00:00Fortunately, we have a product for people who aren't able to get some form of connectivity.
00:04It's called Xbox 360.
00:06Right. So stick with 360, that's your message, if you know people don't like it.
00:08Well, if you have zero access to the internet, that is an offline device. I mean, seriously.
00:14Welcome to Mojo Plays, and welcome to Part 5 of our journey through gaming time.
00:19Over the coming weeks, we're going to be looking at the complete history of console gaming,
00:22and after our breakdown of the first 40 years of gaming in Part 1, 2, 3, and 4,
00:26we're ready to jump straight to 2012 with the 8th generation.
00:30No time to catch all up, so if you missed the other parts, make sure to check them out.
00:34Links in the description below.
00:36If I missed anything important, let me know in the comments.
00:38Before we continue, we publish content all week long,
00:41so be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to get notified of our latest videos.
00:57At the end of the 2000s, the three big players in the console wars had clear intentions.
01:02Microsoft delivered power and online dominance.
01:05Sony leaned into premium hardware and cinematic exclusives,
01:09and Nintendo changed how people played.
01:12Gaming had changed, and gamers now came in all shapes and sizes,
01:15though admittedly in my house was mostly 2-4 XL.
01:18Going into the 2010s, we were able to see every company go in totally different directions,
01:22and the only company who really had a reason to change their style was Sony.
01:26Still, the 8th generation kicked off with Sony and Microsoft switching philosophies.
01:31When a gamer buys a PS4 disc, they have the rights to use that copy of the game.
01:35They can trade in the game at retail, sell it to another person, lend it to a friend, or keep
01:41it forever.
01:42Microsoft tried to rebrand the Xbox as an all-in-one entertainment hub,
01:46while Sony tried to become a hardcore gamer console.
01:50Nintendo? Nintendo kept doing Nintendo.
01:53In 2012, Nintendo launched the Wii U.
01:55It was backwards compatible with Wii games, supported HD visuals compared to the previous generation's Xbox 360 and PS3,
02:01and introduced the GamePad, a chunky hybrid controller with a built-in touchscreen that allowed limited off-TV play.
02:08It was ambitious, it was different, but it didn't have a clear-cut game or app to explain why you
02:14needed it.
02:14It did have some really substantial titles, and it was genuinely fun to take your console on the go,
02:19but there was no Wii Sports moment and no, oh my god, grandpa can play with us moment.
02:23If I'd given my grandpa a Wii U pad, he'd probably try to chop cilantro on it.
02:31When it came to the reception of the Wii U, the public never fully bought it.
02:36Sales lagged badly compared to the original Wii, and ultimately, it was considered sort of meh.
02:41But that concept of blending handheld and home gaming planted the seeds for what would become the Nintendo Switch in
02:472017.
02:48So let's treat it as a stepping stone.
02:50A giant, chunky stepping stone that ran Breath of the Wild about as well as I run a 5K.
02:55Now, whether the Switch belongs in the 8th or 9th generation, it's one of those debates people love having online,
03:01and probably down below.
03:02But for the sake of having time to focus on other important matters in this video, let's just call it
03:05the 9th, and talk about it next time.
03:17The real heavyweight clash of the 8th generation was between Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One.
03:25Microsoft had momentum.
03:27If a winner was declared between the Xbox 360 and PS3, Xbox would be the clear winner.
03:31But with momentum comes instability, and when these two console athletes reached the 8th generation of the race, the Xbox
03:39tripped over itself headfirst into the dirt.
03:41That's two references about running in one video.
03:43If I get three, you owe me a Coke.
03:45Early messaging around always-online requirements and restrictions on used games sparked backlash.
03:51It felt like Microsoft was undoing years of goodwill before the console even launched.
03:56But fans were hopeful.
03:57Sony, never wanted to back away from trampling others to the lead, capitalised immediately.
04:02This is how you share your games on PS4.
04:14Thanks.
04:15PlayStation.
04:16The PS4 was easier for developers to work with, more affordable, and came with clearer messaging around sharing games.
04:23It was the strangest thing.
04:25Xbox had thrived by understanding gamers, leaving PS3 to scramble.
04:29And all of a sudden, Sony understood gamers, and Microsoft was trying to sell them a set-top box.
04:33Wait, most of you aren't Australian.
04:35A cable box, that's what I mean.
04:36Xbox is going to dirt you.
04:41For some of us, it really felt like Sony had seen Xbox in the 2000s and thought,
04:46hmm, we should look at their success and try and steal some tips.
04:48While Xbox looked at Sony and thought, hmm, we should look at their failures and make sure to never do
04:52that.
04:52Actually, better idea, let's do that.
04:54Hell yeah, I'm so smart.
04:55Uh-oh, I messed up.
04:56Console debates will go on till the end of gaming time.
05:00Companies can go up and they can go down.
05:01But when it comes to which console a consumer is going to buy, the static doesn't really matter.
05:07What do gamers care about most outside of the faff and ramblings of console politics?
05:11The power.
05:13And even though Sony technically had slighter better specs, the performance gap between the systems was barely noticeable.
05:19Just small differences in resolution and frame rates.
05:21Nothing out of this world.
05:28Both consoles sold well initially, but unlike the previous generation, this wasn't a sprint.
05:33It was a marathon.
05:35And over time, the PS4 pulled ahead significantly, becoming Sony's most successful console since the PS2.
05:42And that's three running references.
05:44I'm basically an athlete.
05:46He's even got a free sick bag.
05:50This must be the happiest day of this young man's life.
05:55The Xbox One sold better than the original Xbox, but fell short of the Xbox 360 numbers, which would have
06:00been hard to beat.
06:01The Xbox 360 truly is to Microsoft what the PS2 is to Sony.
06:05Eventually, Nintendo landed on its own island, and the console war, for all intents and purposes, was and continues to
06:11be between Sony and Microsoft, while Nintendo is off on that fun little island.
06:19When we looked at the PS4 and Xbox One in the 2010s, software became increasingly similar, and the days of
06:25instantly identifying which console a game was running on was basically over.
06:29Rising development costs meant publishers released games on both systems whenever possible, and you could essentially get either console and
06:37be pretty happy, albeit missing a few major exclusives.
06:40True exclusives became rarer, controllers felt nearly identical, and media apps were interchangeable, the only clear differentiator, PlayStation VR.
06:51Virtual reality could have arrived on consoles in an explosive way, but Xbox stayed out of that lane,
06:56leaving Sony to handle the small market that wasn't really worth the hassle.
07:01That's not fact, that's the first thing I've said in these videos, that's opinion.
07:04And you know what, I'm not taking it back.
07:06Mid-generation hardware refreshers like the PS4 Pro, Xbox One S, and Xbox One X boosted resolution and performance, further
07:14blurring lines with gaming PCs.
07:16With frequent patches, firmware updates, downloadable content, streaming apps, consoles started to feel less like static boxes, and more like
07:24constantly evolving machines.
07:27And at that point, a question began to hang in the air.
07:29If modern consoles update like PCs, install like PCs, and patch like PCs, are they still traditional consoles?
07:37Or has the definition quietly changed?
07:39One thing was certain, gaming had never been more connected and more powerful, but also more divisive and more complicated.
07:46It was a mess, but we loved every second of it.
07:49And this is the end of part 5.
07:52Next time, we're finishing this thing.
07:54Let's see one of the strongest evolutions for the industry since the 90s, and get hopeful for what the next
08:0010 years brings.
08:02Make sure you're subscribed if you're not already, and I'll see you very soon.
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