Video Gaming have always been a hobby of mine since I was 6. It started from the Atari(forgot the exact number), then Mega Drive, moving to Saturn, migrating to Playstation, shifting to Dreamcast and finally settling down with Playstation 2. There was even one point in life where gaming is my life. That shows how hardcore I was. However, I’ve began to lose interest a bit in gaming due to…other stuff. Nevertheless, I still have my gaming fix which is at least 3 hours per week. Current game: Rogue Galaxy.
One main reason of me not buying these new batches of console(PS3, Wii,X360) is that there are no strong sofware support…yet. Look at X360, it’s out for almost 2 years, but the really outstanding games(IMO) is Gears of War and Oblivion. I’ve played both of these games, and the experience in GOW is unparallel ,however, these 2 games does not warrant a X360 purchase. The PS3 and Wii on the other hand, is too early judge in terms of software lineup. PS3 is too bloody expensive and the fact tht it uses Blu-Ray will really hurt the Malaysian consumer(no pirate maa..for now) and Wii’s graphic aren’t that impressive to boot(more like last gen).
According to facts, Wii is currently the dominant console in America and Japan, and as history has proven itself, the life and death of a system depends on their success in Japan, because most of the main software developers are from Japan. US Market analysis has stated( somewhere in EGM, forgotten which month) that eventhough the current console winner is Wii, however, in the long run(around 3 years), PS3 will outshine the Wii. I believe this is true, because of the vast graphical difference between Wii and PS3. It is true that gameplay is the major factor that determines whether a game is good or not, but, the graphics of the console that determines the lasting power of a console. Well, not exactly graphics…graphics and sales actually. Nevertheless, graphics is the more dominant factor. Why else do we need to upgrade from the MegaDrive(16-bit) to the Saturn(32-bit) if it wasn’t for the graphics right? Supposedly, with superior graphics , the advancement of the gameplay should be unprecedented.
On the other hand, the main contributing factor to a success of a console is..the piracy factor. Without pirated games, the console wouldn’t take off. It is sad actually, but , if you compare a RM200++ price tag for original game and a RM14 price tag for a pirated one, the sadness diminishes. For the average-income masses, they would choose to buy the pirated copies, because they can’t afford the original copy., too bloody expensive .If a single original game would cost RM50,then only the average-income masses would CONSIDER buying it. Therefore, my advice to those who are buying the current gen system is this: if you have patience, wait for another year and see how things might turn out. This is because the Wii and PS3 are still in their infant stage. But, if you lack patience, then, consider only between the Wii and X360. Currently, the software line up for X360 is the strongest, followed closely by Wii. Plus, it is more affordable(RM1300++ range) and there are pirated games available(yay!). As for me, I am taking a back seat for a year.
"By the way, I do not condone piracy or any act of piracy. Please buy
original softwares and give your support to the developers..if you can
afford it. :p "- Corie "Light" Yagami
. Final words; Death Note anime is pure awesomeness.