What Factors Do You Consider When Purchasing Videogame Hardware?

[A Link In Time]

February 2011 marked the start of the eighth generation of videogames with the release of the Nintendo 3DS system in Japan. Other major consumer regions around the globe followed with a release the next month.

Sony followed suit by first announcing its newest handheld, then termed the NGP, at a conference during January of last year and unveiled the new name-PS Vita-as well as launch software at E3 2011. The platform released in Japan in December of last year with other regions following in February.

On Sunday, Nintendo's first HD home console venture was released in North America. The Wii U will go on sale in all major regions by years's end. The system promises to boast everything current HD gamers enjoy-support for 1080 p resolution, DLC, an amazing array of downloadable titles, movies, TV shows, and more. The cherry on top, however, is the touch screen controller otherwise known as the Game Pad.

With both "next gen" handhelds released, a recently released or forthcoming Nintendo HD console for your region, and constant rumors bubbling regarding imminent XBOX 720 and PS4 reveals, I would like to ask what you deem to be the most factors when purchasing new gaming hardware.

Are you in it for the power or the new controller options? Is DLC your thing and are you willing to then accept that publishers may withhold some content by locking it on the disc until later purchase? How keen are you on downloadable games and an overall strong online infrastructure?

Given your responses above, what eighth generation systems are you keen on purchasing? Which have you bought already?

 

[GirlWithAFairy]

The same factors for any other hardware. How long will it last, how hard can I work it and will it give me pleasure?


And I havent bought any as of yet. Nothing seems to take my abuse and Im sick of spending money on hardware that doesnt last. :eyeroll:

 

[Castle]

How long it will last is a BIG factor. Honestly, my 360 still runs fine and I expected it to have suffered several dozen malfunctions in the time I've had it.

My PS2 Slim, on the other hand, didn't last me two years, cuz it's a Sony piece of junk. I'm interested in finding out how long my Gamestop refurbished original model PS2 is gonna last. Those things just look flimsy.

It'll also be interesting to see how long Wii's will work. Nintendo has a great track record for constructing consoles that are tough as nails. Seriously, Gamecubes have been subjected to horrendous tortures and still function. Future archaeologists will be digging up Cubes and NESs in the sand.

Other than that, the controller is a major deciding factor. The Cube had an excellently laid out and ergonomic controller. The 360's is even better. Again, the PS3 controller is a mess. I swear, if it weren't for the $$$ and the amount of third party support Sony can buy they wouldn't have lasted this long.

Also, the library. Obviously, what good is a game machine without the games? I'll have to see what starts to show up for the WiiU before I even consider buying it.

And price. There isn't a chance in hell I'd purchase a $300 PS3. I waited several years for the 360 to drop several times before I got mine. I must say, my 360 is the best investment I've ever made.

 

[Ventus]

How Long it will last is perhaps the biggest factor for me. I read up on the myriad of problems that consoles face, from things like the Xbox 360's Red Ring of Death to the PS3's Yellow Light and many other things. Hardware malfunctions, overheating problems, etc are a big deal for consoles in my opinion. Can I play the thing into the ground and still have it work like my PS2 Slim, my GameCube and my N64? If so, it's likely to get a buy. But that's only one part of the great story.

Game library is also very important. Most of the time I'll own around 7-8 games for a system, and it's sad given there are over a thousand games made for systems these days. But are those 7-8 games that are replayable for days on end (e.g Final Fantasy XII, Star Ocean Till the End of Time, Kingdom Hearts 2, Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, Zelda Ocarina of Time/MM in which I've lodged far over 300 hours in each)? Or are they games that I'll play like once or twice (e.g Kingdom Hearts 3D)? Do these games have interesting gameplay mechanics that are genuine fun or are they a) needless additions that have few applications or b) tedious? Oh, and finally, is the final boss/level/stretch an epic one? If not, I'm not going to get the games or the system.

