Anyone else disappointed with their New Console Purchase

[LaoJim]

A little disappointed. I got a Wii U a couple of weeks ago. Before I get lynched, I'll be the first to admit that the reasons for my disappointment were due to "not doing the research" and are largely my own fault, but here we go.

I'm currently a (mature) student and so don't have too much money, but my wife wanted to buy me a birthday present (it's my first birthday since we got married so she wanted something "special"). No way we could afford a PS4 or XB1, but I considered getting a Wii U. I even posted a thread here asking for advice. I decided I wasn't going to, then later I thought what the hell. (I haven't bought a new console close to the release date since the Dreamcast, and it's easy to feel the WiiU is new despite being nearly two years old).

The two main features I was excited for were:

1) Backwards compatibility. I'd not had a Nintendo console since the N64, so the chance of being able to play both the current and the previous generation's games.
2) Being able to play games on the gamepad while either lying in bed or sitting on the sofa in the living room (and hence making my wife feel slightly less like a video game widow)

Now the example that Nintendo always gave with the gamepad is that you would be playing on the TV, then someone would come into the room wanting to watch a programme and you could continue to play on the gamepad. Actually what I want to do is have the gamepad in a completely seperate room, turn it on and continue to play the game I was playing before which I've left in the machine, without touching the TV at all. As it is I have to go into the office, turn on the TV and console, boot up the game and go into the menu to turn it onto gamepad-only mode, turn the TV off again and then return to the bedroom.

Now the irony of the WiiU is that the only games console that has backwards compatibility is the only one that had radically different controls from the previous generation. So while I knew I'd need a Wiimote controller, I forgot about the sensor bar, and then having gotten the sensor bar, I then realized I needed a nunchuck to play certain other games. (As I say "didn't do the research"). While I realized I couldn't play motion controlled games on the gamepad, I'd assumed that games which have a standard control scheme could be played like Super Mario Bros Wii or Donkey Kong Country Returns. Unfortunately both these games (and I'm beginning to suspect many others) have nearly completely pointless shaking controls for bashing the ground or picking up barrels. Things which could have easily been assigned to a button but weren't. So they have to be played with the Wiimote, which means you have to be in the same room as the sensor bar, which removes the reason for playing on the gamepad in the first place.

Now given that I'm on a tight budget, when I got the console I bought mainly Wii games (Twilight Princess, SMB Wii, DK Country, Super Mario Galaxy and Kirby's Epic Yarn) and a couple of cheap Wii U games (Assassin's Creed III and Batman Arkham Origins, not the greatest games in their respective series I know but they were cheap) While I've enjoyed playing the two WiiU games on the gamepad, its fair to say they're not very Nintendo-ey. Now maybe I should buy Super Mario Bros 3D World or DK Tropical Freeze, but these games are £30+ even second hand at the moment and I feel I can't justify spending that amount of money on them when they are basically the same games as their Wii predecessors. It gets even more bizarre for Zelda, where for Windwaker HD I'd be paying top dollar for a remake of previous previous generation game to play instead of my previous generation game.

Couple this with the fact New Super Mario Bros Wii is bloody awful and the Wii controller is bloody awful (seriously its like the old NES controller only with smaller buttons, why is Mario's run and fireball command still on the same button, why!) and despite Nintendo's reputation for 2D platformers, none of the 3 platformer I bought is better than Rayman Origins or Super Meat Boy (though DK Returns is darn close) then I'm feeling a tad disappointed. I could be mollified by Nintendo's back catalogue, but there are no N64 games (and there are never likely to be Rare games anyway) on there and the SNES games, at £5 a pop, are too expensive to really justify.

Anyway, I realize that a lot of my problems are a result of maybe unrealistic expectations and my unique situations. I'm graduating in the next couple of weeks and have a job lines up, so once my financial situation has improved and I've completed the Wii prequels, I might be much more inclined to view the WiiU favourably.

But yes, I am currently disappointed with my new console purchase.

(Incidently if it is possible to do any of the things I'm complaining about not being able to do, I'd be very happy to hear how)

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

But it does seem like they're trying to make it that way. I'm not interested in ps4 (never even considered xbone) because don't want to subscribe to plus. I don't have time or drive to get any value out of all the little giveaways. I buy a couple of games a year (if there are even that many worth getting) and I tend to just get into those. But I would still have to pay for plus because so much of the game content now a days (of most games at this point) is online multiplayer.
The 'wise' business move is also a dick move and is the reason I'm not getting a ps4. I hate to become one of the pc master race but at this point consoles are just becoming PCs with less options and more monthly fees.

