The console wars have been raging for decades now, with the contenders sometimes changing, but the general conflict remaining the same. Companies make products that rely on consumers buying into their ecosystem, which means they don’t want you wasting your hard earned money on other companies’ products. Consumers take it to a whole other level, screaming at each other about whose console is better. In the end though, we all love games, and a new console launch is something to celebrate from everyone. We see this today with the official PlayStation account reacting to the Nintendo Switch launch, sending congratulations.
“Today’s a big day for Nintendo! Congratulations on launch, we can’t wait to play.” Of course, the “console wars” I describe above are largely the construct of the fans themselves. The companies usually have a bit of a rivalry between them, but are all focused on the same thing: making great games and gaming hardware.
The fight does rile up every once in a while, such as during the debut of PS4 and Xbox One. There we saw the biggest conflict between these companies, with Sony taking advantage of Microsoft’s mistakes and capitalizing to the tune of the best selling console on the market today. Nintendo though usually steers clear of these fights, which makes sense as they often are delivering a very different experience than the other two console makers.
Nintendo has, for many gamers, occupied the “second console” slot, with either the PS4, Xbox One, or PC taking the other space as the top of the line, AAA, multi-platform gaming machine. Nintendo does this by having tons of exclusives, most of which are made by Nintendo themselves, and by making their console a unique experience by itself. The Wii’s motion controls, the Wii U’s Gamepad, and now the Switch’s portability make them worth owning, even if you already have a PS4, Xbox One, or gaming PC. Aside from specific exclusive games, and the possibility of VR, the same can’t always be said about the other three choices.
