Just to stay on topic with what my previous blog was about, I've decided to now briefly analyze how the other half lives. What will become of the 360 when games just become too big and powerful for it to handle? How long can the Wii really hang on? Does it mean that either of these consoles are doomed as well? I don't think so, and given the fact that I own all three, I sure hope not! :|

The initial problem with the 360 is that it's quickly becoming a niche system. While it may not be the leader in sales (I'm not sure if it is or not), it's definitely the one stop shop for today's gamer. Now mind you, I said "gamer", not a casual system for drunken parties in the college dorm WII!. The first two sentances in this paragraph may seem contradictory, but at the moment they are both true. If you've got $500 and want to figure out what to buy, looking at simple pros and cons, then the 360 should be what you come up with. Very few games right now are exclusive to any one system, and the 360 clearly has a much larger library. It will satisfy the HD and non-HD gamer and has plenty of solid budget titles that don't require an internet connection. In the future, though, the only distinguishing feature about the 360 is that it will (if it isn't already) be dedicated to the world of online shooters. The FPSer is the only person who's a die hard 360 fan to the point that they'd purposely turn their back on the PS3. I knew this full and well when everytime I get online and play "Rock Band" or "Dead Rising" I get about 50 invites to play "Rainbow Six Vegas 2" or "Call of Duty 4". Then you get BS comments like "rock band sucks" or "killing zombies is so much more pathetic than taking down humans". Clearly this system, and many of its hardcore fans, lean to the FPS online deathmatch.

So with strong FPS games like "Haze" and "Crysis" appearing to be PS3 exclusives and the fact that frag-fest "Unreal Tournament III" has at least 6 months, if not a year, on the PS3 over the 360, Sony is proving that it can appease that crowd. The 360 doesn't really have any solid platformers to offer, though. What does the 360 have to compete against "Uncharted" or "Heavenly Sword" or even "Super Mario Galaxy"? Conan? (which is on PS3 too) Maybe the future-bound Banjo Kazooee? This is where Sony has always won out and why the Xbox lost the previous console war (in sales, there's no true "war" because most of us buy 2 or 3 systems). Platformers. They are still super popular and they are the one department that the 360 can't seem to tap.

Couple this with the lack of space on a 9GB DVD disc (this has already hindered a few games' ability to make it to the 360) and the small hard drive almost assure that eventually games will be too big to handle. The PS3 is well-equipped for the future, which makes it the "right" system instead of the "right now" system. Don't get me wrong, though, the 360 has legs and can hold its own, even with this against it. At this point, though, I can't help but notice that my little shiny black box that has barely seen more than 30 hours powered up might quickly become the front runner. If the 360 can make it well into 2009 without falling too far from grace (in the limelight of "MGS4", "Killzone 2", potentially "Crysis", and "Home") then it'll be just fine for this generation. It does beg the question, knowing that currently Microsoft assures us that it will only use the DVD drive with no upgrades to play games, so what's their backup plan? A new system? Really? Hope not. I've taken my $1,000 hit for this generation and I'm not ready to take another.

The other question is what is to become of the Wii? At this point it appears that Nintendo was dead on with the observation that the Wii wouldn't be competing this generation because the Wii is completely different from the PS3/360. They're right, it is. Hardcore gamers don't appear to like the Wii that much. Not for design and not enough to not own it, but really, what does the Wii have to offer hardcore gamers when compared to the 360/PS3? I just don't think that "Smash Brothers Brawl", "Mario Galaxy" and "Twighlight Princess", while great games, is enough to satisfy the appetite for great new games. Luckily the Wii is more for the casual gamer, and therefore it's staying alive with strong sales because it's not only cheap, but also the same experience on standard or high def, in surround sound or stereo. It's a simple unit that's simple to operate with relatively simple games. But how long will it last? Most people I know only own "Smash Brothers", "Wii Play" and "Wii Sports" (the latter comes free with the system). That's bad for Nintendo's software sales, but it stays alive with the presence of the Virtual Console, a novel idea from Nintendo. Essentially they are tapping into the hearts of the retro gamer, which has me and many of my friends going wild. No more do I have to hunt down a rare NES that actually works only to pay $20 more for "Super Mario Bros. 3". Now all I have to do is go to my system, drop $5, and I'm playing in less than 10 minutes. It's a novel idea that is definitely one of the strongest factors keeping the Wii alive in the software department.

As for the so-called "console wars" I think we're seeing now, more than ever, that there is no such thing. Consoles were never at war, even in times where the market was so obviously split that households referred to themselves as Sega or Nintendo houses. The console war is just a marketing campaign and its target is to build brand appeal and judge it through sales. This is why the Wii claims the be the "winning system" when it has so few solid titles. All 3 companies are doing just fine from an income perspective and these days the hardcore gamers aren't choosing Sega or Nintendo, they are choosing everything, and playing everything. The war is over, and the winner is everyone. The only question is, who will out live who? In the past it's clearly been Sony. Do they have what it takes to repeat history for a third time?