Poll: To buy a PS4 or Wii U...

[Lord Quirk]

Greetings, all.
It was my birthday recently, and I now have enough disposable income to buy one, but not both, of the new consoles. I'm not going to get an xbone, because Microsoft still seems dodgy, and there aren't enough exclusives for that one that appeal to me anyway. So in short, which of the remaining next-gen (or, current-gen, I suppose they are now) consoles would you recommend.
They've both games I'm interested in, such as with the Wii U, there is New Xenoblade Chronicles game, new zelda, smash bros, several games on the virtual console, plus I don't have to hang onto my wii in order to play my old wii games, plus it's cheaper. With the PS4, there's Kingdom Hearts III, and basically every game that has come out for both ps3 and 4, because the ps3 version of Dragon Age Inqusition was leggy and buggy, and I'm lead to believe that these games are basically optimised for the new systems. However, the Wii U has a bigger library than the PS4, and I wouldn't have to pay to access online content.

Basically I'm torn between two viable options, and need strangers on the Internet to decide for me.
Thank you for your time,

-Quirk

 

[tippy2k2]

I don't own any "next-gen" (do we still call them that? They're "current-gen" now I suppose...) systems so take what I have to say with a grain of salt...

What are you more interested in?

Based on history alone, you're going to get the big guns from Nintendo (Mario, Link, Samus) and hope that third parties make up the difference. There are good third party games for Nintendo platforms but history shows that they can be hard to come by. They DO exist (ZombieU is supposed to be pretty fun, Bayonetta 2, and hopefully Xenoblade is good) but you're not going to get the same selection that you'll get out of Sony. The Wii U is also a lot cheaper and has a more established library of games (though how many of those are worth playing is up to you...).

Sony has its own big guns (Uncharted, Last of Us, Infamous) and has a much better reputation for getting killer third party games. You do have to now pay for online services but from everything I hear, PS+ is well worth that investment (and is a big reason I'm considering ditching Microsoft in favor of Sony; I don't mind paying for online services but Sony upped their game with that program and Microsoft thinks it can just sit back and coast). The big advantage Sony has for you here is that the big third party releases WILL be out for the Sony system (outside of exclusives obviously) where Nintendo is very hit & miss on what they get. However, it is also younger and therefore the library and whatnot is filled with few quality games that I can't get on my PS3/360; you're buying potential as of now.

I'm not sure if I helped but good luck. I think either system can be the right choice.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

The reason the Wii U has a bigger library is because it came out practically three years ago, and then most of it is shovelware. That's why it sold like crap for its first couple of years. Everybody was waiting for Smash Bros and Mario Kart and Bayonetta 2 and Hyrule Warriors.

I'd get the PS4. No extraordinary reason. The Wii U has its exclusives, the PS4 has its exclusives; I prefer the PS4's.

This year it's getting Bloodborne, Disgaea 5, Silent Hills and Uncharted 4, plus sharing Metal Gear Solid V, Persona 5 and Tales of Zestiria with the PS3, and Arkham Knight, Dying Light and Kingdom Hearts III with the Xbone. As far as I'm concerned, it has the best of both worlds, and has everything I want to play in 2015 (minus Metal Gear Solid). You also get to play the better versions of all those latter day PS3 games, like Black Flag, The Last of Us, Far Cry 4, etc.

Long story short, study the exclusives lists and the launch lists on Wikipedia, and make your move.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

Do you have a PC capable of playing the latest games at medium settings? If so, definitely get a Wii U now. Right now, I don't see much of anything worth playing that only works on a PS4. Probably by the time KH III (and most other worthwhile exclusives) is out, the PS4 will get a price drop.

If you don't have a capable PC, then I'd say weigh your options on the available titles and costs on both systems before you decide. I voted for the Wii U, because, like you said, it's cheaper, has a larger library and doesn't put online play behind a paywall. Nintendo also uses DLC that way it should be used, not as a quick cash grab. (Can't say what third parties on Wii U have done with DLC, though.)

You could also tuck away that money until price drops happen and more titles come out to entice you towards either system. Don't let that "money burning a hole in you pocket" feeling control you. It's great when the early adopters buy so much of what you want that the prices go down and the kinks and flaws are revised out the product you are about to purchase.

