I don't really WANT to get an XBone, but...

[FPLOON]

Edit: Wow, there's a lot of people saying "screw your friends, do your own thing!" And I can certainly understand and appreciate that. But let me try to clarify: they're not telling me I should get an XBone, in truth I don't really even "know" any of them. I'm the the States, there's a couple friends in Canada, one in Spain, one in Scotland, one in New York, and a few in England. These are guys that I've been playing with on the 360 for years, and I'm fairly certain that most of them are going with the XBone. Truth be told, I don't really have many gamer friends that actually live in my area, so it's not like my personal friends are trying to pressure me into getting an XBone. Does that put a little perspective on why I'd even consider buying an XBone due to friends? Or is the general consensus still "Screw'em all"?

As someone with no strong feelings whatsoever on which decision you ultimately choose for yourself, I would say that you should do what you feel would satisfy yourself in the long run... The last thing I would do in a situation like this is to have a bunch of "what if" questions on my mind until the voices die down out of sheer maturity...

Regardless, if these friends you have on your 360 understand your decision either way, if you choose to tell them in the long run, then I feel they truly were your friend all along, despite being miles upon miles away from each other...

Who knows? Maybe they would follow suit just so that you guys can still play/communicate together somehow... I don't know...

 

[gorfias]

if all you want is an occasional AAA title to fill a few hours of gaming a week, you are probably best off getting a PS4.

Or, as I wrote, if you have some bucks, go ahead and pamper yourself with one. Again, I've kept my PS3. The deals are incredible. But games like Infamous 2nd Son are just a pleasure to play.

$2500? Why in the world would you ever need that much for a gaming PC? I am not saying it is a bad idea, I am just really curious what kind of machine you are building for that amount of cash.

I'm a graphics whore of the first order. I'm dying to see what is possible. I also want to play with some pretty high end sound and video software. I have a buddy trying to get me into software compiling. Might do some. Back in the day, it took days to make a 3d castle. As computers get faster, he can do better in minutes. Soon, seconds! *insert evil laugh here!*

I don't over-clock. I use after market air coolers rather than liquid. So, my stuff better be pretty fast to begin with.

I don't know what will be out in 2016 or so, but compare to nowadays. A GTX 780I is about $750. Maybe get 2 in SLI. $1500! Graphics cards are more important than processors so, I'll stick to a $300 CPU. 32 Gig of DDR4? 32 Gig of good DDR 3 is about $300. Sound card, case, 3TB HD, 1200 watt power supply after market fans? Spending $2,500 will be easy. There are ways to build a very good budget PC, but what I already have will do that well in 2016 (HD 7970, I7 2600, 16 Gig 1333). I'm looking to up my stuff!

 

[WarpZone]

Yeah basically any gaming platform you go to, you can make new friends. Even if you just keep playing the 360 until they pull the plug on the servers, they WILL pull the plug eventually. If it were me, I'd go PC, but no matter which platform you turn to, there's always more players out there.

 

[Snotnarok]

Grab a PS4. It's cheaper, better value, has the best versions of all multi-platform titles by a decent margin, and your not giving Microsoft any money. $1,500.00 won't get you a PC that can ride out the generation, not when gen 1 titles like Watch_Dogs are pushing 8GB ram requirements, or Titanfall requiring +3GB VRAM to not shit its pants. In a year or so, system reqs will be pretty ridiculous.

...What?
That's called 2 unoptimized games, it's no secret Titanfall isn't optimized well considering 32GB of the 48GB are uncompressed voice files .....of multiple languages...which you cannot even change in a menu. Titanfalls texture thing is a known unoptimized problem- however it doesn't require 3gb of video ram, that's how much you need to run the highest settings possible texture settings. Another developer got the game running on a 360, it's gonna run on even older gaming PCs.

Watch Dogs isn't out yet but if you're saying the minimum ram requirements are 8gb then that is abysmal optimization because neither console has that much ram dedicated to their games, a chunk of their ram is dedicated to the OS. So no, what you're likely referring to is for the highest requirements which is well above the output of either console if you're going to that length of visual fidelity.

