Does the Power of a Console Sell You?

[Spirit]

We're getting into the next generation and the raw power of the machines seem to be what are going to influence people to but into it, super realistic graphics and more dynamic lighting than ever.. for some consoles.

Nintendo's machine is rather weak when compared to its rivals but nintendo will be the one with the most exclusives and recognisable titles, but is software really what is going to attract you into the next gen? Are you going for power, xbox one/ps4, or does the power of the machine not bother you as long as the games are enjoyable?

 

[Ventus]

Power is definitely something to consider because of the expanding effect...power draws in more players which in turn draws more developers to make more expansive games...well maybe more PRETTY games.

That being said, games need a certain quality to them - a quality I know Nintendo possesses. I already own the Wii U but I'm shooting to the PS4 not solely for power, but because of certain games available on it.

 

[Salem]

I don't think the console's power have ever sold me on any of them, in fact I don't remember when and why exactly I bought the Sony and Microsoft consoles.

 

[misskitten]

It's all about the games for me. If the games I want aren't there, then I have no use for the console. Power has zero importance when determining whether to buy a console or not. The games are what matters, and that there aren't restrictions imposed on me that might render my gaming experience less enjoyable (like m$'s connectivity demands and such)

 

[Lucia]

Power doesn't concern me that much, but I am absolutely interested in how far we can push games with the new generation. It may seem like another few years of 360 and PS3 games on a different system while the "big boys" are showing off prettier graphics but I am very excited that the Wii U will be still a great system with many exclusives and also that the PS4 will push the boundaries of what we see in gaming for years to come.

 

[Ventus]

Power doesn't concern me that much, but I am absolutely interested in how far we can push games with the new generation.

This is one of the things that actually keeps me away from stuff like PC and the bigboys Sony/Microsoft...like their stuff is far too concerned with graphics and specs while Nintendo is busy trying to make great games. Like Battlefield 3 for example, it touted being all realistic and having freaking awesome graphics...but where's the substantial gameplay? All I'm doing is running in straight lines and shooting stuff. Don't make a game when you want to make a sexy CGI action flick. :I

 

[Lucia]

This is one of the things that actually keeps me away from stuff like PC and the bigboys Sony/Microsoft...like their stuff is far too concerned with graphics and specs while Nintendo is busy trying to make great games. Like Battlefield 3 for example, it touted being all realistic and having freaking awesome graphics...but where's the substantial gameplay? All I'm doing is running in straight lines and shooting stuff. Don't make a game when you want to make a sexy CGI action flick. :I

I think you slightly misunderstood. I didn't specifically mean graphics. But like how we can use the hardware and equipment to make more interesting gaming experiences. I mean Xbone is trying that with disastrous results with the Kinect, but the Wii U has the GamePad and the PS4 has the DualShock 4.

But I would be lying if I didn't say I wanna see how far the graphics could be pushed, too.

 

[Ventus]

I think you slightly misunderstood. I didn't specifically mean graphics. But like how we can use the hardware and equipment to make more interesting gaming experiences. I mean Xbone is trying that with disastrous results with the Kinect, but the Wii U has the GamePad and the PS4 has the DualShock 4.

Mmm, and that's another thing that irritates me: developers are really reluctant to learn new/different ways to develop things. Like, peripherals are all well and good...IF they're used. Last year's Kinect and PlayStation Move were terribly under-utilized in my opinion. It's not just that the games that made use of the items were decent-to-horrible, but that there were so few games. However, shoot to something like the Nintendo DS and we get wonderful games like The World Ends With You which feature not just "innovative" ways to play a game but substantial ways to play games, all because the developers went through with ideas and actually tried to learn how to develop for a system that required more than the everyday skills at the ol' workshop. :I

I'm curious to know how the XONE has disastrous results with Kinect 2.0. I haven't actually heard anything about that thing. I haven't heard much about the DualShock 4's touch screen either. I know the Gamepad is extending the Nintendo DS experience to the home through the touch screen as well as off-tv play.

 

[Vaati101]

Hell no! What good is power if there isn't any interesting games? The reason why I always go to Nintendo is because they care more about quality games then how powerful the machine is. People always assume that Nintendo will fall because it's "not up to date in it's technology" But Microsoft have proven that powerful specs doesn't equal success, they are pretty much collapsing under their own weight at the moment. Power's great and all, but it's nothing if the games are appalling.

