The Scariest Thing in Gaming is How Underwhelming these Consoles are

Bravo to the vigilant and patient gamers out there. Your unwaveringness has saved you hundreds of dollars as you continue to bask in the glory of the PS3 and Xbox 360, two consoles still at the top of their game.

[Blashted]

I'm not disappointed, my ps4 makes my ps3 look like a toaster just look at sackboy's next gen upgrade dem stitches doe

[robavila95]

Not disappointed either. For their price (compared to a high end PC) consoles are a pretty good deal. I had a blast for many years with my 360 and now I'm having a blast with the PS4 :)

[XbladeTeddy]

A PS4 and Xbox One is barely near being classed a mid range PC. You could build a high end PC for under £500

[Eonjay]

@XbladeTeddy

You should go price the MINIMUM specs for Assassin's Creed Unity.

Whatever you think of the PS4 and Xbox One it really doesn't matter if companies like Ubisoft are going to try to kill PC gaming by making the minimums outside of what most people are willing to pay.

[sinjonezp]

@robavila95, I get where you are coming from especially from a price point view. However, we look at the time frame from the release of the x360 and ps3 and the gains from a visual, and interaction standpoint is only marginal. We look at most games and visually, esthetically, and immersion is just not carrying that "wow" factor compared to a generation leap from ps1 to ps2-original Xbox. Mostly we get fps and resolution bumps for ps4-xb1. I think to keep the price down, they went with these types of systems. Could it be that developers are hitting a ceiling with creative intellectual properties? Myself I only see games that can be done on older Gen with graphics that are bumped just a bit. I would love to see something that just gives us that feeling of "wow". I am having a good time with x1 n ps4, but I do get where the writer is coming from

[Highlife]

@xbladeteddy
What does that get you? The games I'm interested in are on console. Uncharted 4, smash bros and so on. You might have better graphics of multiplats but they play the same call me if they get better gameplay and better ai because they don't.

[Vegamyster]

@Eonjay

Assassin's Creed Unity is a very rare exception and the game has parity on consoles anyway, what XbladeTeddy said isn't false since DF did a test using a sub £500 PC.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Aside from CoD Ghosts the games run just as good or better, Ubisoft cannot take down PC gaming, Steam has gained over 25 million active account in less than a year (100 million active total)

[uth11]

The PS4 and XB1 get highly optimized code compared to the PC, they both outperform PCs in the same class. As EonJay pointed out, the AC Unity specs show it can't run on a $500 PC. The 'recommended' configuration will set you back around $1100,

[Vegamyster]

So many dislikes but no counter arguments.

@uth11

A $1100 PC will play every other multiplat on the market better, Unity's requirements are flat out crazy for no good reason. Getting the same or better performance in 99% of multiplats doesn't require a ton of power or money.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[badz149]

it's hard to be overwhelmed by consoles anymore as the PC tech has been moving so fast lately and even TV tech is moving very quickly outpacing the lifetime of the consoles. people always expect consoles to cost considerably cheap and everybody knows how cheapness is not very generous to the term "performance".

I think last gen might have been a year or 2 too long. if these new consoles were released 2 years ago, we might have been overwhelmed a bit but 4k is here already and none of the console is capable of it and even struggling to reach 1080p/60fps.

meh...I think we get what we paid for and it will come down to games IMO. It's totally up to the console makers to show that raw power isn't everything. PC only gamers might not like it too much as this might be another gen where consoles are going to hold PC back with developers not willing to go the extra mild anymore but being content with console sales and all that extra power in the new GPU are gone to waste.

but to be fair, the jump to 4k is a HUGE leap as we are talking 4X1080p on a single display and no thanks to the high asking price, the adoption rate is still very low. I think consoles will do just fine for this gen and hopefully in 5 years time tops, new consoles will be released and will be capable of 4k gaming which should be expected to be a mainstream...hopefully...by then!

