Forgive the over-sight... If you want to choose PC as your favorite, name FIVE things about the Three Console Companies!
Sony (My current favorite -- actually PC is, but that's it's own thing).
- Won't provide marketing support to peripherals/ products (EyeToy etc...)
- Hold's off too long on hardware price drops, particularly with PSP/ Vita.
- Doesn't exploit their back catalog of characters/ games.
- Can sometimes be over-ridden by other areas of the company, like the Sony Music side.
- Doesn't exploit their Sony Pictures side enough.
Nintendo
- Dedicates an amazing amount of time and money on R&D
- Thoughfully exploits it's back catalog
- Home consoles are highly reliable
- Does innovating social online (street passing, MiiVerse)
- Understands fun and family entertainment ilke no other.
MS
- Has incredible access to software R&D
- Same for online hardware
- Has a lot of audacity
- Speaks english fluently
- Does best job of PR relating to enthusiast press.
Sony
- Drop assesories too quickly.
- Takes some time before their systems have the features they should
- Too much dedication to old systems.
- Using their own memory cards for the vita.
- Locking music behind their service that no one wants.
Nintendo
- Makes the best games
- Tries new ideas and sticks with them
- Reliable hardware
- Have the best classic games, virtual console
- miiverse is cool
MS
- Set the standard for online on consoles
- Has good shooters
- Great controller
- Tries to get good exclusives
- green logo
Nintendo
1. Generally high standard of hardware production.
2. Better first party support than the other two.
3. Good balance of new ideas and reused ones.
4. Has good niche third party support.
5. Doesn't undercut the above by going after big third party games (yes that is a positive, deal with it).
Sony
1. Usually has a great sense of aesthetic.
2. Great balance between midtier, niche and blockbuster titles.
3. JRPGs.
4. Amusing PR.
5. Online is free.
Microsoft
1. Ridiculous-looking consoles.
2. Obnoxiously American.
3. Used to have an interest in raw power.
4. Great quality ports.
5. Top notch online service that is almost worth what it costs.
Great points, but I was looking for 5 things you dislike about your favorite and five things you like about the other two... If PC is your favorite, you could write 5 things you dislike about the PC and 5 things you like about the consoles.
It's amazing some of the answers I am getting at The Ring of Fire! For example, Black Knight had this to say about Sony:
______________________________________________________
Sony:
1. Horrifying patching and update system
2. Inability to come up with a mascot in 20 years
3. Poor localization work in EU store
4. Tends to engineer itself into a corner
5. Shuhei Yoshida is not a very handsome man
______________________________________________________
Don't know about 3 and 5, but 1 and 2 are totally true if you think about it --and-- I don't know what he means by 4, but it's certainly piqued my curiosity!
Fans and critics tend to view their favorites and rivals differently so it puts things into an interesting perspective. What do Nintendo fans really want? What are they jealous of on other systems? What do Xbox fans envy about Nintendo fans? How different are Sony and MS fans? All fascinating stuff!
This topic, for example, was inspired by me playing Pikmin 3. I'll reveal whether that's a good thing or bad thing later!
phantom_leo said:Great points, but I was looking for 5 things you dislike about your favorite and five things you like about the other two... If PC is your favorite, you could write 5 things you dislike about the PC and 5 things you like about the consoles.
You said if PC was favourite just to write 5 things you like about the three console makers. I may do that for you anyway, though now that you've asked.
Nintendo
-Over reliance on old franchises that make the series feel incredibly stale (NSMB)
-Horrible online structure, still a laughingstock to the gaming public. Why aren't the Mario games online? Why isn't Pikmin 3 online? Could you imagine how much more fun these games could be if we could play/compete together? Why is the eShop so hard to navigate through?
-No new ips! New IPs? New IPs? Beuller?
-Seems to embrace the "kiddy" image though it seems to be a major hindrance to the rest of the gaming industry. Stubbornness in accepting change.
-An almost non existent relationship with a lot of major third parties.
Sony
-Robust selection of games
-Incredible online choices, though their store leaves a lot to be desired as well.
-Seems to understand that gaming comes first, not behind movies, music, advertising.
-Great first party games. They really stepped it up this past gen.
-Consoles always seem state of the art and usually ahead of their competitors when it comes to pushing technology.
Microsoft
-Established as the brand to go to for first person and third person shooters.
-First to start achievements, which did increase the replayability of a lot of games.
-Has some good exclusives (Halo, Gears)
-Strong online service, especially for gamers who like multiplayer.
-Masters of spin control (See XBone always online debacle)
I guess Activision was anticipating the Xbox One being the system of choice for FPS this generation based on last gen and not on sales. I guess they couldn't anticipate during the development of Ghosts that PS4 would capture the larger audience. I was hoping Ghosts would be just as good on PS4, if not better than One, but they clearly gave more attention to Microsoft's system again. I wonder if that will happen with Modern Warfare 4... BlOps 3... or Ghosts 2... or whatever. Wonder ( how / if ) this will affect Titanfall?
What if I have two favorites pick the one I like more to put stuff I dislike?
It would take me a while to think of stuff so I'm reserving a space for when I can think of stuff.
Nintendo:
Sony:
Microsoft:
- Great Online Structure
- Generally good at getting 3rd Parties interested in developing for their systems
- Knows their fanbase
- Changed their minds about the Xbox One (Could be good or bad)
- Trying to focus Multimedia stuff (It could be a Good quality or bad)
Nintendo
- they seem to have given up on arcade racers that aren't Mario Kart
- they seem to have let Iwata himself design all the hardware released after the Wii. Seriously, the U looks horrible
- refusal to build a console that devs could easily port to
- VC games are too expensive
- a bit too selfcentered. They never directly react to anything in the industry.
Sony
They make sleek looking consoles
they have some really good exclusives
they have a great incentive to pay for their online services in the free games thing
they finally revised the dualshock design
they do a good job in attracting and supporting indies
MS
they have really good, albeit rather conventional, controllers
they try to innovate beyond just better specs
... That's it really. pioneering online I suppose. But I don't like online play all that much, let alone if it costs me the equivalent of a game per year.
1. DRM of any sort, even old antiquities like CD keys.
2. The inability to resell many games due to DRM...not that I would, but it means buying second-hand games is an issue.
3. The press disdain: Crysis is suddenly great on consoles? Controls better? Looks better? Puhlease.
4. The public disdain: Crysis is suddenly great on consoles? Controls better? Looks better? Puhlease.
5. Developer disdain: Shitty ports, poor optimisation, and releasing games pre-completion.
Looking through that it's funny how all of those things except for press coverage and public perception are an issue on consoles now, too.
Without thinking too much, choose your favorite console company, name FIVE things you LIKE about the other two --AND-- FIVE things you DISLIKE about your chosen favorite!
Nintendo
1. Consistently poor online structure.
2. Cumbersome controls with the Game Pad.
3. Won't step out of their comfort zone.
4. Can't capture 3rd party Publishers.
5. Over-saturation of Mario.
Sony
1. First and Second Party tend to be excellent.
2. Greater focus on Indies with the PS4.
3. EXCELLENT marketing prior to the release of the PS4, especially at E3.
4. Developer friendly, more powerful at a cheaper price!?
5. PS Plus turned Live on its ear.
Microsoft
1. Defined modern online console gaming.
2. Opened the doors to Indies with the 360.
3. Best controller on the market(?)
4. Listened to Gamer feedback with the One. (Strength or Weakness?)
5. Most Secure Online structure when it comes to hackers.