Which console will be the go to choice for casuals next gen?

I'd say the Xbone for the TV features and Kinect, but that 500 price can be a turn off for some, especially with the other competing consoles being lower. So it's hard to say for sure.

Xbox one will win the majority of casual gamers as that's exactly the market they are aiming for. No shame in that as it is a massive market. If MS can get all casual gamers in North America to buy an Xbox One then they'll do very well. There's a reason why COD outsells most other IPs and will continue to do so.

I'm opting for a PS4 myself.

Depends on country, household income. In US, middle class and up, it will be the X1.

PS4.

Not the Wii U which is less popular than AIDS. Casuals in Murica won't spend $500 on a console in droves, probably not even $400. Whichever hits $299 first. Europe will be all over the PS4. It could be that with no Wii-craze, less C-words buy consoles than this gen.

pretty good question.

i think you're right tc, xb1 is probably going to appeal the most to casuals. but not just because of it's casual games, but also because it will have a very broad library, and a bunch of features. but as others have mentioned it's too expensive. who knows? maybe the sheer momentum of ps4 will draw in everyone

i think a low end sku steam machine could also be a contender, as the steam for linux library is already 'big' by 8th gen console standards. or my personal favourite, a home build pc with ubuntu and steam for linux. that's what i'd get a kid for christmas.

that, and 'the antidote'.

Microsoft will win as Kinect 2.0 will be 10x better than the Wii and it's also more than a gaming console. The funny thing is that it has better games than the PS4 too.

Xbone is Ultra Casual ....

* price = casual don't mind high price .... look at how they spend new Iphone or android every season

* kinect = health concious (but still looking fat) will love this gadget, to prove the world they also work out.

* FPS = your children and tweenies will love this rehash genre and chatting and cursing online

* TV = talking to your tv via kinect, and shouted ""WHOO HOO"" when the ball strikes is the signs of casuals

Xbox One will definitely win the casual gamer's market because of:

-Kinect (despite what some people on this board think of it, Kinect 1.0 was very popular with casual gamers and Kinect 2.0 is way more powerful)

-Smart TV features (Just like many people that hardly ever play games bought a PS3 as a cheap blu-ray player; many people will buy Xbox One as a cheaper alternative to buying a Smart TV)

-Xbox Fitness (Wii Fit proved that there is a large market for stuff like this and Xbox Fitness looks way better than Wii Fit)

-Superior online service (casual gamers like social gaming)

-Exclusive games like Halo, Gears of War, and Titanfall that appeal more to casual gamer's taste than the exclusives that Sony offers

-Timed exclusive DLC for casual gamer's favorite series, Call of Duty

These things are more important to casual gamers than PS4 being slightly more powerful.

The X-box one will get a higher % of sells for the casual market but neither console will real make any dent in the homes of people who are not already gamers.

I think Xbox One, although most casuals will just migrate to smartphones and tablets

Well after MS dropped core in 2009 to go upwards of 65% casual with Kinect(lol), the logical choice is the Xbone 180.

It's going to be the PS4. Microsoft is completely missing the boat and are going to be left in the dust.

Microsoft wants the casuals but they will go to Sony. PS2 was the ultimate hardcore and casual machine and I can see the same happening for PS4.

@hippiesanta said:

Xbone is Ultra Casual ....

* price = casual don't mind high price .... look at how they spend new Iphone or android every season

* kinect = health concious (but still looking fat) will love this gadget, to prove the world they also work out.

* FPS = your children and tweenies will love this rehash genre and chatting and cursing online

* TV = talking to your tv via kinect, and shouted ""WHOO HOO"" when the ball strikes is the signs of casuals

lol

I think Xbox One will get the casual market, due to the Kinect and TV stuff. However I also think the majority of the casual market will just stick with current gen until the new COD and FIFA are next gen only. Most "casual gamers" I know think that over £300 for a games console is extortionate.

PS4, because of price. But saying PS4 will attract the casual market doesn't mean it's any less/more casual than the Xbox One.