What console maker tarnished their reputation the most this console generation?

[Don Patch]

Coleco for sure.
Haven't had an update for my Telstar in over 50 years.

Really dropping the ball this gen.

 

[Bakuma1997]

Playstation "Fucking kill your games if you don't play them" 5

Ironic Nintendo this time only had one vote

 

[Lena CE]

Microsoft probably had the weakest showing this generation given roughly half of the game's they've announced have been cancelled or released to general disappointment. So many shutdowns, so much bad PR for early price hikes and the Series S - while a sweet idea as a budget console - ended up causing a lot of problems for the company. The only issue I have picking them is that they aren't really taken all that seriously. They lost so much momentum last generation and even people like me who ended the PS4/XONE era preferring Xbox had their hopes for a resurgence dashed over and over again. While they basically committed all of the same sins as Sony, they did so on a grander scale. Which one is worse really comes down to if you even cared about Microsoft enough to be disappointed by them in the first place. For most people, I imagine they largely checked out of the Xbox brand over a decade ago.

 

[BrawlMan]

. For most people, I imagine they largely checked out of the Xbox brand over a decade ago.

When they canceled Scalebound, it was even more pointless for me to get a Xone. I did buy one off my older brother years later, but I actually traded that in for another 360 slim. Part of this was me being enraged at what they did to Tango Games and many other talented studios.

 

[Morgan Katarn]

I mean this part just ain't true.

Like it's fair to point out how Nintendo nowadays doesn't permanently drop the prices of their games anymore (RIP Nintendo Selects/Player's Choice, you will be avenged) but they much very do put their own games on sale.

Anyways to the answer the topic, it's gotta be Microsoft. Sony's fuckery with the very short online check-ins for digital games is too recent to say how it will affect their reputation. And look, let's be honest here: most of the fuckery Nintendo has done is stuff that almost nobody is even aware of or cares about outside of specific internet communities. Not saying that to excuse some of the stuff they've done, but 'they've issued C&Ds to emulators/filed lawsuits against pirates' isn't something that the average person really cares about and I think the most notable thing they've done that people would notice is increase the price of the OG Switch models + Switch 2 accessories before those came out.

But Microsoft? What have they done this console generation? Spend billions of dollars buying up other companies? Do a whole advertising campaign to tell people that 'anything you can play Xbox games on is an Xbox' (implying that they don't actually need to buy the actual Xbox consoles themselves)?

The only market they've ever had a stranglehold on is North America and, while they have recently dropped GP prices, that doesn't change the fact that the Xbox Series S/X are more expensive now than they were at launch and they've sold much less than the Xbox One (IIRC it was stated that the Xbox One - all versions - sold over 58 million meanwhile the most recent sales data we have for the Xbox Series S/X is a combined 28.3 million). Xbox has just become a brand that people don't care about, really.

They already had basically no brand power outside of North America and even within North America, whatever brand power they had for being the video game console from all the way back in the Xbox 360 days was already severely damaged by all the fuck ups from the Xbox One generation (which was probably the worst generation to lose imo) but nothing they've done this generation with the Series S/X has turned that around. And seeing how it seems their next hardware will literally just be a gaming PC (meaning that they'll be doubling down on what enthusiast fans they have left instead of trying to attract new people to their console)...yeah like. God it really is Microsoft/Xbox.

And it's not even that people are now hating Xbox because of all the fuckery they've done and how much MS has mismanaged the brand, they just don't care anymore.

As long I owned my switch I never seen first game on sale ever and if there been one 10% which is not even worth it you save like 5euro on it

 

[BrawlMan]

As long I owned my switch I never seen first game on sale ever and if there been one 10% which is not even worth it you save like 5euro on it

Whenever it comes to a first party nintendo game, I almost always buy it used, and I might trade something in I don't care about anymore for an additional discount.

 

[Pernil]

Kinda crazy I lived long enough to see all the heroes become villains.

 

[ThatOneLum]

It's tough to say at this point since I've basically checked myself out of the current-gen console race.

I never bought and have no intention to buy a PS5, and I sold my Xbox after a few months. If we're talking about destruction of brands in this gen tho? Gotta be playstation, if only because they had further to fall.

 

[BrawlMan]

Kinda crazy I lived long enough to see all the heroes become villains.

Nintendo wasn't a "hero", even back then. They just looked like nicest guys, because most of us were kids.

 

[CaptainSkelly]

Sony with the ps5 man that console is so nothingburger with a company that loves shooting itself in the foot. Meanwhile Xbox Series X has a good library, good subscription value, backwards compatibility. It's just a really solid well-rounded current-gen console. I love it. I actually still love my Switch 1 but the Series X gets an equal amount of love. In some ways you can feel that Microsoft games division was really trying to keep things at least afloat and offer a good value experience with the Series X. And I'm someone that's always been a Playstation guy growing up. It's just kinda sad to see Sony making weird decisions like shutting down Japan Studio. Microsoft has done similar things too but in general I find the Series X itself better value.

