Lately it seems that developers have been expressing their longing for a single console to rule them all. Both Dennis Dyack and, more recently, David Jaffe, have supported the idea of a one-console industry, an idea that is both fanciful, unworkable and simply bad for the business. Luckily, Square-Enix president Yoichi Wada appears to have a good head on his shoulders, and has extolled the virtues of the multi-console industry we currently have:
“It was going to happen anyway, it wasn’t accidental … Videogames became popular in the 80s, and for about fifteen years, until the year 2000, the main focus was just on ensuring that everybody had a console. Now we have moved to a new era where we have more types of gamers and console users, and what is important for both hardware and software makers is how to deal with diversified demands from diversified users.”
Unlike Jaffe and Dyack, Wada recognizes that human beings are a diverse race and that different consoles appeal to different people. Even machines like the PS3 and Xbox 360, while similar creations, appeal to differing consumers. While Wada admitted he, as a software developer, would like the convenience of a single format, he also conceded that it would be impossible to create.
That, really, is the only reason why anybody could support a single hardware platform — convenience. It sure is easy to only have one console to buy, one console to develop for, and one console to purchase software for, but let’s face it, the industry would become a far duller place, and a lack of choice is inevitably going to be bad for the consumer. Good on Wada, for being able to see the wood, not just the trees.
[Thanks, Aerox]
