Thoughts on new consoles?

[Snakespy]

$400 Xbox one available June 9th.

[Timman_24]

$400 Xbox one available June 9th.

I find it a bit strange that they pulled the Kinect to get the price down to $399. Not only does it negate everything they've been preaching, it pulls the rug out of any developer working on a Kinect game. We can forget about Kinect making any meaningful impact on the Xbox One now. It'll be relegated to a side show like it was on the 360.

[Timman_24]

Microsoft is in a much better position to weather the storm than Sony. Sony must sell consoles. Microsoft is trying to sell people on a new ecosystem of which Xbox is just one part. It's a slow transition, but we are already starting to see some great things from Microsoft as Windows 8, Windows Phone, Skype, Azure, Surface, and Xbox One start to merge into a holistic ecosystem of services like Apple has created. This is why Microsoft is spending like crazy against Xbox One. Even if Xbox One only sells 20 million units over its entire lifespan, it's still a win from a brand perspective.

I don't know what Sony is going to do. They are in a pretty rough spot.

EA is the in the worst position of all. Trying to sell $60 versions of the same game over and over again. Riot is one of the only ones that has adapted well to the new world. League of Legends is the model for the next 3-4 years. How IP like Battlefield, CoD, WoW or Halo adapt to that new reality I have no idea, but no one is even trying, and that's what's troubling.

We almost had a changing of the guards with Zynga, but that never happened. But this time it might.

MS may have all the tech, but why is it so hard for them to get the message out about how all these things can combine seamlessly into a person's workflow/tech habits? Even though OSX and iOS do not integrate with each other very well, Apple still pushes a strong message of a unified system and the consumer understands it. Looking at Apple commercials (which are quite sappy) shows how people use all their tech in many different demographics but for whatever reason MS thinks clicking a keyboard to a tablet while dancing around is what people want.

The product may be getting there, but their messaging has always been very poor. FWIW, I really dislike the Xbox One UI. The colors remind me of geocities webpages. Dark background with all the colors!!!! I've not been a fan of the tiling system. I like the dynamic idea, but I do not like how cluttered they end up looking.

[PowerCreep]

Passing on next gen for now. Glad Kinect is out of the picture for the price drop but still doesn't mean there is much to play. For some reason the lack of games this gen seems to be the real story. Games still are still coming out for PS3 and 360. When those machines are so refined and so good at playing games, why upgrade right now when there's nothing much (different) to play. Whenever I get one, I'll have to get two because my son and I can't share. We could never go back to a single console. A further price drop and more games are the selling points for me. Don't care about anything other than games on either machine. I've got tons of other stuff that does everything else. Besides, got a backlog of about 40 unopened games still to play on 360. That count will probably grow as 360 games go on clearance. Just no hurry to upgrade right now.

[Astros Fan]

I have a PS4 and enjoy it. All I play is BF4, FIFA14, and DCUO. I have AC Black Flag and Infamous Second Son as well, but I really need to sit down and just play through them. I've been happy with my purchase so far.

[Rush]

I bought a PS4 and only play it once a week, when friends come over. I will say that FIFA 14 is great - best addition to the franchise in years. I've heard a lot of people slamming it, but they finally mitigated the last-defender issue keeping attackers on-sides. Not quite fixed, but at least it's not so blatant now. I wanted to throw my controller through the TV so many times, when my far side wing-back was 30 yards behind the next to last defender. Crossing is much-improved, and ball-handling is more accurate. The nay-sayers complaining about losing the ball too easily to a tackle obviously haven't played at a higher level. If you hold the ball like that in an actually game, you're going to lose it and probably get crushed in the process.

As others have said, the library is the limiting factor right now. I played through Thief 4 and was pretty unimpressed.

Still using the PS3 several times a week. Dark Souls 2 is fantastic, and I still stream video via PS3.

[monroeski]

Glad Kinect is out of the picture for the price drop

I'm glad it's out of the picture not because of the price drop but because I don't like it when I am watching my friend play a game, somebody new walks into the room, and a little message pops up welcoming them to the room. Even aside from the weirdness of a console that's always watching your entire living room I don't want messages popping up during a game that have absolutely nothing to do with the game.

