Isn't GTAV out already? Two guys in my office have copies. They offered to get me one and I turned it down. That will probably drive some crazy here.

Genesys wrote on Sep 13, 2013, 20:19:

Prez wrote on Sep 13, 2013, 17:35:
I just can't play games sitting on a couch or on the floor in front of my TV. Partly it is due to back problems, and partially due to the fact that I just can't get into the experience that way. I need to be sitting upright at a 24-26" monitor in a comfy office chair.

There's nothing stopping you from hooking your game console up to your monitor for controller-friendly games (racing games etc), though. I use a $10 HDMI switchbox so I can toggle between PC and PS3, and if your monitor has multiple inputs you might not even need that.

I have been thinking about doing that more and more as of late actually. If it turns out that GTA 5 is a console exclusive, I will probably go ahead and do it.

Prez wrote on Sep 13, 2013, 17:35:
I just can't play games sitting on a couch or on the floor in front of my TV. Partly it is due to back problems, and partially due to the fact that I just can't get into the experience that way. I need to be sitting upright at a 24-26" monitor in a comfy office chair.

There's nothing stopping you from hooking your game console up to your monitor for controller-friendly games (racing games etc), though. I use a $10 HDMI switchbox so I can toggle between PC and PS3, and if your monitor has multiple inputs you might not even need that.

Digitalfiend wrote on Sep 13, 2013, 11:37:
Those small visual differences between the PS3 and XBox releases is one of the reasons I never picked up (and missed out on) Red Dead Redemption. The PS3 version looked noticeably inferior to the XBox version...though admittedly LA Noire looked pretty good on it.

It seems like Sony really did an awesome job designing the PS4.

Unless you were running the XBox 360 version side by side with the PS3 version I doubt you would have noticed any issues with RDR. I've played it on the PS3 that I own and the XBox 360 at a friend's place and I didn't notice any quality issues between them that really stood out. It's a completely manufactured problem. Now the very irritating problems with Skyrim on the PS3 were an actual problem.

Ashley wrote on Sep 13, 2013, 18:19:
The internet has taught me that not everyone thinks like me so I may be an edge case here but I have always bought consoles because of the games.

Great games do make for a great system. I loved my N64 and I know a lot of Dreamcast fans, I guess my point being that it should always be about the games but a lot of the time success isn't. I know a lot of people get sore about exclusivity these days, too.

BobBob wrote on Sep 13, 2013, 12:55:
I'd rather play a game with a keyboard and mouse, made in the 1990's, than having to use a console's game controller.

Pretty much and I'll get 50% more than a PS4. So what are either of you doing for me? I'll tell ya, not a damn thing. PS4 just won the special olympics. Come on people it's time to get the console vs pc lingo in gear... you know it's coming. Don't be left behind.

Agent.X7 wrote on Sep 13, 2013, 12:17:
What the hell are you talking about? You passed on an awesome game because you thought it looked better on the 360? It looks pretty much the same on both systems.

The PS3 lagged behind a bit in performance during busy scenes while rendering everything at a lower resolution (1152x640 after doing a quick search.) Distant objects were quicker to disappear and pop-in, which really messes with the overall immersion factor (at least for me.)

I guess for me it wasn't so much that I wasn't willing to put up with lower quality of the PS3 version as much as I was hoping Rockstar would eventually release a PC version. By the time it became clear this was not going to happen, I no longer had a burning desire to play the game.

The internet has taught me that not everyone thinks like me so I may be an edge case here but I have always bought consoles because of the games.
SNES for Mario
Genesis for Phantasy star and Joe Montana
Dreamcast for Sonic Adventure
GameCube for Wind Waker
Xbox for Halo/Morrowind
360 and PS3 were free swag for dev events I was invited to but I would have bought both for Halo, Bethesda games and the variety of JRPG's on the PS3

Same thing for handhelds.

I don't care about performance. I care about the games. I recently replayed SpongeBob Battle for Bikini Bottom on GameCube and loved it.

I'm considering the Wii U because of Pikmin 3.

Hopefully, there will be some games that make me want to buy an XBone or PS4 (NDA may be preventing me from talking about them )

wtf_man wrote on Sep 13, 2013, 14:26:
However, we're talking the same architecture here. Both are x86.

Exactly. Comparing a PC to a MAC pre-Intel for the latter isn't as relevant power-wise as comparing it post-Intel. Likewise, comparing the "power" of consoles with distinct architectures is a different story than comparing two with the same fundamental building blocks. On the other hand, I think people are mostly underestimating the XBox One in terms of performance. For the record I don't own any consoles and won't this generation but I am a computer engineer and I can tell you that from a CPU standpoint, slower RAM with better latency (and super-fast eRAM) is superior for overall system performance (non-GPU). The CPU's in these boxes won't come anywhere near saturation even with DDR3, and since the RAM is shared GDDR5 will actually hurt CPU performance.

Will the eRam compensate? Fact is everybody is clapping at the amount of memory these systems have...despite the fact a lot will go to the OS...but the reality is that game- and media-centered boxes don't need all that much memory. Honestly the architecture of both systems is pretty disappointing. The choice in eRam is a bit more bold, though, and one that I like, simply because it implies future differentiation (clearly MS is going for a media machine over going for a gaming machine with that choice, that is). So their decision makes a little more sense, although I'd like to see it at a lower price point to really convince me.

The PS4's beefier GPU will simply mean better game performance by standard metrics but like wtf_man implies...it'll be more like having two PC's where the one with the better video card can turn up effects a bit. With that fact in mind I find it surprising the XBox One hasn't been marketed to be cheaper than the PS4...since the real reason to go the route they did, beyond the media push, is to save on cost. Then again if they figure they'll sell a ton to fanboys and push Kinect and DRM as well, it'll be a win for them (and I did predict in a previous post on here that Microsoft was after the services/user market rather than gaming, and it looks like I was correct in that prediction).

