A hollow victory, from a gaming perspective

In accordance with my previous post, this post is not about bashing Sony. It's about defending my previous statements.

Now that Blu-ray has one the format war, you might expect me to come out and say I was wrong that designing the PS3 around Blu-ray was a bad idea. But I don't think it was a bad idea. Even though we now know for sure that Blu-ray will continue to be used (at least until downloads become the norm, but we don't know how far off that is) and the PS3 is only a little bit more expensive than the 360, Sony still did irreparable damage to the console's future. The reason? The high price point originally led many early adopters to choose the Xbox 360. Also, even though the format is a success, there's little reason to believe it will replace DVD any time too soon, given how long it took DVD to replace VHS when it first came out. That's why comparing the PS3's Blu-ray player to the PS2's DVD player doesn't make sense; DVD existed long before the PS2. Maybe when more people are willing to get a new player, the PS3 will seem more attractive. That seems likely. However, there's another caveat of the argument we should look at: Sony wanted to use the Blu-ray movie functionality of the PS3 to attract more casual gamers, or at least I remember reading that; leave a comment if I'm wrong. Even if I am wrong, it seems reasonable that they wouldn't push the movies to attract hardcore gamers. But the casual gamers seem to have made their choice, and they've chosen Wii.

All that being said, though, including Blu-ray with the PS3 ended up being a worthwhile risk from a movie perspective. And I do believe that it will/has increase(d) the PS3's sales. But I also know that the PS3 is still lagging far behind its competitors, and I think Blu-ray is part of the reason. Not the main reason, by any stretch of the imagination, but a reason. As for what I think the main reason is, I've talked about that before.

Another important note: if I ever discuss Blu-ray or HD-DVD again on this blog or the radio show, it will only be for things that directly relate specifically to gaming or game consoles. I don't think the media formats themselves are inherently related to video games, which is what this blog and radio show are about.

Fanboys Return: DJ Goron's Rebellion

Back when this blog was called Warriors of Gaming, I talked a lot about how annoying the console wars mentality is to me. Long story short, fanboyism is not inherently a bad thing. It's when you turn it into hating other companies that it becomes a bad thing. As things heat up and I keep checking QJ.net more thoroughly to get news for the radio show, I realize that even though my hate of Sony did not come from fanboyism, and that I always tried to be rational about it, I was still exhibiting the console wars mentality. So now, as I said on the radio, I am going to work even harder to make sure the console wars mentality is not part of anything I say about Sony. I still don't like them all that much as a company, but especially when I'm on the air or writing this blog, I am rededicating myself to not letting my personal opinions get out of hand. I am dedicating myself to staying completely rational, and not automatically assuming the worst from Sony.

Because I see it all the time. People deluding themselves into thinking Nintendo is manufacturing a Wii shortage, or that the red ring of death is proof that Microsoft doesn't care about customers, or that Sony would be out of business without Square-Enix. It's ridiculous. They are businesses trying to make money, yes, and there is nothing wrong with caring about their business practices, but either be rational or keep it to yourself.

Here's an example. On QJ there's one guy who goes by the rather stuck-up and hypocritical name of "Mr. Common Sense" who jumps at every chance to bash. But he doesn't bash Nintendo the way I bash Sony (with reasoned arguments); he prefers long, angry rants about how Nintendo is evil and their fans are idiots. You don't have to like Nintendo, buddy, but insulting your fellow gamers because they have different tastes than you is not going to help anyone. Do me a favor and look at the backlogs of this blog. I've said some pretty discouraging Sony, but have I ever been an asshole about it or insulted Sony fans? No. And if I have and just forgot about it, I deeply apologize, because as I hope you can tell from everything else I'm saying here, that isn't me. Tell me where it is and I'll change it. People like Mr. Common Sense him are the pinnacle of what I'm talking about here. It's ridiculous, and it has to stop. I'm doing my part, now do yours.

You might say, "But DJ Komali, but saying that about Mr. Common Sense, aren't you also bashing your fellow gamers for their opinions?" No, and let me explain why: I'm bashing one particular person, and not for what he believes or likes, but for how he acts. That's the difference. I'm not saying don't get mad at people, I'm saying keep it civil, and get mad at people when they actually DO something to make you upset, not just when they like brand A and you like brand B.

We're back with a new name, on the radio, and as angry as ever

That's right, my few readers, I'm back. I probably will not return to Dark Diamond, as I would rather not have the content of my posts edited by others, so for now I'm focusing on my own blog.

Next, this blog has a brand new name and address. The former Warriors of Gaming is now Press Start: Blog for Gamers. This is because it will now go along with Press Start: Radio for Gamers, a radio show my friends and I are doing on our college radio station. For more information about the show, and how to listen to it online, go to freewebs.com/presstartkdic and check it out. Because of this change, my co-hosts Denny and Hanna (aka DJ Lemonsmith) may drop by for some posts as well. Also, I will start calling myself by my radio name (DJ Goron) instead of my previous nickname, Unknownwarrior33. The radio show is based on the same ideas and content as Warriors of Gaming was, so the type of content in the blog is not likely to change.

I hope you enjoy, and keep reading the blog. For gamers, it's the way to go.