[user5669510]

Look at sackboy next gen vs last gen lol they're the same game. You could have waited next year. That's around a year and a half wait just for games we want. I find it funny when people bring up games they jump to gfx. When people talk about gfx they talk about games that they like. It's should be common knowledge that last gen has more games and that they are still getting them, which is a surprise. But the games that came out on next gen was all hype and cross gen. Gfx I get the best on pc. Exclusives ? Not much, got a ton on pc. And like I said I could play it on ps3 without paying for online. I don't see the point in paying for these consoles with not much to play on them. Better of wanting to next yr. Kids should get it this christmas or next

With this console gen going back to 5 yr gens like before, where are all the games. The bulk of games seem to be around Feb and march that a yr and a half, so that's 3 and a half more yrs. They are good gfx wise but I thought the would give their fans a steady stream of games seeing how long last gen lasted. It's only next but damn things are looking dull. On all fronts I'm not impressed, I'm more impressed with wiiU at least they tried something different instead of being a pc with a ton of nickel and diming with missing features

Had to edited it. Phone sucks plus autocorrect works against me

[sinjonezp]

I honestly would loved to see something better out of the xb1 and the ps4 considering it was EIGHT YEARS since the last console was released. I think more could have been done..but with cost inflation, could Sony and mircrosft have done more and keep the price competitive? That's a the question.

[Jaqen_Hghar]

yeah there's definitely a jump and each dev has taken advantage to a different degree so far. A man thinks people are just too into comparing them to modern PCs and not against their predecessors which is what a man judges them by. Also devs need to move on from making cross-gen though in games like Forza, LBP, Destiny, and some others the differences are stark.

[dreamed]

Why do all your posts say "a man" in them?..are you praying?....or are you really talking about..."a man" & who is this man?.

[eyeDEVOUR]

@dreamed..
facepalm*

A man cant believe another man would ask a man a stupid question like that...

[jetlian]

Dream that irks me too! In the anime fairy tail a character elf-man always says (a man) makes me wanna slap somebody.

Anyway this gen ms/sony going for profit. They didnt go overboard. Im liking new gfx going to get better next year when real next gen hits come.

[elninels]

It's proper grammar. He doesn't have to say "a man". He could say "one" however it is less specific.

OT

Most people dont want to go out of their way to find the best price of each part and then build their own computer with zero expertise in the field.

Lets be fair. If one doesn't own a computer but rather a mac, then one needs a new monitor, speaker set, cpu, gpu, motherboard, memory, storage, OS, power supply, case, preferably some fans, preferably a better compound then what is shipped with your cpu , most likely a keyboard and mouse too.

Did I miss anything? Thats a lot of stuff. You can use pcpartpicker.com for help, but you'll see that a solid computer that will run games and mods as advertised in comments sections and on forums will be around $1,100 and up. Aaaand then you have to build it.

Forget all this and lets go boutique you say? Better have some serious cash on hand as that $1,100 dollar pc cost ~$2,000 from a boutique.

[Magicite]

well, if people think PS4 is too weak, then WiiU should sit ashamed in the corner.
We all know that console gamers dont care that much about specs or graphics as PC gamers do.

[3-4-5]

To the person who wrote this article ?

* How are these consoles Scary ?

Please elaborate for us.

If you didn't mean "scary", then why us it in title, unless you just want attention. More attention than is truly deserving of said topic, which has been made to look like more of an issue than it really is.

PS4 = Really Good

Wii U = Really Good

XB1 = Really Good

3DS = Really Good

PC = Really Good

Vita = Really good.

The consoles are fine....

IF ANYTHING, it's the games that need an adjustment.

[turdburgler1080]

Sounds like somebody needs a wambulance;)

[TheStrokes]

Sounds like somebody has no patience. It's only been a year... man up or shut up.

Ps1/2/3 or Xbox/360/1....Ah whatever...I'm too drunk to care.

[Silly gameAr]

Yeah, no patience is exactly the problem. It's like some people want everything, and they want it now.

[Oschino1907]

They should call J.G. Wentworth.

