Who is getting an Xbox One or a Playstation 4 ?

[Knightt]

I really dislike the fact that I need to keep my 360 around to play my library of old games. My fault for buying so many without finishing them before moving on. Every single player FPS has always been finished but those other games like Vanquish and Darksiders II are waiting to be finished and that may never happen.

My massive backlog on my ps3 is the reason I'm not jumping to get the PS4. They've been very vague about backwards compatibility. Definitely won't play the discs, but I can't figure out if the PSN games are playable on both PS3/PS4, I think they are for many games. The most appealing thing to me about the PS4 is the remote play for every game (which now seems to maybe not be 100% of games). I already have a Vita, so the thought of playing a game on the big screen, but being able to continue in the bed while the family sleeps is a big plus.

As long as your PS4 is hardwired to the internet and you are no more than 20 steps from your PS4, the remote play on your PS Vita should work just fine (degrading as you are futher away from your PS4). I watched a demo of it today and was disappointed in how shoddy that (appealing) aspect worked.

[lorddunlow]

I really dislike the fact that I need to keep my 360 around to play my library of old games. My fault for buying so many without finishing them before moving on. Every single player FPS has always been finished but those other games like Vanquish and Darksiders II are waiting to be finished and that may never happen.

My massive backlog on my ps3 is the reason I'm not jumping to get the PS4. They've been very vague about backwards compatibility. Definitely won't play the discs, but I can't figure out if the PSN games are playable on both PS3/PS4, I think they are for many games. The most appealing thing to me about the PS4 is the remote play for every game (which now seems to maybe not be 100% of games). I already have a Vita, so the thought of playing a game on the big screen, but being able to continue in the bed while the family sleeps is a big plus.

As long as your PS4 is hardwired to the internet and you are no more than 20 steps from your PS4, the remote play on your PS Vita should work just fine (degrading as you are futher away from your PS4). I watched a demo of it today and was disappointed in how shoddy that (appealing) aspect worked.

It has been compared to the Wii U second screen functionality which is very limited in range, but just perfect for where our bedroom is located. I used remote play via the Internet between my ps3 and my PSP and while there was lots of lag, it allowed me to play puzzle games while I was staying in the hospital at night during residency. I could play a fighting game downstairs in bed with only occasional lag. I think my setup will work - I'll find out whenever I get a PS4. I love this functionality of the Wii U.

I surprisingly am very happy with my Wii U despite its poor reviews, poor sales, and lack of third party support. However, Nintendo has the best first party games, so I don't really mind that.

[lorddunlow]

So, I like that with my PS Plus subscription that I can "purchase" the free games without owning a PS4 yet. I did this with the Vita and had quite a catalog of free games (some quite good) by the time I got the system. It was very easy to do with the Vita, as I could purchase (and even download) from the PS3. The PS4 games were a little trickier, as they are not available (or even visible) in the PS Store from the PS3. However, I can log onto the PS Store via web browser and "purchase" the games for the PS4 to have it recorded to my account. That way there is a record of it in my purchase history that will allow me to download it from the PS4 whenever I happen to obtain one. Pretty cool.

[Beware Cyclops]

So, I like that with my PS Plus subscription that I can "purchase" the free games without owning a PS4 yet. I did this with the Vita and had quite a catalog of free games (some quite good) by the time I got the system. It was very easy to do with the Vita, as I could purchase (and even download) from the PS3. The PS4 games were a little trickier, as they are not available (or even visible) in the PS Store from the PS3. However, I can log onto the PS Store via web browser and "purchase" the games for the PS4 to have it recorded to my account. That way there is a record of it in my purchase history that will allow me to download it from the PS4 whenever I happen to obtain one. Pretty cool.

Thanks for reminding me. I totally forgot about the web based PS Store portal. Just "purchased" the free PS Plus PS4 games for later.

