So last week was about the glorious PC master race. As it turns out, most people are dirty console peasants. But why? For a long time I gamed on PC by necessity because my parents were vary of violent video games corrupting me. Naturally they saw no problem with me buying a laptop with a discrete GPU and linking their credit card to my steam wallet. Not. A. Single. Problem.
One of the bigger impacts this had on me was that I missed basically every "big" game of the 2000s when they came out. I didn't experience titles like the Mass Effect and the Bioshock trilogies until years after they were released. For every game I experienced years after the fact, there were 2 more console exclusives I would never get to play. When I finally got to college and had disposable income (and reddit to inform my opinions) I decided that in addition to my PC, I wanted to experience console exclusives.
It began with my 3DS, which I used to finally play a proper Zelda game for the first time ever. I finally experienced some of that Nintendo magic and realized just how tightly designed these titles really were. From there I binged and bought game after game for a while. Another big factor for me with the 3DS was the portability. I could play basically anywhere I wanted to anytime I wanted to. During my time abroad in Rome, my 3DS was often with me to take advantage of the fact that, in Europe at least, StreetPass was still a thing that you could reliably utilize. It was such a unique concept, so Nintendo-y and stupid that if anyone else had tried to do it it would have been a total flop but, because Nintendo, it kinda sorta sometimes worked. If I still had free time I would use my 3DS more often, but I think the device's best years are behind it. With the advent of the Switch it's becoming harder to tell where the line between home console ends and portable console begins.
When I became a sophomore I decided I wanted to experience all hot exclusives the console market had to offer me. In particular, Final Fantasy XV and Persona 5's release dates loomed, further enticing me to take the plunge. Since Microsoft basically doesn't do exclusives anymore, I decided a PS4 was the best way for me to experience what console gaming had to offer. Of course, being a hardware snob, I convinced myself that I needed to purchase the newly released PS4 Pro in order to get the "optimal" gaming experience. In reality, most games use the increased performance to little effect, but that's neither here nor there. Having a playstation was definitely a bizarre experience coming from years of pc gaming. For starters, the barrier to entry may be lower, but the average cost of games is significantly higher. There just aren't sales as consistently good as the seasonal Steam sales, so building a library can be a difficult task. Because of the higher price points, I spent more time considering my purchases, versus on PC when I often bought things that seemed interesting with little thought given to whether I actually would enjoy them. For better or worse, exclusivity is one of the only reasons for me to go out and buy a certain console. I bought a PS4 specifically for the games I could only play on there. Whether or not this is healthy for the market remains to be seen, but it's the reality of the situation today.
Which brings me to my latest console, the Nintendo Switch. The Switch is really interesting because it's defied all the market trends in favor of offering unique and novel experiences. Whereas the PS4 and XBOX One offer basically the same gameplay experiences, the Switch, with its emphasis on portability and co-operative play, offers a radical new perspective. For starters, the Switch comes with a set of 2 Joy-Cons, meaning that the base configuration allows for co-operative play. The ability to pick up the device and take full size console experiences on the go is a previously unheard of experience. At the cost of graphical prettiness, the portability more than pays for itself. Add to that a fantastic library of games and I would say the Switch is easily the most fun console to own right now.
At the end of the day, gaming only seems to be a segmented market because of the advertising campaigns carried out by the manufacturers. Buy what you want, and as long as you enjoy your purchase, can you really say that you've made a mistake? Personally, I don't think so.
P.S. I have learned 0 lessons. I need help
One of the bigger impacts this had on me was that I missed basically every "big" game of the 2000s when they came out. I didn't experience titles like the Mass Effect and the Bioshock trilogies until years after they were released. For every game I experienced years after the fact, there were 2 more console exclusives I would never get to play. When I finally got to college and had disposable income (and reddit to inform my opinions) I decided that in addition to my PC, I wanted to experience console exclusives.
It began with my 3DS, which I used to finally play a proper Zelda game for the first time ever. I finally experienced some of that Nintendo magic and realized just how tightly designed these titles really were. From there I binged and bought game after game for a while. Another big factor for me with the 3DS was the portability. I could play basically anywhere I wanted to anytime I wanted to. During my time abroad in Rome, my 3DS was often with me to take advantage of the fact that, in Europe at least, StreetPass was still a thing that you could reliably utilize. It was such a unique concept, so Nintendo-y and stupid that if anyone else had tried to do it it would have been a total flop but, because Nintendo, it kinda sorta sometimes worked. If I still had free time I would use my 3DS more often, but I think the device's best years are behind it. With the advent of the Switch it's becoming harder to tell where the line between home console ends and portable console begins.
When I became a sophomore I decided I wanted to experience all hot exclusives the console market had to offer me. In particular, Final Fantasy XV and Persona 5's release dates loomed, further enticing me to take the plunge. Since Microsoft basically doesn't do exclusives anymore, I decided a PS4 was the best way for me to experience what console gaming had to offer. Of course, being a hardware snob, I convinced myself that I needed to purchase the newly released PS4 Pro in order to get the "optimal" gaming experience. In reality, most games use the increased performance to little effect, but that's neither here nor there. Having a playstation was definitely a bizarre experience coming from years of pc gaming. For starters, the barrier to entry may be lower, but the average cost of games is significantly higher. There just aren't sales as consistently good as the seasonal Steam sales, so building a library can be a difficult task. Because of the higher price points, I spent more time considering my purchases, versus on PC when I often bought things that seemed interesting with little thought given to whether I actually would enjoy them. For better or worse, exclusivity is one of the only reasons for me to go out and buy a certain console. I bought a PS4 specifically for the games I could only play on there. Whether or not this is healthy for the market remains to be seen, but it's the reality of the situation today.
Which brings me to my latest console, the Nintendo Switch. The Switch is really interesting because it's defied all the market trends in favor of offering unique and novel experiences. Whereas the PS4 and XBOX One offer basically the same gameplay experiences, the Switch, with its emphasis on portability and co-operative play, offers a radical new perspective. For starters, the Switch comes with a set of 2 Joy-Cons, meaning that the base configuration allows for co-operative play. The ability to pick up the device and take full size console experiences on the go is a previously unheard of experience. At the cost of graphical prettiness, the portability more than pays for itself. Add to that a fantastic library of games and I would say the Switch is easily the most fun console to own right now.
At the end of the day, gaming only seems to be a segmented market because of the advertising campaigns carried out by the manufacturers. Buy what you want, and as long as you enjoy your purchase, can you really say that you've made a mistake? Personally, I don't think so.
P.S. I have learned 0 lessons. I need help
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