I hate E3. Seriously, I do. People act like it’s gamer Christmas for some reason that is entirely beyond my comprehension. The entire week is a stressful mess full of whining, screaming children throwing tantrums and insults at each other over the stupidest things. Well now it does sound like Christmas.
One thing that makes me embarrassed to be a “gamer”, labels aside, would be all the bickering that goes on between fanboys on any side of the arena. I still cant understand why some people act like it is illegal or a moral sin to like more than one video game brand. The only thing I can come up with would have to be justification and reassurance for their own product of choice because that’s all they can afford to own. There’s nothing wrong with only owning one console, though, but when you have to tear other people down just to build yourself up then you have some serious issues.
But yeah, E3… Lots of news about PS4 and Xbox One. I’ve been a fan of both brands for the past several years and thought I’d share my opinion on both systems.
Xbox One
I don’t even need to bother with the name jokes as it’s sufficiently confusing enough. Name aside, I originally was disappointed with the direction Microsoft was going and still am to an extent. Their focus on all branches of entertainment media was something that did not appeal to me at all, along with several other gamers. I have zero interest in sports, I don’t listen to music, and the last thing I need is more options to watch TV and Movies. All I really care about are games. Fortunately, during their E3 conference that is all they displayed and they actually had several offerings that interested me such as Dead Rising 3, Ryse, Crimson Dragon, Project Spark, Killer Instinct, and Titanfall.
The things that bothered me about the XBone would, first, be the price. It’s more than I was expecting. There’s also the whole DRM thing which is an entirely different can of worms. Always online, 24-hour check-ins, no used games, etc just don’t bother me. Computer game DRM never seemed to cause any problems for me despite the outcry it gets. My consoles are always connected to the internet anyway, and I rarely ever buy and sell used games. Obviously I’m in the minority on these issues. Understandably not everybody can have constant connections with bandwith caps and some people rely on the used game market just to support their hobby. I kind of feel like an asshole for not being against these practices purely on supportive principle but… I really want the option to play Xbox exclusives.
PS4
I really like what Sony is doing with their next system, and they definitely seem to be on the right track with their game focus. Much to everybody’s delight they seem to be shying away from the whole DRM angle and have no problem with the concept of used games. They get brownie points for that, I suppose, even though these bonuses don’t speak to me. I’m actually really jazzed about the price point, which comes in $100 cheaper than the Xbox One.
The only thing that really worries me would be the games. There will undoubtedly be some awesome games on PS4 but I can’t really think of any exclusives here that really have my interest. The next Killzone and Infamous just aren’t doing it for me. Knack does look cool and so does The Order: 1886, but I don’t think there was even gameplay footage of the latter. I’m hoping that we get some cool stuff at the Tokyo Game show or something.
XBone vs PS4
It’s a tough choice, really. Xbox has a lot of exclusives that interest me but Playstation seems to be going in a direction that is going to be better for gamers. I’m not a specs guy at all so I have no idea how to tell which system is better than the other. I’ve seen people breakdown both, and both somehow end up stronger than the other. More often, however, I see the PS4 being declared the more powerful system. Supposedly the GPU is 50% faster and the RAM is better and they have more of it to allocate since they don’t have 3 operating system, etc. I don’t pretend to know what the hell I’m talking about in this regard, but if it means multi-platform games have the edge on PS3 then that is definitely something to consider.
Like I mentioned before, I plan to get both eventually. When I consider all things, however, I think my first buy is going to have to be the Playstation 4.
I’ve been waiting for E3 to decide and did so today. I ordered a Wii U and pre-ordered a PS4. I have very little interest in the Xboner. The Xbox exclusives haven’t excited me much and between the extra cost and all the other BS it makes PS4 an easy choice for me.
The Wii U I’ve been on the fence about since release but I saw enough cool things during E3 to convince me it’s worth a purchase.
I also ordered a Vita primarily for remote play with the PS4 but there are also a number of games that look really good. Having a portable will be nice.
@Misaligned: I’m a huge Wii U fan. You’ll enjoy my post tomorrow.
I agree with Graev’s assessment. The main reason I’m not pre-ordering an XBox One is their emphasis on everything but making good games.