Price is relatively important...but it actually depends on the console's age for me. To put this in perspective, I'd much rather spend $300USD on a PS3 than $300 on a Wii u, as the PS3 has been out longer and has a far much more established library. I've been waiting many years for the PS3 to get a price drop, and it seems $300 is the lowest it'll get. So I'd gladly spend $300 had I extra money laying around afterwards. The Wii U could be hit or miss, though, so why would I spend that much money? Similarly, when the time comes, I'd probably shell out money for the Wii U before I event ouch the PS4 as the U has been out for a comparatively longer time and would likely be more established.

Are you in it for the power or the new controller options?
As far as the eighth generation is concerned, I frankly don't give two butts about either. I hate new controllers in most cases as they're a lazy excuse to make me pay money or use some silly gimmick. For the Wii U, I'm GOING to use the Pro Controller whenever possible because it's what I'm comfortable with. Power also doesn't mean much anymore as every console will be HD capable in this age.

Is DLC your thing and are you willing to then accept that publishers may withhold some content by locking it on the disc until later purchase? How keen are you on downloadable games and an overall strong online infrastructure?
DLC is sort of my thing. The thing is that the DLC has to be worthwhile. I don't want a bunch of costumes a la Soulcalibur V. I want entirely new modes like Resident Evil 5's Lost in Nightmares, Desperate Escape and Mercenaries Reunion. I want expansion packs to a complete game, not patches to make an already broken game whole. I accept that publishers (cough Namco and Capcom cough) will withhold content by locking it on the disc. It's just how they roll, how they make their bling. Don't know why anyone supports their doing this (and by support, I mean BUYING the on-disc DLC), but it's just how it is.

As for downloadable games, I highly recommend NOT purchasing anything via downloads. Say you buy a game that looks cool but disappoints you. You CANNOT get a refund for that game; you are stuck with it not 4ever but 5ever. <--lol If you buy a hard disk copy, though, you can get a refund within a week. I've made this mistake many times where I bought Mario Kart 7 and a few other games on my 3DS. Sad to say, but it was a waste of over $40, a waste I hate myself for. Hard disc retail copies are the way to go! And the online infrastructure shouldn't be important, but we have to come to terms that the true multiplayer experience--couch coop--is nearly eradicated. So, having stable servers is important now because developers want to stress power over the fun.

 

[Dan]

The same factors for any other hardware. How long will it last, how hard can I work it and will it give me pleasure?


And I havent bought any as of yet. Nothing seems to take my abuse and Im sick of spending money on hardware that doesnt last. :eyeroll:

Are you sure you're talking about video game hardware?

If I'm honest I honestly don't look into the factors, I admit I have some taste of regret by purchasing the vita. I did at that time have some money so it wasn't sooo bad. I honestly just love collecting all the hardware I can get so it doesn't matter to me. If on the other-hand I had to well let's see now. It would need to be the "prime" console. I'm of course referring to something like the xbox360 or PS2. Primary because those consoles will receive the most exclusives. Although I would prefer free online multi-player too. I don't like subscriptions, I have some but I like to keep subscriptions to a very low count.

Price like many others have said is important. When the Playstation three first came out you can simply get stuck up a tree with that cat for all I care. I'm not paying that much for a console. Although I'm not very patient at waiting for price cuts so, waiting isn't an option. Decent hardware is also something I want. The first Xbox360s had a terrible chance at getting a red-ring of death. I've had 2 or 3 myself, that is simply not on. I think the wii was the safest piece of hardware to go for this generation. (damn should of included that in my look at the wii post)

A new factor I'm going to be looking out for now is just how much the new consoles are going to be locked down. We have heard rumors about the new gaming consoles not playing second hand games. I know it's only a rumor but it is a possibility with how games are going at the current moment. Some gamers are already locked out of multi-player on consoles. It wouldn't be hard for developers to lock out single player too without a code of some sort. I'm sure we all know some publishers would love to enforce such a thing. I will simply refuse to pay for a console also tries to enforce that. I hope others do as well. It's really sad to see how consoles are getting more and more locked down.

