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[ProgenitorCastle]

I don't really get this quote personally. If 1 or 2 games don't sell one on a console, than what would sell one on a console? Almost everyone hates console "gimmicks" that differentiate systems from one another, so I wouldn't even say that's a system seller anymore. So then that leaves games as a system seller. What's the point of getting a system if it doesn't have compelling games only available on it? Note: I'm not here to tell people how to spend their money, it's just I've seen this quote before and I want to understand the reasoning behind it.

 

[PhoenixTank]

Not sure I'm following your question correctly, but perhaps it is down to only being "interested" as opposed to "needing" to play those couple of games?
Having a larger handful of good games you'd like to try might add up to enough inertia to match a couple of must-haves?

 

[diffusionx]

The thing I don't get is when people buy a system for a game that doesn't exist, or was teased with a logo or some shit.

Like people who bought a PS3 for Trico or a Switch for Metroid Prime 4. Like, why not just wait dude.

 

[baphomet]

Because if you're only buying a console for 1 game then you're paying 500+ to play a single game.

Obviously people wait until the investment in a console with an amount of games they want to play makes it worth it to them.

Some people it's one. Some people it could be 10.

How is this even a question?

 

[MeatSafeMurderer]

I own a PS4 for, essentially, 3 games so far...but not because I bought a PS4, I was given it. 3 games, no matter how good they may be, is not enough of a library to get me to drop hundreds on a platform. Multi-plats are a no no because I can already play them on PC, so that only leaves exclusives...and amongst those my list of titles I'm interested in is extremely short. If Sony can't get me to drop money on more than 3 titles how do you expect them to sell me on the entire console?

 

[Arachnid]

Because if you're only buying a console for 1 game then you're paying 500+ to play a single game.

Obviously people wait until the investment in a console with an amount of games they want to play makes it worth it to them.

Some people it's one. Some people it could be 10.

How is this even a question?

Yeah. If anything, it's more nonsensical to buy a console for one or two games.

 

[PuppetMaster]

Poor people problems.

Oh lord Cerny, give me the strength to relate to them.

 

[Craig of War]

Yeah i bought the PS4 and never really use it as i am game on PC primiarly so i sold it and lost over 200 bucks lol

 

[Entroyp]

I buy a console even if there’s only one great game I want to play.

 

[Soodanim]

Because if you're only buying a console for 1 game then you're paying 500+ to play a single game.

Obviously people wait until the investment in a console with an amount of games they want to play makes it worth it to them.

Some people it's one. Some people it could be 10.

How is this even a question?

Exactly this, there really isn't anything else to say. Unless we're missing the point of the question.

 

[Akuji]

well like many said, its a difficult answer and it differs from person to person. If u have a PC and are playing PC games like WoW, League of Legends, Counter Strike etc which alot of people do.
Many of them dont wanna buy a console for God of War alone, i would instantly buy a "bloodborne box" for 399€ if that would be the only way to play it, but only after i already played it. would have never paid 400€ for the game upfront.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

Because if you're only buying a console for 1 game then you're paying 500+ to play a single game.

Obviously people wait until the investment in a console with an amount of games they want to play makes it worth it to them.

Some people it's one. Some people it could be 10.

How is this even a question?

This. I don't know why this is hard to understand.

 

[LazyParrot]

I bought a PS4 just for Bloodborne and Persona 5. They're still the only games I own. I loved both of them, so I don't exactly regret it, but I'm not doing that again next gen. Not everyone is willing to spend $500 just to play 1 or 2 games they're interested in. I don't see why that's so hard to understand.

 

[xiaoming10086]

Well I guess I bought BoTW for 360$ LOL

And I don't regret it.

 

[Valonquar]

Well you could also use it to stream videos from your PC if you torrent using something like Universal Media Server

 

[hououinkyouma00]

Because if you're only buying a console for 1 game then you're paying 500+ to play a single game.

Obviously people wait until the investment in a console with an amount of games they want to play makes it worth it to them.

Some people it's one. Some people it could be 10.

How is this even a question?

This.

My general rule of thumb is cost of console in games. So let’s take the Switch at $300, if there are $300 worth of games I want to play then it’s a easy buy. Now that’s not concrete, and I’ll include upcoming games if I want other games enough but it’s my general rule for consoles.

