War is over

Eurogamer: Towards the end of this year, the PlayStation 3 will celebrate its fifth birthday, with the Xbox 360 blowing out six candles on its cake about a week later. By this stage in the lifespans of their predecessors, these consoles would already be well on the road to replacement - five years after the launch of PlayStation 2, Sony was talking openly about the PS3, while five years after the launch of Xbox, Xbox 360 was already on shelves.

It's unsurprising, then, that speculation about the next generation of hardware is rife - especially given that Nintendo has fuelled the fires by deciding to unveil its next home console platform, codenamed Project Cafe, at E3 this year. In the past week, attention has also focused strongly on Microsoft, based on rumours that the company has sent very early development kits to close business partners. It's even been suggested that the company might decide to rock the boat with a surprise teaser for the new platform at E3.

[CrimsonEngage]

No it's not.

[metsgaming]

not over till the last console is sold, or when all the companies have new hardware to sell. You can argue both but anything less than this its still on !

[MintBerryCrunch]

"till the last console is sold"

that would mean that last gen is not over...PS2 is still chugging along, and at times competing with next gen consoles in terms of sales depending on region, such as Japan

[metsgaming]

exactly but the "war" is over because the other 2 aren't selling and even if they are there is no way they are going to get near the ps2 numbers.

[mikeslemonade]

It won't be over til PS3 beats the Wii. I'm not backing down that easy!

[FishCake9T4]

@Mike
You really think that the PS3 is going to sell more than the wii?????...seriously??

[metsgaming]

well it would be a long shot but the ps3 hasnt gotten to 199 yet and it will sell long after the wii has stopped. So it will be interesting.

[Finger-Eater]

Well people are stil having a console war on PS2 and Xbox 1, Things never change.

[The Killer]

i personally think the ps3 still have power to last 2 more years while 360 and wii are already dead from what new things they can offer

[BattleAxe]

I agree with the article on most points including the increase in laptop and apple products for gaming, but to us hardcore fanboy types, this console war will be over when Sony's PS3 surpasses the Xbox 360, and I'm betting that this will happen by the end of the year.

;)

[Biggest]

"You really think that the PS3 is going to sell more than the wii?????...seriously??"

Playstation sold over 103 million units. Playstation 2 is currently selling with over 150 million units already on the books. The Wii is currently selling with over 84 million units already on the books. It is safe to say that the PS3 will sell over 100 million units. Sony will definitely support the PS3 even after the PS4 is released. Time will only tell if Nintendo plans to support the Wii after its successor is released. The PS3 outselling the Wii is very probable if using past company policy and performance as a guideline.

[Aloren]

@Biggest : how is it "safe" to say the PS3 will double its current sales ? I mean, sure, it's healthy and all, but PS1 sold twice as much as all its competitors combined, PS2 thrice as much as all its competitors combined...they had room for such numbers cause they "killed" everyone else... but as of today, the PS3 sold just a bit more than a third of what the others sold, 5 years into the cycle. And 360 and wii are not anywhere near as dead as their predecessors. It's still possible though, but I wouldn't say it's safe (especially if project cafe is $300 or less at launch).

[Istanbull]

War... War has changed...

ID tagged fanboys carry ID tagged controllers playing on ID tagged consoles

War... War has changed...

I'm not backing out until full PS3 Domination

[shoddy]

ps3 haven't reach $99 point yet.
bluray is a norm now.

people gonna like the fact that thier $99 bluray player can play GOW4.

people will have a choice: $300 Wii2 that can play HDgames + motion.

or $200 ps3 that can play bluray, 3D, free online, hdgames + motion.......

[MaxXAttaxX]

Not hating on it. I have it and love it. The Wii's just too different.

[IcarusOne]

None of you actually read the article, did you?

[ZombieNinjaPanda]

@Shoddy

A 99 dollar Ps3? Either tell me what universe your're in, or pass me some of what you're smoking.

[lil Titan]

might buy a PS2 soon since i cant play those games on my PS3 slim, havent had the honor to play Kingdom Hearts yet heard it was a really good RPG which i need right now

[Arnon]

Lol... the mind of a fanboy. The Wii doesn't count because why? It destroyed it's competition?

[MaxXAttaxX]

No need to act like such a fanboy.

I was being honest. And I do love my Wii. I'm just not completely blinded like you.
I wasn't even bashing it! I was simply saying that it's so different that it can't exactly compete at the same level and with the same standards!

