The Next Generation Console Dilemma

The new stationary console generation is finally here with all its excitement now that the three big players – Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft – are out on the market. Which console is to be chosen: PlayStation 4, Wii U or Xbox One?

This is the first time in my life I have been very hesitant as to which console to choose.

The only console that can be ruled out is Xbox One because I do not want to support Microsoft’s early, and now retracted, decisions. In addition, if the last generation is to be trusted, Xbox One will share many – if not almost all – games with PlayStation 4. Considering that Xbox One is weaker it means there is little to no reason to buy it unless there is an exclusive title I definitely must have, something I highly doubt as all those titles were on PlayStation 3 last war.

But after that?

Currently my two gaming platforms are 3DS and PC which both complement each other well. With a 3DS I can play the charming Nintendo games I grew up with along with many other great titles. As a fantastic bonus it can also play DS games, meaning there is a vast library to choose from to what I consider to be my all-time favorite console. Not to mention how handheld gaming grants the ability to play wherever you want.

PC, much like 3DS, has an ever-growing list of games. Thanks to Steam I have been able to experience a lot of unique and varied titles, whether we are talking about indie or “AAA” games, unlike before. Here I can go from playing the little Japanese indie title Recettear to the popular Batman: Arkham Asylum in the span of mere seconds. Add in frequent sales and it is difficult not to love Steam. What only makes the platform lackluster to me is the lack of certain genres such as JRPGs.

So where does this leave me? By the look of things I already have the best of both worlds. With 3DS and PC I cover most bases except for the stationary console exclusive titles.

Having grown up with Nintendo consoles I often look towards Wii U even if its future is bleak. Most likely it will live less than three – maybe even two – more years and only receive exclusive first-party titles bar some handful odd ones. Out of all titles announced there are roughly 15 I am interested in and it is difficult to say how many more unannounced will be added to that list.

Yet, these are all games I really want to play. “Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze”, “Super Mario 3D World”, “Sonic Lost World” and the upcoming “X” are ones I would feel incomplete without having played, especially Donkey Kong Country since I hold that series dear to my heart.

Furthermore, a Wii U would be a good upgrade from my Wii. It would mean that, in addition to Wii U games, I am able to keep all my Wii games and buy those I missed out on such as “Fragile Dreams” or “Sin & Punishment: Star Successor” among countless others. In that sense a Wii U could be seen as an upgrade rather than a fully new console.

However, at the same time I worry about regretting a Wii U purchase. While I still love Nintendo, I sometimes wonder if I have missed out on a lot by buying their consoles. Perhaps it is time to broaden my horizon?

This leads me to PlayStation 4, a console I was initially really interested in. Sony did everything to hit my sweet spot for the lack of better words. Where Nintendo and Microsoft did silly blunders, Sony instead came across as saviors. Region free, all services except for online play are free and even if you do pay for online play you are given free games every month in return. The console is slick, small and a powerhouse. This would be a perfect opportunity to test new waters.

Then, sadly, came the big “But” and messed up my newly attained resolve: PlayStation 4 would not be able to play PlayStation 3 games. One of the biggest reasons – if not the biggest – the PlayStation 4 interested me so much was that I figured it would be a chance to play the exclusive titles I could not before.

With this reason long gone a PlayStation 4 is not attractive at this point in time. Despite it seeming to become the developers’ first choice there is currently only two games I have slight interest in: “Final Fantasy XV” and “Rime”. To be fair, the console has only been out a little over four months and it also took many years before PlayStation 3 started moving.

However, would not a Wii U be a better choice now before moving onto a PlayStation 4 later in its lifespan? Not necessarily!

There been lot of speculation and rumors about the new console generation lasting shorter than the previous one which lasted from 2005 to 2011. If the new one will be shorter than seven years it means that buy buying a Wii U I could end up buying a PlayStation 4 at the end of its lifespan. If so, would it not be better to wait till the even newer generation?

So do I buy a PlayStation 4 and hope for the best? That seems too risky for me.

Wait a minute… did I not say that there were lots of PlayStation 3 games I wanted to try out? Instead of buying a new console, why not buy an older one now that there are a heap of cheap games? That is honestly quite a good idea.

Or why not completely ditch the thought of buying any new console in favor of focusing entirely on 3DS, PC and possibly even Wii? With this in mind I cannot think up any logical reason as to buy a new console.

Because new is shiny and exciting?

Deciding between a new generation of consoles has never been harder than today.

[xX-StolenSoul-Xx]

If you can't justify the purchase of a new console well I would say don't buy them.

I do pose this question though, you say you can just get a PS4 during the end of its cycle, well what's the point of that if by the end a new console will just be getting released.
Also many of the experiences can be uniquely Online Experiences which you might have to miss out on if you did get the console towards the end of the cycle due to people not playing said online games and moving on to others.

You do say you have a PC so most games you'll be able to play anyways so it does not really matter, unless you wanted to play console exclusives

[Marow]

PC lacks the lovely JRPGs and platformers that usually end up on consoles, sadly. If it had those it would be perfect.

As for online experiences... those will be a few and more often than not, games these days have tacked-on multiplayer rather than good.

[BitbyDeath]

Both are excellent purchases however right now game wise Wii U has the upperhand.

If you bought PS4 over Wii U you will probably regret not having as much to play.

That said PS+ could in some respects put it on almost equal footing due to offering a large amount of free games what you may have otherwise overlooked.

With PS+ you will always have at least 1 new game to play each month which eventually leads into a large backlog of games.

Or you could always wait for E3 and decide as it is now just under 3 months away.

[Marow]

Yeah, E3 this year will help me decide. Really looking forward to it. Wonder if we'll see Nintendo's "Quality of Life" stuff? That sounds pretty interesting to me.

I am worried about Wii U's future, though. There hasn't really been any new first-party game shown since last year, so I hope E3 will surprise us.

[BitbyDeath]

Between first parties and indies the console should still receive its share of awesome titles.

PC should handle most 3rd parties but as per your comment above you may miss out on a few excellent JRPG's such as one i'm really looking forward to (Kingdom Hearts III)

[s45gr32]

I say stick to PC and 3DS I mean pay to play online, no backwards compatibility, unable to play your own music unless you pay for Music unlimited service for the PS4. The wii u unless you are a diehard Nintendo fan go for it.

[Marow]

I do admit that paying for online makes me hesitate. On the other hand, you get free games in return. So it could be worse (like Xbox Live).

[Geekman]

I like the PS4 better, but as long as you have a PC it'd be a better decision to get a Wii U to play the games you wanted to play.