Without getting into speculative rubbish of reverting to cultural sterotypes, I'd say it's more a matter of us Europeans being generally more cynical, and relaxed/uncaring about keeping on trends, as well as the insatiable American appetite for summer blockbusters and the kind of western content that specifically targets them.

I've never owned more than one console per gen, and it's always been Nintendo for me, so I doubt I'm in any position to comment on this.  Perhaps we're just the ones with the least disposable income?  

Speaking as a pseudo-EU, and also a corrputed US citizen by my return to AU:

- I love my Wii U, it;s great, it has re-kindled feelings abuot Nintendo I have not had since the SNES. BUT, the games cost too much, just as they do for the PS4 and XBO.

- If I were still in the States I'd already have an XBO in addition to the PS4 I already have, but down here (as I assume in EU) the purchase price of the console is not justified given the high price of games and the lack of exclusives.  I went with PS4 over XBO motly because Sony's fisrt party developers are likely to serve up more exclusives than the ones MS has to buy from third parties for a limited release window.

As a result, the PC wins out. Plus also, I have so little time to do anything other than work and sleep, that the PC just is a more convenient way for me to game, so I just don;t spend that much time in front of the TV gaming anymore.

The European gamers got it right.

The Americans, Canadians, and Aussies fucked up.

SupremeAC said:

aspro said:

- I love my Wii U, it;s great, it has re-kindled feelings abuot Nintendo I have not had since the SNES. BUT, the games cost too much, just as they do for the PS4 and XBO.

That's what I like about WiiU games, over here they're considerably cheaper than PS4 and Xbone games.  A lot of the WiiU's games, including first party stuff, sells for €39, with a few going for €44 or €49.  I think the only game I bought at €59 was MK8 and I felt as if I'd been ripped off by the price.  In comparision, almost all new PS4 and Xbone games go for €65.  Then again, those games do seem to come down in price rather fast, while first party Nintendo stuff never drops in price.  Also, I saw Devil's Third go for €59  

Speaking of which: I wouldn't mind mailing you the occasional game Aspro.  It's insane that games should cost up to twice what they cost here.  Not sure what postage would cost, but it can hardly be €40-€65.  Although you never know with the postal service over here.

SupremeAC said:

Without getting into speculative rubbish of reverting to cultural sterotypes, I'd say it's more a matter of us Europeans being generally more cynical, and relaxed/uncaring about keeping on trends, as well as the insatiable American appetite for summer blockbusters and the kind of western content that specifically targets them.

I've never owned more than one console per gen, and it's always been Nintendo for me, so I doubt I'm in any position to comment on this.  Perhaps we're just the ones with the least disposable income?  

I guess that buying a first console always delays my second console purchase thinking back historically. I guess I have always waited for price drops and more games before pouncing on a new console so Wii u launching early has delayed my interest in the next console by at least a couple of years. But I guess it's lifestyle and my attention span waning. I can game less and I'm not generally bothered about missing out on stuff or playing whatever is popular at the moment. But also, I suppose it's because the console I own isn't getting those games in the first place, I don't have the chance to consider them, or get excited about them for a while.

bugsonglass said:

I think the sample here is too small to make any inferences which hold any real statistical value.  What is GAF like?  Or more populated sites?

Both of my gaming friends here in town have bought a PS4.

I was only referring to the people here, PS4 and more has sold well in Europe and the UK.

aspro said:

Speaking as a pseudo-EU, and also a corrputed US citizen by my return to AU:

- I love my Wii U, it;s great, it has re-kindled feelings abuot Nintendo I have not had since the SNES. BUT, the games cost too much, just as they do for the PS4 and XBO.


- If I were still in the States I'd already have an XBO in addition to the PS4 I already have, but down here (as I assume in EU) the purchase price of the console is not justified given the high price of games and the lack of exclusives.  I went with PS4 over XBO motly because Sony's fisrt party developers are likely to serve up more exclusives than the ones MS has to buy from third parties for a limited release window.

As a result, the PC wins out. Plus also, I have so little time to do anything other than work and sleep, that the PC just is a more convenient way for me to game, so I just don;t spend that much time in front of the TV gaming anymore.

I've found myself with more time but less enthusiasm, soon I will have far less time.

I think I feel gaming is more anti-social for me these days. For me to separate myself off from people and go into another room to play a game..... feels kinda weird to me these days and I hate it when people with no interest in games hang about in the room watching you, cause they haven't anything better to do.

