For the longest amount of time I was the owner of an Xbox 360, and that was all. In those days it was a console that defined me as a player of videogames. The PC, the PS3 - these came later. I saw Dead Rising running on a machine and I said "I do not care about how this happens but I need this in my life" and, 8 years later, I do not harbour regret. Dead Rising was batshit insane, but I had grown up playing games like Revenge Of Shinobi and Ren And Stimpy. Batshit insane wasn't really a big deal. Batshit insane is what videogames are for.

When I got my Xbox 360 I played it to death. Literally, that fucking thing died and I had to send it off for repairs. I was at school, no job, no spare money - I got two new games a year, christmas and bithdays - and whatever I could scrounge out of the preowned section at the local gamestation. I was 15 years old and my xbox was fucking rad.

Back in those days the PS3 always kind of intimidated me. The price alone was high enough to appear abstract as an amount you will never be able to afford and the games looked almost alien - unknown quantities that were beyond my reach. It's weird to articulate it like this, but where the 360 was goofy and approachable, the PS3 seemed almost like a boutique approach to videogames - a status symbol that people would buy and then never actually play.

It's weird how that changed over the years. "Goofy and approachable" now seems "clunky and out of touch" while Sony has somehow managed to maintain the casual class that made it so intimidating in the first place - compounded by open reception to consumer feedback and an impressive catalogue of games. All this despite being £100 cheaper than the competition, bizarre when you consider the high price tag was what gained the console it's original extravagance.

This transition has been ultimately passive. Thanks to E3 Sony has gained the reputation of appearing receptive to consumers and demonstrating a solid understanding of what both their fanbase and wider audiences want from their console. Microsoft flounders, now playing catch-up, a series of middle aged men in blazers telling you what you should want. It was like being lectured by my father. What we had was great but, problem is, I'm not 15 any more. I've grown up, Microsoft. Maybe you should try it.

Thanks For Reading,

Love Sweep