The Console of the Future?

I will be the first to admit that I was the last person to jump on a few of the bandwagons in terms of video game advances over the past thirty years.  That is not to say that I didn't later hop on, but there are certain trends that I have missed entirely in their beginning phases, but later caught on to when the technology improved, the price came down, or there was a particular game I wanted to play.

This was the case with my decision to finally purchase a Playstation 3.

A number of reasons prevented me from purchasing this Next Gen system:

1.)  The Game Selection is Crap:

Unless you're a teenage/post-pubescent-but-living-in-the-past male, the PS3 has very little to offer you in the way of gaming titles.  The PS3 is really a boy's toy, designed almost primarily to take advantage of high-tech graphics capabilities which ultimately translates to a huge supply of beautifully rendered games in the following genres: Sports, First-Person Shooters, Fighting, Action, and War Simulation.  Other genres need not apply.  This is great for people who enjoy playing the same game over and over, again (Madden Pick-a-Year) or those who enjoy shooting people or beating them to a pulp for fun.

While this does create a vacuum for other genres to pick up the slack, we have yet to see more than a handful of worthy titles.  Square-Enix (as I've mentioned before) has seemingly moved away from producing quality JRPGs, and into producing beautifully rendered crap - action games that are designed to appeal to the demographic that enjoys the far superior PS3 offerings in the aforementioned genres.  It is worth noting that Square-Enix has been posting consistent losses over the past few years, and that each of these titles have gone basically unnoticed, except by the reviewers who can't help but collectively worship at the altar of Square.  Ironically, the most successful title of the year for Square-Enix has been Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, both in Japan in the U.S. - a title that was in no way "Next Gen," sporting graphics that most people deemed "Old School," gameplay that was basically antediluvian, and only barely took advantage of the Nintendo DS's touch-screen capabilities.  I guess that goes to show you that you should stick to what you know.

What finally convinced me to purchase the system was the creation of the Playstation Network, an online feature that allows gamers to purchase, download, and play new and classic titles, as well as movies in standard or high definition and store them on the PS3's internal memory.  This, for me, was the selling point - I could download and play the classic games that I already owned, but for one reason or another (a PS2 that sometimes doesn't work or scratched game discs), I was unable to play again.  Ironically, this was what convinced me to get the Wii, as well (the Virtual Console - the first of the online game downloading networks for the "Next Gens," after which all others will pale in comparison).  It is telling that, at the age of 29, I am more interested in playing games from the past than looking forward to the crap of the future.


2.)  The Cost was (and is) Prohibitive for the Entertainment Value Offered:

When the PS3 first debuted, it was one of the few affordable ways for consumers to get a Blu Ray player...and you got the next big thing in video gaming, as well.  At the time, this was a justifiable excuse for the ridiculous price tag that accompanied the technology.  Sony argued, at the time, that they were offering a superior product with superior technology (which was technically true - and, hey...it works for Apple).

The time has come where that excuse no longer passes scrutiny.

The PS3 was originally introduced at the E3 2005 Conference sporting 2 HDMI ports, three Ethernet ports, and six USB ports - when it was released, however, it came with one HDMI port, one Ethernet port, and four USB ports, ostensibly to lower costs.  That did not, however, seem to do the trick.  When the PS3 hit the U.S. market, the MSRP for the 20GB model was $499, with the 60GB model coming in at a modest $599.

While those initial prices have dropped (which the storage capacity has thankfully increased), they are still prohibitive when it comes to expanding their market reach.  Priced at just below $300, the PS3 still cannot outperform the Nintendo Wii in terms of global sales.  Though the Wii does not support high-quality graphics, it does manage to outsell both the PS3 and the (dreadful) XBOX 360.  Of the three consoles, the best graphics are clearly a tie between the latter two options, but the Wii supports the greatest variety of game genres at a much more competitive price, making it the obvious choice for parents looking to entertain their entire family.  The XBOX 360, more than the PS3, is really geared almost entirely to single males over the age of 14, and with rare exception, serves little other purpose than to work beautifully for six months, overheat, break, and have to be replaced, which makes it worth even less than the Wii, despite its superior graphics and sound quality.

