things right with their first console. In terms of power, it was a BEAST. So, no developer was going to say that they were limited by inferior hardware. Secondly, the overall design of the original Xbox was spot on. It just looked like a big, powerful console that was ready to crush it's competitors. Add to that a controller that literally dwarfed all others, and Microsoft couldn't have sent a clearer message. This wasn't a toy. This was a serious gaming machine.
"MADE IN 'MURICA"
The overall design around the original Xbox actually reminded me of the original Sega Genesis. A sleek, black slab with minimal colored accents. Either console would have looked perfectly at home in an entertainment center, right along with your HiFi stereo system. Both had controllers that were larger than the established standard.
With the Xbox 360, Microsoft took something great, and made it even better. Despite losing the HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray war, despite the Red Rings of Death, the Xbox 360 quickly established itself as the go to platform for gaming. And, here it comes. Another bubble bursting.
So here we are in the present. And once again, the current generation console war has left two combatants. Sony and Microsoft. Once again, I've found myself clouded by fondness for a platform based on success from the past.
Let me be perfectly clear. I had every intention of buying an Xbox One, and sticking with it. Why? The answer is strange. See although I have enjoyed the games I've played on Sony consoles, I don't particularly like Sony. I don't trust Sony. I think back to their early decisions with the PS3, and I suppose that I suspect that one day they'll revert to that sort of arrogance and pompousness.
Also, I don't have fond memories or attachments to Sony. Even to this day, Sony has no REAL mascot, though they've tinkered with many. Remember when it was Crash Bandicoot? Then sometimes Ratchet & Clank, other times Jak & Daxter, then later Kratos from God of War. Then, in the PS3 era it was Sackboy from Little Big Planet, then Kevin Butler, then Marcos.
Why does this little guy remind me of The Nightmare Before Christmas?
Probably NOT a great mascot.
Sony's marketing is frequently a mess. From my point of view, about the only thing they've ever gotten right was... the games.
Ironically, despite all my sentimental leanings, that emphasis on games is exactly what drew me to the PS4 over Microsoft and Nintendo. Don't get me wrong. Microsoft and the Big N both make great games. But, it just seems to me that Sony makes A LOT of great games instead of a slow trickle. What's more, even though Sony hardware is frequently pricey, it is also usually clean, simple, and user-friendly.
As things currently stand, there are several games in the pipeline for PS4 that have me and my friends excited. I really regret that I can't say the same for the Xbox One right now. What's more, even when I do consider buying multi-platform games, I find that I automatically gravitate towards the PS4 version because of it's slight edge in power.
Emotionally, I favor Xbox. Xbox has the Halo series and Master Chief. Just as Nintendo has Mario, and Sega had Sonic. But, at the end of the day, it really, really is all about the games.
I don't know what Microsoft has planned for this E3, but I do know that the stakes have never been higher for each of the "Big 3". Sony's lead seems almost unapproachable, and the Nintendo Switch has come out of the gate with startling speed and ferocity.
Granted, there will be plenty of business to go around for all three, but the gaming industry is much healthier when all parties are doing their best. As the reveal of Project Scorpio looms, I can't help but think that Microsoft had better have some truly epic games ready for launch this year.
Message to Master Chief: Microsoft NEEDS you. BAD.
Microsoft will probably never overtake Sony's lead, but the larger threat is Nintendo, who just might push Microsoft back even further. It would be mighty sad to see the home of Master Chief finishing last, especially after finding a warm place in the hearts of so many gamers and fans alike.