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

[OldNewNewOld]

I don't own a PS4 or Xbone. My cousin owns a PS4, another cousin a Wii U (it's currently at my place and I'm waiting for my to get here but something went wrong with the order apparently and it won't come soon. Dammit!), a 3rd cousin a Xbone (yeah, I have even more cousins... lots more). I've tested all 3 and some games and honestly, only the Wii U seems worth owning right now. Especially if you have even a mediocre PC. Neither the Xbone nor the PS4 have any exclusives that I would say are worth buying a console for. Everything else is a mutliplatform game that looks, runs and plays better on a PC.

Find a list of all the games that are out and see what's interesting for you. I've already wasted several hundred hours in Hyrule Warriors, Smash and Mario Kart. That doesn't mean you will enjoy them as well. Don't look at the hardware, look at the software and then pick the hardware that offers the most software you like. Buying a console for the hardware is one of the most stupid things you can do. Consoles are a "necessary evil" to run the games.

 

[Danny Dowling]

PS4 will last a lot longer and will overall offer better games and better service. However if you want Mario and Bayonetta then ofc you'll have to go for Wii U. If that isn't the case, PS4 is the only option.

 

[wikiman]

This is a very easy answer. Do what I did.

1st I bought WII U. After that I finished all games I wanted to finish (Bayonetta, Mario Kart, Mario 3d and etc).

After that I sold it for a good price (since it was still on warranty and with games ) and got myself PS4.

If I would have to choose now, I would go with PS4. It doesn't have a lot of games, but it's only because it's still a fresh system. Also the games that are already there are good. The games that are coming our way are also looking excellent, and you won't be able to play them on Nintendo machine.

Basically the only game on WII U that I am sad about missing out on is Xenoblade, since I love jRPGs. But it is a easy trade-off since PS4 has FF Type-0, FFVX (which is the first main FF title I am excited about since FF XII), Persona 5 and Kingdom Hearts III.

WII U is a good companion console, not your main system.

 

[ffronw]

Here's the thing: No one can answer this question for you. You have to weigh the pros and cons of the two systems, and then decide which is the better fit for your gaming habits. That said, here's where I fall on it.

PS4: Several interesting exclusives, and will likely have access to all but a few of the major releases that come out during its lifespan. PS Plus adds a lot of value with its free titles.

WiiU: Solid system with nice second-screen options. Likely to have mostly Nintendo first-party titles, with a smattering of third-party games. Few third-party exclusives.

As someone said above, if you're OK with the WiiU's limited library, or you really need your Nintendo fix, then you might lean WiiU. Having a good gaming PC can also compensate for missing out in third party titles.

If you're hoping to play the latest AAA titles when they launch, or you want more from your gaming than Nintendo's first party stuff, go PS4.

I own both, and while the WiiU does get used in my house regularly, it's mostly because my 9-year-old son is playing New Super Marios Bros for the 1154th time.

 

[laggyteabag]

The rule of thumb for this kind of thing is -

Is it going to be your first current-gen level platform? If so, get a PC, PS4 or Xbox One

Do you already own a PC, PS4 or Xbox One? Get a Wii U

The Wii U is the only console out right now that has some good exclusive titles, but it just doesn't have the third party support of the other platforms. If you were going to get a Wii U and have it as your sole current-gen platform, I imagine that the well of games is going to dry up pretty soon, and I cannot imagine that Nintendo is going to have a year as good as 2014 for a long time. Whilst the PS4 and Xbox One lack their system selling games right now, the third party support more than makes up for it, and should at least quench your thirst until they start to release their big exclusives.

Alternatively, you could just wait it out, stick with your last gen console for a few more months (presuming that you have one), and then pick up a PS4 when the exclusives come out, and save your self a fair amount of money.

 

[DocJ]

I say Wii U for two reasons alone really. Smash Brothers and Bayonetta. Those are the only reasons I have one anyways

 

[Savagezion]

The answer is easy, both are viable. The solution is a pain in the ass. I have been back and forth for a year now myself. While the Wii U library is larger it has many PS3/360 games that were rereleased. The PS4 suffers a similar fate with remasters. Many of the titles released on both PS3/4 are optimised for the 4 so I count them as PS4 games. 2015 is showing promise for both.

If you are in desperate need for a "clincher", Playstation has always had tremendous success with the 3rd party market and has consistently grown its in house development compared to Nintendo. Every generation of Playstations has had great exclusives - but more importantly each generation has had NEW exclusives, as many exclusive titles got so big they went multiplatform. Sony has always been able to pick up the ball and make new good exclusives when that happened. Nintendo is still in untested waters. They claim they are going to go after that 3rd party market but it still really hasn't been proven yet. As well, they have just simply neglected some exclusives - even moreso in the western world. They are working on a new Starfox game, finally. The mission statement for the Wii U is pretty big and a brand new way of doing things for Nintendo. However, its mission statement is what Sony has been doing for decades now. I do consider both viable but for me the PS4 is the safer bet as they are just doing business as usual and they are good at it. Nintendo is in a paradigm shift currently so only time will tell. The Wii U is costs less but holds more risk as to what will come of it, and the Playstation is the other way around. Nintendo is surely going to be doing some cool new things for Nintendo this generation and PS4 will keep on doing what it is good at. Which one do you want to be part of the most? Trust me, I know, its a hard decision. Last gen spoiled me, I was all about PS3 right out the gate.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

