Zero Punctuation: Next Gen Buyer's Guide

[geizr]

Wake me after the crash. I figure after the video game industry finishes shitting its kidneys out from the massive enema it's desperate needing, we'll finally be able to get back to simplicity where we actually obtain the one thing we've always wanted most from the video game industry, decent games for a decent price without all the bullshit.

The industry won't crash.

You know this, so why do you keep insisting that it does?

I'm not insisting that this will happen; no one, not even me, knows the future so well. If anything, my posting history (I'm assuming you went back and researched my past posts, since you are asserting that I keep insisting this) has been more an insistence that it needs it to clear the crap. Regardless, you are free to disagree.

 

[4Aces]

Video Review: Dick Tree (10/10)
Analysis: M$ disappears up it's own ass. $ony is waiting to see how that works out for M$. Leaving Ninturdo in the drivers seat, with no games.
Final Conclusion: PCs rule the 'verse again!

 

[CutThroatConcierge]

The next gen consoles are just like the current gen consoles:
XBOX = Over confident dickhead
PS4 = Intelligent but annoying nerd
WiiU = ADHD child on crack cocaine
I believe that anyone who still have a shred of dignity and self-respect should buy a gaming PC if they wanting an upgrade from the current gen consoles because console gaming was fun but the shirts have suck all the fun out of owning a console and now it's just another soulless consumer good that "Casual Gamers" will blindly buy because they have no idea what being a gamer is all about.

 

[geizr]

Welcome back kids to another edition of "New Generation Hatred", a joyous occasion where the next generation is hated because it seems different than the old one. Then a bunch of people will buy it, it'll slowly faze out the majority of the old consoles, and everyone will get used to it and forget they hated it because there are other things to complain about. Then the next series will be announced and lo the cycle will start anew.

so so true. Why does this have to happen every gen

Believe it or not, there was once a time when people were looking forward to the next generation. It's just that lately, far too much BS has been added to the mix.

And believe it or not there were still false rumors and people yelling at the top of their voices that this would be the end of gaming. Just want everyone to wait and at least check out what the new gen has to offer before yelling that it sucks before knowing it. It's annoying.

Yes, there has always been naysayers in every generation. However, in the past, these dissenting opinions were a much smaller fraction of the total voice of the gaming market. Recently, it seems the dissonance has increased, proportionally, hence the reason for my position that people were more looking forward to the next generation in the past than is apparently true today.

 

[kenu12345]

Welcome back kids to another edition of "New Generation Hatred", a joyous occasion where the next generation is hated because it seems different than the old one. Then a bunch of people will buy it, it'll slowly faze out the majority of the old consoles, and everyone will get used to it and forget they hated it because there are other things to complain about. Then the next series will be announced and lo the cycle will start anew.

so so true. Why does this have to happen every gen

Believe it or not, there was once a time when people were looking forward to the next generation. It's just that lately, far too much BS has been added to the mix.

And believe it or not there were still false rumors and people yelling at the top of their voices that this would be the end of gaming. Just want everyone to wait and at least check out what the new gen has to offer before yelling that it sucks before knowing it. It's annoying.

Yes, there has always been naysayers in every generation. However, in the past, these dissenting opinions were a much smaller fraction of the total voice of the gaming market. Recently, it seems the dissonance has increased, proportionally, hence the reason for my position that people were more looking forward to the next generation in the past than is apparently true today.

Ah yes but you fail to account for one thing. With more and more people using the internet now a days, We hear more about this and are more likely to hear false rumors. This is doubled when you get on a site with people that are generally on that site for sharing a similar opinion.

 

[geizr]

Welcome back kids to another edition of "New Generation Hatred", a joyous occasion where the next generation is hated because it seems different than the old one. Then a bunch of people will buy it, it'll slowly faze out the majority of the old consoles, and everyone will get used to it and forget they hated it because there are other things to complain about. Then the next series will be announced and lo the cycle will start anew.

so so true. Why does this have to happen every gen

Believe it or not, there was once a time when people were looking forward to the next generation. It's just that lately, far too much BS has been added to the mix.

And believe it or not there were still false rumors and people yelling at the top of their voices that this would be the end of gaming. Just want everyone to wait and at least check out what the new gen has to offer before yelling that it sucks before knowing it. It's annoying.

Yes, there has always been naysayers in every generation. However, in the past, these dissenting opinions were a much smaller fraction of the total voice of the gaming market. Recently, it seems the dissonance has increased, proportionally, hence the reason for my position that people were more looking forward to the next generation in the past than is apparently true today.

Ah yes but you fail to account for one thing. With more and more people using the internet now a days, We hear more about this and are more likely to hear false rumors. This is doubled when you get on a site with people that are generally on that site for sharing a similar opinion.

Notice the word "proportionally". I'm accounting for the Internet in my statement.

