Investing in a new gaming console can be a daunting task for the uninformed gamer. Minutiae such as exclusive games, price, and technical jargon bogs down potential buyers who just want to play games. To alleviate these annoyances, I will compare consoles and give information that any prospective buyer should know.
There are three major games consoles on the market currently: Nintendo’s Wii-U, Microsoft’s Xbox One, and Sony’s PlayStation 4. Let’s start by examining Nintendo’s home console.
Wii-U
Coming off the heels of Nintendo’s highest selling console, the Wii, the Wii-U attempts to innovate as its predecessor did. Boasting a unique tablet controller and HD games, the Wii-U is great for families and fans of Nintendo games. Although the graphical fidelity of the Wii-U is lacking compared to its competitors, exclusive games populate its library, including such titles as "Super Mario 3D Land," "Splatoon," "Pikmin 3," "Mario Kart 8," "Bayonetta 2," and "Super Smash Bros." Nintendo’s newest console also has the ability to play old Wii games, which is a welcomed feature for fans who amassed a collection of Wii games last generation. If you want to play even older Nintendo games, the Wii-U’s Virtual Console application allows users to purchase classic games.
The Wii-U is not without its problems, though. The online infrastructure of the console is dreadful. Although online gaming is free, playing with friends is a chore, and third party support for the Wii-U is also in a horrendous state. Popular titles such as "Batman: Arkham Knight," "Destiny," and "Metal Gear Solid V" are unavailable on the Wii-U, which is a huge shot in the gut for the console.
The worst thing about the Wii-U is that Nintendo has already announced that they are developing a new console because of the paltry sales of the system. This dissuades potential buyers – who wants to buy a console whose successor is right around the corner? The price point is also worrisome: The cheapest version of the Wii-U is a whopping $300, which is only $50 cheaper than the Xbox One.
All problems aside, the Wii-U is a good console for fans of Nintendo games and families that have a backlog of old Wii games. Its exclusive games are polished, fun, and have all the Nintendo nostalgia that fans love.
PS4
Sony’s newest console is leading all gaming consoles in sales, and there’s a reason for that. The PS4 has the best technical specifications of all the consoles, which allows it to run multiplatform games better than its competitors. It also has an enormous library of games that cater to a wide audience. Although you have to pay monthly for the PlayStation Plus online service, free games are given out monthly to subscribers. The exclusive games for PS4 are top-notch, and indie games are also plentiful. The PS4 is the most expensive console at $400, but it comes bundled with "The Last of Us Remastered," one of the best games of last generation, and "Bloodborne."
The PS4 is a great system, but AAA games are released few and far between, which can be a tough sell for gamers that want games now. Sony’s fall lineup for 2015 pales in comparison to Xbox’s, which might mean trouble for PlayStation. Backwards compatibility is also an issue for the PS4; PS3 games don’t play on the PS4 unless you subscribe to an additional service called PS Now, which allows users to play a host of old PlayStation games for a monthly fee.
The PS4 is the epitome of a gaming machine. It has the best power and graphical fidelity, as well as an excellent library of games to play.
Xbox One
Microsoft designed the Xbox One to not only be a game console, but an entertainment hub for your living room. Entertainment applications such as Netflix and Hulu populate the home screen, and you can plug in your cable box to control your TV. Microsoft recently announced backwards compatibility for their system; if you are dying to continue playing your old Xbox 360 games, you’ll finally be able to do so on the Xbox One. The games exclusive to Xbox One are arguably as good as those found on PS4. Their fall lineup looks especially impressive for 2015, with exclusives like "Halo" and "Tomb Raider."
The majority of the problems with Xbox One has to do with visuals. Multiplatform games generally run worse on Xbox One, which is unfortunate. Games that run on PS4 in 1080p usually run at 900p or 720p on Xbox One. Microsoft’s support of independent games developers has also been lacking in comparison to Sony.
It’s amazing how Microsoft has turned their fortunes around after their historic messaging mess-up during the Xbox One’s announcement. The Xbox One is a great machine that utilizes entertainment to create a multimedia juggernaut.
So What Should I Buy?!
Now that I’ve explained the main features of the consoles, which one should you buy? I would tell you to buy the one that your friends are playing on! Games are more fun when you have friends to play with, so go wherever they are. If you aren’t interested in multiplayer, choose the console with the exclusives that cater to your interests. All three of the consoles are great in their own way, so you really can’t go wrong!
