The Hybrid Era

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I think it’s safe to say we’ve spent most of our gaming lives on this train barreling towards improvement in gaming. It’s always been about the next big upgrade and the era of something. The 8-bit, the 3D era, the HD era, and the weird place we exist in now that I’ve begun to dub the “Hybrid era.”

The hybrid era consists of the current platforms we have to work with. We have the PlayStation 4 and its many physical forms of pro and slim that play games in slightly different ways. On the other side, we have the Xbox One that has been struggling to keep to the standard Sony has edged them out on for the past four years or so. And in the middle, we have Nintendo, fresh out the gate with something that, to most people, they don’t consider in the same league or playing the same competitive game.

Outside of the consoles in this hybrid era, we also have the lukewarm beginnings of VR that people can’t seem to latch onto, and the ever-advancing race to power in the PC realm. A race that Sony and Microsoft seem keen to join in on as of late.

An interesting mashup of ideas that are slightly similar yet at the same time manage to be completely different from each other. The progress towards power is high with Sony and Microsoft, yet Nintendo seems to prefer to cash in on the games make the hardware mantra. Not to say that Sony isn’t killing it with software either, as evidenced by the vast amount of 2017 games already in contention for game of the year, but I digress.

What I find fascinating about the hybrid era are the common ideas and differences that come together to make unique and exciting content that is no longer available on a single platform. It’s an age that I feel began with the Wii console's introduction.

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I’ve heard the seventh generation of consoles be dubbed the Wii60 era, as everyone played a majority of their games on a 360 console when Microsoft dominated the early years of the generation, and still needed their Nintendo fix with the Wii. If you owned only the Wii, you missed out on some of the most impactful first and third party games in decades. If you didn’t own the Wii, the same could be said for some of Nintendo’s finer first party offerings.

It’s a weird yet new socially accepted concept. The competition used to be all about a one-sided war. You either went all in on Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft. The Wii began the notion of Nintendo being too underpowered for third parties to keep up, so you needed another platform if you still cared enough to want to play those properties. The same concept carried over as the Wii U, PS4 and One rolled out, albeit to a lesser extent.

The Wii U was quite obviously unable to survive on only its first party support, and the competition managed to swallow the market around it. The minority of individuals that did happen to own one, however, still tended to have a PS4 or One to get the full generational experience.

The saying of owning Nintendo to play Nintendo had never been truer, but the hidden point remains that owning Nintendo meant missing out on the full spectrum of games. Some people are content with this to this day, yet others were left feeling empty and left out of the race altogether.

While this may seem to target Nintendo in particular, this isn’t the intention. Because the same shenanigans are being pulled on the console platform completely, and on the PC platform to boot.

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The hybrid era has brought us to this marketing war zone where timed exclusivity and, “better on ours,” ideas are rampant. Some games come to Sony first, or third parties stay on Sony and never make it over to other consoles or PC. PC users find themselves continually being shafted by timed exclusives on the PS4 and Xbox One that they won’t get to see for months if not years, or even at all. I mean, Red Dead Redemption never made its way to PC and the second doesn’t look likely to either. And GTA V took almost a year and a half to make its debut on PC finally!

Xbox One has nearly killed individual franchises, (ala Rise of The Tomb Raider,) thanks to their timed exclusivity to keep the games from the competition for as long as possible to sell hardware.

And what makes all of this marketing is interesting, is how well it’s working. Looking at the signatures of the replies to this article alone will show you some people that have shared platforms now. To most of us, it’s become the only way to feel like we’re getting the full buffet of games and not getting stuck in the corner with the salad bar meal deal.

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I have a PC, a Nintendo Switch and a PS4 for this generation. The Switch is to play the Nintendo games I want to play. The PS4 will let me play the JRPG’s and Sony exclusives I want to play that I’ll never see on Switch or PC. The PC is to play all the third-party games that aren’t locked to Sony or Nintendo’s console to their full potential. Each console serves an overall purpose that contributes to the full hybrid generation I play games on.

I think the argument could be made that Sony has the healthiest balance of all the console platforms at the moment. They have shafted the competition in every possible way to secure incredible exclusives both first and third party. The people who grew up Nintendo could never leave behind the allegiance to Zelda and Mario they grew up with. They also have a hard time leaving behind all the other titles they’ll never see on their console thanks to Nintendo’s lack of power.