 

[Maximum Bert]

I have both but if I had to lose one it would be the PS4 I use the PS4 exclusively for Guilty Gear Xrd which is excellent (but the PS4 controller though better in most ways than the PS3 is trash for fighting games) however I could also get it on PS3 there are also no games I am really looking forward to on the PS4 although there is a few that have got me mildly interested such as Bloodbourne the Witcher 3 and the like.

The WiiU has not exactly blown me away either but Bayonetta 2 is amazing and Xenoblade Chronicles X has me really looking forward to it (literally the only game I am really anticipating this year that I know of). Others have also liked things like Mario Kart 8 which I think is terrible personally and Smash which just did not hold my attention beyond a few hours (but havent written it off completely yet I will be trying again in a few months when I have my controller convertor). Really I would say save your money unless you like action games then get a WiiU and get Bayonetta 2 its the only game worth buying a system for imo atm.

 

[Dragonbums]

It honestly depends. It seems that you may lean more in favor with the PS4. If it were me of course I would check to see how many PS4 games are also games that you can get on the PC and act accordingly.

Of course I would suggest the Wii U/PC combo since you can get your Nintendo fix and have a PC for everything else (with a much cheaper price point come steam sales.)

EDIT: Unless your after a specific bundle as well I would save yourself even more money and get yourself a refurbished Wii U. The site says they are "used" but when I got mine in the mail it was practically unopened and I was able to register it on my Club Nintendo account.

 

[Casual Shinji]

If you're a big (and I mean BIG) Nintendo fan, or you already have a proper PC, I'd say go for a Wii-U. If not, get a PS4.

The PS4 simply has more games coming to it, while the only games worth a damn on the Wii-U will be Nintendo's first-party titles and Patinum games... if that's your thing.

I got both systems, and while the Wii-U is charming as hell, I simply can't see myself using it for anything other than Wind Waker HD, Mario 3D World, and maybe a couple of virtual console titles till the new Zelda arrives.

 

[klaynexas3]

If you have a PC that can play new releases with no problems right now, get the Wii-U. Now, I will say there is an exception for why you should get a PS4, and that is iff(if and only if, in case you don't get the math short hand) you love the Souls games and want its spiritual successor. Otherwise, Wii-U.

If you don't have a gaming PC, then I'd say the PS4 is a better bet, simply because it will have a greater variety of games on the whole. Now, if you really like Nintendo, you wouldn't even be asking honestly, so I'm not bringing that into the equation.

So on the whole, just the two consoles against each other, no extraneous circumstances, go PS4 if you're having to ask.

 

[144_v1legacy]

There are an awful lot of great PS4 games that you can play on a pc. You don't even need a gaming pc, my laptop does pretty well. It's a W520. It makes sense that the average laptop would be able to play AAA titles decently well, since the devs would want to sell to as many people as possible.

Someone above said "just the consoles against each other" but that's not your situation. Money is involved, and lifestyle is. For instance, the Wii U is extremely small, silent, and portable. I brought it to Aspen, where my friends and I played Smash and such after a day of skiing. They wanted to bring their consoles, but alas, the PS4 is a monolith.

Then there's the games.
I don't even find myself envying the PS4 library at all. I hear people talk about 2014 as a year of disappointments, but for me it was a year of exceeding expectations. MK8 looked like it would be good and turned out to be even better. The same was true of every WiiU game I played. I haven't heard close to the same from PS4 owners. It's confusing to me, because those publicized PS4 games looked fun, but I guess they just had good trailers?

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I hear people talk about 2014 as a year of disappointments, but for me it was a year of exceeding expectations.

I was thinking the exact same thing! Between Alien: Isolation, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!, Dark Souls II, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Far Cry 4, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Shovel Knight, South Park: The Stick of Truth, The Last of Us Remastered and Wolfenstein: New Order... 2014 was a pretty good year.

