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24

Console War, p87

August 6, 2021 by Tim


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Michael
Michael
3 years ago

I want to parade around in Switchface.

Will B.
Will B.
3 years ago

Hah. Excellent “Zoolander” reference in the paper!

Randalf
Randalf
3 years ago
Reply to  Will B.

Lead model is even rocking the “Blue Steel”.

BENJAMIN SMITH
BENJAMIN SMITH
3 years ago
Reply to  Will B.

I had forgotten that bit of Zoolander lore. I was assuming it was some kind of obscure Switch bug they were referencing.

Rex Vivat
Rex Vivat
3 years ago
Reply to  BENJAMIN SMITH

It’s both. Although the Switch Joy-con drift is not really all that obscure.

Eldest Gruff
Eldest Gruff
3 years ago

Heh, I wondered if we were going to see the Steam Deck on here. My money was on it being a gang of kids in the PC’s town or something.

And… is that a civilian Switch? Huh. Assumed those guys were all deployed. But with 89 million of them, I guess there’s probably plenty holding up the fort back home.

Jaeger
Jaeger
3 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

there’s always non-combatants. economy doesn’t run that well with just elderly(some of which are still on the front) and kids.

Me-me
Me-me
3 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

Honestly, for the longest time I assumed that the main conflict between PS and Xbox was just them – Nintendo having long since annexed the lands from Atari et al and now living mostly peacefully, yet unassailable, in a foreign land.

Nintendo doesn’t really compete with PS and Xbox. No reason a console war has to be a console world war, was my thought. I guess that’s PC’s role.

Eldest Gruff
Eldest Gruff
3 years ago
Reply to  Me-me

Nintendo absolutely competes with Sony and Microsoft. That’s essentially marketing rhetoric; same as how Microsoft claims that it doesn’t really compete with Sony or Nintendo, but rather Amazon and Google. They all compete. All of them. Anyone who wants you to sink hundreds of dollars into buying their box to play their games. That’s why when you go to your local Wal-Mart or Target, the “Video Games” section is equal parts Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, and never shift around, despite how well some games sell over others. That doesn’t just happen because Wal-Mart and Target want to be fair. They… Read more »

no thanks nintendo
no thanks nintendo
3 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

Thank you! It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who sees through the marketing BS. Starts to feel that way when you see people parrot it over and over and over…

Pulse
Pulse
3 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

last time i went to walmart nintendo had its own section but the playstation and xbox areas where flooded with switch games. the takeover has begun!

DanVzare
DanVzare
3 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

Look, McDonalds and Burger King are both competing in the same way as Xbox and Playstation, because when you get one, you have no reason to go for the other. But Nintendo is competing in the same way as Aldi and Lidl (or Wal-Mart and another American supermarket), in that there’s always a reason to go to the other. Most people have a Playstation and a Switch, or a Xbox and a Switch. Almost no one has a Playstation and an Xbox. The simple reason being that the Switch is offering something that’s different and complements the competition. If you… Read more »

StringPetounPing
StringPetounPing
3 years ago
Reply to  DanVzare

You have to be fortunate to afford supporting two consoles in the same generation. I know a lot of people that cannot afford to support two console in the same time. It is in the less rich family that Nintendo is definitively competing. Remember the money that you put in buying a second console is the money you could put to buy at least a couple of games.

Universal Gamer.
Universal Gamer.
3 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

Nintendo “Competes” with Microsoft and Sony the same way an older brother “Competes” with his siblings. That is in a Half hearted fashion where they put JUST enough effort into the race to stay in. What I mean is that the only areas they really have to compete for market share are Indie Games and Third Party IPs. The reason? They OWN some of the most recognizable and beloved IPs in gaming history that come with some of the most loyal fans. Examples are Zelda, Mario, and of course the Ultimate cash cow. Pokemon. NONE of which will ever appear… Read more »

no thanks nintendo
no thanks nintendo
3 years ago
Reply to  Me-me

Nintendo 100% competes with PS and Xbox. I’m rather sick of Nintendo spewing such nonsense and I’m surprised people keep falling for it. Nintendo sells video games, Nintendo sells video game consoles, and people have limited time with which to play video games. Of COURSE Nintendo is competing with all other video game companies, and further other sources of entertainment like movies and television, for the time and the money of consumers.

