Next-Gen Consoles: Now or Later? – GameSided Roundtable
Greetings! This is our weekly GameSided Roundtable feature, where our writers converge to provide their opinions, wishes, statements or critical thought on one general topic centered around video games. Sometimes it can be funny, sometimes it can be serious. Contemporary, classic; we hope to cover a wide variety of things in this segment as a group. If you wish to submit an idea for a GameSided Roundtable discussion topic, you can leave the editor an email at: daniel.george@fansided.com. We’ll totally give you (and your Twitter account, if applicable) a shoutout!
This week’s GameSided Roundtable topic: “Is Next-Gen gaming worth it yet?”
Jon McSwain (Twitter)
As the holidays are rapidly approaching, many people are faced with the conundrum of buying a Next-Gen console. I stared this juxtaposition in the face last December, but decided to head down the path for a new Xbox One. Now that a year has passed with my new console, I can reflect on whether my purchase was justified.
There have been many times this year that I was ecstatic about having a new Xbox One, but also several times I questioned its value. Had I not already purchased an Xbox One, I would have missed out playing games with “Next-Gen” graphics, but honestly, their hasn’t been many Next-Gen console exclusives, therefore most games haven’t maximized the new capabilities. In other words, a person could easily make a claim that purchasing a console last year would have just provided an opportunity to play upscaled, and remakes of old games. Not only would that be an accurate claim, but one that up until last October was almost exclusively true.
With a few exceptions like Infamous: Second Son for PS4 and Forza Motorsport 5, most AAA titles have been on both the old and new consoles. Granted, those two games were good, in fact I really enjoyed Infamous, but they would have been equally good if you were purchasing them today and quite a bit cheaper. Its beginning to sound like I am experiencing a little bit of regret, but that is not true. I am glad I bought an Xbox One last year. I have enjoyed playing the AAA titles with better graphics, albeit not jaw-dropping at times, but definitely noticeably better. Since I already bought one, I have the opportunity to focus more on new games this holiday season and lets be honest, that is the coolest part of getting a new console.
If I hadn’t already gotten a new console, I would absolutely be purchasing a new one this season. In fact, I am getting a Wii U, which has had several games over its life-span that I wanted to play, but felt difficult to justify another console. However, some of the recent launches Bayonetta 2, Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros has pushed my desire to own a Wii U to the brink and as of last night I had ordered one! For the Halo enthusiasts, the Halo MCC should be enough to justify buying an Xbox One. It has had its fair share of disappointments, (multiplayer debacle) but that aspect aside, its terrific.
In short, although I have enjoyed my console this past year, the time to buy one has just now really occurred. Next year has a slew of upcoming next-gen titles and with the price of bundles plummeting, now is the chance to grab one.
Keith Myers (Twitter)
Absolutely! But, that wasn’t true until recently. The sad truth is that those of us who picked up a next-gen system a year ago were left with almost nothing worthwhile to play on it. That is no longer the case. Games like Shadow of Mordor and Dragon Age: Inquisition need to be experienced on a next-gen system. They’re stunningly beautiful and immensely fun.
Those of you who waited to upgrade were smart to do so, but we’ve reached the point where you’re missing out on the best the industry has to offer by continuing to do so.
Daniel George (Twitter)
Amid all the Black Friday deals that see $300 in value for a console and games, the allure of next-gen consoles is definitely at its strongest. However, I’d argue that now is also the best time to hold off on getting a next-gen console and start to build your own high-end computer (if you have the money to do so).
Think about it; most PS4/Xbox One games will appear on the PC as well. Not only that, but they are often presented with numerous visual slider options, advanced anti-aliasing options and mod support to change both the visual performance and gameplay of a title. PC games just look and run amazingly better than consoles, and often at better framerates, too. Through Steam, Green Man Gaming and other PC distributors, you can even enjoy some miraculous savings. I just picked up The Evil Within for $16, less than two months after it was released!
It’s also incredibly timely to build one up now, as many PC parts are on sale across several outlets. Just go to a PC Part creation site and they’ll help you find the best deals you can get. Right now, the PS4/Xbox One’s exclusives are either disappointing, remakes of previous-generation games or broken at launch. The Wii U’s list of games includes some of the best titles this year, however they have a shallow pool of third-party support. If you truly want to enjoy next-gen gaming, then the PC is probably your best bet to go with right now. That is, if you’re willing to drop $1,000-$1,200 that will last you a great number of years.
Next: Next-Gen Skepticism & Wii U Praise