Princess Viola has a point earlier in this thread about the Series X being more expensive now and has also sold less than the Xbox One and that their reputation has been damaged quite a bit. And it's totally true, I do agree. However this economy has been so trash these past several years. That in combination with Xbox's stagnation in popularity and development as a brand doesn't really help either. But I can't say I'm really in a rush to get a PS5. Especially when the Series X has really great backwards compatibility like being able to play Ninja Gaiden Black or NG II perfectly as well as tons of beloved old Xbox and 360 titles. It's a versatile machine and the Series X itself is dope that's why I'm gassing it up so much, but yeah I agree that what Microsoft had been doing with Xbox in recent years has been like. Not much lol. With the recent upper management change, I'm hoping they keep the ball rolling with some good investments.

 

[BrawlMan]

It's a versatile machine and the Series X itself is dope that's why I'm gassing it up so much, but yeah I agree that what Microsoft had been doing with Xbox in recent years has been like. Not much lol. With the recent upper management change, I'm hoping they keep the ball rolling with some good investments.

That's because you're already in the ecosphere, so you have that advantage. Obviously you got your console before the price rise. Same as me with PS5. I have a 360 elite slim, so I already can pop in a 360 game anytime I want. Where the series x does fail is in its microsoft or xbox store where a lot of digital games from the XBLA era have been delisted. A majority of them you can't find anymore unless you already kept them installed on any of your xbox consoles. Or pray to god that they made a physical version which are very few back then and now.

The only advantage sony has over.This is that they still have PSN up for PS3 and PS4. The I really don't know how long they're gonna hang on to the PSN version of PS3. PS5 is backwards compatible?But obviously it can only play physical PS4 games. Thankfully, a lot of games got re.Released on eighth generation consoles or got upgraded versions to make this almost a non issue. Aside from a few exceptions.

 

[Pantsuhelm]

I don't know, honestly. All of them have shit the bed in their own unique ways, even more so recently. Nintendo using retroactive copyrights to mess with Palworld is a deep personal slight for me. If I had to pick one, though, it'd probably be Xbox and their obvious move towards AI.

 

[Bomberman]

Before Xbox's new CEO it would have been Xbox. Playstation slightly edges them out atm. Give Xbox time to disappoint though.

 

[NOTthatHARD]

First place: Xbox/microsoft for not even trying anymore.

Second place: Sony/Playstation for trying REALLY hard to be SHIT.

Third place: Nintendo for being the same shit as always.

 

[Yousef Yousef]

Oooohhh that’s really tough.
Xbox cannibalized itself by hiking the game pass prices. That was more than enough to seal its place in the coffin.

Sony continues to be endlessly tone deaf by shutting down so many devs.

Nintendo made a completely needless move by creating confusion in the console market with switch 1 vs switch 2.
I’d say Sony takes it.

 

[Ikagura]

Nintendo made a completely needless move by creating confusion in the console market with switch 1 vs switch 2.

This is the Wii U all over again (but at least they didn't sell it like it was a peripheral for the original console).

 

[Yousef Yousef]

This is the Wii U all over again (but at least they didn't sell it like it was a peripheral for the original console).

To further drive nail into the coffin, similar to the Wii U, a Zelda musou is what helped me illustrate this point further.

 

[Ikagura]

To further drive nail into the coffin, similar to the Wii U, a Zelda musou is what helped me illustrate this point further.

The first Switch also had two Hyrule Warriors game (one being a port of the Wii U one) so I don't fully get your point.

I think it was also an issue back in the SNES days when non gamers didn't know that the "Super" in the name meant it was a new hardware and the Wii to a lesser extent which could've been a motion peripheral for the Gamecube yet was sold as its own hardware.

 

[Yousef Yousef]

The first Switch also had two Hyrule Warriors game (one being a port of the Wii U one) so I don't fully get your point.

I think it was also an issue back in the SNES days when non gamers didn't know that the "Super" in the name meant it was a new hardware and the Wii to a lesser extent which could've been a motion peripheral for the Gamecube yet was sold as its own hardware.

I can’t quite recall what I was gonna say after my post but I was trying to lead into the fact the most recent HW was quite blatant in its attempt to move units despite not being that different from the first (meaning it could easily run on S1)

 

[Ikagura]

I can’t quite recall what I was gonna say after my post but I was trying to lead into the fact the most recent HW was quite blatant in its attempt to move units despite not being that different from the first (meaning it could easily run on S1)

Oh right, the newest one doesn't look that different indeed.

I still wish they could've made more games with the mouse mode in mind (perhaps a Pikmin spin-off focused on moving them with it).

 

[JellyjamLu]

First place: Xbox/microsoft for not even trying anymore.

Second place: Sony/Playstation for trying REALLY hard to be SHIT.

Third place: Nintendo for being the same shit as always.

The most perfect breakdown I have ever read.

also.. Microsoft/Xbox

They went from literal god status to doggy doo doo in a Thanos snap when they transitioned from X360 to XBONE.

 

[Ikagura]

They went from literal god status to doggy doo doo in a Thanos snap when they transitioned from X360 to XBONE.

 

[JellyjamLu]

Noooo i'm reminded again! i simply can't escape Don Daddy Mattrick's classic 'Death of Xbox' pose.

 

[Yousef Yousef]

still wish they could've made more games with the mouse mode in mind (perhaps a Pikmin spin-off focused on moving them with it).

I wanted to lead into the discussion that console manufacturers seem gradually less interested in making games.
The most significant game on switch 2 this year is tomodachi life (not an exclusive to that system)

Sony seems to barely invest in its big IPs too

 

[NOTthatHARD]

Perfect example of how some random nobody can come out of nowhere to destroy something good.