In the past I’ve owned a Atari 2600 (played a lot), Sega Genesis (played some), XBox (played little), and XBox 360 (played little). PC gaming has always been my main platform starting in about 1985. I used to primarily play strategy games (Civ, Age of Empires, etc), but lately I’ve had trouble overcoming inertia and starting games of something involving. I still do, but it’s not the vast majority like it used to be. I’m playing more games like Dark Souls, Rayman, etc).
The consoles used to be primarily used for driving and sports games. FPS were still played on the PC because I found M+KB control so much easier than a controller. I don’t have buddies that I game with, so multiplayer really isn’t a concern for me, although I do like leaderboards to compete against with many of you here. I do occasionally play a game (like a LEGO game or Rayman) with my 2nd grade son, but his screen time is limited so it doesn’t happen that often.
I’m trying to decide if it’s worth getting a console and since I really want to play The Last of Us it would be a Playstation (and I already have a 360 which I may sell). The main points I can think of, which mainly support just sticking with the PC are:
1- Most games I want probably come out on both the PC and the Playstation, so do I really need a Playstation? That money could just eventually finance a new video card.
2- Now that XBox 360 controller support is common on the PC I can just use them for games on the PC that play better with a controller, including my cheap wireless wheel. Since a big draw for the consoles were driving games that I can now pretty easily play on the PC that makes a console less attractive.
3- I don’t mind playing in front of a computer screen, so playing from the couch isn’t a huge draw. My wife doesn’t really enjoy computer games but I wouldn’t mind if I could find a game we could play together. A console would probably make this more likely since it is easier to gather around the TV.
4- Are there a lot of great PS games that aren’t available on the PC - like The Last of Us, to make a purchase worthwhile?
5- I’ve gotten used to PC game sales so console game prices may be hard to swallow.
6- Visuals seem to always be better on a PC as long as you have a decent video card - my current card is a Radeon HD7870.
It looks like I could pick up a used PS3 for $140-$170, a new one for $250-$270. A new PS4 for $399. What would be your recommendation - used PS3, new PS3, new PS4, or nothing? If you recommend a PS3, which model. Are some more reliable than others?
How do you feel about the Souls games? Bloodborne is the next evolution of those and will be PS4 only. Last of Us is a fantastic game. The new Uncharted is also looking pretty great.
I’m in a very similar situation, and will probably end up with the Ps3 because:
There are a ton of games for PS3, many that I haven’t played.
It’s a cheap platform, and the software for it is much more likely to be reasonably priced given it’s age.
Has there actually been anything released yet for either of the new consoles? Every time I look at the list of what’s available on either Xbox one or PS4, I really struggle to figure out why anyone would buy one. There just seems to be so little available. That’s probably just me, as I’m well beyond the ‘must have this right now’ phase in my gaming.
Feature set on the PS3 is pretty awesome.
For me the choice is pretty simple, looking at how much is available on the platform pretty much makes either of the new consoles a non starter for me, there just isn’t enough content to justify a purchase.
As for new vs used, I’m always of the mind to spend the extra bucks and get a new unit, especially given how flimsy the PS3 is, at least if you get a lemon right off the bat you can get an RA for it instead of eating it.
Other than the alternative option, get a WiiU instead, I’d say your best bet is either PS3 or neither. If you are primary PC, as I am too, then the WiiU is the best complimentary platform. Very little of what appears on PS4 or Xbone is unique to those platforms. Given your little usage for both iterations of Xbox you’ve owned I don’t see much reason to suspect change here. If you have one very specific game you want, then doing it for the cheapest option is the way to go. It’ll give you access to other potential exclusives, such as Uncharted, if you wanted. Grab Shadow of the Colossus HD along with the system and go.
Still given your preferences I don’t see that much value in the system. Console exclusives are almost dead aside from first party stuff. So aside from Nintendo I really don’t see a ton of value from the other systems as a PC player. So unless there is some specific game only on PS4 you may want in the future, avoid that.
We are a lot alike, in that I prefer to game on PC and don’t care much for Co-op gaming. My wife likewise isn’t a gamer. I do own the latest consoles though, mostly because I like to have the option for when something unique does come out and I want to play it. (such as GTA V that I didn’t want to wait for on PC).
That said, I wouldn’t bother with a PS3. Most of the best stuff for that system is/has been remade for the PS4 or PC (Valkyrie Chronicles).
