The Stupid Gamer

Now that all three major console manufacturers have launched their newest consoles, next-gen can finally be referred to as current-gen and the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube games can be considered last-gen. So, now that we’ve finally arrived, is it anything truly special? Not really.

The Xbox 360 is really on a roll right now and is looking pretty impressive overall. It has, however, introduced gaming to microtransactions. These microtransactions are easily the worst thing to come along in gaming since, uh, well, ever. Hopefully microtransactions don’t become the Xbox 360’s legacy, but rather compelling software such as Gears of War and the eventual Halo 3.

The PlayStation 3 is off to a bit of a rocky start. The launch software is really, really, bad, and the system is plagued with all sorts of issues that range from hardware glitches and bad HDTV support. In fact, even though I have a nice HDTV, the PS3 would downscale my games to 480p because it doesn’t accept a 720p image. So basically my PS3 games would run in the same resolution as my old GameCube games. Lots of issues are being reported with the bluetooth controllers dropping in and out of communication as well. I think the PS3 will be fine in the long run, but its first few weeks haven’t been very reassuring. I can’t wait to see how it performs once the good software (MGS4, DMC4, etc.) starts rolling out.

The Nintendo Wii is off to a better start than either the 360 or PS3 were able to achieve. I think a lot of people are surprised by the amount of momentum and positive buzz that Nintendo has been able to build over the past 2 years leading up to the Wii’s launch. The pack-in game, Wii Sports, has proven to be a hit across the board and stories have flooded online forums of people playing with parents, grandparents, and all types of “non-gamers.” I think the Wii will do well, but let’s hope that Nintendo can actually commit to a good and solid online experience. It will be interesting to see if the Wii’s love fest is a long-term thing or merely a flash in the pan phenomenon.

Right now I still haven’t been able to track down a PS3 and I’ve decided I’m better off waiting until the Spring (at the earliest). I really do have plenty to keep me busy between the 360, the Wii, and stuff I haven’t finished on the PS2.

Ever since the Wii landed in my home last week I’ve been glued to the little machine, and so has my wife. The simple software is extremely friendly to anybody that wants to give things a quick try, but usually those little “quick tries” turn into a thousand “one more times.”

If you have any interest in the Wii, make sure to pick one up when you get the chance. I’ve never been so satisfied so quickly after the launch of a console. The future for the Wii is overwhelmingly bright and I have a feeling we’ll all be singing Nintendo’s praises for years to come. Coupled with the DS, Nintendo has now firmly cemented itself once again as a prominent and important videogame company.

Despite feeling quite ill today, I’m still planning on jumping into a line tomorrow to try and score a PlayStation 3 console. I don’t know why I bother though; as of yesterday there were already 5 guys in front of the closest Circuit City store and about 10 in front of the nearest Target.

Who are these people that are able to line up in their makeshift shanty towns for days end end for the chance to buy a $600 videogame console? Don’t they have work, school, or any sort of social life outside of gaming? How am I, a man with a 9 to 5 job and a wife, supposed to compete with these insanely motivated campers?

I guess the answer is that I can’t. The best I can do is try to find a store that won’t allow people to line up until the night before and try my luck there. While that sounds ideal, there are actually already people just wandering these stores and their parking lots to be the first to jump in line the second they are allowed. Essentially they are already in line and ahead of me.

So where does the blame lie? This happens for nearly every console launch and it never seems to change. I think that the console makers themselves need to be a bit more compassionate towards their fans. They need to delay hardware launches until they can provide enough systems to meet the initial demand. I understand that Sony is really happy to get the PS3 out before the holidays, but do they really need to? Does the sellout success of ANY new console depend on capitalizing on the holiday season? The answer is a resounding “NO.”

Sony could roll the PlayStation 3 out in February with 2-3 million consoles availalble and sell every single one. Microsoft could have done the same a year ago. Instead of forcing their fans to battle each other and struggle to get their hands on a system, these console makers should be willing to delay their launches so that their biggest supporters can have an enjoyable launch experience. For me, living in Utah, there’s not going to be anything enjoyable about spending the night in sub-freezing temperatures for the outside chance of getting a PS3; and if I come up empty-handed on Friday morning, you can bet that I’m going to be bitter.

Consoles should launch outside of the holidays unless they are truly prepared to be launched in proper fashion. By releasing consoles after the holiday season, the gamers can focus on the huge lineup of AAA games that appear each November and December and worry about getting their hands on new hardware a couple of months down the line.

While it’s too late to do anything about it this generation, let’s just hope that next time around the console makers can be a bit better prepared to meet the launch day demand or that they can delay their launch until they are.
Good luck PS3 and Wii campers. Dress warm, be courteous, and be safe.

You can now order your Wii component cables online directly from Nintendo, but you’ll have to wait until mid-December to pick them up in stores. There will most likely be 3rd party alternatives available, but if you want the official cables, you must go through Nintnendo at this time.

Here’s the order link: Wii Component Cables

Here’s my finalized list of Wii launch day purchases. I’ll be doing some reviews, so look forward to them on AMN soon.

• Nintendo Wii console
• Extra Controller
• Extra Nunchuck
• Classic Controller
• Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
• Metal Slug Anthology
• Elebits
• Excite Truck
• Red Steel
  
• Trauma Center: Second Opinion
• Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam
• Rayman Raving Rabbids
• Super Swing Golf
• Various VC titles

It should be a fun launch. Hopefully there’s enough systems to go around for everybody. There’s no reason to believe that anybody should have a hard time getting their hands on a system. Less than a week to go!

UPDATE: Preorders have closed and you can no longer get a system into your cart. Debates are raging whether or not the preorder was legit or a glitch, but several people who contacted Best Buy have been told that their orders will be fulfilled.

BestBuy.com is now taking preorders for both the 20GB and 60GB PS3 systems. I doubt this will last long, so act quickly if you haven’t already.

I got a preorder in for the 60GB model. Here’s hoping they can fulfill all the orders they take!

20GB add to cart

60GB add to cart

Head out and check your local EB and Gamestop stores; apparently Wii kiosks have been showing up as early as yesterday. It seems that Excite Truck is one of the favorite demos based on reactions in popular gaming forums. I’ll probably drop by this evening to see if the demo unit is in near my home.

Having already played the system a few times (E3, press events), I’m not as geeked out about the demo station as I would normally be, but I’m curious to see the public reaction. I could always go in for a bit more time on Excite Truck, however.