Poll: Hi, I'm Thoughtful Salt and I'm a former Xbox Apologist

[Thoughtful_Salt]

[audience] Hi Salt

[salt] (sad and depressed) I'm here to apologize to you guys, a lot of us have supported the 360 over the years and were really excited for Microsoft to bring us in to the next generation...

[audience shuffles in their seats]

[salt] then that reveal happened and we were nervously optimistic. Hey, maybe Microsoft can give us something that justifies locking us out of our single player games every 24 hours if we don't check in like good little sheep. Or the fact that we can't lend games to our friends to share the experiences that we loved without burning holes in their pockets.

[audience mumbles and grumbles]

[salt] or the focus on sports, television and dudebros that I was prepared to accept as a necessary evil if it means that the rest of us got great games.

[one dude in the back] Whooooo!!! GO STEELERS!!!!
[everyone glares]
[dude sits down]

[salt] Well today at E3 we got nothing. I've got nothing. Not a single thing to justify the unfortunately named Xbone's existence, nor its price tag. Sure it's got Kinect functionality, but I don't use Kinect. It's got no killer app, nothing huge that's gonna set the world on fire like the Halos or Gears of old. Nada. Zip. (whispers: maybe Titanfall)

[audience nods, dude starts slowly shuffling backwards]

[salt] Sony just straight out offered me everything that once yearned for on the xbox, everything. From cloud gaming eventually enabling backwards compatibility, to exclusives that just look awesome. The Xbone could have offered us that, it had the largest installed user base of the generation with the 360. it had the power, or so it seemed.

[Audience looks rapt with attention, Dude has nearly made it to the door]
[salt] well i'm here to tell you something. WE HAVE THE POWER NOW! The choice before us is not an easy one to make, but it must be done. It's time to show Microsoft that we won't be pushed around, we won't be held slave to your console by mediocre exclusives and online DRM. It's time to sw.....to swi..........screw it. It's time to switch to SONY!!!! And I now Apologize to the world for supporting Microsoft: I'M SORRY!!!!!

[Audience gasps, one guy faints, his girlfriend looks down and shuffles to the next seat]
[Salt] WE DON'T WANT TELEVISION AND DRM, WE WANT GAMES!!! WE WANT OUR CONSOLES CHEAP ENOUGH TO AVOID BANKRUPTCY!!!

[Audience roars, dude start screaming and bursts out the door as a tidal wave of nerds and casual gamers almost crush him beneath their heels]


[Salt, running ahead of them} WHAT ARE WE GOING TO SAY!!!

[Audience] WE'RE SORRY!!!!!

[Salt} AND WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?

[Audience] BUY THE PS4!!!!

[Total Biscuit] Or you can just buy a PC.

{Audience nervously looks around, some perk their heads up.] YEAH!!!!!
[Audience runs past salt as he looks on] Wha- what? I thought...

[TB] Sorry kid, it's clearly the superior platform [Audience lifts him up and carries him down the street]

[salt grumbles beneath his breath] Damn PC!!!


p.s. Captcha: To Boot. Indeed

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

I'm not so sure about your ending. I'm a PC gamer, with a low-mid range rig. It can still play most games at good settings, but that will change this generation.

I'm thinking of getting a PS4 instead of a new graphics card.

Now, it's not just that the PS4 has tons of developers with great track records developing exclusively for it. It's not just that the price tag is incredibly reasonable. It's not just that PS Plus rivals the PC's sales in value. It's all of these things, plus the fact that I really dislike Steam.

I'm sure I'll get both, but I think the PS4 might be my primary gaming device of the generation. My PC is mostly a music workstation with a cheap GPU thrown in, anyhow and it won't need upgrading in terms of music for a long while.

 

[The_Scrivener]

This post was more entertaining than Microsoft's E3 presentation.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

I'm not so sure about your ending. I'm a PC gamer, with a low-mid range rig. It can still play most games at good settings, but that will change this generation.

