Console Discussion/E3/Tokyo Game Show Thread

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

dola

Some crazy attach rates on the PS4 FPS games, especially since we know that the X1 is the bigger FPS. First week sales of the PS4 were roughly 1.1M. Sales on the FPS's are as follows.....

COD: Ghosts - 808K
BF4 - 455K
Killzone - 408K

I'm sure the X1 ratios will be even better than that considering that a greater ratio of X1 users are likely to be FPS fans.

[mckerney]

Looks like a great time for Nintendo.

New Mario, Zelda games help Nintendo shares reach 3-month high

Even better if you're a Nintendo fan, amazing lineup of games out this year on 3DS that's topped off with a new Pokemon game and and a Zelda game that's been called the best ever by some reviewers.



Big ouch for Sony though. Has to be discouraging if you're a Sony employee and fans have to be wondering if the talk of spinning off the console division will come back up.

Sony slashes profit outlook with TV business back in red

[Izulde]

I have a feeling the Pokemon and Zelda games are what saved the 3DS.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by mckerney

Looks like a great time for Nintendo.

New Mario, Zelda games help Nintendo shares reach 3-month high

Even better if you're a Nintendo fan, amazing lineup of games out this year on 3DS that's topped off with a new Pokemon game and and a Zelda game that's been called the best ever by some reviewers.

Without question, the DS line of handhelds is the saving grace for Nintendo right now. We have three of the regular DS in our house and they get a lot of use.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Without question, the DS line of handhelds is the saving grace for Nintendo right now. We have three of the regular DS in our house and they get a lot of use.

The handheld market has always been Nintendo's rock. During the Gamecube, times were a bit tough, yet, Nintendo turned a profit EVERY SINGLE QUARTER (until something like Q4 2005, when the Wii had already been announced and development for the Gamecube was pretty much dead)



But after completely surprising me with the Gamecube, Wii and 3DS, I'm going to hold off calling the "console wars" this early. The Gamecube started out fairly well but fell apart, the Wii looked like "WTF DOA" only to not be able to keep up with blistering demand for a couple of years after release (ending at #5 all time and handily "winning" last generation, if you want to view it as a horse race), while the 3DS looked like it was going to get toppled by competition from phones and started out really weak, only to turn the corner with SM3DL and is now the 12th highest selling console of all time despite being on the market for less than 3 years.

SI

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Get on with it already!

I am now!


Very early thoughts:

The Xbox One has flashier packaging and I like the headset they include better than the PS4 option.

The PS4 was quicker to set-up (in part because of my TV setup and the difficulty of undoing HDMI cables to get them into the Xbox One to fully use the home media center functions.)

The PS4 day 1 "update" was smaller than the Xbox One (by about 150 MB), so I'm still waiting for the Xbox One to finish updating. Both services are downloading at a good clip though and my wait is under 5 minutes for each.

I like the Xbox One interface better from what I've seen so far. Also, I like that the Xbox One has a clearly visible button to turn it on and that the disk drive is clearly visible. It may be because I was tired, but when I hooked up my PS4, it took me looking in the manual to figure out where the disk drive was and how to turn it on.

The PS4 includes a cord for charging the wireless controller. Xbox One does not but it does include regular batteries for the controller. As a result, I already spent 25 dollars extra for a plug and charge kit which I wish had been included or at least a viable alternative.

Both systems are very quiet although my Xbox One is the quieter of the two. I can't even tell it is on if I didn't see the light.

I wish the Xbox One had gotten rid of the external brick power supply. It is lighter weight than previous versions but I prefer the PS4's simple regular plug.

Just a few early thoughts.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Izulde

I have a feeling the Pokemon and Zelda games are what saved the 3DS.

That, or MarioKart 7, which single-handedly caused my son to save up for a 3DS since he couldn't play that game anywhere else...

[Eaglesfan27]

Decided to switch to TV to check on the latest sports news. The Home Media interface and the ability to easily switch from games to TV and even play a game while watching TV is a very nice feature.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

The Xbox One has flashier packaging and I like the headset they include better than the PS4 option.

The PS4 was quicker to set-up (in part because of my TV setup and the difficulty of undoing HDMI cables to get them into the Xbox One to fully use the home media center functions.)

The PS4 day 1 "update" was smaller than the Xbox One (by about 150 MB), so I'm still waiting for the Xbox One to finish updating. Both services are downloading at a good clip though and my wait is under 5 minutes for each.

