An Update Is Available For This Post
For various reasons I got up very early this morning, and decided to poke around on the PlayStation 3 for a little bit. Download a trailer or something. I power up the system and drat, system update. Ah well, I get that started and switch over to my Wii, figuring I would take Ecco the Dolphin out for a spin. I head for the Shop Channel, and there it is again. System update. With a sigh I get that going. No problem. I downloaded a show on my 360 the other day, I'll just go watch that. Let's just say I am glad the 360 controller is sturdier than my wall. It's a system update hat trick!
One of the reasons I loved console gaming was the plug and play aspect. No installing, no updates. Just plug in the cart, boot up the cd, and you're in. That has all changed now, as every next gen system now has some sort of update feature we have to suffer through before we can play. This is the future of console gaming?
It's not just the systems either. Now the games themselves are getting patched on the fly, something you normally wouldn't see happening outside of PC gaming. While trying to play Call of Duty 3 on the PS3 the other day I had to download a 4 part patch before I could even get to the point where it told me I couldn't connect to a multiplayer match. I doubt anyone who owns a 360 hasn't seen the whole "An update is required to play this game" message pop up at least once.
On the plus side, system and game updates do allow for enhanced functionality, bonus content, and new features to be added. Unfortunately, as any PC gamer will attest, it also allows for lazy programming, poor QA testing, and rushed software. On last gen consoles, with the possible exception of the Xbox, when you released a game that was it. You had to make damn sure your title worked perfectly or suffer the fate of Enter the Matrix or Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness. Now you can send games out with large flaws, secure in the knowledge that salvation is just a patch away. Some see this as a good thing, but I would much rather have a fully functioning game from the get go.
For years, PC gamers and console gamers have fought over which is the superior gaming platform. Now the lines between the two are blurring more and more each day. 360 core owners have already experienced the need for hardware upgrades, with certain games requiring the hard drive to play, effectively removing the comfort of being able to buy a game and know for sure you can run it. Now the patch issue is moot, since they occur regularly across all three next gen systems. Soon the only thing console gamers will have to hold onto is their couch, which is where I am heading right now to see if my system updates are done.