The Official "Console War" and Video Game Thread

[Fendi]

Alright ladies and gentleman, today is the day to see the future development of Playstation.


As you heard the rumors, Microsoft is trying to downgrade Xbox and turn it into a Multimedia consoles instead of gaming consoles.

Alright folks, the next generation war starts...... NOW

[Skullface]

Most recent rumors I've heard in the last day or 2 are:

PS4 launching in November w/2 SKUs - $429 & $529

New Playstation Eye included w/all systems. (To go w/what seems to be Move functionality built into the prototype controller pics floating around the last week or 2)

Streaming of games planned. Gaikai has registered several web domains with name variations based on "playstation cloud"

Console can be controlled via smartphones/tablets.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Blech! No thanks on the streaming of games or controlling the system with a smart phone. I hope that the games will still mainly be released on discs, with streaming just being an additional option. If so, then I'll likely get on board (though probably not immediately at launch) since as of right now I do prefer the PS3 over the 360.

When and if gaming completely eliminates physical media from the equation, I'll likely move on, or at least be VERY selective on what I buy and at what price. Especially if streaming becomes the norm and you can't even download the game to a hard drive. I'm not spending hundreds of dollars on a system, and $60 per game + more for add-on DLC just for it all to vanish the second that the system is no longer supported.

I am very much going to be the gaming equivalent of an old man complaining about how much better things were back in "my day"!

[wyldman11]

The WII U lets you pick up your old Wii stuff and import it. You can always keep your older systems, you often have to download them to current systems anyways.

I do agree the cost of it is a bit prohibitive for some of the stuff they put out. 5$ you can change the color of this character.. I don't think so.

I would say the only real complaint against digital download/streaming is the fact you are buying a license and in the EULA type stuff it pretty much says they can remove the software from your system without refund. This is a standard for most digital services though.

[TheDeviot]

The WII U lets you pick up your old Wii stuff and import it. You can always keep your older systems, you often have to download them to current systems anyways.

I do agree the cost of it is a bit prohibitive for some of the stuff they put out. 5$ you can change the color of this character.. I don't think so.

I would say the only real complaint against digital download/streaming is the fact you are buying a license and in the EULA type stuff it pretty much says they can remove the software from your system without refund. This is a standard for most digital services though.

Basically consoles have always followed PC gaming. Over the last fifteen years PC games went to Serialized CD-KEYS, then to Serialized DVD-KEYS (all of which were non re-sellable EULAS), to Digital Downloads each with it's own variation on protection, and DRM. Valve's Steam service meets people in the middle by tying purchases to an account a la iTunes or Google Play or Amazon Kindle, but at the same time allowing end users to have competitive pricing, gifting, and at one point they were looking into making trading with other users possible. Other services like GoG.Com have no DRM. Their account is solely for keeping track of what you bought from them in case anything happened requiring a re-download.

Now Consoles are going there, as they're hitting the point of diminishing returns on visuals. The difference being they are tying everything to either a single machine or a single account. In this regard don't expect pricing to be any better than the retail disc version because no competition means there's no reason to discount anything. Expect Killzone IV to cost $60-$70 even when Sony is finally putting the PSIV out to pasture.
I felt a lot about the PSIV reveal the way I felt about the Wii U reveal. Yes I know it's a nice system, I may find myself wanting one at some point. But there was nothing that screamed "MUST HAVE" to me. Instead I saw "Same old stuff with a new coat of paint." Which works for some titles but not everything. With the exception of the thing the Braid guy is putting out, what else seemed new? Nothing really. Capcom's new IP perhaps but then all we saw were graphics.

Honestly most of the multiplatform stuff mentioned is going to also have a graphically equal to superior version for Windows like the previous 360/PS3/Wii gen did, so the question becomes "What can you sell me that I cannot play on my computer?" Because honestly, if it's just CoD, and Battlefield I'm just going to upgrade my PC. I know that while Nintendo has been schlepping out safe revisions of their IP's I'll actually play some of them. So even if Wii-U becomes that "Nintendo Games" machine like the Wii did at least it will be worth getting at some point. Sony hasn't really shown me any exclusive stuff that does that for me. Despite it's staggering amount of shared graphics RAM, and borrowing Nintendo conventions in some of the control schemes. At the end of the day if all I see are the same titles I can play on my computer but for $10 more than the computer versions, it isn't doing me any favors.
I'm not trying to slag or hate on the PSIV, the console is a significant upgrade over the PS3, and using x86 parts will make programmers happier. But it still needs games that better differentiate itself from Nintendo Wii U, Microsoft Windows, and Microsoft XBOX Number 3. I will say one thing that did make me happy to hear was the fact that used titles are not locked out. It would have been suicide if that rumor had been proven true.

[Heeeere's Olesker!]

Hey, I've got an idea. How about come Spring eighteen of us get together on a sandlot in Chicago for a game of softball? I'm a pretty good pitcher -- 13 and 0 pitching for DIC in the 1983 Entertainment Industry League in L.A. Ah well...this dinosaur can always hope for a different kind of game that he still remembers.

[Epicasino]

I agree with the Deviot, being a PC gamer myself, I find little interest in what sony has shown us... I do have an Xbox 360 and a Wii, because I like Nintendo franchises and because I like games that unfortunately aren't released on PC (mainly fighting games like the last Mortal Kombat). That being said, I have seen nothing that blows me away on any of the two new consoles... I see no reason to buy a Wii U, and sony's conference bored me to death...
Anyway, I just wanted to post this funny pic I saw the other day:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...16264861_n.jpg

[krosfyah]

Hey, I've got an idea. How about come Spring eighteen of us get together on a sandlot in Chicago for a game of softball? I'm a pretty good pitcher -- 13 and 0 pitching for DIC in the 1983 Entertainment Industry League in L.A. Ah well...this dinosaur can always hope for a different kind of game that he still remembers.

I'm in. I miss those good ol days. but when I was a kid i played video games AND outside! lol

- - - Updated - - -

I agree with the Deviot, being a PC gamer myself, I find little interest in what sony has shown us... I do have an Xbox 360 and a Wii, because I like Nintendo franchises and because I like games that unfortunately aren't released on PC (mainly fighting games like the last Mortal Kombat). That being said, I have seen nothing that blows me away on any of the two new consoles... I see no reason to buy a Wii U, and sony's conference bored me to death...
Anyway, I just wanted to post this funny pic I saw the other day:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...16264861_n.jpg

I still don't have a ps3, I was about to buy one last summer but when I went to the store, I didn't pull the trigger. I want the system for bluray God of War and to TRY Uncharted. there is NO other reason I want a ps3. so spending that much $$ to play 2 franchises and watch movies that I have digital copies of anyway...felt like a huge waste.

I have a wii and 360 because there are at least 5 franchises per system that I play on them. I do want a wii u but not desperately, and frm what I heard of Kinect 2 on the new xbox (not the big brother is watching stuff, that's a bit creepy but meh.) I see myself getting one. say what you will I love the kinect for what it has done and for the potential. just need developers to really push I guess the audience needs to jump in to. most gamers like just sitting and playing. BUT my GF and I play kinect a LOT.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

I already have the Wii U, and I do plan to get either a PS4 or the new Xbox (leaning strongly in favor of the PS4), but this may be the first generation where I don't actually buy all of the major competing gaming systems. (I have pretty much all past Nintendo consoles, Sega consoles except for the Master System, all Playstation consoles, and both Xbox consoles).

In all honesty, with hindsight being what it is, there's been little reason for me to own both the Xbox 360 and PS3. I got the 360 right at launch as I kind of entered that generation preferring Xbox over PS2. I eventually got PS3 for Blu-Ray, and then just preferred it overall for gaming. I still hung onto my 360 mainly because of a few minor things not available on PS3 (nothing that is traditionally "exclusive", but more stuff that only came out on 360 due to it coming out a year before the PS3, like the TMNT arcade game download), and because since I started buying my Guitar Hero and Rock Band games on 360, I just kept buying them on that system since I didn't want to rebuy the peripherals.

But really, aside from those minor things, there's almost nothing exclusive to the 360 that I care about. I do enjoy some of Sony's exclusive franchises, though even those aren't my favorites. Most games that I like I can get on both systems. But since Sony let's me use many online features for free that Xbox requires a gold account for, and for a few other reasons, the PS3 just makes more sense for me, and I'm expecting the same of PS4.


Also, I'm hoping that I might be able to get the PS4 cheap or possibly even for free. I have a Sony rewards credit card, which I gain points on for using (I actually signed up for it originally for a PS3 discount). They have many PS3 and Vita related rewards. In fact even though I don't have one, they had some exclusive Vita-related rewards for card holders when it came out, and I'm hoping they do the same with PS4. And even if they don't, the reward points can be used to buy things from the Sony Style website, and they carry the Sony consoles. So, I'm going to just save up my points and not use them on anything else between now and then. I'll just try to use this card for any purchases that I'm already planning on making anyway and pay it off right away. My wife got braces for her teeth late last year, and we are going to use our tax return to pay off a big portion of the bill for them..... so I'll just use the credit card to get points, and pay the cc bill with the tax return! Woo-hoo!

[Fendi]

Looks like if you pre purchase Sim City 2013 you will get $20 Best Buy gift card on Raptr, Anyone want to pick up this up? I've been playing the Beta and It was sweet, It's a lot better than Cities XL or better than the previous Sim City game, to be honest I really love how they standardize couple of stuff just simplify your game.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

My PSP's LCD screen broke a couple of weeks ago. It was disapointing, but I found a replacement screen online, ordered it, and received it today. I was a little miffed because the description stated that it was supposed to come with tools, including the correct sized screw driver, but didn't, so I ended up going to Ace Hardware since I didn't already have one small enough. But after that I followed the online tutorial, replaced it, and now it looks like a charm!

[wyldman11]

I am not sure if I will be getting a PS4, I have yet to pick up an Xbox anything. There haven't been many of their exclusive titles I have cared about. I got the Wii U in part because I never got a Wii and since functionally it's like the Wii 2.0 it covered that (The Wii is the first non handheld Nintendo console I haven't owned).

[Fendi]

I am not sure if I will be getting a PS4, I have yet to pick up an Xbox anything. There haven't been many of their exclusive titles I have cared about. I got the Wii U in part because I never got a Wii and since functionally it's like the Wii 2.0 it covered that (The Wii is the first non handheld Nintendo console I haven't owned).

Xbox probably losing it, It seems the Dev seems to lose faith on Microsoft after they changed it into an entertainment hub a.la Windows 8.

[wyldman11]

I almost get the feeling they are aiming more towards the farmville type crowd, with easy and cheap games that are repetitive and cost more than they probably should. With the cellphone and tablet market and facbeook games exploding like they have and microtransactions they most likely see a larger audience they can nickle and dime.

[TheDeviot]

Did you foolishly not buy any of the main line Serious Sam titles over the last decade? Steam has the complete collection on super sale
for twelve more hours.
The collection gets you: Serious Sam First, and Second Encounter (Both original versions, AND their HD remixes), Serious Sam 2, Serious Sam 3, Serious Sam HD Second Encounter Expansion pack,
Serious Sam 3: Jewel Of The Nile DLC Expansion pack, ALL of the Serious Sam licensed independent games, and The Serious Sam 3 Soundtrack by Croatian Metal band UNDERCODE.

You can also buy things piecemeal if you already had previously but the collection comes out to be the best value. 80% off.

[HordakQuack]

Geesh....I should feel bad that my Wii U hasn't been played since Christmas I feel like......idk, just don't have a desire to even turn it on. :-\

[mightybuck]

my PS3 up and died on friday at the tender age of 2 (still a baby!). i found a place nearby that should be able to repair it. i just hope it's not a temporary fix and that my save files and downloads don't disappear. the only other time i've had a console stop working was with my first xbox. that one died after about 8 years and at that time i bought a second one as it was just easier (and probably cheaper) to do so. i miss the days when a broken console was a foreign concept to me.

[Fendi]

Looks like Sim City 2013/5 problem is spread like a plague, with negative reception on the Always DRM issues and server issues, now we will have Diablogate that will run like a week or two.

all Sim City players or Simtropolis, avoid the the game on launch day till they fix the server issues.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

I hate DRM in general, and "always on" DRM is the absolute worst. And there's some rumors going around that the next Xbox will feature that for all games. There's no way in hell I'm buying it if it does that, and I don't see how anybody in their right mind could.

[TheDeviot]

I hate DRM in general, and "always on" DRM is the absolute worst. And there's some rumors going around that the next Xbox will feature that for all games. There's no way in hell I'm buying it if it does that, and I don't see how anybody in their right mind could.

Welcome to gaming.

If you look at all three consoles they each have some form of DRM.

Nintendo's Wii-U ties online purchases to the console rather than the account like the Wii did. So until 6 years from now when they
release a successor, and another (Hopefully) transfer program, you can only hope your system never dies or you'll be re buying those games. On the bite sized indie stuff you may shrug it off
but those looking to skip retail, and going direct for their $60 AAA stuff, a broken Wii U could mean an entire $$$ library gone. The flipside being buying retail discs, don't get tied to the console
so it's got that going for itself. It doesn't always have to be online, but it's preferable since publishers will release patches to fix bugs or add content. And there's no other way for them to get it.
In Nintendo's case there is no restrictive DRM on the discs (Although there is some to prevent small fries from copying), but online DRM is tied to the console.

Sony's PS4 doesn't block used titles, however leaves 3rd parties free to do so if they wish. It remains to be seen if they do. Assuming they don't, at least their online purchases are tied to an account rather
than the console. So they have a one up on Nintendo on that front in the event you need to replace the PS4. However, it does always need to be on the internet logged into your account. Because if it isn't
you can't get fixes/patches for your games/services. Some functions in games (Like multiplayer) won't be possible without an internet connection. In any event the DRM is built into an account. The discs
will also have anti copying DRM of some kind to keep the physical piracy limited.

Microsoft's Xbox 3 (Or whatever they call it), is already confirmed to have always online DRM. Which is really just an extension of their Live service, which is already DRM. on the 360 you already need to be online, and logged into
your XBLA to play multiplayer, and get access to your digital downloads. Is it dumb in that "Hey Comcast decided to do maintenance so I have to go a day with no internet service" so now you can't use the game system?
Yes. But it's not that different from the competition. The real story is whether or not the "No used games" rumor is true. That's what will kill the system. Unless they eliminate making physical discs altogether, and make all purchasers
download the games to their account, it will die. (And even then making the overnight jump from discs to DD would alienate a lot of console only people.). If they make the discs tied to a CD-Key which in turn is tied to an account they'll have basically made the Xbox into a PC lite experience, at which point you may as well buy a midrange computer where you have a lot of varying stores/accts competing for your dollar.

Playing on the PC isn't 100% DRM free, but there are varying types some more restrictive than others. Most purchases require a store/service account. Steam meets most people in the middle. It gives you everything XBL does in that you have friends lists/voip chat/achievements/etc. There are a lot of really good sales to stay competitive with every other online service. It has offline mode so you can at least play your one player games without an internet connection.
Still, purchases are tied to an account so if you close your account your games are gone. If you cheat the service bans you, and so online multiplayer limits you to servers that don't use their anti cheat software. This can be good/bad but it still limits you. Electronic Arts has their own Origin storefront, and you pretty much have to buy 90% of their releases from it. It works similar to Steam, and they're slowly catching up. But they don't run sales very often, and don't do price drops very often. Even if you buy the physical discs at retail you still need to install origin as the game is tied to an account. To be fair Steam does this as well with it's first party offerings like Portal.
Even Ubisoft has gotten into the mix with Uplay (Which is also being integrated onto consoles.) Aside from these store fronts you have Amazon, GS, BB, and other retailers offering digital downloads as well as Keys you can activate on Steam/Origin/Uplay/ etc. You also have a ton of indies who self publish, that don't require online connections. There's also Gog which sells DRM free titles. But most of what they sell are retro games. The cool thing about them though is that they build emulation (Usually DOSBox) into the Rom, so when you play it on a modern OS Like 7/8/Mac/Linux it runs.

Point being there are very few DRM free ways to go. For new releases you would probably want to buy 100% indie games directly from the creator/publisher.
Outside of that, become a retro gamer, buy used/highly collectible boxed old games, and play those. There are huge communities of folks perfectly content going
back, and collecting old console libraries. Some of them even code new games for old systems.

If you want to play the new releases though you'll have to suffer through at least some DRM.

[Fendi]

Origin or EA service have a serious flaw. Sim City is a good example. A lot of people having real issues regarding origin stuff. I have best experience on Steam, even though the server are/was flooded by people who want to play the game, and buy the game. Origin, it just purely disappointment if you really into their games. The service IS BAD, but they have a good game to play on, that is one reason. As they "released" a statement that "The game is unplayable because ingame players are enjoying the game". The rating was on 9 until it dropped down to 4 and 3 over Server issues and how they handle the situation. Sim City is a great game with a bad service over "human error".

[GeologyMule]

I've had such a hard time trying to play Sim City I've sort of lost interest.

[wolfsfang]

well i solved the always on DRM problem with the next xbox or the issue that even tho PS4 will not block used games itself the developers could if they choose to

I am not buying either new console.

There are a LOT of games on the 360 and PS3 (and even the wii) that I am yet to play, enough to last me years. Plus unlike some people I like to replay some games over and over because of how fun they are, so really I have no reason whatsoever to even buy one of these silly new consoles. And if all the multiplayer modes on games start to die because ppl have moved on to the new consoles...well I don't even like multiplayer so imo it would be good riddance to unwanted rubbish

[Fendi]

I've had such a hard time trying to play Sim City I've sort of lost interest.

I actually lost interest because some of my friends couldn't login, and some of 'em are avoiding the game for the first month.

[GeologyMule]

Even though I'm on my 8th 360, and I don't play it that much...thanks to Blizz and my PC taking up my gaming time, I'm going to be able to wait a long time to finish my back log of games. I'm not a fan of this new DRM download content. Going to kill Gamestop.