 

[DarkestLink]

I really don't care for power. I play my N64 and GC just as often as my Wii. Quantity of games doesn't matter to me either--in fact, I think the best system to ever come out is the N64. I want games that I will replay almost religiously because they are so good. And that's what Nintendo does.

In fact, from our perspective you want to create a game that people will want to keep and keep playing for a long time. That's the approach that we always take and that's the best way to avoid used games.--Miyamoto

Power isn't a big issue to me and from 6th generation and onward, I never really noticed much of a difference anyway.

 

[Mercedes]

More power in a console stretches far beyond just giving us prettier graphics. The scale of the game. The length. The AI of enemies and friendly NPCs, as well as the level of interaction. The variety of numerous aspects of the game. The sophistication of scenarios given to the player. The intricacy of emergent gameplay levels. The actual size of the game itself. Sound levels and clarity. And graphics offer more immersion levels and 'wow' factor. Pretty much all aspects of a game can benefit from more powerful hardware, not just graphics.

Also, people constantly will say like, "Ohh, stop trying to make pretty graphics and give us better games!", I've heard that a lot recently, and it shows a complete misunderstanding of how game development works. The people who make the games look good are not the same people who are hired to creatively think of unique game innovations and more. It's not a 3D designer's fault that the gameplay designers thought up a boring game, is it? He did his job very well, and the others didn't. Not his fault. They need to hire more creative people, not fire the guys who did their job. And anyway, some of the best looking games are also among the best games overall. Witcher 2, for example.

So, I think hardware is important and yes, it does sway me in certain ways. But, usually games will simply cater to the common denominator. So, the Xbox, in this case. PC and PS4 will likely receive minimal buffs at best. So, it doesn't really sway my entire purchase. But I think powerful hardware is important to the industry as a whole.

 

[Mellow Ezlo]

Absolutely not! The main reason I like Nintendo so much is because they have such great games to present us with, and they have so many of them!

I prefer the PS3 over the XBox 360 for many reasons, power not being of them. First off, Sony has better/more console exclusives (ex. Little Big Planet, Ratchet & Clank, Spyro, etc.). Pretty much the only XBox exclusive games I like is the Halo series (Which sucks since Halo is one of my favourite series...).
PS3 also has the free online multiplayer, something the XBox 360 unfortunately fails at. I do not want to have to pay to play online, when I can do so for free on my Wii/Wii U!
The PS3 also has the Dualshock 3, which has motion censors on it, allowing for more innovative gameplay than the XBox. The Dualshock controller is also my preferred controller of all, since it fits in my small hands perfectly.
Lastly, the PS3 has built in DVD/Blu Ray support, which means I do not need to spend extra money on a DVD/Blu Ray player.

So ya, power means nothing to me. All the factors I listed above contribute more towards my ultimate decision than power does.

 

[isaix]

No

 

[MW7]

Console power is pretty meaningless for me as it relates to graphics. There have been diminishing returns in terms of graphics for a while, and now it's gotten to the point at which I can barely see a difference. The other aspects of console power that directly impact gameplay are more interesting to me, but ultimately the deciding factor for my purchase of video game hardware is the software. I would see little reason for me to buy anything but a Wii U unless 3rd party support for the system is lacking. Too bad that's probably going to happen. Last generation I bought a Wii and an Xbox 360 because there were so many 3rd party games that bypassed the Wii. However at this point I'm not much of a gamer anymore so I probably won't be interested in as many games. I'm going to buy a Wii U either when Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze comes out, or I'll hold out a couple years for Zelda. So obviously console power is not something that matters to me very much.

 

[Clank]

As bad as it sounds, Yes the power is extremely important to me.

And this is why;(I will be using a PS3 vs Wii example, as I am not as familiar with the Xbox 360/PC)
1. Graphics, yes this has been overdone, but if a game can have better graphics without sacrificing gameplay, then I am all for it

2. Modding, if you are going to mod your console, then you want to have as powerful of one as possible

3. Storage, not directly related, but the PS3 could handle disks that hold up to ~50 GB(I think it can read triple layer(75G disks, but am not definite), where as the Wii could handle disks that hold up to ~8.54GB.
Thus taking into account to larger sizes of HD graphics(roughly not exactly) the PS3 could handle a game that is 2-3 times the size, aka 2-3 times the over-world, 2-3 times the dungeons, 2-3 times everything.

4.The power of the console allows it to use that extra data.

Thus in conclusion I find that in my opinion power is extremely important to me.