New to Gaming? Which System Should You Buy?

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Joel McLaughlin:

1. If money and a catalog of games already owned were no object, what do you feel is the best gaming console system available now?

XBox One

2. Why is it better than _________?

Quire frankly, say what you will about Microsoft, but Sony has not impressed me with keeping their customer’s info secure. PSN has also had issues with security and quite frankly that’s more important to me than whether the PS4 is better or not.

3. What does ________ have that your recommendation doesn’t have?

I like the XBox One integration that’s promised in Windows 10. Also, the Kinect is a neat experience.

New to Gaming? Which System Should You Buy?

4. Is your recommendation a gaming console that a beginner would feel comfortable with, too?

Not really. The Wii U gets my vote here as it’s much more suited to casual gamers.

5. What is your favorite gaming controller (and why)?

Wii Motes and Wii U Pad

I like the way the old Wii Motes work and the Wii U pad is fun to play with. Like the concept that you can play a game without needing a TV.

6. What are your favorite gaming headphones (and why)?

Any headphones. I don’t typically wear them when I play, but any I have tried do the job fine.

To be honest, I game more on Android than on a console now, anyway.

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She got her start in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie has written for or been profiled by nationally known sites and magazines, and she has served on multiple industry hardware and software award panels. She is best known for her device-agnostic approach, enjoyment of exploring tech, gadgets, and gear, and her deep-diving, jargon-free reviews.

4 Comments on "New to Gaming? Which System Should You Buy?"

  1. PolyGeekism | February 3, 2015 at 4:07 pm |

    Personally I think it can be a little simpler, and you can take personal bias out of the equation mostly.
    First do you have friends who play games that you want to play with? In today’s world that is becoming even more important than it ever was in the past. If they are all, or mostly on one console, that is the one you need to get.
    Have some deep roots with Nintendo properties,(Mario, Zelda, Metroid etc.) and do not really care about having the best available graphics, Wii U that one is easy.
    Is this taking the role as an entertainment machine? Right now the Xbox One would have a slight edge. It already supports DLNA for home network streaming, and if you have a cable/satellite box it can run through the system for dual control as well. Also if they can pull off the forthcoming Windows 10 updates this will be even better. PS4 should get DLNA support sometime, so it’s close, but the Wii U is terrible in this aspect, no blu-ray, not going to ever be able to network stream, and it is solely designed for gaming, for better or worse.
    Game’s is mostly a tossup. They all have some impressive first party stuff, with Xbox One probably being slightly ahead of PS4 as of now. One big caveat though is Japanese RPGS. Playstation is way ahead here and that won’t likely change soon.
    Controller is probably more personal preference than anything, although it is hard to argue that the control stick layout on the Xbox controllers isn’t better than the PS4.

    Going back to my first statement though, if you are a social gamer, and all of your friends are on one console, that is going to be where you want to be, regardless of the other qualities of the competing systems.

  2. GREAT points, thanks! So … which one do you have? =)

    • I am betting XBONE due to the controller comment … I am more familiar with it as well so it feels more natural to me, but I find that is one of those ‘what you know’ things.

      But I love all of his points!

    • PolyGeekism | February 3, 2015 at 8:32 pm |

      Personally I do have an Xbone, and have been an Xbox guy since Halo 2 or thereabouts. The main reason at the time was Xbox Live. To put it simply, it just worked. Playstation guys always cried about it costing money, but it also never went down and was very very well supported.
      Now it is kind of a wash in that department. They are both pay services, and both have so many little outages it can be frustrating. These new systems seem to have some pretty big growing pains that have come with the package, even though the hardware is more computer-like then ever. I was not an early adopter last time though and I am sure there were hiccups then as well. Eventually I will get a PS4, but it probably wont be until Gran Turismo 7 as that is the only title I even own the PS3 that I bought over the holidays.

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