This new console generation kinda sucks

xboxone-ps4It’s not fun to admit, but I’m pretty bummed out about our current console generation. There are a lot of factors contributing to creating this overall “meh” feeling. Obviously I can only speak for myself, and for every unsatisfied person there is likely dozens more who are happy. I feel like I need to vent a little bit about some of the really annoying aspects of the supposed “next gen.” You should probably note that there is a great chance that all of my info and everything I say is entirely wrong. Hey, I should get a T-Shirt that says that.

They don’t seem powerful enough

I totally admit that I am not a very tech savvy guy, which I’ve probably said before multiple times but I’m just putting it out there. The current generation of consoles doesn’t seem powerful enough to run next gen games. Getting 1080p and 60FPS seems to be an actual challenge and that’s pretty disheartening. Price points were really important for the PS4 and Xbox One and going over anything higher than $599 is a death sentence. Maybe trying to hit that $400-500 dollar mark wasn’t the best idea since they cant put a lot of power in it while still making good margins.

I’ve always been a huge fan of more stylized visuals over the gritty realistic stuff anyway. Maybe it would be better if more devs went in that direction rather than trying to shove as many light shafts, dust particles, and sweat drop bloom effects into a game as possible. Realistically console games will never look as good as PC games so maybe they shouldn’t try so hard to be what they can’t.

Remakes/Re-Releases out the ass

This is probably my biggest gripe and I’m pretty fed up with seeing remakes and re-releases of past generation games. Sometimes this is a good thing, like when it comes to a game like Wind Waker. That was all the way back on the GameCube and they gave it a pretty great overhaul and added in some new features. I don’t see anything wrong with revisiting older titles like that, especially since they can be hard to find. What really irks me is all of the PS3/360 games that came out so recently and are getting re-released onto the PS4/XboxOne. You can get some of these games for really cheap on last gen consoles but the re-releases are full priced titles most of the time. That really bothers me and I don’t know why anybody would pay potentially $50 more for a slightly prettier game. Kudos if that’s your thing but the real issue I have with all of these games is that it is usually stuff I have A) Already played or B) Had zero interest in last gen. So for me, and people like me, there aren’t a lot of new things to play and experience.

/End Rant

That pretty much covers all the stuff that I can think of that annoys me. It may be that my mood is just foul because I’ve had a really long and boring game drought this summer with only a few small oasis… oasises… oasi? bright spots in it. Luckily next month seems to be my salvation and I’ll get to enjoy Destiny and Disney Infinity 2.0 along with some other stuff. I imagine things will get even better over time but if they don’t I will probably be back here bitching away.

  • I completely agree. Sales of PS4 and Xbox One have been huge compared to last gen, so I guess they’re doing okay, but I can’t see why anyone would want to buy one right now.

    I have always been a big playstation fan. Had the original PS, bought a PS2 and PS3. I’d love a reason to buy a PS4…. but honestly, what am I going to play on it? I can’t think of a single exciting game for it. As you said, half the games are ones I’ve already bought and played for $60 with minor graphics upgrades. Sorry, but that’s a ripoff.

    So I figure I’ll wait. I already have a Steam backlog to go through, and with time the PS4 will develop a good catalog of games and likely go down in price. Even if it doesn’t go down in price, newer improved models will likely to be released. I see no upside to buying now and lots of good things about waiting.

  • I’ve got considerably more of the free monthly indie games on my PS4 right now than I do of actual AAA titles. They’ve just been super slow to release anything.

    Agree on it picking up this fall though. I’ll for sure play Destiny and Shadows of Mordor on the PS4. Probably do DA: Inquisition on the PC though.

    And of course, the library of PS Plus freebies will continue to grow when a game looks interesting enough to add for myself or my 10 year old.

  • You touched on the PS4 and the XBone, but what are your thoughts on the Wii U? Personally, after their E3 showing, I’m thinking that I will pick one up around Xmas time. Plus, I want my daughter to grow up playing Mario like I did, so at least I can justify it to the wife :p

  • It’s funny because all I heard from developers for two or three years was “We’re really not ready for next gen consoles.” and gamers went “YES WE ARE BRING SOME OUT.” And then, suddenly, next-gen consoles appear. And all you hear from gamers now is “Why are they only releasing remakes?”

    Maybe they WEREN’T READY FOR NEXT GEN CONSOLES, you entitled little **#@s.

  • I completely agree, particularly when it comes to a console’s strength. It’s frustrating because while I really love the idea of console gaming, another part of me thinks “Well…why wouldn’t I just spend a couple hundred bucks more and buy a gaming computer? It’s stronger and has a much longer lifespan considering how quickly consoles get outdated with next generations.” I love console gaming, it’s definitely unique from PC gaming….but it’s getting to the point where these “next-gen games” aren’t really worth it.

  • @Justin I’m incredibly biased when it comes to Nintendo. There’s not a lot they can do to upset me. I love the Wii U and wish it got more love than it does.

    I do have one critique, however. While I really do like the Wii U gamepad I still want Nintendo to return to using regular controllers. Even if it means making a new design or just doing the gamecube controller 2.0. I’d also really like to see the wiimote phased out since there aren’t a whole lot of uses for it. It works great with stuff like Pikmin, though.