That is the thing; the console makers have essentially been coerced into turning their hardware into PCs due to so many previously PC-centric devs now depending on consoles for making the bulk of their profits. As such, you've got Sony and MS making these things dumbed down PCs or entertainment centers instead of just GAMING MACHINES. It's led to seriously wonky industry, one so desperate to push the next generation they're latching on to ANY game they can find in order to entice the audience beyond the typical "hardcore" audience that has been steadily shrinking. I really don't get what the point of the PS4 and XB1 was other than to shut up 3rd parties who were crying like infants for stuff they didn't need.

 

[someonehairy-ish]

The only time I go anywhere near my consoles these days is for exclusives. I think when The Last Of Us released was the last time I turned my PS3 on, and I'm not even sure where my Xbox is. So yeah, I'm not exactly hyped to buy a PS4 or Xbone any time soon.

I guess my laptop is the last thing close to a 'console' I bought, so uh, damn right I'm happy with it ^^ even if Dota2 is slowly taking over my life.

 

[GonzoGamer]

But it does seem like they're trying to make it that way. I'm not interested in ps4 (never even considered xbone) because don't want to subscribe to plus. I don't have time or drive to get any value out of all the little giveaways. I buy a couple of games a year (if there are even that many worth getting) and I tend to just get into those. But I would still have to pay for plus because so much of the game content now a days (of most games at this point) is online multiplayer.
The 'wise' business move is also a dick move and is the reason I'm not getting a ps4. I hate to become one of the pc master race but at this point consoles are just becoming PCs with less options and more monthly fees.

That is the thing; the console makers have essentially been coerced into turning their hardware into PCs due to so many previously PC-centric devs now depending on consoles for making the bulk of their profits. As such, you've got Sony and MS making these things dumbed down PCs or entertainment centers instead of just GAMING MACHINES. It's led to seriously wonky industry, one so desperate to push the next generation they're latching on to ANY game they can find in order to entice the audience beyond the typical "hardcore" audience that has been steadily shrinking. I really don't get what the point of the PS4 and XB1 was other than to shut up 3rd parties who were crying like infants for stuff they didn't need.

In itself not a horrible thing: pushing progress. However the console makers should then try and give us some of the benefits of gaming on a pc too, not just the crappy parts they only seem to be interested in carrying over. At the same time they carve away at the parts of console gaming that were beneficial: ease of use and local multiplayer. There's just no point to owning a console anymore.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

In itself not a horrible thing: pushing progress. However the console makers should then try and give us some of the benefits of gaming on a pc too, not just the crappy parts they only seem to be interested in carrying over. At the same time they carve away at the parts of console gaming that were beneficial: ease of use and local multiplayer. There's just no point to owning a console anymore.

Except, as we've seen, it was NEVER about progress; it was just software guys bitching and moaning about supposedly reaching the limits of hardware (i.e., they could probably no longer disguise their lack of skill with bells and whistles) until they got their way. Furthermore, for consoles to really bring their own strengths to the table while progressing would probably require non-homogenized hardware which is something that 3rd parties BAWL about whenever it comes up, again completely unaware that consoles aren't PCs. This is what happens when you have a generation of devs who don't get how the console industry works.

 

[Mirroga]

The only console right now that looks good in my eyes are the Wii U due to the new Super Smash Bros. and Bayonetta 2. But even then I wouldn't buy a console just because of 2 games.

When the PS3 and 360 came out, were the dry seasons this long?

 

[Ishigami]

Bought a PS4 and haven?t bought a single game for it. Using it mostly as BluRay player these days. Now it even plays 3D BluRays. Of course I could have continued using my PS3 for that? but the PS4 is more quiet.
It?s okay I?m an early adopter. Someone has to buy the consoles to set a trend so people start developing stuff for it.
Back then when the PS2 arrived I think I bought my first game for it almost a year after I purchased the console? so it?s nothing new.

 

[Something Amyss]

I'm quite happy with my decision to not buy a current gen console.

Edit: so far.

 

[Insideout Ink Demon]

i'm enjoying my Wii U, when I play it, PC is my main gaming machine. no regret regarding money spent. MK8 is great for when friends are round.

