🎮 Do you like playing games on modern consoles?

[Brickman | 3,984]

6 hours ago, Kguillemette said:

I'm in the camp where I am mostly priced out of modern gaming. Id love to partake, but it's just too expensive of a hobby for me. I buy maybe one new release a year for myself. It's an easy decision what kind of gamer I am when I can afford 3-5 second hand games for the same price as a single new release.

Modern gaming has never been more affordable though.

You can get games for free from EPIC and Amazon Prime. GOG and Steam have sales with games ranging from $1-10 that are great games and Xbox game pass is probably one of the best gaming services around vs the price you pay. Personally I think the Switch service is meh but if you break it down you are barely paying anything for all the games you can play.

Also games haven’t kept up with inflation and are going on sale constantly vs retro games which have gone up in price. 

[Kguillemette | 1,544]

5 hours ago, Brickman said:

Modern gaming has never been more affordable though.

You can get games for free from EPIC and Amazon Prime. GOG and Steam have sales with games ranging from $1-10 that are great games and Xbox game pass is probably one of the best gaming services around vs the price you pay. Personally I think the Switch service is meh but if you break it down you are barely paying anything for all the games you can play.

Also games haven’t kept up with inflation and are going on sale constantly vs retro games which have gone up in price. 

I'd argue the switch service is retro gaming, which ironically the primary way I play switch these days. And outside of a small handful of games for each system's library, most sell for way under $70, which is what new games seem to cost these days. I should note that when I refer to retro gaming, I personally am digging my heels into wii, wii u, and PS3 at the moment. I bought Yoshi's Wooly World last week for $15 at a local game store and having a blast with it!

And the price of entry on ps5 is beyond me, especially for the console alone.

I do agree that modern gaming is cheaper these days than it used to be when adjusting for inflation. Of course I couldn't afford these retro consoles when they were considered "modern" back then, either!

[Brickman | 3,984]

6 minutes ago, Kguillemette said:

I'd argue the switch service is retro gaming, which ironically the primary way I play switch these days. And outside of a small handful of games for each system's library, most sell for way under $70, which is what new games seem to cost these days. I should note that when I refer to retro gaming, I personally am digging my heels into wii, wii u, and PS3 at the moment. I bought Yoshi's Wooly World last week for $15 at a local game store and having a blast with it!

And the price of entry on ps5 is beyond me, especially for the console alone.

I do agree that modern gaming is cheaper these days than it used to be when adjusting for inflation. Of course I couldn't afford these retro consoles when they were considered "modern" back then, either!

Yeah agreed. It definitely depends on what you're playing and buying. Wii is probably at the low cost right now so a perfect time to grab a heap of great games for cheap. Same goes with 3DS.

[Sumez | 2,951]

On 11/6/2023 at 4:22 PM, FireHazard51 said:

Given that video games are relatively new medium I have no problem saying it is generally  improving with time.  I'm not saying older games are dog shit, but to make improvements is human nature.  Also what is valued in art will change with time too because human culture isn't stagnant.  I put story telling and immersion as very high tiered qualities in games.  So for my perspective this is a no brainer that video games get better with time in general.  And don't think immersion is a fancy word for graphics.  I value the same thing in my books I read and too.  In fact I generally prefer books without any visual artwork so I can draw my own image.  Or I should say I let the author provide the details that I then draw in my mind.

What do you value in video games that has peaked?  I mean since games aren't improving you are implying that they have peaked.

I don't buy the narrative that any aspect of video games needs to have a "peak".

It's a creative output, and the quality of a game hinges entirely on what it's trying to be, and how well the creators have managed to carry out that vision. Nothing is more important than the direction and design of a game.

Of course there are technical aspects that improve over time, allowing to make types of games that were never possible previously. Just like the Lord of the Rings trilogy probably could not have been made as well earlier on, but at the same time would probably also have been worse, had it been made later - ironically also due to technological advances.