$1,500 would build a really powerful PC, I'm running a core i7 which smokes the PS4 and X1, with a SSD, good storage and my old GTX 560 ti and I only spent 750- and that's because it's my work station PC. Had I bought a video card I may, may have hit the $1,000 barrier. Yes, that's more expensive than both consoles, but again, this is a workstation and I can do more on this than both devices, like photoshop and the like. The previous PC I had lasted 8 years and the only reason I upgraded was because of a mobo failure which was playing games like battlefield 4 on mid-high settings regardless of it's age.

Direct X12 will run on older cards including mine which is several years old, so no there's no chance of PCs becoming a short conveyor belt of obsolete-ness- which is the myth of EVERY console generation.

Here's the other thing to consider with PC and doing this upgrade:
Backwards compatability is a concept of consoles as even games from the 1980's will run on a PC with a little effort and reading.

Steam/origin/uplay/green man gaming/gog, amazon have frequent sales of games dropping the price anywhere from 15%-85% off, and 85% is more frequent than one would think.

At time of writing on steam there's over 20 games ranging from 50-90% off in just one category.
So what you blow in one shot for hardware you save in a few purchases in software.

 

[00slash00]

If you do a lot of online gaming with your friends then Xbox seems worth it. If, like me, you prefer single player or only see yourself gaming with your friends some of the time, go with PS4 or PC.

 

[Something Amyss]

The whole "gaming with your friends" thing is understandable. I'd go for it if you enjoy playing with them. Half the reason I own a console is because I get to play with my friends.

 

[Savagezion]

At time of writing on steam there's over 20 games ranging from 50-90% off in just one category.
So what you blow in one shot for hardware you save in a few purchases in software.

Yep, I have spent $1100 on my rig but will end up spending $1300 on it (which I could have stayed under 1200 but I messed up.) However, when I first got it I spent 200 on a couple steam sales and now have a backlog over over 80 games. And its growing. Steam Sales happen and I say "NO, I am not spending any money this time." Then I do anyways and it kinda frustrates me. I seriously can't do it this year. I need to watch out for myself.

A $1500 dollar rig is a "next gen" gaming PC. In 3-4 years that same rig will cost about $800 and still be playing new releases at decent settings. In 6+ years, it will be what the $5-600 dollar rigs at the tale end of last gen was. (Anyone who built a rig for current gen in the past 3 years.) If you want a rig that can run Crysis well now, it isn't expensive. The computers that were running Crysis well on launch of last gen were like $1200+ at the time because they were cutting edge. 2 years ago the same machines were ~$6-700.

You can get a gaming rig that will last you this whole gen for $1000. Technically, I got mine for $700. Then I did a $400 graphics card upgrade. (That made it next gen capable) I will soon do a $200 CPU upgrade And I will have an AMD 8 core HD7970 setup ready for crossfire. I bet I coulda done it for $1100 or $1200 though if I had tried harder. In 2016 you'll be able to buy this rig for under $1000 though I bet. I would recommend Intel i5 or i7 for this gen though. I plan to rebuild an i7 setup once prices drop a bit. I figure I got a couple years to get the funds together.

PC requires a nice chunk of change for entry but the prices for games are better to the point of ridiculousness if you are cool with digital copies. You can spend a $20 bill and get 4 AAA games that came out 6 months to a year ago often. Steam has awesome bundle deals, Humble Bundles, etc. $5 games are everywhere. PC exclusive games launch for $10 and $20 on release.

I already know that even though I am waiting on the PS4, I will end up spending about $1200-2000 on it just in games and controllers and crap, all said and done. If it talks me into a Vita, that's even more. In the end, I think they work out the same. The PC just requires a significant investment upfront. I have just over 30 games on my PS3. I know I have bought double that. My PS3 library looks small nowadays because I got rid of the titles I didn't like. I would bet I averaged 30 bucks a game this gen and feel pretty good about that. However, at 50 games, that's $1500 right there just for games. (However, it's possible I bought over 70 console games last year - I didn't tally.) It's $1000 on games alone if I averaged $20 a game. When I upgraded my PC I got 100 games for $200 because of Steam. All were popular games we all still talk about today that I both had and hadn't played yet. Don't associate it to the console "junk bin". This was the new/used wall titles.

