It’s a pretty exciting time to be a gamer right now. The last couple of months have seen the battlefield getting all set for the clash of the titans as Sony and Microsoft get ready to take the leap onto the next generation of consoles this Month. With the release of these new consoles comes a new era of graphical abilities that are sure to stun and astound us just as the capabilities of the PS3 and Xbox 360 knocked us for six all those years ago.
Exciting times indeed. However, despite all the excitement around for the next-gen bandwagon that is all set to roll out this month at a lot of places across the globe (to be released in India early next year), there are several reasons why the “current gen” consoles are still worth sticking with.
1. Backward Compatibility
Neither the Xbox One or PlayStation 4 will play current generation games.
The advancement in technology means PS3 and Xbox 360 titles have to be completely re-coded to allow this to happen, and while admittedly the majority of games worth having will be on the PS4 some day, that’s still quite some way off.
Those of you who buy your PS3 / Xbox 360 games as digital downloads may have already realised these cannot be traded in and, dependent upon how much you have invested in your online gaming library, may find that it simply isn’t viable to trade your console in for a new one quite yet.
GTA V, for example, will not be on the PS4 or Xbox One and as such cannot be played on a next generation machine, which makes us wonder if it’s worth buying a next gen machine until it can.
2. For Now Old-Gen Has A Better Online Experience
It is anybodies guess that when you hop online for the first time on your next gen consoles you’re going to find that barely anyone. At best, a few million PS4s and Xbox Ones will sell this year, and that’s going to lead to a significant dearth of opponents to find when you’re looking to play Call of Duty or Battlefield online.
The reason why those aforementioned titles are as popular as they are is because of their dedicated online communities. The majority of which will still be playing online on old generation machines.
3. The Price Tag
Of course, the biggest reason not to cast aside your PS3 and Xbox 360 straight away is because not all of us have the ability or inclination to sell our house and car just for the luxury of playing a next generation machine. Sony and Microsoft aren’t messing around here. They’re not marketing their new pieces of kit during the “holiday season” by accident. They know these consoles are going to sell like hot cakes at an Overeaters Anonymous meet. And that’s why you should wait for the inevitable price drops. And trust us, they will come.
Also, you can expect both companies to release newer versions of each console (ala PS3 slim, super slim etc) with a variety of improvements, meaning you’ll actually be getting a better deal by holding out for a few months.
4. Waiting Isn’t A Bad Thing
If you stick with the current gen of consoles long enough, eventually you’re going to find that the PS4/Xbox One has dropped to a more affordable price, while a slim model with better hardware might be in the pipeline, too. No console ever releases straight away without its fair share of problems. Sony had to release several new versions of the PS3 after the infamous “Yellow Light of Death” fiasco which, by the way, still plagues the originally-released 40 GB consoles to this day. The PS4 and Xbox One will be doing very well for themselves if their consoles are released smoothly without the need for (costly) refinements. It makes good sense to wait a few months and stick with your PS3 and Xbox 360 until these invariable issues are resolved.
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