adults, why do you 'console war'?

I don't care about who wins. I care about which company does the most right things for their customers and I call out companies when they do the opposite.

The only reason why I do it publicly is because I strongly feel that when a company takes an action that lowers the quality of the service, or product, provided to us customers, we shouldn't support them financially.

In the end, I just want us to have great games and not have to be nickel-and-dimed and jump through hoops and technical hurdles just to get to enjoy ourselves a little bit.
 
I don't "console war" in the sense of blind allegiance.

However, I do believe in making informed decisions and cutting through BS. This leads me to a preference. People can come to different conclusions, but we still ought be be operating on the same basic factual information. Beyond that, I don't care what people do.
 
Any kid under the age of 21 arguing in a console war is young, doesn't have much else to discuss with his peer group, and is annoyed by things that might seem trivial too us adults.

Anyone above the age of 21 who really gives a toss which console is 'better' and argues about spec breakdowns and resolution and that balls is a walking tragedy and needs to grow up quickly.

It really, really does not matter.
Don't like it, don't buy it. Let other people spend their money on what makes them happy.
 
If I had to guess: Emotional attachment to a particular box, brand or company and the feel or need to defend them or attack other brands when said box/brand/company is attacked or criticized by others who have different taste online.
 
Have you ever watched sports fans argue?
You can change the words, but the arguments are the same.
I'm a huge sports fan. I think that there is deep tribalism embedded in iur programming- see politics, sports, religion, whatever. But I understand allegiances to sports teams. I don't get fighting over a box.
 
I find it so dumb. And it's baffling to me that a box will rile people up so much , I don't buy the sports team analogy.

Neither do I, but maybe not for the same reason. I love football(soccer) and american football, yet I don't follow one team. I find adults arguing about sports, just as pathetic as those who argue about consoles.
 
At the end of the day, putting which console you like to the side, if you're wishing that either company goes out of business, you're an asshole. You should hope that they're all successful!
 
People have preferences which lead to opinions. Opinions clash -> Console wars or Smartphone wars or sport teams wars and so on
 
Petty tribalism. The Infamous 3 has gone gold thread is pretty odd, as it's a mixture of fanaticisms blended with obvious shills and a sprinkling of just plain weird.
Can you point out the obvious shills? Bish likes to ban those and everyone who isn't a shill would appreciate getting rid of them.
 
Probably because they've been doing it since they were kids.

I'll grant a degree of sony fanboyism in myself, but I was fortunate enough to be broke during most of the PS3's run so I didn't have the chance to make a call between it and the 360. These days, being a Sony player is again the logical conclusion (for someone waiting on DDR4 boards to upgrade his PC out of a Pentium).

Why do people get vitriolic about it, though? No idea. For me and my friends (that have been doing it since we were kids) it's almost a cat/dog thing. Some of my friends have dogs, and I laugh at their inferior choice when it shits on their rug. They do the same when my cat turns into a claw blender on my lap.
 
Nobody wants to live in a world in which the stronger and yet cheaper console isn't also and automatically the better selling console, especially when it's the one that doesn't want to change the industry — oh, excuse me, "innovate" — by robbing you of your previously traditional and long held ability to share and resell your games. That's why adults "console war", because any other outcome would fuck with their principles and their moral/ethical understanding of the laws of the universe. To some, Microsoft wanted to turn a right into a privilege, and so you witnessed a resounding ovation for Sony at E3 that will hopefully (to some) reverberate for generations to come.
 
I haven't cared since I was a 14 year old child really. If people are happy with their purchases I'm happy.

I did however find a large section of the PlayStation 3 userbase absolutely insufferable from around 2007 onwards. My word.
 
I was past console warring, I was a participant in many previous wars over the years but I'd settled, I feel old and tired, I was happy with both my 360 and PS3.

Then Microsoft tried to destroy everything at E3, with an anti-consumer product with a terrible and uniformly hated UI aimed at pushing adverts, designed by people in corporate marketing and pandering to the worst desires of more nefarious publishers.

It was enough to get me to want to fight the battle again, their vision cannot come to pass, and they need to be punished sufficiently enough that nobody else tries it again, at least for a while. I expect a lot of other old warriors came out of retirement due to the stakes.
 
this.

if we don't keep these companies in check, who will?



also this.

Except that sometimes favoritism for a company runs so deep that people begin to accept whatever shit that company throws at them as the greatest thing ever, therefore causing said company to believe that it's okay.
 
Because when you've only played the same console manufacturers consoles most of your life it kind of becomed a part of who you are. You identify yourself with the brand. I've only played on Playstation consoles and even though I've been a pc gamer for almost two years I still am in the Sony camp, though I don't go actively hating/praising any consoles.
 
