Versus Mode: PS3 vs. Xbox 360 vs. Wii, Round 1 (Control)
I’m a gamer. I make no excuses for the habit — at least it’s better than watching television all the time. I also hope to be a published author some day, and thus, barring a miracle of popularity, I’m pretty much condemned to poverty, and the likelihood of me being able to buy all three current video game consoles is almost nil. But I’ve gotten over it.
Today I’m starting a weekly “versus mode†series. Each week I’ll look at one (or multiple) factors that distinguish the three current generation consoles, in an attempt to figure out which one is the best. I don’t own any of them, and I’ve only had a chance to play extensively with the 360 and the Wii — but I figure that balances out the fact that the only console I own is a PS2, and I’ve been very happy with it. That said, even I don’t know how this is going to end, so check in every week and be surprised along with me.
Today, I’ll look at what is probably the most defining difference between Xbox 360, PS3, and the Wii: their controllers.
Nintendo Wii
The Wii was originally named “Revolution,†because the console was going to revolutionize gaming. At the heart of that was its controller — it looks like a remote, is filled with motion sensors, and has an optical sensor on the end. It also comes with a nunchuk attachment for two-handed play. Motion sensing is a great idea, and it works decently, but when a game has you hold the controller in any other manner (say, perpendicular to the screen, as if it were a regular controller), it’s a little uncomfortable. Also, the broader motions that come with using the Wii remote can actually injure you; I found my shoulder getting sore once when playing Wii Tennis. Finally, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — I’ve yet to see the perfect application for the Wii remote.
Microsoft Xbox 360
On the opposite end of the spectrum we have the Xbox 360’s controller. It’s pretty much the epitome of the classic controller: lots of buttons, two analog sticks, and a digital pad. It has a nice feel and is quite ergonomic, unlike the Wii remote, and it has rumble, something the PS3 controller lacks. Still, it doesn’t sense motion, so it’s basically just a last generation controller with a major makeover: it’s sleek and usable, but hardly innovative. Unlike the PS3 and Wii, not all of the 360’s controllers are wireless. Those that come with the core console are wired, and must be plugged in at all times.
Sony Playstation 3
The PS3 controller occupies a sort of middle ground between its competitors. Much more of a traditional controller, the PS3’s SIXAXIS looks and feels a lot like the PS2’s DualShock. However, instead of rumble, the SIXAXIS has some motion sensing capabilities of its own, although due to the differences in design, it’s not easy to directly compare the motion sensing of the PS3 and the Wii. In terms of comfort, it’s still a lot like the DualShock — perfectly reasonable, but they could have smoothed it out a little to make it more ergonomic. There are a lot of rumors floating around right now about Sony putting rumble back in the SIXAXIS, as its lack has caused something of an uproar. Which rumble isn’t hugely important to me, it would round out the controller.
And the winner of Round 1 is…
Okay, so that’s a bit of a cop-out. Still, all three controllers have their ups and downs, and I think for the moment that they balance each other out. The 360’s is reliable, the Wii’s is innovative, and the PS3’s straddles the line between them. If developers start doing amazing things with the Wii remote, the Wii could easily take this round. Likewise, putting rumble back in the SIXAXIS and providing some nice functionality to the motion sensing in their controller could give Sony a leg up. I’m still waiting for a game that will translate reflex movements into actual gameplay (when I pull the controller to the side because my character isn’t running fast enough, why shouldn’t he speed up? We have the technology…)
Next week: POWER!