You could also argue this mentality of hybrid platforms goes back to the beginning of gaming, but I don’t see it that way. There was a balance of third parties that attempted to contribute to all the platforms up until the seventh generation.

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You can recall the days of seeing the new Need for Speed game on GameCube, Xbox, and PS2. The sports games were all platform. The weird movie tie-in games went to each system. The third parties catered to each property they could to make the most money on each platform.

This led to the fight for strong exclusives and power that separated the generations in ways that forced you to think you needed to go all in on one platform.

The incentive now is to cater to where the money is most likely to be, even if that means alienating separate userbases. An incentive that has forced the hand of many gamers to spread out to experience everything they want to play.

The hybrid era is something I’ve come to accept as normal now. As much as I have love Nintendo, I could never see them actively trying to play the game of the competition. I think they are resigned to doing their own thing, meaning I’ll continue to buy into their platform for their games and seek out the other games on other platforms. Sony and Microsoft will keep butting heads and gobble up anything they can use against the other. PC users can be content with the third parties they do get to play and wait for the, “console exclusive first’s,” to eventually make their way to the platform.

I don’t see this era indeed fading in the future either. The market competition offers no hope for that kind of change. I think we’ll continue to see an uglier battle of divided franchises among platforms that continues to make it difficult to stick to one company. And I find that incredibly ironic in a lot of ways as well.

Because a majority of us aren’t sticking to a single company anymore.
 

codezer0

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PS4 exclusive list is longer than any console at 3 years in. It's actually kinda crazy rivals PS2 days.

How can one game in 2017 without a PS4? i don't get it. That's not a shot at any other platform it's just a fact the list it insane.
Majority of the exclusives fail to appeal to me. Only game I like enough to play on the system is Rez infinite. But that is something I already played to death on Dreamcast and Xbox 360.

Lack of bc also means the migration cost is high. Backwards compatibility helped a ton in soothing the bite of adopting a new console. And to tide over game droughts.

As I said earlier, my experiences have dictated that Sony reliability tanked as soon as they entered the video game market with the PlayStation. I should not have to buy and rebuy consoles to find one that will still work after the 90-day warranty ends. Especially for their asking price. And I should not be required to buy the stupid VR thing, in the name.of actually getting 60 frames per second from the games.

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You sound like someone who hasnt played a switch, the controllers last 20hours so wtf do you need charging for?
How can I play one if nobody has one?

Also, I did try out a set of secondhand joycon controllers. Those things are way too tiny, and I already thought the n3ds was a bit too small for me.
 

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Majority of the exclusives fail to appeal to me. Only game I like enough to play on the system is Rez infinite. But that is something I already played to death on Dreamcast and Xbox 360.

Lack of bc also means the migration cost is high. Backwards compatibility helped a ton in soothing the bite of adopting a new console. And to tide over game droughts.

As I said earlier, my experiences have dictated that Sony reliability tanked as soon as they entered the video game market with the PlayStation. I should not have to buy and rebuy consoles to find one that will still work after the 90-day warranty ends. Especially for their asking price. And I should not be required to buy the stupid VR thing, in the name.of actually getting 60 frames per second from the games.

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How can I play one if nobody has one?

Also, I did try out a set of secondhand joycon controllers. Those things are way too tiny, and I already thought the n3ds was a bit too small for me.
how huge are your hands? This is very much a subjective thing and not an objective issue so theres not much point considering it a flaw.
 

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It's actually anti consumer practice, throw some exclusives in to lure and sell 3rd party on their walled garden.

Except when it comes to Nintendo because they have a vision for most games that just wouldn't work well on generic hardware but this is not the case for Sony and Microsoft as their consoles are basically cheap PCs.
I can't think of many Nintendo games, or many games in general for that matter, that wouldn't work multiplatform. If there's something that magically prohibits, say, BOTW from running on another console, do tell. Not that it matters, it's a first-party exclusive so I don't have a beef with it, I do think you're a bit enamoured with Nintendo though.
Did you really elaborate on this or are you being sarcastic? Assuming you really lived the PS2 era.

A few years in PS2 had Gran turismo 3, 4, God of War 1 and 2, ICO, Shadow of Colossus, final fantasy X, X-2 and later on XII which were exclusive, two metal gear solid games, wild arms 3, 4, Siren, Silent Hill 2, 3, about 2 or 3 disgaea games, Twisted Metal Black, Two Kingdom heart games, Dark Cloud 1 and 2,Persona 3 and 4, lots of Shin Megami Tensei, Shadow Hearts 1,2,3, Syphon Filter and so much more plus backwards compatibility instead of remasters to make up for the lack of new releases.

