the times have changed, console wise (watching archives)

[mkiker2089]

I just discovered the show and have been watching the archives. It's strange to see news about games that will come out three years ago

I find it interesting that when the show started no one had a PS3 and the Wii was the ugly step child. Over the course of the show that changed. I've seen Jim talk about getting his PS3 but I haven't seen Gweeds fess up on when he got his, not yet anyway. I'm still on season 1.

Jim, Nikole, Gweeds, how have things changed as far as the consoles go in your opinion? I'm not expecting a fanboy answer (PS3 rules!!).

Do you think that having all three is a viable option? Is it too many for the game market and does it fragment the sales too much?

Why couldn't Sega be a third when now three consoles are all doing well?

If you know someone on the fence that would consider getting a console, which one is the best to start with?

[festante]

Hey mkiker, welcome!

Yeah, over time our perceptions on the consoles have changed (hell, I'm even back to PC gaming, which I never really thought would happen). As games come out and each console comes into its own, it's important to reevaluate.

For me, I've always (somewhat secretly) been all about the Xbox. It's my love/hate relationship with MSFT - they, admittedly, tend to rush things to production, which means bugs and other frustrations. I think I'm on my 6th Xbox...? But it's my choice for Netflix on-demand and most of my gaming.

The PS3 is super stable, but just doesn't do social gaming very well. I'm not the biggest social gamer, so that's ok with me. In terms of exclusives, both the Xbox and PS3 have got killer games (a big complaint about the PS3 when it launched, other than price, was its lack of a viable game library).

The Wii gets a lot of hate, but I think its value lies in in the extensive library of classic NES, SNES, N64, etc games on the virtual console. I don't play them as often as I'd like, as my gaming time tends towards new releases, so my Wii goes through periods of collecting dust. And not to be cliche, but it's a great system for casual gamers - we got one for my girlfriend's mother last Christmas, and she really enjoys it.

I don't think it's necessary to own all three, it depends on the type of gamer you are. In my opinion, Xbox is the best for social gamers, hands down. PS3 is great for stability, functionality, and the blu-ray is a huge plus if you don't already own one. The Wii is good for someone who likes nostalgic gaming or only picks it up once in a while, especially when you have people over. And the PC! The PC does gfx right. I've played Dragon Age and Mass Effect 2 on it, and am currently in the Starcraft beta. It's just a pain sometimes to get things working, DRM suuucks (I'm looking at you, Ubisoft), and it's expensive to maintain (if you want to keep it as up to date as possible).

Hope that helps, and thanks for watching!
Jim

[gweedz]

Heya Mkiker_

I'm always amazed when people go digging way back in the archives. Because so much of what we used to do was really topical, timely, and raw, I'm glad to hear there's still value in them. "The early shows" were so different, and not just because of the set. Nikole, Jim and I barely knew each other. Brian @theStream basically threw us in a room and told us to talk about games. And Brian is really persuasive when he whips his dick out and threatens a room full of nerds with it. If you've been with us since the start, or are just playing catch-up, what you are actually watching is the forming of friendships and relationships...not just between us hosts, but with every single person who comments and sends us feedback.

My favorite piece of feedback (much to the chagrin of our haters) is when people who don't particularly like or play a lot of games, watch our show and then tell us how they couldn't turn it off. I honestly hear this all the time, and it still humbles me and affirms that we are doing the right show.

Back to your console question...
For me, because my day gig is producing official trailers and dev diaries for games I've had access to every system and more games than I could ever afford or want to play for years. This puts me in a position to still talk about what's what in gaming culture regardless of what I'm playing at home. I try to keep the discussion on the show about what I'm playing for fun but am always willing to give anyone the geekdown on why they should care about a certain title or topic.

I was a day one Xbox 360 owner. And subsequently went through 7 RedRingODeaths in a year and a half. Later, I bought the Resident Evil SE X360, because I liked the red color, wanted an HDMI output, and a bigger HDD. Having been shamed, my old 360 RROD'd 3 weeks later. The X360 is my primary console for any multi-platform game (Final Fantasy, not withstanding) and it's probably the system I play the most. One of my favorite controllers of all time, too.

Wii was also a day one purchase for me. I was the 4th person in line at my Target at 4pm the day before and slept outside the store (Those hi pressure sodium lights in the parking lot will give you quite a headache). I had a blast with New SMB Wii, having completed it with 4 people. My girlfriend still asks to play it all the time. And I catch her Wii Fitting on occasion (but not as much as I'd like...don't tell her that). I really want an HD Wii, because 480p looks like shite.

I bought a PS3 slim the day that came out--but yes, pretty late to the PS3 owners club. I immediately got MGS4, Uncharted, and LittleBigPlanet (which I had already made all of the trailers for ). It's now my primary DVD player and I've bought a few Blu-Rays, even though I don't really think there's much future for that format.