When it comes to Sony consoles I don’t really follow it because I’m gonna get it no matter what, so it’s more for secondary consoles like Nintendo and Xbox.

 

[kunonabi]

Unless there is something I absolutely have to play on day 1 I wont jump in on a new console unless there are at least 5 games I want on it. Of course there are other factors than just the library.

 

[Aion002]

More than 10 exclusives that I might care.

Less than that the console is not for me. With Sony, for example, is easy.

Heavy japanese support + Sony studios = I will definitely buy it.


While MS, in the 360 era, got me with games like Lost Odyssey, Infinite Undiscovery, Blue Dragon, Gears, Halo, Wartech, Tenchu Z, Splinter Cell Conviction, Kingdom Under Fire, Alan Wake and Fable.

See? More than 10.


Now the one.... Well... Let's just say that... After the Xbox One, I will probably never buy an Xbox again.

 

[pr0cs]

I buy a console even if there’s only one great game I want to play.

Only gaming peons would think otherwise.
For casual gamers I can understand but if you consider gaming your hobby then you do yourself a disfavor skipping any game that interests you

 

[Bakkus]

I always find it sad how limited taste in games people who say this kind of thing have.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Two or three is enough for me. I basically bought the N64 just to play Mario 64, Ocarina of Time and Goldeneye.

 

[Sejan]

Buying a video game console early in a console generation is an investment in games that have not been developed or revealed. One or two games may be the enough of a incentive to make the jump. Late in a generation, you are buying for what is already out. If there isn't much there yet, you probably can't count on it showing up in the eleventh hour. Naturally, a mid generation purchase has a foot in both boats. A few that you already want and a few that you are hoping for in the future.

With that said, I hate the statement that people hate console "gimmicks." Every new feature is fundamentally a gimmick. Motion controls were a gimmick with the Wii, but the feature has grown and evolved to the point that I that consoles that don't allow them in some way are missing out on a great feature. I would be much more likely to buy shooters if more developers would implement motion assisted aiming, for instance. Yes, some of these features don't last much longer (glasses free 3D), and some are better implemented in future iterations (Wii Remotes vs. Wii Motion Plus). These days, we wouldn't know what to do without the "gimmicks" of the past such as rumble, shoulder buttons, analog sticks, internet connectivity, and more. These "Gimmicks" should be best looked at as innovation. Anything less is believing that we are already at peak console design and the only path forward is more pushing harder with graphics and processing. I reject this notion wholeheartedly and I hope you do, too.

 

[Moogle11]

I don't really get this quote personally. If 1 or 2 games don't sell one on a console, than what would sell one on a console? Almost everyone hates console "gimmicks" that differentiate systems from one another, so I wouldn't even say that's a system seller anymore. So then that leaves games as a system seller. What's the point of getting a system if it doesn't have compelling games only available on it? Note: I'm not here to tell people how to spend their money, it's just I've seen this quote before and I want to understand the reasoning behind it.

I think when people say that they usually one of two things.

1. They won’t move on to next gen for just one or two next gen exclusivea. They will wait until there’s X number of personal must play games they need to upgrade to play.

2. They already have a main platform(s) that covers most their gaming needs and won’t buy another platform unless it has X number of personal must play exclusives.

So games are still system sellers, some people just have higher or lower thresholds for how many must plays they need to jump into next gen or buy more consoles if they’re happy with their main.

I fall in both camps as I’m not really a hardcore gamer anymore. I dint feel a need to early adopters new consoles unless the launch line uo has several killer, non-crossgen exclusives and don’t care to try and play every game that interests me Just like I’ll never watch every movie or show that interests me or read every appealing book.

Time is finite and precious and I have a busy career, wife and friends to spend time with, and a variety of hobbies. I don’t care about playing every great game, having informed opinions on GOTY or whatever like I did when I was younger. With the number of games I play per year (ten-ish) it’s hard to justify owning all three console platforms and a gaming PC to have access to every game.

For me just keeping up with Sony and Nintendo first party games and the AAA multiplats that interest me is impossible and I still never get around to all of them. And that’s fine by me as games aren‘t some central part of my life, just one of several fun hobbies I have. I do have a gaming PC, but it’s been little used and I doubt I’ll upgrade or and MS would have to have a lot of games I wanted to play more than what I can play on Playstation and Nintendo to get me to buy a Series X (or upgrade the PC).