PS4 is a freaking joke compared to PS2 it released more trailers and remasters that actual games (For this year we have parappa full throttle ff12 and crash remasters) and most new IPs Sony released sucked bad you can't even associate a Sony game with a good game anymore.
I don't like participating in list wars, I find them pointless as I'm no fan of exclusives penis measuring contests, but I can indulge you. Bloodborne, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Persona 5, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, Uncharted 4, Yakuza 0, The Last of Us Remastered, The Last Guardian, NieR: Automata, World of Final Fantasy, Until Dawn, Dragon Quest Builders, Gravity Rush 2, Ratchet and Clank Nioh and more are either exclusive to Sony platforms, console-exclusive to the PS4 or outright only on PS4, and the list goes on. I would also hate for the PS4 to sacrifice hardware performance for the sake of backwards compatibility - I don't need it, I already have an old console for my old games.
 

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n3ds for reference
...I was expecting your hands to be larger, mine are slightly larger than yours, i find em pretty comfortable, how did you hold them?

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I can't think of many Nintendo games, or any games for that matter, that wouldn't work on other platforms. If there's something that magically prohibits, say, BOTW from running on another console, do tell. Not that it matters, it's a first-party exclusive so I don't have a beef with it, I do think you're a bit enamoured with Nintendo though.
I don't like participating in list wars, I find them pointless as I'm no fan of exclusives penis measuring contests, but I can indulge you. Bloodborne, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Persona 5, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, Uncharted 4, Yakuza 0, The Last of Us Remastered, The Last Guardian, NieR: Automata, World of Final Fantasy, Until Dawn, Dragon Quest Builders, Gravity Rush 2, Ratchet and Clank Nioh and more are either exclusive to Sony platforms, console-exclusive to the PS4 or outright only on PS4, and the list goes on. I would also hate for the PS4 to sacrifice hardware performance for the sake of backwards compatibility - I don't need it, I already have an old console for my old games.
Erm, nier is on PC. Thats about it though, although switch does have Shin Megami Tensei.
 

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Erm, nier is on PC. Thats about it though, although switch does have Shin Megami Tensei.
Which is why I listed the term "console-exclusive". It's not on Xbox, it's not on Switch or the Wii U, so the only console you can play it on is the PS4. Besides, this is just a choice selection off the top of my head, the list goes on.
 

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Which is why I listed the term "console-exclusive". It's not on Xbox, it's not on Switch or the Wii U, so the only console you can play it on is the PS4. Besides, this is just a choice selection off the top of my head, the list goes on.
Ah i get your point. PS4 is definitely a console with a strong line-up, objectively of course.
 

The Real Jdbye

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Generation is a term referring to the timeframe, not the sequence of systems. Nintendo doesn't get to start a new generation early.
I'm not sure what you mean by that.
It's the next generation of systems, others will follow. Just because it's the first doesn't make it not next gen.
 

netovsk

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Besides, this is just a choice selection off the top of my head, the list goes on.

It doesn't, you actually put remasters and PS3 games there, which contradict you saying backwards compatibility doesn't make sense. Many big franchises which were once exclusive to PS2 were eventually lost to PC and Xbox. FFXV, MGSV and Tekken 7 instantly come to mind. I would take 1 hour or more listing great PS2 games meanwhile I could list worthy PS4 titles in a minute. I disagree they don't even compare.
 

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I'm not sure what you mean by that. It's the next generation of systems, others will follow. Just because it's the first doesn't make it not next gen.
That's not how generations work. A generation in hardware is a time bracket within which systems are sold, it's not uncommon for a manufacturer to have several systems sold concurrently. Besides, the Switch is neither a home console nor a portable, it's a wholly new category of console hardware, so unless you also want to argue that the Virtual Boy is a successor of the Game Boy and not its own thing, the Switch didn't start a new generation just as it entered its mid-point.
It doesn't, you actually put remasters and PS3 games there, which contradict you saying backwards compatibility doesn't make sense. Many big franchises which were once exclusive to PS2 were eventually lost to PC and Xbox. FFXV, MGSV and Tekken 7 instantly come to mind. I would take 1 hour or more listing great PS2 games meanwhile I could list worthy PS4 titles in a minute. I disagree they don't even compare.
At present, if Wikipedia is to be trusted, the PS4 has 100 exclusives, 386 console exclusives and 31 timed exclusives, I hope you can talk really fast. As for Metal Gear, are you denying that it was released on the NES, MSX, Game Boy, PC and Gamecube as well? The franchise wasn't explicitly PlayStation-exclusive, it just happened to have a lot of PlayStation releases. Neither was Final Fantasy, for that matter. I listed bestselling exclusives on the platform, why wouldn't I include remasters, because you don't fancy them?
 
