When the Nintendo NX was first announced, I was enraged. Although I didn’t jump on the new console bandwagon immediately, I did get my Wii U and PS4 relatively early on. I knew that the Wii U wasn’t doing well. It was a rushed console with very little third party support, an oversized and gimmicky controller, difficult to code for, and was not very powerful when compared to the PS4 and Xbox One. Of course, the PS4 and the Xbox One both had their fair share of problems as well. What I was not expecting was for Nintendo and the rest to jump ship so quickly.

The big three have all announced new consoles. Nintendo just released its first promo trailer for the Nintendo Switch (formerly known as the NX) that is to be released March 2017. Meanwhile, Sony and Microsoft have both decided to dive head first into cloud cuckoo land. Sony has released the PS4 Slim and has announced the PS4 Pro for this November. Microsoft has released their Xbox One S and announced Project Scorpio that will be released around the holiday season of 2017. Many, myself included, have grudgingly dubbed these the "half-generation" consoles.

An even greater issue with the new consoles and the upcoming "half-generation" is that they are attempting to compete with PCs; which is futile at best and completely ignores the strengths of home consoles. Home consoles offer a level of convenience and ease that you just don't get from PCs. The idea is that you simply have to plug your game in and play. No need to worry about compatibility, operating systems, or graphics cards. Plus they are generally less expensive than a high-end gaming computer and don't require nearly as much upkeep. The trade off is that consoles aren't as powerful as PCs and are more limited in their functions. By trying to become a PC, consoles are ultimately giving up their biggest advantage.

Microsoft and Sony get no love from me for trying to "end console generations" through their "half generation" console shenanigans. Not only are they trying to convince users to buy a more streamlined version of the PS4 and Xbox One, but they are simultaneously trying to convince consumers that getting upgraded versions of the consoles is also a great idea. Microsoft and Sony have offered slim or redesigned versions of their consoles before. Nintendo is known for making half-generation handhelds and has done so since the Gameboy Color. However, that doesn’t excuse this mess.

Microsoft is perhaps the worst offender on this list. The original Xbox was released in 2001 for North America and cost about $300. The Xbox 360 ($300) initially launched in 2005, with multiple redesigns throughout its lifetime (all ranging from $150 to $480). Their latest console, the Xbox One, was released in 2013 ($400 for standard and $500 for the Kinect bundle).

Sony is only a little better. The original PlayStation was released in North America in 1994 for $300, with an upgraded version known as the PS one in 2000. The PlayStation 2 came out in 2000 for $300 as well. The PS2 Slim arrived in 2004. In 2006 the PS3 was released in 2006 with a $500 and a $600 version. Finally, the PS4 was released in 2014 for $400.

Nintendo, unlike the other two, has had a very long string of consoles. But I will focus on the last three. The Nintendo Gamecube was released in North America in 2001 for $200. An upgraded version of the Gamecube known the Panasonic Q was also released in 2001 but never made it outside of Japan. In 2006, Nintendo released the Wii for $250 before following it up with the Wii U in 2012 ($300 for the regular and $350 for the deluxe).

Overall, Nintendo releases a new console about every five to six years for the lowest prices on the market. Sony releases a main console every five years with slim versions about halfway through the console's life. Microsoft is the most inconsistent between generation times but also releases the most variations of their consoles for the highest prices. So while this so called “half-generation” of consoles is a frustrating, it is not wholly unpredictable turn of events. Even so, I'm still pretty peeved about this whole situation

The ridiculousness of the PlayStation 4 Pro is what has angered me the most. With only two years between the generation times, it is a completely unreasonable offer! The chance to experience games in 4k is enticing, but unless you have a 4k tv to match the new console, it is nothing more than a waste of money. The console lacks an HD Blu-ray player, which is laughable. Not only that, but I can upgrade the current myself PS4 to a 2TB hard drive (the Pro is supposed to have a 1TB hard drive) for less than $100. The final nail is that the PS4 Pro and its games will be both backward and forward compatible. With the current elusive nature of Microsoft’s Project Scorpio, it is nothing more than a PR stunt right now and all we really know is that it is supposed to be “better.”

I am not going to lie. I was initially the most frustrated with Nintendo. But, looking back at their history, I realize that my anger was somewhat unfair. Nintendo’s Wii U has reached the five-year mark. While Nintendo typically hovers at around a six year generation time; a five-year console generation is not unheard of from them. Honestly, my biggest problem (what is ultimately skewing my opinion) is that I bought a Wii U expecting to play Legend of Zelda Wii U. Not only was the game promised to us very early in the Wii U's life, but every major Nintendo console has received its own main series Zelda title except for the Wii U. Now I’m staring at either shelling out several hundred dollars for the Switch or settling for an inferior version of Breath of the Wild (which is the most likely scenario). The other thing that really annoyed me about the new console was that it seemed as if Nintendo was priming themselves to make the same mistakes they made with the Wii U. However, the recent announcement has, admittedly, cooled my head a bit.

The Nintendo Switch looks good. It has a high definition portable option as well as a home console mode. This strategy will help keep consoles relevant and I applaud Nintendo for not trying to compete with PCs like its cloud cuckoo land counterparts. The combination of classic and removable Joy-con controllers seem to offer a wide variety of play styles. Not to mention that Nintendo has confirmed 48 different publishers, developers, and middleware partners who have announced their support for the Switch. This includes larger companies like Ubisoft, Bandai, Bethesda, Square Enix, From Software etc. However, unlike many gamers, Nintendo still hasn’t won me over with the Switch. Unless Nintendo has constructed the pad and controllers from extra strength nintendium, I doubt they are very durable. Backward compatibility is looking like it will be unlikely. Overall, we still don’t know much that about the Switch. Call me foolish, but I'm just going to wave as this hype train pulls out of the station without me.