I like the Xbox One interface better from what I've seen so far. Also, I like that the Xbox One has a clearly visible button to turn it on and that the disk drive is clearly visible. It may be because I was tired, but when I hooked up my PS4, it took me looking in the manual to figure out where the disk drive was and how to turn it on.

The PS4 includes a cord for charging the wireless controller. Xbox One does not but it does include regular batteries for the controller. As a result, I already spent 25 dollars extra for a plug and charge kit which I wish had been included or at least a viable alternative.

Both systems are very quiet although my Xbox One is the quieter of the two. I can't even tell it is on if I didn't see the light.

I wish the Xbox One had gotten rid of the external brick power supply. It is lighter weight than previous versions but I prefer the PS4's simple regular plug.

Just a few early thoughts.

EF27 is pretty spot on here. Headset on the PS4 is a throw-in at best. Nice thing is that the Turtle Beach PS3 headsets work on the PS4, so no extra cost there. But X1 headset is definitely better if you compare pack-in options.

Agree on the power button on the PS4. I actually like that it's not all that visible, but definitely requires a quick manual check to find that and the eject button.

In addition to what he mentioned on the charging situation, I'd add that PS3 users will be very excited to find out that the controllers charge even when the console is off. That was a big problem with the PS3, though I'm sure it sold more accessory chargers as a result.

I think the Xbox One external brick was needed. The PS4 runs at a lower temperature (roughly 10 degrees lower from early tests) even with an internal power brick, so I'm guessing that was a concession that MS had to make to avoid any overheating issue. A very small concession relatively speaking, especially if it meant the difference between overheating and not overheating.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Izulde

I have a feeling the Pokemon and Zelda games are what saved the 3DS.

Pokemon and Zelda are the icing on the cake. But the 3DS was "saved" long before, mainly on the strength of Super Mario 3D Land and, to a slightly lesser extent, Mario Kart 7 (about 10% less than SM3DL but still big numbers- they'll be eclipsed this Christmas by Pokemon XY as the best selling game on the system).

Nintendo's 3DS Doubles Up on DS - IGN

The article from 2012 also mentions the other major player: the price cut. Back in 2011, it was limping along, but notice the sharp spike between July and August. No big games came out that month: that's when Nintendo took the drastic action to do a price cut just a few months after the system came out:

Hardware Year-Over-Year Comparison - VGChartz

I remember a lot of people calling them nuts and some even saying it was the end of the system. But it's certainly survived and thrived. Here are the FOFC posts from the time:

2011 Video Games Thread - Page 10 - Front Office Football Central

SI

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Decided to switch to TV to check on the latest sports news. The Home Media interface and the ability to easily switch from games to TV and even play a game while watching TV is a very nice feature.

What?? Come again??

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

What?? Come again??

Somebody hasn't watched any interface videos yet.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Somebody hasn't watched any interface videos yet.

Nope. Haven't seen anything on either of the new consoles because I knew i wouldn't be buying in the first wave, and really probably not until around March TBH.

[Eaglesfan27]

The install time for NBA 2k14 to the Xbox One is a LONG wait... but I'm having fun with the quick game controlling LeBron and the Heat. I just wish NBA 2k14 had a moves training available during this download as well.

[BillJasper]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Nope. Haven't seen anything on either of the new consoles because I knew i wouldn't be buying in the first wave, and really probably not until around March TBH.

This is pretty much where I'm at. Especially after going to GameStop the other day and taking a look at the demo models. I wasn't impressed.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

What?? Come again??

This feature is why my Xbox One is up in my living room with the big screen TV while my PS4 is down in my man cave. It is very easy to switch from a game to TV and back again while your game automatically pauses in the background. With the Snap feature, you can also have a game running while the TV plays in a part of the screen. Also, the Xbox One/Kinect's voice recognition allow me to control my TV, my surround sound system, and my DirecTV box without picking up a controller. I can change channels, turn components on/off, etc all without searching for the remotes. The additive value of the Xbox One as a home media center is nice.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I am now!


Very early thoughts:

The Xbox One has flashier packaging and I like the headset they include better than the PS4 option.

The PS4 was quicker to set-up (in part because of my TV setup and the difficulty of undoing HDMI cables to get them into the Xbox One to fully use the home media center functions.)

