Tech Tuesday Editorial: The Generation Gap (Video Game Consoles)

The Generation Gap

We should all ready be playing next-gen systems! ...or should we?

by Christopher O'Brien

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TL-dr

Unfortunately for gamers hungry for the next big thing every five years, sorry, but you can blame the Wii. Wait, what? The Wii? Yes. The Wii.

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Full Editorial

Traditionally, video game systems have a lifespan similar to that of a successful TV sitcom. Five years is not an unreasonable expectation for the?most successful and popular, but each additional year beyond that becomes increasingly outlandish.

The PS2 was a freak. A base of gamers who--though they'd never admit it--put Nintendo fanboys to shame with their rabid loyalty and a relatively weak economy that became progressively worse as its life grew longer, not to mention early issues with the PS3 (including a confusing series of models, most of which?were too expensive to justify purchasing given the tiny library of games available)?meant that it stayed viable long after it effectively became an anachronism.

Yet, while this perfect storm has led many consumers to come to expect that the $400 they paid for an?Xbox360 five or six years ago was a decade long investment, the real reason this console cycle has stretched a bit longer for all three of the main manufacturers has more to do with the Wii than any precedent set by the PS2.

Sure, the economy is still down, but video game sales continue to grow with each year. Every year since 2007, the top selling video game has outperformed the biggest Hollywood movies in release week sales by more than double. Really, video games are a smart bet for entertainment when money is tight.

Cable TV can cost $70 or more per month. Add Internet, and with most providers, you're nearly at $150. And that is monthly! Going to the movies for a family of four would cost around $45, not accounting for more expensive 3D movies, the gas to get to and from the nearest theatre, or any drinks and snacks purchased.

On the other hand, after the initial investment in a video game console and one game, the only required repeat expense is electricity (assuming you've got a TV). So what do families choose to pay?$150 per month for cable and internet, or $200 once for a new Xbox360 Slim?

Many will do both anyway, so let's look at movie tickets. One outing for a family of four is $45 on the tickets and lets say with two drinks and one popcorn, there's another $10 dollars or so--and that's really low balling it. That brings the total to $55; more expensive than a brand new, recently released Wii game, even after tax and nearly as expensive as one new 360 or PS3 game.

But that's not why this generation continues into its seventh year and will continue for at lest two more before Microsoft and Sony stop releasing games for their current consoles. It's all the Wii's fault.

The Wii, though it was the laughing stock of the "serious gaming community" leading up to its release and for much of its early life, ultimately ended up the best-selling console of the seventh generation of gaming systems. Basically releasing little more than a Gamecube with motion controls, Nintendo decided to place a huge bet on innovation and quality gaming over graphics and computing power.

While Nintendo certainly didn't win the battle for core gamers, they won over literally everyone else; that is, the very large portion of people in the world who wouldn't normally play video games. But something even more interesting happened. The Wii became everyone's second system.

See, for a long time, it was just too expensive to own both a PlayStation 3 and an Xbox360 and anyway, why bother? When it really comes down to it, they offer very similar experiences. It's just a matter of which system exclusives one prefers. But the Wii did offer something different and at a lower cost. Suddenly, everyone had an Xbox360 or a PS3 and a Wii.?

More importantly, with the Wii, Nintendo proved that the graphics race was over. As nearly every previous generation began, the conversation largely revolved around which system could produce the best graphics. For the most part, the same was true with the current generation. Yet the Wii doesn't even boast full HD output and it still sold better than the 360 or PS3.

The fact of the matter is, graphics just don't need to get that much better and Nintendo realized it before anyone else. Sure, both the 360 and PS3 can produce some amazing visuals that the Wii doesn't even dream of in a drug induced coma, but it's less of an issue than in previous generations.

Had Nintendo tried to pit something with the graphics of Super NES against the Playstation, they wouldn't exist as a company any more. However, the difference between the Gamecube and the Xbox360 is really just a matter of detail and depth. Ultimately the effect on the actual gameplay is minimal.

So, Wii won. Plain and simple. And where it looked as though Nintendo had fallen hopelessly behind in the new, three-way console wars, it was actually all a brilliant and elaborate feint. Rather than Nintendo having to scramble to develop and release a new console that could compete with the graphical capabilities of Sony and Microsoft's systems (which would have been very expensive to do, probably would have sold poorly, and ultimately would have sunk the company, effectively turning it into the next SEGA, producing it's exclusive IP--like Mario--for both of it's former competitors), Sony and Microsoft had to catch up in the motion control and casual gamer markets.

Although both Sony and Microsoft would probably like to be the first out of the gate with their eighth generation consoles, because of the success of the Wii, they've been forced to rethink their strategies and, for the time being, focus on selling Kinect and Move, respectively. Both companies have said on multiple occasion that they are working based on a ten year cycle for their current systems.

Nintendo, on the other hand, has regained an advantage not seen since their glory days in the early nineties. They plan to release the Wii U this year, making them the first company to release an eighth generation console. Or, if you really do believe the Wii is just a Gamecube 1.5, then that would mean that Nintendo is finally releasing their seventh generation console, very, very late. Either way.

What does this mean for the future? Nothing really. Every generation is a new story and no previous generation really has any bearing on the next. However, if I had to make a prediction, I would guess that this will be the longest cycle of consoles yet.

As smartphones and tablets offer more serious competition to gaming consoles, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo will be forced to milk the next series of systems for as long as possible. It's just too expensive to develop and market a new console and its games while fighting for consumers that increasingly prefer the convenience of Angry Birds.

So, enjoy whatever consoles you have at the moment; you're going to be playing them for a while yet.

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Disclosure: On the other hand, maybe console generations get even smaller. After all, It seems Sony and Microsoft release a slightly different model of their current system every six to eighteen months anyway.

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A native of Rhode Island, Chris has a BA in English Literature and Theatre Studies from Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI. ?He is also an actor and writes the webcomics?[citation needed]?and ACTION FOOD, both?available at?cn-comics.com.

Source: http://tl-dr.co/frontpage/2012/2/7/tech-tuesday-editorial-the-generation-gap-video-game-console.html

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