Grown ups have bills and responsibilities. We can't afford everything so that's a myth. Unless you're making bank...for that, I congratulate you.
 
I participated in the console war when I was like 14 and moved on to PC before I became a legal adult.

Now I participate in enjoying my computer while other people argue about underpowered and overpriced consoles.
 
I was past console warring, I was a participant in many previous wars over the years but I'd settled, I feel old and tired, I was happy with both my 360 and PS3.

Then Microsoft tried to destroy everything at E3, with an anti-consumer product with a terrible and uniformly hated UI aimed at pushing adverts, designed by people in corporate marketing and pandering to the worst desires of more nefarious publishers.

It was enough to get me to want to fight the battle again, their vision cannot come to pass, and they need to be punished sufficiently enough that nobody else tries it again, at least for a while. I expect a lot of other old warriors came out of retirement due to the stakes.
War.... Has changed....
 
In the context of me not thinking something is bad as one thinks it is, yes. Sometimes I do not think things are that bad

I the context of general infighting I do not.

I just observe the salt
 
Others have said it's like sports and I guess I agree.

Although it's usually the same people saying the same thing in every thread that gets annoying.
 
I hate this "If you have money you should buy all consoles" shit. I'm 24, I have a job and I have enough money to buy whatever I fucking want. and you know what? I bought PC and PS4 and thats fucking it. Why the fuck should I pay for PSN and Live? Why buy a 500$ console only for 3 games a year that are truly exclusives? Owning PS4+Xbox One doesnt make you a "true gamer" or any more objective than me, it just makes you pay twice for almost the same services.
 
It was enough to get me to want to fight the battle again, their vision cannot come to pass, and they need to be punished sufficiently enough that nobody else tries it again, at least for a while. I expect a lot of other old warriors came out of retirement due to the stakes.

Really dude? "Fight the battle"? "They need to be punished sufficiently"?
Wtf kind of talk is that? I didn't realise we were talking about the War of Independence.
 
I'm guessing a combination of nothing better to do at work/home and not wanting to devote their time to something worthwhile. OP hit the nail on the head. This is something that should end once a person is old enough to afford multiple consoles. it was only fun when you were the kid with a Genesis and the other kid had a SNES (that you both got for Christmas) and you'd defend the console's honor to the death.
 
I'm a huge sports fan. I think that there is deep tribalism embedded in iur programming- see politics, sports, religion, whatever. But I understand allegiances to sports teams. I don't get fighting over a box.

People fight over anything - words in a book, schools of art & thinking (seriously - academic feuding make console wars look tame when it comes to insults). Warring over possessions in a society where ownership of possessions is like a religious instruction is just an extension of the tribalism you're talking about.
 
Same reason people have a favorite sport, sports team, HDTV tech/brand, GPU maker, etc.

Xbox 360 > PS3
PS4 > XB1
Lamborghini > Ferrari
AMD > Nvidia
Movies on 120Hz LCDs > Movies on 60Hz LCDs
Football > Soccer (lol, soccer)
 
I don't console war. To me it's not about what is the best for consumer rights or anything else political (there are much worse issues in the world than video game rights). It's all about what system is best for what person. XB1 is perfect for me and for others the PS4 or Wii U is perfect for them.

There is no machine that is with 100% certainty the best console, that is why fighting over it is silly.
 
Seeing that some responses here are rather "strong", can somebody define "console war" and distinguish it from normal discussions about facts and opinions on platforms, games and companies?

Because saying something like "The Wii U is a bad product and I don't really understand why anyone would want to buy it" or "this game performs better on PC than on PS4" is not console war, but many people here take it for that.
 
Because I don't touch peasent consoles like the Pii-U and the graystation 4. Ew.

For realsies, I think people just have strong opinions that have formed over time and when someone seems to have one that differs from that, it kind of makes them angry that they can't "see the light."
 
To an extent this is pretty true... MS was quite loved on GAF in the 360 days. The entire bungled leadup to the XB1 is what triggered the shift. Of course now it has evolved into a bit of a monster, but that's how these things always go. The crazies take hold of anything and try to use their choices to feel superior. #naughtygods

I loved the Xbox and the xbox 360. Sadly, management at MS changed and the direction they took with the Xbox division went against what I enjoy about gaming. They simply no longer make a product that I want to support.


That said, if you want a XB1 I think that is great. I hope you find hundreds of hours of enjoyment from it.
 
I don't "console war" myself, but I suspect everyone wants to be that enlightened/informed individual in their group of peers.

Unfortunately no one cares besides you, as an adult, and you risk being perceived as a man-child in arrested development. Or at best, they look at you as though you've lost your mind while they nod their heads as you explain to them how awesome 8GB GDDR5 is and what it means for the next generation of consoles and how it will enrich their stale pathetic lives with delicious depths of memory... Omg!
 
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