Why is there so much bitterness between Xbox and Playstation fans?

[jardantuan]

I'm not in a position to buy any new consoles right now, and I can barely afford to buy some of the games that are coming out in the next few weeks, but I've been keeping up to date with the news on both console launches. Yet after reading through numerous threads on numerous forums, there seems to be an absolute hatred between the two fanbases.

Everywhere I look there are people actively hating the other console. They overlook the obvious flaws in their own console, like the lack of launch titles and hardware problems (which have happened to both the PS4 and X1), and make fun of fans of the other console for those exact same problems. All of a sudden, gamers are more interested in the sales figures of their console rather than playing them, and it just comes across like these people are buying consoles simply to help 'their console' do better than the other.

I know this is obviously a minority of people, since a lot of people are having fun with their new games, but I'm really concerned that this is happening. There's nothing wrong with a healthy rivalry between companies, since it helps keep the industry alive (and forces everybody to try and innovate), but this sort of rivalry between fans is just wrong.

 

[dragoonblade]

I'm not really sure when it happened. I mean there was the feud between Nintendo and Sega but it was never this ugly. Things didn't get bad until the PS3 and Xbox 360 because that's when the internet really took off and you had the forum wars. That's when the fanboy battles took off, and everyone noticed because their voices were loudest.

 

[HydraForce]

Because it just comes down to being a fan of something, for the sole fact of being a fan. It's no different then people who are completely obsessed with certain sports teams and go on and on about how they are the best, even though they haven't won a series since 2004, but still have the best pitcher, or QB, or Forward, doesn't matter. Each console has their flaws, and some of it can even come down to simple things such as controller support and how it feels in their hands. Personally, I prefer the Playstation 2/3 Controller over the Xbox 360, but that doesn't mean I won't or can't use both regularly.

Each one has to pledge their "Allegiance" to a console to show that they are the demographic the company is pushing for. "The Xbox ONE runs this game at 720, while my PS4 runs it at 1080p" regardless of both systems being played on a TV that far surpasses a 1920x1080 resolution so both games are going to look incredibly jaggy anyway due to the lack of Anti-Aliasing. There's really an insane amount of reasons as to why each one hates the other, but at the end of the day they are playing the same damn games.

 

[corporatenoun]

I'm not in a position to buy any new consoles right now, and I can barely afford to buy some of the games that are coming out in the next few weeks, but I've been keeping up to date with the news on both console launches. Yet after reading through numerous threads on numerous forums, there seems to be an absolute hatred between the two fanbases.

Everywhere I look there are people actively hating the other console. They overlook the obvious flaws in their own console, like the lack of launch titles and hardware problems (which have happened to both the PS4 and X1), and make fun of fans of the other console for those exact same problems. All of a sudden, gamers are more interested in the sales figures of their console rather than playing them, and it just comes across like these people are buying consoles simply to help 'their console' do better than the other.

I know this is obviously a minority of people, since a lot of people are having fun with their new games, but I'm really concerned that this is happening. There's nothing wrong with a healthy rivalry between companies, since it helps keep the industry alive (and forces everybody to try and innovate), but this sort of rivalry between fans is just wrong.

It's weird, I don't really understand it either. I've only known Nintendo fan boys in real life, and they were never that bad. Just a preference for quirky gameplay and strong childhood attachments to the top-shelf IPs. Nothing like I've seen on Xbox forums. Any piece of news that can be interpreted negatively (like how the PS4 plays 3D BluRay) goes down like such: "Does anyone even use BluRay any more?", "3D is a fad", "Good on Microsoft for not wasting their time or money on this". It's really weird. They don't like when people point out the price differential, and are really high on Kinect considering it doesn't have much to offer at this moment.

I've never seen the PS4 "side" as that bad, it seems composed of reasonable people (with notable exceptions of course) who can weight the benefits at least somewhat objectively. PC gamers are pretty out of control with their superiority/inferiority complex.

I guess when people invest their time and money into one company it really turns their personal bias towards it as if they have to justify something. Yet I've still never been so attached to a brand that I get defensive about it. I was well aware of the Wii's relative shortcomings when I bought one, and I had a lot of fun on it.

 

[Dmadman72]

I think the biggest thing for myself and a lot of others is the feeling of loss. People buying a PS4 want to make their decision seem like the best possible and only choice to make. The same can be said for XBOX. The reason for this are friends. I have a lot of great friends on XBOX that have decided to stay with XBOX. I had to move on. What XBOX has to offer right now holds no interest for me. Going PS4 was a hard decision for me to make. It is like saying goodbye to your friends because you have to move. Deep down inside you don't want to but you know in the end it's for the best. This could just be the ramblings of a madman though. I tend to over think things

There will always be hardcore Fanboys. They are the ones that run down the other console without ever trying it. These people's opinions are void. If you don't have a the system you hate so much your opinion don't mean anything.

 

[jardantuan]

It's weird, I don't really understand it either. I've only known Nintendo fan boys in real life, and they were never that bad. Just a preference for quirky gameplay and strong childhood attachments to the top-shelf IPs. Nothing like I've seen on Xbox forums. Any piece of news that can be interpreted negatively (like how the PS4 plays 3D BluRay) goes down like such: "Does anyone even use BluRay any more?", "3D is a fad", "Good on Microsoft for not wasting their time or money on this". It's really weird. They don't like when people point out the price differential, and are really high on Kinect considering it doesn't have much to offer at this moment.

