I find it hard to care about the Xbox One and PS4.

There used to be a time when every console was different, different architectures, they looked drastically different, controlled differently, had different games and even the OS had different features to each other. Now however they're all trying to be the same, even Microsoft have gone back on the stuff they wanted to do because people were complaining it wasn't like everything else.

Essentially I look at the PS4 and Xbox One and I see the same console, they'll both have exactly the same games. Even their exclusives (while Sony's has been better in the past) are the same, you'll get a cover based TPS on both, you'll get some quirky indie titles on both, Halo vs Killzone, Forza vs GT and Kinect vs the Eye thingy. Sony have lost their interesting first party line up and really it's turned into a pile of generic crap I can get anywhere.

The only thing I could possibly get excited for that is different is Microsoft are focusing on their new and improved Kinect. If that works out this time it could be a real game changer, sadly though I doubt Microsoft have the talent, they never have in the past, in fact they've destroyed anything they've touched like Rare or Lionhead.

Ultimately the only games I've ended up excited for are multiplatform and tbh I can just play them on my PC. There really isn't anything in the first year of these consoles that looks remotely interesting that I wont be able to get on my PC or there isn't a better alternative. Like people go on about GT and Forza, but those games are shit compared to the PC sims that are out there.

The only console I've ended up excited for is the Wii U and I never thought I would be, I've never been a Nintendo fan in the past. I got a 3DS recently because I used to have a Gameboy for Pokemon Red & Blue back in the 90s. I wanted to go on a Nostalgia trip with Pokemon X&Y and I ended up being hooked on so many games that are amazing. Then I see all the things they're doing with the Wii U and it's like "a console with it's own identity!" and it's one where I cannot get those games anywhere else.

So I'm just gonna end up having a Wii U and a PC because this new shift to using PC based x86 architecture for the PS4 and Xbox One will just make everything even worse. I want to go back to a time where each console was different, now this gen it'll be why do consoles even exist? Might as well just have a PC and surely now these consoles will be so easy to emulate as well.

I cannot get excited for the power of the hardware either, we're just about to have a 5.6Tflop GPU launched from AMD with the Mantle API and the Xbox One and PS4 are 1.3-1.8Tflops......... already they're dated.

Most the times when a system launches the games are lack luster. I honestly don't believe either system is worth the cost of entry and none of their launch games as you said offers anything worth mentioning. Most likely after a year or the later part of a year you may see games that would be worth the purchase.

I'm not so much excited for the new machines, as I'm excited for the raising of the bar. It won't take long for PCs to out match their console brethren. That always happens. But what will be nice is when the base level for power availability takes a jump, the games will follow. Knowing you have higher RAM counts available across the board means that cross platform games will be better, console exclusives will have more room to plan out better worlds, etc.

If all you're looking at is the tech specs, well numbers just aren't as exciting as games are. That's why there are a million gaming sites and forums but very few dedicated to math lectures. And while the current crop of launch software may not be for everyone, it's the first step to the next wave. And that's what I find exciting.

I find it hard to care about PC

I only need one game I absolutely must play to sell me on a new console. For my undead friend above it's Dead Rising 3, for me it's Killer Instinct. Just really wish I had gotten around to making this decision a little earlier in the year. Oh well, always putting things off till the last minute.

Sorry, but thinking the Kinect is going to be a game changer is naive at best. They might look alike, but a year from now they are going to look different. Wii U has had a year to develop games, and they haven't done much with that time. I might not like the Xbox One, but if it's easier to program, that means it's easier to get games for it. Same goes for PS4. It's bakwards in this time and age to do your own program language. Just look what happend to the C.E.L.L processore on the ps3. It's better this way for gaming in general. They still have differences. Wii U might stand out from that crowd. But there is enough to get excited for at this point in time. They haven't even launched yet, you can't really know if all the games are going to be bad now can you? Those are just my thoughts

As with all launch years, we likely don't even know about the games that will ultimately be popular or successful on the new platforms.

I'm not interested in the next gen, but they are going to stop making games for the current gen, so I have to move on. Until the games arrive I'll have my PC to fall back on (as I have for the last year).

Next-gen is looking pretty boring and ho-hum, absolutely.

You're on my friend list, right? Cause I'm looking forward to some Killer Instinct multiplayer. Though I'll likely get my ass handed to me, but still.

There are some titles that are interesting, and I'm definitely intrigued to follow their further development, but I haven't seen anything that makes me want to drop $460 or $560 just for that game.

I have no interest in either of them at this point. I'll pay more attention to them next year after they get going.

Good. Stick with PC and the Wii U.

I'm pretty much the same with the addition that I don't really care about the Wii U either. I'll coast the first year or two of this gen on PC alone and if/when I see something that interests me, I'll take the plunge.

I understand what you're saying. Gaming has changed a lot, and the future gen seems... souless. Like, it looks that the big companies don't really care about the games now, they just care about the sales, simplifying games to appeal to a wider audience, just to earn a couple of green papers more. If you think about it, the only true video game company nowadays is nintendo. Aside from the so caled "rehashes", they're the only one who takes a shot at making something new, outside of the standards. even sassy. Just, damn, look at the fkin WII, everybody thought it was the stupidiest thing ever on release, and loot at it now. Anyone who disrespects the wii is a blind fanboy.

I don't even own a nintendo console, aside from my NES and SNES (I had a ds though). But that's the reason why you look up for the wiiu.

