It’s been an interesting week or so for videogame news. Not in a good way, more the Well Known Chinese Proverb sort.
The Wii U sold very poorly in January, and Rayman Legends—a promising 3rd Party exclusive—got pushed back until Fall (and went multi-platform to boot). One theory, via Gamasutra, suggests the low number could be due to scalpers returning their “stock” once they realized they weren’t going to turn a tidy profit flipping the systems on eBay. Maybe the February numbers will be better, but in terms of exposure in the press, the damage has been done. Other news suggests developers are flocking towards mobile devices, and if they are sticking with consoles, they are twice as likely to develop for the next PlayStation or Xbox rather than for the Wii U. A narrative is starting to form. Will the Wii U be the next GameCube, or even worse…the next Dreamcast?
I recently purchased a Wii U, so I now have a “Horse in the race”. I’ve enjoyed it so far, but it’s still rough around the edges in spots and could use more games beyond the solid launch line-up. I think GamePad-only play, and quality kid-friendly titles (Scribblenauts Unlimited is a stand out) will make the system a good fit for our living room. That said, Target just had a buy two, get one free sale on Wii U games, not exactly a good sign.
This brings me to Sony. I missed the live stream of their big PS4 reveal, subsequently looked for news summaries and found none of substance. “It’s called PlayStation 4!” does not make for a very compelling article! But after some digging, some real info was there for the gleaning. The guts of the next PlayStation will basically be a high end PC, easier to develop for and have a bunch of RAM. No direct backwards compatibility will be offered, but playing old games via streaming has been “promised”. The controller is both new and the same, and some vague social media integration was hinted at.
Cue sizzle reel. Most of it, at least viewed from home, looked like “More of the same” with really nice PS3 level graphics. Gone are the jaw dropping Killzone 2 “target videos”. Maybe that’s for the best, you can only pull the wool over people’s eyes so many times, but after viewing I wasn’t quite ready to find a second job to start saving up for one. There were two exceptions. The Witness, while not a graphical knockout, looked very interesting. As a timed console exclusive, I hope it gets properly ported to a system I own. And Capcom’s shiny Deep Down footage hinted quite nicely at where “next gen” may actually be heading.
Overall though, I can’t help but feel a better name for Sony’s new box is PS3.5. Sony is not exactly strong with first party IP these days, and I’m not seeing a need to rush out and buy something that has a 4 on it. For a moment, I was thinking the Wii U might actually have more of a shot with third parties once the Sony and Microsoft hype dies down. Maybe the “graphic gap” won’t be as obvious this round. Then I remembered that it took a good one to two years for developers to really get a handle on the 360 and PS3, so it’s way too early to tell.
Perhaps E3 will be very revealing, and maybe Microsoft will blow people’s minds with the Next Xbox reveal rumored for April, but honestly, I expect parity with the PS4. Like I said, I picked the Wii U, so I am hopeful that Nintendo can turn the fortunes of its latest console around like it has with the 3DS. I’m looking forward to Windwaker and The Wonderful 101. I’m guessing I will grudgingly need to get a new box from Sony or Microsoft to play the next Deus Ex and Mass Effect if and when they are announced, but if the Wii U can provide a diverse library of quality games—even if they are mostly first party—while keeping Nintendo “in the black”, I’ll be happy.
Add in the rumors of blocked used games, required always on internet connections and the march towards the end of physical media, and the future of dedicated videogame consoles seems in flux. As Grandpa Simpson once eloquently said, “I used to be with it. But then they changed what it was. Now what I’m with isn’t it, and what’s it seems weird and scary to me. It’ll happen to you.” I feel like I’m turning into “old man gamer” more and more, each day.
On a final note, I was saddened to read that 1UP has closed its virtual doors. Along with the defunct Gamepro, 1UP was really starting to find its voice under the direction of someone who’s writing I admired and enjoyed reading. It’s rare to find “videogame journalism” that has a sense of history without importing Retro Gamer magazines and visiting “hobbyist” websites. Best of luck Jeremy (and Kat), I look forward to reading your work, wherever it lands.