Until the introduction of the Kinect and the Playstation Move in late 2010, the Wii also offered the only interactive gaming experience outside of cameras and headsets.  Unfortunately, I'm not yet convinced that either of these gaming experiences really warrant the price tag that accompanies them - and that price is for something that is, for all intents and purposes, an add-on.  We have seen dozen of examples of well-intentioned products meant to make gaming experiences more interactive that just didn't work out: NES Power Glove, NES R.O.B., NES Power Pad, Gameboy Camera, SNES Mouse, SNES Super Scope 6, Virtual Boy, and various other failures in interactive technology over the years have shown that players will be initially impressed with the novelty of these gimmicks, but unless there is sufficient content to support the gimmick, it will quickly fall to the wayside in the Isle of Misfit Toys.

The Wii is successful because the system is the gimmick; every game released for the Wii finds a new way to utilize the Wii Remote (which I just find kind of suggestive, even for me), allowing players to cast spells as Harry Potter, use it as a flashlight in Silent Hill, and turn it sideways for use as a classic controller for various other games - and that's before we even begin to get into the various accessories available for the controller, like the Wii Nunchuck (which comes standard with the system), the Classic Controller, and various other controllers into which you can place the wand to get Wii Wheels, Wii Crossbows, Wii Tennis Rackets, and Wii almost anything else you can imagine.  The possibilities with the Wii Remote are limited only by the imaginations of the geniuses at Nintendo.  The same cannot be said of the Playstation Move, for which I can't really find a real use; the Kinect, though promising in terms of technology, doesn't really impress me.  Watching people jump around like idiots is the reason I avoid DDR games in the mall; the last thing I want to do is have to do that shit at home while trying to relax and play a video game.


3.)  The Affordable Supporting Technologies Just Weren't Impressive Enough to Support the Cost

At the time of the PS3 release, the supporting technology that could take advantage of the machine's graphics capabilities still was not affordable enough to justify a $500 price tag, particularly since televisions that offered 1080p upscaling and resolution in 2007 ranged about $1500 for a 42-inch television, and the affordability of quality HDMI cables and connections was also unrealistically high.  That doesn't include the receivers, speakers, and cables that could take full advantage of the PS3's enhanced sound capabilities, either.  For those obsessed with this kind of technology (like my partner), the total cost after purchasing all of the requisite equipment needed to fully take advantage of the technology would end up costing somewhere around $3000 for a fully functional entertainment system.

This was, of course, only the cost for the most obsessive of gamers and technogeeks.  For those who just wanted the next best thing in gaming, they should have realized that the system was going to see massive improvement in just a few short years that would make the initial release basically worthless in terms of cost/benefits.  Today, the 160GB PS3 is roughly $300, which is great...except that it is no longer the only affordable Blu Ray player on the market.

While not the king of high quality electronics retail, Wal*Mart offers a Blu Ray player for the low price of $88.  While it doesn't play video games or have internet access, once could easily purchase a new Wii, a Blu Ray player, and get a Netflix Instant View account for less than the cost of the 160GB PS3, and still come out with a better value as the Wii has more and cheaper games for the platform, has internet access, and can entertain the whole family, all while being able to watch Blu Ray videos after you turn off the system.  It's not perfect, but it's still a better value.

Now that the PS3 is no longer the only Blu Ray game in town, it would behoove them to lower the price of their system to make way for a new option to arise...which leads me to my next sticking point.


4.)  Oh Where, Oh Where Has My PS2 Gone?

When the PS2 was released, the real value of the system laid not in its much improved graphics capabilities, but in the fact that you could continue to play your old Playstation games, as well.  Backwards compatibility is something that is greatly overlooked, these days, when the Big Three (Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft) release their new systems, primarily because of the cost associated with continuing to produce and support outgoing technology.

