# Console Wars Console Debates

Console Wars, also called Console Debates, is the long-running online flame war between fans of PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo hardware. The GIF-heavy version of the meme took shape around the 2012 E3 conference, when NeoGAF users started posting battle scenes with the three companies as combatants.

## Overview
Console Wars refers to arguments between fans of competing video game consoles, most often Sony's PlayStation, Microsoft's Xbox, and Nintendo's platforms. The debates are pushed by fanboys defending their preferred hardware, mirror older internet fights like PC Wars and Browser Wars, and gave rise to the 'Glorious PC Gaming Master Race' slogan aimed at both console camps[3].

Visually, the meme took shape as animated GIFs showing corporate mascots or console logos throwing punches, firing lasers, and dropping bombs on each other[2]. Image macros with side-by-side spec sheets and reaction shots of angry fanboys also became common during major hardware launches[6]. The eighth console generation, kicked off in 2013 with the Xbox One and PS4, was when the GIF format spread hard across forums, Tumblr, and Reddit[8].

## How It Spread
On February 10, 2013, Redditor deepbrown posted a Star Trek edit to /r/PS3 that swapped the film's crew for representatives of Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo; it picked up more than 840 upvotes and 80 comments[4]. On May 17, an IGN Forums user opened a dedicated 'console war GIFs' thread that turned into a repository for the format[5].

E3 2013, held June 11, poured fuel on the fight when Microsoft and Sony revealed the Xbox One and PS4. That same day, an Odd Future Talk Forums member asked for the best Xbox One vs. PS4 GIFs, and college blog Coed published a roundup of Tumblr reactions[8]. Pop culture site Heavy followed with its own compilation on June 21[6]. On August 29, 9gag user abdozkert uploaded a GIF using Pokemon as stand-ins for different consoles, which pulled in more than 6,000 upvotes and 2,300 shares within ten weeks[7].

The console wars template also fed the Japanese RPG series Hyperdimension Neptunia, which turned the PS3, Xbox, Wii, and a scrapped SEGA console called the 'Neptune' into moe anthropomorphized girls fighting for market share. Publisher Idea Factory later brought the Re;Birth remakes to PC through Steam[1]. A newer front opened in July 2021 with Steam Deck vs. Nintendo Switch debates right after Valve announced its handheld PC[3].

## How to Use
The typical Console Wars post is an animated GIF where console logos, mascots, or company representatives brawl with each other, often edited into movie or anime action scenes[2]. Common conventions include Xbox and PlayStation as the main fighters with Nintendo either dominating from the sidelines or getting knocked out early, and PC gamers looking down from above as the 'master race.' People still remix the format whenever a new console launch or exclusive game announcement kicks off fresh arguments.

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Console Wars Console Debates?
It is an ongoing online flame war between fans of PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo hardware, best known in its GIF form where the three companies brawl with each other[3].

### Where did Console Wars Console Debates come from?
The GIF version was popularized in a NeoGAF thread posted during E3 2012, held June 5 in Los Angeles, where Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo all revealed new hardware and games[2].

### What does Console Wars Console Debates mean?
The term describes fanboy arguments between console camps and their attacks on rival platforms, a fight often paralleled with PC Wars and Browser Wars[3].

### How do you use Console Wars Console Debates?
People typically post animated GIFs or image macros of console logos or mascots fighting, and the format flares up around big hardware launches like the Xbox One vs. PS4 reveal at E3 2013[6].

### Is Console Wars Console Debates still popular?
Yes, the format keeps returning with each new hardware cycle, with a Steam Deck vs. Nintendo Switch console war kicking off in July 2021 after Valve's handheld PC was announced[3].

## References
1. [https://www.siliconera.com/fairy-fencer-f-neptunia-rebirth-1-2-officially-announced-pc/](<https://www.siliconera.com/fairy-fencer-f-neptunia-rebirth-1-2-officially-announced-pc/>)
2. [https://www.neogaf.com/](<https://www.neogaf.com/>)
3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/console-wars-console-debates](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/console-wars-console-debates>)
4. [https://www.reddit.com/r/PS3/](<https://www.reddit.com/r/PS3/>)
5. [https://www.ign.com/boards/](<https://www.ign.com/boards/>)
6. [https://heavy.com/](<https://heavy.com/>)
7. [https://9gag.com/](<https://9gag.com/>)
8. [https://coed.com/](<https://coed.com/>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/console-wars-console-debates
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