[lorddunlow]

So, I like that with my PS Plus subscription that I can "purchase" the free games without owning a PS4 yet. I did this with the Vita and had quite a catalog of free games (some quite good) by the time I got the system. It was very easy to do with the Vita, as I could purchase (and even download) from the PS3. The PS4 games were a little trickier, as they are not available (or even visible) in the PS Store from the PS3. However, I can log onto the PS Store via web browser and "purchase" the games for the PS4 to have it recorded to my account. That way there is a record of it in my purchase history that will allow me to download it from the PS4 whenever I happen to obtain one. Pretty cool.

Thanks for reminding me. I totally forgot about the web based PS Store portal. Just "purchased" the free PS Plus PS4 games for later.

[Knightt]

Well I have my Xbox One and am downloading the update as I type. Two minutes ago I started and I'm already at 60%.

The store let me walk out with the wrong numbered Xbox so I had that scare and then I get home, set it up, turn it on and no picture.. O was plugged into the video IN. Retraced my steps, performed corrective action and boom, I'm at 80% on the update.

I was planning on letting the update go on and me go to bed but at this rate, I'm sure to start one of my three games.

100% !!

[lorddunlow]

Well I have my Xbox One and am downloading the update as I type. Two minutes ago I started and I'm already at 60%.

The store let me walk out with the wrong numbered Xbox so I had that scare and then I get home, set it up, turn it on and no picture.. O was plugged into the video IN. Retraced my steps, performed corrective action and boom, I'm at 80% on the update.

I was planning on letting the update go on and me go to bed but at this rate, I'm sure to start one of my three games.

100% !!

Have fun!

[Knightt]

It has been a very, very good experience so far. The only downside has been learning the new system and the damn long install times on the games which typically have taken 40 minutes to 2 hours. Not 100% sure on the 2 hours deal as I finally just walked away from it. Once everything is installed, the load time is a few seconds without any loading screens and switching from game to app to movie to music to TV back to game is very fast. No hiccups there. The Kinect is still 'learning me' and the hand gestures are 'off' from time to time. Again I presume it has to learn.

[lorddunlow]

Positives I've read for both consoles since launch:
1. both sold over a million consoles (I'm officially wrong, as this eclipsed launches of other console generations).
2. Teardowns of both systems show they are repairable with easy to obtain, off-the-shelf components.

Negatives:
Both units have had a fair amount of reports coming in of various hardware problems, both of which keep the units from playing games.

[blujay]

I will be getting neither, I think this "new generation" is only being pushed because we've had the previous generation for so long. There don't seem to be any drastic graphical changes, not to mention the complete absence of gameplay changes and....oh, games.

I think this new console generation has become too "hardware focused", because the lack of games is actually quite astounding. I know Sony's had some rough starts before, but this time it's all 3 companies. The only game I've been interested in is "Killer Instinct" (SNES = ), but that's for Xbox One, a system I outright refuse to purchase because Microsoft is evil.

[Baramos]

It has been a very, very good experience so far. The only downside has been learning the new system and the damn long install times on the games which typically have taken 40 minutes to 2 hours. Not 100% sure on the 2 hours deal as I finally just walked away from it. Once everything is installed, the load time is a few seconds without any loading screens and switching from game to app to movie to music to TV back to game is very fast. No hiccups there. The Kinect is still 'learning me' and the hand gestures are 'off' from time to time. Again I presume it has to learn.

I have heard that with the PS4 it installs the game in some sort of chronological order so you can start playing and it will download the rest of the game in the background as you play.

Good tip on unlocking the free PS4 PS Plus games now via web, I'll do that so that when/if I finally get a PS4 they'll be in my collection.

[R Daneel]

So I picked up Ryse with my XB1 preorder but before I even installed everything I went ahead and bought Madden 25, CoD and Battlefield 4 because they were on sale. I dunno why I did that because I have severe OCD when it comes to games. I always have to play through the single player campaigns first and complete as much as possible, then I move on to multiplayer. I haven't played Madden in 8-10 ?? years so not sure why I bought this. maybe because my Bengals are not totally inept this year ... Maybe only partially inept.