Since this is going on far too long, I'll leave you with this. I was a big Sega fanboy too. I owned a Master System before an NES. A Genesis way before an SNES. GameGear before GameBoy. Dreamcast over PS2. It unfortunately seems that Sega's just a dying company now. Hardware from them is long gone. I'm not sure why they couldn't pull it together, but some of the older Japanese publishers have very archaic management schemes that appear to prohibit quality and effective communication, gutting them from the inside out.

My next post will be much shorter. I promise.

Thanks again for watching!

[nikole]

Uh yeah, my post isn't short.

I was one of those people who waited in line until 5am to get the Wii. I wanted it to be amazing. It falls short in so many ways and as a result it usually collects dust. The last game I really got into was Mario Kart. I am, however looking forward to The Other M and Mario Galaxy 2. As much as it disappoints me, I haven't given up on Nintendo. I'd love to see it go HD and improve its internet functionality. I want to play with people over headset!

As for the PS3, I have one. Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle, 80gig, backwards compatible, dual shock. Represent. I don't really like the games. Sure there are exclusives for it but I don't love any of them and rarely have much re-playability for me. If a game is out on both consoles then I get it for the Xbox 360.

I like the exclusives[Halo, Mass Effect, Gears, L4D]. I like the achievements. I like the dashboard. I like my avatar. I like my controller. At any given time I have at least 10 IRL friends on that I can play with[at night as many as 30]. The Xbox has allowed me to take a fairly solitary hobby and make it into something I can share with my friends. I can be social from the comfort of my couch! I am on Fifel 3, so I am well aware of the its faults. I know it can be a iffy system but I have the most fun with it.

As far as having all three consoles go, I agree with Jim. It does depend on the type of gamer when it comes to a first console. I'd say for someone with an established interest in gaming, go for the Xbox 360. If you are more casual[and like to flap your arms] then the Wii is for you. If you want Bluray go with the PS3. I'm glad I have all three.

[drewsipher]

Originally Posted by Nikole

As far as having all three consoles go, I agree with Jim. It does depend on the type of gamer when it comes to a first console. I'd say for someone with an established interest in gaming, go for the Xbox 360. If you are more casual[and like to flap your arms] then the Wii is for you. If you want Bluray go with the PS3. I'm glad I have all three.

qft. im glad i have all three and i love heavy rain and my guilty pleasure is laying awake late on pshome, but im a huge fan of the house that mario built, and what would I do without a good night of halo?


o but pc will always be my home... I'm an mmo junkie I have a warhammer online account and WoW (the warhammer one is an overhead thank you mythic for that) and I can't wait for Guild Wars 2 (played guild wars 1 to DEATH) and the old republic.... being a GAMER means enjoying them all i think not playing one a ton and saying your a gamer yet have never experienced a good ps3 experience alone at home experiencing say heavy rain... just sayin

[gramo]

i know you didn't ask me, but that's never stopped me before! (also, freaking sweet that you're enjoying all the archives... gives me that warm, fuzzy feeling in my pants zone) personally... i think the console game is simple... i'd prefer to play high impact games on the PS3. it just looks better.

Wii.... other than novelty games and family visits... i don't use it very much.

in the end.... i use my 360 more than the other systems. it's just easier to play with other people, i like the xbox point system, my netflix is tied to it for streaming....

OH HAY .... game show hosts... next episode, maybe community check in... can we bitch about why the hell you need a disk for the PS3 and wii to play netflix, but the xbox you just punch in a quick code?

IF XBOX CAN DO IT WHY CAN'T PS3? - Just another reason my 360 is powered on more than the other consoles.

[singininthedark]

without actually doing any research on the subject, i seem to remember that the xbox 360 had an exclusivity deal with netflix at the start which is why you didnt see it on the other consoles at first. Perhaps this is part of the deal? I probably should look into that.

[mkiker2089]

Good answer Brian. You are of course included. Oversight on my part, being a newbie and all.

I suspect the Netflix disc is still required because Sony is slow and lazy. They haven't even given us 3d yet and we already have at least one 3d game. Come on Sony, hurry up a bit.

The Wii disc is even odder. You can actually take the disc out once netflix starts and it doesn't matter. I keep looking for an easy way to rip the CD to my SD card but I don't want to hack my Wii. Nintendo has bricked them in the past for mods.

I guess I should answer my own question. I have a Wii and PS3. I've found that most of the games for the Xbox are on the PS3 but the Wii is very different. With those two I get most of the games. If I had money I'd get the Xbox also. I got the PS3 because it wasn't breaking at the time and has Blu Ray, which I rent from Netflix.

[bizarrodin]

Originally Posted by singininthedark

without actually doing any research on the subject, i seem to remember that the xbox 360 had an exclusivity deal with netflix at the start which is why you didnt see it on the other consoles at first. Perhaps this is part of the deal? I probably should look into that.

If that's true then smart move on their part.

[aldowyn]

I have all but the PS3. The Wii deserves more than it has, IMO, but I don't think that's going to change this console generation.

The PS3 has some good exclusives, but Xbox Live just works really well. If the PS3 hadn't been so expensive at launch, I bet they'd be a lot closer. The PS3 might even be ahead.