In their defense I don't know if you can turn that off or not.

[Snakespy]

I'm glad it's out of the picture not because of the price drop but because I don't like it when I am watching my friend play a game, somebody new walks into the room, and a little message pops up welcoming them to the room. Even aside from the weirdness of a console that's always watching your entire living room I don't want messages popping up during a game that have absolutely nothing to do with the game.

In their defense I don't know if you can turn that off or not.

Lol. You can turn that off.

[vertices]

I bought both at launch as Xmas presents for my boys. They play the PS4 more but they have more games for it than the One. I imagine things will get a bit better if we ever get some decent titles. Between consoles, PCs, and iPads I'd say they play 10%/50%/40% respectively.

I never have time to play anymore. I bought myself BF4 and AC4 on the PS4 but have played maybe a grand total of 2 hours between both of them.

One thing that is awesome is being able to spend less on certain games. Diablo3 on PC cost me $180 at launch for the 3 of us to play together. When Reaper of Souls comes out on PS4 I can buy it for $60 and the 3 of us can play together on the big screen. Yeah it's a different experience but we can still play together for $60 instead of $180.

[Timman_24]

I bought both at launch as Xmas presents for my boys. They play the PS4 more but they have more games for it than the One. I imagine things will get a bit better if we ever get some decent titles. Between consoles, PCs, and iPads I'd say they play 10%/50%/40% respectively.

I never have time to play anymore. I bought myself BF4 and AC4 on the PS4 but have played maybe a grand total of 2 hours between both of them.

One thing that is awesome is being able to spend less on certain games. Diablo3 on PC cost me $180 at launch for the 3 of us to play together. When Reaper of Souls comes out on PS4 I can buy it for $60 and the 3 of us can play together on the big screen. Yeah it's a different experience but we can still play together for $60 instead of $180.

I'd think playing it on console gathered around the TV would be a better experience. You guys play any of the local MP indie games that came out recently? Sportsfriends, Nidhogg, Towerfall, and Samurai Gun.

[JDC]

I still have too many unplayed 360 games that it doesn't make sense for me to move onto the next generation. Plus a lot of the games I play are still being released on the 360. Notable exceptions Batman: Arkham Knight and possibly Halo 5, along with another price drop would entice me to pick up an Xbox One.

[PowerCreep]

I'm glad it's out of the picture not because of the price drop but because I don't like it when I am watching my friend play a game, somebody new walks into the room, and a little message pops up welcoming them to the room. Even aside from the weirdness of a console that's always watching your entire living room I don't want messages popping up during a game that have absolutely nothing to do with the game.

In their defense I don't know if you can turn that off or not.

I concur. What I really should have said was I'm glad Kinect is out of the picture period. I have no use for it. Even my son who has had his on his 360 for a couple of years thinks it's pretty stupid. So, pointless device out + cheaper price = mo' better.

[fastitocalon]

I love the Kinect. Using my PS4 is like using a slow, slow, slow (and loud) PC. I'm so sick of the traditional "gaming" experience. I am sad to see Kinect get unbundled but I understand it I guess. I still think it would have been better to just take a bigger hit financially than fragment the market and incense early adopters.

[monroeski]

I'd think playing it on console gathered around the TV would be a better experience. You guys play any of the local MP indie games that came out recently? Sportsfriends, Nidhogg, Towerfall, and Samurai Gun.

Towerfall is pretty fun.

[Timman_24]

I love the Kinect. Using my PS4 is like using a slow, slow, slow (and loud) PC. I'm so sick of the traditional "gaming" experience. I am sad to see Kinect get unbundled but I understand it I guess. I still think it would have been better to just take a bigger hit financially than fragment the market and incense early adopters.

Your PS4 is loud? I notice a slight disc spin when on a loading screen. The only other noise it makes loudly is the rely clicking when I turn it on. I don't have an Xbox One to compare to though.