Fireside Chats, Episode 56: Fireside Chats X Not So Common

Hey Colin, another fun episode and with all the Nintendo talk, I’m reminded of your episode of Knockback regarding the GameCube. A couple of thoughts about hardware that I had at the time of the knockback episode came rushing back as a result of more hardware talk in this episode. It’s well known that you’re a big PlayStation guy and from a purely games position that’s a hard position to argue against. Still, from a hardware innovation standpoint (sheer horsepower aside) PlayStation is clearly behind Microsoft and Nintendo. The safe position has worked well and they have done a great job maintaining their core audience. They continue to have the strongest games lineup with the best exclusives and, while I detest the idea of exclusives from a consumer point of view, they have a very compelling gaming system on their hands. From a wider position, however, it seems that Nintendo is doing a lot more trailblazing despite lacking powerful hardware. Despite some poor decision-making (underpowered Wii and botched messaging on the Wii U) all three of Nintendo’s home consoles have been particularly innovative. Wherever you land on Nintendo, the gaming industry, as a whole, benefits from their push into new areas. One other note on Nintendo, they strike me as the only console maker that is truly well-positioned to design and market a branded phone. Using a traditional clamshell style already ala 3DS, moving into a phone is something that Nintendo is uniquely positioned to do over what Sony or Microsoft would be capable of doing. This has more to do with the software catalog than hardware. While I don’t see it as likely, it’s something I hope Nintendo is pursuing. I know that once upon a time Nintendo considered Apple to be its biggest threat, not Sony or Microsoft. I hope they still see that as the case. That brings me to just a few things about Microsoft. While I know that you and many people in games media felt that the reveal of the Xbox One was mishandled, I saw that press conference as a defining moment for Microsoft. Games media saw little to do with games but I saw everything to do with lifestyle and innovation. Microsoft was judged harshly for revealing a piece of technology that was truly something from the future. The Xbox one showed us the possibilities of what could be in store for the future of home automation and media consumption. The new Kinect was something straight out of science fiction and promised a seamless way to interact with electronics. The consoles shared kernel with Windows 10 allowed the possibility for productivity tools to be used on the Xbox someday or the possibility for a convergence (finally) of Xbox and PC Gaming. In the years since the (botched?) Xbox One announcement, we’ve seen smart-home technology proliferate from Amazon Alexa to Google Home and a plethora of other smart-home devices. Let us not forget that Xbox One and Kinect was poised to do everything those services do now (and much more) three full years ahead of these new services. Instead, Microsoft is derided for having a botched rollout for technology that was clearly ahead of its time. No other company has demonstrated the level of connectivity and potential before or since the original Xbox One reveal. Not Apple, not Amazon, not Google, and certainly not Nintendo or Sony. While Sony was revealing and evolutionary step (not revolutionary step) with the PlayStation and Nintendo was innovating in different ways with the Wii U, Microsoft was trying to show us a vision of a better future. A future that I, for one, wanted to see. Sadly, the media was against Microsoft, so the future will have to wait.

Wag

Thank you for that. I appreciate it. I did indeed invent many of the shows we ran (and that I think they still run), and that is indeed an honor.

Colin Moriarty

Hey Colin, listening to you talk with Pat about what each of you brought to KF. Yes you brought a deep understanding of games but you were also the creative talent that frankly, drove all the products. You were the brain child behind all of the best shows and content. You still have that power of creativity in this space and that’s why we are all still here. Don’t forget it, and thanks for all you do

Michael Morris

Thank you. That means a great deal to me.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you for your support. Welcome to the madhouse!

Colin Moriarty

I already respected your conviction before this podcast. But after listening to this, it made me respect you even more. Great reminder that standing your ground in all of this craziness can still win out in the end.

Korey Burns

I am actually so happy to hear this. I have followed both these guys for years and send tweets marking both of them on them saying I would love to hear them both on a podcast and when this happened I jumped on both their Patreon pages and supported. Now if Colin were to show up at a Retropalloza I would make the trip to TX from FL just to witness all my favorites together. Thanks man and glad to be a new Patron

Doug Bernard

He's great! I wish we lived closer so we could collaborate more often.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you so much! I'm glad to hear that.

Colin Moriarty

I'll see what I can do.

Colin Moriarty

this is my favorite one so far love Pat. You and him mix very well

Kc Wright

Thoroughly enjoyed this! Kudos gentlemen, kudos!

Kenny Gutzler

Next stop: James Rolfe and Mike Matei (please)

Azzan

Possibly. =D

Colin Moriarty

It would be great if you and Pat could get together and do these chats every month or two! You two play off each other so well and I could listen to you guys for hours. This is probably my fav chat you've done so keep at it bro.

Joe Bellotta

YES!! I'm an OG fan of James. Since like 2007 when AVGN really started blowing up. I would love if you did something with him. Have him on for a fireside chat, or maybe a special 3 man episode of Knockback?

Nate McKinney

Love you both. Greatest crossover in podcast history? 🤔

Jeremy Menear

I'm glad you enjoyed our conversation. Thank you so much for listening!

Colin Moriarty

This is the best fireside chats I've heard in a while. A guy that could match your political and game wheelhouse pound for pound! I respect Pat's willingness to play devils advocate even when he doesn't agree with the position he's presenting. Indicative of the value of 'challenging conversation'. His take on the switch was poignant, which o never considered. "Switch is the Wii U flipped. It's the handheld system you take to your TV, not the TV system you take to your handheld. Also Colin, as someone who studied game development for 4 years and made then I could not agree more. Living in Australia where the game industry is already weak, the state of the mobile and pc market. And the fact that PS4 and Switch is heading there is demoralising and and demotivating. Almost everyone I know who graduates gets a job as a code monkey, GameStop or like me goes back to Uni. I want to return but im so sick of this saturated market. It's not what I fell in love with.