$500 is way too much, and the biggest selling point of the PS4 seems to be “at least it’s not Xbox One” which isn’t enough for me. I’ll be sticking to the PC until the dust settles.
PS4 is a good choice, but honestly I think exclusives are becoming a non issue these days. So many really good Triple A games are on both systems that unless your really into a specific series, and if you are then your already a fan boy, then playing one specific game on one system versus a similar game on another system, your not missing much. If your going for day one release, then pick the cheaper system.
Why?
Because after the first 6 months, when both systems don’t sell crazy numbers, the price will drop and a more sleeker model will be released with more Hard drive space and more money. And which ever system you didn’t get the first go round, you can pick up for a charm when the price drops and it always does. Besides, the Playstation Plus is a great way to building your PS4 collection.
I adore the Xbox controller, I like some of the exclusives, but I plan to get a PS4. I understand how some people say who cares and just get both, and I am certainly capable of it, but most of my friends are not. So right now almost all of us are leaning to PS4.
Oddly enough, I am really looking forward to Diablo 3 on PS4. I haven’t played Diablo on a console in about 16 years, and I get to play it with a different set of friends who have never played it.
Indie Games. I’m surprised you did not mention one word on this? There is a HUGE difference between Xbox One and PS4 in their presentations and implementations on this. Sony has been hammering their openness to indie devs and their intention to market indie games on their platform every conference they had. Microsoft on the other hand just don’t seem to give a crap, i believe the ability to self-publish is not even an option on Xbox Live. MS instead shows of Minecraft, which i suppose their way of saying they do indie title, even though i don’t consider Minecraft indie anymore, not at this point in time anyway.
Also, the more open PS network, also seems to be more open to MMOs or at least i suppose Sony actually got a platform that can cater for it. It always seems like these online games are bound to Sony/Microsoft’s platform whims before they can launch something like that on there, and hence no one really do it. So far only Sony seems to actually do it……
Ps4 will win this round. Suddenly the Wii U doesn’t look like a bad system now does it for 299 Nintendo has Mario and Sonic Microsoft has the Master Chief and sony has Kratos. Problem and every game is remaining remade in there are no no excuses to either system and every game is been remade a thousand times. There are no new original ideas. Or no new original game series. And there are way too many shooter games out there. Whatever happened to old playing games fighting games mystery games thinking games racing games all Jr games we have become and that’s really too bad Shirley game developers get more creative and have some new ideas just sayinga society that picks up a shooter game without even thinking about it
I am getting a PS4 because it is cheaper and most of the games I was impressed with are not exclusive, the only exclusive one I really liked was Ryze but I can wait a few years until the Xbox drops in price, if I can ever bring myself to buy one. It also really annoys me that you are forced to have the kinect with it, something I will not use outside of games forcing you to with something like voice commands or whatever, where as with the Playstation the Eye thing that is the equivalent is sold separately (and even if bought together is still cheaper).
Some of the games I am looking forward to though are Kingdom Hearts III, FF XV (maybe, it looked gorgeous but then so did XIII…), Destiny, Infamous Second Son, and Watch Dogs.
PC DRM never required you to check in every 24 hours.
And the attempts at always online DRM have been such colossal failures, and the companies savaged so much that they all backed off of it very quickly, even though they kept trying.
Computer games tend to have quicker and more sales than consoles as well, due to a much stronger varied market and at your fingers alternate entertainment. So it’s not quite the same thing as what the xbone is doing really.
I’m a PC gamer with a PS3 and an XBox 360 and I was really looking forward to this new generation of consoles Overall I was disappointed at the hardware power – my PC is 2.5 years old and outperforms them signifcantly.
Onto the “vs” issue:
I don’t think it was close at all, while many of MS’s restrictions won’t directly affect me they hugely piss me off on principle. I follow my principles and I do actually boycott companies/products.
Further, I really don’t want a Kinect so am especially annoyed that I’d be forced to pay for one and be forced to have it connected at all times.
There were no XBox exclusives that come close to justifying a $500 Console.
Also, the requirement to pay for Live Gold to allow you to pay for services like Netflix is beyond the pale.
Their console is no longer for gamers.