 

[009EspadaSageJay]

because in terms of money spent if a console only has 1 game your care about you are paying $4,5,6,7,8,9 hundred dollars for one game. This is why people arent jumping on VR not only do you need a strong pc you need a good VR headset as well all for 1 game.

 

[Husky]

The general rule for me is that there needs to be at least 20 games I want for the system.

 

[RetroAV]

More than 10 exclusives that I might care.

Less than that the console is not for me. With Sony, for example, is easy.

Heavy japanese support + Sony studios = I will definitely buy it.


While MS, in the 360 era, got me with games like Lost Odyssey, Infinite Undiscovery, Blue Dragon, Gears, Halo, Wartech, Tenchu Z, Splinter Cell Conviction, Kingdom Under Fire, Alan Wake and Fable.

See? More than 10.


Now the one.... Well... Let's just say that... After the Xbox One, I will probably never buy an Xbox again.

Yep. That's my rule as well. Got to be 10 or so games that I want for me to justify the purchase. I'm not going to blindly support anything. They have to earn my support. Got to keep them humble and make them work a bit you know?

 

[Aion002]

I always find it sad how limited taste in games people who say this kind of thing have.

You shouldn't...


Most people that say that, have an immense backlog.... As a Playstation and PC gamer, I have so many games that I bought but I never played.... For example, I want a Switch, I really want to play Xenoblade, however, I bought 30 PC games last year and 20 PS4 games, if I played 20 of those so far... it is a lot...


So every time I think that I want a Switch, I remember..... Heck.... I bought Horizon Zero Dawn on day one and I never finished... wait... when I am gonna start playing The Darkness on PS3 that I bought more than 5 years ago? Oh fuck.... I am gonna play an Apex match...

So yeah... I want Xenoblade... But I also want to play all those games that I already bought, adding a new console just to play one or two games.... well, it's just not viable.

 

[jakinov]

Pretty sure the vast majority of people who buy consoles, I mean the kinds of people who don't go on gaming forums to to talk about games. Just buy whatever console their friends get (so that they can play together, nowadays at least more reliably) or stick to whatever brand they've been with or at least the last brand they stuck with until there's some motivating reason for them to switch like the PS3 early days when the games sucked which led to negative sentiment, xbox one when it had no days, DRM fiasco, etc. There's misc. other reasons like controller and price on why they choose to buy a console.

1-2 games is not worth it for some people to put up 300-400 for ANOTHER console that plays 95% the same games more or less the same way.

 

[Vawn]

I've bought a console with zero games I was interested in. I did it at launch with Xbox One. I didn't actually buy a single game on the console until Ori and the Blind Forest. I now own three games - both Ori games and Cuphead.

 

[hououinkyouma00]

I always find it sad how limited taste in games people who say this kind of thing have.

Why?

I actually envy them. I have a pretty wide taste in games, not as wide as others but still more then average? I like a bit of everything. My backlog fucking sucks, and too much choice kicks in and I play less games.

Take my roommate for example. Really just plays shooters, and the occasional action game (like Fallen Order since he loves SW). He has no backlog, he basically just plays Modern Warfare and even considering he buys some of the packs he still spends way less then me on games.

I have another friend that really only likes MOBA, and Battle Royale games. He hasn’t spend more then $50 on games in almost2 years because his needs are fulfilled by League, CIV6, and Apex

They also have one platform, and don’t really see the need to buy another. My roommate is only PS4, and the other guy owns a budget pc build. They also both spend more time playing then I do despite having multiple platforms. Then you have all the people who play call of duty and like nba. Just because they only play sports and shooters doesn’t mean they are less of a “gamer” then you.

 

[Danjin44]

It less about what game it might get at launch and more about the promise of what games it might get in the future. For example, there will be Persona 6 and Dragon Quest XII on next gen systems but what are the chances it might get released Xbox One series X 5%-10%? but we know 100% it gonna get released on PS5.

This basically how I choose which system to buy.

 

[CatLady]

I had a PS4 for a while this gen but ended up only really liking 2 Sony exclusives so it mostly just took up space and collected dust. Not doing that again this gen especially now with Game Pass and 15 XGS Studios. I will have WAY too many games already.