 

[stroopwafel]

Of the PS4 games I played so far:

Battlefield 4: Single-player campaign is a complete joke. It's so bad I wonder why they even bothered. They just shoehorned it into the multiplayer maps. Speaking of which, multiplayer is fun on occasion but can be frustrating as well due to the amount of skilled players. Maps like 'Paracel Storm' look fantastic and really show the horsepower of the new console. The amount of players also wouldn't be possible on PS3.

NFS Rivals: One of the best arcade racers. The way they integrated multiplayer into single-player is hit and miss. The Interceptor mode in NFS Hot Pursuit(1 cop vs 1 racer) provided the most exciting racing experience in videogame history for me. While in theory this mode is also integrated into Rivals it just doesn't work that well due to the game being too disorganized. Other than slightly better graphics, I don't see how this game is much different from the PS3 version.

Sniper Elite 3: A guilty pleasure of mine. Same as V2; the sniping is cool but the game in general is extremely mediocre. This game is also low-budget so any difference between the PS4 and 3 version is moot. Expect lots of invisible walls and low-res textures on both platforms.

Outlast: Actually had quite a lot of fun with this game, but only due to the kick-ass atmosphere as the gameplay itself was ass. Tedious to the point I wish it wasn't there at all. All you can do is run away and hide. But despite that I could see the potential in this game though. Game looks great and really immerses you into the setting, so much so that I kept playing b/c I just really wanted to know what happened next. If the atmosphere didn't drew me in so much I would have uninstalled it after half an hour.

Resogun: It's fun in short bursts but I was bored by it pretty quickly. You control a spaceship that moves around on a sphere while you shoot things and rescue survivors. Like a mix of Choplifter and Gradius. But wasn't this PS4 we're talking about?

Watch Dogs: The scorn of many a angry gamer. I actually quite liked it. To be honest I think its probably my favorite game on PS4. Maybe b/c I loved Splinter Cell Blacklist and this game plays like an open world version of that game. It looks quite good as well. Not 'E3 2011/12 trailer' good(or whatever year it was) but it was definitely a step up from the graphics I was used to on PS3. Textures were sharper, lighting was better and some of the environments looked genuinely quite good. There wasn't a lot of variety in the gameplay and the cars controlled a bit iffy, but other than that I had a lot of fun with this game.

Wolfenstein: Its pretty good. It's an 'old school' corridor shooter with a decent story and a likeable protagonist. My only disappointment came from the fact that I expected more from former Starbreeze members. I played it on PS4 but if anyone said it was actually PS3 I would have believed it as well.

Killzone Shadow Fall: The only word with which I can describe this game is 'tedious'. Worst game in the franchise for me. The half-assed attempts of this game to do something 'different' are so broken that they only frustrate what is an otherwise already average game. Vekta looks nice though. But the gameplay ruins everything.

Last of Us: Absolutely great game. Shows how the quality of a game can drastically improve when it actually has a decent story. If I hadn't already played it on PS3 this would be my favorite game on PS4. Lighting is better, character models look better, textures have improved and it has an improved framerate; but its still the (same) great game.

But anyways, that's my experience with the (more or less) launch line-up of the PS4. I would have rather booked an extra hour with a call-girl for that money! (the hot ones are expensive)

 

[LaoJim]

When the PS3 and 360 came out, were the dry seasons this long?

If you're interested you can look and compare here:

http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/score/metascore/year/xboxone?sort=desc&year_selected=2013
http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/score/metascore/year/xbox360?sort=desc&year_selected=2005

(and the years 2014 and 2006 respectively)

Short version: Neither are particularly spectacular and it will depend on whether Destiny turns out to be the new Gears of War and whether Dragon Age Inquisition turns out to be as fondly remembered as Oblivion, there definitely seem to be more good games available on the 360 than on the One, and I'd take the 360 line-up over the One's easily.

I'll leave the PS3 vs PS4 comparisons as an exercise for the reader .

 

[Fursnake]

My PS3 recently crapped out so I went out and got a PS4. I was basically only using the PS3 to watch movies and stream music from my PC. I did not do any research really and found out after the fact that the PS4 has no DLNA support and thus I can't stream music from the PC to the PS4 like the PS3 did. I was not happy, but I didn't take the PS4 back. Holding out for the day they do get around to adding some kind of media streaming to the PS4 and not try to force me into buying their music streaming service that doesn't have half or less of what I listen to. I watch some shows and movies on it. I am mainly a PC gamer, but I did go and get Infamous Second Son for $30 and I am enjoying it. I even pre-ordered Destiny to get some more gaming in on the console even though I really don't care for console controllers. Give me a trackball mouse or Mad Catz MMO mouse and Merc Stealth keyboard over console controllers any day.

