I was watching TV a few nights ago when a Windows 7 commercial popped up. No, not the one with the cute little girl but one with a "father like" figure talking about the features of Windows 7. In all honesty, I wasn't paying attention at all to what he was saying. I have Vista and it sucks but not enough to make me fork out a few hundred to change. Like with most commercials, I tuned him out and started to examine the background. Like what furniture is in the so called room, what the guy is wearing, things like that. Then I noticed something interesting, the three laptop computers that were running Windows 7 were all Vaios. As the guy walked around the house, the radio that was playing was a Sony, there was a Sony Bravia on the wall, and it was hooked up to Sony's Dream Home Theater system. Hmm, I thought. Interesting . . . it got me thinking about how it's ironic that with the huge rivalry between the PS3 and Xbox 360, we gamers tend to forget that the companies behind our beloved game consoles have agendas in many areas of technology and their paths cross many times. It's true that Sony's Vaios are equipped with the latest Windows iteration (of course what PC isn't?) and Sony Ericsson has a few Windows Mobile phones out there. The street doesn't go one way though, Microsoft has used Bravia TVs for the past three years to showcase their games at all the major video game conventions. Microsoft even recommends Vaios as one of the best laptops to purchase. Sony and Microsoft even teamed up and did a special technology tour endorsing both companies technologies.
With video game analysts and commentators constantly calling for and speculating on a "one world console", it got me thinking what Sony's and Microsoft's console would look like. Would they call it the "PlayBox" or the "XStation"? Would it rely on third-party games only or would Sony's strong coalition or first-party developers be invited on the ride. Could you imagine what would happen to Nintendo? I have to admit that I greatly enjoy the console war. Yeah, it gets childish and petty, but in a way it's like watching a great sports rivalry. You get to root your heart out for the team you love while thousands of others join you. In an instant you gain enemies and friends alike, people who are complete strangers to you yet you share a connection that you can only get by being fans or rivals of a shared interest. While I don't think Sony's and Microsoft's agendas will ever be able to mesh together, it does get you wondering how real the console rivalry is. It's almost like a couple that bickers constantly at dinner yet is holding hands underneath the table.
