Now before I begin, I must declare that this post is not titled why you should choose the Playstation 4, but why I am making it my companion for my next romp in the Elysian fields of console gaming.
Why the Playstation 4?
One word: Exclusives. I am most interested in the properties that are tied to the Sony brand than any other platform. Why buy an Xbox or an absurdly powerful PC when I will only end up quaking nervously to find out if Hideo Kojima will ever release his next game for anything other than Sony Playstation. It simply doesn't make sense.When that next MGS/Uncharted/The Last of Us drops, I want it IMMEDIATELY.
What's Wrong with the Xbox?
Nothing at all. As a matter of fact, I have never owned an Xbox to find out what are some things I may not like about it. As for whether or not I will even consider picking up an Xbox later down the line, it's a possibility should there be a piece of IP that is just that good that I absolutely have to have it.Currently though, Halo just isn't my thing and the new Xbox One's slew of living room features just don't make a compelling enough case for me to pick this thing up on day one.
And you maybe right, more so in this console generation than ever. For those of you who aren't acquainted with each system's technical specifications, these new systems are basically just PCs with a smaller form factor and features that make them more suitable for your living room than for editing PowerPoint presentations.
Be that as it may, I have a very awful taste in my mouth regarding PC ports of last generation's games. I found that far too often I had to become this great PC hackboy to get some of my favourite games to work well. When it wasn't replacing particle files to fix visual glitches, it was simply a case of poor PC optimization on behalf of the developers. I'm looking at you GTA 4.
Worse yet, all of my PS2 faves like Vice City and San Andreas just didn't carry over well once I started getting more modern hardware for my PC. I actually had to install a video card "hack tool" to get them to play properly on my Radon 6670. Not to mention the laughable support for more recent joypads.
These are issues that console gamers simply don't have to worry about, but were my nightmare almost every time I installed a game that was ported from the consoles to PC.
Sure you can throw the argument about better graphics and modding ability at me, but the truth is I never really cared for mods and I remember enjoying Vice City immensely on the PS2 in all it's buggy and glitchy glory. I'm prepared to sacrifice a bit of visual fidelity for the sake of a hassle-free gaming experience.
Now it may be safe to conclude that the source of all of the last generation's PC ports were so terrible due to the Playstation 3's Cell processor and that this generation's ports may be much better due to the fact that both consoles are using more standardized PC-like hardware, but that remains to be seen.
I may still end up build a gaming PC to catch the odd game or two that are "tremendously better on PC" but i'll be taking my time with that project.
In conclusion/TLDR:
- I'm choosing the PS4 because I like the exclusives.
- I'm not choosing the Xbox One because I don't really care for that platform's exclusives.
- I'm not choosing PC (from the get-go) because of the terrible console ports of last generation.
- You are free to decide which one you want to go with.
