I will gracefully bow out of the console market

[casterofdreams]

The Wii U is out and the PS4 announcement is coming around the corner. So I've made a decision today that I will gracefully bow out of the console market going on forward. The Xbox 360 was the last one that I have purchased and I'm sticking to it. I also will no longer buy any Xbox 360 game going on forward after Crysis 3. I will mark the Gen 8 portables as the last time I will buy a dedicated handheld system. I will no longer buy any game through Steam. What ever game I purchased through Steam is built to run on Max with a rig do not plan on ever upgrading.

What I will do is purchase any DLC for games I already have. I will buy games for those Gen 8 portables.

Now as to why. I amassed a fairly large backlog of games that I consider a waste sitting in a closet doing nothing while more gets added to that neatly stacked pile (I have every single game on an Excel spreadsheet, and its just ridiculous). I hate to have games on my HDD not even going through the first time start-up. I also want to focus on saving. As boring as that one is I need to save. I'm not in debt or anything (other than car payments) but I do want to accumulate some wealth up while still in my mid-twenties still living at home with this shit economy during a time where going out on your own is a financial death sentence.

I've got the DS, PSP, Xbox 360, and PC with a mix of fantastic Indie games and recently released (last 7 years or so) games to occupy myself with. I think I'll do alright.

I have a few friends who bowed out 7th gen because they felt the quality of games has diminished due to forced MP or DLC structures. Sold everything off that fell within that generation and stuck with GCN and PS2. I have one friend who called it quits and stuck with 16-bit. I'm sharing this with you guys for critique maybe. Not really sure. I was wondering as this is a retro site if anyone from the community share similar views, or rather, has done something similar as to what I am doing and the reasons why?

[BoringSupreez]

Financially, you're making a good decision. If you feel you have enough already and would like to save, go right ahead.

That being said, there are still plenty of good games being made, and you will miss out on some great stuff. I don't recommend making this decision permanent. Make sure to snatch up what you skipped once you can afford it.

[Hazerd]

As of right now i dont have plans to buy a PS4 or 720, wanting to go all PC next gen.

[Jordan]

There's gonna be one game come out at somepoint that you see that will make you break this pact, I've seen it happen many times!

[Retrogamer0001]

I've been thinking of doing this myself, though it's definitely not an easy thing, especially after living with a hobby for several years. I am personally trying to wind down buying games in general, and have managed to cut my Ebay spending down to almost zero, which is something I'm very proud of. Now I want to focus on getting away from pawn-shop hunting and pre-ordering games at EB (I still have about five games pre-ordered, unfortunately, but those will be the last).

I think everyone comes to the point where they need to start playing the games they buy and focus more on what the hobby is actually about - after all, it's easier to spend money on games than it is to sink 20-40 hours playing one. Best of luck!

[BogusMeatFactory]

I have had the same feeling that you have had, with the desire to bow out of this generation of console games. I tend to wait until near the end of the system's life before jumping in...if at all. A lot of times I move back and forth between PC games and Console games, but overall, I have definitely been ebbing away at my collection.

[Boyward]

My life circumstances may be slightly different than yours, but our logic is exactly the same and we'll be bowing out of the console market for most of the same reasons.

Actually, the transition to a new generation is a blessing because between seeking out classic games and buying or trading for new ones I ran out of time to play them all.

I'm sure all these new and upcoming games will eventually go into the bargain bin and when I've played through everything in my backlog I'll be ready to check them out. I'll keep subscribing to Game Informer and reading reviews on IGN and Gamespot just to stay informed so I know what to get from Gen 9 when the Wiiiiii and PS5 come out.

But for now it's time to finally begin enjoying my enormous backlog, and it's kind of a relief to finally have that opportunity. OP, I'm happy for us.

[J T]

I have a crazy Excel sheet too, though I stopped tracking stuff several months ago. I switched to all PC last gen and my most advanced consoles are PS2 and GameCube. I sat down and did the math. If I say it takes about 20 hours to complete a game on average, multiply that by the number of unfinished games in my collection, and estimate my lifespan to be 80 years, with an estimated 10 hours of gaming per week, I will never complete all the games I already own. Not even close. This still hasn't stopped me from buying new games completely, but I have cut back on how many I buy and I have resigned myself to the fact that I will not beat the majority of my collection. This means I have to be ok with just playing the first few levels of a game and moving on to something new, unless I really get the urge to see it out to the end.

[jmbarnes101]

I've essentially decided the same thing only I may pick up a Wii U at some point and I'm sticking to Nintendo published games for previous era consoles and handhelds along with the Genesis and a few other fun games for each system. While I own a 3DS it hasn't yet won me over. I'll also pick up the occasional very cheap game on Steam or Gog or through Humble Bundle as well.

I never bought a 360 or PS3 and don't intend to and I'll likely get rid of my Dreamcast, PS2, and Xbox as well as I just never seem to actually play them despite having quality games for each system. I picked up the 64 Drive for my N64 which gives me the entire catalog plus a bunch of NES on one cartridge and I'll collect just the Nintendo published carts to go with it.

I don't play nearly as much as I'd like and while I enjoy finding games at garage sales and such I don't have much of a desire to buy much of anything else. I've made the determination I have way too much stuff and way too much stuff isn't bringing me any enjoyment so I'll be purging and refocusing on games I actually want to play, mostly Nintendo published games, as opposed to collecting for every system under the sun.

[Zing]

I have already successfully done what the OP proposes, except I did it five years ago. I even regressed one generation, by selling off my PS2 and DS collection. I am perfectly comfortable with my SNES and PSone for the next 10 years. It can easily be done. I have plenty of time to play games, and these systems will still last me that long. Don't be fooled into thinking you must churn through modern games to be a gamer.