Arguing with friends about which console is better can be fun but the days when it actually meant something in context of a Great Console War are over. While “Sega does what Nintendon’t” will always hold a special place in the minds of North Americans over the age of thirty, the schoolyard discussions lose their charm when they turn spiteful and vitriolic.
With the upcoming release of PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and whatever new console Nintendo has in the works, the discussions as to which is the better choice have started up once again – somehow more angrily this time around. This hostility isn’t just unhelpful and unnecessary – it doesn’t even make sense.
The console war is dead. None of the companies involved emerged victorious, but you know who did? Consumers.
Diminishing Graphical Returns
The Xbox Series X is the most powerful console ever made. At the present moment, you would be hard-pressed to build an equivalent PC gaming machine for the same price. The PlayStation 5 is not that far behind it, however. When you consider that a recent survey revealed more than 65% of gamers still use 1080p, the negligible difference in graphical fidelity doesn’t matter.
The majority of gamers don’t have the display hardware necessary to even see the difference, which means the best console comes down to the availability of games and ease of use, not graphics.
And while Microsoft and Sony have been busy in their GPU arms race, Nintendo has done what it always has: played by itself in the corner creating unique, innovative titles that seem perfect for the Switch, but would not feel at home anywhere else.
No Longer Competing for the Same Goal
Think of the three companies like three children in a sandbox. Each one is building a castle. Microsoft is designing a medieval fortress. Sony is working on a towering obelisk. Nintendo has turned away from the other two and is designing a replica of Osaka Castle. All three companies are playing the same game but in vastly different ways, and none of their end goals are the same.
Anyone that genuinely believes any of these companies are competing for the same prize needs to reconsider their views. Nintendo’s focus is on bolstering the Switch library, and the success of the console is proof that it is working. People often buy games they already have just for the portability factor.
Xbox continues to focus on its ecosystem. The expansion of Game Pass from console to PC and the introduction of xCloud means that gamers don’t even need an Xbox console to take advantage of the lineup. The too-good-to-be-true value of Game Pass allows players to indulge in a massive collection of options for the cost of a Netflix subscription.
Sony is the one company that has not changed its approach. PlayStation 5 fans can continue to look forward to high-quality console exclusives as well as a substantial third-party lineup. The PlayStation brand has more-or-less dominated for 25 years and the substantial experience and talent they have accrued in this time has furnished them with a constant stream of killer apps.
War-Driven Progress
The aforementioned developments would never have come about without the console war. The drive for buyers and the competition between the Big Three resulted in the situation we see today. Had there not been a console war, consumers would not have the options they currently do.
Some proponents for specific consoles hoped the console war would end with one company going under, but to borrow from T.S. Elliot, it went not with a bang, but with a whimper. The competition faded away to little more than half-hearted punches, while consumers reaped the spoils of the victor.
With the launch of a new console generation less than a month away, enjoy the boom that follows the end of conflict. Play the games you love, and let others play the games they love. Deriding a player because they like something you don’t doesn’t make you superior–it makes you annoying.