 

[Aeonknight]

The whole "gaming with your friends" thing is understandable. I'd go for it if you enjoy playing with them. Half the reason I own a console is because I get to play with my friends.

This.

Hell it's the reason I played Battlefield 3 and 4 on console, despite it being an FPS and I now finally have a PC powerful to run both on near if not max settings. The game would be boring without my buddies (including real life buddies), and having to wade through the mountains of idiots to find competent players to play with that actually use VOIP to coordinate is more of a headache than it's worth.

 

[Fox12]

Make a list for the PS4, Xbone, and PC. List the pro's and con's to each, then decide which seems better. I find that doing this adds perspective. Friends are a factor, but only one among many. And if they're not close personal friends, then I wouldn't worry about it.

Personally, I'd get a PS4 or PC.

 

[Maximum Bert]

If it was me I would keep the money and not spend it on any of the consoles yet especially the Xbox One which imo is ludicrously over priced and I am certain will receive a price cut sooner rather than later.

Are you certain that all these friends are getting an Xbox One? maybe best to find out and it may be the case that they own a PS4 as well even if they are getting one.

I am not getting an Xbox One on principle usually I get them all but *shrug* they really rubbed me the wrong way and even if I didnt feel that way like I said above the price is just stupid atm. If I had that money and decided to buy a console right now I would get the PS4 it would be a no brainer for me but then I have no problem abandoning my friends lists as I am not really attached to any of them except the ones I see in RL of course.

May be best to upgrade the PC and then pick up the console(s) when they drop in price in a few years thats what I am doing anyway unless FF7 gets remade for the PS4 or something if its remade and is an Xbox One exclusive I will cry.

 

[Keiichi Morisato]

get a PS4. MS's long term support for exclusives (that are not indie or DLC timed exclusives) tends to suck ass. sure right now the DirectXbox One has more exclusives, but all the DirectXbox's have had great launch period exclusives. i understand that the PS4 doesn't have the IT game right now *cough* Titanfall *cough*, but the sequel (which will likely be even better) will be on the PS4 (even if the DirectXboxOne/360 gets the DLC early), Sony wants to make sure that the games they release are polished well enough to be enjoyable rather than a rush job. the Wii U is in much the same situation, many games were meant to be launch titles but got pushed back because they wanted to make sure that the games were as good as they could be. the only reason you would want an DirectXboxOne would be for the TV features it comes with.

 

[Ieyke]

I'd ABSOLUTELY go PC or PS4 over Xbone.
Wii U even.
Xbone doesn't even rate as an option.

 

[J Tyran]

Grab a PS4. It's cheaper, better value, has the best versions of all multi-platform titles by a decent margin, and your not giving Microsoft any money. $1,500.00 won't get you a PC that can ride out the generation, not when gen 1 titles like Watch_Dogs are pushing 8GB ram requirements, or Titanfall requiring +3GB VRAM to not shit its pants. In a year or so, system reqs will be pretty ridiculous.

This generation is very different to the last one, the 360 and PS3 where more powerful than anything outside the upper end of the enthusiast PC market. This generation? They came stumbling and staggering off the blocks with about the same oomph you get in a mid range supermarket bought gaming laptop, the PC parts arms race will continue but any decent PC will play games for years to come.

 

[SecondPrize]

I'm staying away from it as the online requirement will be coming back disguised as the "power of the cloud" and because I replaced two 360s and gave up when the third broke. Get better friends.

 

[gorfias]

I'd ABSOLUTELY go PC or PS4 over Xbone.
Wii U even.
Xbone doesn't even rate as an option.

I have a PS4, Wii U and gaming class PC and I have to write, it is still an option for me. A teeny, tiny, little option but it is there. I hate the camera but I could put the thing in my addition where there isn't anything I'd care about a spy knowing.

Thing is, Halo 1&2, as a combo, was maybe my #1 game of Gen 6. (FF10 a close tie). If they made Halo 4 available for Xb1 and a Halo 5?

They might snag me.