The PS4 day 1 "update" was smaller than the Xbox One (by about 150 MB), so I'm still waiting for the Xbox One to finish updating. Both services are downloading at a good clip though and my wait is under 5 minutes for each.

I like the Xbox One interface better from what I've seen so far. Also, I like that the Xbox One has a clearly visible button to turn it on and that the disk drive is clearly visible. It may be because I was tired, but when I hooked up my PS4, it took me looking in the manual to figure out where the disk drive was and how to turn it on.

The PS4 includes a cord for charging the wireless controller. Xbox One does not but it does include regular batteries for the controller. As a result, I already spent 25 dollars extra for a plug and charge kit which I wish had been included or at least a viable alternative.

Both systems are very quiet although my Xbox One is the quieter of the two. I can't even tell it is on if I didn't see the light.

I wish the Xbox One had gotten rid of the external brick power supply. It is lighter weight than previous versions but I prefer the PS4's simple regular plug.

Just a few early thoughts.

Thanks!

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

This feature is why my Xbox One is up in my living room with the big screen TV while my PS4 is down in my man cave. It is very easy to switch from a game to TV and back again while your game automatically pauses in the background. With the Snap feature, you can also have a game running while the TV plays in a part of the screen. Also, the Xbox One/Kinect's voice recognition allow me to control my TV, my surround sound system, and my DirecTV box without picking up a controller. I can change channels, turn components on/off, etc all without searching for the remotes. The additive value of the Xbox One as a home media center is nice.

That's pretty freaking sweet. As someone who likes to play a game, then watch a tv show, then play another game, that sounds cool.

[CraigSca]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

That's pretty freaking sweet. As someone who likes to play a game, then watch a tv show, then play another game, that sounds cool.

That sounds great if you're single, but I can't see this being compatible with married life

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

That sounds great if you're single, but I can't see this being compatible with married life

Well I'm still single, for the moment.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

The install time for NBA 2k14 to the Xbox One is a LONG wait... but I'm having fun with the quick game controlling LeBron and the Heat. I just wish NBA 2k14 had a moves training available during this download as well.

FWIW, we had a similar experience with it on the PS4: I think it took until about the third quarter of the quick game until it was ready on the PS4.

It is a nice feature of both systems though: we were bouncing around setting things up and trying stuff out while Battlefield 4 installed and Ryse + Forza were downloading.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Well I'm still single, for the moment.

And with this feature set, you could be forever

SI

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

That sounds great if you're single, but I can't see this being compatible with married life

Actually, my little girl just got home and wants to watch her show. It is awesome to be able to pause the game in low power mode, quickly switch to TV, and know that I can come back to it later tonight after everyone is asleep if I want.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

FWIW, we had a similar experience with it on the PS4: I think it took until about the third quarter of the quick game until it was ready on the PS4.

It is a nice feature of both systems though: we were bouncing around setting things up and trying stuff out while Battlefield 4 installed and Ryse + Forza were downloading.

I was at the end of the 3rd quarter when mine completed. I'm glad they at least make the games partially playable while you wait for the install to complete. I'm in love with the new GM mode so far... it seems very deep and the gameplay looks amazing (and plays amazing) on default All-Star Sim sliders at least on a quick first impression.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

FWIW, we had a similar experience with it on the PS4: I think it took until about the third quarter of the quick game until it was ready on the PS4.

It is a nice feature of both systems though: we were bouncing around setting things up and trying stuff out while Battlefield 4 installed and Ryse + Forza were downloading.

The auto downloads on the system are wonderful as well. So nice to pop on the system and find that a system update or patch is already downloaded. All you have to wait for is the install and you're ready to go. Gone are the days of turning on the system to play a game, only to find that you have a long system update to complete before you start playing.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

And with this feature set, you could be forever

SI

Hey - it's cheaper than marriage

[DaddyTorgo]

Not the thread for it, but I'd be curious to hear what people have to say about Ryse over the longer-term. I read reviews where it got absolutely SHIT upon, but it's a time period that is near+dear to me.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Not the thread for it, but I'd be curious to hear what people have to say about Ryse over the longer-term. I read reviews where it got absolutely SHIT upon, but it's a time period that is near+dear to me.

I'm curious too. It looked interesting but the horrible reviews have steered me away from it for now.