    I actually like Sony’s use of the Vita as an OPTIONAL second screen / remote play and would love to see that kind of integration with Nintendo’s next system and portable. Now if only Sony actually seemed to give a damn about the Vita itself…

    Actually on a similar note, I forgot to mention in my original post that I’m starting to get just a tiny bit irked by all of the Indie game pushing. Don’t get me wrong, I love a lot of Indie games and I think some of my more recent posts have covered a few. What’s irritating, especially when it comes to something like the Vita, is how the content acquisition guys spend so much time and effort getting something like, say, Terraria on the system. The problem is that I already own most of the indie games on my PC already. You don’t really need that great of a computer to run these usually. Then you look at the pricing between PC and console and wonder why anybody would pay $15 for something when you can get an arguably better version on PC for usually just a couple bucks on Steam sales or through the myriad of bundles that always go on. Why does all of this matter? Because all of that time, effort, and money could have been used to instead work on getting localization of one of the many games that never make it to the west. If I buy something like the Vita or PS4 then it is to play unique content that can only be found there and not for a bunch of PC ports.

  • My first impression is that they also look rather similar, and rather dull too. I know the point is the gameplay and performance, but both look like rectangular boxes which have been modified by the junior school art class. Either a dull box which my eyes can ignore, or a sexy console please. Middle ground is wasted energy.

  • I grew up on consoles. They introduced me to gaming. It was great.

    But once I started gaming on a PC the entire backdrop changed. A PC is a customizable* and upgradeable platform for games and all else. Consoles these days try, they really do. But it just doesn’t come close.

    A PC is entirely yours. What you put in it, what you install on it, everything. Consoles are like an Iphone that needs a good jailbreak before you can even really look at it sideways. And even then it is a half measure.

    So while I do love consoles for what they did for me long ago, I really don’t ever want another one. Others may disagree, but perhaps you all would have more fun just decking a PC out with whatever console peripherals you’d need to feel comfortable.

    *By customizable, I meant able to change both hardware and software to your heart’s content.

  • @Graev I’m so glad somebody else feels this way about Nintendo too. Nintendo is getting so much flak right now and I honestly don’t understand why. They’ve pretty much only come out with good games lately and they have their mind in the right place. Also, I love Nintendo and always WILL love Nintendo. I agree with your statement that there’s not much Nintendo could do to upset me.

  • I’m very happy that I didn’t jump on the new console band wagon at release, I’ve been scooping up all the bargain bin last gen titles and steam games.
    Unless a real game changer gets released, the ps3 might be my last console*

    *does not include handheld systems.

  • @Rawblin – I completely agree. My last console was a PS2. I’ve had no reason to continue on with them once i got into PC gaming despite having grown up as part of the Nintendo generation in the 80’s.

    It hasn’t been all easy though as they stopped making all my favorite sports games on PC but i can’t justify throwing down that kind of money just for a few games.

  • @Lars: I agree as well, Nintendo is actually the only next gen console I bought. I did buy it for MH3U but did not regret that now that I have mario kart, and after this years E3 so much to look forward to:

    New SSB looks great
    Xenoblade Chronicles X
    Splitoon

    I have a full list at home (at work at the moment) but those are what come to mind at the moment.

    Then I try and think of something I want to play on PS4 or Xbone and… Destiny and Shadows of Mordor are the only things that come to mind and I am still not completely sold on Destiny.

  • Agreed, when even the objectively superior of the two (PS4) was inferior to my 3-year-old PC I just saw absolutely no reason to buy one.

    Exclusives can suck it.

  • I’ve been playing games for since my childhood. I used to own ps2 and when I moved to xbox 360 it was truly next gen experience with much better graphics and performance. After a long lapse of 8 years I was really excited to get my hands on xbox one. I played watchdogs, destiny, fifa 15 and even though there was a bit of difference in graphics it wasn’t enough to justify a $600 price tag. I mean after 8 years I really expected something amazing but got really disappointed with these “next gen” consoles.

  • Even though it may seem the next gen is not as fantastic as we all expected, I believe we should also keep in mind that it really has not been that long since they have been out. Developers haven’t had enough time to utilize the potential of these powerful and unique processors. I’m going to look at GTA V as the model for the kind of cohesive and massive games with immersive online play we will be seeing (and expecting) in the next couple of years.

  • I 100% agree. This Gen is underpowered, the games are overpriced and underwhelming. It’s all remakes for the first year. The need for a subscription is the real nail in the coffin for me. On top of paying for internet I need to pay more money just to play online? Bullshit. These companies (Micro$oft and $ony) are both gouging the consumer for crap services. While Xbox live has solid connections it still lacks any real value. As does ps+. It’s an all or nothing service. Once you stop paying you lose all the games you got for free, and now subsequently lose Internet connection. It’s a bullshit business model that tricks the consumers in to spending more than they ever should for shit they don’t really need. Only exclusive title that’s worth a shit is Bloodborne, other than that both the ps4 and Xbox one are kinda junk. Neither can hit the 1080, 60fps mark and at this point it’s just sad. The none backwards compatibility only opens doors to double dip into last gens titles. It’s a joke. If you owned a last Gen console and stuck it out this year you would have missed almost no titles. Nothing has been next Gen exclusive that really matters. But people are going out in droves buying the new consoles to play last year’s games. It’s a sad time for consoles. Honestly building a gaming computer is the best move you could make right now. Steam is consistently better than Xbox live and ps+. The parts are cheap this time of year too. I can’t stand the “next gen” systems, they wreak of cash grab and redundancy. Sorry it’s more like a ps3.5, And a Xbox who gives a fuck. It’s a mess and I couldn’t care less about either system. In fact I’m more in league with the wiiU due to it having a different catalog.