In short, it's just not about technology at all. It's a simple question of looking at what your favourite games are, and a vast majority of the games at the very top of my list were made in the 90s, and relied on nothing that would have improved them had they been made later on.

Of course it's still exciting that new things are possible. A game like Subnautica is amazing, and would never have been sufficiently possible with 1997 tech. But Subnautica isn't an ideal game. It's just an ideal materialization of that sort of game.

As for what aspects of storytelling a video game can do now, I think you're looking at many more aspects than just the technical, such as budget and directing. The acting and emoting of The Last of Us 2 is unprecedented, it's definitely an aspect that lifts it above its peers, and it's something that should be appreciated. But also it's easy to just get blinded by that and forgetting to look at the creative output behind it, overlooking all the frustrating flaws of the story it's actually telling. Like you said yourself, books can tell incredibly riveting stories and do so with no technology, no images or sound etc. at all.
One of the best examples of storytelling in modern video games is probably Disco Elysium, as recognized by pretty much anyone who has played it (it also has its issues, but that's besides this point). And nothing in that game wouldn't have been possible to make in the 90s. It's also a game that actually uses storytelling as an aspect in its game design, compared to TLOU and many other AAA games, which are just trying to make a movie as a companion piece to a video game.
The fact that both the acting and storytelling of TLOU2 has been outdone by several movies that are many decades older (something I think you'd probably agree on even if you really enjoy the game's story) should be telling.  

[AstralSoul | 502]

So it took me years to finally realize this but now is the best time for gaming. We have access to a ridiculous amount of games, old and new, playing on modern hardware is great. Still not a fan of the hour long install time / patch process but it is what it is. I still greatly prefer old games over new ones simply because it's what I know and I prefer shorter simpler games to anything big these days. I simply don't have time for anything big anymore. Perhaps due in part to retro game collecting skyrocketing in price, I'd rather just play a rerelease or remaster of an old game on a new console, if I have access to it. Especially if they add in some quality of life features like being able to save anywhere in games you couldn't previously. But retro gaming is no longer cheaper than modern gaming, if playing on actual hardware. Modern gaming is as cheap as it's ever been even with the $10 price jump in most new games. 9 out of 10 games will drop in price fairly quickly or go on sale, I've rarely paid full price for any game I've bought in the last 3 years. Point is, gaming as a whole is the best it's ever been. Even if I prefer old school games.

[Sumez | 2,951]

Every point in the future will always be the best time for games, as long as we don't lose access to all the games that already exist

[Reed Rothchild | 9,526]

5 hours ago, AstralSoul said:

So it took me years to finally realize this but now is the best time for gaming. We have access to a ridiculous amount of games, old and new, playing on modern hardware is great. Still not a fan of the hour long install time / patch process but it is what it is. I still greatly prefer old games over new ones simply because it's what I know and I prefer shorter simpler games to anything big these days. I simply don't have time for anything big anymore. Perhaps due in part to retro game collecting skyrocketing in price, I'd rather just play a rerelease or remaster of an old game on a new console, if I have access to it. Especially if they add in some quality of life features like being able to save anywhere in games you couldn't previously. But retro gaming is no longer cheaper than modern gaming, if playing on actual hardware. Modern gaming is as cheap as it's ever been even with the $10 price jump in most new games. 9 out of 10 games will drop in price fairly quickly or go on sale, I've rarely paid full price for any game I've bought in the last 3 years. Point is, gaming as a whole is the best it's ever been. Even if I prefer old school games.

Yep.  Best time for most mediums.  Remember the 90s?  You'd have to borrow a friend's CD, get a $60 game for Christmas, or hope that Back to the Future was on TNT.

And (insert movie you love), (insert TV show you love), (insert band you love), (insert book you love), and (insert game you love) didn't exist yet.

[Estil | 1,264]

On 11/6/2023 at 9:26 AM, TDIRunner said:

There are a lot of things about modern consoles that I enjoy.