I'm throwing my hat into the ring for the Wii U. It just excites me far more. It's capable (Sometimes even more-so than the other consoles. 8 player smash bros while looking great, 1080p and 60fps with no slowdown? Yeah, damn dude), it's fun, and it has some fantastic exclusives with still more to come. If you have a PC, that makes things work in your favour even better. The only issue is that if you don't... Yeah, that, like others have mentioned, makes the PS4 a viable choice. Weigh the pros and cons and see what you come up with. I just know I'm personally excited for the quality that Nintendo brings

 

[gorfias]

the ps3 version of Dragon Age Inqusition was leggy and buggy

So, can I assume you already have a PS3? Do you have a Vita? PS+ Account? Getting a PS4 adds that many more games you could get across all 3 systems for $50 a year.

Till this holiday season, if you asked, "get a PS3 or PS4" I'd have said PS3. But the PS4 is really coming into its own. It has developed a decent library.

But if you have only a PS3? Enjoy it. There's no way you're done with a small fraction of the games for it. The PS4 is not going to give you that different of an experience.

The Wii U will. Fun and different than any other gaming experience I've ever had. You can keep enjoying your PS3 and have the new experiences, like the Wonderful 101, that you get with the Wii U.

I hope to hear what you decide upon.

 

[Gustavos]

This generation has been absolutely beautiful for those with a decent or better gaming PC, and a wii u. PC will get you those delicious third party franchises, and the Wii U will set you up for a combination of strong single player experiences, and some fun games for offline co-op/multiplayer, if you're old-fashioned about inviting friends to play games on the couch. The PS4 is a pretty strong system, but it has its share of issues. Namely, it doesn't support external harddrives, which bugs the crap out of me. With PS4 and Xbox One, games are installed directly to the harddrive, while the disc is sort of the "unlock key" that lets you play the game installed on your system. That's why people will say "discs are pretty much useless" when referring to these two systems. The PS4 will come with a hefty 500 GB harddrive or larger to accomodate all that space being used, but that will only have you set for about ten triple A games. After that, you are forced to delete old game data to make room for new data if you want to play more games. That bothers me especially as a game collector, since I'm told you need to be online in some way for game installs to work, so somewhere down the line, the PS4's network will get shut down and you won't be able to put new games onto your system, or access your freely downloaded PS plus games you've accrued over years of paying for the rights to play online.

I'll admit, I don't own a PS4, but I also have no friends who both own a PS4 and are satisfied with it. The Wii U is cheap, has the most exclusives, is backwards compatible, doesn't force you to pay to play online (just like PC!), is fantastic for parties with friends, amiibos are interesting but you're not pressured into buying them ever from the games themselves. I highly recommend it. My only critique is that the Wii U's online capabilities of adding friends and playing games with them is just not on par with PC and the other two systems. Only Mario Kart has any sort of voice chat with the gamepad's microphone that I've seen, for instance. And although you have to pay to play Xbox One and PS4 online on a subscription basis, they sweeten the deal by throwing free games at you every month. You lose access to these games as soon as you stop paying for online, but it's nice for the casual gamer rather than collectors. And furthermore, very few of the Wii U's games even have an online functionality, often opting for offline multiplayer modes instead.

 

[144_v1legacy]

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.

Your tone sounds facetious, so allow me to direct you to just some of the threads I am basing my analysis off of. Read all of these threads. You notice a general theme of people saying, "I was disappointed with these games" or "these games are great." Guess which systems the two are on, statistically?

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.867663-Dragon-Age-Inquisition-Maybe-its-just-me-but#21706592
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/661.866713-Round-2-4-Mario-Kart-8-vs-3-South-Park-The-Stick-of-Truth#21672294
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.868936-Poll-How-Many-of-the-Game-of-the-Year-Candidates-Did-You-Play#21753119

And many others. Bear in mind, I continually say that I feel like the games on the other side of the fence look like they should be fun. Evidence here: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/7.866871.21680479
And the unfortunate letdown evidence here: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/9.868936.21753193 (I recognize that that same person also started the first thread in the above set of three examples, but the posts that that thread entail are different people and seem to mostly agree, sadly).

You seem to think that I'm fighting against the PS4, but try to remember that I have enough disposable income that at any given minute I might own one. But right now, people's reactions to its exclusive titles have made me decide that my $400 ($470 if you count framing) was better spent on the painting behind my bed. I want that not to be true, though. I want it to succeed. But I feel it would be dishonest of me to recommend it over the WiiU at this time, because I've been having orgasmic amounts of fun on it, and every time I think I'll have a good experience with it, I actually have an even better one.

And if you weren't being facetious, chalk this up to expectations based on past experience.