Current-Gen Console Assessment

What's the outlook on the twilight of a fine system?

If you have read my previous posting, I have lost my PS3, due to hardware failure of some sort--be it the natural wear of time, defect, or what have you. So, as such, I have decided to commence the search for a new PlayStation 3 system. PlayStation seems to have snuggled its way into our gaming and everyday vernacular by way of its rich gaming and pop cultural history. A sense of historicity(the very real affects of time that connect present actualities to past events and reveal the complexity and import of history on current ways of thought and being), a sense of not always being such a vaunted platform, but, instead, a history revealing why it has been such a viable and leading platform. From the realization of the power of the compact disc, to its implementation of the dual shock controller, to the popularity of its efficient easy to design for, popular to publish existence, the PlayStation has remained well-liked and though it lost a handle on the market, due to the surging popularity of the Xbox brand--specifically the 360 and Xbox Live--, Sony has not been reluctant in its push for versatility and variety in the experience of its games and its device--like playing Blu-ray discs from the start and pushing for creativity/exploration in the games it published.

The games on both platforms (Xbox 360 and PS3) are still coming. They are irreverent in the eyes of their successors, who may feel them obsolete, and the naysayers who prematurely pronounce and proclaim what is and should not be considered relevant.  But, the PS3 and Xbox 360 are staunch in their defiance of rapid and quick succession on the basis of opposition to materialistic fetishes and whims. They choose, instead, to continue to provide quality games and content for their investors. The twilight consoles are at a point of reflection. They have been around the world and back again--originating in the west and in the east--yet finding common ground in the relevant flavors they add to the lives they impact. From Halo 3 to 4; Uncharted 2 to 3; The Last of Us; Crackdown and Fable; Gears of War and Grand Theft Auto. It doesn't matter, there was something for us all. Did you buy in early or did you wait for the eventual decent in price? Did you appreciate the free online services of one, or did you favor the paid-yearly subscription of the other, offering party-chat and all kinds of rambunctious forms of chatter?

A yellow light, a red light, a green light, go!---refurbish.  

Yes, the build quality of the consoles was in question on many an occasion. The Xbox had a seemingly higher rate of failure, the famous--err--infamous, "red light of death". Then there was the PS3 and the YLOD, no, not "DOOM"-- at least not by what I gathered-- the" yellow light of death". These hardware failures proved that not everything which sparkles truly was gold. The amount of money that I imagine countless gamers having spent on replacement consoles, is something I couldn't possibly put a reasonable number to. Lets, instead, say--with trite obligation-- that it probably was enough to "fix" the American economy and "create"... "job's". Yes, it was something else, just dipping a metaphorical toe into the waters of online-forums, was enough to get bitten by the voracious, vocal internet consolidation of a vocal--what some casually call--minority. Once bitten, you too could be converted, "enlightened", to the ever louder ,paranoid pockets of persons that had a view on the issues surrounding the consoles--regardless of the number owned--that was about as big as a bowl. To be clear, I don't think all forums and all threads, etc., are of this ilk, but the handful of heavily-caustic vocalists can pollute and cloud the truth with spite and deep--gorge-like-- bias. This helps no one and solves nothing. We just end up with a small-scale pandemic of flame wars of attrition, where no one admits to the credibility and facts of another, only serving to draw out what essentially seems to be a circular, unending debate, seemingly fueled by a self-induced belief of superiority or inferiority on the part of one corporations money maker over another.


With this said, its generally hard to trust those whom one feels has an agenda at hand. Generally, most gamers, I like to think, want to help you out and are only ever directed by the natural, everyday bias of which we are all prone towards. So, yeah, the consoles that we have been jaded by have displayed a lack of reliability. But, I ask those who have been able to experience these monoliths of gaming in their glory, have you not relished the gaming sessions. Has the leap from standard definition to high-definition not been something you should appreciate, instead of  take for granted. Gaming is a luxury, like music, or television, or even the luxury to crack open a good novel that isn't filled to the brim with propaganda. I would Imagine the inherent right of all human beings to be self expressed and to enjoy some level of well-being would, naturally, cause one to question my assessment. How on earth is reading a luxury, reading I agree(as it is apart of ones right to self-actualization) should not be considered merely a privilege. But, I argue to trivialize the conditions of living that many of our fellow human beings live through, on a daily basis, is as good as assuming that some have, in fact, no advantages or specificity in life pending on their station.

This is obviously not how things should be, of course. But, it is the stark reality of which we face. Thus, it would behoove those of us with the ability to play such wonderful, interactive, works of art, to appreciate it. Now, obviously, I have no authority or expertise, so, who am I to tell you what to do? I get that; my rebuttal is that I'm not trying to get anyone to do anything. My approach is that of a wanderer-- a wanderer who ponders the many wonders within the industry of games. I have stumbled on to a thought of interest and I will continue to explore it. I think with this generation of consoles coming to an end we all must truly put things into perspective--taking off our rose-tinted glasses-- and see the evolution of gaming (graphics, gameplay, content, pacing, narrative, complexity,etc.) for the evolution that it is, and not for just the way it is or has just been(as if through spontaneity), but as a privileged experience. Both for the designers, publishers and the fans. It's all great that we can play what we want, its all great that games have never looked better. It does suck when the console we invest in brakes, and I hold Microsoft, and Sony accountable for their faulty hardware. But, in the end, what does the experience of the twilight consoles summarily mean.


This generation the twilight means a smooth transition. We are experiencing a gradual shift towards the next steps in gaming. The historicity-- the actualities of the history of gaming, are aligning and, so, we can be sure that there are more great games to come. But, we have to appreciate where they came from to remove the debilitated state to which we view the current-gen ,and that may seep into the next. No, I don't ask that you become complacent and disregard your rights. I was, and still am, a big opponent of the Xbox Ones original philosophy and approach. So, I am with all who are voicing their honestly motivated opposition to whatever policy it may be that is infringing/imposing upon their rights or that they feel is wrong in general. But, rather, it is the blind and unquestioning appeal to popular or established "truths" that I oppose. Without looking into the facts of the matter or gathering varying opinions, we risk an apathetic existence to the truth and substance of the matter. Choosing, instead, to settle our energies on the hot topic or the fluff of the matter. We can oppose the direction of a publisher/developer as long as we are, at heart , honest in our assertion of their wrongs, but we don't have to become mindless hate machines, unwittingly playing-up and advertising the non-existent gallantry of   large companies that could careless about you and only pay heed to your wallet.
So, can we just agree, looking at the history of the matter, that this generation should be appreciated and ,within proper context, appreciated for what it is?

What remains....    

All that remains now is more content. The consoles are arguably at their peak of performance. They produce graphics and environments that strain their systems. I know PC players will be up-in-arms over praising anything that the consoles produce, but man do I still appreciate this round of consoles. Thus, I decided that I will replace my old, now malfunctioned, PS3. Not even counting the grand headliner: GTAV vs. Watch Dogs, there are a host of games on the way. The new Thief game was even rumored to be coming to the current-gen systems. The developers may see profit where there are more eyes and ears, but that's business,right. But, some of them--like Rockstar, genuinely appreciate the capabilities still on offer and want to tap out every last ounce of potential left. To those guys I say that is an awesome approach, which benefits both gamer and developer. On the issue of stagnation and its justification for new consoles, I can see that and it's another topic for another day. For now I still see a lot of sales going on and I want to jump in.



Thanks for reading. Have any questions, thoughts, concerns, etc. let me know, leave a comment below. Stay tuned.