• Wireless controllers.  Whatever controller I'm currently using just sits on my end table ready to go for the next round with no cables running across the floor while I'm not playing.  (I don't care about cables when I'm playing)
• Being able to turn the system on from the couch without touching the system.
• The general concept of "auto-save" is a great feature
• I'm not ready to give up my original consoles, but the fact that more and more retro stuff is available to play on modern consoles is great

Of course, there is also a long list of things I don't like about modern consoles.  I'm certainly not ready to give up the old stuff yet, but I get enough enjoyment out of modern consoles to acknowledge they belong in my setup.  

You forgot the most important part, the trophies!  I don't know if I would've bothered nearly as much with PS3/PS4 without them; after all there's more than enough PS1/PS2 to get caught up on!

[Sumez | 2,951]

[Brickman | 3,984]

5 hours ago, Estil said:

You forgot the most important part, the trophies!  I don't know if I would've bothered nearly as much with PS3/PS4 without them; after all there's more than enough PS1/PS2 to get caught up on!

Yeah agreed, they really help extend a game sometimes and add some extra challenge. There is a site for retro stuff too: https://retroachievements.org

I’ve actually based my 2024 backlog challenge around the Sony trophy system. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun and I plan to add it to my signature as a tally.

[Andy_Bogomil | 815]

I really like modern games when technology doesn't get in the way (updates, registering accounts, lag, etc.). As many have said, the majority of the stuff from the past is more accessible than ever and there's a lot of great new games out there (even with a retro feel if you're not into the latest triple A stuff).

The only thing that kinda sucks about today's games is that there is no 'mystique' to them. Even avoiding spoilers on the internet, it's just not the same as seeing a few still shots in a magazine or just hearing that a game is going to be released with no additional info until you play/see it yourself in person. That could just be me getting older as well

I also miss local co-op games. Online is great ,but not the same as sleeping over at your friend's house with a group and playing games into the wee hours of the morning. Again, probably to do with getting older and less about the games themselves.

[Estil | 1,264]

5 hours ago, Brickman said:

Yeah agreed, they really help extend a game sometimes and add some extra challenge. There is a site for retro stuff too: https://retroachievements.org

I've always thought that would be an amazing idea but then how do you come to an agreement as to what achievements/trophies should be for each game and for each task of that game?  I mean we can't very well have 5-10 different websites like this with 5-10 different trophy sets!  If this could be used in an Everdrive cartridge where it'd record what date/time you did each achievement that'd be real swell!  I like looking at my trophy lists on my PS3/PS4 and the dates I got them and it brings back memories ya know?

[Brickman | 3,984]

4 minutes ago, Estil said:

I've always thought that would be an amazing idea but then how do you come to an agreement as to what achievements/trophies should be for each game and for each task of that game?  I mean we can't very well have 5-10 different websites like this with 5-10 different trophy sets!  If this could be used in an Everdrive cartridge where it'd record what date/time you did each achievement that'd be real swell!  I like looking at my trophy lists on my PS3/PS4 and the dates I got them and it brings back memories ya know?

I don't personally use it but trophy hunters always recommend it as one of the best. It does say they've been around since 2012 so at least it seems like they're here to stay. I think the website is where you look at all your past achievements.

[Link | 2,710]

5 minutes ago, Estil said:

I've always thought that would be an amazing idea but then how do you come to an agreement as to what achievements/trophies should be for each game and for each task of that game?  I mean we can't very well have 5-10 different websites like this with 5-10 different trophy sets!  If this could be used in an Everdrive cartridge where it'd record what date/time you did each achievement that'd be real swell!  I like looking at my trophy lists on my PS3/PS4 and the dates I got them and it brings back memories ya know?

From what I've seen there are like 500+ achievements in modern games so does it really matter if anybody agrees which ones matter? No way in hell I'm caring about that many goals for any game ever.

