"Console Warz"

The internet always seems to bring to life interesting discussions in relation to 'console wars'. For the longest, it's always been system X vs system Y, and it's never made much sense to me. At least, not as a consumer.

As a consumer (and advocate of having fun, in general) it doesn't matter which system I own. I just want to play the games I want to play. It shouldn't matter who made the system, or which brand I've been 'loyal' to the most.

Admittedly, I'm guilty of doing this to a degree. When the original xbox first came out, I already had quite a bit of disdain for Microsoft. I knew about their monopoly suits that they lost, and I knew about restrictions they placed on open system software like Java and Netscape.

When it first came out, I wanted nothing to do with it because of Microsoft. Then I tried to reason with myself that there were no games that I wanted on it. I also did the same thing with PC gaming, then again, at the time I had little access to internet from my own computer, and I did not have a capable graphics card.

Then the Xbox 360 released and I felt the same way. I found myself defending the PS3 over the 360 even though I knew that the xbox had some advantages over the playstation. Eventually, I decided to purchase a 360 because it had a decent library of games I wanted to play. Oddly enough, I own very few shooters and very few sports titles (which used to be my criticisms of the system).

Over time, I've started to realize that it doesn't matter which system it's on - as long as it's fun. A console IMO is defined by its library of games. That's what makes it 'good' or bad. Even that is relatively objective.

I think there will always be console wars. There always have been, needlessly. Whether it's Commodore 64 vs Amiga, Sega vs Nintendo, Sony vs Nintendo, iOS vs Android, or Microsoft vs Sony.

It's a competitive business, but we're not the businessmen. We're the consumers.

I think I can understand the root of the problem, though. For instance, I was hanging out with some friends back in early 2007 when the PS3 was still brand new. They were saying how it was dead in the water, and was going to be discontinued soon because it sucked.

I found myself defending the PS3 at this point, and probably sounding like the rest of the people on the internet who defend Sony at every whim. It got to the point where I felt like I had to defend my choice of console way too much.

I also did this when I first got my N64, and when I first got my iPad. These systems were new, and they were expensive. People tend to be wary of expensive things, and sometimes shun it. (Except in the case of Neogeo, not sure why). Perhaps I was being too insecure about my purchasing decisions. Perhaps they were just jealous. I don't know.

How does everyone else feel about this? Do you think console wars are healthy for a debate, or are they pretty much the most pointless thing ever?

Do you actively 'hate on' systems you don't own? Why or why not? Is there some sense of superiority for owning one system over the other? I'm looking for serious answers. I'm not going to judge anyone, I'm just wondering what your honest opinion is. It's ok if you honestly 'dislike' other consoles, or care about certain systems 'winning' a console war. I just want to know what sort of reasoning there is behind it.

well i own them all at a time i still hate xbox though because how many time it fking broke

Awesome read Tears! I completely agree with you! I too am an advocate of fun and own multiple consoles. I used to own the first Nintendo system, SNES, Xbox, Xbox 360 (R.I.P) Playstation 1,2 and now 3. Never owned a Game Cube or Sega- I'd just mooch off of the friends that had those systems and play at their houses lol.

Of course there are definitely certain specs that would probably make one console more inferior to the other. I personally prefer to play on my PS3 above all- I use the Home application frequently, for the blu-ray capabilities, and a list of other ossum stuff. When I had my 360 I enjoyed playing Halo, Shenmue, Left4Dead and having Halo tourneys. I play the Wii sometimes when I want to have fun with the fam- (I'm pretty stingy when it comes to my PS3 LOL sharing is NOT caring when it comes to that console- favortism much? ;x) I also own a Gameboy Advance and a Nintendo DS as far as hand helds go.

So the console I prefer the most would be my PS3. Everything else I own is either collecting dust or moved onto console heaven haha. I don't hate on other consoles, each are fun to play with. Gaming is gaming! End the console wars, play to game! Play to have fun!