[Izulde]

They didn't have a demo of the XBox One up at Target when I was there yesterday, but they did the Wii U and the PS4.

Wii U just felt uncomfortable in my hands, whereas the PS4 felt very natural, controllerwise. Felt like a hassle doing anything in Zelda on Wii U, but shortly after starting a demo of FIFA 2014, on the PS4, I scored a goal with Messi and the controls felt very fluid and natural.

[dubb93]

XBox One bundles are in stock right now at Gamestop.com. Will go quickly. Are up as of the time of this post. I still can't get my damn PS4, but figured this could help someone out.

hxxp://www.gamestop.com/xbox-one/consoles/xbox-one-regular-edition-bundle/112513

[Mota]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

I think the Xbox One external brick was needed. The PS4 runs at a lower temperature (roughly 10 degrees lower from early tests) even with an internal power brick, so I'm guessing that was a concession that MS had to make to avoid any overheating issue. A very small concession relatively speaking, especially if it meant the difference between overheating and not overheating.

I'll agree with you here for sure. I hate that the 360 runs so hot. I don't care if it means external power supply, as long as it helps Xbone run cooler it's all good with me, especially if they want us to use it as a set top box.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by dubb93

XBox One bundles are in stock right now at Gamestop.com. Will go quickly. Are up as of the time of this post. I still can't get my damn PS4, but figured this could help someone out.

hxxp://www.gamestop.com/xbox-one/consoles/xbox-one-regular-edition-bundle/112513

Man so close to pulling the trigger, but I just really want the PS4 for this gen.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Not the thread for it, but I'd be curious to hear what people have to say about Ryse over the longer-term. I read reviews where it got absolutely SHIT upon, but it's a time period that is near+dear to me.

I'm hoping to play in the next night or two.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Hey - it's cheaper than marriage

Not that I have any room to throw stones from my glass house. Actually, it's not glass but there is a large glass window that stares straight into the game room on the house we moved into last month. And I did spend a lot of this weekend getting the game room set up and it's still not done yet.

SI

[gstelmack]

Ryse seems to be your basic fighting game - so far it reminds me of playing something like Mortal Kombat, but in a campaign setting. It might get repetitive, but then all fighting games like that are, so I'm not sure if it's a bad thing. I'm not very far in yet, but it's okay.

On the voice command thing, finally realized you have to pause after saying "Xbox". "Xbox On" doesn't work, but "Xbox ... On" works fine.

Also, all those people who whined about the "always connected" and "can't sell my used games" have officially ticked me off, can't believe I have to put the disc in to play. I may just have to download most of my games from here on out, depending on sales and whatnot.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Ryse seems to be your basic fighting game - so far it reminds me of playing something like Mortal Kombat, but in a campaign setting. It might get repetitive, but then all fighting games like that are, so I'm not sure if it's a bad thing. I'm not very far in yet, but it's okay.

On the voice command thing, finally realized you have to pause after saying "Xbox". "Xbox On" doesn't work, but "Xbox ... On" works fine.

Also, all those people who whined about the "always connected" and "can't sell my used games" have officially ticked me off, can't believe I have to put the disc in to play. I may just have to download most of my games from here on out, depending on sales and whatnot.

Yeah, I'm with you on the last point. I'd rather not have to put my disk in and I'm always connected if I have power... maybe they can somehow make it a choice in the future?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

MS starting to learn a bit. Good move by them to stem the negative PR by giving out free games for those waiting for a console to come in the mail.

Xbox One owners with hardware issues get complimentary game | Polygon

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

dola

Good breakdown of the costs in each console.

Microsoft's Xbox One Costs $90 More to Build Than Sony's PS4 - Arik Hesseldahl - News - AllThingsD

[dubb93]

Do either of the consoles maintain a list of your purchased downloadable games in a manner similar to Steam's Library where every game you've ever purchased, even if you have long since deleted the game off you hard drive, is in a list and you just click on them to re-download?

[Ryan S]

Originally Posted by dubb93

Do either of the consoles maintain a list of your purchased downloadable games in a manner similar to Steam's Library where every game you've ever purchased, even if you have long since deleted the game off you hard drive, is in a list and you just click on them to re-download?

I assume that it is linked with your PSN or Xbox Live account.

