The PlayStation 4 is launching tomorrow, and I need to decide what to do about that. A few important things have changed between 2006 and today that make it especially interesting.
.
In 2006, Twitter was launched. That’s the same year as the PS3, which means that this is the first big console competition that social media is properly fueling, complete with hashtags and trends, and the gigantic ripple effect of collective customers who are either pleased or pissed off. Becoming part of these waves can be a very fun thing, once you realize that the corporate world is watching carefully.
In case you forgot already, it was social media that built up enough pressure to seep into headlines and late night TV, forcing Microsoft to reverse their schemes for the Xbox One, which in turn created a chain reaction that may have led to Don Mattrick jumping ship. Certainly social media caused Adam Orth to vanish from the Internet and relocate his family. Who would have guessed that a simple eleven digit hashtag like #dealwithit would threaten to become a corporate Creative Director’s famous last words?
But despite the drama and hilarity of the console war, where every console sold is a shot fired and every dollar spent is a subtle nudge to the wheel of fate, I’ve decided against buying the PS4 just yet. Not because I’m broke, or afraid of what early adopters will have to put up with, or because Knack got 4/10 reviews, but because I have other things to do first. I want to finish the first prototype of Altafang: Tactics, the board game I’m designing; and there are a few articles that I need to write as well, such as a Path of Exile review and the next MGS4: Sold Out installment. Other personal projects are hovering around begging for attention too.
The other big reason for waiting is to see what exactly Steam Machines will be. Dropping $2,000 on a living room PC setup is a very real possibility, and while I definitely plan to get a PS4 around the time Ground Zeroes is released in Spring of next year, January will bring us Consumer Electronics Show 2014.
Valve has confirmed that it will be attending CES 2014 and recently it confirmed to IGN that it will be showcasing a full line-up of new Steam Machines which will cater for everything from indie games to hardcore next-gen shooters like Battlefield 4.
So for now, I’ll watch what happens. Apparently Kojima has a major announcement about the PS4 version of Ground Zeroes today, which is great news. But personally I’ll let all of that PS4 hype serve as motivation to get some things done first, instead of pulling my attention in even more directions.
See also Next-Gen Hopes
See also The Amazing Valve Strategy