Graphics may not matter in next video game console war

As printed in The Northern Light newspaper
Sept. 26, 2006

The thought among video gamers used to be that better graphics meant a better game, but that notion will be tested in the coming months as the three video game systems of the next generation will finally go head to head.

While the Microsoft-made Xbox 360 was released last year, sales of the system in Japan are terrible, selling only 158,000 units so far, according to a recent AP article. By comparison, in 2000 the PlayStation 2 sold almost a million units in Japan within the first two days. Later this year, Japan-based Sony and Nintendo are set to release their respective PlayStation 3 and Wii consoles, but both have totally different strategies to win over gamers.

To try to keep up with the PlayStation 3’s Blu-Ray technology, Microsoft will be putting out an HD DVD upgrade for their system, bringing their total Xbox 360 package to essentially the same price as Sony’s system. Both Sony and Microsoft are counting on gamers to spend a lot of money to acquire the latest cutting-edge game technology.

Nintendo, on the other hand, is foregoing graphics power to make a low-cost system that boasts new levels of interactivity. Of course, Sony then announced that the PlayStation 3 will also have a motion-sensing controller, but Sony’s main sales point will still be the system’s power. Nintendo is counting on gamers wanting games that are simply fun to play and appropriate for families and parties.

While gamers will always want better graphics and physics – as evidenced by PC gamers willing to pay thousands of dollars for the newest graphic systems – there is a growing trend toward games that are quick, interactive and fun. The immersive, time-eating online games will start fading away as the number of Massively Multiplayer Online games dilutes the online player base, leaving only a few standout titles, like “World of Warcraft,” with anything close to a massive audience.

Meanwhile, cutting-edge systems like the handheld PSP are being used by hardcore gamers as emulators to play old NES games and arcade classics. Even on PlayStation 2, interactive games, like “Guitar Hero,” “Dance Dance Revolution” and “Karaoke Revolution” are finding bigger audiences than most generic action adventure titles that only have graphics as a selling point. Even the Xbox 360’s Live Arcade was talked about more than its launch titles.

As video games become more mainstream, we can expect this trend to continue. Fewer gamers will be couch-bound loners who want to spend 10 hours a day in a game world, but more will be groups of friends and families who want games anyone can just pick up and play together, whether online or off.

There will still be a large market for the “Final Fantasy” and “Halo” games, but the classically fun games are making a comeback. The future of video game design depends a lot on which side wins the upcoming console war: the graphics or the fun. Gamers can only hope that companies find a way for games to have both.