[shoddy]

3 to 4 years from now ps3 will be $99.

what are you smoking foo.

[ChrisGTR1]

what war? oh you mean the war that only affects fanboys.

[evrfighter1]

"wasn't even bashing it! I was simply saying that it's so different that it can't exactly compete at the same level and with the same standards! "

same standards? please don't say HD.

720p on your 40+ 1080p tv's...I'm sorry how is that HD? If you took a cowpie and rubbed it in your eyes. I'm pretty sure it'd be close to what you see on those consoles.

[RedDragan]

What happens when the PS3 starts selling in China and Brazil?

They may have already had releases but those two countries are getting rich quick and are historically released later than the West because the market is cheaper... hence, they wait until production cost lowers to purchase cost to release in other less well off nations.

I can imagine in China there will be massive demand, while Xbox.... being American, will be snubbed.

[DeadlyFire]

PS2/Xbox/Gamecube war is still out there. Although Nintendo and Microsoft both dropped their last gen console. That likely won't happen this time around. Likely Microsoft and Nintendo will follow Sony's 2 generation at the same time lead. :)

War between PS3/X360/Wii won't end until production is ceased. At least 10 years from launch date.

[pixelsword]

I'll let all of you in on a secret:

...there was never a war.

[X-DominusRebellis-X]

Can we stop talking about these bullshit "wars" and just enjoy gaming? Who cares if another system is on its way. I feel like the PS3 hasn't even reached full potential yet. There's so many games for us to enjoy first before freaking out about the next system. It will come in due time, until then enjoy this gen! It's fucking awesome!

[ikkokucrisis]

The war is over,
I Win.

[Arnon]

I've been called a fanboy of every console and handheld this gen. Gee, I must be a fanboy of everything! Please, do tell me what my vision is void of. I would like to know.

[MaxXAttaxX]

You acted like one. Next time don't be so quick to judge.
Like I said before. It was an honest opinion. Yet you were very quick to call me a fanboy.

[r1sh12]

the war will never be over....each generation is a battle.
Overall Sony has beaten all competition, but in this gen nintendo won by far...
Even thoug the xbox and ps3 are better consoles, sales numbers are the decider.
Wait for the next battle

[hakis86]

[email protected] generation is a battle.. everlasting war! :P

You know I hope andwouldn't mind if the next Xbox and PS4 was announced soon, and on the shelves say next year? Because launch titles rarely look mindblowing anyway, and compared to todays games I'm sure we would struggle to see a huge leap (well we would see higher rez, better textures). However the amazing games always take a year or two.

[bozebo]

No, the launch titles will look absolutely incredible.

The developers already have the software they need, they are waiting for hardware to catch up.

[RBlaze]

'Overall Sony has beaten all competition'...

That's only true if you don't include all consoles... Like, Just including home consoles that (beginning with PS1 and N64, as the SNES was the gen before (sort of)) then yeah, Sony has beaten the competition sales wise... But include all consoles that have een out while Sony's been there (PSP, GBA, DS and maybe a chunk of GBC sales) and Nintendo are the strongest!

Regardless, the article is correct in that neither MS or Sony need to release a console. The PS3 is selling v.well but the 360 is also moving in large numbers, so, from a business point of view, Sony and MS will be happy where they are unitl they think that Nintendo will take either's share of the next generation's install base.

[Sony360]

Wii is winning, Ps3 is losing.

The 360 is in the middle.

End of story.

[Guard719]

Sales number don't exactly mean much. It is the quality of the console and the titles that determines victory. Games that capture the hearts and minds of gamers are what decides success, especially the exclusives as they represent a major player. Take a look at Modern Warfare 2, literally over $ 1 billion worth of sales sold, but the game was bugged, hacked, glitched, and essentially broken. Iron man 2 selling 2 million copies but the game was atrociously bad and the studio shut down. But THen Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, a couple million sold but a cultural phenomenon due to its story, performance, and other balanced aspects. When you harness that kind of cultural phenomena, thats what gamera will most remember and that will determine success in the long run.

[the_best_player]

For games PS3 has won hands down, Sony owns so many First Party Devs to make games. Life is good if you own a PS3 and like games :)

[Menech]

It's a matter of prospective, for me the PC has the best games platform by far.

I will take The Witcher 2 over 15 uncharted games.

