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Ask Slashdot: Xbox One Or PlayStation 4?

Posted by Soulskill on from the console-wars-v219.12 dept.

An anonymous reader writes: I'm looking at getting the kids a new gaming console for Christmas this year. I'm stuck trying to decide between getting an Xbox One or a PlayStation 4. I'm really wary on the PlayStation because of the 5 PS2s with broken optical drives sitting in my garage; none lasted more than two years. On the other hand, I'm also wary of buying a Microsoft product; I'm a Linux user for life after getting tired of their crappy operating system. I've also considered getting a gaming PC, whether Linux or Windows, but it's more expensive and game reviews show most are not as good as a dedicated game console. The kids want Fallout 4, and I want Star Wars Battlefront and any version of Gran Turismo. We currently have a Nintendo Wii and a crappy gaming PC with some Steam games. So, which gaming console should I get that will last a long time?

7 of 375 comments (clear)

  1. Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This has no place on Slashdot. At all. Period.

    1. Re:Really? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Indeed, what is this, "please google this for me?" If the kids want Gran Turismo then the only option is a PS4. If the OP broke five PS2s then that's not down to the minor quality issues Sony had with early models, that's his kids putting pop-tarts in it.

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  2. Ask your kids. by Sylak · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Seriously, ask your kids. You seem to have plenty of negatives in the direction of both consoles, but you should ask your kids so that they can be able to use the device which better matches with their own social circles, since that doesn't seem to be a factor on your part of your decision.

    Also I agree with the First Poster. This doesn't belong on an Ask Slashdot.

  3. Re:Extremetech treatment by Dynedain · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The specs don't matter. The gameplay and titles do. That's why the Wii wiped the floor with sales over Sony and Mcrisoft when it came out. It was woefully underpowered, and didn't have any HD capability yet far outstripped the technology leaders in sales, and even with the joke of a name. Why? Because they focused on gameplay.

    Which modern system has the best portfolio of games and upcoming releases? That's how to pick which console to buy. The hardware should be meaningless in this decision. The hardware only matters when you play the same game (with same platform tuning) and try to compare. That's going to be a limited set of titles to worry about since most of them are really only tuned for one platform and a basic port to other platforms leaves them less than optimized.

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  4. Re:What do their friends play on? by Burdell · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This. My gaming friends and I are not hard-core gamers, so we went with consoles. A couple of them have been on Xbox Live since the original Xbox first came out, so we went with 360s years ago and are now moving to XbOnes.

    If you are going with a gaming setup to play solo, look at what supports the most games you are interested in (since there are exclusives on PC, Xbox, and Playstation). If you are gaming with friends, see what they're getting.

  5. Parenting failure by suso · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The kids want Fallout 4

    Why am I not surprised that on Slashdot all the comments are just about the technical merits or whether the kids will grasp the game play of Fallout 4? The game is rated M. That's like an NC-17 movie.

  6. Re:Extremetech treatment by Assoluto · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The specs don't matter. The gameplay and titles do. That's why the Wii wiped the floor with sales over Sony and Mcrisoft when it came out. It was woefully underpowered, and didn't have any HD capability yet far outstripped the technology leaders in sales, and even with the joke of a name. Why? Because they focused on gameplay.

    This simply isn't true. The gameplay offered by most Wii games was utterly abysmal, and the real reason it succeeded was because it had a very marketable gimmick that appealed to non-gamers. People saw the tennis, bowling and golf games and instantly understood what the console offered.

    After playing with the console for a short time people realised that there was no gameplay in most Wii games at all, and as such the console met with a quick death. While it was hugely successful for a few years, the sales dropped off very quickly as core gamers abandoned the platform and word spread amongst casual gamers that it really wasn't very good. While the Wii only lasted a few years, the PS3 and Xbox 360 lasted a good ten years.

    Nintendo had to get a new console out fast due to the sales of the Wii collapsing, leading to multiple years of losses. Sadly, they once again focused on gimmicks with the Wii U and not on gameplay. This time the gimmick didn't appeal nearly as well to casual gamers and the Wii U was DOA. Ultimately, Nintendo stopped focusing on gameplay with the Gamecube. Now it's just a maker of novelty items that you quickly grow bored of.

    As for specs not mattering, if you have the same game on two platforms and one has superior specs to the other, which version are you going to want?