My favourite era of gaming, when network features were a useful and fun addition, not a requirement and Triple-A games meant top-notch technology, polish and accessible gameplay.
I enjoyed reading this. I have always stayed in the loop regarding the video game industry, yet I remember this era being the one where I fell out of playing games properly. This was the time I finished my degree and started my career, so it felt like I had to be more grown up and leave all this "childish" stuff behind. It was the Wii that brought me back into it, I didn't want flashier looking games, I just wanted fun games, and the Wii brought me something new to try.
I don’t remember how long it took me to get a PS3. I’m pretty sure I got it fairly close to the launch time. I was a Sony fan back then and I was riding high from the PS1 and PS2 years.
But Microsoft wedged it’s way into my life once I was able to finally secure a 360 (they were notoriously hard to find, almost like Nintendo level hard to find). After hooking it up, my PS3 sat largely ignored, especially for online gaming. Xbox 360 was my life until that fateful day it red ringed on me in August 2008.
It was a fun two years (2006-2008). From an online gaming perspective, the 360 was the first system that largely delivered on it promises of what online gaming could be. Everything just clicked.
But that red-ring issue broke my heart so badly, I’ve never been able to bring myself to invest in another Xbox console. It didn’t help that I was between jobs when it happened, so I always associate that moment with not being able to “afford” the system.
Meanwhile with the Wii, I remember it was super difficult to get on the pre-order list as my local GameStop because Nintendo was doing limited batches of pre-orders. But an employee I had a rapport with was cool enough to put my name down as the next fresh rounds of pre-orders were available.
Thanks to him, I got my Wii on launch day and it’s in use at my house today (albeit not heavily).
The PSP blew my freak’n mind. That was another launch purchase and I loved that it came with Spider-Man 2 on UMD. I absolutely loved games like Lumines and the Gradius Collection. Still have my PSP, but I haven’t charged it in years. Not sure if it works anymore.
Despite being a Nintendo lover, I laughed when rumors about the DS started going around. I couldn’t fathom a handheld with two screens. I thought Nintendo had lost touch with reality.
Then the system came out, I played on it, and instantly got what they were going for. I imported the Japanese version so I could get it in pink. I liked it so much, I purchased the DS Lite soon after it was released.
I really enjoyed reading this article. So many good memories of when I could afford to purchase stuff on day 1. 😂
My favourite era of gaming, when network features were a useful and fun addition, not a requirement and Triple-A games meant top-notch technology, polish and accessible gameplay.
I enjoyed reading this. I have always stayed in the loop regarding the video game industry, yet I remember this era being the one where I fell out of playing games properly. This was the time I finished my degree and started my career, so it felt like I had to be more grown up and leave all this "childish" stuff behind. It was the Wii that brought me back into it, I didn't want flashier looking games, I just wanted fun games, and the Wii brought me something new to try.
I don’t remember how long it took me to get a PS3. I’m pretty sure I got it fairly close to the launch time. I was a Sony fan back then and I was riding high from the PS1 and PS2 years.
But Microsoft wedged it’s way into my life once I was able to finally secure a 360 (they were notoriously hard to find, almost like Nintendo level hard to find). After hooking it up, my PS3 sat largely ignored, especially for online gaming. Xbox 360 was my life until that fateful day it red ringed on me in August 2008.
It was a fun two years (2006-2008). From an online gaming perspective, the 360 was the first system that largely delivered on it promises of what online gaming could be. Everything just clicked.
But that red-ring issue broke my heart so badly, I’ve never been able to bring myself to invest in another Xbox console. It didn’t help that I was between jobs when it happened, so I always associate that moment with not being able to “afford” the system.
Meanwhile with the Wii, I remember it was super difficult to get on the pre-order list as my local GameStop because Nintendo was doing limited batches of pre-orders. But an employee I had a rapport with was cool enough to put my name down as the next fresh rounds of pre-orders were available.
Thanks to him, I got my Wii on launch day and it’s in use at my house today (albeit not heavily).
The PSP blew my freak’n mind. That was another launch purchase and I loved that it came with Spider-Man 2 on UMD. I absolutely loved games like Lumines and the Gradius Collection. Still have my PSP, but I haven’t charged it in years. Not sure if it works anymore.
Despite being a Nintendo lover, I laughed when rumors about the DS started going around. I couldn’t fathom a handheld with two screens. I thought Nintendo had lost touch with reality.
Then the system came out, I played on it, and instantly got what they were going for. I imported the Japanese version so I could get it in pink. I liked it so much, I purchased the DS Lite soon after it was released.
I really enjoyed reading this article. So many good memories of when I could afford to purchase stuff on day 1. 😂