hey guys, just something to think about here. I have been sitting here at work looking at a poster of an xbox one and ps4 that the owner put on the wall, and I was just wondering if and when consoles were ever going to be good again?
obviously, I do not need to list off all the virtual extortion type bullshit that a lot of publishers like to push on us because I know all of you are very familiar with that and already have your mind made up on whether or not you like to give away your money for no reason. i also will not be mentioning remasters because it has been discussed time and time again and it is another issue that people have already decided whether they like it or not.
what i will mention for this post, however, relates more to the console manufacturer themselves, and what tactics they use to increase sales. one somewhat recent trend that i am beginning to despise are exclusive deals with third parties to get some piece of the game first on a specific console. it just strikes me as a very cheap way to set your console apart from the competition. the way it should be is that console manufacturers should work on their OWN content to set themselves apart from the competition. work on making compelling new experiences that are unavailable to your competitors. don't just throw money at somebody to lock content out of the other version of the game.
something else i am beginning to hate is this idea of a console revision. In the past, it felt like console revisions took place out of necessity, but now it seems like it is something that everybody is expecting as a natural part of the console cycle. The PS2 had a much needed revision in the slim, whereas the xbox and gamecube didnt have a revision. They didnt really need a revision. The ps3 and 360 i could pass as needed revisions (ESPECIALLY the 360. the PS3 i am on the fence about. this revision involved an entire rebranding of the playstation brand itself so i can see how they needed that). The PS4 and X1 however, seem just fine. I dont see why they would need to revise these consoles any time in the next 3 to 4 years. As far as i know, the failure rate is very low. a revision for these consoles would be a cheap way to increase sales and people actually seem excited about it (why?). how would a revision of the consoles make them better? it isnt going to affect the gameplay or increase the output of games, so what is the point? i understand the x1 is ugly, but they should have taken more care when desigining it from the start. why should we reward a company for making an ugly console by purchasing the thing twice?
the basic point i am drawing from all these annoyances is that they are not game related. it seems like companies in the industry today are focused on making money in every possible way BESIDES making great games. Sure, there are some great games that still come out, but they are few and far between. big companies are strategizing how to make more money in ways that dont involve making compelling new games. doesnt this bother you guys? what is the point of being excited about a console revision for example when that doesnt do anything for the games themselves or improve the console in any way other than how it looks? it just comes off as a way to distract us and i feel like we are falling for it every time.
thoughts?