Whether you spend $400 for a gaming system or not really is a matter of if you’re comfortable spending the money for a system you probably won’t use a tremendous amount, since you’re bent towards PC gaming. If you have the extra cash burning a hole, and you won’t miss it, then sure, grab a PS4. If you think you might regret spending the money, then don’t. There’s plenty of good games on the PC to occupy your free time.
I have barely touched my xbox one. With the PS4 I really liked Second Son but that’s it. PC just got all the games I really wanted.
I even bought GTA5 on the ps3 but the graphics were so low res I just decided to wait till the inevitable PC version. So if you don’t mind waiting I think you can safely skip the consoles. At least for now, until more next gen games are released.
The Last of Us was pretty good, but not worth a console by itself.
I would probably go with a PS3, one of the slim models (not the super slim) and upgrade the hard drive later if needed. Wikipedia has a list (incomplete) of PS3 Exclusives you can take a look at. Primarily Japanese-style games that jump out to me with a few more well-known games like Last of Us (which you mentioned), Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and the Ratchet and Clank series. MLB The Show is the only worthwhile baseball game if you’re a fan and should get an entry on PS3 this year.
I was in a similar boat a couple years back and picked up a PS3 to complement my PC (and because I really wanted to play Tokyo Jungle). My library is mostly PS3/console exclusives and taking a look it skews heavily to JRPGS and HD remakes/collections of PS2 games.
Edit: Saw the bundle you posted and that’s a reasonable deal, though egads is the console ugly.
I’ve purchased consoles for single games before. In fact, I did it twice; I bought an Xbox for KOTOR and a 360 for Mass Effect. Current gen doesn’t have any exclusive bioware RPGs so I didn’t buy either one.
I’m in your situation… I play the majority of games on my PC. I do have a PS3, and I use it primarily as a video player vs a game console. I picked up a Wii U so that I can play exclusive platform games on the gamepad while my wife watches shows I don’t care about. Meanwhile on those short/brief sessions my 7 and 5 year olds do have on the weekends for some game time the games on the Wii U are perfect for them.
Well, the price went up on the ebay 500GB model so I passed. Even though it doesn’t include as much, I wonder if this would be better. It’s the 250GB PS3 + The Last of Us for $197. The thing is that the current trade in value of it on Amazon is only a little bit lower. I couldn’t trade in that Arctic Blast PS3 that Gamestop offers on Amazon. Granted the trade in price wouldn’t be as high by the time I traded it in, but still might be $100 so the next cost may only be $100.
You really shouldn’t put too much thought into the hard drive size. It’s trivial to replace it with an aftermarket bigger drive that’ll likely be cheaper than the price difference.
I’m still unsure as to whether or not moving to a PS4 was the right decision. For me, at least. At first it was neat, but I’m not seeing anything as of yet to persuade me that my PS3 needed to be traded away.
Hopefully that will change, but right now I’m far more likely to fire up my PC for some gaming than I am my PS4.
PS3 lets me play Personas and other PS2 classics right now, plus I have a decent PS3 game library.
Right now, PS4 lets me play nothing that I don’t have already. Hmmm, Last of Us? Yeah, have that on PS3. GTA V? Yeah, have that on PS3. Not as pretty, but to be honest I’m waiting for PC GTA V to buy it again. Diablo 3? LOL I have that for PC and PS3.
If The Show '15 is incredible, then I might go for the PS4.
Buy a console specifically for the games you want now.
I’d agree with several people above and say that my vote would be for nothing, followed by a PS3. I’d suggest making a list of the games that 1) You really want to play now (to the point that you’ll actually prioritize them over your existing PC backlog, not just “oh that sounds cool and I’d like to play it sometime”), and 2) aren’t already available for PC or 360. I suspect this list will be pretty short (The Last of Us, Demon’s Souls / Bloodborne?, Persona 5? Some sports games?) The reality is that console exclusives are pretty rare these days, and buying a PlayStation system won’t open up all that many games you didn’t already have access to. Then you can decide whether getting access to those games is worth spending a few hundred dollars. But don’t count on there being a lot of surprises or things you didn’t know about going in.
I’ll also echo a couple other posters and say that as a primarily PC-focused gamer considering a console as a supplement to the PC, Wii U is by far the most complementary option (minimal library overlap, and strengths in different sorts of games), and you might want to at least have it on your radar. The library is small, but packed with worthwhile exclusives, especially since you skipped the Wii and can plunder the best of that generation as well. There’s also more emphasis on same-screen multiplayer than the other consoles offer, giving you a better chance of finding something you can play co-op with your wife.