As a PC games from the very start - the text games and MUD/MUSH through MMORPGs, I gave it up a few years ago and won't go back. I just have no interested in being hunched over a keyboard and desk to play. Not saying it is wrong, I've just been there and done that. Now, instead of playing until waking up and pulling my face off the keyboard, I play until a fall asleep in the media room.

[Knightt]

I've been saving up for this so I splurged on games but I think I will be good on them for a LONG LONG time (until Titanfall comes out, oh and the new Middle Earth game, it looks good... Shadow of Mordor or something like that). If Wal-Mart hadn't had a few of the games I was thinking about at $49.00 each, I would not have bothered but that is a smokin' deal. There might be a few X1 deals on Black Friday but I don't want to get up that early to fight over trinkets.

My Xbox One game line up is as follows (ranked)

1. Forza 5
2. Call of Duty Ghosts
3. Ryse
4. Assassin's Creed Black Flag
5. Battlefield 4

I've simply based the limited game time spent on each by how much fun I had and how much I sit here and think "I want to play that".

Forza 5: I played the hell out of Forza 5 (and I am whupping yer butt xYike !!) and it easily takes the top slot. I really can't get enough of this game... in single player you don't play against AI, you are playing "drivatars" where the Cloud captures the players of Forza 5's driving habits. So, you will be driving along and see some guy spin out or something very unexpected. It's a really great experience.

Call of Duty Ghosts: is just that COD Ghosts. The mission in single player is very entertaining but it's just that same old COD that Ive come to know. Multiplayer is really good (but Im not that into MP)... the servers were very buggy last weekend. I expected it but also thought MS would have their game face on.

Ryse: Son of Rome... good looking button masher. Sometimes I need mindless fun. I am sure to get into it even more so here in the next few hours/days and I don't have 'that much' time on it but graphics wise it is very nice and the whole Roman legion/gladiator time period is one of my favorites (as is the Revolutionary War). That being said, I am looking forward to even more gameplay. The Ryse embargo emplaced on the game by Microsoft prior the Ryse release had me concerned and as I found it, it was justified. The game boasts that it did NOT have QTE. That (to me) was a bold faced lie as there may not be 'buttons' that show up mapped to which button is to be pushed but rather they color code that outline of the enemy you are attacking which gives you a varied set of executions. Now you don't have to go through these QTEs but the payoff in experience and the cool graphic can be worth it. However, this could be done for every bad guy that you encounter. Now, I've not wielded a Roman sword for some time but I would think that i would be absolutely exhausted after 20 kills to the point where I would simply go for the quick kill. Over all though, this is an enjoyable game.

Assassin's Cree Black Flag: Didn't spend that much time on it but it looks beautiful and the OCD in me will go absolutely ape $#!t going after all the 'stuff' in the game. I'm not a AC fan but the idea of all the pirate play is appealing.

Battlefield 4: Only placed on the bottom as I only had time to play for about 20 minutes. I have to say though that the graphics are awe inspiring. While the gameplay is vastly different than COD, the realism and attention to detail are very esthetically pleasing. It does get so so busy though, almost to the point to where it gives me motion sickness.

[Cyberstrike]

Other than Dragon Age: Inquistion (and it's coming out on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 and PS4) I've yet to see any new game that I want to play right now.

[betterthanezra]

I'm playing a lot of NBA2K14 right now and also been playing Marvel Lego on my X-Box One

-Brian

[Knightt]

I put in at least six hours of Assassin's Creed Black Flag last night. Spent my time exploring Havana, killing, and finding the various in game quest items like treasure maps, letters, and artifacts. I got a rocky start but once I got used the the game mechanics it picked right UP. I'm waking up early tomorrow in order to put up the Christmas tree and to get out onto the high seas. There is A LOT of stuff to do in this game.

[Keith]

Been logging some time on Dead Rising 3... that game is a gas! Love the over the top weapons you can build, and the sheer volume of zombies on the screen can make for some real "Holy *SQUEE*" moments!

[Heath]

I think I'm almost finished with a Marvel Ultimate Alliance game I started in 2009. I stole some device from Galactus a couple days ago.

[Knightt]

I think I'm almost finished with a Marvel Ultimate Alliance game I started in 2009. I stole some device from Galactus a couple days ago.