[starchild]

I don't know about that last part, Menech, but as an overall platform I far prefer the PC to any other platform.

The Witcher 2 is an astounding game, but personally Uncharted is easily one of my favorite console series. I'll take both. But I understand where you are coming from, everybody has their own tastes.

I will probably always own a gaming PC and at least one console.

This generation isn't over yet, so the war isn't over. That said, aside from company employees and stockholders nobody should care too much about that "war".

Games are meant to be enjoyed. So find which platforms will give you the most enjoyment and simply have fun. Who cares if your favorite platform is ahead or behind some other platform in overall sales?

[Menech]

I said personally, am an RPG fan and FPS fan.

I haven't much love for Killzone or Uncharted and I have always preferred Devil may Cry to God of War.

I don't except everyone to agree am simply pointing out, the best gaming library to opinionated.

If where talking about the largest amount of none shovel ware exclusives sure the PS3 wins there. But Sony hasn't released a single PS3 exclusive that's in any way special to me.

[schlanz]

I prefer gaming on my ps3 but the witcher 2 might be my favorite game this gen... Its at least the best rpg ive played this gen.

[BattleAxe]

@ Menech

That was the dumbest comment you could have possibly come up with. Anytime someone like you bashes Uncharted, then I know you have never play either Uncharted game. Besides, the developer that made The Witcher 2 is already taking about porting that game over to consoles.

As far as PC being the better platform, on one hand I kind of agree with you, especially ever since I became an advocate for Steam and all the great deals they have on PC games and all the features that Steam offers their users, but I love Sony's products so much, and the PS3 is pushing alot of boundaries with the quality of the games it has like Starhawk, Killzone 2 & 3, God of War 3, Heavy Rain, Little Big Planet 1 & 2, Modnation Racers, Gran Turismo 5 and Uncharted 1 & 2, and also with Portal 2 having Steam connectivity and services like HOME, which is almost a platform in and of itself with all of the games you can play for free and the social networking elements it has.

Now if Sony were to either integrate the PS3 into their newer TVs, or if they were to come out with a PS3 kit that would allow you to install a PS3 inside of your computer case along side your other PC hardware(they would operate separately of course) I would be in heaven.

[humbleopinion]

Menech, totally agree with the fact that the library is a matter of personal preference.
But the_best_player is obviously wrong with this "For games PS3 has won hands down" argument when looking at the game tally: when comparing the size and quality of the whole game library (witout bias of our personal preference), right now he Xbox 360 sits on top - all you have to do is take a look at the number of games for each console in gamerankings (and their respective review). The 360 is still having the lead thanks to the one year head start and the new frontiers it pioneered (XBLA for example). When this generation is over the PS3 might be on top, but right now it's still behind.

Anyway, it's amazing how many people here comment without reading the article first (There should be some form of "Article IQ" test for people who are going to comment, so they can only comment if they read the god damned article).
The article only claim that the war is over because both Sony and Microsoft "won" - they reached a point where it's profitable for both of them to nurture this gen instead of jumping to the next gen - but this is where Project Cafe might shuffle the cards. It has nothing to do with who's leading the race, because both consoles are lagging behind the Wii and yet both are amazingly successful.
Think about it: never in the history of video games we had the "2nd place" home console selling over 50 million units. But this generation we are witnessing 3 different consoles passing this number. At the end of this generation, it's possible that all three consoles will be more successful then the original NES - and that's really amazing.

[Aarix]

Life is good when you have a console with a game you like, period. Whether it be gears of war or uncharted, or halo and killzone.

[LiamIRL82]

Yes the war is over, console wars are so stupid and pointless. WHY CAN'T WE JUST ALL GET ALONG!!

[b163o1]

It's on our DNA, Take away are thumbs and were nothing but animals. :)

[the_kutaragi_baka]

Competition is a good thing. It helps breed higher quality games.

[Blaze929]

so, who official ends a console generation? Nintendo with their Wii 2? Or when all three companies launch their new system?

[DeadIIIRed]

I would think it would be when all major players stop supporting the consoles of that generation. So the 6th generation is still chugging along. Just because a new generation comes along doesn't spell the immediate end of the previous.

[SleazyChimp]

May be the lowest common denominator, but at least he use his low quality mic to cross game chat.

