| AngryLittleAlchemist said: Here's what people don't understand: Microsoft is the most unnecessary component in the console development sphere. They simply aren't needed. |
Do you mean recently or they were never necessary?
Microsoft did bring a lot to the table:
- Xbox Live is the standard for online gaming. Could you imagine if we left it up to Sony or Nintendo to do online gaming?
- Xbox helped the transition from Japanese dominance of the industry to Western - to the point where the PS4 is more of a western console than Japanese
- A related point, but Xbox helped made WRPG's and First Person Shooters the main genres (whether or not this is a negative is besides the point)
- They created game achievements
- First console to have a hard drive (the PS2 had an expandable bay but they never did anything with it!)
- Sony's PS2 was a good console because of the games, but for hardware it was soooo backwards. 2 controller ports, no hard drive, no standard ethernet port, etc. etc.
Microsoft was one of the real innovators in the console space. Sony was the opposite - they are the so-called "leader" but they always followed other's footsteps.
If it wasn't for Microsoft Sony would have kamikazed the gaming industry with a $799 PS3.