I might even rent Call of Duty Ghosts and, when it comes out, Advanced Warfare to experience the single player campaigns! Hey, I'm gonna get some use out of this sort called next gen machine hehe.

 

[Strelok]

Nope cause I had no intention of buying one at release, the reasons to get one later are withering in the shadow of exclusives actually just being timed exclusives anyway. Why would anyone who creates games want to limit themselves anymore anyway? I bet it took truckloads of Microsoft cash to get Square Enix on board for that Tomb Raider deal, and that isn't even an exclusive. With the backlash Square Enix and others will see exclusive deals, especially with the Titanic that is Microsoft, as the death trap they are. Anyway there will be plenty of opportunity to pick up a real cheap one later given the amount of people I see abandoning ship already, especially the XBone, for sale boards at the company I work for is full of them... But Halo 67: Master Chief glow in the dark electric collectors edition, remake of 1 - 3 part 9, and probably another Gears of War abomination, are not really my thing anyway.

 

[Bagged Milk]

not yet. I recently got a wiiu the other day after only having a pc and a ps2 for the longest time. I had a 360 a while ago but it never got any use and was never really hooked up to internet. All I've gotten so far was the windwaker remake and nintendo party which came with it. I'm not exactly rich so I have to get all my games very, very slowly. Definitely getting hyrule warriors though.

I'm more happy with the fact that I can easily use netflix and youtube from my bed. I've never had a laptop and I had to sell my iphone about two years ago. now my girlfriend and I don't have to awkwardly watch netflix on my monitor from my bed and we can just watch it easily on the tv. Or rather than sitting straight up watching shows alone, I can just plug my headphones into the gamepad and lay on my bed in the dark without disturbing anything or keeping the tv on.

The miiverse is kinda fun. it's neat to draw things and post it. Definitely not the main attraction, but still fun enough to look through every once in a while.

however, all in all, the wiiu is looking to be pretty promising. All I've gotta do is wait for the price drops in games while only occasionally getting a few to sate me.

 

[Credence]

I'll clear up a few points.
I didn't pay £600 ($900) for the console itself. That's a total amount for the console, the games and the extra pad (£60!?)
I heavily considered a PC this time around because I knew that this generation of consoles were nothing to write home about. But honestly, I've built PC's, I'm a tech head and I know all the places to go to get cheap gear and pit's just not that simple to get ahead by going PC. £600 on a PC would get me something as good as a PS4. But that's with no games, no pad, not even a keyboard. And with any number of corners cut on the build.
If I was going to build a gaming PC that would actually give me an improvement on performance and wouldn't need to be upgraded within 2 years, I reckon I'd have had to spend £800

As for buying games and spending more money, yeah I'd love to be in a position to do that. I bought the console when I was still feel relatively flush after my last job finished, but since then I've been working my ass off as a volunteer (Becomes a real job in september) and living on 45p per mile expenses. So going out and buying games for it isn't really an option.

This also ties in to my hesitance to pay for a monthly service so that I can get the odd "free" game that I might enjoy.

As for the games that I did buy and whether or not I should have known better
Watchdogs.
I was excited by what I'd seen for it. I was hesitant that Ubisoft might bunglefuck it to death doing what they do, but I'd really enjoyed Far Cry 3 so I was prepared to cut them some slack. And well, I kind of trusted Jim Sterling's review. Which boiled down to calling it "nothing new but Sandbox fuck around perfected to a high shine, 4.5 stars". Now I love Jim and I respect his reviews, but jesus christ is that game bad. The thought of spending any of my now precious time labouring through it makes me cringe.

UFC
I should have known better and I understand that. In my heart of hearts I knew this has been rushed, that it has been hoisted on a Dev team who would have rather done something else and that it was going to be a classic new gen sports title that looked nice but was tissue paper thin. I didn't expect that saying that would be doing a disservice to tissue paper. It's not just gone backwards from THQ's most recent effort, it's worse than their first one which is almost a decade old now.

Second Sun
It's fine. A pretty bit of fluff that didn't outstay its welcome. Although if all the main characters had died and I'd been left to play the game as a mute then I think I'd have been happier with the experience.