Daniel Schiffer

I've been pro choice for a long time. Then I had a kid and it makes you re-think it all. My wife is 6 weeks from giving birth to my second, but well before it' impossible not to appreciate how much life is actually in there. It really makes me sick to consider that we allow abortions as late as we do (some states worse than others), especially if there isn't some kind of medical issue. I'm not exactly pro-life but find it impossible to agree with the left and their simplification of this anymore (just the words "reproductive rights" is clearly a dodge).

CTE

I would love that, and -- similar to Pat -- me collaborating with James would make Dagan shit. LOL.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you!

Colin Moriarty

It's an incredibly difficult issue, there's no doubt about it.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you so much. I'm glad you enjoyed our chat!

Colin Moriarty

It's on the list. =)

Colin Moriarty

Thank you!

Colin Moriarty

It's the best of both worlds. =)

Colin Moriarty

This was a great listen - I've been a fan of Pat through some Angry Video Game Nerd crossover videos (I remember Pat also talked about you when you left Kinda Funny and defended some of the unfair critiques), so I would absolutely love to hear you sit down with James Rolfe sometime.

Jono Pech

2 of my fav content creators! Fantastic chat!

Joe Bellotta

I also identify as conservative and abortion is something I’ve been really torn on for the last year. On the one hand I agree with you that it should be a private decision. But on the other hand doesn’t privacy go out the window the second you start talking about doing harm to another. The baby has a heart beat at 22 days. The more I listen to abortion discussions the more I get pushed to pro life, because I find the pro choice position incredibly flawed. Great episode Colin.

Domenico Smarto

With President Trump I know who he is the bad and the good, prior presidents had dignity but were deceiving and lied to us with a smile and people took it as gospel. Is it cool to bash the president now a days and the voters that voted cause I feels that way listening to everyone online. The left controls most of social and entertainment media and I do my research and could see BS most of the time. We do need to have a normal conversation but also call need to callout bullshit when we see it. The Russian thing people were guilty of were not about the president and Russia, it was mostly lying to FBI, fraud and tax evasion. Good podcast Colin, I always like pats youtube videos nice to see your brother writing the next snes book I supported the nes one.

Hose A Contra Razz

I hope you get around to playing The Messenger when it releases on PS4. It's quite honestly the best game I've played all year, and I played it right after finishing Spider-Man, so I think that says a lot.

SLtheFMA

This has been easily one of my favorite conversations you've had, a lot of great topics. Pat is a really cool guy, I've been watching his videos for close to a year now.

SLtheFMA

Amazing! I literally only listen to Colin's and Pats podcasts for the past few months now i get it combined!

There's no doubt that it's not ideal. The question is, is it avoidable? I'm of the mind that it isn't. I'm of the mind that the future of politics is online, impersonal, numbers-oriented, etc., at least until we can again gain a hold of decency, compromise, and accountability. If the status quo is what it is, though, then while we needn't embrace its usefulness or wisdom, we'd be unwise to ignore its inevitability. Speech -- its use, its limits, its very societal function -- is going to be at the nexus of political conflict in the coming decades.

Colin Moriarty

I think it'll come out next week around this time. That's how I understood it.

Colin Moriarty

Do you know when pat will release his version

Gabriel Prégent Terborch

I fear for a reality in which social media becomes the defacto town square, because there're far greater unseen mechanics at work behind the scenes that dictate and affect what we see and how we interact. Like I genuinely believe Twitter benefits from creating an engine for explosive conflict and Facebook has inherent, immovable elements that promote the spread of misinformation. They're not fair or equitable places of discourse, they're designed to take advantage of human weakness for profit. We'll regret being so quick to integrate them into the foundations of our society.

Travis Johnson

Like I said: Society should be at a place where, regardless of company's acting under their own volition and in their own interest, it should be seen as unacceptable to silence someone.

Colin Moriarty

I think the social media platforms have a right to silence individuals but I don’t think the platforms handled it right and I think it sets a very bad precedent that can be turned on anyone

Tyson Williams

I regularly hear from my guests that they get traffic bumps -- often sustained -- from appearing on Fireside Chats. So that's rad.

Colin Moriarty

You're very welcome!

Colin Moriarty

Most excellent! Skepticism is good. That I can overcome it is even better. =D

Colin Moriarty

In that case, I'm pleased to deliver. =)

Colin Moriarty

I hope it proves as interesting as it sounds.

Colin Moriarty

Google.

Colin Moriarty

Pat's great. I hope you enjoy it!

Colin Moriarty

You're very welcome!

Colin Moriarty

<3

Colin Moriarty

Enjoy!

Colin Moriarty

It's a bit of an unorthodox one. I hope you enjoy it!

Colin Moriarty

P.S. I'd be really curious what kind of lift your guests with content get on average, I adore WGG and heard about it here first.

David Kramme

Just subscribed to Not so Common, thanks for turning people like me onto it.

David Kramme

I was a bit skeptical after the preface but it turned into one of the best conversations. 😎

Justin Little

Now this, this is what I wanted.

David Graham

This sounds quite interesting.

Marius Skarsem Pedersen

Tyson Williams

I can’t wait to hear this. I love Pat. What a great idea.

Hugo's Desk

I’m so fucking stoked for this Colin. Thank you!

Craig Carter

Awesome!

Jason Stafford

Yes! Having been a long time listener of both you and Pat, I was hoping this would happen when you said you’d be in San Diego! Can’t wait to listen to this!

Chris Sterner

Been wanting to see this interview for a long time!

Tyler Franklin