You uh mean... the first MUA ?

[Knightt]

Ok, I'm gonna call on depluto to do a review of the Playstation 4... Roberto ?

[depluto]

Ok, I'm gonna call on depluto to do a review of the Playstation 4... Roberto ?

I'll be able to let you know better when I have more time to play the damn thing ... this is finals week for me but I have about three weeks coming up with no school in December. For now it's mainly just a Netflix machine although my kid has been playing a lot of Assassin's Creed.

It's nice, but not a huuuuuge step up from the PS3. Probably less of a step up than from the PS2 to PS3. I love the new controller, it just feels right. I only have AC and Killzone (which I don't really like and that was surprising to me). I probably won't really get into it until Watchdogs and Infamous come out.

Overall impression: Not bad, will definitely get better.

[lorddunlow]

So my wonderful wife managed to get me a PS4 for Christmas! I also got a Vita earlier in the year, so I can give my assessment of the PS4 as I put it through it's courses yesterday and last night.

First, I want to point out that over the past few months, I have really been underwhelmed by the reviews and news about both of the new consoles, and I really was leaning towards "what's the big deal?" I am pleased to report that I am very impressed by the PS4 console. The hardware is top notch with excellent build quality. It's odd that it's much smaller than the original PS3 (it's only slightly bigger than the PS3 slim). The best thing about the hardware is it runs very cool. My original PS3 literally heats my 25ft square theatre room - not joking in the slightest - I have no idea how someone could use one of these in a dorm room and not bake themselves alive. As such, the PS4 is extremely quiet. Very happy with it overall in terms of the hardware itself.

Secondly, there aren't many good games for the PS4 right now (actually not many games at all). I got Need for Speed Rivals with it, and I love this game so far. I'm a big racing game fan. While this game was not developed by the Criterion (as Need for Speed Most Wanted was - they also developed my favorite game of all time, Burnout Paradise), it borrows heavily from the Most Wanted series and succeeds in replicating what made those two Criterion developed games so much fun. The game is interesting in that online multiplayer is seamless with the single player objectives. While I was doing some initial playing of single player stuff, there were online racers in the town who interacted with me including challenging to races. All very cool.

As I have the Vita, I was able to give the Remote Play features a good testing. This was the feature I was most looking forward to, and I'm happy to report that it works very, very well - at least in my home. With absolutely NO wired connections involved, I was able to use the PS4 menu with no issues (and unlike the PS3 Remote Play - virtually every menu and function is available to the remote device - only network settings and such are unavailable, for obvious reasons). I was also able to play through the 10 minute tutorial of Need for Speed on my Vita. It played flawlessly with none of the graphical oddities and input delay that were present in PSP/PS3 Remote Play sessions on my same network. I did lose connection twice, but I had hooked my PS4 up in a downstairs bedroom (that has always had wireless issues - I actually have an extender to provide wireless to this room, but the PS4/Vita were in an adhoc connection at the time) and I was using the Vita upstairs while we watched A Christmas Story. (The WiiU cannot transmit between these two rooms very well at all). After my family went to bed, I set the PS4 up in it's permanent spot in our theatre room and then used the Vita from the upstairs bedroom we sleep in. I played for about 2 hours using almost every possible function (various games, the Sony Music Unlimited app, VUDU, Netflix, adjusted settings, connected my phone and tablet via the PS mobile app, etc.). I spent most of the time last night playing NFS, and with the PS4 in a better position (but still about 50-60 feet away with plumbing in between), I did not have a single issue - the graphics appeared almost as good as on the PS4 itself, there was no obvious delay in the inputs, and the online play worked flawlessly. I even started my one month trial of Music Unlimited and queued up some Regina Spektor for my driving pleasure - that also played in the background flawlessly. I actually kept forgetting I was using the PS4 remotely and kept trying to use the touch screen to select items . I also started up VUDU and went through to some intense action scenes in Dark Knight Rises in HDX (1080p). No buffering issues on the PS4, and the picture was better than watching it on the Flixter app (both VUDU and Flixter access your Ultraviolet files) on my phone or tablet natively. Netflix and Amazon Video were blocked from Remote Play - I'm guessing that was upon the insistence of those two companies. There is a Netflix app on the Vita, so no big deal that I'm missing Amazon video on my Vita. Overall, this implementation of a second screen allowing remote play capabilities shames the WiiU in every way. Now obviously, the PS4/Vita implementation is much more expensive than the WiiU (approx. $600 vs. $300), but you have the added benefit of being able to use the handheld screen as a separate gaming system that is truly portable as opposed to being tied to a bulky console. Also, the Cross Buy and Cross Play games from Sony allow one to purchase a game once and use it on the Vita, PS3, and PS4 and transfer saves seamlessly allowing you to start a game on the PS4, but continue it on the road on the PS Vita. You could then pick it up at a friends house on their PS3 by logging into your account on their box.