So to conclude, I'd want a console of power just to be on the safe side. Although I wouldn't apply that rule to handhelds *cough vita*, it needs a good game library which the "prime" consoles will provide and not to be too locked down, although the prime consoles may be locked down so what I want may not be a reality. I do however like the Wii U and definitely need to get one anyway. It will be interesting to see what microsoft and sony put on the table this time round.

 

[Cfrock]

 

[DarkestLink]

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[OcarinaBoy]

The only factors that really affect my purchases are the games. HD visuals, online capabilities, and other such nonsense are all just bells and whistles to me. That's why I don't understand a few of the games in recent years; they prioritise making the game look pretty over making a game that has a fun and engaging story behind it. A console that has great games can be a ground-breaking piece of hardware, or complete and utter rubbish for all I care. I mean, my Gamecube was a piece of junk (not ALL Gamecubes, just mine. Mine was a jerk), yet I spent countless hours cleaning it so that it could read the discs properly. As a matter of fact, one of the main reasons that I bought a Wii was not for its selection of games (though they were pretty awesome), but the fact that it would allow me to relive my memories of past games.

In conclusion, all that I look for in a console is quality games. If it has that, I can put up with any technical difficulties it may have.

 

[Moonstone]

1. Is it Nintendo and/or is it NOT Microsoft?

2. Price

(If Nintendo, the following does not apply)
3. Available and future games

4. Online gameplay

 

[Krazy4Krash]

For me, it's all based around the exclusive titles. Knowing that Mario, Zelda, Smash Bros, Metroid etc will only ever be on Nintendo consoles makes me go for those primarily. I also follow the Microsoft route to get its exclusives, though it isn't as heavy on appealing series when compared to that of Nintendo. The Sony path bored me soon after the PS1-days. The two big system-selling franchises (Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon) were no longer exclusive to the Playstation consoles. I dropped the idea of following Sony realising that the only games I would get on its consoles would be available on other systems as well, such as Rayman Origins.

 

[DeletedUser9]

Games.

If it has even one game I want to play, then I will be getting it somewhere down the line, even if I have to buy it used as a collector. The systems I prioritize and buy earliest are simply the ones that have the games I'm most interested in, and that always means Nintendo consoles. I own an Nintendo 64, GameBoy Color, and PlayStation, a GameCube, GameBoy Advance, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. And of the current (last?) generation, I own a Wii, DS, and PlayStation 3. I will get a 360 at some point, or if the next Microsoft console has backwards compatibility with it, I might pass over it (again, I only care about the games). I have a 3DS, and intend to get a Wii U when I can. I also intend to get my hands on a PSP and Vita at some point, but they are low priorities for me (the PSP has some serious must-haves for me, like Maverick Hunter X and Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lions War, but there's only a handful and it's just not a priority).

If the system has major problems, then I'll still want it (provided they don't hurt its games too much), but it might affect its priority to me, or how I'll get it; I've been avoiding a 360 for a long time because of technical problems I've heard about it, though I still want to play its games.

I have broad tastes in games, so I can promise just about any console is going to have things I'm interested in, barring the total flops that were bad ideas to begin with, like the Virtual Boy and whatnot. I favor Nintendo consoles because their games generally have the things I like the most in games: creativity, imagination, style, and originality. Other systems present plenty of this, but not as immediately and often as Nintendo does.

 

[Majoras_Wrath]

Much like Axle, I buy for the games and nothing else. I knew the Wii wasn't strong but when I got it at launch but its a Nintendo console and because of that I knew it was going to have games that I wanted. They don't even have to be announced, simply because it is a Nintendo console I already knew it would have the games I needed and I was right. I also bought the PS3 and 360 simply because they had some exclusives that I wanted. I'm never really picky when it comes to systems and I'll buy anything that has something interesting. Same with handhelds. At this point I'm not seeing anything of interest to me on Vita so for now I'm holding out. As long as a system can keep me interested in the games then I'm all for it.