Which system won this generation to you?

[Thomas83Lin]

Overall I'd say the Wii, as of now though i'm mostly catching up on the ps3

 

[Sterling]

The 360 for me. Great games, wonderful online infrastructure, and the most comfortable controller. The Wii would be a close second though.

 

[OneUp]

I'd say Wii. I liked its exclusives over the other systems.

360 was too unreliable for me to like it at all. (Every console we have had a RROD at least once) Plus, its exclusives were shooting games primarily, which I don't care for as much.

PS3 I might end up liking as much as Wii, but I don't have one to compare with currently.

 

[TripleSMoon]

The 360 for me. Great games, wonderful online infrastructure, and the most comfortable controller. The Wii would be a close second though.

Except for that dpad. GAH! DX There were good third party controllers with better dpads though, so it's not that bad.

 

[Sterling]

Except for that dpad. GAH! DX There were good third party controllers with better dpads though, so it's not that bad.

Good point. That D-Pad sucked some major ass. The later revision with the twist out 8 to 4 point system was great though. The controllers were also built like a tank too.

 

[emigre]

I have a 360 style controller for my PS3. Apart from the fact the D-pad actually functions properly.

 

[Hyro-Sama]

Wikipedia has a marvelously laid out chart which should be added to the OP.

 

[Deleted_171835]

Precisely. If sales aren't being considered, then I really don't see how else anyone can argue which console "won" this generation, aside from personal preference.

The Wii was my favorite console too and I agree with most of your points here, but I don't think it's fair to say "95% of PS3/360 games can be played on the PC," as a reason. Considering the need for gaming PCs which so many people don't have, it's essentially a console itself for the sake of this discussion (why isn't it one of the options in the poll)? You might as well be saying "95% of PS3/PC games can be played on the 360," and it would be just as weightless of an argument. Just my $0.02.

I'm simply stating how I felt about the console. Owning a capable PC allowed me to play the vast majority of the games on the PS3/360 leaving only exclusives (which I think the Wii had the best exclusives).

And PCs wouldn't really work in the poll as they aren't bound by generations like inferior consoles.

 

[TripleSMoon]

Good point. That D-Pad sucked some major ass. The later revision with the twist out 8 to 4 point system was great though. The controllers were also built like a tank too.

Really? I used the "twist out" revision controller a couple times myself, and aside from that little added feature, I didn't see any difference in the dpad's quality.

I'm simply stating how I felt about the console. Owning a capable PC allowed me to play the vast majority of the games on the PS3/360 leaving only exclusives (which I think the Wii had the best exclusives).

And PCs wouldn't really work in the poll as they aren't bound by generations like inferior consoles.

I suppose that makes sense.

 

[AngryGreek766]

hardware=ps3
games=wii

 

[Fazermint]

The Wii has the best game collection IMO. For me, that's what counts.

 

[Foxi4]

Right then, prepare for a wall of text.

This generation was pretty interesting in the sense that all three major players offered quite unique machines with different strong points. Profits aside (Nintendo won in that regard, it's hard to deny that), all three consoles deserved their moments in the spotlight, and those reasons are:

• The Wii was the most popular system mostly because of its price point - it was easy to buy and even easier to use, making it the perfect system for children and adults alike. The Wii's motion controller alone started a new trend in gaming, which shows exactly how influential the system was. It wasn't as accurate as the PSMove controller when it came to motion on axes (unless it was coupled with the Motion+ or if the sensor was built-in, but there are very little games that take advantage of it), but on the otherhand, the use of an IR Sensor instead of colour-tracking technology was perfect for Arcade-style shooters such as House of the Dead and Resident Evil Chronicles and did not require the use of a camera like the Move in order to operate, which successfuly cut the price and made it both accessible and accurate. I find it more comfortable and logically laid-out than the PSMove and my only gripe with it is that till the end of its life, the Wiimote and the Nunchuck were connected with a wire rather than communicating with eachother over radio. The system may have not been the beefiest, but it certainly had a few interesting games, especially the first-party ones. It definitely didn't keep up with the times hardware-wise, effectively stopping most multiplatform games from being released for it, but this "fault" backfired with a good few solid exclusives which were designed specifically for the WiiMote. Some of them were ported to the PS3 once PSMove was released, but not all of them, so they're another strong point of the system. The most important thing about the Wii was that it was just "fun to use" - perhaps it was gathering dust by the end of its lifecycle, but whenever there was a party, I'd take my Wii along and it always livened it up as it had quite a few games which did not require a lot of dedication to be played and were perfect for quick "matches"... and of course, they had Local Multiplayer, now a dying breed! I value it highly, although its hardware limitations were a huge let down to me... then again, you get what you pay for, right? The system had another glaring fault... no headset functionality! Fair play, there was a Wii Speak add-on, but hardly any games used it, so it doesn't deserve much attention... then again, we can't forget Wii's Balance Board - with the right approach, the console could be a good fitness tool - more so than the 360 or the PS3 which had its equivalents, but with no "weighing" functionality, limiting their "progress checks".