As I said in the first place, I've never believed in early adoption and I was especially dead set against the idea this time around. But being an adult now with money in the bank it can be hard to tell yourself no to bad ideas. And whilst I knew that buying it was a bad idea, I really didn't foresee it sitting unused for weeks on end. I love the controller (Except for the pointless goddamn finger me pad), I like the interface, I like how quickly it handles installations and updating. All of that is fine and one day I'm sure it'll be my primary console. But right now it's an expensive paper weight that isn't even holding down any paper.

 

[Riff Moonraker]

In some ways, I suppose you could say I was disappointed with my Xbox One initially. GRADUALLY more games have been coming to the console, though, and that has helped. Actually, starting TONIGHT at midnight, things are going to really start picking up some serious steam, though, on the Xbox One... beginning with Diablo 3 The Ultimate Evil Edition. Next up is Destiny, followed by Alien Isolation, Sunset Overdrive, Dragon Age Inquisition, and the Master Chief Collection, so my fall is finally going to be very busy on my One.

 

[COMaestro]

I'm not in the least bit disappointed with my PS4, though I was lucky enough to win mine rather than pay for it. I wouldn't have one right now if I had needed to pay for it, or any other new console. That being said, I have enjoyed all the games that I have played on it so far, and would not be disappointed in it even if I had paid for it. It gets used daily for both gaming and Netflix/Amazon.

It came with Knack, which was an okay platformer/beat-em-up, but really nothing special. Thief is buggy as all hell, but I had fun sneaking around and stealing stuff. MGS: GZ is awesome and I can pop that in and have fun for a couple of hours at a time just messing with the enemy troops. Infamous: SS was quite fun, though I don't feel any great need to play it now after two playthroughs.

Assassin's Creed 4 has been a blast so far, as it is just fun to ignore the story missions and sail around, finding small islands and attacking enemy vessels. Same goes for Watch_Dogs for me. I've only played a few missions from Act I so far, but I'm having so much more fun driving around, stopping random crimes, taking out gang hideouts, and even the integrated online stuff where someone enters you game to hack you is kinda fun.

I picked up Injustice and Lego Marvel during the PSN Superhero sale for a total of $19 and while not normally a fan of fighting games I found Injustice to have a really good story mode. And there's just so much to do in the Lego game that I'll be spending many many hours running around in their version of New York. That's all the games I've paid for, then there's all the freebies from PS+, so I've got a lot of games available. If I didn't already have it for PS3 I would definitely pick up The Last of Us Remastered as well.

As for upcoming games, MGS: Phantom Pain will be out at some point, as will Batman: Arkham Knight, both of which I am really looking forward to. AC: Unity is looking pretty intriguing so far too. I thought I was going to be done with the AC series for a while after playing 3, but I got 4 as a gift and it was just so refreshing to play. Seeing the gameplay footage of Unity where it looks like assassinations will actually be part of the series again, I am hopeful for it, but will wait for reviews before investing in it.

 

[hermes]

Every generation is the same story. I bought my PS3 in 2007, and didn't found an exclusive game that "fully justified" it until MGS4, in mid-2008. Transitions are characterized by a period of time were many games are downported to older systems because companies want to please both new technologies and old market sizes, unless you are Nintendo (or MS with XBox/360), and simply drop support for the previous console as soon as the new one hit the market...

All I can say is: it will get better. Eventually all the consoles will build a sizable library full of options and exclusives. Until then, though, I have no intentions of welcoming the new hardware.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

Nope cause I had no intention of buying one at release, the reasons to get one later are withering in the shadow of exclusives actually just being timed exclusives anyway. Why would anyone who creates games want to limit themselves anymore anyway? I bet it took truckloads of Microsoft cash to get Square Enix on board for that Tomb Raider deal, and that isn't even an exclusive. With the backlash Square Enix and others will see exclusive deals, especially with the Titanic that is Microsoft, as the death trap they are. Anyway there will be plenty of opportunity to pick up a real cheap one later given the amount of people I see abandoning ship already, especially the XBone, for sale boards at the company I work for is full of them... But Halo 67: Master Chief glow in the dark electric collectors edition, remake of 1 - 3 part 9, and probably another Gears of War abomination, are not really my thing anyway.

I never even knew for one second that none of that was ever your thing, I can't recall you having a console last gen either so what stake do you have in such a thread considering it's about purchases of the current gen.