Is the Switch worth putting off getting a PS4?

[REPO Man]

I'm hoping to get two jobs this year (still have NYC on my mind) and since I'll have the funds to also get a new gaming console (don't judge), I am pondering whether to get a PS4 or a Switch.

On one hand, the PS4 has been out a while already, has a wider library (even without a PS Now account) with titles that have already made me choose it over the Xbox One (for now), doubles as a Blu-Ray player and since many of my Vita purchases came with the PS4 versions, along with free-to-play titles, I'll already have a few games already.

On the other hand, the Switch doubles as both a home console (which is useful in NYC when having friends over, though the PS4 could do that as well and maybe better at it) and a portable console (for long subway rides in NYC or just a standard hour-long drive to Nags Head and another hour-long drive back to Avon). Even with the Vita's Remote Play feature that basically relies on having WiFi access in areas that wouldn't have it (if in my mom's car there's obviously no WiFi and no way in hell I'm burning through any finite data I might have on my phone for that).

But while PS4's downside is lack of portability, the Switch's major downside is that while not docked it's not as powerful.

What's your opinion? On the main subject I mean. Don't make this about my finances, employment or anything that doesn't related to picking between a Switch or PS4.

[Fragems]

PS4 Console is cheaper, games are cheaper and the library is already quite large, and it's claimed it's place firmly in the market for the time being.

With the switch you are going to pay way more for the console off the bat, there aren't a ton of games, and prices are going to be high for the few games it has since there isn't going to be much of a used market for a good while.

[Xeogred]

Hmm, I don't know. The answer seems clear to me, PS4 all the way but I'm a big fan of a lot of Nintendo franchises. It's just like Fragems said, the PS4 library is already deep and there's tons of great games coming out this year too, it just keeps stacking up. You'll have access to a lot of indie stuff too and some of the PS2 digital releases (think they all have trophy support, resolution and framerate upgrades, etc but I'm not sure).

To me it just sounds like it depends on how important the portable factor is for you.

[isiolia]

I don't think it is.

Even just on a basic level, you're looking at a launch console versus one that has been on the market for several years. PS4 has a solid library already out there, plenty more games on the way (skim down the list here for instance), and on top of that, plenty of games have been on the market long enough to be cheap. That's not a comment on your finances. Getting more for your gaming dollar is nice for anyone, and it tends to take time for releases to cycle down to the bargain bin. Launch era, for any console, tends to involve more full-priced purchasing of anything that's half interesting, because there's just not much on the market.

To me, a PS4 is simply a much smarter buy at this point.

It's also more of a known quantity, where we've really yet to see how the Switch plays out.

Being fair, the Switch is a bit schizophrenic in design. There's no use case where 100% of its features are even possible to utilize. Full speed is only usable docked, touchscreen is only really practical if handheld, motion controls are limited (at best) if used portable, and so on. Basically, if gamers aren't using it in every way advertised by Nintendo, at least some of the hardware is basically pointless, but it's not free.
Developers are likely going to target the specs and features common to all configs more, or focus on the majority use case. Maybe we'll see Nintendo adjust the hardware to follow (or at least pricing).

Not saying it won't all work out, just more that we haven't seen what niche the system settles into yet. Not how Nintendo is trying to sell the concept to people (or fail to), but how it actually pans out. Meanwhile, you know what a PS4 does well and doesn't already.

[MrPopo]

What's your opinion? On the main subject I mean. Don't make this about my finances, employment or anything that doesn't related to picking between a Switch or PS4.

Neither. Unless you aren't actually serious about going to NYC.

[REPO Man]

What's your opinion? On the main subject I mean. Don't make this about my finances, employment or anything that doesn't related to picking between a Switch or PS4.

Neither. Unless you aren't actually serious about going to NYC.

I pointed out my trying to get back to working two jobs again, since last time I made around $1200-2000 a month.

If I'm living in NYC then portability is pretty important if the games are worth it.

As pointed out a major drawback to the Switch in comparison to the PS4 is the fact that the Switch will be a new console while the PS4 will be on the market for less than half of what may well be its lifespan (assuming it keeps with Sony's tradition of supporting hardware for 10 years). So basically, with the Switch I run into what I guess could be called "early adopter's syndrome", where the hardware's capabilities are not fully tapped into (compare Devil May Cry 4 for the Xbox 360 with DmC: Devil May Cry for the same system), where launch titles for the Switch and late-in-life WiiU titles bare enough resemblance to point out. In fact, some say that the WiiU version of the next LoZ game will run at 60fps while the Switch version will run at 30fps but looks noticeably better.

There's also my nagging suspicion that the Switch will be Nintendo's final console before becoming a third-party developer like Sega did almost 15 years ago. Though would that necessarily be a bad thing? With Nintendo basically making questionable decisions, such as the N64 using cartridges or the GameCube using smaller optical discs than its competitors or the Wii basically being built on top the GameCube or the WiiU essentially being the Tanzler's Bride of game consoles but with a new controller set up, they're clearly not interested as much in the hardware game as they were. Sadly they're basically just trying to be different for the sake of being different.

But I'm still debating whether to get the Switch or the PS4, though now I'm leaning more towards the PS4. I still want the Switch (and the Xbox One for its exclusives and its growing backwards compatibility with 360 games, which I own tons of).

[ZeroAX]

I was in the same exact dilemma .

Went with PS4. Much bigger library, the Switch has barely anything announced fo rit, and at least personally I also own a 3DS with plenty of games on the system I haven't even checked out yet.

[Fragems]

And the other issue is the crazy online setup that they have for the Switch which basically requires a smartphone .

http://www.techradar.com/news/the-ninte ... atchmaking

[ElkinFencer10]

So, as a Nintendo superfan, I'm going to tell you that you need to put aside everything else and get a Switch.

From an objective point of view, until at least November, the PS4 is the better system to get.

[Sarge]

You might want to consider doing what Exhuminator does, and that's holding off until the next generation starts. It's a lot cheaper that way, and if you're anything like me, you've got no shortage of stuff to play!