Which Console Will Decide the Future of Gaming?
 |
The world of video games is at a crossroads. The Nintendo Wii is taking gaming to a different direction than its main competitors, Sony PS3 and Microsoft XBOX360 are. The Wii gets the player involved in the video game, allowing them to swing their arms, balance on boards, and pretty much just exhaust themselves. The PS3 and 360 on the other hand, bring players more engaging storylines, more online play, and much better graphics. So my question is: where are video games headed?
I used to believe it was a no brainer, as technology improves and becomes less costly, video games would eventually become virtual reality worlds that completely immersed the player in a realistic environment with the player’s actual movements controlling the character. But then I came to the realization that maybe the reception of virual reality and interactive gameplay won’t be as open as I thought.
A lot of people like the Wii, it has done tremendously well in sales, but people usually don’t play the games for very long before burning out. I don’t know anyone who has played Wii fit for more than a few times. The health of the average gamer is questionable, so maybe they won’t like having to stand up and have to move more than they already have to when they put on a virtual reality headset.
Nintendo already took a stab at virtual reality with the Virtual Boy, that has you rest your face inside the console for a headset effect in an attempt to create a virtual experience. The Virtual Boy, though fairly innovative at the time, did poorly because the display was only red and the only game anyone remembers from it was Mario Tennis.
Maybe gamers don’t necessarily want virtual reality and more interactive gameplay. Maybe most of the time they want to just sit back and relax and play a good video game and only exhert energy for an occasional song on Rock Band.
While technology is great and I always look forward to games with better and better graphics, I think the reception to virtual reality may be a little cooler than we all think, especially if in the beginning stages if the graphics are red stencil and the face rest is covered in grease.