[nilodor]

Originally Posted by dubb93

Do either of the consoles maintain a list of your purchased downloadable games in a manner similar to Steam's Library where every game you've ever purchased, even if you have long since deleted the game off you hard drive, is in a list and you just click on them to re-download?

My PSN account does. My roommate cratered my PS3 and I picked up a new one and it was very easy to download any content that was attached to the PSN.

[TRO]

Both Xbox and PSN maintain a nice list of previous purchases.

[Eaglesfan27]

Ok, maybe the Kinect voice recognition needs work. I just burped and it called a timeout for me in Madden

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by dubb93

Do either of the consoles maintain a list of your purchased downloadable games in a manner similar to Steam's Library where every game you've ever purchased, even if you have long since deleted the game off you hard drive, is in a list and you just click on them to re-download?

In addition to the list, it's important to note that if you're on a PS device, always go out and 'purchase' all the free games each month, even if you don't plan on downloading them or don't have that device at that time. You never know when you might get that device and you'll have a whole library to play with at that point.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Ok, maybe the Kinect voice recognition needs work. I just burped and it called a timeout for me in Madden

EA forces the John Madden voice file on your box anytime you play the game. You should see what happens when you fart.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

In addition to the list, it's important to note that if you're on a PS device, always go out and 'purchase' all the free games each month, even if you don't plan on downloading them or don't have that device at that time. You never know when you might get that device and you'll have a whole library to play with at that point.

How do you do that? I just joined and I'm not clear how to "purchase" the free games.

[BillJasper]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Ok, maybe the Kinect voice recognition needs work. I just burped and it called a timeout for me in Madden

[dubb93]

Are they different than they do it now. I have both a 360 and a PS3, and unless I'm doing something wrong I wouldn't call the lists nearly as nice as Steam.

On the PS3 you go to account management and find your download list. The items that are presented are not listed in alphabetical order, rather they are listed chronologically by purchase or download date, and can't be filtered. The list also includes items such as betas, demos, netflix, basically anything you have ever downloaded on the console, and you can't remove the fluff. For example, in my list, I don't need betas of games I've purchased. Ditto with demos. Yet I can't remove them. I would kill to get this presented alphabetically as well, but that isn't an option.

XBox presents the list in a similar, albeit, even less user friendly way. Setting>Account>Download History>Download Again presents with a list that is even worse than PSN. It's much slower to scroll through, but it also loaded with individual DLC, not filterable, still includes crap like demos, and is just a general pain. Also, unlike on PSN, XBox has a tendency to stop scrolling and start loading multiple times during the scrolling process.

Compared to something like Steam doesn't include the fluff, files DLC under the actual game, and is presented alphabetically, both services fall flat. I was hoping it would be better on the next gen. It doesn't help that I have massive lists on both consoles, and not being able to filter them is a pain. Less so on the PS3, admittedly, but that list isn't quite the monster that my XBox list is. I assume if I had as much crap on PSN as I do on XBox Live it would be equally as difficult to navigate.

I guess part of the appeal of a large game library is being bored one night and being able to see all of your games in a single glance. Then you can pick out which one you want to play. Having a personal game collection on a shelf allows for that. Steam actually allows for that too, with they way they present your library to you. Microsoft and Sony were a long way behind on that front this gen.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

EA forces the John Madden voice file on your box anytime you play the game. You should see what happens when you fart.

A robotic arm pops out of the console with a can of Tough Actin' Tinactin and you don't want to know where it sprays it?

SI

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

How do you do that? I just joined and I'm not clear how to "purchase" the free games.

You can do it one of two ways. If you're online, you can go to the PS Store (http://us.playstation.com/psn/playstation-store/). Hit shop now and sign into your account. Click on Playstation Plus under Games and there's a link on the left hand side that says 'Free Games'. It lists all games that are currently free. Just add all of them to your cart and then check out all games for $0.00. Another thing you can do if you're online in the store is that you can go to the page of the game you just bought (free or otherwise) and click on 'Download to all PS3's' or 'Download to all PS4's'. That way the game will be fully downloaded on your console and ready to go.

Alternately, you can go into the PS Store on your PS4 and find all the free games much the same way I just described. Just go to the PS+ section and select 'Free Games'. Add all of them to your cart and 'buy' them for $0.00. You can cancel the auto-download on those games if you don't want to load them to your hard drive but want to have them purchased in case you want to play them later.

Hope that helps a bit.