With each consecutive system that is released, obviously old technology will have to fall to the wayside, and with certain consoles, this is of particular concern as it creates a situation in which continuing to produce the old technology is vastly ineffective in terms of cost, and requires at least a five-year transition period to wean consumers off of the old technology and introduce them to the new kid of the block.  This was the case with the transition from the NES to the SNES, which supported an entirely different type of game cartridge and a much different game engine that could not support playing the old cartridge in slot on the SNES.  The PS3, however, was not different enough of a format to justify the lack of backwards compatibility.

What differentiates the PS3 from PS2 (apparently) is the difference between the drives (or engines) used to run the games.  Certain games, however, were still able to be played on the PS3...but the list was sparse.  PSX games could still be played, though, which was so far removed in terms of the release date of the software that it was ridiculous.  Don't get me wrong - I love the PSX and its games more than anyone, but really?  How hard would it have been to throw in an extra PS2 drive to phase out the old system, but still continue making the old discs, especially when the consumer's going to shell out $500 freakin' bucks for your new system.  They do say, now, that "some" PS2 games can be played on the PS3, but which that distinction is not made clear.  If this sounds like a gyp to you, you're right.  They could have made the system fully backwards compatible, just like they could have included all the extra ports...they chose not to because it 'seemed more cost effective, at the time.'  Boy, did they misread their tealeaves...

Hopefully, Sony will learn a valuable lesson and make the PS4 completely backwards compatible, particularly if it's going to use another disc-based format.  It seems unlikely, though, that any new system will do much more than capitalize upon the current obsession (aka - resurgence) of the 3D craze.  However, much like higher quality graphics and resolution, the supporting technologies just aren't there. The Nintendo 3DS has already met this criteria because it allows the player to adjust the "level" of 3D visualization, which basically means that games can be played in either 3D or 2D.  Nintendo has just issued a press release warning consumers that children under the age of six should not, under any circumstances, play games in 3D at any depth of perception due to the risk of permanent damage to their children's undeveloped eyesight.  This, to my way of thinking, is a no-brainer.  The world's fascination, however, with 3D and all the wonderful things it can('t) bring to the table will undoubtedly continue (for as long as it's fashionable), until the next big craze comes along.

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What ultimately threw me over the fence in favor of purchasing my PS3, this September, was the availability of money.  I knew that, under no circumstances, was I ever going to purchase an XBOX 360 due to its predictably massive unpredictable failure, not to mention the paucity of game selection.  I knew, also, that I was growing tired of the family-friendly games that kept being released for the Wii, and that I was using it primarily (all right...solely) for its access to classic games from the 80s and 90s.  My decision to purchase a PS3 really came down to the fact that I had just received my student loan money, had paid for my classes, books, and rent, and had some extra cash to spare.  My partner actually had to convince me to purchase it from Amazon instead of from Wal*Mart, due to the price difference.  I actually made the Amazon purchase on my phone while still in Wal*Mart, which made the entire process even more ironic.

Since purchasing the PS3, I have to say that I'm surprisingly impressed, though not by the fantastic image quality, nor by the sound profile - instead, I am impressed by my ability to personalize my PS3 to suit the type of gamer that I tend to be: an old, disconnected and disgruntled fart who enjoys the games of yore rather than the Gods of War.  I am still exploring the possibilities of this system, honestly, and must report that I do use it more than any of my other consoles (including my Nintendo DSi, since Dragon Quest IX has gotten boring over the last six months).  It may not be Super Mario Bros. 2 or Zelda II: The Adventures of Link, but it is most definitely 3-D Dot Game Heroes (a much-overlooked game from the past year) and LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4.

All in all, while the PS3 may not be worth its $300 price tag, it is still a system that really delivers, despite its numerous flaws.

That's all for my birthday post.  I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas (or whatever the hell holiday you celebrate), and stay tuned for the Curmudgeonly Gamer's 2010 Year-End Wrap Up to be posted before the New Year.

Peace the F*** Out (PTFO)!

-Marcus J. Hopkins

GAMES AND PRODUCTS MENTIONED IN THIS POST: