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Where4 PS4?

View Nelson Schneider's Profile

By Nelson Schneider - 07/05/15 at 03:22 PM CT

The post-E3 Summer doldrums are really dragging-down my article inspiration. With most of the interesting games shown at E3 being a year or more away, and with the Summer release schedule being as bland as always, the present seems like nothing more than the perfect time to do some Backlog shoveling.

However, the one gaming-related thing that is strongly on my mind at the moment is the sheer number of people I know who have recently jumped on the PlayStation 4 bandwagon. When these people reveal to me that they have purchased Sony’s newest doorstop/paperweight, I can only stand in stunned dismay wondering why.

Paraphrasing the immortal words of Shakespeare spoken by Juliette, “Wherefore art thou buying PS4?” It has been less than a year since even Sony’s executives threw their hands into the air in dismay at the number of people buying PS4s… I can’t see how the situation has changed.

MJ’s Community Manager, Chris, is the first of my acquaintances to drink the PS4 Kool-Aid, and he has yet to do anything really worthwhile with the console. Buying a PS4 (even at a significant discount) in order to play multi-platform games instead of buying a new PC GPU just seems like a waste, and Chris hasn’t expressed any interest in the PS4’s pitiful library of exclusives. Indeed, the first exclusive he will be buying for the PS4 is “Onechanbara Z2: Chaos,” which will supposedly release this month (provided it isn’t delayed again). Not even ‘Onechanbara’ is a particularly appealing franchise outside of people who like ‘Chris Would Love That’ games, and buying a given piece of hardware for ONE title has never been a smart move (which is why I have typically picked up clunker consoles like the Genesis, Saturn, and N64 after they’re dead and priced to move).

So I would like to turn-over the remainder of this article to active MeltedJoystick community members, Jonzor and dbarry_22, who have both purchased PS4s in the last couple months. Why did you guys – both rabid Nintendo fanboys – take the plunge into enemy territory once again? What released or upcoming titles swayed you so heavily? What features and/or capabilities does the PS4 have that your extant gaming PCs don’t?

Personally, the only way I can see myself adding a PS4 to my hardware ensemble would be if Square Enix were to release “Dragon Quest 11” as an exclusive to the platform. This is supposedly going to come to pass, but at a point in time so far in the future that any hardware I bought in anticipation of the glorious event would be filled with dust to the point of non-functionality by the time it happens.

Have at it, dear readers! Let me know in the comments below why you’re backing Sony’s horse in the 8th Gen race.

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Nelson Schneider

Wrote on08/22/15 at 04:30 PM CT

Jonzor, here's your solution for putting a PC in the den:

http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-controllers/razer-turret

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Nelson Schneider

Wrote on07/14/15 at 05:05 PM CT

@Jonzor:
3. You don't have to tell me this. It was one of the biggest reasons I hated gaming on PC for so long. In the modern era, though, it kinda is a fluke. There are only a handful of 7th and 8th Gen "AAA" games that have been "difficult."

5. Move just has crappy tech. The new camera might help a bit, but it seems to me that it is a software and methodology issue. The damned thing drifts like crazy. If you played Skyward Sword, you might have noticed drift with WiiMotion+. It's the same with Move.

The PC motion controllers are awesome because they use magnetic fields instead of gyroscopes or cameras. This tech has ZERO drift, and it rock solid... except during lightning storms, which cause jitter.

6. My hang-up about paying for PSN is entirely based on principle.Of course, the only people I play with online are all on Steam, and Chris doesn't pay for PS+. I also find it would be a harder sell among my crew for all of us to buy a $60 game and all of us pay Sony's ransom money than it is to just buy a 4-pack off Steam for next to nothing, give out the extra copies with no intention of being repaid, and play.

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Jonzor

Wrote on07/13/15 at 04:53 PM CT

So... apparently there's some funny line of code that won't let me use the "less than" symbol while posting a comment, because it keeps cutting off at the same point. I'll type the whole thing out this time:

6. Yep. I want to play the games I want with the people I want to play with. That's my first priority. I can live with less than $4 a month as a fee to get my way, but that doesn't mean it can't be a hang-up for you.

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Jonzor

Wrote on07/13/15 at 04:49 PM CT

1. Had no idea. Probably still play the PS4 version, though.

3. Um... people with differing hardware have problems on PCs all the time, and has been a problem for an awful long time. It's just not as bad as it used to be. Arkham Knight bothering people with AMD stuff is... hardly the fluke you paint it as.

5. Never played with a Move before, but doesn't the PS4 have a new camera? That was the thing that tracked the Move, wasn't it? So who knows, maybe it'll be better. Or maybe it won't be used at all and I'll still like it better. Or maybe the Oculus will be better, and I heard good things about their upcoming motion controllers. Was whatever you did with the Move a crappy game or crappy tech?

6. Yep. I want to play the games I want with the people I want to play with. That's my first priority. I can live with

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Nelson Schneider

Wrote on07/12/15 at 03:45 PM CT

Thanks for the well-written comments, guys.

@Jonzor:
1. Avoiding extra DRM is great. I try to avoid buying EA or Ubisoft games on PC... but then, I try to avoid buying them altogether! However, Far Cry 4 is also on PS3... so why did you need new hardware for it?

2. I'm sure someone somewhere is putting a kudo on your PC Master Race membership card.

3. In my experience, the console versions are problematic too in most cases. AA seems to be a special circumstance where mostly people with AMD hardware got screwed. I'm sure it will get fixed before too long.

4. Exclusives are the best reason to own any console. Unfortunately, the PS4's exclusives are either remasters that you should have already played on your PS3 or vaporware. I would also like to think Square Enix will get it together, but even if they do, it looks like DQ11 will be cross-generational, so I can play it on my PS3.

5. As someone who has used a Move and a Hydra, let me assure you, the Move is terrible. The Hydra successor, the STEM, along with the Touch Controller shown off at E3 this year will destroy Sony's attempts unless they drastically improve the Move experience.

6. Fair enough. Local multi-player is still very important. Of course, if you're talking online multi-player, I hope you've come to terms with the fact that PSN will never be free again.

@dbarry_22:
1. I think I've mentioned this somewhere before, but owning a physical copy of a modern "AAA" game is useless. As soon as you pop it in the console, it will download gigs and gigs of patches that you can't back up properly in order to "keep forever." I am in complete agreement with you on the value of ownership and having an offline experience, but modern developers (especially the Big 3) disagree with us.

2. According to what I've read, the PS3 version of LBP3 is actually less borked than the PS4 version (plus it has free online so you don't have to pay $50/year to access user YOLOdankSwag's terrible pot-themed stages). I didn't care for Hyrule Warriors, but since Chris and I played it together on MY WiiU, we will tackle DQ Heroes on HIS PS4. It's only fair to split up the irksome tasks, right?

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Jonzor

Wrote on07/07/15 at 05:57 PM CT

Yeah, I did get the PS4, but it was in April of 2015. I got a good deal and it was bundled with a game I knew I would play immediately (The Last of Us Remastered).

These are not in order of importance.

1. I’d like to play Far Cry 4. But after buying Far Cry 3 on Steam, then having Steam merely serve to launch Ubisoft’s uPlay Steam knockoff, which would then launch the game (despite the fact that I bought the game ON STEAM) I vowed I’d not be playing any more Ubisoft games on the PC. Plus, I’d like to play it coop with someone, which will be easier considering that someone is a PS4 owner. Everyone having to have their own Steam clone is rapidly becoming a pet peeve I don't have to deal with on a console.

2. My computer is in my office, my PS4 is in my basement. I don’t mind playing PC games from my chair, but I really prefer playing in my actual living room on a couch.

2 Addendum #1. I’m not moving a CPU tower into my living room, hooking it up to the “good” TV, and finding a way to store a mouse/keyboard in there. There are several reasons why, but many of them fall under the umbrella of the fact that I’m married, and while it is a “man cave”, that area is still shared space and I don’t get to bend the entire basement to my video gaming whims.

2 Addendum #2. I’m constantly wishing for the day that more PC games begin to add functionality for people with two monitors. I have two monitors on my PC, and I’m a huge fan, and even without a ton of games that use it, my computer setup is never going back to one monitor. This is not replicable in 95% of basements.

3. PC ports of many games are sometimes a bit of an afterthought, so you’ll run into Arkham Knight-esque experiences from time to time.

4. There will be occasional PS4 exclusives that catch my eye. Though ludicrously unlikely, if Square Enix ever gets their JRPG act together, it’s doubtful all their primo stuff is going to be on the PC. I’ve enjoyed the God of War series, and The Last of Us certainly has me paying attention to what Naughty Dog is up to. Plus, there seems to be a lot more competition from Microsoft in terms of exclusives during this generation, and I'm hoping Sony counters with more of their own.

5. If I get to choose between Project Morpheus and an Oculus Rift… I’d have to see what Sony is doing with the games. A Sony VR headset may end up with Move compatibility, which could produce some pretty interesting games. Right now, this is a push for me, but the fact that Oculus is still such a patchwork system of support while Morpheus is going to get all its bits and pieces pulled together by Sony seems like it could be a good thing. I don’t know if I’ll end up diving into the VR experience, but even if I was, I’m not sure whose system I’m more excited to use right now.

6. I know some people I could want to play games with some day, and they'll NEVER be PC gamers and are already PS4 owners.

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dbarry_22

Wrote on07/06/15 at 11:16 AM CT

So yes, I did recently buy a PS4. And yes, I am a big fan of Nintendo. I own every console and handheld Nintendo has made. And, I will address your question as to why I bought a PS4 instead of just playing these games on PC.

But first, let me point out a few things. While I do like Nintendo the most, Sony has done a pretty good job in my mind when it comes to the video game industry. I have a PS2 and PS3 and have enjoyed both consoles. Both systems had exclusives that were appealing as well as third party games that were available that Nintendo just didn't have. For example, the PS2 had God of War, Katamari Damacy, and NCAA football, options I didn't have with the GameCube. The PS3 had Batman: Arkham Asylum, LittleBigPlanet, and Dead Space, games unavailable on the Wii. So while Nintendo has gotten most of my money, Sony has done a pretty good job of getting me to buy their previous systems and games too.

So now here's the PS4. I recently purchased the bundle that included Batman: Arkham Knight. I decided that was the time to get one since that particular bundle included the disc version of Batman instead of just a download code and I know I wanted to play that game. I was also intrigued by Shadow of Mordor so I have picked that up as well. There was enough out there in the market now that made me believe it was worth picking up a PS4. It's worth noting that it took this long to make me think a PS4 had a good enough library to pull the trigger.

So now I can hear Nelson asking me....why not just play these games on PC/Steam? You don't need to plop down a ton of money for a console when you already have already have a machine in your home that will play these games. I can understand this argument. These third party games are being released more and more on PC and do a fine job (Batman: Arkham Knight not included). The PS4's exclusives are underwhelming to say the least right now. I get it.

But here's why I bought a PS4 instead of buying these games on Steam. First of all, I prefer to have physical copies of games I purchase if at all possible. I like to believe if one day I find myself with no internet or if a company dies I can still play the games I purchased without issue. It's just who I am. That's probably why when it comes to Steam I don't buy AAA titles. I wouldn't have physical versions of those games. I have a ton of games of Steam (dozens) but every single game I've purchased probably has been less than $10 (DLC/Dungeon Defenders not included). Steam is great, but it has a place in my mind. Cheap games I wouldn't otherwise play and coop games like Monaco that are cheap to play online with friends.

The other thing is that while the exclusives for the PS4 are light right now, it WILL get better. I do plan on eventually picking up LittleBigPlanet 3 for my wife and I to play and I have pre-ordered Dragon Quest Heroes (I know it's not a real Dragon Quest game but I liked Hyrule Warriors enough and I'm a big Dragon Quest fan). Those games I can't play on PC. And, with The Last Guardian looking intriguing and I'm sure an inevitable release of a Gran Turismo for PS4, I have to believe the PS4 won't disappoint when it comes to exclusives.

Finally, while Nelson won't understand or enjoy hearing this. I do enjoy playing sport's games every now and then. If I'm going to pick up a Madden, F1, or baseball game, I'm going to play it on a console. It makes it far easier to play with friends, most of which who understand PlayStation controllers. That's just how it is.

And, I'm quite enjoying Batman: Arkham Knight right now. I wonder if that would be the case if I had just purchased it on Steam.........

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