Brendon Fredin - Why 2013 Will Be The Greatest Year Yet

Source Blog – 8^th Generation Wars: A 'Console' Challenger Appears – Oliver Teckert

 

                OOoooooooo things are getting fun now! With the Ouya getting a MASSIVE Kickstarter, and with Apple announcing they want to enter the Console Wars as well, Steam saying they want in is just the icing on the cake. Gamers will be getting a wicked environment in which to pick the best games at the best prices for the next few years. Good things will be happening soon. I myself am a massive fan of Valve's Steam service and of the Microsoft Xbox, so for me personally, this is getting pretty exciting. So many different ways to play and enjoy the world that is video games.

 

                Who will win though? Nintendo has just released their next gen console, the Wii U, and it has some fantastic reviews up right now. Everybody I know who has one loves it and everybody I watch on YouTube has had a favourable time with it as well. Nintendo beat Microsoft to the punch this time, and got it right. No major console breakdowns and constant patches to fix the issues. That's a good thing. Nintendo has taken an early lead in this war. They even just launched the Wii Mini for the Christmas season as well to help boost sales.

 

The Steam Box changes everything though. 1800+ games available with 54 million+ accounts. Granted, most of those games are available for other systems as well, but when you factor in the Steam Sales Valve loves to have, that gives Steam a massive advantage. 75% off your favourite games? Yes, please. Steam is going to take a big chunk out of the market from some well established companies for sure, but what about those console gamers who DON'T use Steam? How will Valve win them over?

 

Valve will have to launch a massive marketing campaign, which will spark others to do the same. At the end of the day, gamers will finally be in paradise. Every video game company begging for their dollars. This is a good sign for the game industry as a whole, as many new competitors are stepping up and the gaming universe is evolving as a whole. I cannot put into words how excited I am right now for this next console generation. E3 2013 is going to be exciting. I can't wait for more.