This is where offscreen play helps but there aren't enough new U games out, the one I want to play the most doesn't have offscreen play and the non-HD screen is bothering me the longer this cycle goes on.

edgecrusher said:

This is an odd generation, and its partly the Xbox 360 generation that's to blame. Because it lasted too damn long. When 360 and PS3 launched, they were cutting edge. But the PC outpaced them around 2011...maybe even 2010 with most titles and cheap powerful graphics cards. Then it took MS and Sony another 4 years to release the new consoles and even Wii U released SIX YEARS after Wii which was insanely dated tech on day 1 in 2006. Now all these new consoles kind of took the Wii approach, though not fully, by releasing underpowered hardware.

PS4, XBONE, and Wii U are all behind the PC on launch day. They were not cutting edge like every previous XBOX or Playstation console. What these systems do, is what PC had been doing in 2011. Now at this point, cutting edge PC tech is already as far ahead of the current gen only two years into its cycle, as it was in the last gen after about 5 years. This gen was not built to last, though with the sales that Sony is putting up I'm sure they'd like it to last 10 years. In that way, its a good thing Nintendo is being aggressive and releasing new hardware super early....as this will force Sony and MS's hand.

Its going to be remembered as a boring generation. Its not far enough ahead tech-wise of the last gen to matter, and even though there's plenty of great games there's not a lot of real innovation. By the time there is any innovation, the gen will be over. Sometimes I regret buying PS4 and Xbone because I could have just stuck with PC and Wii U like I wanted to. But there are at least a few really good exclusives on each.

This is all sound thinking and I agree completely.

AAA is also strangely trying to find it's place in the new world order.  This has time to come aruodn, but so far, this really is the most boring console generation (outisde of Wii U).

edgecrusher said:

This is an odd generation, and its partly the Xbox 360 generation that's to blame. Because it lasted too damn long. When 360 and PS3 launched, they were cutting edge. But the PC outpaced them around 2011...maybe even 2010 with most titles and cheap powerful graphics cards. Then it took MS and Sony another 4 years to release the new consoles and even Wii U released SIX YEARS after Wii which was insanely dated tech on day 1 in 2006. Now all these new consoles kind of took the Wii approach, though not fully, by releasing underpowered hardware.

PS4, XBONE, and Wii U are all behind the PC on launch day. They were not cutting edge like every previous XBOX or Playstation console. What these systems do, is what PC had been doing in 2011. Now at this point, cutting edge PC tech is already as far ahead of the current gen only two years into its cycle, as it was in the last gen after about 5 years. This gen was not built to last, though with the sales that Sony is putting up I'm sure they'd like it to last 10 years. In that way, its a good thing Nintendo is being aggressive and releasing new hardware super early....as this will force Sony and MS's hand.

Its going to be remembered as a boring generation. Its not far enough ahead tech-wise of the last gen to matter, and even though there's plenty of great games there's not a lot of real innovation. By the time there is any innovation, the gen will be over. Sometimes I regret buying PS4 and Xbone because I could have just stuck with PC and Wii U like I wanted to. But there are at least a few really good exclusives on each.

Way quicker than this, the 360 was ahead of the curve for a bit early in that gen, but it wasn't long into its life cycel the PC was already ahead as a power device, that's the nature of the platofrm. The bigger shift was Steam's riise as a platform.

To be fair neither of these companies were in a position to push that kind of horse power. Sony is bleeding money, and needs the PS4 to save their asses. Microsoft was being run by a profit driven CEO, so in no way in hell was the xbox launching at a loss, like consoles usually do. And Nintendo, they are Nintendo, they do what they do. There is no rhyme or reason to when they do something stupid, other than they just do it. Throw in rising cost of game development, and that the alleged recession proof medium of gaming actually wasn't recession proof and totally took steps back software sales wise. That gen needed to go longer so people could turn actual profits on some of these projects, it's why we had so many closures.

So you have a dead middle market, the cost of developing a game is higher, the revenue model has stayed the same, and Japan? life support, it was more or less justified why Sony and Microsoft more or less played it safe.

I'm not guessing on how long this gen will be, but lets be real, the lack of horse power isn't why this gen has had a lack of innovation. That's by design because a lot of triple A pubs won't take enough bets.

Mainstream gaming has been dying a slow death since the beginning of last gen (or the end of the previous one). With that in mind, why did I buy a PS4 and a Wii U? Pure stupidity, but the Wii U has justified itself. The PS4 hasn't considering the cool games on it I could have played on PC. Plus I got all my whinging about this out last gen, so it's not like I can be earnestly bitter this gen, so there really is almost no point. Plus indies make it hard to be genuinely bitter now anyway.

aspro said:

Absolutely.

I am likely going to get an XB1 despite myself anyway. The Wii U has certainly justified itself.

Bless you for your continued support of our beloved industry.  Me and the less generous masses applaud you.

aspro said:

Absolutely.

I am likely going to get an XB1 despite myself anyway. The Wii U has certainly justified itself.

So you're buying an XB1 for indie games?