[SmokingMonkey]

LOL @ "journalists" who think we should have Holodecks by now!

[pkb79]

How do you know you not just a character in someone else's holodeck program?

[MRMagoo123]

Because we are self aware that's what makes us know we are real.

[elninels]

And how do you know this "self-awareness" makes you know you are real? That doesn't make sense.

[Spotie]

The scariest thing in gaming right now is how utterly deplorable the state of gaming journalism is.

[SoapShoes]

People complain way too much now days. Just enjoy your crap and get over it. When has a console launched that was steamrolling with exclusives? PS2 is the greatest system of all time, imo, and by far had more exclusives than any other system but it started with no games and took awhile to establish itself exclusive wise. Yet even in an abysmal launch there's still stuff you can enjoy about it and you know the future is bright.

[TGF_Zero]

I don't think its about the exclusives, thats a given. It's the lack of 1080p/60fps or at least just 1080 across every game. It doesn't matter much to me but seeing titles running at 900p is a tad...underwhelming.

[SoapShoes]

Well on certain games I can see that being disappointing but all the games I've seen that aren't cross gen and actually built with new platforms in mind do have a pretty good jump in graphics. Going back to inFamous 1 after playing Second Son is like night and day.

[DivoJones]

Good luck getting 1080p/60fps on a $400 PC. Well I suppose if you set graphics quality to medium you'd get the frames and resolution. Consoles are a compromise.. you're paying for the ease of use and decent specs/graphics. If you want 4k graphics at 60fps your choices are PC or nothing, and $400 might get you a video card capable of that.

[il-JumperMT]

Its the best bang for buck. You are welcome to buy 2k Euro alienware.

[JamieLeeC93]

Prefer to pay £350 for a PS4 with awesome exclusive games..

[Ka7be]

PC is my main gaming platform and multi-platform. But im gonna get a PS4 for some great exclusives. mainly for Bloodborne and GT7 and maybe other games like Uncharted 4 and Driveclub.

[JamieLeeC93]

Uncharted will be a day one buy for me. I'm still waiting for the Driveclub PS+ Edition and I'm looking forward to Bloodborne and GT7 too

[THEzRude]

If you want good graphics. Dont buy a console. Simple as that.

[SamPao]

They have good graphics. You mean more like "if you want the best -> pay for it"

[Clunkyd]

Umm Drive Club is the best looking racer and its on a console. So what you just said is a load of BS.

[tee_bag242]

As a PS4/X1/PS4 owner I can say that the graphics is there for the most part on the new consoles. The frame rate however is the disappointing part for me.

[Father__Merrin]

scariest thing in gaming? lol

im happy with my ps4 as i can only imagine xbox owners are happy with theirs....

i simply cannot see the point that is trying to be made

[Starbucks_Fan]

Even though this the smallest jump we've seen in power, we've seen a lot of AMAZING looking games so far this gen.

[CervantesPR1]

im not going to even read the article but i bet its just some PC elitist talking about how $400 consoles are not as powerful as $1500 gaming PC's. someone confirm if this is true, id rather not click that link and give these guys any ad revenue

[TGF_Zero]

doesn't even mention PC, so its safe bro.

[pompombrum]

Every year we're seeing great games and ultimately that's the thing that matters most and I don't see that changing any time soon. However I do wonder about the lifespan of the current consoles. I mean the jump up from last gen to this gen isn't really as significant as the past generations and we're already seeing developers pushing both consoles to the limit. Having said that though, look at the the lifespan of the Xbox 360 and the PS3.. both Halo 4 and TLOU looked incredible and pushed both consoles further than I thought possible.

[Angeljuice]

The quality of online journalism is the scariest thing in gaming if you ask me.

[Ka7be]

Good thing they can be ignored.

[TheNew1]

People still think resolution determine the graphics? Minecraft at 4k wouldn't look better than God of War at 2k or Gears of War in 2k on the Unreal 4 Engine.

