-INKling-'s Blog: When to PS4

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5Mar 13

When to PS4 - The Golden Rule

Dust off your sleeping bag, raid that piggy bank and put your cat on ebay because the next gen is coming. Like a big overachieving head boy, Sony has landed an A+ in New Console Hype 101 and showed up Nintendo who, ironically, actually have a console available to buy. So while Nintendo sulks off to its room to listen to My Chemical Romance and ponder why nobody understands it, Sony are being fastracked to the frat house on the shoulders of glassy-eyed gamers.

Sony have yet to reveal a price point or even a solid release date but that hasn't stopped console fans from placing preorders despite the fact that the use of standard PC parts means that the risk of a shortage is lower than ever. When to buy a console is a tricky choice, too early and you risk exposing yourself to potential starter issues (RROD and 20GB models), too late and you can feel like you have missed the party.

Personally I will not be getting a PS4 day one and although I could give plenty of excuses about why not, the real reason is that I have a kind of weird guilt when parting with money luxury items. With that in mind I have adopted the 5 Game Rule of Console Ownership which states that there must be at least 5 system sellers before I shell out. For example, I bought a PS3 only a few months ago on the back of Uncharted, Killzone, Heavy Rain, Metal Gear Solid 4 and The Last Of Us. I should explain that sub rules dictate that a series only counts as one and The Last Of Us was permitted because I would still be finishing the other titles when it came out - I may have jumped the gun a bit there.

Are there any other 'wait and see' gamers out there? Or is everyone leaving me at the station?

Posted Mar 5, 2013 10:40 am GMT
Category: Games

22 comments

Newest | Oldest

WorldOfHurt

I am unlikely to buy one on day one. I can happily wait until at least day 3. Maybe even day 4...? :p

No, seriously, it will entirely depend on availability of games, my backlog, and stuff like what happens to my PS+. If they don't carry the subscription over to the new console, I will be sticking with PS3 for quite a while.

I am less concerned about H/W failure these days. It is going to be much less complicated than the custom chipsets of old, so I don't expect the YLOD problem on this kind of rig.

However, I will definitely not consider buying until there have been some objective "retail-standard" reviews of it. I'm not getting sucked in to any hype.

Realistically, this is the first console release EVER where I will actually have the potential to buy early-on. Every other generation has coincided with a period of penury, and I have had to wait ages to afford one. Makes a nice change :)

-INKling-

@WorldOfHurt That continuation of a service like PS+ is a big next-gen question mark to me. I am hopingo seamlessly move on but we shall see.

dylan417

I'm pretty excited for the PS4. But there are still so many games I want to play on my PS3.

Though I'm sure the hype will get to my head, resulting in a launch purchase.

-INKling-

@dylan417 That's the thing. I consider myself above the hype train and all those on board are mere sheep but I still end up reading and writiing about it. I can't help myself!

wavey_gravey

At the moment, I am a wait and see type of person. I don't think I will jump straight to the new system, I have never been an early adopter in the past, but who knows!

Great article again INK, you need to do something about doing this a little more seriously. I love your style.

-INKling-

@wavey_gravey Thanks for the compliment. You made my day. I would love to do more writing but I usually do blogs when I am bored at work so there are no deadlines or pressure. Plus with a baby on the way I have no idea how much my free time will be affected. I have stated that I am effectively 'going dark' from any external commitments for six months from the end of April!

s_h_a_d_o

I seldom indulge in early adoption, and will as usual research and weigh the pro's and con's before making any decision. Besides, we have yet to see details for (the various manifestations of ?) Steambox, for which I am more excited I think.

Regardless, my PC will remain future-proof for a couple of years yet. ;)

-INKling-

@s_h_a_d_o I keep forgetting about the potential Steambox. I have no preconceptions about it at all so it will be interesting to see how it fits in with the console family. There is also that Ouya thing too.

Anabub

1 Like

I like to think I'm a wait to buy kinda guy ... I was this gen. Well I say that but all of a sudden my original xbox started to 'Play up' just after release of the 360 which is weird because my old TV started to 'Play up' just as I bought my 360 and went into HD gaming.

wavey_gravey

@Anabub HAHA it is funny how that happens isn't it!

-INKling-

@Anabub I held onto my old SD TV for ages but it still worked fine. I actually felt bad about taking the old fella to the tip!

Ovirew

As you know, I'm also really new to the PS3. I still don't even know if the PS4 is something I will ever want. I'm content with the PS3 and the Vita right now.

I'm getting older, too. I might be reaching that point in my life where getting into a career I care about means more to me than video games. The PS4, and the future of gaming, is an exciting and simultaneously concerning issue. It's hard for me not to hope for the best and be excited for a great next decade of games. But I think it is actually, finally starting to take the back-seat to more important things in my life. I kind of hope it is, actually.

-INKling-

@Ovirew I have found that my love for gaming has not diminished despite pursuing a career, starting a family and all that. If it's a hobby you love then there are always ways to make time for it.

Ovirew

@-INKling- @Ovirew You're probably right. I just wish I could be successful, and keep thinking of ways I might accomplish that. But I guess success doesn't happen overnight, and if gaming is something I like then I shouldn't be so ashamed about it.

Rheinmetal

Usually I'm a "wait and buy" gamer. At the end I can't resist. But with the PS4 I'm just not sure at all.

PS. Since you got a PS3 you might want to check also some of the following exclusives that are definately worth of your money in my opinion: Demon's Souls, Little Big Planet and Gran Turismo 5.

-INKling-

@Rheinmetal I am tempted by Demon's Souls but the difficulty is really putting me off. It seems that there are some fairly unpleasant instant death moments as well.

Rheinmetal

@-INKling-@RheinmetalDS is an rpg and as such you continuously level up and equip yourself with better armour; an enemy that looks fearsome in the beginning, some hours later seems weak as a mosquito. Or even you can cast poison to literally every enemy you encounter, hide behind a pillar and wait for the poison to take effect. Problem solved. :-)

Platformers are what I think is a difficult genre in general. A hard rpg is always more manageable than any standard platformer. For instance in Little Big Planet which a 2D platformer, even though over all it is an easy game it has one big level near the end that almost drove me crazy until I cleared it. And there you can do nothing to bypass the difficulty.

-INKling-

@Rheinmetal That's a good point about the difficulty level of platformers. On easy it doesn't add more platforms. Good idea though.

Ironically I would say that platformers are one of my favourite genres and RPG mechanics often frustrate me. Still, Demon's Souls has received such universal praise that I should definitely give it a shot.

Gen_Warbuff

The big reason why I "might" wait on the PS4 is because I don't think we will see a huge jump in things from the current gen, to the next, unlike last gen to current. Now, with that said, when the new Xbox comes out I will sell small children in order to fund the purchase.

-INKling-

@Gen_Warbuff That's true. Crytek have said much the same thing about the next gen not being such a huge leap which means that console developers are using other frippery like social integration to wow us.

Sebadonut

I'm completely with you on this one. I'll personally be waiting until I see exactly what both Sony & Microsoft have to offer and can weigh up the pros & cons of both systems. I've always been careful when deciding to purchase a games console; I like to be sure that I will get a product that will see plenty of use and have no buyers-remorse attached to it. Although I probably could get both if I chose, its not something I will do.

Good point highlighting the starter issues; all the stories I heard about the RROD stop me purchasing any electronics day one, just to be sure.

-INKling-

@Sebadonut Waiting to see what Microsoft will do is a sensible idea. However one factor that influenced me into getting a 360 before a PS3 was simply because all my mates had them and I could play online. There's a lot to weigh up.

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