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The Real Jdbye

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That's not how generations work. A generation in hardware is a time bracket within which system are sold, it's not uncommon for a manufacturer to have several systems sold concurrently. Besides, the Switch is neither a home console nor a portable, it's a wholly new category of console hardware, so unless you also want to argue that the Virtual Boy is a successor of the Game Boy and not its own thing, the Switch didn't start a new generation just as it entered its mid-point.
At present, if Wikipedia is to be trusted, the PS4 has 100 exclusives, 386 console exclusives and 31 timed exclusives, I hope you can talk really fast. As for Metal Gear, are you denying that it was released on the NES, MSX, Game Boy, PC and Gamecube as well? The franchise wasn't explicitly PlayStation-exclusive, it just happened to have a lot if PlayStation releases. Neither was Final Fantasy, for that matter. I listed bestselling exclusives on the platform, why wouldn't I include remasters, because you don't fancy them?
You may think it's a new type of device, but it's not. It's not entirely a handheld and not entirely a home console, but it's both.
And for practical purposes, it's actually just a beefy handheld. So it makes the most sense to compare it to other handhelds.
Anyway, whether it's a home console or a handheld is sort of irrelevant. It's still part of the generational cycle of consoles.
We both know that the Wii U and the 3DS were part of the same generation, like the Wii and DS were part of the same generation. The Switch is a new generation, which might have new consoles and new handhelds in it, but you can't deny that it's a new generation. It's the next generation after the Wii U and 3DS, which are part of the same generation as the XBoner and PS4. It's clearly next gen. Whether it's different in style from other consoles or not is irrelevant. The DS was wildly different from the PSP, but they were the same generation. Same for the PSVita and 3DS. And still somewhat true for the Wii U and other consoles.
 

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@Foxi4 What? Do you really consider shovelware like Knack, The Order 1886, Godzilla, and Drawn to Death worthy of mention? Come on, decent PS4 only titles which are not PS3/Vita ports or remasters, because PS2 games sure weren't handheld or PS1 ports/remasters. We're left with 10 games or so.

Uncharted 4
Bloodborne
Nioh
The Last Guardian
Yakuza 0
Gravity Rush 2
Infamous Second Son

Is this what you want to compare to PS2?

Think what you will, PS4 won't ever come close to PS2.
 

Foxi4

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You may think it's a new type of device, but it's not. It's not entirely a handheld and not entirely a home console, but it's both.
And for practical purposes, it's actually just a beefy handheld. So it makes the most sense to compare it to other handhelds.
Anyway, whether it's a home console or a handheld is sort of irrelevant. It's still part of the generational cycle of consoles.
We both know that the Wii U and the 3DS were part of the same generation, like the Wii and DS were part of the same generation. The Switch is a new generation, which might have new consoles and new handhelds in it, but you can't deny that it's a new generation. It's the next generation after the Wii U and 3DS, which are part of the same generation as the XBoner and PS4. It's clearly next gen. Whether it's different in style from other consoles or not is irrelevant. The DS was wildly different from the PSP, but they were the same generation. Same for the PSVita and 3DS. And still somewhat true for the Wii U and other consoles.
Yes, I can deny that, because you're factually wrong. The Atari 2600 and 5200 are wildly different and completely incompatible consoles from the same manufacturer and both are considered second generation. Generations are about precipitous steps in technology, not about iterations.
@Foxi4 What? Do you really consider shovelware like Knack, The Order 1886, Godzilla, and Drawn to Death worthy of mention? Come on, decent PS4 only titles which are not PS3/Vita ports or remasters, because PS2 games sure weren't handheld or PS1 ports/remasters. We're left with 10 games or so.

Uncharted 4
Bloodborne
Nioh
The Last Guardian
Yakuza 0
Gravity Rush 2
Infamous Second Son

Is this what you want to compare to PS2?