I'm thinking of getting a PS4 instead of a new graphics card.

Yeah I'll be doing the same. I'm just gonna pick up a PS4 instead of upgrading and just use my PC solely for the games you can't get on other platforms (strategy games and the like). Don't really see the point of upgrading anymore anyways. I think with this gen we are at the point where graphics are good enough.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I'm not so sure about your ending. I'm a PC gamer, with a low-mid range rig. It can still play most games at good settings, but that will change this generation.

A low to mid-range PC in the current market is already more powerful than the PS4. And being open source, will always enjoy the larger library. In a year's time, a mid-range PC will already be running circles around the new console wave in terms of hardware. And you begin to worry about mobile platforms as well in the next handful of years, they're improving by leaps and bounds, and could very quickly end up obsoleting consoles and desktops both.

That said, if I get a console to do console things with, it will be the PS4. For certain things a console is just superior, and for a small handful of titles it's pretty much the only game in town.

 

[FalloutJack]

The dude in back shouting about the Steelers was probably me.

*Waves his terrible towel*

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

I'm not so sure about your ending. I'm a PC gamer, with a low-mid range rig. It can still play most games at good settings, but that will change this generation.

A low to mid-range PC in the current market is already more powerful than the PS4. And being open source, will always enjoy the larger library. In a year's time, a mid-range PC will already be running circles around the new console wave in terms of hardware. And you begin to worry about mobile platforms as well in the next handful of years, they're improving by leaps and bounds, and could very quickly end up obsoleting consoles and desktops both.

That said, if I get a console to do console things with, it will be the PS4. For certain things a console is just superior, and for a small handful of titles it's pretty much the only game in town.

My processor is probably better than the PS4's Jaguar (I have a 2500k) but my graphics card is a GTX 550Ti. If the games we saw were running at 1080p, then I know that my card isn't gonna be enough.

According to the official PS4 tech-specs it uses a 1.84 teraflops Radeon card. For comparison, the 550Ti is running at 0.6 teraflops. Now, I know flops aren't everything, but it's a pretty good indicator of how far behind the PS4 my card is.

That being said, I'll still game on my PC and I'll probably upgrade at some point. It's just a question of whether I upgrade first, or get a PS4 first...

 

[Gamgee]

I have a crazy PC and always will. Have a Wii U. And the PS4 has pleased me with enough exclusives I want that I will eventually get one. Leaving just M$ to languish in the corner of shame. Going down in history as one of the worst console launches ever designed. This is one for the record.

I know it hurts, but things will be better here. While we all walk different walks of life us PC enthusiasts, PS fans, and Nintendo followers one thing we all have in common is a love of gaming that M$ has seemingly forgotten. You haven't joined just the Sony side. You haven't just joined Nintendo. You haven't even joined the PC side. You've chosen to continue being a gamer, because like all of us you share a burning passion for it! So here is not to the PC, Sony, or Nintendo; but to all of gaming kind and everyone who shares our passion!

 

[UnnDunn]

I'm pre-ordering both new consoles. Both have games I want to play, and I feel no particular need to apologize for either company.

Quite frankly, I think it's hilarious to see everyone worshipping Sony as if they won something. Microsoft isn't done yet, not by a long shot.

 

[Thoughtful_Salt]

I'm pre-ordering both new consoles. Both have games I want to play, and I feel no particular need to apologize for either company.

Quite frankly, I think it's hilarious to see everyone worshipping Sony as if they won something. Microsoft isn't done yet, not by a long shot.

well it's hard to see how they can come back from this, given the information we now have. Only a price drop and an easing of the online requirements can save the bone

 

[Tony2077]

I'm pre-ordering both new consoles. Both have games I want to play, and I feel no particular need to apologize for either company.