I know everyone on GAF loves and raves about Sony games, that's great I'm glad they enjoy them, but they just aren't for me.

 

[Moogle11]

I had a PS4 for a while this gen but ended up only really liking 2 Sony exclusives so it mostly just took up space and collected dust. Not doing that again this gen especially now with Game Pass and 15 XGS Studios. I will have WAY too many games already.

I know everyone on GAF loves and raves about Sony games, that's great I'm glad they enjoy them, but they just aren't for me.

Yep. It’s a great time to be a gamer with three successful console platforms plus PC gaming going strong and each one having pretty unique types of games with their first party focuses.

Sony and Nintendo fit my tastes best as a lover of cinematic story focused games and easier, charming, light hearted gameplay focused stuff, respectively. The only MS exclusives I really enjoyed this gen were Gears 4 and 5, Halo 5 (and only the campaigns in those 3 as I don’t like MP) and Quantum Break. No PC exclusives did much for me other than some indies and most of those eventually came to console. I tried a bunch of stuff like 4x games, RTS, MOBAs, sim games etc. and just couldn’t get into them and just hated playing at a desk with keyboard and mouse. So it mostly just gets used to play games on the TV win an Xbox cotnroller when I find a better deal on a PC version.

So I’ll likely just be PS5 and Nintendo next time, but will keep an eye on MS exclusives with all their stuff acquisitions for sure.

 

[FeldMonster]

This.

My general rule of thumb is cost of console in games. So let’s take the Switch at $300, if there are $300 worth of games I want to play then it’s a easy buy. Now that’s not concrete, and I’ll include upcoming games if I want other games enough but it’s my general rule for consoles.

When it comes to Sony consoles I don’t really follow it because I’m gonna get it no matter what, so it’s more for secondary consoles like Nintendo and Xbox.

I like your rule of thumb, seems both logical and straightforward.

Though my allegiances are different. I would spend PC prices on a monster Xbox if it existed. I would be interested in buying a (used) PS4, but it is tough to justify for just a single game that interests me (Killzone ShadowFall). If they announce Killzone 5 and it is cross-gen, it would be easier to justify $200 or so for an additional console.

 

[Bakkus]

You shouldn't...


Most people that say that, have an immense backlog.... As a Playstation and PC gamer, I have so many games that I bought but I never played.... For example, I want a Switch, I really want to play Xenoblade, however, I bought 30 PC games last year and 20 PS4 games, if I played 20 of those so far... it is a lot...


So every time I think that I want a Switch, I remember..... Heck.... I bought Horizon Zero Dawn on day one and I never finished... wait... when I am gonna start playing The Darkness on PS3 that I bought more than 5 years ago? Oh fuck.... I am gonna play an Apex match...

So yeah... I want Xenoblade... But I also want to play all those games that I already bought, adding a new console just to play one or two games.... well, it's just not viable.

It sounds like you should prioritize more.

 

[sublimit]

It depends how much i'm really interested in those 1-2 exclusive games. For example the xbox360 had a few exclusive JRPGs that i may have tried if the console had 1-2 games that really interested me but none of those few exclusive JRPGs looked interesting enough on their own to make me purchase the system. But if it had 1-2 exclusives that were super interesting to me like Valkyria Chronicles or Demon's Souls for example then i would have bought the system and then i might have tried the rest of the JRPGs that didn't interested me so much once they had dropped a bit in price. Some people don't realize that being a fan of a genre doesn't mean that every exclusive from that genre is a system seller for everyone.
Also what Danjin44 said.

 

[Aion002]

It sounds like you should prioritize more.

I can't... I like so many games... But time doesn't allow me to play that much.

I bought DMCV on launch, finished today. I just play games depending o my mood. I know that those 100+ PS2 games that I have in a drawer will probably never be finished.... but ehhhh I am really in the mood to play some Onimusha 4.... again.

So getting a new console for 2 games.... is something I don't enjoy it.

 

[GV82]

It’s all about money & value for money these days for me, I don’t have a ton of expendable cash & time.

With the Switch I said if I see 10-12 games I wanted (after buying the WiiU straight away, not that I regret the wiiU I just wish it got even more games) if I saw enough support for the Switch I’d buy one, but by August the same year the Switch came out there was 10 games I wanted so I bought one.

These Mid Gen upgrades don’t help, if I had known about them I have waited & bought a one X & PS4 pro.