Pulse
Pulse
3 years ago
Reply to  Me-me

to a degree thats understandable if you add nintendo’s part in the fight being to keep the others from becoming too strong and becoming a major threat.

foducool
foducool
3 years ago

ahah bold approach, considering the current social climate

Alexander Busch
Alexander Busch
3 years ago

Did anybody notice that the Switch’s display is at its back and the Steam Deck’s are at the front?
Coincidence? ?

Alexander Busch
Alexander Busch
3 years ago
Reply to  Tim

Oh sorry, I mistakenly took the little notch of the Switch as the back, but they are visible from both sides. Never mind, I said nothing.

Jaeger
Jaeger
3 years ago

Shouldn’t it be Vita or Game Gear face?

Maybe it’s like dreadlocks, older and more wide spread than most people think and that’s why people getting offended over some one else doing it are dumber than pile of rocks.

So let’s laugh at the ninties for being offended and steamers for hopping on a band wagon. Win-Win.

Eldest Gruff
Eldest Gruff
3 years ago
Reply to  Jaeger

“Center screen with controls on either side” started with the Game & Watch.

And I believe the joke here is, the Steam Deck is *also* a hybrid console, being able to be played handheld and docked to a TV, and they pretty much took the Switch’s design and slapped a PC in there.

Jaeger
Jaeger
3 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

Good point, take the like :D.

no thanks nintendo
no thanks nintendo
3 years ago
Reply to  Jaeger

Plus, let’s be honest: if Valve wanted to copy the Vita or the Game Gear, they would have released this a lot sooner. We all know they’re doing this because of the Switch.

raven0ak
raven0ak
3 years ago

and rather more, its because of this funky clowidworld we live in now that switch has become very high selling console, so its business wise a lot sense making to copy on what ppl buy,one that carries more than one purpose

Mrfurious545
Mrfurious545
3 years ago

I have said it before and will say it again, console wars are the absolute best comic and he should stick with it. Ethan comics would be second but the others are too long in this format. I personally would even pay to see console wars three times a week. Because frankly they are just downright entertaining over any other video game commentary on the internet

Cragfast
Cragfast
3 years ago
Reply to  Mrfurious545

No; it’s all about the Campaign. “Ee-aye-ee-aye-no.” temporarily incapacitated me it was so hilarious and well worth 15 pages of buildup, which themselves stimulated some nuanced discussion of probability. Well played, Tim. It takes some confidence to devote such a length of time to a gag, not knowing for certain if it’ll be worth the payoff…but on this occasion, ye gods its was!

TomB
TomB
3 years ago
Reply to  Cragfast

I like both, but I’ll say this: The Campaign is fun and is amusing. My favourite fantasy gaming related storyline is still from KotDT with the ‘Dread Gazebo’.

Notwithstanding that, the Campaign and the Console Wars are fun. My personal favourite is Starcaster but I do like what Tim’s done with Ethan, Lucas, and Zeke lately.

Mrfurious545
Mrfurious545
3 years ago
Reply to  Cragfast

Honestly the players are mostly only funny in small doses and I felt that was dragged out. I’m not saying his longer ones are terrible. But this 3 times a week format for them just honestly is too slow. Console wars has far better one offs when needed. And can have interesting Longer segments. None of them have ever bombed

Cragfast
Cragfast
3 years ago
Reply to  Mrfurious545

Try casting Detect Sarcasm, then rereading my comment.

raven0ak
raven0ak
3 years ago
Reply to  Mrfurious545

what makes console wars unique though is that there is only new page when there is something noteworthy happening in gaming world worthy of being part of large scale console war going on

Mr. Casual
Mr. Casual
3 years ago

I’m curious why everyone else is in a war, but Steam’s in it for fashion. This is very definitely going to be a war for the mobile market. Heck, it could even take sales away from other consoles.

