The largest competitors of PlayStation are Nintendo and the
Xbox. Nintendo is also a Japanese gaming console, but instead of its main
headquarters being located in the heart of Japan, Tokyo, it is located in
Kyoto, Japan. Kyoto is one of Japan's major metropolitan cities. Nintendo
surprisingly emerged into this industry before PlayStation did (1889). Because
Nintendo was one of the first video game consoles to release into the public,
it is often referred to as "one of the original gaming consoles" to
loyal consumers. The Xbox console is owned by Microsoft Corporation, which is
an American Company. This specific gaming console was first released in 2001.
Xbox is known for their advanced game selections and quality. The content below
shows the competition lists that compete these large companies.
The Competition between consoles: PlayStation, Xbox,
Nintendo
Online Gaming
Probably the first time the console gaming market had
something other than console power and exclusive games to fight over was when
Microsoft released their online console gaming service, Xbox Live. Many PC
gamers didn’t see the big deal (myself included), because PC games generally
already came with competent online aspects. The reason why Xbox Live was
actually a big deal, however, is because the console gaming market was much
bigger than the PC gaming market at that point, bringing the fun (and
addiction) of online gaming to an audience that hadn’t previously experienced
it. With Xbox Live, Microsoft made it clear that gaming wasn’t necessarily
about the power of the consoles or the games anymore: Now, it also mattered
whether or not the games had an online component, which brought replayability
to the table. Sony put out a modem attachment for it’s PlayStation 2, but
did not provide any kind of cohesive service, instead opting to allow game
developers to utilize the online capabilities if they so chose. Not too many
did. While Nintendo was known as a staunch naysayer of online gaming this past
generation of consoles, it did release a modem for its faltering GameCube,
which was so underutilized that it became a sought after collector’s item.
The following generation — this generation — Sony amped up
its online efforts, creating the PlayStation Network (PSN), a free, cohesive
online service to answer Microsoft’s subscription-based Xbox Live. Nintendo
included an online service with their Wii, but overall, the perception of their
network among the “core” gaming audience is widely negative, due to things like
slow connection speeds and Friend Codes. So for the first time in console
gaming history, the generational competition spread to services, rather than
just the games.
Media Center Services
Once online gaming got its grip on the console market, both
Sony and Microsoft realized online delivery would be a perfect avenue for
content unrelated to gaming, such as movies, television shows and music. Sony’s
PlayStation 2 experienced success with this style of thinking last generation,
as it also functioned as a DVD player, which is partly attributed for the
PlayStation 2’s monstrous success. However, the degree to which online delivery
was desired by the gaming populace was unknown — until, of course, it blew up.
Now it’s a default feature of both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. So, for
another first time in console gaming history, the competition spread, oddly
enough, to media unrelated to gaming.
Alternative Input Methods
Though last generation had the occasional unique input
method (Steel Battalion, Guitar Hero, and Lifeline come to mind), they were
isolated happenings and only applied to their own specific games. Then, like a
phoenix rising from the ashes, Nintendo created the ridiculously named Wii
(they even released a statement explaining the name). The Wii’s entire method
of input was based on a controller that boasted full motion control (which it
didn’t actually get until a few years after, being relegated to simple waggling
mechanics until then) and it basically took the world by storm. Parents and
grandparents, demographics not usually associated with gaming, were buying up
Wiis and getting their waggle on. Nintendo’s resurgence due to the enormous
sales of the Wii got Sony and Microsoft working on their own versions of motion
control. So, marking yet another first in console gaming history, the
generational competition spread to input method, rather than just the games.
Nintendo MotionPlus vs. Xbox Kinect vs.Playstation Move
The above brief history of competition leads us to the most
current battle within the gaming world, motion control and augmented reality.
With the Wii’s waggle-centric faux motion control becoming all the rage, Sony
and Microsoft both worked to cash in on the craze, and as expected, updated the
relatively primitive technology (I mean, the Wii works with candles). Nintendo
got wind of this and developed Wii MotionPlus, an add-on that attaches to the
Wiimote (which Nintendo still refuses to officially call a Wiimote) and finally
brings 1:1 motion control to the Wii.
With Sony’s Move only a week away and Microsoft’s Kinect two
months away, the gaming media is abuzz with demos and previews, adding fuel to
the coming fire. Most outlets have had positive experiences with the
PlayStation Move, including Kotaku, Joystiq, and Engadget. Microsoft’s Kinect,
however, is widely garnering mixed feelings from various outlets about the
actual hardware, its games, and even its price. With Move and Kinect, the
gaming industry has already surpassed Nintendo’s standards, providing much more
precise motion control, and both Sony and Microsoft have even added cameras, throwing
a bit of augmented reality to the mix.
Move and Kinect widen the scope of competition in the gaming
industry in two interesting ways. Firstly, they mark the first time that the
console life cycle could extend well beyond the usual five years. Changing the
way games are played means more than just the usual graphical upgrade and power
overhaul that dominated previous console iterations: Now, it’s about changing
the way people interact with games, potentially creating entirely new consoles
within the current consoles. Secondly, consumers will soon have access to
relatively competent augmented reality for the first time, bringing us one step
closer to full-blown virtual reality. No matter what previews say or demo units show, no one can
truly predict which device will have the most impact on the industry. However,
with the inclusion of extremely precise motion control and augmented reality,
Move and Kinect herald an exciting future for gamers, and depending on the
breadth of their appeal, everyone else.
CURRENT CONSOLE COMPETITORS PLAYSTATION 4 VS XBOX ONE
PLAYSTATION 4 CREATED HISTORY IN 2013 AS THE WINNER CONSOLE OF HOME GAMING CURRENT CONSOLE WHILE XBOX ONE WAS FAR BEYOND PS4 SUCCESSFUL.
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