I am convinced Microsoft will be forced to backpedal on some of their shite, if they can’t reduce the price directly they will have to increase the value in some manner – I suggest they toss in a 2nd Controller or a game.
Current likelihood I’ll buy an XBox One: almost 0%
The PS4 is slightly more powerful but as I mentioned I’d hoped for more. It’s the clear winner in practically every regard except “HALO playing ability” so I’m fairly interested.
Saddened to see them putting a price on internet multiplayer, again on principle since I don’t remember ever doing this.
It feels like the natural next step in the PlayStation line while the XBox One feels like some kind of bloated, horrible experiment that’s escaped from it’s cage.
Current likelihood I’ll buy an XBox One: 20% rising to 100% once my PS3 fails.
graev you missed some more key features in ps4’s favor. For one PS4 is going to let indie devs self publish and is launching a similar stream greenlight type service to promote indies, and to be able to patch there games for far cheaper then Microsoft (who charges $40k per patch)
Also PS4 is allowing tons of free to play mmorpgs and you don’t need PS+ to play any mmo on ps4
Also ps+ isnt needed for netflix, hulu, etc.. while on xbox you have to have live
If you want a feature list rattled off then you will probably have to look elsewhere. I’m pretty much just talking about the stuff that interests me personally.
Also I saw you mentioned Titanfall and while I think it looked ok, one thing that worried me was the video shown at E3 made it look like they were trying to do something similar to what Brink did with there being no single player at all and it being all multiplayer based including the campaign story. Which I am leery about.
I’m a die hard PC gamer that would only be swayed to consoles for exclusives that I really want (for instance, I got a Wii solely for smash bros and mario cart). As things stand, there’s no way I’m getting an Xbox One. Everything about the way Microsoft is going about it is horrid and I couldn’t care less about their exclusives.
PS4 on the other kind is looking like something I may get in a year or two for Destiny, and all those lovely JRPG games I’ve been so long without.
Wow. I guess I’m in the minority, but nothing MS is doing bothers me. I’m always online, I rarely buy/sell used games (I always buy digital downloads when I can), I like the thought of a Kinect that actually works, and I like the twitch/youtube movie making integration.
My biggest issue was there wasn’t really any games on any system that made me stand up and get THAT excited.
Maybe I need to do some more research.
Also…another good write up Graev! You’re on fire!
MS just has that “drunk with hubris after owning the last generation” stink to everything they are doing now. They are very out of touch with their customer base. It’s very reminiscent of Sony when the PS3 was released.
I’m jumping ship after being an Xbox Live member for over 10 years (I have the helmet to prove it!). I’ve always owned all the consoles out at any given time but until MS drops the required Kinect and the DRM I will not buy their console.
It’s really staggering how badly they messed this up. There are so many ways they could have done things differently to make all this stuff more palatable. They basically presented everything in the worst way possible.
I guess the way I look at it is this, Microsoft is telling you everything else their console can do. You know it can play games, they know it can play games, that is what their last two consoles did and it wont change. The ability and how to play games doesn’t change a whole lot between generations (unless your Nintendo). They are banking on the extra media center is worth $100 to you once you realize this.
I would say for a lot of the market (not the people who tend to read gaming blogs) it is. Usually you don’t have to sell game consoles to hardcore gamers, you have to sell it to the slightly more casual market.
The biggest “blunder” is the used game thing but i suspect what will happen is like steam. No you can’t buy used games, but that means old games will drop price more naturally. People who wait to buy cheaper used games will probably still be able to get similar prices in a similar time frame. The main losers in this are friends who loan each other games.
My prediction is that XBone sells almost as well as every other console, the “hardcore” gamers hold off for 6 months and then realize, yes it still plays games, and then buys it.
Had all playstation consoles… and Had all Xbox consoles.
I’ll probably only buy 1 console this time around.
Next gen? PS4.
Faster, no cam watching me, they let me decide if i want to sell, buy, trade or gift a copy to a friend.
Region free games, no online requirement. The console itself is smaller and looks better.
And a 100 euros cheaper.
Not to mention I do not support DRm if I have an alternative and I want to give the message a console is for games, instead of a home entertainment box that also happens to play games.