Think what you will, PS4 won't ever come close to PS2.
And the Switch will never be as good as the NES, but I'm not making a huge song and dance about it. I also thoroughly enjoyed The Order, Until Dawn and a number of other exclusives you failed to mention, not that it matters because exclusivity is detrimental to gaming and doesn't make my panties wet - I don't care for or even want to be in some ridiculous treehouse club where only me and my buddies get to play certain games and those games are totally the best, whooptie-doo. Third-party games and first-party exclusives can be equally good, so I don't understand the core concept of your argument. I'm more concerned about having good games in general, first or third-party, and with 2 games worth a damn, both of which are Wii U ports, the Switch situation looks a little bleaker than the PS4's.
 

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It doesn't, you actually put remasters and PS3 games there, which contradict you saying backwards compatibility doesn't make sense. Many big franchises which were once exclusive to PS2 were eventually lost to PC and Xbox. FFXV, MGSV and Tekken 7 instantly come to mind. I would take 1 hour or more listing great PS2 games meanwhile I could list worthy PS4 titles in a minute. I disagree they don't even compare.
Why do you appear anytime anyone speaks positively about Sony?

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@Foxi4 What? Do you really consider shovelware like Knack, The Order 1886, Godzilla, and Drawn to Death worthy of mention? Come on, decent PS4 only titles which are not PS3/Vita ports or remasters, because PS2 games sure weren't handheld or PS1 ports/remasters. We're left with 10 games or so.

Uncharted 4
Bloodborne
Nioh
The Last Guardian
Yakuza 0
Gravity Rush 2
Infamous Second Son

Is this what you want to compare to PS2?

Think what you will, PS4 won't ever come close to PS2.
Think what YOU will the games and numbers speak for themselves. Keep living in your bubble.

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That's not how generations work. A generation in hardware is a time bracket within which systems are sold, it's not uncommon for a manufacturer to have several systems sold concurrently. Besides, the Switch is neither a home console nor a portable, it's a wholly new category of console hardware, so unless you also want to argue that the Virtual Boy is a successor of the Game Boy and not its own thing, the Switch didn't start a new generation just as it entered its mid-point.
At present, if Wikipedia is to be trusted, the PS4 has 100 exclusives, 386 console exclusives and 31 timed exclusives, I hope you can talk really fast. As for Metal Gear, are you denying that it was released on the NES, MSX, Game Boy, PC and Gamecube as well? The franchise wasn't explicitly PlayStation-exclusive, it just happened to have a lot if PlayStation releases. Neither was Final Fantasy, for that matter. I listed bestselling exclusives on the platform, why wouldn't I include remasters, because you don't fancy them?
You are wasting your time with Netovsk he is a notorious Sony hating Nintendo loving troll. The Switch has 2 games worth owning both are Wii u ports. I hope the Switch is successful but right now it doesn't look good but in his world early sales means success somehow.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

@Foxi4 What? Do you really consider shovelware like Knack, The Order 1886, Godzilla, and Drawn to Death worthy of mention? Come on, decent PS4 only titles which are not PS3/Vita ports or remasters, because PS2 games sure weren't handheld or PS1 ports/remasters. We're left with 10 games or so.

Uncharted 4
Bloodborne
Nioh
The Last Guardian
Yakuza 0
Gravity Rush 2
Infamous Second Son

Is this what you want to compare to PS2?

Think what you will, PS4 won't ever come close to PS2.
I could throw so many exclusive ps4 games at you it would make your head spin but your not interested in reality, also just cause YOU don't personally like a game although i know you never played them doesn't mean its "shovelware" troll
 
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Foxi4

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You are wasting your time with Netovsk he is a notorious Sony hating Nintendo loving troll. The Switch has 2 games worth owning both are Wii u ports. I hope the Switch is successful but right now it doesn't look good but in his world early sales means success somehow.
I just don't understand what's so important about having games on your platform of choice that nobody else gets to play. The value of that completely eludes me, it's playing right into the hands of corporations who want to upsell their hardware by giving it artificial value. Ideally exclusives shouldn't even exist, in a perfect world everybody would get to play all the games, regardless of which machine they fancied, but of course we can't have that. This is the reason why I don't pick sides - I buy all consoles and I judge them for what they are. The PS4 just happens to be a good piece of technology, I don't understand why someone would get uppity over that - it's well-designed, widely supported and very successful.
 
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netovsk

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@Bonestorm
Yeah I'm like a Valve Microsoft Nintendo Sony-but-PS4 fanboy (even though I do own a PS4) and you're the unbiased guy who does nothing but praise PS4 at every chance.
 

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