We all know the main players in the gaming Hardware arena. Whether you’re a Sony solider or a Nintendo Ninja, an Xbox warrior or even a Saga stalwart, you will know the value of top-quality hardware. From the console itself to the controllers and gadgets that enhance your game playing skills, it can be the difference between one company or the other when it comes to buying them. For some, it’s the hardware add-ons, from steering wheels for driving games to nunchakus for martial arts games, they are the clinchers. 

Then there’s the games. Oh, the games, how many there are and how people love them. But are all the games the same, regardless of the console? Is this what we should consider before we decide which console, which platform, or which company we decide to give our allegiance to? Unless you are at the cutting edge of Software development or gaming hardware production, this may not be a question that you can answer with full confidence. 

Part of the game making companies and console making corporations, it’s a critical component of their marketing and success. Even the smallest amount of extra market share can be worth millions, if not billions. That is why Sony, Microsoft and all the other members of that merry band put some much money into research and development. Ditto the game makers, all of whom want to be the best. Whether it’s being the best online casino in Canada, the finest football game on the market, or the most absorbing and immersive combat game, they all want to be the finest available. So, what matters most, hardware or software? Let’s have a crack at that one, shall we…

When Games and Gadgets Merge, Gameplay Magic Happens

So, you’ve bought your console of choice, but what made you pick that one? As we mentioned above, people vary in their reason for buying one over another. But when push comes to shove, are games the same regardless of the console, platform, or even the website on which you play them? To the purist, the answer is no, to the less informed, me included, there may be a distinction without a difference. Is Grand Theft Auto different on a PlayStation versus an Xbox, or is the world-wide phenomena Minecraft (over 300 million players worldwide and counting) a different experience on a PC rather than a console? 

For some, PC gameplay is preferred to console play, largely as it is less proprietary in terms of possible hardware additions. But when it comes to games and gadgets, perhaps you can set aside the pros and cons of one console versus the other and embrace the idea that both software and hardware should and do combine to deliver the true experience for any and every gamer. Put simply, the game relies on the hardware and the hardware is there to ensure the games can be played to their optimal level. One without the other is like left without right, in without out, push without pull, you get the idea. 

So, does this render your choice of console irrelevant, to any degree? If Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto, Gran Turismo or FIFA games are all the same, why do the companies put so much effort into ensuring you buy their console over their competitors, and why do so may invested in the PC world argue that the ultimate in game playing experiences are to be found on the PC platforms? Well, the short answer to this is that hardware is different, and, whether it is in subtle or more explicit ways, the software used in games for those different platforms are necessarily different. But again, that raises the question of what matters most, and the reply to stays, they both need each other. 

Corporate Competition: Bottom Lines, Market Shares, Software and Hardware

In the world of business, it’s the bottom line that matters. How much a company is worth, what sales it achieves for its service or products, how far ahead, or behind it is versus the direct sector competition, and how much of the global market share can they command or hope to gain. From using the most advanced RNG for online gaming to employing the finest game graphic designers on the market, engineering the most sophisticated game console to delivering the latest cutting-edge controls, companies want you to deliver things that will ensure customers buy their stuff before anyone else’s.

Even though Sony, Microsoft, Sega, and a wealth of PC companies all have incredibly healthy bottom lines, as do the major games makers such as EA, Epic Games or Capcom, the slightest increase in market share, be that software or hardware, can be worth millions worldwide. And ultimately, that is what it boils down to. There is no business on the planet that does not consider its bottom line as a part of every corporate decision-making process, and the PC, game making, and console world is no different. 

Returning to our original question, of course it is fair to say that gaming and gadgets work hand in glove, one without the other being obsolete. But, as with most things in life, the equation is more complex, the landscape more diverse, and the overall issue more complicated. And that is, perhaps, what makes the world of online gaming, hardware, software, and all related matters so wonderful, so interesting, and so globally popular.