If you are like me, the upcoming decision about which console to go with is a decision that bears long term consequences. I can't afford both on my limited budget, so whichever direction I go is going to have to be the one I can feel good about going forward for at least a few years. So this decision is one that I want to make with as much information as possible. So I just want to think out loud here and share some thoughts.
First of all, I want to establish my gaming history. My first console was an N64. Follower by Gamecube, Xbox, Xbox 360, and Wii. So as you can tell, I have always been Microsoft and Nintendo up to this point.
So obviously my first consideration when news broke of the new consoles was the Xbox One. I was super excited to hear about it and even watched live the reveal conference. However; after the reveal, E3, and what has happened since I have some serious misgivings.
For instance, it worries me that the first few weeks of details coming out that Microsoft seemingly couldn't get on the same page with itself or get it's act together. We heard at least three different stories on the used game policy and the same was true of the other details. Now since that time there has been a re-organization at the company, and while many gamers are excited by who's taking over (or not), it bothers me that things got to the point of that being necessary. This new console is going to determine Microsoft's direction in gaming for at least a decade, how could this have been bungled like it was?
I am also concerned by Microsoft's seeming approach of sticking with big money games, straying away from embracing the Indie market, and embracing even more multimedia choices. While I do as much multimedia on my current console as you can possibly do, I also have a laptop. So I would much rather my console focus on gaming, and if the other stuff comes along with it then that is a nice bonus. But with Xbox One having multimedia in it's DNA (all the way down to it's hardware configuration), I'm a little concerned that I would be investing in a lesser quality gaming product. As for the Indie thing, I can't claim to be the biggest fan of Indie games, but I want that option. I want to be able to make what games and what companies I purchase from to be my choice as the consumer, and I don't want to be limited in my options. So simply on principle it bothers me somewhat (and I'll be the first to admit the 360 was in many ways the same).
Okay, shifting gears to Sony. Right off the bat I think it's necessary to point out that I have never owned a Sony product for gaming. The primary reason is simply that the game choices between Sony and Microsoft up to this point has always heavily favored Microsoft for me. Sony simply didn't have Halo, Gears of War, or any exclusive that could even match them for me. This remains a major concern that I have for the PS4. Simply put, every game I am really excited about that will be on the PS4 are games that will be on both consoles. The only exclusive game I am excited about to this point is Titanfall and it's a Microsoft exclusive. So I am worried that investing in a PS4 would end up being an exercise in wishing I could play Microsoft's games.
Now naturally, a lot of that simply comes from my lack of experience with Sony, and I know Sony backers could probably do a lot to ease those fears in the comments. However, my other major concern with the PS4 has to do with the PS3. I had friends with PS3's and so I saw first hand how very often the product they were given was simply not on par with what everyone else was getting. Very often PS3 versions of games had major bug issues and server issues for multiplayer games. On top of all that, many times it took months for the bugs to be taken care of if they got taken care of at all. In some cases, PS3 users simply never got the same game as everyone else. Now in my mind if it was one game or developer we were talking about, it could simply be a case of bad developing. But the fact is it happened with multiple developers and games, leaving me with no other explanation except for it being the console itself. So if I went PS4 am I going to have the same issues? Am I going to be getting a lesser experience right out of the box? Am I going to have to wait months for fixes to make my games playable? These are real red flags in my mind.
These are just a few of the concerns I have going forward. I'd love to keep the conversation going, so leave a comment below and let's talk about what concerns you have about Xbox One or PS4.
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