Great post tears. Here is my take on console wars. These are entirely my opinions; First off, I think that owning a console of your choosing should be based on your specific game needs. If your more into interactive simple sporty games, go with the Wii. If you're into Halo or Xbox's new Kinnect (With the ability to perform actions without a controller) go with Xbox. If you're into great blu ray quality, free online gaming, and tons of hit 'exclusive' games on the market today, go for the PS3.

I think console wars debates are both useful and pointless. Why? Because if you're somebody trying to buy a console for the first time, a good debate always leads you to a sure choice.


Being a consumer is the best part of the active console wars. We have the ability to sit back with the popcorn and watch big corporations duke it out, trying to be better than each other, which only leads to us, the consumer, being the ultimate winner at the end of it all. Once the smoke has cleared, we are left with spoils of the best results from both sides of the war.

I usually try not to sound like a 'fan boy' of a specific console, however, I can't help but represent Sony PlayStation above all else. Why? Well for one, PS Home. I've been part of the PS Home community since the beginning. I've made great friends and learned a lot since the start of Home. A good portion of this websites members are also from PS Home! Next would be exclusive games. I know other consoles have their own exclusives but IMO, the odds are stacked up against them all when it comes to the PS3. I mean really, God of War? Metal Gear Solid? LBP? Killzone? Uncharted? The list goes on and I was only scratching the surface. You can see my personal Pros & Cons for the Xbox & PS3 by Clicking Here.

I admit, at time's I have fell into the bandwagon of hating on consoles I personally don't own simply because of favoritism of my currently owned console. But my favoritism came from a substantial amount of reasons why, as I listed some of them above when I related to the PS3 above all else.

In conclusion I think it all boils down to the individuals preference and what they usually owned since day one that draws them closer to the console they've always known. It's hard to migrate over to an entirely new community of gamers, who are hardcore in their world while you are entering as the n00b. This could be another reason why people stay where they are, it's where people feel most comfortable.

I have pretty much the same story as the OP. I want to try to keep this short as possible lol.

I used to be one of the biggest PlayStation fan-boys out there. I bought my PS3 in late 2007. Most of my co-workers at the time owned 360s. It would be like 4 on 1 all the time. We would argue about which console was better all the time during work. I would defend PS3 so hard with no real facts to back it up lol. Yes, we were a very "mature" group of workers lol.

One debate would always lead to another. Its always either console exclusive titles, to HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray lol, hardware reliability, live vs. psn, etc.

I was able to put my pride aside and purchase a 360 down the line. And my co-workers ended up buying PS3's also. One co-worker actually said "I bought a PS3 because of you Dan, and there's still not much to play on it." I was like "Oops, sorry my bad" lol.

I like owning both consoles now. I get the best of both worlds. I have even more games to pick from now. I even have 2 copies of certain games on both systems lol. That means more people to play with. Its nice now being able to borrow games from friends.

Still, I do hate things about both consoles. With the 360, its the hardware issues that get on my nerves. With the PS3, exclusives take forever to be developed. A.k.a DelayStation 3. Also, the stripping of features it was originally advertised to do. I can go on about how I've grown to hate sony this gen, but that's another story lol.

I've learned that the whole console war thing is pointless. These console makers don't care about you, they just want your $$$ lol. But I do find it entertaining when one-system fan-boys argue though lol.

booo ms is the devil

Console wars absolutely 100% benefit us the gamers. Look at what I view as one the golden ages of gaming, the 16-bit wars. Between SNES and Genesis, there werent too many really bad games. Sure you can make arguments for any side. I love the PS3 with it's Home app, Blu-Ray player, and it still has in my opinion, the best controller of the 3. But Fable, Forza, and Gears of War are pretty sick titles. The Wii is awesome for some family gaming not to mention Zelda, Metroid, and Mario. As long as these companies compete for market share, we win.

I thought you were dead.

PC all the way. There is so much more you can do with a PC than a 360 or a PS3. PCs are easily upgradable to make better, you have more than Operating System, so you won't risk on getting banned to try and get that "Other OS" back.

My PC is super fast. Nuff said.