Quite frankly, I think it's hilarious to see everyone worshipping Sony as if they won something. Microsoft isn't done yet, not by a long shot.

well sony's ps4 doesn't have the used game nonsense and online stuff so it miles ahead of m$ xbone

 

[Hazy992]

So far I'm going to buy a PC, then get a PS4 for exclusives. The Nintendo Direct today should hopefully confirm that I'm going to pick up a Wii U as well.

Not touching the Xbone with a ten-foot bargepole.

 

[GoaThief]

Nothing wrong with supporting Microsoft in the past, the 360 was the superior console for the majority of the last generation but that seems to have switched as Microsoft's policy shifted and exclusives were lost.

Sony's revamping of PSN+ and security, more games, price cut and move away from media focus did wonders. It's now like the roles have been reversed from last generation's launch with the Playstation 4 seemingly the best choice for gamers (or anyone, really). Scrap that, the Xbone looks fucking dire in comparison but sadly I'm betting on it not dying the death it justly deserves. Hopefully the public at large will vote with their wallets.

 

[smithy_2045]

I will continue to play games on my PC, and will buy a Xbone over the PS4 because exclusives and the vastly superior controller.

 

[Terramax]

PS4 for me if I have to. PC sucks. I don't want to spend silly money on a console the shape of a samll oven, that I have to upgrade, mess around with the settings in order to play games, and worry about the various DRM companies like Valve, EA and MS force upon me, and not have any decent exclusive AAA games for it.

 

[LetalisK]

I'm pre-ordering both new consoles. Both have games I want to play, and I feel no particular need to apologize for either company.

Quite frankly, I think it's hilarious to see everyone worshipping Sony as if they won something. Microsoft isn't done yet, not by a long shot.

well it's hard to see how they can come back from this, given the information we now have. Only a price drop and an easing of the online requirements can save the bone

Well, don't assume the entire gaming consumer base is informed. Some will be completely oblivious to the difference between the Xbone and PS4 and what shit Microsoft is pulling and buy their console simply on name recognition. Let's hope it's a small minority...but people are sadly predictable.

 

[The White Hunter]

I'm not so sure about your ending. I'm a PC gamer, with a low-mid range rig. It can still play most games at good settings, but that will change this generation.

A low to mid-range PC in the current market is already more powerful than the PS4. And being open source, will always enjoy the larger library. In a year's time, a mid-range PC will already be running circles around the new console wave in terms of hardware. And you begin to worry about mobile platforms as well in the next handful of years, they're improving by leaps and bounds, and could very quickly end up obsoleting consoles and desktops both.

That said, if I get a console to do console things with, it will be the PS4. For certain things a console is just superior, and for a small handful of titles it's pretty much the only game in town.

I agree, PC PS4 and Wii U for me.

Wii U for exclusives.

PC for single player mostly and FPS's and strategy games.

PS4 for it's exclusives and multiplayer with friends (Killzone and Infamous look really good, I'm actually fiarly impressed by the graphical prowess shown by Killzone: Shadow Fall on such a low-cost piece of hardware, it's a touch jaggy in spots but there's a lot of fancy lighting and particle trickery going on in it).

Mostly because I have the money and can do all that. I love my Nintendo stuff, my friends are gonna be on PS4 and I like a lot of what they showed off and a lot of their exclusives appeal to me, and I do enjoy the low cost of PC, even if I do kind of dislike using Steam/uPlay/Origin, it's not that big of a problem and the low low prices of Green Man Gaming make up for it.

 

[Death Carr]

Your poll is missing an 'everything' option.

I'm already planning on getting everything, PS4 for the JRPGS and fighting games ('dat d-pad), Wii U for Monster Hunter and SMTxFire Emblem, and X1 for all the exclusives I've grown fond of in the years that I've owned my 360 for.

 

[Goro]

I was fired up, ready to start saving and get in on what was sure to be a generation of awesomeness. The the 'Bone was revealed, and a dedicated X-Boxer is now ready to pre-order a PS4. I'm with you Salt.