I agree that there seems to be "inconsistencies" with a lot of games journo's reporting of late. I don't think it is a conspiracy, malicious, or intentional. I just don't think there are very good standards and practices in gaming journalism in general. Bad habits are easy to form and hard to rid. Unfortunately it is the nature of the beast. The current that gaming journos all swim in, even beloved "rogues" like GB, is set by the very companies they are supposed to be objectively analyzing. Well when it suits them it is objective hard-nosed reporting. When things get sketchy, its just opinions bro, don't sweat it. Moreover, extreme biased opinions and personalities are often rewarded with loyal readers/listeners and internet "fame." We are in this transitional phase where all of the previous "stalwarts" of gaming journalism, the big websites like IGN, etc are either out of their league, or so deeply embedded in the old system they can't see the forest for the trees. On the other side, you have the complete "outsiders", main stream non-gaming journalism reporting on gaming in the pages of NYT, Washington Post, etc and they come off as out of touch parents trying to buy their kid the right game for X-mas. I can only hope things eventually level off and we get something in the middle, with its own form of ethics and consistent metrics for quality.
Regarding this whole console war: The last two generations have been dominated primarily with Xbox v. Playstation. Specs, features, exclusives, etc were always on the table for comparison. Now all of a sudden with XB1 v. PS4 releasing a week apart, positioning against each other like a title bout, in all of their marketing, language, etc, gaming enthusiasts harping on direct spec comparisons suddenly become assholes? You want to see assholes harping on spec comparisons, go talk to a Verizon cell phone salesman. Of course there are going to be the over reaction posts, on both sides, this is the internet! But ignore those people and take the median tone, which seems to be, "uh yeah, so is this 720p v. 1080p gap going to be the norm? Because if it is, I might need to reconsider what I do with my money, as in right now, not two years from now." That is all. "Resolutiongate" affects people differently, but the fact that it has a earned a cringe worthy, "gate" suffix, continuing to dismiss the concerned is not going to help anyone involved.
Yes, this is a life or death spec battle for some, the pixel counters, the fanboys, etc. For others, they would literally never know if you beat them over the head with a 4K screen while they game on their 23" 720p 1st gen HDTV made from old phonographs. But guess what, since last gen launch, consumers in general are way more privy to specs, especially gamers who are buying up everything day one. As I mentioned before, look at the cell phone market, it is nothing but a spec dick measuring contest. Now that most consumers are on at least their second smartphone, they are wading into spec comparison waters. "What's an Apple Droid phone?" moms and dads are being introduced to PPI, resolutions, cores, etc. These "inconsequential" resolution specs have been some of the biggest bulletin points of the biggest press conferences every year, the Apple iPhone and iPad events. Yeah, but fuck it, no one but a handful of pedant GAFers can tell the difference between 1080p and 720p. I don't give a shit about money hats, just don't be condescending to the very fan base that you volunteered to represent and or service with your career. Don't bite the Doritos dust covered hand that feeds. This is a demographic that knows the revision number of their HDMI cables, and is prepared to drop over $1,000 on gaming goods in November alone. Some have gone too far, but assume the majority simply want a bit of clarification and consistency leading up to an equally exciting and wallet thinning launch.
PS - Gaming websites, you don't get to have the click bait cake of XB1 v. PS4 hype articles and then turn around and eat the "but this aspect of the comparison doesn't matter" too.