With the latest major videogame platforms all released, let’s
compare them and discuss which to buy if any. I will focus on the Xbox One,
Playstation 4, Wii U, and the PC.
The Xbox One had a rough announcement with its DRM policies,
but it had changed its policies to be similar to the Xbox 360. The Xbox One is
the most expensive of the platforms I’m comparing (besides a high quality PC),
which is mostly due to its packed in Kinect. I’m fairly certain that most
gamers will not be using the Kinect regularly, meaning that its portion of the
total price is a waste of money. It lacks a large library of exclusives, even
if you include those coming out in the coming months. Most if not all of the
online capabilities require subscription to their service. Finally, it uses PC
architecture, giving it access to nearly all multiplatform games and many 3rd
party titles.
The Playstation 4 also uses PC architecture, similar to the
Xbox One. Costing around $400, it is $100 dollars cheaper than the Xbox One. While
the PS4 currently has very few launch exclusives, it seems to have more
exclusives on the way than the Xbox One. The Playstation 4 also has a lot of
indie support. The dualshock controller has a few interesting features such as
the touch pad and share button, but is fundamentally a traditional controller. Unfortunately,
online game service requires a subscription to PS+.
The Wii U, which has been out for over a year at this point,
has no required online subscription. It uses a custom architecture, which means
that any multiplatform games it does get access to will generally run poorer
than on the PS4, XB1, and PC. The controller is the gamepad, which has a full
touch screen as well as a mostly traditional button layout. The Wii U has
plenty of exclusives, but that is to be expected of a Nintendo console. While
the Wii U originally launched at $350 for superior deluxe version, the price
has since dropped to $300, making it $100 cheaper than the PS4.
The PC is undoubtedly the superior platform in terms of
technology and game variety. However a good PC requires a lot of research and
money to get running at high performance. Users also have to be capable of
doing a lot of troubleshooting as many games require different things to run.
Many games will have errors that the user would have to research and fix. In
general, unless you are extremely computer savvy and have enough money to
maintain it, a PC isn’t for you.
In conclusion, what system(s) you buy depends on what you
want to play and pay. The XB1, PS4, and PC share a large number of their games,
so generally choose the one that has the most exclusives you want. The Wii U is
unique and has a lot of exclusives, but lacks access to many of the games the
others have. If you have the money, I would recommend getting both the Wii U
(for its exclusives) and the PC (for its quality). If you don’t want to worry
about the price or management of the PC, I would recommend the PS4, as it has
more exclusives than the XB1 and cheaper. In the end though, it depends on what
you want to play and the playing field may change in the future of this
generation.
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