Especially if no one can get any. >_>

Eldest Gruff
Eldest Gruff
3 years ago
Reply to  Mr. Casual

Let’s just wait and see first how well Valve, a company whose sales are 99.9% direct-to-consumer digital offerings, does in mass-producing and selling a physical unit that it (presumably?) intends to bring to retail stores, without also bringing retail games to said stores.

And if they don’t intend to bring the Steam Deck to brick-and-mortar, I really don’t see how it’ll have much of an influence on the 97% of gamers who don’t really pay attention to gaming media and news but just buy “the new FIFA” or “the new Mario” when it comes out.

Mr. Casual
Mr. Casual
3 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

I dunno, consoles in retail stores are currently a huge problem. If Valve keeps ownership of the distribution they also get to decide how things get distributed. Their system of giving people with verified accounts an individual chance to buy them makes a lot more sense to me than the chaos of the console market as it stands. I agree that it remains to be seen how well they’ll do, or how well they’ll support it, given their track record. But I definitely think they’re in this to win some of the sweet mobile market, and I fully believe they’re… Read more »

Universal Gamer.
Universal Gamer.
3 years ago
Reply to  Mr. Casual

Honestly I HIGHLY doubt Nintendo will be effected much. Mostly because any of the software that can be Legally played on the switch that is not an exclusive is either an Indy game or Third party that is Ava on Playstaition and Xbox. And honestly How many people do you think buy a switch to play one of those on an inferior system with lower power and performance. Nintendo’s sale drivers are its first party IP’s which wont be on the Deck. Not with out some one getting it. Running it through all kinds of game breaking stuff and putting… Read more »

Jacob Field
Jacob Field
3 years ago
Reply to  Mr. Casual

As has been established multiple times in the “Console Wars” comics, PCs are not IN the war. They live outside it, they are largely unaffected by it, they don’t really impact it, they view it as a childish spat between inferiors, and a tourist attraction. And in a real world sense . . . no, sorry, this really isn’t going to trigger a war for the mobile console market. Because the SteamDeck isn’t a console. It’s a PC, full stop. They’ve flat-out said so. It has no OS exclusivity and doesn’t run proprietary software. This is no more a console… Read more »

Universal Gamer.
Universal Gamer.
3 years ago
Reply to  Jacob Field

Don’t forget. For Non Mobile gaming. Meaning to play on a TV for the Steam deck you also need to buy the Dock separately. And we do not know how much that will be. And You also more than likely will have to get a separate controller. So to do TV play like a Console you will have to buy two additional components. More than likely a couple hundred extra dollars IF you can even find them with the Chip shortage and Scalper Bots out there. Also the Chip Shortages impact on the Decks production. Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft have… Read more »

Muppet
Muppet
3 years ago

*George Clooney style* PC Master Race! Who else?

no thanks nintendo
no thanks nintendo
3 years ago

Switch just mad that it can’t even run its own exclusive games at double digit framerates.

Universal Gamer.
Universal Gamer.
3 years ago

Which Ironicly…. None of the people Switchs them like hot cakes have ever cared about. Its kinda what people dont get. Nintendo is not selling consoles. They sell Games and Mech. And they make those Games exclusive to console they own so that they can control them. Honestly I have a 1st gen switch and have yet to run into any problem that was barley noticeable with the graphics. But even then what? You options are buy a switch or….. Not play any Nintendo games. Considering that Nintendo OWNS flat out 10 of the top 20 selling games of all… Read more »

Merendel
Merendel
3 years ago

lol love the stab at the joycon drift in the article.

Paul
Paul
3 years ago

Wait, there was a Steam fashion show, and NO HATS were involved?!?!

Syb
Syb
3 years ago
Reply to  Paul

I think the switchface is the “hat”