Games - Console wars

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	Games - Console wars

Console wars is a term used to refer to periods of intense competition for market share between video game console manufacturers, with particular emphasis on television advertising. The winners of these wars may be debated based on different standards: market penetration and financial success, or the fierce loyalty and numbers of the fans of the system's games.

Due to different manufacturers releasing consoles at different times the wars described below are not exact definitions and don't necessarily have firm beginning and ending dates. Also, these wars had different years and combatants on different continents, since traditionally the 3 main markets- Europe, Japan and North America; have been treat as totally separate entities with machines and games released at totally different times or even totally different games being released. Today this situation is not quite so apparent however it is still there particularly with regards to Japan vis-a-vis the other two markets.

In the mid-1980s low-end personal computers were used as game consoles by consumers worldwide (since no other competitive consoles were then available) and that era is included here as well.

In North America the devotees of each system are referred to as fans or by linking to the platform name, as in PS3 owners. In the United Kingdom the term fanboy originated during the 1980s during console wars between many home computer systems, particularly the ZX Spectrum and Commodore. It should be noted, however, that the two terms have been used by people of the other countries. For example, the term fanboy is used quite often on US-based Video Game message boards. By any name, fans and fanboys staunchly defend their purchasing decisions even when another machine is clearly and demonstrably more sophisticated.

General concepts found in system wars

Although a "console war" can be thought of as a battle between competing console manufacturers, much of the controversy and notoriety is associated with the supporters of each console, who often pledge loyalty to a console even before its release and engage in intense arguments over the merits of their chosen console.

This phenomenon is unusual in the world of consumables; there are, for example, hardly any "stereo system wars", where people care about what kind of stereo system others purchase. The only explanation usually put forth as to why there are console wars amongst gamers, is based on the idea that the more popular a console is, the more games will eventually be developed for it. This is the positive network effect and is the underlying reason for a related phenomenon, the computer operating system OS Wars.

What makes the wars even more fierce, is that often the major controversies and debates occur before any of the systems are even released, based on what historically have often been dubious specifications released by the manufacturers.

To certain gamers, the whole concept of a console war or a player's loyalty to a console is seen as the "tail wagging the dog", that is to say, a way of thinking which is backwards. To these gamers, one should select a console based on the quality of the games available on that console. This behaviour, however, is definitely not encouraged by the console makers themselves, who are generally not able to release more then a handful of games when the console itself is released.

Psychologically, debates amongst fans in a console war can be seen to be a way of dispelling buyers remorse. This is because game consoles are often a significant outlay for a youth, and often a gamer feels they can only afford to choose one. Realizing as more games are released that one has chosen incorrectly can be a major ego bruise.

The original console wars

This console war took place primarily in North America, between 1980 and 1984, and was fought between three American companies. The pyrrhic outcome and virtual bankruptcy of all the major combatants set the stage for Japanese dominance of video game console manufacturing by eliminating competition and discouraging American and European investment. When Nintendo brought console gaming back to North America in 1985 the discredited market segment held no American-based competition.

The Atari VCS was introduced in 1977 at a price point of $199 USD after two years of research and $100 million in investment. Its name was changed to Atari 2600
in 1982 when Atari introduced the "next generation" Atari 5200. By 1980 sales were doubling annually and three million homes had Atari consoles.

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