[LHCGreg | 111]

Modern consoles are just locked-down computers. My newest home console is a Gamecube. I play any new games on PC.

[Sumez | 2,951]

9 hours ago, Link said:

From what I've seen there are like 500+ achievements in modern games so does it really matter if anybody agrees which ones matter? No way in hell I'm caring about that many goals for any game ever.

The fortunate truth is that no achievements matter.

In my first response I specifically pointed out achievements as a part of the annoying fluff that I think makes modern consoles worse, so it's at least mildly amusing seeing it being highlighted as a positive by someone else

On 11/6/2023 at 9:35 AM, Sumez said:

I like utilities with a single purpose, and my ideal console is one I insert a game into, and the title screen music will be playing while my finger is still on the power button. I don't need them to do all kinds of other things, and I don't really need a menu system either. And I especially don't need achievements. 

 

[Brickman | 3,984]

20 minutes ago, Sumez said:

The fortunate truth is that no achievements matter.

In my first response I specifically pointed out achievements as a part of the annoying fluff that I think makes modern consoles worse, so it's at least mildly amusing seeing it being highlighted as a positive by someone else

 

It’s almost like no human is alike and we all enjoy different things 

How do achievements make modern consoles worse? They aren’t a requirement to play a game or finish a game. They’re just a bit of extra things for people to challenge themselves. It also creates a bit of fun to try and get a high count among friends. Sure, some developers don’t put a lot of effort but a lot of others do.

Of course no achievements truely matter. Just like someone 1CC’ing a SHMUP or no death run on game X matters. It’s all meaningless, but people do it to have fun and challenge themselves.

[Sumez | 2,951]

44 minutes ago, Brickman said:

How do achievements make modern consoles worse? They aren’t a requirement to play a game or finish a game. They’re just a bit of extra things for people to challenge themselves. It also creates a bit of fun to try and get a high count among friends. Sure, some developers don’t put a lot of effort but a lot of others do.

Extra challenges built into a game, and the game recognizing those is great. (even if we can probably agree that in practice, achievements/trophies in most games very rarely are even that)

A tedious, slow and often malfunctioning menu system designed to appropriate some sort of social network for penis comparisons on a device which otherwise frankly only needs to exist so I can boot up a video game and have fun with it? It's useless and distracting.

At best its unintrusive, but ultimately it's a part of a bigger package that makes me a lot less fond of using a modern console compared to nearly any classic one.

The quicker I can get to the point, the better, which I thought I pointed out well in my original post.  

Edited November 15, 2023 by Sumez

[Brickman | 3,984]

5 minutes ago, Sumez said:

Extra challenges built into a game, and the game recognizing those is great. (even if we can probably agree that in practice, achievements/trophies in most games very rarely are even that)

A tedious, slow and often malfunctioning menu system designed to appropriate some sort of social network for penis comparisons on a device which otherwise frankly only needs to exist so I can boot up a video game and have fun with it? It's useless and distracting.

At best its unintrusive, but ultimately it's a part of a bigger package that makes me a lot less fond of using a modern console compared to nearly any classic one.

The quicker I can get to the point, the better, which I thought I pointed out well in my original post.  

You do realise you can disable trophy notifications right? So basically everything you said is irrelevant because you can ignore them. They don’t make the modern console worse because you never have to see them so they won’t bother you. 

Not sure how it is a penis comparison. Some people probably take it too far by becoming obsessed with the hunt but same goes with high scores and speed runs etc. 

The challenge and hunt of trophies is there for people who like it and those who don’t care just move on with their life. Simple.

[Sumez | 2,951]

I'd explain in detail why I think it's still worse regardless of that, but I already did so, in the post you're quoting

The subject is whether the features of modern consoles is something you prefer, not whether you can accept their existance by disabling and/or ignoring them, in which case they are irrelevant anyway.

