The International Rule of Peripheral Compatability

Update: seems as though Microsoft has followed suit! Damn, now I can't make fun of you.

I have been a devout Playstation fan ever since I traded in my Super Nintendo and all my games after queuing for hours on September 9, 1995 to pick up the original console along with copies of Battle Arena Toshinden, Ridge Racer, Tekken, and Twisted Metal.

I did the same on October 26, 2000 with the release of the incredible Playstation 2, only this time I was smart enough to buy several consoles and sell them to well-endowed lazy folk in paying for my own. To this date, no other console, not even my original NES (which my family had by Christmas, 1985 -- I was almost four by then), has brought me so much enjoyment.

Then came the Playstation 3, in all its arrogant and ridiculously expensive glory, and for the first time, in Sony console history (I forgot to mention I waited to buy a PSP on March 24, 2005 as well), I did not pack an activity sack for the long wait. In fact, it turns out I didn't even have to as equally disenfranchised fans across America left the beheamouth console sitting on store shelves as the Wii Wii'd all over the country's HDTV's like an untrained dog.

It was a while before I bit the bullet and picked up the console--a full year, actually. I wanted to see the price come down from Applean standards to a more manageable Dell standard, while still outstripping the latter in terms of quality, value proposition, and style (which is, frankly, very easy to do). And finally, at $499 for the 80GB model, it did. Since, then, I can't emphasize how pleased with the console I've been, from the elegant interface and media capabilities, to Folding@Home (a future post) almost 24/7 (Team Engadget ID: Gilbert; current rank: 231).

Part of the rationale for the purchase was also my sheer adoration of the Guitar Hero franchise, however commercial and convoluted it has become. So after playing Skate to death and selling my old PS2 to a friend (sort of), I picked up a couple of copies of GH3 (no extra first-party guitars then) and played my ass off.

At the same time, I was jealous of its Rock Band counterpart. I really, REALLY liked the idea of drumming and singing with friends, but couldn't justify the purchase for the sole reason of having seventy-five different guitars in the house, let alone drums and microphones. Needless to say, I was elated when I heard about the October 26 release of Guitar Hero: World Tour, especially considering how badass the new drums seem. But then I saw the tracklist for RB2 and the news of its backward compatibility with ALL previously downloaded content and I couldn't help but be jealous.

So you can imagine the powerful, Peter Northian (safe link) orgasm I had when I heard that Sony, the company that once said, "Our customers will buy two-million PS3's no matter what we price it at," is requiring that all game peripherals have at least basic-level cross-compatibility. That is to say, the crap you buy for GH:WT will work with RB2, meaning you don't have to have a living room full of shitty plastic instruments laying around.

Thank fucking God.

Thus:

1. Even though I could care less for my own needs, all console manufacturers should require this. I could give two shits about the 360, but those customers should not be left in the wake.
2. This shouldn't only apply to music games, but to all peripherals, console or otherwise. I mean, obviously, the "normal" controllers we use are going to be proprietary based on design, but for fairly universal things like this, compatibility should be the norm.
3. Vote with your dollars and your voice. The companies will be forced to listen.
4. Read more at the Sony blog.

It's really easy and if we all do it, our lives will be | | <~~ that much better. Come on, give it a try.