Recent History of Console Wars

There are various platforms that gamers use. Computer, tablet, console, handheld console, mobile phone, and VR devices. When the gaming industry reached a global influence, it started to gain various meanings among gamers. The emotional bond established with brands triggered consumer behavior and created a type of loyalty. The most well-known format of this commitment in the gaming world has undoubtedly been consoles. Console wars are the gaming community's variation on brand addiction.

What are these console wars? It is a hardware and service competition between two or more console platforms to gain more consumers. The console war between SEGA and Nintendo in the 90s is considered one of the first examples of its kind. This ongoing competition in the American monopoly gained a new dimension with the Sony brand's launch of the PlayStation console. The competition, which was predicted to continue between the three brands, triggered a crisis period for SEGA with the release of PlayStation 2. SEGA made a sudden decision to withdraw from the console market. Then, with Microsoft introducing the Xbox console, the console wars began to take their current form in the 2000s.

In the ongoing period, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles dominated the market. Nintendo, which retreated for a while after SEGA, made a difference by producing new generation hardware and sound technology with the Wii console. In the 2010s, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles were released. Consoles, in a sense, experienced their golden age with the games and services announced one after another. Nintendo managed to break sales records with the Switch console and expanded its audience with its handheld console technology, which differentiates itself from other competitors.

In the 2020s, competition continues unabated with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S consoles. Microsoft integrated games accessed by subscription into a service system called Gamepass. PlayStation, on the other hand, offered a higher budget and, successful but relatively limited collection with its Plus service. We'll see if the console wars become a new generation with subscription systems in the near future.