Straws, Backs and Camels Part 2 : Consoles

My first post about the last straw – losing it on a company was about Electronic Arts. That was way back in 2010. My self imposed EA exile lasted all of almost a year, but I caved in when Dragon Age 2 launched. (Dragon Age is one of the best RPG games out there, ever. DA:2 was a disappointment in comparison, but I still just couldn’t help myself). In the past seven years I am certain there were other principled stands I should have / could have / would have taken but nope, I haven’t. Glad I could so firmly stick to my ideals.

For years I have struggled with the console world. I was X-Box, to X-Box 360  (friends were there), then they switched to PS4 when the new models came out, and I followed. I love PC gaming more for the most part but gaming on a 60″ TV is fun and consoles allow a different kind of gaming with my son as well. There are two things that have always bothered me with consoles. First, is the lack of backwards compatibility. If there was backwards compatibility out of the gate I would definitely have stuck to X-Box One, but once I learned I needed to keep my own system anyway then that gave me the freedom to move to a new system. Both have to stay plugged in regardless. Of course, there is no true technical reason that the old games cannot play on the new hardware except the console makers do not want you playing the old games. They want you buying the new games. So in Microsoft’s greed to try and force me to buy new X-box consoles and games I went to the other team and have spent thousands of dollars between the console, games, and monthly fees. Sorry X-Box, your fault.

The second thing that has always nagged at me is the lack of cross platform play. While console makers have explained this away over the years we learned yesterday just about how much bullshit they have spewed.

Fortnite, by accident, allowed cross-play between PS4 and XBONE. By hitting a switch on their server configuration. The consoles didn’t even have to do a thing. It works as a native function. All of these years of not being able to play with friends, and making purchase decisions based off of that.. I was rarely and perhaps unfairly incensed by that news. Gaming by definition is all about the friends. Console makers are holding back on us because, well, they can. Think of all the times you needed help in a game, or had a hard time with unfair matchmaking, or wish the player base was just a bit bigger on your console so you could enjoy the system and game you bought more fully. It’s available. They just won’t let you have it.

I understand why. Sony, the dominant player, is forcing people to choose because they realize (much like my situation) that people are choosing their console over their competitors. It makes financial sense to them. Although, people who have already made their decision have already made their decision – unlikely someone who has invested their gaming in XBONE after all these years is suddenly going out to buy a PS4. Xbox is getting better with this allowing cross play with PC gamers on titles designed for it (Looking at you, Sea of Thieves!) of which I have participated in and it works gloriously. I doubt the purchase decision is that quantifiable and perhaps as hard to quantify as the extra joy the people who play on PS4 would get by being able to play with their X-friends. Make no doubt about it, not a single console player on either side would not be thankful to have this option. In fact, it’s a no-brainer. In every sense of the statement. I hope enough people care enough to voice their displeasure to Sony.

I’m done. I’m not buying another console game. I’m not supporting Sony anymore. And, if a new console comes out, and for some crazy reason we decide to hop on that train again, it will be going back to Microsoft. This by the very definition is voting with my wallet. Yes, I know it’s not going to have any impact, and I will write emails explaining why to Sony, who won’t care because of the millions of others of people who probably don”t care.  But I do.

Start the timer. Let’s see if I can break my previous record. I mean, this is also the very definition of first world problems. Next week I take on people who double park!