This week, we’re expecting to find out a solid release date for the PS4, and maybe the Xbox One as well… so what will you do with your current console, sitting there, just waiting to be replaced by the newest, shiniest thing? The TGF staff got together to give you these Fanatical Five reasons you should hang onto your PS3 or Xbox 360 (sorry, Wii fans, but the Wii U does everything the Wii does, so you’ve got no excuse not to upgrade).
Darrin – No Backwards Compatibility
Think about some of the games you have right now: Red Dead Redemption. The Mass Effect, Uncharted, and Gears of War trilogies. Infamous 1 & 2. Heck, even DuckTales Remastered. These are games that, if you trade in your current console, you probably won’t get to play again, at least without paying for them again. That’s because neither the Xbox One nor the PS4 will feature backwards compatibility, something Nintendo is alone in providing this time around as far as physical media is concerned. I love all of those games (except Gears of War, but I digress), but I’m not sure I’m willing to buy them again.
Jen – The Love of Collecting
Most of us love to collect video games and systems… why give that up? While the digital age of gaming will eventually mean no more game boxes to look at, for the time being we should probably enjoy the feeling we get when we get the urge to go back and revisit a game and – lo and behold – actually have the ability to do so, since we kept our consoles rather than trade them in for $100 in store credit.
Joel – Awesome Games, Affordable Prices
It’s true, the new consoles will feature all the fanciest bells and whistles, but do you know what they won’t have? Triple-A titles for $20. The PS3 and Xbox 360 will, for quite a while, as prices of some of the best games of this generation continue to drop as a result of many jumping onto the newer machines’ fanbases, leaving a lot of the blockbusters you’ve never played just waiting for some attention.
Billy and Ben – Avoiding Launch Problems
Does anyone remember how the Xbox 360 launch went? Of course you do… heck, that console was plagued with hardware problems for a good long while before Microsoft dealt with it; it seems any console not made by Nintendo (and even then) will have at least a few bugs to work out… so why not just hold off for a little while, let them sort it out, and enjoy the consoles you already have and know will peform just fine? Plus, games will still be coming out for your current console for a while, while launch titles are traditionally not the best.
Greg – DLC You’ve Already Bought
Hey, you like Rock Band. We like Rock Band. Everyone likes Rock Band. Too bad they’re not making it anymore… and your DLC won’t transfer to your new console. Neither will DLC you bought for any other title that eventually gets made available digitally on the new consoles. Maybe you should just hang onto that machine you pumped (most likely) hundreds of additional dollars into.
Those are our thoughts, what are yours? Sound off in the comments below!
