The Console Debate : Out of Control!

Which console is the best? Which manufacturer is the best? Which console has the best games? Which one is easier to program for? These questions and more always seem to come up whenever the console debate gets going. Personally I’m over it these days. I own a PS2 and an Xbox and both of them have their strong points. I think the graphics and gameplay on most of the current generation systems is fairly comparable, if you get into the real detail you can probably pick one over the other but slightly lower quality graphics and longer loading times hardly detracts greatly from the overall gaming experience.

I think the real key to choosing a system lies with the controllers. It might sound like a strange thing to suggest but think about it, if you’ve played certain games on both the Xbox and the PS2 you’ll know exactly what I mean. Sony definitely got the controller setup right with the original Playstation which is why they stayed with the exact same design for the PS2. Every button on the controller is easy to press without having to make any major finger movements. Xbox on the other hand decided that they were going to try something totally original and have the analog sticks situated slightly askew and have the four other buttons (A,B,X & Y) all on a strange angle so that you find yourself accidentally pressing the wrong buttons during the most inconvenient times in games. A fair amount of this may have been due to the fact that I was already used to my PS2 controller when I purchased my Xbox but obviously it wasn’t the only factor because Microsoft eventually released the ‘S’ controller which has seen that problem rectified. Yes, that’s right, they realised that all that money they spent on having a funky new controller design was wasted because it ended up being a piece of shit. So the ‘S’ controller has now become the standard for Xbox with the original controller completely obsolete now and not for sale anywhere.

The new Xbox controller was definitely a big improvement over the original but it still has issues. It only has it’s two shoulder buttons, one left and one right, compared to the PS2’s four. Some people say that’s not an issue because the Xbox controller has it’s good old clear and black buttons. These buttons do bring the button count on both machines to the same amount but the clear and black buttons on the Xbox are still heaps harder to use during a frenzied bit of gameplay than the PS2’s four shoulder buttons are. A prime example of this can be seen when playing NBA Street on both systems. There are more combo moves available on the PS2 version than on the Xbox version simply because the Xbox controller can’t accommodate enough simultaneous button presses without contorting your hand into some retarded alien form (some may argue that most Xbox fangeeks don’t have an issue with this because they are already retarded aliens).

Anyway, fear not, the latest version of the controller which will be shipped with the Xbox360 has apparently seen the Black and Clear buttons moved to the shoulder of the controller which in effect means it’s now almost an exact replica of the standard playstation controller which was released when the first Playstation hit store shelves back in the early nineties. I guess it just says that Microsoft were reluctant to admit that Sony got it right in the first place but in the end they had to crumble and give in to the fact that Sony are the leaders and they're the followers.

So what about all the other arguments about which one has the better graphics, which one is easier to program and all that crap. To be honest it’s a load of rubbish. I can’t stand the way these idiots carry on about frame rates like it makes or breaks a game, or worrying about a minor 3D model glitch where your characters arm passes through a wall. Whoop-de-do!! If you’re that worried about minor glitches like that I recommend you call Ray Martin and see if he can somehow spin it into a story about how video game glitches have sent you into a deep spiralling depression and driven you to suicide. Really, get a life!
In all honesty I see the biggest factor that will make or break this generation of game is the online communities that they offer. And if I’m right in that prediction, based on the current generation of consoles, Playstation has a long way to go to catch up to the Xbox.

I own the Playstation2 network adaptor and it is fun to get online and chat to other players but in comparison to the Xbox it’s not even close. Xbox has a much deeper online community whereby you can see what your friends are playing while your in a different game, you can also send invites to your friends and they’ll receive it even if they’re playing a different game. The comms is apparently a lot easier to use too. I can’t say I’ve ever used Xbox Live but from all reports it has PS2 covered completely. Obviously it remains to be seen what PS2 and Xbox have to offer on the next gen consoles but so far Xbox would appear to be leading the way.

Regardless of all of these factors, I’ll be buying whichever console comes out first and probably both of them eventually. At the moment I’m leaning towards Xbox first mainly because it has an earlier scheduled release date and there’s a lot more information available for it than for the PS3.

Sorry to anyone out there that is a fan of the Nintendo’s or any other consoles that I’m not aware of but I really haven’t gotten into any of the latest consoles other than Xbox and PS2.

Nintendo’s latest offering seems to be going in some new directions with their controller which will most likely prove to be a flop everywhere other than Japan but it could also be a huge success if they pull it off. But honestly, I still can’t take Nintendo seriously when they insist on releasing games with Super Mario in them. They’ve even thrown him into the latest release of SSX on the gamecube. That is soooooo lame! Is that company run by a bunch of 12 year olds? Sorry, it’s just too easy to ridicule that company. They’ve pretty much gone from being the world leader in the video game industry to a nobody (at least in the western world) purely because they insist on basing the console on kiddy games with the aforementioned ‘Super Mario’. Message to Nintendo, "Mario has had his 15 minutes", it’s over!

So that’s where we’re at. The impending release of the Xbox360 is scheduled for the 20th November 2005 in the U.S. of A with the Aussie release sometime in the new year, around March I think. Can’t wait for that! As for the PS3, not sure what it will have to offer yet but I’m pretty certain I’ll be grabbing one at some stage because GT5 will be an exclusive and it’ll be totally insane.

That’s all for now.

Catch ya later.