Yes and no. I gifted my gamer tag to my nephew, Brandon. (because it has over 100 games attached to it) If you ever see me online, it's not me. I have to make a new one when I get my Xbone in the next few months. I'll be sure to let you know what it is on day one though, so I can have a practice dummy on KI when Pat isn't online. :)

On second thought, I may just take a MS XBL card over there one day, redeem it, and change that gamer tags name so I can keep using the same tag on my One. he only uses it to download the games it has, after all. He actually stopped me the other week at my dads and said "Why is that Mega Man 9 game so hard?". Me and my brother in law laughed at him when we saw his face after we told him the other older ones are much harder.

But hey, he's still playing it. Kid has good taste.

It's ridiculous to expect everything to come out at the start of a gen. This has never happened. EVER. PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii, GC, Wii U all had mediocre to good launch line ups that really exploded a year later. Anyone who has any knowledge about the history of video games ought to expect as much.

Secondly, while it's understandable that people's taste differ and this sequel and shooter heavy launch lineup isnt for everyone, the notion that there isn't anything available for consoles in the first year is ridiculous. I get that the OP has PC as an option, but for the rest of us getting games like Titan Fall, Destiny, Infamous and freaking Witcher 3 all in the next six months is pretty damn amazing.

Lastly, we haven't seen most of the big name studios reveal their next gen titles. The Mass Effect team, the Uncharted studio, Epic, Rocksteady, Sony Santa Monica, Rockstar, Bethesda etc have yet to even announce their next gen titles. It's stupid to think that they aren't working on next gen titles. That they wont produce something spectacular.

We get these posts every gen.

I do kind of agree with the popular opinion that next generation consoles feel souless in a way, it is almost as if they are not introducing much that enhances the experiences but it could be because our expectations have gone higher than normal due to alternative technologies that already exist like the Oculus Rift for example and in terms of raw power, the high end graphic cards are already catered for. But one thing we have to keep in mind is the climate in the industry is a very weird one and a headache for these companies involved, the numbers are not adding up entirely, so taking risk is becoming a difficult venture. I suspect the reason why Sony is embracing Indie games is because that seem to be were the ''soul'' is at the moment, finding that rough diamond which is a result of experiment. Honestly i wont be suprised if this is the last generation of consoles as we know it because it seem like the cyclical console business is not viable anymore, all or most of the things that made them stand out are gradually getting eroded by alternative devices so the need to get one is becoming less and less

It's not that different from the gens before it. All those were pretty "souless" compared to this. All they really had compared to the previous ones were graphics and new controllers. Sure they had more exclusives back then, but not really that different. The biggest difference between this gen and any other gen was the motion controller. That's about it. And all the consoles had it. I look forward more to this gen, because this time most of the games won't be some sort of gimmick that nobody cares about. It's about the games themselves in my opinion

Maybe because I'm old, but I judge consoles by their games, not their gimmicks. When I was a kid I wasn't excited by consoles because of Rob the video robot, the Power Glove or Sega's 3D glasses, I was excited by games like Phantasy Star, Ghosts n' Goblins and Mario. Maybe gamers who started gaming with the Wii or something always expect some new useless gimmick, but I just want games.

I'm really amused by the TC's claim that he isn't a Nintendo fan but is going to buy the Wii U anyway. Assuming he is telling the truth, that won't end well.

As for his touting of the power of the PC, I remember when the power of the PC used to mean something, when PC had its own stable of AAA developers. Now guys that don't make strategy games or MMOs tend to include consoles among the platforms they support, which means they aren't building for all of the liquid nitrogen cooled PCs that the PC crowd loves to brag about (its why 2007's Crysis 1 is still the game the PC elite tends to cite). Don't get me wrong, PC game development is extremely healthy due to the openness of the platform, but the sorts of games indies are making aren't the type that need Alienware to run.

I always hear these opinions before the launch of each new gen. It will no doubt take time, not just to get games out, but also to really distinguish platforms from one another. OSes don't concern me....in that respect my only interest lay in utility. I couldn't care less if the PS4 and Xbone shared the same OS really. It's all about games, nothing more. I know that each system will eventually differentiate itself enough as to warrant purchase. Just a matter of time.

And after having played GTA V, I'm incredibly excited to see the potential this new tech affords. There will be innovations and breakthroughs that simply can't be accomplished on current tech. I'm more pumped than ever despite the "same same" feel of so many titles currently.

i totally agree with you. Heck SimCity was scaled down because it should be able to handle pc's that couldn't have large cities for example. That game is a pc only game. So i totally agree with your statement

I disagree in that the Playstation has lost its lineup, in fact Sony has presented probably the best console lineup for the ps4 and is continuing what it did on the ps3, the indie titles alone on the ps4 makes this a "launchdaybuy" where the xbox one markets itself as a new tivo with voice control and NSA kinect.

I can see why OP isn't exactly excited---but when console makers are mass producing units at $399/$499,
you know(should know) to expect only a quarter of what a current or even on the horizon PC CPUs/GPUs
will be doing. It's a very contemplative commitment of 'yes' or straight up 'no'. For exclusives.

Indeed this next gen is just like -_- *sigh*---cept' for some of the eyebrow-raising exclusives/indies.

In my opinion the video game industry is beginning to lack innovation and creativity. I saw a video recently on the rumored Sega Dreamcast 2 and I have to say the prototype looked way better than the next gen consoles of today. And as far as the games graphically I'm impressed for sure and gameplay overall delivers on most games but there are only a few innovative games out there. it seems as though all games are going first person shooter. Kind of disappointing in my opinion.

THIS

The OP is hilarious because the OP complains about the lack of games yet then goes on to pimp Kinect and the Wii U.

hehe ya that is kinda funny :D

I dont think i have seen a console like the WiiU with so few games that it can be counted on one hand how many that is decent enough to warrent a buy.