PS4 vs XBox 1... I think Sony has won me over

[sabrinathecat]

I have a simple solution: don't buy either one.
Really.
You don't need them. Continue using the system you have until they stop making games for them.
I was greatly annoyed at Tt making Lego:Undercover only playable on the Wii, when it should have been easily adaptable for other platforms. Was I going to by a Wii? Hell no. Until they stop releasing Lego games for the PS3, I'll stick with the machine I have. If I have to buy the earlier Lego games when the new system comes out, you can bet I will. Hopefully, the designers will have the brains to make the platform backwards compatible this time.

 

[Mallus]

I have a simple solution: don't buy either one.

Yeah, I've got a backlog of good PS3 games that I should work through first. I still haven't finished the Studio Ghibli RPG, Ni No Kuni -- which I'm dying to get back to after watching Castle in the Sky and Nausicaa on Blu-ray with my wife last week.

I'll probably hold out until the next Dragon Age game releases (or Mass Effect, if that comes first).

Hopefully, the designers will have the brains to make the platform backwards compatible this time.

Sony *says* they're going to provide backwards compatibility through their streaming service. We'll see how that pans out. There won't be true hardware-based backwards compatibility. That ship sailed a long time ago.

 

[ThatGrumpyScotsman]

I probably won't be either. Realistically, I'm an X-Box guy. I'll put up with their , because I like the UI, the controller and the games.

Still, Sony has done really well.

 

[Janx]

I have a simple solution: don't buy either one.
Really.
You don't need them. Continue using the system you have until they stop making games for them.
I was greatly annoyed at Tt making Lego:Undercover only playable on the Wii, when it should have been easily adaptable for other platforms. Was I going to by a Wii? Hell no. Until they stop releasing Lego games for the PS3, I'll stick with the machine I have. If I have to buy the earlier Lego games when the new system comes out, you can bet I will. Hopefully, the designers will have the brains to make the platform backwards compatible this time.

That's kind of like some folks telling me to cancel my cable and just watch Netflix/Hulu, when they don't account for the fact that I'm already caught up on all the latest shows.

I want the new console games, because it's "Better". I watch Cable TV because that's where the new stuff is (else I'd need to wait a year without any TV, just to let the current material eventually reach Netflix/Hulu).

Better is obviously subjective, but the simplest truism is that a FPS on PS3/360s is not going to look as good as on the PS4/XbOne. For some folks, that's valuable.

I think MS has gotten some stuff wrong on the XbOne. Some folks have decided that's a deal killer. I'm not sure where the threshold for me to NOT get an XbOne is, but much of the things folks say are big negatives about the XbOne (compared to the PS4) are non-issues for me.

The NSA is not likely to be spying on me with the Kinect2 camera, and I could block that at my firewall if I wanted to anyway.

The used game thing is an inconvenience (I seldom buy full price games), so if I have to wait longer for a title to get to be $30, so be it.

The 24hour check-in is a non-issue, if I ain't got internet, I probably ain't got power.

the demo-cheating claim isn't entirely plausible to me, and when I decide to buy a game will be based on the consideration of the actual released game to market anyway. Whether an E3 demo looks awesome or not, I only care if my friend who OWNS it and played it likes it. Waiting for the price to drop increases the probability that kind of actual play experience feedback is available anyway.

My consideration factors are:
Sony's better pricing
Sony's poor record on UI and common API/Services for chat/game launch with the PS3 compared to the 360's excellent record.*

*The wife hates the PS3 interface, giving a double penalty on this. If I buy a PS4 and she hates it, I will be stuck buying a XbOne and letting the join the PS3 in the dust collector pile. Otherwise, I could get a PS4 and possibly be happy. Folks need to consider the "whole" family reaction to what platform you choose.

 

[sabrinathecat]

So you need to learn patience?
There are current shows that I like. I wait. 99% of the time, waiting doesn't make the shows any better, or any worse. If I like them, I still like them. If I don't like them, I stop watching.
I've been living without cable for over 10 years. (there's a longer version of that story, but I don't want to derail too much).
Between Netflix and working on Maya, and the lack of commercials, I don't really have time or the need.

 

[Janx]

So you need to learn patience?
There are current shows that I like. I wait. 99% of the time, waiting doesn't make the shows any better, or any worse. If I like them, I still like them. If I don't like them, I stop watching.
I've been living without cable for over 10 years. (there's a longer version of that story, but I don't want to derail too much).
Between Netflix and working on Maya, and the lack of commercials, I don't really have time or the need.

Once again, you fail to factor in other household members. It's not just me who has to be patient. In blunt terms, there a things a man does to shut his wife up. it is cheaper to pay for cable TV than to fight with somebody who ain't on board with the no TV thing. It's cheaper to pay an extra $100 for an XbOne than it is to deal with someone who's going to gritch about the crappy PS4.

it is also fair to remember than my financial resources may be greater than your own. While I am not a rich man, I can afford to waste the money on a more expensive game console and on deluxe cable TV packages. Therefore, my approach to a problem may be different than somebody who's pinching pennies. I know there's people who only watch what they can get online, so their primary expense is internet connection because that is as cheap as they can go.

 

[sabrinathecat]

Oh, I factor in all my housemates' demands.
My housemates are not that demanding.
You probably actually like your wife, so I won't suggest you copy my method for "getting her to shut up". Besides, divorce is expensive. (but in my case, worth it!)
And again, given the volume of what is available, there is plenty to keep me going until the new episodes arrive on DVD.

My point is "do you really need the new whiz-bang"? Does the current "old" system perform the tasks you need? If the second answer is yes, then chances are the first answer is really "no".

 

[Janx]

Oh, I factor in all my housemates' demands.
My housemates are not that demanding.
You probably actually like your wife, so I won't suggest you copy my method for "getting her to shut up". Besides, divorce is expensive. (but in my case, worth it!)
And again, given the volume of what is available, there is plenty to keep me going until the new episodes arrive on DVD.

My point is "do you really need the new whiz-bang"? Does the current "old" system perform the tasks you need? If the second answer is yes, then chances are the first answer is really "no".

I'm glad you took my blunt phrasing correctly. I like my wife. TV ain't a battle worth winning to save a few bucks.

Now, need is a oft mis-understood thing. I don't NEED a video game system. I got games on my old apple IIe I could still play. But I do like me some better graphics and more complex reality modelling. MC360 ain't gonna light candle next to MC-XbOne. So it's a matter of want versus means. I'm gonna think twice about plunking down $400-500, but barring a problematic pay period (as in cars or something else needs money), I can afford to get an upgrade. Except for the PS3, I usually get quite a few miles of fun out of my new consoles.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I just recently acquired one of those all-in-one Atari 2600 consoles...

Oh yeah: Microsoft has been listening to the hubbub: http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/19/tech/gaming-gadgets/xbox-drm/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

 

[Deset Gled]

99% of the time, waiting doesn't make the shows any better, or any worse.

This is breaking from the original purpose of the thread a bit, but this is a severely misguided statement. 99% of the time, ratings determine the course of a show. Ratings when the show airs. By waiting, you are telling the executives in charge of programming that the shows you like don't matter. Meanwhile, the "impatient" ones who watch TV live are using their time to vote for the shows they like and ensure they stay on the air.

If every person who takes pride in not watching TV live and also bought Firefly on DVD had watched Firefly when it was live TV, we'd have at least a hundred more episodes. Its an unfortunate fact that waiting can, in fact, make things worse.