Friday 20 April 2007

Is the PS3 the new Saturn?

I was reading this article over at defunct games when that question hit me...

http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=feuds-125

This is of course not the first time this has come up. Many people are actually making this connection.

http://valve.1up.com/flat/Themeweek/Valve/video5.html

So basically they are comparing the marketing and such. But as much as people have ragged on the Saturn, it still has a pretty wide retro fanbase. Will the PS3, with it's dwindling supple of exclusive games, have such a fanbase in a few years? Considering the fact that I can't play RE Outbreak online anymore I wonder how those cool little PS3 features and games will age? When it comes down to it I think that the Saturn is a much better retro gaming system than the PS3 will ever be.

I would have to say that if someone offered me a Saturn in box or a new PS3 in box right now (And I couldn't sell the PS3 right away for cash) I might actually pick the Saturn (If it were a Dreamcast there would be no question, Dreamcast). PS3 games and accessories are obscenely priced (as is all current generation stuff) it might acutally be cheaper to get NiGHTS, Panzer Dragoon and Shining Force games then to pay for new unproven PS3 ones. Plus the PS3 has a bunch of options I can't use since I can't get a decent ISP where I live currently.

In conclusion I would have to say that comparing the PS3 to the Saturn at this point is an insult to the Saturn. The PS3 might very well pick up and "win" the current console wars. It might have some cool games that could turn into classics. But, will it be as cool as the Saturn in it's retro years? I really don't think can be. Real lovers of retro video games have loved the Saturn because it spawned some the best classic video games ever made. To automatically assume that some PS3 games will become as coveted is stretching the lines of reality a bit.

Oh and don't think that I like any of the other current consoles just because I picked up on this thread. I don't have any of them and I won't consider buying any of them until the price goes under $100.

And don't compare the PS3 to the Dreamcast. The undead king of consoles kicks the PS3's ass... That's a proven FACT in my mind.

5 comments:

gnome said...

Quite a few interesting points raised there Caleb, and I must agree. It's all about the the games. Oh, and the PS2 will soon make an excellently excellent retro console itself...

fatherkrishna said...

WOW! WOW! and WOW! again! a fabulously presented argument Caleb!

The PS2 has already passed onto the world of the retro console by the very fact that there is now a PS3.

As such, its FAB! It is no Dreamcast granted but it is rather fine...

Last minute, I took the PS2 away to the Lighthouse, so my friend could play RE4. (I also wanted to play a bit od Kingdom Hearts and VF4...)

Whilst away I picked up Crazy Taxi and Virtua Cop for PS2! I needed that Sega fix!

So in conclusion, will people be picking up ports of VF5 (PS3 game) for the current gen console- for nostalgia's sake- in twelve years time?

I doubt it! Ergo, Caleb is right! The PS3 is no Saturn and Retro Gamers rock!

(I'm still getting a Wii though...) LOL!

Random J said...

With any luck the PS3 will die like the Saturn too.

*Pours petrol all over the floor of a warehouse full of PlayStation 3's*

Caleb said...

*The fire sputters out as it touches the oversized boxes*

Holy crap J!

Even the flames don't want these PS3s...

fatherkrishna said...

I spit on the grave of the PS3...