[pain777pas]

The PS3s best years are still ahead of it because of Price and the Bluray drive. If a developer still wanted to make PS3 games they can. Even if Sony puts 3 cells and a powerful GPU in a new box they will be backwards compatible. We are at the point where Bluray discs have enough memory capacity to legitimately last for many years to come. In many ways there does not need to be another disc format. Sony could get away with 3 cells and a powerful GPU for the next generation but as we know it will be how you play games now that is going to matter most. PS3 at 199 will do extremely well and may delay the next generation from getting underway in proper. The PS3 offer everything you looking for from a standard console. How you play games will be the differentiating factor next gen. Sony better take a risk for great reward if they want to lead again. Nintendo has found their own lane so they should do fine. Microsoft will hold the West as long as they do not leave their fanbase in the cold by trying to be something they are not.

[Jaces]

Give me 2 more years and I'll be ready for the next batch of consoles. :D

[SephireX]

As an owner of both consoles and a very powerful pc, I hope the next gen is 2014 (I care not for the Wii 2). I'm happy the way things are. UC3 and Gears 3 later this year and many more ps3 exclusives. LA Noire just after releasing along with the Witcher 2. There are plenty of games to play and I don't believe ps3 or 360 gamers are fed up with this gen yet. The PS3 certainly hasn't been maxed out yet and we've yet to even see what Agent will be like. Let's not forget about Versus and who knows, MGS5 may well be on its way too. We still have the next GTA and Resident Evil to come. So in the words of Liquid Snake, its not over, its not over yet! Oh and let's not forget about Bioshock: Infinite.

[no_more_heroes]

People just need to grow the fvck up and stop with this console war bullsh!t. Just play games.

End.

[Nykamari]

So TRUE BRO!!!! Preach on Playa! To me it's no War, just crazy Fanboys acting Foolish! Play games on all systems if have them and be happy. I like the Wii for games, XBOX for it's games and Playstation for it's games. Nice variety!

[LiamIRL82]

Amen to that sister!

[Shok]

Yes it is, IMO at least.

Anyone still rambling on about which console is better are sad, pathetic people. Any point that could be brought up against the competition has been driven into the ground by now, it's old.

The console war IS going on in terms of this gen isn't over yet, and the 360 and PS3 are still competing, but the fanboy war thing is old and needs to be put to rest.

[mastiffchild]

And yet we'll have a million articles over the next month asking "who "won" E3". If the media would drop the fanboy BS maybe gamers would follow suit. Scandalously weak this generation in terms of games media. Terrible.

Seriously, who "wins" E3? It's, by and large, a big press junket and expensive,silly way of revealing news that gets leaked in the build up anyway. How do you win that when it's all down to opinion and there's no way of measuring it? It's a joke.

[Shok]

I think the whole E3 thing is fine. They're just asking who had the more entertaining show. Yea, it's all a matter of opinion, but anything gaming-related is opinionated, pretty much. Besides, who won has nothing to do with the consoles really, just "who had the better show?"

I think the Expo is healthy competition, as each company tries to out-do the other, making it all the better for us gamers.

[espiritu604]

there is a way of measuring it.
compare it by polls.

[Rybakov]

it was never who the hell really cares about how many consoles sold.....last time i checked gaming was about having fun and relaxing with a interactive form of entertainment....not competition and sales

but then again leave it to journalism to ruin our hobby and turn it into a blood fest...only for all the major companies to think that people actually buy into this crap

[Aarix]

"It was never who the hell really cares about how many consoles sold.....last time i checked gaming was about having fun and relaxing with a interactive form of entertainment....not competition and sales"

Who the hell told you that. We buy console to invest in bragging rights. It was never about games. jk

[MasterCornholio]

Only fanboys believe in console wars. In my post in Microsofts E3 conference i was severely trolled by a ton of 360 fanboys. I keep telling people that N4G is filled with fanboys of all types but give me a ton of disagree through multiple troll accounts.

[Mister_G]

PS4 might be late to the party, but should have the most up to date specs :)

[thor]

It's not over

Trey 4 LIFE

[ThrazN7]

enjoy your games people and don't complain about a freaking peace of hardware. fanboys will fight like children and use caplocks for their whole lives.

[Insane087]

I like games!

[Capt-FuzzyPants]

How was that on topic.

[Urrakia34]

He means the console war is over because the world is gonna end today.

[TedBundy]

The console war and fanboys will be around forever, and as generations pass with more advanced consoles come, the fanboys will continue to be more and more political about the industry