@Fresnel
Console launches are all about the hardcore gamers. After a few years when the library gets full and the prices come down is when the casual audience comes in. The momentum up until then is driven by people who really only care about the games and not the other fluff. The only exception I can think of was the Wii but the Wii was relatively cheap and had fad status.
Seriously, why would anyone pay $500 for what MS is offering if they only casually game? Skype? They have a laptop, cellphone, tablet. TV integration? I can buy a sub $100 roku box or Apple TV to do the same (or a cheap PS3 or 360). Voice integration? For $500? Not happening.
And what in the history of Games on Demand on Xbox Live makes you think they will be anything near Steam? Especially when they control everything. There are no alternate services. There are no DRM free games. There is only MS and whatever they decide to charge, which historically has been way over the physical market price.
I’m sure the Xbone will sell out this christmas as new consoles always do. They just consigned themself to second place when they easily could have been in first. The question is how many million in console sales they cost themselves.
Out of all my friends with consoles (all buying 10-20 games a year) none are getting the Xbone. They were all majority 360 players. It’s going to take a lot of casual gamers buying there 2-3 games a year to make up for that.
Add another log to the fire… MS confirmed that if your account is banned you lose access to all your games.
So just don’t do anything to get your account banned you say? Mistakes happen. http://kotaku.com/5843460/wrongly-banned-xbox-live-users-welcomed-back-with-gifts
Steam functions the same way. Get banned from Steam, lose your games.
Steam does not work that way. They used to but now your Steam account only gets banned if you do something illegal with it. If you get banned for online actions in one game you can get banned from online play in said game.
Also I don’t have to use Steam to play pc games.
I feel the Madden and CoD players are a larger market then you think and will be buying up the XBone. The people who have a 360 and a roku is the market Microsoft is trying to take. Perhaps their market base takes longer to build up then PS4, but I seriously doubt it will be significantly slower.
I think there is a perhaps understandable backlash from more hardcore gamers who feel they are the core demographic. I just suspect after looking at the actual makets Microsoft just realized they are the squeeky wheels, however not the largest market share.
Again (new) games aren’t getting worse, just because it can also do all these other things. Granted there are issues with sharing with friends etc. but how many ways can a console maker show you games can be played. Yes announce titles that are coming to your system (which they did) but show what makes your product different.
Only time will tell, but I suspect a year after release people will have forgotten the outrage of ignoring “gamers.” Just my 2 cents.
Sony thought the same thing with the ps3. They were decided the living room was more important then gaming. They were extremely confident all the ps2 gamers would just buckle and buy whatever they threw out there so they ignored them. It took them years to recover with the help of many ms missteps (rrod mostly). In the launch window the only thing that matters is core gamers.
I agree that the xbone will sell decently (solidly second) and I want both companies to be there. If either Sony or ms leave the console market the consumers will lose big. I’m actually looking forward to the value bundles and other incentives they’ll be throwing out there a year or two from now when Sony is handily outselling them with a significantly higher game buying attach rate.
Personally I’ve always liked the user integration that Sony offers rather than Microsofts, that plus the whole DRM that XBOne will have just doesn’t quite sell it for me.
Just compared to the bigger picture it gives an inconsiderate impression to the gamers of XBOne.
xx.
The PS4 will launch $100 cheaper. For many that’s reason enough to buy it. I don’t know about you, but the idea of having an always on camera and microphone in my living room isn’t very appealing. There lacks a sense of privacy…
My heart and my head are conflicted on this one. My heart tells me that the PS4 is a better system, Sony gives a crap about its customers, and the prospect of indie game producers may result in a wider range of game types (I agree that there are WAY too many first person shooters and not enough of just about all other game types).
The only problem is if I get a PS4 I know that playing online will be completely useless for me because all of my friends are Xbox addicts and are committing to buying the Xbox One. They are trying to convince me to get XBox One for the multiplay experience as well as the Kinect. While I think the Kinect is the one area where MS has Sony beat all of the other aspects, especially the initial press conference at E3, make me hate Microsoft and not want to see my money go to them at all. But then I’ll have to accept being a 1 man army when playing my PS4.