I feel like I was one of the last people on the planet to get a current gen console. In fact I’ve only had one for a little under two years. I ultimately decided on the PS3 when I did though, over many people’s cries that the XBox 360 was the better machine.
The reason I ultimately decided to go with a PS3 was basically two-fold. First, PSN is free. I don’t need to pay $48 a year for the Gold level to play certain games online with friends. Sure, PSN does have their paid subscription (PS+) where you can get certain perks you don’t have access to on the regular PSN account but it isn’t necessary to play any games whereas Gold IS required for certain 360 games.
The second reason is that it seems like developers have a little more control on the PS3 with their products. They can offer free updates as DLC whereas I remember hearing/reading that on 360 they only get 1 free DLC then they have to start charging their customers for it. As someone who doesn’t have a whole lot of money, every penny counts and when it’s a game-breaking bug they fix I’d rather get it for free rather than having to pay to fix the errors.
“But what about the graphics? 360 is better!” Graphics, to me, at this point on consoles doesn’t really matter. I don’t care if the 360 can render something slightly better than the PS3. I grew up playing Commodore 64 and NES games. Today’s graphics blow anything from my youth away and I’m honestly surprised that they can continue to get better.
Anyway, so with all that said… enter the Xbox One and PS4. I’m not a die-hard Sony fanboy (or any company for that matter). So I’d like to look at both consoles and figure out which would be the best money spent.
It seems like Microsoft is simply trying to shoot themselves in the foot though. They haven’t learned anything from this current generation. Xbox live still isn’t free; and worse, now you HAVE to have an Internet connection to play. I ask you several questions about this. What if you lose your job (due to cutbacks, economy, whatever) and can no longer afford internet? Suddenly the games you own are useless.
I also would ask you, what sever is up 24/7? How can Microsoft assure me that some natural disaster isn’t going to strike and kill their servers for more than 24 hours? Earthquakes, fires, crazy lightning storms, tornadoes, the list goes on. Stuff happens; yes, even to big companies like Microsoft. And who’s to say that somehow hackers won’t figure out a way to get into their systems and disrupt them? What if they need an extended maintenance period for whatever reason? The point being, if the servers go down for more than 24 hours suddenly everyone who has an Xbox One is no longer able to play their games.
Furthermore, not everyone has super fast insane cable Internet. I have several extended family member gamers (cousins, an uncle) who live out in the boondocks. They live in nice secluded areas where they can be left alone and crank up the volume when playing games/watching movies/whatever. They like their seclusion. The problem is that the best internet they can get is dial-up and even that is sometimes flakey. Cell phone service is pretty much non-existent too. Should they be excluded from the “new generation” of gaming because of where they live? Even if all they do is play single player? According to Microsoft, yes.
Then there’s the whole used-game issue. As aforementioned, I’m not rich by any means. I often buy used games for titles that I can simply wait to own. Maybe Microsoft will change their stance on that, maybe not. Either way, the more I hear about it the more it angers me.
Of course Sony isn’t completely perfect either. They took one of the best things about the PS3 (free online play via PSN) and took a note from Microsoft. You’re going to have to be required to pay to play online now via the currently optional PS+. The only bright side is that it isn’t required to play single player games. Still, I wish they hadn’t done that as it really is one of the things I really like about the PS3.
You might notice that I haven’t said a word about Nintendo or their Wii U system. The truth is, I honestly haven’t looked that closely at it. I know almost nothing about it other than its controller is massive and has a screen on it. I have no idea how their online gaming is on that machine. I know the friend code system on Wii is extremely annoying and I have a feeling it hasn’t gotten any better. But who knows? I could be wrong.
Anyway, this long ramble aside, I think I’m just going to wait for a few years and see how things shake up before upgrading to the “new” generation of consoles. I would encourage people to do the same.