 

[Boogie Knight]

Go with what makes the most sense for you. Honestly, I would suggest waiting another year or two while this new console generation figures its crap out. From what I've heard so far we are getting a lot less game for marginally shinier graphics and/or glorified tech demos. While I roll my eyes at the whole PC Master Race, there really is nothing about the new generation of games which really excites me (except Bayonetta 2, but Persona 5 is slated for the PS3 and Dragon Age: Inquisition is supposed to be also going to the PS3 along with the new gen consoles).

It can be really hard, especially with the desire to be current on games but it's still too soon to make any serious investment in anything right now. Enjoy your 360, hell look for older games you were kinda curious about but weren't sure because you can probably pick those up nice and cheap (and I've found that flawed games for ten bucks can be more fun than immaculate games at full retail).

 

[CloudAtlas]

To all you people basically saying "screw your friends"... ugh. What a shitty attitude.


If your friends are all getting Xbox Ones, that's a plus for this system. How big a plus it is, well, that obviously depends on how often you play with them, how much you enjoy playing with them, and how much you value your friendship with them. Since you're apparently just talking about virtual friends here, you might not want to overvalue these relationships, as they often come and go, but who am I - or anyone else for that matter - to really tell you how much you should value them. In the end only you know that... just don't be naive about it when you're considering this.

 

[Ieyke]

I'd ABSOLUTELY go PC or PS4 over Xbone.
Wii U even.
Xbone doesn't even rate as an option.

I have a PS4, Wii U and gaming class PC and I have to write, it is still an option for me. A teeny, tiny, little option but it is there. I hate the camera but I could put the thing in my addition where there isn't anything I'd care about a spy knowing.

Thing is, Halo 1&2, as a combo, was maybe my #1 game of Gen 6. (FF10 a close tie). If they made Halo 4 available for Xb1 and a Halo 5?

They might snag me.

I can't name a single Xbox exclusive I have any interest in.
To me, the Halo series is just the most generic sci-fi story/setting with underwhelming FPS gameplay.
I've played several different Halos, and I've reached the conclusion that this series wouldn't have taken off at all if it hadn't been first out of the gate in the upgrade from Goldeneye 64 to dual analog shooters.

*shrug*

 

[gorfias]

Thing is, Halo 1&2, as a combo, was maybe my #1 game of Gen 6. (FF10 a close tie). If they made Halo 4 available for Xb1 and a Halo 5?

They might snag me.

I can't name a single Xbox exclusive I have any interest in.
To me, the Halo series is just the most generic sci-fi story/setting with underwhelming FPS gameplay.
I've played several different Halos, and I've reached the conclusion that this series wouldn't have taken off at all if it hadn't been first out of the gate in the upgrade from Goldeneye 64 to dual analog shooters.

*shrug*

I haven't finished the Half Life games yet. The gameplay does seem superior but I found the Halo games to be intuitive and fun. The tone was epic, especially this one battle in an ice area in the first Halo game. First time I can think of that the sound track included screaming guitars. So many different vehicles to drive, different weapons, interesting situation. I guess it either hits you or doesn't.

Funny story: my boy plays COD a lot. One day, he thought he'd play some Halo multi. He told me he was about to shoot an enemy when the guy "flew away" and he said to himself, "oh yeah. I'm playing Halo, not COD."

Is there a non-generic shooter you prefer? (FPS).

I'm trying to think what else they had exclusive to the 360. Forza. Fable. Having a brain freeze. What was that hide behind the walls 3rd person shooter? That was supposed to be good.

 

[suitepee7]

i'd say it depends on how much online gaming you do, and how attached you are to said friends. if you play online a lot and you're close, get one. if not, i would get whatever you think is best by yourself. personally although the general stereotype of PC communities are elitist, i've never found a real problem with them, and the majority are as normal as you'd get on consoles.

for me, i mostly do offline/solo play, so PC is a no brainer, not to mention my friends who i used to play with were also PC gamers. but also consider your circumstances in the future. will you continuously have enough time to spare to play with your friends? will your friends continue to game as much as they are now? are you equally happy playing with strangers? are you happy paying so much for the now current gen games on console prices? these are all pretty big factors to consider, and should be taken into account as well as the prospect of playing with your friends.

objectively, i'd advise PC over consoles, but i'm well aware i am biased. if your friends are set on an XBO and it really is that important to still game with them, then by all means get one, but don't rush the decision, they aren't cheap.