It’s that time of the year again. The leaves are changing, the air is cooling and the holiday shopping season is upon us. For the first time in a long time, both Sony and Microsoft are unveiling their newest gaming consoles, the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, just in time for the holidays.
Both hardcore and casual gamers alike will already have known this and even may have already purchased one console or the other. But for those who may still be undecided about which one to buy or who may be weary of dropping serious dough so soon, I commend your prudence.
This year marks the beginning of the Sony versus Microsoft “console war.”
Imagine if only one of the consoles was released this year, instead of both. The choice to buy would be much simpler, because there would only be one choice. But now with both brands unveiling their new consoles within weeks of each other, that is not the case. Hardcore gamers may have already drawn their lines in the sand concerning which console to buy but for the casual gamer, the decision of whether to stay loyal to one brand or the other becomes a lot more difficult.
I’ve been an Xbox fan my entire life. I grew up playing Halo on the original Xbox and have the Xbox 360 sitting in my living room. The choice for me should seem obvious, right? Stick with the Xbox One, which I may very well end up doing, but I cannot deny that maybe it’s time to experience what Sony has to offer.
The coinciding timing of the two consoles’ releases gives me reason to pause and will cause a divide in the gaming community that South Park so hilariously lampooned in its most recent “Game of Thrones”-themed episode, “Black Friday.”
It is completely natural to be unsure of which console to buy, which is why the wait-and-see approach is the best route to take.
Both consoles will come at a sizable price — the Xbox One retails for $499, while the PlayStation 4 costs $399. To avoid buyer’s remorse for such a large purchase, it is paramount to make sure the console you do choose to buy is the one you really want.
The only way of ensuring this is to wait. Maybe one system will experience early hardware issues that will frustrate once-eager buyers to no end, or maybe you discover that the game you have always wanted is exclusive to one console or another.
Even if you end up choosing the console you had already decided on months earlier, at least now you can take comfort in knowing that the choice you are making is the right one after exploring all of your options.
Patience is a virtue, and now is the best time to exercise it.
Reach the columnist at jjmah@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter at @jonathanmah