[TGF_Zero]

I love my PS4...overlooking it's PSN issues, it's still untapped potential. Bloodborne and Uncharted 4 will send a message to the naysayers

[elninels]

Ffxv will show what's up on both consoles.

[Ethereal]

I am perfectly happy with my next-gen purchase...

[ajax17]

Typical troll. I bet this guy said the same thing in 2006-2007 about the 360 & PS3

[zidane1341]

Right? Cuz 512mb of ram was soooo much in 2006. Give me a break. The author is a idiot.

[PlebeGamer]

I think it is kinda bad overall. The PS4 and XB1 are running to the evolutionary dead end of "all in one entertainment machine" when we already have one of those, it's called a PC and it does everything these machines do but better.

The benefits of the consoles are low initial investment and simple ease of use at the cost of performance and more money in the long run.

The BS of this console gen though is Ubisoft and the like pushing us on how much we need 1080p and 60fps to enjoy next gen gaming then immediately backing down and trying to act like it's some sort of artistic decision, not the fact they're incapable of cashing on their promises when it's time to deliver, and are now backpedaling at Mach 5.

[MrSwankSinatra]

pfft... you must be out you're freaking mind if you think these next gen consoles are underwhelming. There are so many games coming out between the PS4/X1/Wii U, exclusives & multiplat wise that I don't know where i'll have the time to play all these games.

[MonkeyOne]

1.6 GHZ CPU's aren't next gen.

[zidane1341]

there 8 core so yes they are.

[MonkeyOne]

Cores are irrelevant. A 3.4 GHZ CPU with 4 cores is far more powerful than a 1.6 GHZ CPU with 8 cores.

You're clueless.

[tee_bag242]

So are mobile phones now. They did skimp on power this gen.

[SoapShoes]

Don't know much about CPUs do you? A 4 ghz Pentium 4 must be state of the art?

[MonkeyOne]

Again. Clueless.

A CURRENT 4 core CPU running at 3.4 GHZ is SIGNIFICANTLY faster than a 1.6 GHZ CPU with 10,000 cores.

They cannot run, cool and quiet 3.4 GHZ clocks in a small console chassis.

Raw clock-speed matters.

Raw clock-speeds always wins.

[Clunkyd]

Yet the games look amazing on consoles, Maybe for a PC is not next gen but for consoles it is.

[Jaqen_Hghar]

No the Evil Within and PT are the scariest things in gaming. That or Driveclub's servers *budum tsssk* Thank you a man will be here all week!

[DoctorJones]

Take next week off.

[Jaqen_Hghar]

Well that's Not Very nice

[zidane1341]

What a self righteous asshat. If the ps3 and 360 could come out with some of the awesome games that they did, then a 8 core, 8gb of ram, and a decent graphic card is enough for this next gen. if developers can figure out how to make good games off of 512mb of ram then these consoles aren't underwhelming at all. Having a badass computer is nice but itll still be bottlenecked.

[Perjoss]

Well the consoles went from having around 500 megs of ram to having 8 gigs, I have a lot of faith that the current generation of machines will be capable of some truly amazing things once developers get to know the hardware better. I mean compare launch titles for the 360 and PS3 to the titles that were releasing on those system just recently, the difference is staggering.

The 8 gigs was also fantastic news for PC gamers even if they have no intention of ever buying a console, because it means that consoles will not be holding PC ports back as badly as they used to.

Good times, imo.

compare a 360 launch title:
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

to a game released much further down the line:
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[LonDonE]

LMAO anyone who has played Infamous 1 and 2 and then played second son knows how much of a step up graphically PS4 is compared to PS3!
Its the same with the last of us, on PS4 it looked and played light years better and this is just in year!

These complainers are more then likely first time launch console buyers! people who expect miracles within launch year where as any seasoned gamer who has been through a few launches will know these things take time!!
People forget PS1 was when 3d started becoming a thing but it was rough as hell! that's why when we moved onto PS2 playing 3d games without it all being terribly pixelated was amazing!