Verno wrote on Sep 13, 2013, 14:51:
Being a PC only gamer means missing out on great stuff like The Last of Us, Red Dead Redemption and so on. That's not a big deal to some people but it is to me

I just can't play games sitting on a couch or on the floor in front of my TV. Partly it is due to back problems, and partially due to the fact that I just can't get into the experience that way. I need to be sitting upright at a 24-26" monitor in a comfy office chair. I hate not playing games like Read Dear Redemption and GTA5, but I really am unable to enjoy games on console. I've tried several times, but it just ain't happening. There's certainly no way I will ever feel comfortable playing a FPS (my favorite genre) with a controller. Even in games designed for controllers like GTA4 and Darksiders I prefer to play with a mouse and keyboard (though in open world games like GTA I still drive with the 360 controller - all the on foot stuff is m+k though).

This comment was edited on Sep 13, 2013, 17:42.

Maybe they should just do the Xbone version with fewer colors and less visual detail (think fuzzy) if it can't handle the speed. They shouldn't neuter the PS4 version just because the Xbone is slow.

Exactly. Though I didn't play either of the examples. I'm kinda hoping they'll re-release The Last of US on PS4 hehe.

Edit: Oh before I forget. HDCP can suck it!

I definitely don't get as much satisfaction from current gen efforts (console or PC) as I have in the past but there have been some great games in the past 5-10 years.

I'm getting a PS4 primarily because the DS3 hurts my hands and I still want to play the odd game on a console. Being a PC only gamer means missing out on great stuff like The Last of Us, Red Dead Redemption and so on. That's not a big deal to some people but it is to me

I partly agree with him. 15 year old PC titles often are better than anything modern consoles have brought us. I find most modern games are too 'pc', too simplistic, too much leading around by the hand. Do we really need to be reminded what button to press every time we approach a door? That doesn't mean I don't enjoy a great many modern games but I think 90% of them just aren't as good as they used to be. The exception largely being the Indie scene.

I am primarily a PC gamer and have been for decades, but I have owned a number of consoles, though not of the latest generation. If I have a choice between getting a game on PC or on a console, 90% of the time I go with PC simply because A: I could mod the game. B: I could tweak the graphics to a much higher level and C: Kb/mouse is indeed dramatically better for a variety of genres. I simply cannot get myself to play a shooter on a console. I feel so.. confined by the controls.

I'm actually planning on picking up a PS4. I want it more as an 'entertainment hub'. I'm just waiting to see if they pick up HBO Go before I finally decide. Why not an Xbox One? Largely because I trust Sony more than I do MS, but also because of the two consoles exclusive titles, I've always enjoyed Sony's more.

This comment was edited on Sep 13, 2013, 14:52.

Beamer wrote on Sep 13, 2013, 12:24:
"Power" isn't really what defines the dominant console, though.

Alright, the SNES was the more powerful system and sold the most.
N64 was the more powerful system and it sold 1/3 what the PS1 did.
The Xbox was more powerful than the GC, which was more powerful than the PS2, and the PS2 destroyed them.
This generation, who really knows? It seems the general dev consensus is that the 360 was ultimately more powerful (but the PS3 could be better tuned), and the Wii seems to have destroyed them all in sales, but I don't know if you can call any of them a winner. Wii sold the most then tanked, PS3 and 360 are mostly neck-and-neck.

So power isn't really all that important. Unless it really is ultra-significant. Honestly, I don't think being the weaker system is what will doom Microsoft here, everything else is doing that just fine. I do wonder if they learned the wrong lesson from the Wii - gimmicks sell, not power. But yeah, sure, in the first 3 years, then it craters. Maybe they thought they were strong enough to keep the momentum where Nintendo couldn't.

However, we're talking the same architecture here. Both are x86. The OS's are different... so quality and optimization will count for both the OS and Raw Power of the device.

So, I think it does make a difference, this time... even if devlopers shoot for the XBone being the lowest common denominator, from a performance standpoint, the PS4 should have no problems.

But, let's say the PC is the lead platform... which box do you think will be able to more closely resemble the PC version?

Wowbagger_TIP wrote on Sep 13, 2013, 14:00:
A shitty control mechanism that is objectively inferior for certain types of games (read: games requiring a decent degree of precision) is a pretty good reason to favor the PC.

Read what he said again... That's not even close to it. Flat-out refusing to play console games at all (or even PC games that would benefit from a gamepad) and insisting that 15+ year old PC games are better purely because you can use M/KB is just idiotic.

This comment was edited on Sep 13, 2013, 14:28.

A shitty control mechanism that is objectively inferior for certain types of games (read: games requiring a decent degree of precision) is a pretty good reason to favor the PC.

BobBob wrote on Sep 13, 2013, 12:55:
I'd rather play a game with a keyboard and mouse, made in the 1990's, than having to use a console's game controller.

Douchey statements like this are why people have such disdain for PC gamers... If you're going to be an elitist, at least have a good reason.

I'd rather play a game with a keyboard and mouse, made in the 1990's, than having to use a console's game controller.

Digitalfiend wrote on Sep 13, 2013, 11:37:
Those small visual differences between the PS3 and XBox releases is one of the reasons I never picked up (and missed out on) Red Dead Redemption. The PS3 version looked noticeably inferior to the XBox version...though admittedly LA Noire looked pretty good on it.

It seems like Sony really did an awesome job designing the PS4.

I really saw very little difference between the two. Sure, in side by side screenshots the 360 looked a bit better, but during gameplay, eh. Never saw much difference.

But yeah, Mark Cerny seems to have built a really, really good machine in the PS4.