Sony’s current tag line for the launch of the Playstation 4 is “Greatness Awaits”, and while I know greatness does await in the next generation, it’s not coming this November. That’s a bit harsh, actually. It’s not that I lack any excitement for the PS4 or Xbox One, it’s just that there is still a wealth of great current generation games releasing this year and onwards to 2014 that a $400 or $500 future of gaming is a bitter pill to swallow at this point. I’ve never been the early adopter. Waiting at least a year until the hardware has worked out its kinks and there is a solid library of games always seems like the smartest option. This time, however, the launch line ups have been decidedly weak (well, at least in the Ps4’s case). “WATCH_DOGS” (yes, that’s really how Ubisoft wants it to be spelt) and “Drive Club” were both exciting additions to Sony’s launch line-up, before they were both delayed into 2014. Even PS4/Xbox One launch games like “Assassin’s Creed 4” and the most recent editions in the “Call of Duty” and “Battlefield” franchises are available on current gen systems with not much of a describable difference aside from prettier graphics, meaning it probably shouldn’t be the system seller for you if you already own one of the two current gen machines that can run it. Hey, I’m not here to judge though, if you feel the urge to go out and buy that shiny new gaming thingamajig I won’t protest (aside from some mild subconscious jealousy, of course), especially considering that I’ll be right there with you in about a years time or so.
One of the biggest factors that shies away potential early adopters, aside from the cost, is that we’ve been spoiled by an unheard of amount of time between new console launches. It’s been eight years since the Playstation 3 and Wii launched and nine years since the Xbox 360. Compare that to the typical four to five year cycle game consoles typically received before then. Of course the cause of this unusual time frame can be blamed on the 2008 recession, most consumers still probably don’t even want to think about plunking at least 400 bucks down on a new system, but also the PS3 never really hit it’s stride commercially until 2009. Releasing a game console is always a money sink for the first few years, and the last generation was an even more extreme case for anyone that wasn’t called Nintendo (although Nintendo is up a pretty bad creek right now with the WiiU, but that’s a discussion for another time). Either way, this elongated console cycle got some gamers like myself a little too accustomed to the PS3 and Xbox 360. The second prong of this hesitance comes from the simple fact that neither of the new systems are backwards compatible. Backwards compatibility means that a console can play games from it’s current generation and the previous. Truthfully the backwards compatibility on the Ps3 and Xbox 360 were spotty at best, but it’s still a major signing point for those of us who want to keep some our favorite games from this generation but don’t want more plastic gaming monoliths cluttering our shelves and desks.
I’m sure some readers I sound like a grumpy old man waving his cane angrily at the neighborhood kids, but there’s still so much fun to be had in the current generation that it’s hard to move into the future. I haven’t played “Grand Theft Auto V” yet, and despite sales figures I know I’m not the only one. 2014 Current gen exclusives like “Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2″ and “The Evil Within” both look fantastic, and even next gen franchises “WATCH_DOGS”, “Destiny”, and the Xbox One killer app “Titanfall” will be available on PS3 and/or Xbox 360. As of this writing the PS4 has sold about a million units within 24 hours. That’s a pretty good number that will only rise through the holiday season. I’m glad people are buying the new systems, if every gamer felt the same way I did the industry would be in serious trouble. However for the time being a sub-par pixar style brawler (“Knack”) and the latest installment in a sci-fi shooter series I don’t care about (“Killzone: Shadow Fall”) coupled with a few games readily available on the machine I currently own aren’t enough to convince me to join the next generation yet. Give me a ring when “Uncharted 4” comes out.