Console Dependant #1: The Current State of Things
October 14, 2002
From: Will

Welcome to the new section, Console Dependant. This is going to be our first attempt at making this also a gaming site. That way we'll be prepared when we move off KeenSpace and can reap the vast riches of our work (Micah says we'll get free games; I am unsure).

The first topic we're going to cover is the state of competition in the video game console industry. I came from an age many gamers don't remember or are too young to remember: the age of Genesis vs. SNES and even the age of NES vs. Everyone and Their Dog. Those were grand old days where we argued which system was better. I remember in 5th grade we concluded that, by our logic, the TurboGraphics 16 was the best system because they were able to put 16-bit games on tiny little cards. I bet nowadays NEC wishes there had been more 10-year-olds with that logic seeing as the TurboGraphics is long-defunct and Nintendo, Sega, and now Sony are chugging along strong.

This is just the set-up so I can compare competition from then to now. To me, it was the pinnacle of competition. Sure, Nintendo had control of the market but Sega was strong when the Genesis finally got Capcom and Konami support. But, thanks to what would be half a decade of screw ups on Nintendo's part, both the Genesis (and *shudder*, the 32X/Sega CD) and the SNES were about to become obsolete thanks to one-time Nintendo development partner, Sony.

When the PlayStation arrived back in 1995, I was 14. It came out with a limited library but back then Toshinden was God. Lee and I must have played Toshinden for over 100 hours when he first got the PS1. This machine was great. It had good controllers, great games, increasing support, and by 1997, it was prepared to blow the market wide open. By that time, they announced the little gem I call Final Fantasy VII. For those of you who are still in their early teens, this game was beautiful. I actually almost failed high school algebra because I'd skip class and plug my PS1 into one of the science lab TVs. FFVII not only increased PS1 exposure (sold almost 10 million copies of the game), it exposed RPGs to a vast amount of Americans. So many American's first RPG is Final Fantasy VII. Its not mine (the little secret named Vandal Hearts was mine), but it cemented my love for them. And Square was not the only big-name developer. By 1998, every game developer had a title for or in the works for the PS1.

So its no surprise that Sony dominated the 32-bit market. However, with the new next-gen systems, their PS2 does not have total dominance. Nintendo has learned from being second fiddle back in the N64 days. Sega, unfortunately, had to fold and now is just a softare and arcade hardware developer. So what is going to dominate control of the next gen systems? Control. Total market control of the key developing houses. And if this is the winning strategy, MicroSoft's XBOX is about to have a great year. They've bought RARE, Nintendo's premiere development house, and there are rumors they are gunning for eventually Capcom and Squaresoft (good luck getting Sony's stock, boys). This new market is still being driven by the big names. Square support of the Game Boy Advance and eventually the GameCube makes Nintendo a stable contender. Sony is in bed with all the Japanese developers so they are stable. But Sega, still a Japanese powerhouse, has sided with the XBOX. With the new Panzer Dragoon coming exclusively to it, Gates' little game machine that could might make big splashes.