 

[bliebblob]

"Does it seem to anyone else like yahtzee has gotten less cynical?" - Some people

"Nope." - Bliebblob, in response to some people

 

[Atmos Duality]

"Dolphin Shaggers"...I don't even want to consider what sort of motion-controls are necessary for that.
[sub](you think Kinect is scary now, how about two hard-mounted in opposite ends of a swimming pool and GAH! OUT OF MY BRAIN DAMN YOU!)[/sub]

This new console generation, more than any other I've bore witness to; seems to be based more on what the gamer cannot do rather than what the console can do for the gamer.

The WiiU has no games on it. Can't play games that aren't there.
The Xbone is a vile cocktail of consumer-hating practices. Can't resell games without getting jacked; can't play games without connecting to the internet in some manner, can't remove that fucking Kinect from the equation (the Xbone requires it to function; you can still unplug it).

The PS4 looks the best only by virtue of Sony keeping us largely in the dark. I have little to no information on what the player can't do because I can only make guesses about what the device can do; outside of some social media bullshit.

(At least it seems Sony learned some humility since last generation and aren't touting themselves as King Shit of the gaming world.)

It's sad and a bit scary when the Vita and 3DS are the best "next-gen console" offerings by virtue of being the least dickish, and it's questionable if they should really count.

 

[kenu12345]

Welcome back kids to another edition of "New Generation Hatred", a joyous occasion where the next generation is hated because it seems different than the old one. Then a bunch of people will buy it, it'll slowly faze out the majority of the old consoles, and everyone will get used to it and forget they hated it because there are other things to complain about. Then the next series will be announced and lo the cycle will start anew.

so so true. Why does this have to happen every gen

Believe it or not, there was once a time when people were looking forward to the next generation. It's just that lately, far too much BS has been added to the mix.

And believe it or not there were still false rumors and people yelling at the top of their voices that this would be the end of gaming. Just want everyone to wait and at least check out what the new gen has to offer before yelling that it sucks before knowing it. It's annoying.

Yes, there has always been naysayers in every generation. However, in the past, these dissenting opinions were a much smaller fraction of the total voice of the gaming market. Recently, it seems the dissonance has increased, proportionally, hence the reason for my position that people were more looking forward to the next generation in the past than is apparently true today.

Ah yes but you fail to account for one thing. With more and more people using the internet now a days, We hear more about this and are more likely to hear false rumors. This is doubled when you get on a site with people that are generally on that site for sharing a similar opinion.

Notice the word "proportionally". I'm accounting for the Internet in my statement.

Yes, but the internet was not a large place for opinions back then and thus you were less likely to here as much people complain. Now a days you can hear an overblown opinion on about everything. Lest I remind you of the one games controversy *cough cough*

 

[Thunderhorse31]

I've avoided PC gaming for YEARS in spite of the begging of many friends simply because consoles were just simpler.

Thanks to all of the announcements this year I've bought nothing but Steam games for months. That may not be a big deal to any of you, but it's a huge difference to me, and Big N/Sony/M$ have pushed me there.

I seem to be taking Yahtzee's advice on this gen - for the time being, at least.

 

[Breywood]

Although I knew what you were going to say, Yahtzee, it was entertaining getting to the destination. I'm having a hard enough time justifying a PC upgrade, let alone a new console. And buying a console just to play a single game... I used to lament that over spending $600 in hardware for a $60 game. Since 2006.

 

[Mr_Terrific]

If the WiiU had games, no one would buy it. If the WiiU had a fancy new gimmick that's not like the tablet that everyone already owns, then N would cruise along to another victory on the USS Casual, but...that ship has sailed. Oh, and what happens when the WiiU does get games. Well, good luck downloading a game on your 8 gig hdd. A tablet controller and an 8 gig hdd....very innovative.

He pretty much had to throw in the PS4 despite there absolutely being nothing wrong with it. Don't won't to appear to be too fanboyish. What's wrong with the PS4? Oh...a share button and multimedia functions. What's right with it? everything else? Let's not mention that.

And of course the the Xbone. Enough said.

So I guess for the sake of funny, and maybe the fact that none of the consoles can top the year the PS3 is having...well..

 

[TJC]

It's sad and a bit scary when the Vita and 3DS are the best "next-gen console" offerings by virtue of being the least dickish, and it's questionable if they should really count.

They honestly should because my 3DS gave me some of the best gaming experiences of the past two years. It had a hilarious ghostbuster game that could even get yahtzee leave a thumbs up for. It had the best resident evil since 4. It had the slew of Nintendo exclusives Mario Kart, Zelda and (soon enough) pokemon. It gave me a spiritual Diablo 3 (monster Hunter 3) And a pretty nifty array of indie games (if only the eShop UI wasn't so completely SHIT)

and apparently now even the Vita gets some steam and decent games and that powerful bugger looks sexier with every passing day.

So far, these two are the obvious and only winners and don't make me go "NOPE" when thinking about the prospect of buying them (gotta upgrade to the XL sooner or later :C)

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

I'm still willing to give the PS4 the benefit of the doubt, partially because it's not pulling all of the shit that the Xbone is, and partially because I actually like the concept of a share button, because I'm the type of person who wouldn't mind jumping into a friends game and talking to them while they play, maybe looking away a little to type something up on my lap top. Besides, even if you don't want to do it, it's not like the PS4 holds you hostage and forces you to do it.

