Gaming consoles are like portals that can transport you to fantasy worlds, where you can be an assassin in a colonial era, a space marine battling aliens in the future on an alien planet, a fighter or even a F1 race car driver. You might think that these are just fantasies meant for a 15 year old, but in fact they appeal to adults as well. Games such as Just Dance for example, are specifically made for families to have a fun time battling it out by dancing with each other.
A gaming console is what makes all of this magic happen. Gaming consoles can be a pastime activity or the life of a party. If you haven’t tried one out, you should because it’s a ton of fun! When it comes to buying a gaming console, you only have the choice of selecting from one of many brands. We’re not going to tell you which is the best gaming console, but help decide the best gaming console, for you. We lay down the important pointers.
What kind of gaming console do you want?
There are two types of gaming consoles, one that sits in your living room connected to your television, and then there are the handheld gaming consoles that you carry with you wherever you go. The living room consoles are powerful and deliver an immersive gaming experience that the whole family can enjoy. Most of these consoles also act as central media and entertainment hubs, allowing you to browse the web and also play media from the web.
The popular gaming consoles in the market are the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, the Wii and Wii U. Mobile gaming has become popular on smartphones and tablets, but because of the titles and the legacy of older gaming consoles, they rarely match the experience that you get on a dedicated handheld gaming console. These consoles are compact and portable, so they can be easily carried around in pockets and small bags. There are two popular handheld consoles – the Nintendo 3DS and the PlayStation Vita. The PlayStation Portable has been popular, but is no longer mentioned on Sony’s official site and is slowly being phased out.
How much are you going to spend?
If you are looking for the most unique gaming experience that money can buy, then the latest generations of consoles such as the PlayStation 4, Xbox One or the Nintendo Wii U are the ones for you. All these consoles are packed with the latest hardware, so they also make great future-proof buys. Like with previous consoles, you can be rest assured that the console you buy won’t be outdated in few years’ time. The newest generation of consoles were just launched in late 2013, so they’re still very new.
On the other hand, if you just want to do some casual gaming, then consoles like the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 won’t disappoint either.
They have good graphics and a ton of game titles readily available for them. In addition to that, they’re also a lot more affordable than their newly launched models.
In case of handheld gaming consoles, the PlayStation Vita is the one of the popular ones. It has all the advanced features such as net connectivity, built-in camera and a touch screen. On the other hand, the PlayStation Portable also serves as a good gaming console for casual gamers. The Nintendo 3DS is another interesting gaming console, offered in three different variants called the 2DS, 3DS and 3DS XL.
All the variants sport different designs with small feature differences, but can play more or less the same games.
Look for pricing of game titles
The cost of gaming isn’t just the cost of the console; you also need to spend on game titles. You also need to be aware of the prices of games for the console that you choose. For example, the latest console titles are sold at roughly Rs. 4,000. Prices for some highly anticipated games might even go up to Rs. 5,000. This might not be the case with slightly older consoles such as the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, with prices being much lower.
What kind of games are you more interested in?
If you’re a hardcore gamer who plays practically all genres of games, then you may find the game offerings for the PlayStation or the Xbox exciting. These consoles let you play games from almost all genres, such as racing, action, first-person shooting and many others. Major action titles by Activision, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft are generally developed for these consoles.
These games feature life-like graphics and gameplay that will keep you occupied for days on end.
Nintendo’s Wii and Wii U gaming consoles too have their share of popular games but they’re more inclined onwards a different style of gaming. Nintendo is more popular for games surrounding the Mario the Zelda series. The games are generally a bit light hearted and can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
Game availability is another factor to consider when selecting a console. There are also games that are exclusive to certain consoles. For example, the Gran Turismo series is something you’ll only find on Sony consoles. Similarly, you won’t find the Halo line of games on any console but the Xbox.
It’s a good idea to get an idea if you have a special interest in play any of these exclusive titles, so you can choose a console accordingly. You also need to be aware of the availability of games for the console you’re going in for. For example, slightly older consoles like the PS3 and Xbox 360 have more games available than their successors right now, but as months go by, developers will start focusing more on developing titles for the newer consoles.
Are you going to be gaming online?
Online gaming has become a huge part of gaming and is present in every console today. Multiplayer gaming means that you’re going to be playing games with complete strangers from anywhere in the world, and this means unlimited gameplay. Online gaming on consoles requires you to create an account, which gives you access to many features such as multiplayer gaming, video, audio and other services. Some even give you trial games, and free games that you can be downloaded. Both Sony and Microsoft have their own online services, called PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live respectively. Subscription for these services can be bought either for a month or a year at nominal price, while some are completely free.
Storage capacity & Motion Gaming
Gaming consoles usually have some internal storage. These range from 4GB to 500 GB, and you choose one based on your needs. If you don’t plan on storing any games or content on the console, instead use discs, then you can go for the more affordable option with less storage onboard.
On the other hand, if you are planning to download games over the service, then a larger capacity console is recommended. Motion gaming has completely revolutionized the way we play games. It has also become an important feature of gaming consoles today. Some consoles have a camera that record your body movement while other need an additional controller that is detected by the camera.
Almost all the new gaming consoles today support motion gaming. Some consoles require a separate accessory to let you do motion gaming. In the case of the Xbox 360, the Kinect kit is available while the PS3 uses something called the Move Motion controller. If you want to involve everyone in your family in gaming, motion gaming is probably the best way to introduce it to them.
While buying a gaming console make sure to look at the bundles and accessories available. Some consoles may come with set of free games in the box. You can even find bundles or offers where an additional motion controller or joystick maybe given along. Some consoles also come with additional accessories such as an HDMI cable or an SD card.
You can also opt for limited edition bundles that feature a different design for the console, and accessories made for a specific game. In terms of gaming consoles, there isn’t much to go wrong with. It’s more about choosing the one that suites you the most, the one that has the most games and just having a fun time.
