Almost every gamer from earlier times knows the following situation. You sit at home on Christmas or your birthday and wonder if you will receive the most important gift of all: the first console. What logo was on the box could almost end up in a religion on the playground. That is no longer the case today.
What decision is one of the most important for gamers? Besides the first starter Pokémon, for many gamers, the first dilemma was: Which console will be my first?
The Reddit user Deadshot5 recalled this question from earlier days with a meme in the gaming subreddit. With over 50,000 upvotes and more than 2,000 comments, many gamers became nostalgic and commented on the order in which they owned consoles or how extreme their decision was.
Why was this decision so important back then? At that time, there were exclusive titles that were genuinely exclusive. There are still some today, although very softened. Games like the “Marvel’s Spider-Man” series or God of War were released on PC several years after their PlayStation exclusive release. Xbox even releases their games directly on PC. Nintendo still holds on to their exclusivity.
Besides the exclusive titles, there was also the issue with multiplayer. If you wanted to play with your friends, you had to own the same console. However, this problem was almost entirely resolved in 2017 with one of the most hyped games of all time, establishing a technology that is supposed to put the console war on hold for a long time.
What do gamers say about the topic of console wars and crossplay? In the comments under Deadshot5’s Reddit post, many share their experiences on this topic. The user UnderInteresting describes the devastating consequences of the ancient console war (Reddit.com):
I lost a friend because of that when I was about 12 years old. So stupid when I think about it today.
Another user named anonnemous shares his console story and gives a glimmer of hope for a future without this topic (Reddit.com):
I switched to the Xbox 360 back then because all my friends in middle school had them, otherwise I would probably have stayed with PlayStation. Nowadays, with all the crossplay games, kids hopefully don’t have to make this decision anymore.
The Miracle Called Crossplay
When was crossplay first used? With crossplay, the decision for or against a console becomes irrelevant. The ability to play with other players on different platforms has existed for over 20 years.
The first game to use this technology was the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI. From 2002 to 2006, the game was released in different regions on PlayStation 2, PC, and Xbox 360, and offers crossplay between each of these platforms.
Only in 2017 did crossplay go mainstream with Fortnite Battle Royale. Whether you own a PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, a PC, or just a smartphone, you can play Fortnite with anyone.
Is the choice of console still important today? No. Definitely not as important as it once was. Crossplay and the fact that many developers are opting for less exclusivity make the console war feel like a relic of the past. However, there are still pure exclusive titles like the new Mario Kart, which is only available for the Switch 2.
What was your first console and have you since parted ways with it, or are you still a supporter of the first brand? Let us know in the comments and share your own console war stories.
Microsoft has already taken great steps against the console war. The former Xbox exclusive classic Gears of War is set to be released as a “Reloaded” version directly on the major platforms PlayStation, PC, and Xbox: PS5 players celebrate the end of the console war, but one faction is left empty-handed
