Pretty ominous article title, isn’t it? Well, truth be told, the whole experience of buying a PS3 was nowhere near as ominous. In fact it was rather pleasant!

What is the point of the Console Wars? As a consumer, there is no real reason to vehemently support one side, except to maybe display a touch of brand loyalty. Is it really so wrong to appreciate both consoles for what they provide instead of choosing a console and despising the other? This Romeo & Juliet situation has got pretty old now, yet still it continues…

You may or may not remember my article The PlayStation 3 – Should I buy one? way back yonder, most likely the latter, but it’s taken little over 7 months for me to finally cave in and satisfy the immoral urges that I discussed in those mildly controversial paragraphs. Some folk treat the people who own the rival to their console with disdain, often attempting to pour scorn over their console’s shortcomings and debating rather inane topics for little more than keyboard warrior bragging rights. Now I just think: Why bother? What’s the point in telling other people about how great a decision you made when you purchased your console instead of the other one? Why not just bridge the divide and enjoy the best of both worlds?

A recent and relevant example of one console providing a more favourable gaming experience than another could present you with Assassin’s Creed 3 and the extra 60 minutes of exclusive gameplay that PS3 users get which Xbox 360 owners do not. On the other hand there’s Skyrim and the exclusivity deal which Microsoft struck with Bethesda in order to get some of the DLC ahead of the PS3. Had you invested in both consoles then you wouldn’t ever experience the gaming fuelled rage that this console war is creating. There is really no need to have this stubborn and bitchy mentality overshadowing what is an amazing time to be playing video games. We are being showered with AAA titles left, right and centre so why not make the most of the excellent hardware too?

Anywho, rant over. I now have a 500gb Slim PS3, a Wii and I will shortly be upgrading my Xbox 360 Slim into a beautiful limited edition Halo 4 console! Whoever said consoles couldn’t co-exist was clearly chatting balls. I’m over the moon with the gaming variety that I have available at my fingertips and I honestly can’t wait to plough through the old PS3 classics in order to play the games that I’ve missed out on for so long.

The moral of this mish-mash story is: Console elitism can fuck right off.

P.S. My Gamertag and PSN ID are both now TheRenegadeLobe so feel free to add me on whichever console you’ve got!

Toodle pip!

the author

Ciaran Allen - 22 year old Writer, TV Freelancer and Graduate. I like to write whimsical and nostalgic tales about gaming, sometimes bordering on nonsensical. Look for my work on GameNTrain, N4G and also my online portfolio; Enigma Resolution Media. My Gamertag, PSN ID and Nintendo ID is TheRenegadeLobe and my Twitter name is @Ciaran_Allen. I usually end my articles with the phrase: 'Toodle pip!' Don't ask why. I probably won't tell you!

  • DarthDiggler

    I bought some candy the other day. RedVines, they were delicious.

  • Mitch

    PS3 is better

  • Stranger On The Road

    Well, I have the Xbox 360 and PS3 (and others), I really like the exclusives on both. It baffles me when people who don’t own a console and never played on, will flame it for the sake of flaming it. Do people really believe that they can make judgments out of ignorance?

    Any way, I am gamer, not a fanboi. To me there is a very distinct difference between the 2. A gamer is a customer who enjoy a product and won’t shy away from giving feedback about it. A fanboi will turn a blind eye to the faults of the product and will criticize gamers when they give their feedback, therefore not letting the developer/manufacture know that there is something wrong with their product.

    I recall complaining when I first got my Xbox 360 that it was too loud, my brother went as far as calling it a small airplane. I got flamed for that complain and got told that the fault was with me and my setup! Imagine my surprise when one of the new features on the Slim is that it is quieter, as quiet as the PS3 to be exact! And the bigger surprised was that the same people who flamed me and now happy with this noise reduction!

    To me, there is a distinct between gamers and fanbois.

    • http://twitter.com/Ciaran_Allen Ciaran Allen

      Exactamundo! Ever since I started writing for this site, I always had a niggling feeling that I don’t have as broad a perspective as I should if I wanted to actually call myself a games journalist. Having the option to play both consoles and assess them equally on their merits gives me the opportunity to detach bias from any piece I write. Hell, it simply allows me to play games that I’ve wanted to for so long, yet couldn’t because they weren’t available on Xbox!

  • matt

    I have both consoles and I totally agree with your article, yes both have good and bad points but at end of the day you should be able to enjoy the consoles and what they offer in terms of games etc

  • http://twitter.com/StuartATrueRed Stuart

    I’ve got an Xbox 360 Slim and I’ve always been tempted to buy a PS3, but I keep getting told not to because there crap (not my words). The thing is I still want one, so after Christmas I might just grab one.

  • Dagzey

    I have both Consoles. Both have their pros and cons. I enjoy have the best of both worlds. Games that are exclusive to one console? What ever!! Blurays, I got ‘em! What’s that? Xbox get exlcusivity for early early DLC? Nice. I’ll get that right now! I love being able to really find out which is better. GT5 or Forza. Well, it’s GT5. You wanna play Gears of War or Halo? Ok, cool. We can do that. Might be in the mood for some Uncharted or Infamous. Not a problem. I love having both consoles. Best thing EVER!!!! Add me. PSN ID and GT are the same.

  • Just Gave You A Wedgie

    I’ve got both as well to be honest there’s no real difference to either one. Get both, enjoy both, and don’t be a Flaming(in both senses of the word) Fanboy.