Few other details about the PS4. The games (just like with the Xbox One) have to be installed on the hard drive - it's annoying, but since that's been the case with computers since the mid-90s, it's not a big deal - but I'll be adding HDD space in a year or so, I'm sure. The process however is wonderful. I popped the disc in while the launch day update was downloading (Had some issue connecting to the PSN, but it was holiday congestion, I'm sure - at least it's not as bad as Nintendo's issues ), and it just started installing automatically with no input from me at all. You supposedly can play while it is installing, but it installed while I went to use the bathroom (and I wasn't gone long), so I can't attest to that. I'm not sure why, but it seems to download faster than my PS3 does. I really like the interface. Similar to the XMB of the PS3 and PSP (and most Sony TVs) but much more elegant.

Hopefully this game drought will end and there will be a great library for this machine with a lot of potential.

Negatives:
1. Xbox One has better games for now. (I'm especially sour about Titanfall being a true exclusive to Xbox - at least in it's current plans)
2. You have to buy the camera separately for Kinect-like functionality (and it's nowhere near as cool as the Kinect). However, I care not for this functionality. If I want to undulate with my games, I'll pick up my Wii U and play.
3. Lack of DLNA support (so no streaming of your local video or music library); lack of support of any outside media really (it doesn't even support MP3s!). This is a business move, and a stupid one. They are trying to force everyone to buy a subscription to their Sony Music Unlimited service. I will admit, I'm very tempted, as it is a nice service, I don't already have a subscription music service, and and it is nice to be able to play music of my choosing while playing a game. However, this is Apple-style tactics, and I refuse to give into them. They can add support for DLNA and common audio/video files in an update. (I don't see how they can avoid it, as Microsoft made it very clear that they plan on supporting DLNA and multiple audio files formats played locally on the Xbox One).


Well, Knightt, is that a good enough review?

I haven't tried the Remote Play through the internet. I'll give my PS4 a wired connection this weekend and tether my Vita to my phone's 4G to test it. I'm sure it will be ugly, but I was surprised by how well the pure wireless connection worked. Who knows? I might be able to play my PS4 games on the road!

[Beware Cyclops]

I finally got a PS4 this week. The new model (lighter, quieter, more energy efficient) that's bundled with the Uncharted: Nathan Drake Collection. It's taking a little getting used to coming from the PS3 but I'll get it down pretty quick.

[omega_override]

At this point, I'm far more interested in getting a decent PC. And before anyone says "Oh, PC gaming is too expensive", take a gander at this http://choosemypc.net/#top" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You can build your own PC from the ground up that will give you better graphical performance and retail about as much as an XBONE or PS4

[lorddunlow]

I finally got a PS4 this week. The new model (lighter, quieter, more energy efficient) that's bundled with the Uncharted: Nathan Drake Collection. It's taking a little getting used to coming from the PS3 but I'll get it down pretty quick.

What's the user name on psn?

I'm still loving my PS4 - you should definitely get Until Dawn. Awesome game. Also, don't buy disc games. Just buy them off PSN - they take up the same amount of hard drive space wither way, but when they're digital you don't have to swap discs and can download to 3 different systems.