Today, one of my friends sent me a website they came across. This website allows you to search and compare information from various search engines. It calculates how people refer to your search term as a positive, negative, or neither and displays it in a bar graph. So, I decided to search what the internet thinks about the current video game consoles. The results I got were pretty shocking, so I went around and asked my friends what they thought about certain systems.
Everything that follows are opinions mixed in with facts that they, as gamers, know.So keep in mind that your thoughts matter too, and we would like to hear your opinion as well.
Microsoft Xbox 360
The Positive:
“I like how the Xbox360 has many different features. It also has an awesome line up of games, and they generally have a great price. There is also downloadable content that you can easily buy from an in game menu, or through the Marketplace. Xbox Live also allows you to have either video chat and voice chat depending on if you have the peripherals. Not to mention the Xbox360 works with any household [Windows] PC or laptop for streaming music and games.”
– Nelson (Not a Major)
The Negative:
“While the Xbox 360 is very capable of producing top-notch graphics. I find the colors to always be washed out. Most games look beautiful on other systems, but when I look at Resident Evil 5 all I see is a blob of a single color. I’ve also had to send back my Xbox 360 to get fixed 3 different times; as two different systems red ringed on me, and once the DVD drive failed. I also hate the fact that I am paying for Xbox Live, yet it is full of people that constantly curse or drop from a game. Not to mention the Xbox360 controller has to be one of the most broken controller designs ever. I can’t even play Street Fighter 4 with the D-Pad because of the shoddy design. A pad that works on 4 inputs doesn’t work for me, and who plays a fighting game with a Analog stick anyway?”
– Jake
Sony Playstation 3
The Positive:
“The PS3 is a quality gaming console that probably has the best controller for most, if not all games, not counting the wii remote. It’s failure rate is significantly less than the 360s, and also features an upgradeable HDD which lets you use most any 2.5 inch HDD, unlike the 360. The PS3 also features a free online service which lets you keep track of friends, all of the good stuff related to having an online service. The ability to download and play PSP and PS1 games onto your PS3 and play them on your PSP and/or PS3 is a very nifty feature, and might foresee the future of gaming, downloaded media.
As for exclusive content, the PS3 might not have as long of a list against nintendo or microsoft (not bothering to look up statistics) but the console exclusives are mostly top notch. Last but not least, you can play your Blu-Ray movies. As of late, the PS3 has been showing more promise due to more quality games, the motion-wand, and the PSEye combo.”
– Chris
The Negative:
“The original price point of the system was off putting. Who wants to pay $599 for a system that can play movies and a few games? Yet, with each iteration of the system, when the price slowly dropped, they removed piece after piece of software and hardware until it was nothing more than a shell of what it formerly was. The removal of the backwards compatibility, the extra USB and Card reader slots didn’t help out the situation. Not to mention that I can’t stand the XMB, installing games and their online setup. I want to play Metal Gear Solid 4 not wait 20 minutes in-between chapters or have to sign into 3 different services to play Metal Gear Online.”
– Alexis
Nintendo Wii
The Postive:
“The Wii is the first true motion control gaming console out there on the market. It also kept gaming interesting. Out of all the consoles out there the Wii probably has the best library of games. Especially games that are fun to play in large groups; for example, Smash Bros Brawl, Mario Kart, Mario Party, and even Wii Sports. It’s also one of the only consoles out there to give you more than one way to play a game. With many different controllers and control styles games can be played uniquely for everyone.”
– Robert
The Negative:
“Nintendo just seems to have a complete disregard for the gaming marketplace, banking on gimmicks which will only get them so far. The vast majority of Wii games lack longevity and the Wii also gets none of the popular third party games due to technical limitations and lack of online support (Madden or Call of Duty for example) whereas Sony and Microsoft have been milking these games for years. They seem to shell out random titles in unpopular genres in a desperate attempt to find the next big franchise while paying no attention to the evolving likes and dislikes of the actual gaming community.
It is also absolutely stupid that they pretty much admitted that their original design was flawed by releasing the increased sensitivity add on for the Wii Remote. Not to mention if the WiiHD is true, WiiHD+ MotionPlus should have been what nintendo released years ago when the Wii first came out. They also should have had at the very least some kind of online interface for gaming which doesn’t lag. Not this friend code garbage they are currently calling “online play.”
One example of a game which could have been wildly popular online is Super Smash Brothers Brawl. I envision an online interface that tracks all manners of statistics from damage dealt to KO’s, full achievement support, leader boards, sponsored online tournaments, and NO LAG. The Wii also needed a hard drive, as it would have also open up the floor to balance tweaks that the game desperately needs.
If the other big players in the gaming industry can supply these things at a competitive price, then Nintendo should as well.”
– Matt (Raging Fanboy)
PC Gaming
The Positive:
“A majority of games can be found for free, and there is always the chance to demo a majority of games before purchasing them. You can also find games made by indie developers that you would never see on a console due to all the licensing problems. If anything PC gaming is the system that lets you see potential in games long before the consoles even catch up.”
– Frank
The Negative:
“Having to update expensive hardware, figuring out which drivers and settings you need to make a game run can be maddening. Sometimes games just won’t run because of the hardware you currently have. With consoles you just buy the game and place it in the tray and it works.”
– Jordan
Out of all the systems I asked my friends about, the Wii seemed to have been the system with the most stigma about it. Do you guys really hate your Wii, and what are your feelings on the other systems?
