This year, game companies are hoping you want a new game console. In the next couple weeks in particular, Sony and Microsoft are going to be unleashing their respective attempts at the next generation of games, with the Playstation 4 and Xbox One respectively. So what should consumers buy? Honestly, they shouldn't buy any of them yet.
That is not to say that they should never buy a new game console. Instead, it's that nobody should be an early adopter. People who are definitely going to invest in the proposed future of gaming should take the money they were going to spend, stick it in a savings account, and pull it out a year from now when they have a better idea of what the market is like and can better anticipate what console is going to fit their needs. After a year, consumers should have a better idea of what machine makes sense for their living rooms, since there's not much indication right now which one is a better fit.
At the very least, in a year there should be a better indication of what new hardware actually means when it comes to playing games. Right now, the launch lineup for both machines largely consists of slightly shinier versions of titles already available for current hardware. This is probably necessary, since the new boxes don't play anything meant for older ones, but it's also not really an incentive to purchase. A new console should, as a rule, give you an experience that was not possible on the older model. Right now, they are not really doing that, since the launch lineup is limited.
Launch lineups are always limited, of course, it's the first days of the hardware and game developers aren't familiar with what it can do. It's not like with the old boxes, where they have been working with them for years now and are familiar with how to get the most performance possible. That's another reason to just hold on to the old stuff, the final days of hardware often sees great products on it. At the very least, software support isn't drying up too quickly, it'll be a while before that happens, so one will not be lacking in games while they wait.
Another reason to avoid a new console right now is that it's a good idea to wait for the kinks to get worked out. The early Xbox 360s famously self-destructed, for example. While most of the flaws in the first batch will eventually be dealt with through software patches, early indications show that there will be a lot of changes coming fast. The Xbox One, for instance, is not the same console that was announced months ago, as consumer outcry has caused a lot of its features to be changed last minute. Sony is coming under fire for the limited media capabilities of its console as well, and might change its own approach. In twelve months, the best fit today might be completely different than it was today, as both companies respond to consumers and what they want and change their approach accordingly. The smartest move is to wait, let the market sort itself out and then pick. Let the early adopters be the guinea pigs, they can deal with two companies struggling to figure out what exactly people want. Be patient, be observant, and when stores are well stocked and the hype dies down, buy the console that has the most titles you like. You might even save money as a result.