And then obviously going from PS2 to HD 720p and some 1080p games was a monumental improvement.
But now going from PS3 to PS4 average joe right now may not notice a big change but core gamers will! the particles effects, the seamless open worlds, the 1080p or close to it native resolutions, the character models, better ai, better physics, these are all things which have improved and continue to improve over the generation.

Also the connected nature of the games and new consoles is also vastly improved and will only get better! people forget for the price to power ratio these consoles are pretty awesome!! pc is great but will also cost allot more if you want a machine capable of native 1080p 60fps for every game for the next 5 years with all the features the consoles offer at the moment!

Give it time people! yes this jump may not be as big as everyone wanted or expected but that is just the law of diminishing returns slowly creeping in!
For average joe the games might look the same although for my wife she notices straight away.
Problem is so far this gen we haven't gotten that WOW game yet, dont get it wrong i have played some awesome games over the last year and a half and no way games like infamous ss could of been done on current gen but we are all still waiting for that poster child to show everyone.

[TGF_Zero]

Well said and levelheaded point

[LonDonE]

thanks dude! :) i for one am LOVING my PS4, WiiU and Xbox ONE all the while having a decent enough gaming pc.
Yes all the consoles of this gen have teething problems but they will improve over time as will the o.s and games!

EVERY platform has its pros and cons and every platform suits the needs of different types of gamers! this gen has just got started and judging from the difference of games from the first year of PS3 and 360 compared to the last year or two man we are in for an awesome ride!!

Game on fellow gamers and support this industry we all love so much!!!

[Locknuts]

Man give it a rest. They're not even 1 year old yet. Look at the Wii U: coming up to its second year and it's a fantastic console to own. I'm sure the other two will be as well in another year.

[sprinterboy]

I am more than happy with ps4, if they made a bigger gfx jump everyone would have moaned about the price again, 2x better gfx than ps4 or xbone would have meant £499 release console price

[DougLord]

Stop it! Remember how bad the launch games were for 360? Perfect Dark, Condemed and Gun? Lets wait for the non x-platform 2nd gen games AT LEAST.

[Picnic]

And Kameo and Quake 4. They had 18 launch titles in total, a decent number. They all got average Metacritic reviews of about 80%.

It's not such a bad line up. The PS2's launch title line up was much worse.

[Muzikguy]

This "journalist" will be praising them next year. Did he say the same thing back when PS3 launched? If he's going to complain, nobody is stopping him from going back to the PS3 or 360. People these days, never satisfied

[Talgrath]

In a certain, very real sense, he's right. The consoles were outdated long before their release; 4K TVs are already out and are even within range of the middle class (or what remains of it), many TVs can now play 120 FPS or even more. Even at the launch of the PS4 and XBox One, you could build a better PC without spending more than $1,000 and at this point you can build a matching PC for the same price (minus OS). And yet, almost certainly these consoles are the standard for at least another two years, probably four. Technology is outrunning consoles again and there's no sign of them catching up anytime soon.

[madjedi]

And lets see that matching priced pc play new releases in 4-5 yrs, good luck trying to convert people.

[Talgrath]

I'm not trying to convert people, there are plenty of good reasons to play games on consoles; however, I have to say I was rather disappointed with the specs on both the XBox One and PS4. I'm probably picking up a PS4 at one point and maybe an XBox too, but underwhelming is a good way to describe them.

[WizzroSupreme]

An entire community of game designers would care to disagree. Sucker Punch, Naughty Dog, Monolith Productions, 343 Industries, and Bungie are all overwhelmed with just how powerful of a system they've got on their hands.

[thelwebb100]

I agree with the writer. A year into Xbox 360's life we had Gears Of War, Oblivion, and COD 2 which truly showed that Next Gen was here and the wow factor was amazing. The PS3 had Uncharted 1, Heavenly Sword,Resistance,Fight Night Round 3 etc. Xbox 1 and PS4 just don't have that wow factor and their best games are remasters so that just proves how great last gen was imo.