Since I have a feeling they may do the same again, I’m hesitant on going to next gen for a bit especially now I have less cash than ever, so every penny counts, also when I have other commitments & hobbies too.

 

[Dark Star]

A console should be an investment for the future, and also a tool to play current games that interest you.

I buy into Playstation/Sony, because it's easy to assume there will be at least 10 years of solid game releases to look forward to per console. However, I didn't get a PS4 until 2016, but once I got it, I had many great games to play right away, regardless of the future of the gaming industry, both exclusive titles and not.

If a console already has some awesome games, and you think there is a strong potential for more awesome games in the coming years, that's a perfectly good reason to purchase one. However, I think many gamers would be better off just sticking with powerful PC's, but that's mainly because most gamers are much more into cross-platform/online games like COD and GTA anyways. Titles like Bloodborne and Uncharted 4 mean a lot to me, though.

 

[DelireMan7]

I have always bought my consoles for 1 game (then of course after there was plenty other)

PS2 : Metal Gear Solid 2
PS3 : Metal Gear Solid 4
PS4 : Bloodborne
Switch : Zelda BOTW (it remains my only Switch game and I don't regret buying it)

Gaming is a passion for me so if I see a game that interest me a lot, I'll take it. I don't make forecast to see if the console will have some other games that I like.
But of course everybody should spend their money how they like it ^^

 

[The Scrivener]

"I don't buy a console because it only has 1 or 2 games I'm interested in"

Said no real gamer ever.

I remember buying Metropolis Street Racer for the Dreamcast before even owning a Dreamcast. Never did end up buying one either. Gamers rock.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

I buy a console when I have 10 must play exclusives. And I should be able to remember them immediately. So really must play stuff.

Usually this happens during last 2-3 years in a console cycle. So I buy them then.

If you buy one on launch you would be lucky to get even one must play like breath of the wild or halo.

Edit- though I must say next gen is very tempting right out the gate due to backward compatibility and hopefully better performance and resolution.

 

[cireza]

Like, why not just wait dude.

Why not wait and get the low quality revisions of Nintendo consoles with their yellow screens ?

 

[Redefine07]

I buy it just to watch TV on it ! No rly now if I did not had already a PS4 Pro I would get one just for Ghost of Tsushima !

 

[Strider311]

I’d buy a console solely for one exclusive game... if that game was Metal Gear 1 remake in Fox Engine. (Or really any new Metal Gear)

 

[ShinNL]

Note that age and salary matters. Someone with a full-time job and money to spare can even impulse buy an another console, but most teenagers either have to work at a part-time job for several months or ask their parents. A big chunk of mentality difference here. Also, someone with money to spare still can have other priorities than just spending it all on games. I like games, so it's high on my priority list for purchases and I have some money to spare, so I buy gaming related things.

Still waiting for that 1 ultimate VRMMORPG that everyone dives into every day. That will be the game changer, the one thing that people buy the hardware just to play 1 game. I think we've only seen that with the Wii (Wii Sports) and GameBoy (Pokémon) so far.

 

[xrnzaaas]

It is a perfectly reasonable statement if already have a PC or another console capable of running multiplatform games. The platform exclusive titles must be really good to justify spending money on another piece of hardware.

 

[SaucyJack]

More than 10 exclusives that I might care.

Less than that the console is not for me. With Sony, for example, is easy.

Heavy japanese support + Sony studios = I will definitely buy it.


While MS, in the 360 era, got me with games like Lost Odyssey, Infinite Undiscovery, Blue Dragon, Gears, Halo, Wartech, Tenchu Z, Splinter Cell Conviction, Kingdom Under Fire, Alan Wake and Fable.

See? More than 10.


Now the one.... Well... Let's just say that... After the Xbox One, I will probably never buy an Xbox again.

Yep, that’s about the threshold for me.

I was lttp for Switch and have never picked up an XBO for exactly this reason. It’s not that I cant afford it financially but I just don’t have the time to play everything I want so I need a compelling reason to pick up a 2nd or 3rd console.

 

[Blood Borne]

I bought an original Xbox solely for Ninja Gaiden. No regrets.

 

[KingdomHeartsFan]

It depends on how unique the experience is. I bought the OG Xbox purely for Halo because there was nothing else like it.