I’m starting to need a new storage area for controllers and accessories. Seriously, this generation is all about shoving more and more accessories down our throats. I’m not even talking third-party products here.
Let’s look at the Wii for starters. You’ve got the Wiimote, the Nunchuck, the classic controller, racing wheels, USB LAN adapters, WiFi adapters, and soon we’ll have blaster guns. It’s a lot to handle, just with what you need for gaming on the system.
We’ll turn our heads to the PS3. There’s really not too much going on here as far as accessories go. You have PS2 memory card and controller adapters and bluetooth remotes. Not too bad thus far. I’m sure we’ll be seeing some new things soon, including bluetooth headsets and an HD version of the Eye Toy.
For the Xbox 360, we have more accessories than ever. You have wired and wireless controllers, DVD remotes, Play-and-Charge kits, rechargeable batteries, Quick Charge kits, two different size memory cards (64MB and 512MB), wired and wireless headsets, wireless network adapters, two different size hard drives (20GB and 120GB), Vision camera, wireless racing wheels, and all kinds of faceplates.
Granted, you don’t to buy all the accessories. However, a lot of them are semi-needed, especially with the Xbox 360. The rechargeable batteries and charging kits are almost a prerequisite for using the wireless controllers. In a lot of users situations, the wireless adapter is also needed.
In the last generation, there really weren’t that many accessories. With the Xbox, you had a DVD remote, memory cards, and different size controllers later in the lifespan. With the Gamecube, there were memory cards, network adapters, and wireless Wavebird controllers. Fo the PS2, there were DVD remotes, memory cards and network adapters. Really nothing compared to what we see now.
So why is this becoming the new trend with consoles? We’re paying so much up front to game in the “next-gen”, you would think there wouldn’t be so many accessories needed. The marketing teams at Nintendo and Microsoft have had their products pushed down users throats and almost universally accepted. How much more are we going to see?
All I can hope is the amount of accessories stops growing.
I see where your coming from but alot of the accessories you mention really aren’t needed, especially on the Wii. I have one and you definately don’t need a racing wheel or blaster gun to play and enjoy games. I see where your coming from but no one is forcing you to buy all that extra crap.
Wow, the ignorance in this rant is astounding.
The Wii
Hate to burst your bubble, but the lan adapter and the wifi adapter are not needed if you own a Wii. But I guess only those who actually own one would know that. Also the stearing wheel accessory has been around forever. It’s not new, and you don’t need a classic controller…a GC controller or wavebird works just fine. About the only additional accessory for the Wii is the nunchuck attachment…I guess.
The PS3
Yea I agree with your statements here.
The 360
Since when are controllers considered “accessories”? Wow….whether its wired or wireless makes no difference. A controller is necessary to play games….just wow. LOL you’re talking about charge kits as accessories. LOL That’s about the stupidest thing…
“rechargable batteries”
“memory cards”
“headsets”
…I guess I spoke too soon.
Anyway, dude you’re completely out of it if you think half of the stuff you listed is necessary or even partially necessary to play games. Of course if you want to play online you might want a headset…but that doesn’t mean you HAVE to HAVE one to play online. Also if you WANT to play ONLINE, AND WANT to connect WIRELESSLY, yes you’ll need a WiFi adapter….but you’re NOT REQUIRED TO BUY ONE…you can connect with an ethernet cable.
Geez, get a clue man.
Wow, what a lame post. Um, new consoles have wireless controllers, wireless controllers require batteries and chargers. That’s not rocket science now, is it? You complain about different size memory cards? So you’d rather have ONE size, so you don’t get mind-boggled by too many choices? Last time I checked, having different options to choose from was a plus.
Really, get a clue.
Be fair people, maybe sony, microsoft, and nintendo are holding him at gunpoint to buy all this stuff.
Shadowmaster:
You raise some good points, but some of us live in houses with multiple floors. Running ethernet cable through an entire house is both uneconomical and unsightly. I understand that Wifi is technically a luxury, but I lived in a fraternity house for 2 years where the modem and router were installed in a basement. The only way to get onto Live was thru wireless because I lived on the fourth floor. Also, if u WANT to play on live et al is not really applicable. Many times you NEED to connect to the internet for vital updates and patches.
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Fierce, I get your point but even though online multiplayer is pretty much a standard in gaming today. It is still a luxury that is not needed to play a game. Shadowmaster’s point is that to just go play games, you don’t need all that crap, just what comes with the system and a game. Thats how gaming has been for a long time and no matter how many different systems come out it will still be true (hopefully) I’ll start complaining about accessories when you have to go out and buy controllers and power cables for your system.
King:
You raise a good point, but how many updates need to be downloaded that require you to connect to live. The contollers may not have been a valid argument, but I do think the 100 bucks for the WIFI is still absurd for the xbox360
I love console accessories, especially when they’re first party. It means they care about expanding the system’s functionality, even if some of the accessories are downright retarded. (Samba Maracas anyone?)
Hell, I still have my Gamecube PSO keyboard controller, even though I broke the analog stick.
My only question is, where the hell are the light guns for PS3 and 360?! I truly miss rail shooters like House of the Dead. (no, not the awful Uwe Boll movie)
Keep the accessories coming and I’ll keep buying them. (except for that $200 Mech game table top controller, my wife said no way to it when I showed it to her)