[mysteryraz11]

noone cares about pc gaming its irrelevant, pc nerds more obsessed with hardware and performance then games thats why all they are playing all day is ports and low budget crappy indie games

[quenomamen]

" The scariest thing is gaming is how one of these consoles is underwhelming and the other one is even more underwhelming " there fixed it for you.

[uth11]

When I started PC gaming, I wouldn't even consider a console. They were so underpowered and couldn't run the games I wanted to play.

Nowadays, PCs and consoles run mostly the same games. Sure the PC could give me better res, but my TV is 1080p and I don't have a desire for 4K. I don't have a use for a PC with more power right now.

[ATi_Elite]

you are really only getting the machines that were promised last gen.

Last gen they promised HD gaming but never really delivered as only a few were true 720p and 1080p was no where insight.

So xb1 and ps4 are those machines.

Less than a year the machines are totally weak against what the pc is doing.

DDR4 ram 4k resolution Dynamic Screen Resolution plus amd admitting bulldozer is not at all great plus VR

[MultiConsoleGamer]

PC + Nintendo is the way to go this gen.

Xbox One and PS4 are underwhelming, underpowered and don't have much going for them. One of these two consoles has a library of games that is just freaking terrible. The worst on the market and the worst of any console to carry its prestigious brand name.

[tekksin]

one title to single-handedly insult every developer on the planet. Way to go.

[g4n]

For the price my ps4 & x1 are worth it, but going on and on about 1080p in 2014 is really sad... At the time the PS3 was released, 1200p was the PC gaming standard (1920x1200). The industry dumped the WUXGA standard for the sub-par 1920x1080p because of the TV and movie industry adapting that...
However, in 2014 a 4k tv is the standard (2160p). This is not breaking new $50k technology; there're at Walmart for just over a grand... http://mobile.walmart.com/i...

We need to be demanding current gen resolution for our consoles... An iPad has been able to do 1080p for years now...

[majdees]

No. The scariest thing in gaming is half assed, shitty, over hyped games.

[Picnic]

This is what I have known about the PS4. The PS3 was a powerhouse that just took a year or so to be tapped in to.
(so, yes, the first year of the PS3 saw some bad looking games).
Uncharted 2 has some beautiful effects that the PC would be proud of.

The PS4 is more like the original Xbox than it is like the PS3. What I mean is that the PS4 whacks in fast memory so that it is easier to create certain special effects.

Unlike the PS3, there's no special Cell waiting to be cracked. No Uncharted 2-type leap necessarily going to come.

The PS4 is like a simple man's sequel to the PS3. And that's basically how's Mark Cerny always touted it.
Something easy to get loads of games on quickly.
But no promise of these exotic Uncharted 2-like wow factors. Just assurance of being able to get PC like graphics from more developers. To anyone who mainly buys a console for the exclusives, it's a little dull really, the PS4 proposition.

[Claudinho69]

every console have a slow start in gaming etc.....go look at the ps3 start

[SpinalRemains138]

Can't make everyone happy obviously.

Had SONY or Msft gone and built an 850 dollar console, these same ppl would whine about the price. Some ppl have a mental illness where they need to complain.

[SpartanYalo]

there were many games on the 360 and PS3 that already had jaw-dropping visuals. That's why are yet to be amazed this gen. Gears of War, Uncharted, Halo and God of War are going to prove what this machines are capable off.

[mochachino]

There's a pretty significant difference in PS4/xone over PS3/360. Once you step into the new gen the previous gen games look like they run horribly with terrible framerates and jaggies everywhere. I can't go back.

Stop watching youtube graphics comparisons and actually see the difference with your own eyes. There is a big jump in graphics and performance. Just play BF4 on PS3 and PS4. There's a massive improvement to the visuals on PS4.

[FanboysKiller]

The scariest thing in gaming is there is many tech savvies writing many useless articles in the name of gaming.