I've never seen the PS4 "side" as that bad, it seems composed of reasonable people (with notable exceptions of course) who can weight the benefits at least somewhat objectively. PC gamers are pretty out of control with their superiority/inferiority complex.

I guess when people invest their time and money into one company it really turns their personal bias towards it as if they have to justify something. Yet I've still never been so attached to a brand that I get defensive about it. I was well aware of the Wii's relative shortcomings when I bought one, and I had a lot of fun on it.

Nintendo fanboys aren't out to make other fans feel bad though. Like you said, they have a different set of preferences to everyone else, and (generally) they're happy to acknowledge that the Wii U is the least powerful of the three consoles. I'm a big Nintendo fan, and I love my Wii U - I'd be lying if I said it was powerful. The (Nintendo) games look beautiful, and that's all that matters to me. Despite this, the Wii U has been under a lot of criticism due to poor sales this year (they are bad, but why do gamers care about sales?) from Xbox/Playstation fans, and it all seems really petty. Nintendo fans (generally) keep to themselves, yet they tend to get ridiculed if they mention their preferences.

As for PC gamers, the superiority complex is sort of justified though. While the PS4/X1 owners are arguing over which games look better, it's simply a fact that PC games will look better than consoles, and they're far more flexible with modding (not to mention cheaper). I think a lot of people aren't prepared to learn enough about PCs to try and build one, so they just assume PC gamers are wrong (disclaimer: I'm not a PC gamer - yet - but I do agree that PCs are a better platform if you're willing to put the effort in).

At the end of the day, when fanboys are arguing about things like media features, chances are they don't care about them. It's more than likely that they're just looking for another way to one-up the other console, even if it's a feature they couldn't care less about.

I just wish people could be happy about their choices without belittling those of others.

 

[hellsing006]

Yeah if there is one thing that both PlayStation and Xbox fanboys can agree on it's talking major crap and taking cheap shots at Nintendo. Nintendo fans are defensive when attacked but generally don't get involved in the fan wars. They have their consoles and their games and aren't interested in fighting this war. I love Nintendo but I can acknowledge that the Wii U isn't as powerful as the Xbox One and PS4 but I don't see Wii U owners taking nearly as much time out of their day getting involved in this infighting.

 

[jbepp]

People will always fight for something. AMD vs Nvidia, Intel vs AMD, Consoles vs PC, Dota 2 vs LoL, etc.
I think it's because of the internet that we have fights like this, but I honestly think most people really don't care.

 

[BlackSolaris]

Well, while it might be bitter, remember the SNES vs Genesis? Do you remember how many good games came out of that war? Maybe it's because of that rivalry that makes developers strive for better games, better exclusives. So while everyone slaps each other because of opinions, i will be here, enjoying what gaming has to offer, doesn't matter the console.

 

[themarting]

same reason for the bitterness between chevy/ford lincoln/cadillac etc etc

People tie themselves up in their preferred brands too much.

 

[TheDarkDefender]

I love it! I hope they keep at it, as long as they aren't killing off one another's CEOS and crap hahaaa

 

[BBGold]

If you get Xbox and PS fans together in a big room, they will just be gamers who talk about games. They might say "I like ps cause of this and xbox cause of this" but no one will kill each other. I guess Sony is just having fun? Other than that, fun and games.

 

[erronousRogue]

It's a binary choice between two similar systems. People are going to MURDER each other over which one is best. And of course there's the typical "mommy can only buy me one", or "all my friends are playing on.." problems, which have plagued many generations before us, and will most likely continue to do so. Whether it's about having voice control or 12 extra bits, people will find some reason to tear each other apart over their choice of home entertainment.

 

[Esperahol]

Part of the problem is that initially there seemed to be a good console (Sony) and there seemed to be the Xbone. That is when the X-bots escaped to another layer of consciousness and decided any disagreement was tantamount to the murder of infants. So any discussion (actual exchange of information) just disappeared and that's why it is all so very bitter in nature. If there had been some ability to discuss stances and features it would have been fine, but that just didn't happen.

 

[ukasskickr]

Cos eggsbox is crap and gay!! Ps4 ftw!!!!

 

[Ballistic_BG]

I am not a "hater" of either console, I could nitpick about the pro's and con's of each system for days. I just like to game, and honestly, I mainly game on my PC.
That also does not mean I will say PC is better, just means I like mods in games like titles from Bethesda and others like Minecraft.

I mainly play on my PS3 and PS4 as far as consoles go, but I would get an xbox one if there were a few more xbox only titles that caught my eye, just don't want to spend $500 to play Ryse is all.
I just wish there were better games out for the PS4 right now, it's pretty slim pickings at the moment to be completely honest.

 

[DrRipley]

This always happens. When boy bands were the big thing, people were fighting which boy band was the best. It may be just kids being kids, at least I hope those are kids. If those are adults making those comments, then humanity is doomed. Also, I think it just seems more vocal since everything is online now, I bet if we had internet before we'd see the same thing happen for every other "rivalry" that came out.

 

[Dmadman72]

This always happens. When boy bands were the big thing, people were fighting which boy band was the best.

I can assure you I have never once fought about which boy band was better.

 

[Ballistic_BG]

I can assure you I have never once fought about which boy band was better.

Seconded..

 

[hellsing006]

True the fan wars extend way beyond Xbox and Playstation, though the rivalry is worse then it seems because of the internet. It just gives fans the ability to be louder, and far more troll-y then they would be if you sat them down in a room and had them discuss why they liked one system over the other. But the rivalry is a good thing at the end of the day and both companies seem to enjoy it.