Console War V Part 4 September 4, 2013

Before I begin to talk about how the motion control revolution altered the landscape in the Console War, I want to briefly chronicle a sad footnote which happened to take place during the time before Sony and Microsoft launched their motion-control systems.  In 2010, Microsoft made the unfortunate decision that in order for the Xbox 360 to be expanded to its fullest potential, Xbox Live’s connection to the original Xbox would need to be severed.  That would mean that any Xbox player who had not been playing Xbox Live on the Xbox 360 would no longer be able to download content, updates or play multiplayer matches on any original Xbox game, and Xbox 360 players would no longer be able to play original Xbox games online, even if they were backwards compatible.  Any Xbox Live user who hadn’t upgraded to the 360 would have their service terminated and would no longer be charged for it.  Microsoft said the decision to shut off Xbox Live access to original Xbox games would allow them to bring in new features for the Xbox Live service they otherwise could not.

Microsoft discontinued the service just in time for the Halo Reach beta test, but a stubborn group of about 18 players refused to log off the system for days hoping Microsoft would change their decision.  Microsoft stood by what they were doing and would not change their minds.  Just as promised, Microsoft discontinued Halo 2’s multiplayer as well as the multiplayer for every other original Xbox game, however they did not sever access to anyone who had already been logged in.  The players who refused to log off Halo 2 were offered Halo Reach beta access as an incentive to stop playing but their protest would continue for days before they eventually logged off.

I remembered Microsoft talking a long time ago about the reason why they had to cap the Xbox Live friends list at 100 users.  It was because Halo 2’s menu system prevented showing more than 100 friends.  Theoretically, by discontinuing the online component to original Xbox users, more features could be possible on the Xbox 360, like an expanded friends list.  To this day, I can’t think of any new feature that Microsoft has added to the 360 since Xbox Live was discontinued on the original Xbox that necessitated that service being shut down.  In fact, to this day the Xbox 360’s friends list is still capped at 100 users.

Time ticked on and Holiday 2010 would become the new battleground for motion control in a way that the gaming press had never seen before.  Project Natal would launch with a new name, the Kinect, and while the original Milo demo would never see a release, the Kinect saw a heavy installation base quickly.  The price tag for a new Kinect would be $149 US, or Kinects bundled with a brand new Xbox 360 for just a $100 US premium over a non-Kinect bundled model.  While the system’s games would have a varied amount of criticism, there were a few hits including Dance Central and Kinect Sports.  In fact, players really liked the Kinect’s free pack-in game, Kinect Adventures.

The Playstation Move launched in a pretty aggressively priced bundle in comparison to Microsoft’s Kinect, but unlike the Kinect which was one solid price by itself or a discounted price when bundled with a new Xbox 360, the Move needed a lot more than just what was in a Move starter pack to take full advantage of the control system.  The Move’s special Navigation Controller, which worked similar to a Wiimote’s Nunchuck was not included with the Move bundle, and players would need to pay $25 US separately to buy one, or be forced to use one of their Dual Shock 3 controllers for a very uncomfortable experience.  Players would also need to have a Move controller and Navigation controller for every player in a Move-compatible game, and a Move wand alone cost about as much as a Dual Shock 3 controller did.

Sony bundled the game Sports Champions with all of the Move Starter packs, hoping that it would be the Move’s killer app at launch, but what Sony didn’t realize was that most PS3 gamers already had what I consider was the Move’s killer app at launch, Quantic Dream’s PS3-exclusive hit Heavy Rain.  Heavy Rain received a hefty free patch some time before the release of the Move, which added full Move support to the game.  Quantic Dream had really done their homework, as they were able to make the Move’s control scheme work seamlessly with the already existing game.  I had played Heavy Rain with just a Dual Shock 3 at the game’s launch, but playing it again with a Move controller felt like I was playing it for the first time all over again.

Over the next two years, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo would continue to fight it out amongst each other for console supremacy.  Microsoft would eventually release several major system updates to improve the interface of the Xbox 360’s dashboard for Kinect users.  After sales of the initial release of Kinect-exclusive games were a little underwhelming, Microsoft started to release 360 games with some form of Kinect support, so players could have several Kinect features in otherwise controller based games, and it is my opinion that is where the Kinect really started to do its best work.  Sony’s Playstation Move did not get the installation base Sony had hoped for, and because of that games that supported it were few and far between.  The game that was supposed to be the Move’s killer app, Sorcery, was released at a reduced price and could not gain the critical or financial success the Move needed to improve its sales.  Nintendo would continue to release new games from their classic properties in order to push the Wii to its absolute limits.  While games like The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which took full advantage of the Wii’s MotionPlus feature, would be a critical and commercial hit for Nintendo, many players believed the game would have looked and played so much better if the Wii could display in high-definition.

As time continued to tick by the Playstation 3 continued to gain more traction on the Xbox 360, and the Xbox 360 continued to gain on the Wii.  However, Nintendo’s early lead was just too great for either the Xbox 360 or the Playstation 3 to overcome.  By 2011, Nintendo had decided that it was time for the Wii to be replaced with an all new HD game console, and with the announcement of the Wii U, the latest console war began to wind down.  Sony and Microsoft were not deterred by the Wii U’s announcement and continued to pour support into their current consoles while Nintendo ramped up support for the Wii’s follow-up.  Shortly after the release of the Wii U, Sony and Microsoft announced their newest consoles, and with those announcements this console war has come to an end.  As we close the book on this console war, the Nintendo Wii would come out with the gold medal, and the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 would share the silver medal.  For the next console war, Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft would be fighting it out once more, but that’s a story that is still being written.