 

[cathou]

like other have said, if you have a decent gaming pc, get a wiiU. i will add that if you dont have total control over the tv, get a wiiu. off screen playing is a very underrated feature of the wiiU. 90% of the time i play, i play off screen

 

[NPC009]

Unless there are some PS4 exclusive you absolutely must play right now, go with a Wii U. That thing is instant fun, because Nintendo really has some of the best exclusives and there's something for everyone. Also, it'll save you some money now (especially if you sell your redundant Wii) and you can put that towards buying a PS4 a few years from now.

 

[Guffe]

I'm going to say the WiiU because I have one, not the most objective person in town but at least I am enjoying the shit out of mine and so are ym friends. I have one mate who has the PS4 but not sure what he plays on it, the games we play together are FIFA/NHL/Madden, not much else so my knowledge on that console is very limited.

The WiiU is also backwards compatible so if you haven't had a Wii and you have time on your hands, you're going to have a hell of a library to play through. Also as announced in the last Nintendo Direct, they have now started to make Wii games ported into the WiiU Eshop, so games will as of this year become even easier to come by.

I have enjoyed my WiiU alot, I have a lot of games on it, to be honest many of my starting games were ports of PS3/Xbox360 games which didn't arrive on the Wii but there are a lot of good titles for it now and from the Eshop there are good virtual console games (old Gameboy era RPGs for example).

A few games I've enjoyed a lot on my console:
MarioKart8
SmashBros
ZombiU
Deus Ex Human Revolution
Splinter Cell Blacklist
Wonderful 101
DarksidersII
Pikmin3
Hyrule Warriors
and the list goes on....

But if someone (or hopefully at least a few) post here that have both consoles, then I'd go with their advice, as I said, I'm quite biased on this as I've always had a Nintendo console. But I'm really enjoying mine.

 

[esserin]

I have neither of the systems but, at the moment, I'd rather get the WII U. I feel that too many of the reasons for gettin a PS4 are stuff that WILL come out. So, I might as well get the WII U and wait till maybe next year to get the PS4, at which point it will, hopefully, have adequately built up it's library.

 

[Bellvedere]

I have a WiiU, and I think it's ace. Pretty much all my favorite games of last year were for WiiU. I feel that the PS4 just isn't there yet with the games library, especially so if you already own an xbox360, ps3 or PC. Besides the games though, I really dig the free online and the fact that most WiiU games have couch co-op/multiplayer options. Also the off-screen play which may or may not be useful depending on your living situation (I like to hang out with my housemates whilst not watching the football so I think offscreen is awesome).

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Wii U has Bayonetta.

This is how I decided I want a specific console; I formulate a list of all the games I want to play. I then cross reference it against the known libraries of the platforms. I can sometimes count future releases, but only if it's within 6 to 8 months of the date I plan to get the console, otherwise you risk planning on a game that changes significantly or gets cancelled. My list of games has to be a minimum of 5 titles. Unless it's Bayonetta, I'd buy the console for just that one game.

 

[GladiatorUA]

If you have a decent PC to play multiplatform games, get WiiU. You do not have such a PC, get PS4... Or PC.

 

[Rozalia1]

Get both. Wii U first if you're going to delay one of them.

 

[joest01]

Wii U has Bayonetta.

That was pretty much my decision process. I went from PS3 last gen to Wii U this time. I feel too soul'd out to get into Bloodborne. The pre-sequel came out on PS3 and so did Drakengard 3. And with the PS4 not being backwards compatible there was no way not to keep the PS3 around.

In addition, Wii U has a lock on the next Itagaki game. And Razor's Edge came out as an exclusive at first too. So they are definitely trying to get into the hack&slash market.

You already mention Xenoblade. Although I have to admit I never finished the first one. Games like that are much easier to finish on a portable. Otherwise where do you find the hours. That said, with the Wii U controller it is kind of a handheld, so maybe that helps.

And oh, if you hurry, the Metroid trilogy comes out in the e-shop this week and will be half off the first week.

 

[Leoofmoon]

If you like JRPG's more and there are also a few MMO's on the PS4 (Warframe, War thunder and FFXIV atm) and the new Guilty gear came out for the PS4 as well. Not to mention when you pay PS+ you get a free AAA game and a free arcade game every month.

I don't know about the WiiU but it does have the strongest lineup of games at the moment double so with the new Monster hunter 4.