“Which console should I buy?” is a question that people ask me nearly every single day. My usual response is to try and explain that they should buy the console they really want, putting aside the technical specs of the consoles themselves. For a lot of people I’ve seen, that’s quite a difficult thing, considering a lot of media outlets and the console brands themselves, bang on and on about how powerful the systems are compared to the other. So I’m writing this article to try and help people go about choosing what console they should invest in next. I’m not going to try and shoehorn you into a certain console choice, because only you know know what console you really want.
What Console Type Do You Want?
What I mean by this is do you want a handheld or do you want a home console that plugs into your TV? This seems like a bit of a daft thing to ask people, but it’s a waste of time buying a home console if you’re always on the move. You also have to consider PCs at this point too, as they’re a lot more stationary than a console and often, more expensive to build.
What Games Are coming Out For That Console?
Now, this is possibly the most important thing. You’re gonna need games to play on your shiny new console. Again, it sounds daft to point this out, but it’s often something people overlook when I’m asked. Something that I do when thinking about a console purchase is making a list of exclusive games coming to each system and set a benchmark for how many games make that system worth buying. Multi-platform titles are something you can buy across any platform, so they shouldn’t really factor into your console decision. A good benchmark for me is 10 exclusives coming to the system. 10 exclusives come in at around 200+ hours game times, which is plenty to get you going to start with. It’s also worth watching out for timed exclusives and making sure that you don’t fall into the trap of buying a game that’s coming to other systems later.
Pricing and Bundles
9 times out of 10, I’d recommend buying console bundles. In this generation of consoles, bundles aren’t too much more expensive than buying a console on its own. By buying a console bundle, you get a game with your console, so it’s one less purchase you have to worry about. You should also budget your console purchase so that you can pick up some of those games you listed earlier, as well as some of those multi-platform games you wanted as well. It’s also worth shopping around for the best deal across as many retailers as you can (this includes looking online too!) At the end of the day, if you can snag a console at a discount, then you’re better off from the get-go.
What Else Can The Console Do?
Let’s face it, consoles are less about gaming and more about the entertainment services they provide these days. It’s always worth seeing what else the console can do for you outside of gaming. This shouldn’t really be the basis of your purchase though, but something that sways the decision if you’re not 100% sure which console you should buy. I mean, you wouldn’t buy a console just for a party chat feature, right.
What You Absolutely Must Not Do!
Look at specs lists! This doesn’t really affect you as a consumer of a console product. As a gamer, you should be more worried about if the console you’re going to buy is going to have the content on it you want. That, as a gamer, should be all that matters to you. If you’re really desperate to have the best graphics, then you should really be considering buying or building a PC.
Look at sales figures! Again, this has no direct effect on you as a gamer at all! Leave worrying about console sales to the brands and analysts. Also be aware of subjective articles against particular systems! Don’t let headlines of poor sales throw your decision. The only time you should really be concerned with is if the company you want to buy your console from goes bankrupt. You should definitely not buy a console from a bankrupt company.
So here’s my guide to buying your next console. Hopefully, it’s answered your questions, but if you’re still unsure or have some questions, feel free to get in touch.