Each generation of the so-called console wars is truly any man's game. That's the lesson I should have figured out a long time ago. When a new generation approaches, throw out everything you know about a company's business knowledge.
Sony was on top for years with the PS2, but by the time E3 2006 rolled around the PS3 was a joke ("$599 US dollars!" "Remember that one?"). And somehow, despite that terrible opening and a rough couple years ("PS3 haz no gaems") , I bought one and it became my console of choice.
And remember the Wii shortage in 2006, the long lines, the people camping out in the freezing cold? And how much do you actually play your Wii now?
The original Xbox is widely considered a failure (particularly in the Japanese market), but the Xbox 360 was a huge success for Microsoft. Microsoft was the first to standardize online play for consoles. They've entertained frat boys and 12 year olds everywhere. So it's hard to believe this was the Xbox One reveal.
Which brings me around to the subject of this week's comic. I'm living in a bizarro world where somehow Nintendo has me psyched for an event they won't actually be showing at.
Nintendo's E3 presentations are actually notoriously disappointing; for the past few years they've been doing the exact the same thing: sizzle reel full of games we already know about (or can already buy), heavy emphasis on the most casual title in the room, and none of the things anyone is excited to see. Then a few weeks later they host their own event and announce a bunch of games everyone says should have been at E3. Rinse and repeat. Combine this with the fact E3 has been 'canceled forever' under reasons of being too large and expensive for everyone involved, and you have some reasonable explanation for why Nintendo would call things off.
But I like what I see coming this year. First, Nintendo isn't wasting time with a stupid keynote speech. They're cutting straight to business and doing an E3 version of their Nintendo Direct streams, where they seem comfortable announcing new content. Second, they'll have demos available to the public at Best Buys across the country (Although this still feels dated to me. Developers, it's not like we have a household network of computers that allows the near-instantaneous exchange of digital information). And third, I just really love Smash Bros. and Pokemon.
