| Parokki said: I think we have a very different idea of innovation here. Is doing the same thing that was done last gen, but bigger and better innovative? Even if one dictionary says so, I don't think it accurately represents everyday usage anymore. I'm not saying all games are the same as last gen, as there are several that use the horsepower of the HD consoles and PCs to do stuff that couldn't be done on the Wii or last gen consoles, but the 360 and PS3 aren't really doing anything except increasing what they already had. Aside from adding high definition graphics, the PS3 has done a decent job at emulating Xbox Live, which again has done an ok job at offering almost PC level multiplayer to console games, as well as the kind of online stores PCs have had for I don't even remember how long, but that's pretty much it. Being able to watch Blu-ray movies is probably nice for both of the people who cared about the format war, but again it only adds to the list of movie formats supported by the PS2. These features are all nice to have, but the more I look at the HD consoles, the more they're starting to look like gimped PCs than really advanced consoles. Out of the PS3's five highest rated games, 4 have a superior version on the PC either out or on the way, and the same can be said of 7 out of the 360's top ten. As far as I can tell, only 3 out of the Wii's top 20 games are on the PC. Oh great. I had to go to the bathroom, and forgot what I was going to say next. Something about how the Wii is the only one that offers an experience you can't have on the PC, and how the high development costs of HD graphics are a giant stab in the face for innovative low budget games. |
I'd agree except on PC not being able to offer what you get on Wii. By definition a PC could you just need a motion sensing device to plug in and off you go. Every console is an attempt to offer what you could do with a PC at a price that makes it affordable and with a display approach (i.e. your TV) that puts it in the living room for easy gaming rather than an office.
However of the three consoles this gen I'd say the innovation stacks up as follows:
Wii - despite the above it has innovated with controls (if only rarely with games so far IMHO)
PS3 - I'd say its media centre approach is innovative but this does not impact gaming - more the concept of a single piece of HW for games, HD movie playback, DVD movie playback, digital content display, music, etc.
360 - Live and to a slighly lesser extend media centre (I'd dock it a few points for lack of inbuilt HD playback and the fact its design is more geared to streaming rather than content storage and streaming
But lets remember true innovation is far and few between but this gen is still young who knows what else might still come?
Try to be reasonable... its easier than you think...