• The XBox 360 is not a console I personally own, however I do play it often since both my girlfriend and her brother are avid XBox gamers and I have to say, it has one of the most comfortable pads to date. Once I grabbed the device, getting used to its layout was really easy. Unlike others, I will not personally complain about the D-Pad as I have not used it much - most contemporary games used it for some non-important functions, but I can understand how a low-quality D-Pad would be a let down for Virtual Console fans, so it is an issue. The 360 introduced the most advanced "camera" system to date - the Kinect certainly re-defined motion tracking in video games... problem being that while the device itself "worked", implementing its use was a task contemporary programmers apparently had issues with. I heard reports that placing the system alone could be an issue - the players were always too close or too far, making the device complain, so it was certainly "quirky". I've used it only once - playing Star Wars Kinect. It "worked", but it was quite frustrating when the character would "live its own life" rather than mimic my motion and there were times when I sincerely wished that I had a controller in my hands. When games are hard not because of their sheer difficulty, but because the controller just isn't working, it's an obvious fault of the system. Complete lack of tactile input was a bad idea - Sony learned that lesson with the first EyeToy, Microsoft had to learn it, still. From a hardware standpoint, the XBox was very traditional - three cores with two threads and an AMD GPU - a setup programmers were used to. 512MB RAM was just about enough - shame that this memory had to be shared between the CPU and the GPU. In some setups, this gave the XBox the upper-hand over the PS3, in others it was the opposite. Despite having lower calculation power than the PS3, the XBox had tricks up its sleeve to match overall performance. The PS3 had a stronger GPU, but thanks to the embedded 10MB eDRAM, the XBox 360 easily outclassed it bandwidth-wise. The CPU took the back seat during this generation, so that particular weakness did not set the XBox back... in fact, it gave it some edge. Programming for its tripple-core was infinitely easier than programming for the CELL CPU, and the 360 versions of multiplatform games were usually more "refined" until Sony refined its Software Development Kit. It's also hard to forget about Live - easily the best online service on the consoles. It has everything one could ask for... if only it were free... The console had to go through a lot of bad press due to the initial RROD problems, it almost became a meme... but it went out of the war with its head held high.

• The PS3 was the strongest platform of all three, but also the one that was most misunderstood. In the beginning of its lifespan it suffered from a lot of backlash due to YLOD's, similarily to XBox's RROD's, programmers had issues and often complained about the difficulties of programming for the CELL CPU, despite its raw horsepower, the split-memory setup was also a hurdle to jump over - 256MB RAM System Memory and 256MB VRAM practically had the edge over XBox's unified memory system due to its much higher bandwidth, but it was more restrictive... The GPU was stronger, but lacking in bandwidth in comparison to the XBox 360... but... It was very traditional. It was a console that was worthy of the Sony name - it featured the well-known Dual Shock controller, now with embedded SIXAXIS control which intoduced a degree of motion controls, it offered great graphics, it had a BluRay player built-in, basic PSN membership was, and still is free in comparison with Live, and just like Live, it features a lot of content outside of gaming - it was a powerful center, hub of entertainment, not "just a console", moreso than the XBox in my opinion due to the BluRay functionality, its web browser (although XBox 360 got one by the end of its lifecycle, it's a bit late) and other typically multimedia functionality. The later addition of the PSMove as well as the EyeToy added even more to the already fun package - the controllers could be used in any setup - with or without the off-hand controller, and they were not tied together with a cable like the Wii's. The PS3 easily "equalized" features of the 360 and the Wii - it had free Online like the Wii, but it was of high quality much like Live. It had a motion controller like the Wii, but a tracking device as well, like the XBox. It had strong specs of the 360 (if not stronger, that will always be debatable), but at the same time it had a good few Wii ports. It had strong third-party support, but also plenty of typically-Sony franchises under its belt... To me, it was the "default" console, it was "the best of both worlds" and each PS3 gamer could "adjust" it to his or her preferences.

For all those reasons, I am reluctant to choose the clear winner of this generation. In fact, I usually have this problem... because... They're all good. They're just good in their respective fields. That is all.

 

[mightymuffy]

Pretty hardcore question! Been a closer generation, this, that's for sure.... PS2 ruled the roost last gen for me, with GC 2nd and.... ugh.....

How times change though! This gen it's possibly the other way round.... PS3, for me, definitely my least favourite... there's 2 of em in the house, I'm also a Plus user, but I just don't really rate it, and the pad for some reason I can't stand - WTF? I've always loved the PS1/2 pads, but (possibly after spending so much time with the 360 pad), I end up with cramp.... I can see why it has its fans, and I don't want to sound like I'm dissing the machine, but it's just been a bit of a disappointment for me..

Wii vs 360 for me then..... nnnnggh... up until a couple of years or so ago I'd have probably picked the Wii: that was getting all my gaming time, with some classic titles, great party games, then there's the softmod/emulation side of things.... now though I'm gonna say the 360: simply a better all round package for me than the PS3, with some real classic titles available, and what a year for XBLA we've had this year! Fez, Spelunky, Trials Evo, Minecraft, loads more.... and this is with a shitty Summer of Arcade to boot!

360 then for me - just! Wii 2nd!

 

[Master Mo]

That's like being asked what your favourite fruit is and answering with lettuce.

TBH, if the thread asks for my favourite system I honestly do think the handhelds are missing, therefore I think it is kind of legitimate to answer with NDS, even though like I said it and the PSP are missing in the poll...

I would have picked one of the others but the DS was just too outstanding of a gaming system!!!

 

[suppow]

the wii, no contest.

 

[DiscostewSM]

I think of it like this. This generation is a marathon, and the Wii ran faster than the competition. The Wii won, but having not done a steady stride instead of the overexerted sprint that it did, it suffered a heart attack, and has died sooner than the rest.

 

[BORTZ]

Sales, Wii obviously.
However i would have to say that even though its atrocious RRoD and bloated menu system, the 360 really transformed how online games will be played in the future.

 

[Deleted_171835]

However i would have to say that even though its atrocious RRoD and bloated menu system, the 360 really transformed how online games will be played in the future.

Eh, everything revolutionary about the 360's online was done on the PC years ago. For free.

 

[BORTZ]

Eh, everything revolutionary about the 360's online was done on the PC years ago. For free.

No one plays games on PC.

 

[Deleted_171835]

No one plays games on PC.

Can't tell if serious.