But I guess this is one of those moments where me and the general Escapist community just disagree on things.

Also, please guys, don't let this turn into a flame war.

You're too late. It's been flaming for months. And I agree. I don't see how the ps4's features are inherently bad. Just don't use them if you don't like them. I'm not that social but I would like the option of sharing game capture footage with friends. And my friends aren't attention whores who'll be shoving stuff in my face anyway. All else fails, I'll do what I do now and don't sign onto psn/Steam if I don't want to be bothered. Its not like this is a new problem or something. You can still get bothered by people on your Steam account/psn/xbox live by friends asking you to join games and chat with you. I'll just pull the plug

 

[geizr]

Welcome back kids to another edition of "New Generation Hatred", a joyous occasion where the next generation is hated because it seems different than the old one. Then a bunch of people will buy it, it'll slowly faze out the majority of the old consoles, and everyone will get used to it and forget they hated it because there are other things to complain about. Then the next series will be announced and lo the cycle will start anew.

so so true. Why does this have to happen every gen

Believe it or not, there was once a time when people were looking forward to the next generation. It's just that lately, far too much BS has been added to the mix.

And believe it or not there were still false rumors and people yelling at the top of their voices that this would be the end of gaming. Just want everyone to wait and at least check out what the new gen has to offer before yelling that it sucks before knowing it. It's annoying.

Yes, there has always been naysayers in every generation. However, in the past, these dissenting opinions were a much smaller fraction of the total voice of the gaming market. Recently, it seems the dissonance has increased, proportionally, hence the reason for my position that people were more looking forward to the next generation in the past than is apparently true today.

Ah yes but you fail to account for one thing. With more and more people using the internet now a days, We hear more about this and are more likely to hear false rumors. This is doubled when you get on a site with people that are generally on that site for sharing a similar opinion.

Notice the word "proportionally". I'm accounting for the Internet in my statement.

Yes, but the internet was not a large place for opinions back then and thus you were less likely to here as much people complain. Now a days you can hear an overblown opinion on about everything. Lest I remind you of the one games controversy *cough cough*

I'm speaking of a time before the Internet, when writing to a magazine was how you got your opinion published about. I come from a very old-school time, well before the Internet was so prevalent. Yes, there are always overblown opinions, but the question is whether you are just hearing from the same typical loud-mouths or if there is a more general consensus of opinion. To me, it has felt that there is a more general consensus of opinion, but you probably disagree with that.

Ultimately, only time will tell. It could well be that the whole thing will blow over, and gamer's will simply go back to tossing money at companies for the next upgrade of shiny graphics, all the while bitching, as they usually do, about the games being generally crappy. Then again, maybe it won't. You have to admit that the dissent regarding some business practices in the game industry is a fairly new phenomenon (at least, in my memory, I don't remember any such similar complaint, not since the upset over the excess of FMV games on the SEGA CD), not one related to simply the increased communication capability and capacity of the Internet.

 

[Mr.Mattress]

If the WiiU had games, no one would buy it. If the WiiU had a fancy new gimmick that's not like the tablet that everyone already owns, then N would cruise along to another victory on the USS Casual, but...that ship has sailed. Oh, and what happens when the WiiU does get games. Well, good luck downloading a game on your 8 gig hdd. A tablet controller and an 8 gig hdd....very innovative.

So, I suppose you don't know about external hdd's? You know, the ones you can attach to the WiiU, thus giving it TB's of hdd instead of only 8 GB's? Yeah...

OT: I agree with everything Yatzee has said in this video. This generation is really gonna be a Nintendo v. Sony contest again. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. My money's on Nintendo barely dominating the Market with Sony at a very, very close second and Microsoft at a distant thrid.

 

[Erttheking]

I'm still willing to give the PS4 the benefit of the doubt, partially because it's not pulling all of the shit that the Xbone is, and partially because I actually like the concept of a share button, because I'm the type of person who wouldn't mind jumping into a friends game and talking to them while they play, maybe looking away a little to type something up on my lap top. Besides, even if you don't want to do it, it's not like the PS4 holds you hostage and forces you to do it.

But I guess this is one of those moments where me and the general Escapist community just disagree on things.

Also, please guys, don't let this turn into a flame war.

You're too late. It's been flaming for months. And I agree. I don't see how the ps4's features are inherently bad. Just don't use them if you don't like them. I'm not that social but I would like the option of sharing game capture footage with friends. And my friends aren't attention whores who'll be shoving stuff in my face anyway. All else fails, I'll do what I do now and don't sign onto psn/Steam if I don't want to be bothered. Its not like this is a new problem or something. You can still get bothered by people on your Steam account/psn/xbox live by friends asking you to join games and chat with you. I'll just pull the plug

Well, E3 starts tomorrow. I guess it'll be judgement day then.