Before there was Apple vs. Samsung… before there was iOS vs. Android… before there was BlackBerry vs. the world… there was Xbox vs. PlayStation. The age-old rivalry is about to kick into high gear again as Sony prepares to launch the PlayStation 4 this Friday and Microsoft gets ready to follow with its Xbox One debut on November 22nd. Gamers will take to Twitter, Facebook and video game forums to profess their love for their respective consoles, and they will unabashedly mock owners of rival consoles for having planted their flag on the wrong side of the fence. But according to one industry watcher, it doesn’t have to be like this.
“This [rivalry has gone on] for years already between the last two systems, the Xbox 360 and PS3, and it’s an exhausting thought to imagine it starting all over again, which has already happened well ahead of release,” Forbes contributor Paul Tassi wrote. “Perhaps it’s far too much to hope for to believe that this sort of meaningless conflict is preventable, but I at least want to try and lay out a road map to understanding why these two sides don’t need to fight.”
Tassi goes on to briefly discuss the rivalry itself and then to explain just how ridiculous it really is. He argues that by taking part in the rivalry, you’re doing little more than fighting on behalf of a massive corporation without benefitting at all yourself. Tassi also notes that the console you choose says nothing about the person you are, and adds that many of the people dragging out this ridiculous renewed rivalry haven’t even really tried the console they’re fighting against yet.
Fighting the fanboy mentality is no easy task — just look at the comments section of any technology blog and see for yourself — but it’s nice to see that some people are still willing to give it a shot. Tassi’s piece is an interesting one, and it can be read by following the link below in our source section.
