The Dissolution of Gaming Hardware Differentiation

[NeoZeedeater]

Throughout most of gaming history, each console and computer format has provided a very different audio-visual experience. You can tell a VCS, NES, Amiga, Genesis, N64, etc. game just by looking at it or hearing it. Each machine has had its own charm, its own magic.

I don't think individualized hardware "personality" exists anymore, at least not to the extent it did with past generations. CD/DVD technology has made formats sound almost the same. Machines obviously vary in their graphics capabilities like how many polygons they can push but do PS2, GC, XB, and PC hardware "taste" that much different? I don't think they do.

Thoughts?

[Doug Branches]

about the only thing that really stands out to me anymore is the controllers

[ChaoofNee]

You maketh a good point.
We SHOULD be in an age of software, like Nintendo said. But now, even they are working on new hardware.
I tell ya, we'd be better off with one system made by a company that actually cares about their games. The only deciding factor on what game is on what system is first-parties and who has more money.
...and that was barely a paragraph. Two completely unrelated sentences. Crap, I need sleep...

[Jeremy]

I agree. Back in the 16-bit days, you could tell the Genesis ports of games from the SNES versions based on their graphics and sound, as well as their control. Thanks to the graphical changes, which you could see in mag pics, it was a bit easier to decide if a particular version of a game was to your liking. Now that the graphical capabilities are so evenly matched, it's hard to tell. Although some of the problem you mentioned is because the systems are released so close to each other now.

[NeoZeedeater]

Even the controllers don't vary that much. It's not like the difference between an Atari 2600 joystick and an Intellivision numeric key pad/disc.

[Doug Branches]

Very true, not to mention you don't even necessarily have to use a systems controller if you have one of those converters

[Jeremy]

That converter stuff has been done before though. Remember the old SNES-3D0 one?

[Doug Branches]

Nope, I sure wish I did back when I had a 3do though...

[burgundy]

Interesting observation.

I think the dissolution of which you speak has occured gradually - SNES and Genesis games are more alike than NES and Master System games, and N64, PSX and Saturn games are closer than those. I think this phenomenon is the result of diminishing returns in technical capability. Nowadays, the practical differences between the competing consoles are so slim that the untrained eye can scarcely notice the constraints of the hardware. Throw in the fact that more games are designed for multiple consoles (because of how similar they are) and you have the mix for some very similar-looking games.

Still, some games on Xbox and Cube look so good that they simply could not be done on the PS2 - Prime, Orta and DoA3 stand out. Even the best looking PS2 games have the trademark jaggies, and DC titles look simpler (although still clean) than the others. I don't think I could identify whether a game is running on Xbox or Cube just by what I see and hear, however.

[GameCynic]

I slightly disagree. Of course almost all multiplatform games, and PS2 ports will look the same. However, system exclusive games are pretty easy to distinguish. PS2 games usually have muddy, washed out textures and aliasing problems. Gamecube games look like PS2 games w/ much better textures and antialiasing. XBox games have bump mapping and pixel shaders (although not everyone uses them...the fools). Just need to know what to look for.