Basides, it doesn't matter how many features I disable on the PS4, it doesn't make it any less of a cluttered and embarassingly slow UI, weighed down by extranous network features and heavy framework overhead, all of which have some way of getting in the way of the "insert game->play game" motion.

It's not like I don't understand why modern consoles have all that, and the more shiny features you can put on your system, the cooler it will seem, and easier to sell. There are people out there who are crazy enough to buy and play games exclusively for the achievements - so not having them would just be robbing yourself of profit. And by dragging all kinds of half-assed community ideas all over the video game menu, you'll be able to create more engangements from your user base. And there is definitely an undeniably massive segment who are all about that, and prefer modern consoles for this stuff.

But to employ your own words - "it’s almost like no human is alike and we all enjoy different things", and it's something I don't enjoy.

[Brickman | 3,984]

6 hours ago, Sumez said:

I'd explain in detail why I think it's still worse regardless of that, but I already did so, in the post you're quoting

The subject is whether the features of modern consoles is something you prefer, not whether you can accept their existance by disabling and/or ignoring them, in which case they are irrelevant anyway.

Basides, it doesn't matter how many features I disable on the PS4, it doesn't make it any less of a cluttered and embarassingly slow UI, weighed down by extranous network features and heavy framework overhead, all of which have some way of getting in the way of the "insert game->play game" motion.

It's not like I don't understand why modern consoles have all that, and the more shiny features you can put on your system, the cooler it will seem, and easier to sell. There are people out there who are crazy enough to buy and play games exclusively for the achievements - so not having them would just be robbing yourself of profit. And by dragging all kinds of half-assed community ideas all over the video game menu, you'll be able to create more engangements from your user base. And there is definitely an undeniably massive segment who are all about that, and prefer modern consoles for this stuff.

But to employ your own words - "it’s almost like no human is alike and we all enjoy different things", and it's something I don't enjoy.

My point is that a modern console is not worse just because it has achievements. You can turn them off so they aren’t bothering you and then you never see them again.

You’re more than welcome to not like them though, that’s your view and perfectly fine. Turn off the notifications and you’re good to go. 

[Tanooki | 4,933]

I can't say for sure it's the best time for gaming, but it's the best level for oversaturation of too much media in gaming and well beyond.  Before things were at least approachable and manageable but now you really need to cherry pick or forget it.

[koifish | 556]

I don't have much time, so I would rather play something that I know loads up quickly and starts quickly, and doesn't waste a lot of time with story, cutscenes, or other distractions. I read enough that I don't need story in a game.

I will say though that the "when I was a kid" part isn't entirely accurate, at least to me; There are plenty of games that were around when I was young, but that I had never played, or even owned the hardware for, until much later. I want to be clear as the poll answer seems to suggest a bit of nostalgia bias, which I feel should be pointed out as too often I see dismissive comments in the vein of "you only like this because it was your childhood", and would like to deflect such assessments.

[Koopa64 | 51]

I just don't like modern games, or where they've gone, or what they've introduced.

Here, have a list of modern gaming things I don't like, from off the top of my head:

- Online everything (I like local MP more)

- DLC, day one patches

- Games being tens or hundreds of gigabytes in size, I have a datacap guys...

- HD graphics (so often ugly and hard on the eyes)

- MOBA, battle royales and games as a service

- Most of my favourite game devs are long since dead

- Consoles being giant power hungry space heaters

 

Modern games stopped being relevant to my demographic with the 360 and PS3. I am certain I haven't missed much.

Edited November 22, 2023 by Koopa64

[Sumez | 2,951]

1 hour ago, Koopa64 said:

Modern games stopped being relevant to my demographic with the 360 and PS3. I am certain I haven't missed much.

As much as I agree on your takes about not needing all of that crap introduced in many modern games, there is no lack of games also coming out today that go in the direct opposite direction of that. 

If you stopped at the x360, you have definitely missed out on a lot. 

Edited November 22, 2023 by Sumez